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Surveillance Camera Captures Beginning of Minneapolis Mass Shooting; Trump Pledges to Hit Campaign Trail for GOP Ahead of Midterms; Soon, Deadlocked Jury Returns to Court in Clancy Murder Trial. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired September 03, 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]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We begin with breaking news. The feminist icon, activist, and journalist pioneer, Gloria Steinem, has died. She was 92 years old and active until the end. Her life being remembered this morning.

Also, breaking overnight, a mass shooting in Minneapolis leaving two people dead and several hurt, including police officers. The response by officers hampered by a haze throughout the downtown high-rise. What investigators are now revealing about the shooter.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And Republicans called, now President Trump is answering, vowing to stump for 35 candidates in the final 30 days before the midterms. But with rising gas prices at the pump to the grocery store and a highly unpopular Iran war, what issues can he really rally on?

Plus, lightning knocking a man down on a Staten Island sidewalk, leading him to church and to buy a lottery ticket. We'll talk about it all.

John and Kate are out today. I'm Omar Jimenez with Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: Breaking overnight, two people are dead, multiple others injured, including three police officers after a mass shooting inside a high-rise apartment building in Minneapolis. The gunfire ringing out in a busy downtown area. A surveillance camera from a nearby diner captured the moments the shots erupted.

Terrifying, you hear the shots going off one after the other and then the screams. Minutes later, the same camera captured police officers arriving at that scene. Once inside, police say they were met with a barrage of gunfire and a haze that limited their vision from all the gunfire. Officers exchanged gunfire with the shooter while trying to help people get to safety all at the same time.

This morning, we know now that the shooter is dead.

CNN's Whitney Wild is joining us now. She is watching all of these developments. Whitney, what are you learning this morning? WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, there are still so many questions. Police are not saying the name of the shooter, saying only at this point they know who the shooter was. He was known to law enforcement.

This all started at around 4:36 yesterday afternoon. Here's what happened. The 911 calls started coming in. Law enforcement raced to the scene, and it was in the lobby of this apartment building where they found the wounded. They started to try to treat people, and then followed the sound of gunfire up to a higher level floor.

That is where they were met with that haze. They exchanged gunfire. Those absolutely harrowing moments, absolutely terrifying for the people inside that apartment building. Absolutely surely terrifying for the law enforcement who, in this thick haze with very low visibility, was confronted with gunfire.

What we know is that as this was unfolding, people in the apartment building were doing whatever they could to keep themselves safe. They sprinted away from the hallways. One woman told reporters that she grabbed a little girl and pulled her into the elevator to hide. It was simply chaotic. Another woman saying that she was so terrified after this incident happened, she had a panic attack and actually had to be hospitalized. I mean, that is how chaotic this was as it unfolded floor by floor in this downtown apartment building right near the convention center, right downtown Minneapolis.

Here's more from law enforcement and from the mayor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JACOB FREY, MINNEAPOLIS: They rescued victims, brought people to safety, helped get approximately four people to the hospital, all while getting shot at themselves. Two officers were hit by gunfire: one in the leg the other with two bullets to the abdomen. But for their heroic work, the death toll would've been far higher.

INTERIM CHIEF BILL PETERSON, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE: I'm truly sickened by this level of violence. That feeling is tempered only by the courageous actions of the Minneapolis police officers who responded without hesitation, confronted an extraordinarily dangerous situation, and worked to end the violence and restore safety.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Earlier in the day, law enforcement had responded to a dispute at that apartment complex.

[07:05:02]

They believe it was related to an eviction. But, Sara, they're trying to figure out how that incident might be related to this incident, trying to figure out if the person involved there is the shooter.

There are so many outstanding questions here. Why would someone commit such a horrific act? Why so many people? And actually, Sara, there's still a question about what that haze was. Law enforcement saying that their officers suffered adverse effects after that. But still a lot of open questions, Sara, an absolutely horrific day in downtown Minneapolis yesterday. Back to you.

SIDNER: Truly terrifying listening to the shots, listening to the screams, and then hearing what officers had to go through to try and get this all under control.

Whitney Wild, I know you'll be watching this for us, thank you for your reporting this morning. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Well, Sara, we've got new CNN reporting this morning. With the midterms now just two months away, President Trump is promising to hit the campaign trail for Republicans. He told GOP lawmakers at a dinner in the White House Rose Garden that he will campaign in nearly three dozen battleground races.

Now, Trump's political operation is also launching its first ads of the midterms, focused mainly on him, but at a time when his approval is at a record low and voters are anxious over the Iran war and rising prices. So, could his presence on the trail actually backfire?

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House for us. So, can you just tell us a little bit more about the president's midterm strategy here?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Omar. I mean, look, we are roughly 60 days now away from the midterm elections, and there's a lot of anxiety among Republicans, particularly those of course on Capitol Hill and across the country who have tough battleground races that the President is not doing enough to boost them. And this is something we've been hearing now for several months.

You mentioned that ad that was released really boosting the president. I can tell you that a lot of the ads we're going to see in the coming days that are coming from the president's political operations are going to look like that, more about trying to raise the popularity of President Trump himself rather than some of these candidates.

But the problem is, one, I would note the ad actually isn't from MAGA Inc., which is the president's personal political PAC, one that also has, I should note, $400 million roughly in their war chest, money that has not really been spent yet, and that is part of the concerns that Republicans have.

I will tell you I've spoken at length in recent weeks with members of the president's political operation on the outside who say they are going to spend. Trump actually gave the green light to spend money a couple weeks ago, but they really haven't seen that materialize. And part of the issue, I think some of the anxiety a lot of Republicans are feeling, including some of the committees on the House side and the Senate side is, is this money coming too late given we are so close to the midterms?

But I do want you to listen to what the President told some of these Republican lawmakers last night here at the White House, vowing to get out hard and campaign a lot in the coming weeks. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm going to take the final 30 days and maybe a little bit more than that, because it's all about 35 races. I'm going to go to every one of those 35 places, and we're going to see if we can get everyone elected.

I think we'll get all those people elected, but I'm going to have to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, look, Omar the president's saying he's hitting the trail hard. This is something actually that the president's team had wanted him to do starting back in January. They had all these plans to have him out there campaigning weekly when we started in the New Year. Then, of course, we saw the Iran war and other issues really take up a lot of the president's time, keeping him away from the campaign trail.

So, we're going to see that start in earnest. But I think to your question as well, the president's popularity isn't great right now. His polling numbers are pretty much in the tank. And so there are questions about what this could mean, if this will actually boost them.

But to give you a look inside his political operation, they believe that it's not going to be independents and moderates that are going to change the tide of the midterm elections. They believe it's the president's fiercest supporters, the parts of his MAGA base, that if they can get them to turn out, perhaps they can still succeed come November. We'll have to see, but this is the strategy now as they zero in 60 days on those midterm elections. Omar?

JIMENEZ: And he has seen some success in terms of his midterm's primary endorsements, but, of course, the general election is going to be an entirely different test that we will see how it plays out very soon.

Alayna Treene from the White House for us, I really appreciate it.

All right, meanwhile, coming up very soon actually, the deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial will be back in court. We're going to tell you what will happen this morning, and what would a mistrial mean for the mother accused of killing her three children.

Plus, bans, fines, suspensions, the NBA announcing historic punishments for the L.A. Clippers accused in a multi-million dollar salary cap scheme for one of the NBA's biggest stars. We'll bring you those details as well.

And then as kids head back to school in New York City, launching a crackdown in the classroom, becoming the first major city to ban A.I.

Stick around.

[07:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: Very soon, jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial will be back in court as the case now appears on the brink of a mistrial after they couldn't reach a unanimous verdict again on the fifth day of deliberations. The jury has now spent nearly 30 hours considering the fate of Clancy accused of murder after strangling her three young children.

Prosecutors argued she acted intentionally, rationally, and swiftly, while the defense has been telling the jury that she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

CNN's Ivan Rodriguez is outside of court today. What are you expecting to happen this morning on the sixth day of deliberations?

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara, the biggest question is what can we expect from the jury later this morning? Will the jury send another note to the judge saying they're still unable to reach a unanimous verdict, or will they come to a verdict?

Yesterday around 2:00 P.M., the jury sent the judge that second note saying they still haven't been able to come to a decision.

[07:15:05]

They remained deadlocked. The judge then brought the jury into the courtroom and read the Tuey-Rodriguez instructions, also known as a dynamite charge, giving the jury those final instructions to come to a unanimous verdict. And this is a possible outcome, right, that we have been talking about. It's always a potential.

Hear what Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, had to say about these latest developments yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN REDDINGTON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I'm proud of the jury. It's a tribute to the system. They're amazing. They're working very hard. Whatever happens with the case there, nobody can say that they haven't given it their all.

I wouldn't be surprised if they came back with a verdict. If they said that they could -- wanted to continue or they want to stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGUEZ: So, the idea with Tuey/Rodriguez instructions is to try to avoid an impasse, try to avoid a mistrial and a hung jury. The instruction also asks jurors to consider the reasonableness of their opinions and others, and to continue deliberating toward a verdict. It also goes on to say, quote, you should consider that it is desirable that this case can be and should be decided.

Now, again, if they cannot come to a unanimous decision, it's typical that the judge could declare a mistrial, Sara, and that also opens the door into the future for another potential trial in this case. There would be no resolution now, and we would have a completely new jury.

SIDNER: Yes, it's really, really hard what they're going through and what they're having to see, 85 witnesses, 300 pieces of evidence. Ultimately, we will -- we may find out today that there is a mistrial or maybe they go back in there and they're able to render a verdict. We will see.

Ivan Rodriguez will be watching it all and probably bring it to you live as it happens. I appreciate it.

All right, breaking overnight, women's rights activist, author, and journalist Gloria Steinem has died. Steinem had a career as a feminist trailblazer that spanned decades. In the '70s, she co-founded Ms. Magazine, the first national feminist magazine. She founded several women's rights advocacy groups.

In 2013, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work. A post on her official Instagram says she passed away peacefully at her home in New York, and I just saw her a couple of months ago as she gathered with many women to honor women in media, and now she is gone.

Gloria Steinem died just 92 years old.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

JIMENEZ: This morning, the Los Angeles Clippers are facing a massive multi-million dollar fine and the loss of a lot of first-round draft picks after a probe into the franchise's business dealings with star forward Kawhi Leonard.

I want to get straight to CNN's Andy Scholes, who can break this down for us. I mean, this is a huge deal.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Huge deal, Omar, and this is as big of a penalty that the NBA has ever handed down. So, the investigation into the Clippers circumventing the salary cap to sign Kawhi Leonard, it was done by a private law firm, took a full year, and in the end, the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver dropping the hammer down on owner Steve Ballmer and the Clippers.

The team, they've been stripped of five first-round picks, fined $30 million. Owner Steve Ballmer and President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker are both suspended for a full year. The team's general manager, Lawrence Frank, he's also suspended for six months.

In a statement, the NBA said they, quote, found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of salary cap circumvention rules. Back in 2015, the Clippers were fined for violating rules when they were pursuing DeAndre Jordan.

But the law firm that investigated the Clippers said that they broke the rules by initiating off-court income opportunities between Kawhi and four companies, Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance, facilitating endorsement agreements between the companies and Kawhi, and inducing the companies to enter these agreements by offering them business from the team.

Now, Kawhi's uncle, Dennis Robertson, was the one negotiating these deals on Kawhi's behalf. He's been suspended from doing NBA business for five years. Now, this current investigation all started when Pablo Torre reported on his podcast that Kawhi had a $28 million endorsement deal with Clippers sponsor Aspiration.

Aspiration was a climate tech company that went bankrupt last year, and co-founder Joseph Sandberg, he was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors. Torre, in his reporting, found that Kawhi never actually did any apparent work for his endorsement deal, prompting the NBA to open that investigation.

Now, Ballmer and the Clippers, they've denied these allegations the entire time, and they said they will be fighting these punishments through every avenue available. The team in a statement saying in part, We vehemently reject the NBA's findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence.

But the NBA rulings, they are final. The only outlet to fight them will be in court. So we'll see where that goes, Omar. But, you know, during all of this, Kawhi was actually traded from the Clippers to the Raptors. That trade has been on hold while the Toronto was waiting to see if Kawhi was going to receive any punishment from this. Kawhi was not suspended at all. He was fined $700,000.

So, this trade should be going through in the near future. But, wow, what a punishment for the Clippers. And they are going to be in a bad place for a long time now.

JIMENEZ: Penalty is incredibly wide reaching. Andy Scholes, really appreciate it, as always.

All right, coming up, a gold rush. I'm talking about billions of dollars in gold bars urgently flown out of the United States over fears of global political unrest.

[07:25:04]

We'll tell you about the shocking move and what it says about the state of politics in the United States.

And the largest school district in America banning A.I. in the classroom. We'll bring you those details coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SIDNER: President Trump says he's hitting the campaign trail with two months until Election Day. But with his approval at a record low, do vulnerable Republicans want him there?

The president is not on the ballot in November, as you know, but his political operation is firing up its first ads of the midterms, and they're pretty much all about him.

[07:30:07]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We will be.