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Today, U.S. Expected to Unveil Economic D-Day Sanctions on Iran; 90,000 Urged to Evacuate as Crews Battle Wildfire Near Reno, Nevada; NYPD Investigating New Video of People Emerging from New York City Manhole. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 24, 2026 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news: the missiles and bombs did not get the United States what it wants with Iran, so this morning the administration is launching what it calls economic D-Day. Will the treasury secretary rattle the Islamic Republic where the defense secretary could not?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: A fire emergency is playing out west. The wildfire that exploded overnight, threatening tens of thousands of people around Reno, 15,000 acres burned so far, 0 percent contained.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Things I never thought I'd say, what in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is going on here? Spotted again in New York, headlamp-wearing people seen crawling out of a manhole again.

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: An economic D-Day. That is what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says is coming for Iran. And it is notable that it's the Treasury Secretary more at the forefront today in the war with Iran than the Defense Secretary. Bessent holds a news conference, and in an op-ed for the Financial Times, he wrote, quote, Now we are entering the endgame.

At dawn begins an economic D-Day, the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary. It is part of a U.S. strategy shift nearly six months into the war, temporarily pausing strikes in favor of economic pressure.

Let's get to CNN's Alayna Treene live at the White House this morning. The press has been talking about this for some time, but today the Treasury Secretary puts it into gear.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, and he's expected to reveal the specific new measures that the Trump administration is expected to impose on Iran, and really try to isolate it, particularly, of course, its economy from the rest of the world.

Now, the president and other top administration officials have described this new announcement as being the most comprehensive assault on Iran thus far, of course, on Iran's economy specifically.

Now, I will say that and I mentioned this, but Bessent and Trump, what they are describing is really this new coordination that the U.S. is hoping to have with allies to try and sever all economic ties with Iran, but also have allies sever those ties as well.

And you heard Bessent explain a little more of this in that op-ed. I want to read for you this quote. He said, total financial isolation can obviate the need for American force while enlarging the sphere of freedom for our allies. Later in the op-ed, he writes, the world should understand that our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Iran stands alone.

Now, I do want to just give you a little bit of a picture of where Iran is at this point, because, of course, we know the Trump administration has already been trying to impose a lot of economic pain on the country over the last several months. Iran's currency has now dropped to a record low against the dollar as the U.S. continues to try and move and tighten their economy even further.

There are questions though about which allies, and specifically even some adversaries, what the relationship with the U.S. and how they're going to respond to this. And of course, I think the big one is being China. We know that China relies on Iran for its oil more than any other country in the world.

We heard Bessent address this in recent days as well. He essentially argued that China was aligned with the U.S. when it came to finding a resolution to the Iran war and to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Bessent said on CNBC last week that many conversations are best to have in private and that they're confident that everyone wants the strait reopened and for energy prices to come back down.

Look, I do think, though, some context here and kind of underscoring the bottom line is that this war has turned from one that is being fought militarily, a lot of those tit-for-tat strikes between the U.S. and Iran as negotiations have fallen apart, to now being a full economic focus. And this is something coming from the top.

The president has told his advisers in recent weeks to cease negotiations as they turn to this new strategy. So, more details coming around this press conference this afternoon. John?

BERMAN: It'll be interesting to see. A global economic crackdown on Iran sounds a lot like what was in place before the first U.S.-Iran nuclear deal under the Obama administration.

[07:05:02]

Alayna Treene at the White House, thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Also this morning, some 90,000 people are being told to get out as firefighters are trying to get out as firefighters are trying to get a handle on a massive wildfire near Reno, Nevada, so much damage being seen so far. Officials say the fire is human-caused, but they have not said if they believe that it was intentionally set. It first ignited Saturday and has scorched more than 15,000 acres. Two medical centers have actually had to evacuate patients to safety because of this.

CNN's Derek Van Dam tracking all of this for us. And, Derek, what are fire crews up against with this one?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, they're doing everything they can, from the ground to the air. I mean, look at this video coming out of the National Guard, this pilot coming in with their air attack assault helicopters trying to douse the flames, getting a handle on the leading edge of the fire. Then we take you to the ground because this is what residents saw Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

That fire is rapidly advancing up and over the hillside, and those are buildings and homes below it. That is not a place you want to be, very precarious. That is why there are mandatory evacuations associated with this Hawk Fire that is currently sitting at 0 percent containment. There was erratic fire behavior over the weekend.

Fire started on Saturday. Really blew up in size on Sunday. Now we've got to deal with it this week because the Hawk Fire there just outside of Reno, Nevada, is burning too close to comfort in terms of residential and business areas.

This is the wind forecast. This has been largely driven by southwesterly winds. Today, it's not a very particularly windy day, but I want to show you as we advance, this is the burn scar. This is the ignition point of the fire. Here's downtown Reno, Nevada. This is about five miles to the north and west. Notice as we head into the second half of this work week, the winds start to pick up.

So, this could spot additional wildfires, taking the embers and taking them downwind into areas that are not yet burned. So, this is the concern. And, of course, we've got tens of thousands of people in the path of this, unfortunately. It's thanks to this pressure squeeze, the high pressure to the south baking the Southwestern U.S. and an upper- level trough.

So, that's going to put the gradient here across the area, squeezing it through like a wind tunnel, and that means the winds pick up across Reno into Redding, Sacramento, gusting over 25 miles per hour this week. It doesn't help that the relative humidity values when we expect them to recover overnight to give the firefighters the leading advantage has not been happening.

So, we'll dry things out in the days to come. We have the critically dry vegetation on the ground with the ongoing drought. This is why we have the potential for critical or at least elevated fire concerns, especially as we head into the second half of this work week. We still have our active wildfire burning now, but there's no rain to help this forecast, Kate, and, unfortunately, the winds will only get stronger from here.

Back to you. BOLDUAN: Yes. So, all these fire crews that are working so hard to try to battle it down.

Derek, thank you so much. We're going to have some more updates on this coming. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Kate.

Breaking overnight, the former deputy convicted in the murder of Sonya Massey has died in prison. New details on what we've learned about how this may have happened.

And the NYPD investigating after another video showing people climbing out of manholes in Midtown Manhattan. The serious security concerns and who they believe this might be.

Also, nuts and bolts beat Usain Bolt, beat his 100-meter record time. How did this all go down? You'll see it. Good grief.

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[07:10:00]

SIDNER: Breaking overnight, Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff's deputy convicted of murdering Sonia Massey inside her home, has died while serving a 20-year prison sentence. Grayson shot Massey after responding to a 911 call about a prowler outside her home.

In July of 2024, she made that call. He had been diagnosed with colon cancer before Massey's killing, and his attorney said at his sentencing in January that the disease had spread to his liver and lungs. In May, he sought a medical release but was denied.

Massey's death became a flashpoint over police use of force, sparking widespread protests, and it resulted in Illinois lawmakers passing the Sonya Massey Act, requiring law enforcement to more closely review an applicant's previous employment records before hiring a police officer. John?

BERMAN: All right. This morning, the New York Police Department is investigating new video showing people dressed in overalls and wearing headlamps coming out of a manhole in Manhattan. That is very near Penn Station, and it comes months after similar incidents. At that time, officials said these incidents pose no threats to the public.

Let's keep looking at that video because I think that's what's of interest here.

With us now is Juliette Kayyem, CNN national security analyst. Juliette, and when you see this video here, in previous examples, the NYPD said this is no threat to the public. When does it become a threat that people are crawling in the sewers underneath the city?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, let's just say why the NYPD is saying this. They have, after these videos have been posted on TikTok, so there's obviously a performative aspect to it, the dress, looks like, you know, they're in costume of some sort. They have checked the areas where these guys are coming out of.

[07:15:00]

These are highly orchestrated events. You have people on the outside knowing exactly when to lift the manhole and let these -- and let the others out.

The -- earlier when these were first found in May, these videos, the NYPD said that they thought it was some sort of scavenger hunt that guys are going in there. It's -- but let's just -- whatever it is, it's highly dangerous. Not simply for them, it's disgusting down there. There's chemicals, there's smells, there's noxious materials and liquids. But, obviously, they could leave something behind that would be dangerous to pedestrians or street.

I think the fact that it was so close to Penn Center -- to Penn Station means that the NYPD is going to take probably an extra focus to try to stop this from happening.

BERMAN: Yes, I mean, that's what's interesting here. I mean, obviously when it's happening in Queens and Brooklyn, that's a threat also. But this is happening right near business centers, transportation hubs, you know, high-profile public places here. So, this is not the type of thing you think that the police will just sort of shrug their shoulders and laugh at anymore?

KAYYEM: No. I mean, it is unlawful and -- but it's unlawful for a very important reason is that you have to make a point of things like this. These people, whatever they're doing is not funny. It's not a performance. You know, are they doing videos down there? These are -- this is critical infrastructure, it keeps the city moving. And if you don't go after people like this, no matter how funny you think they are or whatever good performance it is, then people will start going on electrical poles or they'll start going into other areas that need to be protected.

This is -- look, we live in a time in which no one abides by the social contract, which is, you know, basically let the systems run without needing your pictures or your videos or causing this kind of unrest. And the police have to really focus. You could get good visuals of these guys, focus on this simply because you don't want, you know, this to be the fall of TikToks in the sewer or videos in the sewer or even people doing scavenger hunts.

This is highly performative. They're all wearing the same thing. This is, in my mind, based on my experience, this is for some sort of video or something. There's no reason that they should all be wearing the same exact thing.

BERMAN: Yes, it's a good point there. This does certainly seem somewhat performative, not that overalls with no shirt, you know, is not in style always, but these are people who clearly expected to be seen.

Juliette Kayyem, thank you very much for that. Kate? BOLDUAN: Stunning moments in the trial of the man accused of killing rapper Tupac Shakur. His attorney heard on tape telling the defendant, do not implicate yourself in Tupac's murder.

Plus, a plane crash lands in the ocean near a Florida beach. This way, Kate. Look over this way. How the pilot was able to get to safety.

We'll be right back.

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[07:20:00]

SIDNER: Hours from now, the man accused of orchestrating the killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, Duane Davis, will be back in a Nevada courtroom. Already some stunning moments, including audio in which Davis appeared to again implicate Sean Combs in Tupac's killing. Combs has repeatedly denied any connection to the murder.

At one point, jurors also heard audio of a 2008 conversation Davis had with his own attorney where the attorney is warning him not to implicate himself in Tupac's murder. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, you're doing a pretty good job. I know it's kind of hard, but, you know, you ain't supposed to be getting into anything like you was involved in the murder. You got to keep it really clean.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you got to -- you told -- what you told us, stay consistent with what you told us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He gave me the gun. He gave me the gun. That's what --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to say that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. See, when he says he got to say it, I got to say it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. Keith did you hear what I just told you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Well, court is back in session just hours from now.

Joining me now, CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney Joey Jackson. First of all, what did you make of the jury hearing this conversation, which is normally privileged between an attorney and a client, and they hear him say, whoa, whoa, whoa, don't say that you did it?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Sara, good morning to you. This is compelling, and it's very strong. And generally speaking, you can redact, that is remove things that are not for the consideration of the jury, nor anyone else. And so this is a problem that it was out there.

However, not so fast, it can be spun. Obviously, your attorney is going to say, and, well, the defense attorney will say, obviously, you're going to get counsel, and your counsel is going to be there for your protection and your interest to tell you, do not implicate yourself. It doesn't mean that you actually were telling the truth. It doesn't mean that you have specific information relating to your involvement in Tupac. It means your attorney is telling you, hey, you -- if you want to lie or fabricate or whatever, just don't take it too far. So, you could spin it both ways.

That said, I do not like the fact that this came out from a defense perspective.

SIDNER: From a defense perspective.

JACKSON: Yes.

SIDNER: All right. There's also this thing that's happening in Nevada that doesn't happen in every courtroom, and that is that jurors are allowed to ask questions of witnesses on the stand. Let's listen to what happened here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE CARLI KIERNY, CLARK COUNTY DISTRICT COURT: A couple questions from our jurors, if you can answer them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course.

KIERNY: Did you hand him the $10 to $20,000 check before the interviews for the series?

How did the film studio obtain the audio recording of the 2008 proffer?

Did Duane Davis have any right to approve or edit what recordings or edits were included in the docuseries?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:25:03]

SIDNER: This is interesting. Explain how this works, because it is not in all courtrooms that jurors get to ask questions to the witnesses. Correct?

JACKSON: It is not, Sara. In fact, it is in very few. So, let's take it from this perspective, it's in Nevada. We know that. And from Nevada's perspective, you can, if you're a juror, ask questions. Now, this is really enlightening. Why? Because we, as attorneys, generally have to wait until the verdict, and when they're deliberating, they send out notes, they being the jury, and that will kind of cue you to what their concerns are. Here in Nevada, you have the ability to ask questions, that is if you're a juror, of the particular witnesses.

Now, less than half the states in the country have such a system, and even those that have a system, generally, it's up to the judge to implement their discretion to say, this is going to be admitted and spoken with. This is not going to be. But here, you can freely ask.

But I think from the questions, it's clear that the jury is focused in on specific issues and items, right? And you heard there, the last clip, in terms of whether Davis had the ability to edit or evaluate and look at the different things that were going into the book, that's important because the attorneys are saying, hey, you know what? This is complete fiction. It was a ghostwriter. I don't know what the ghostwriter was doing. I don't know what the ghostwriter was saying.

Guess who we may hear from though, Sara? The ghostwriter. And I think when you hear from the ghostwriter, with regard to the book and the memoir, that will give the jury an indication of how involved Davis was in the writing of this book, in the telling of this tale, if you're the defense, or in the telling of the truth, if you're the prosecution. And it's the battle of those two narratives.

But to date, the star witness in this case has been Keffe D.

SIDNER: Keffe D.

JACKSON: No question about it.

SIDNER: In his own words, either you could hear them read back to you, but actually hearing him is pretty stunning for a case like this.

JACKSON: It's a big deal, finally, because of the fact that, listen, these are words from his own mouth regarding his involvement. You could assess in the actual tape his demeanor and comportment. He seems calm, he seems composed, and he seems very detailed with regard to what he was doing, who was in the car, where they were going, et cetera, and that could be a problem.

SIDNER: Yes. And the jurors, at least they're paying attention, because they're asking some darn good questions.

Joey Jackson, thank you so much. You can watch continuing live coverage of the trial on CNN All Access. It starts back up at noon today. You can scan that Q.R. code or open the CNN app. John?

BERMAN: So, with friends like these, the new trade war with Canada, what things that you buy are about to get more expensive?

And then a woman on the run wanted for allegedly killing her police officer husband.

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[07:30:00]