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CNN This Morning
Manhunt For Suspect In Deadly Bar Shooting In Montana, Four Killed; Ghislaine Maxwell Moved To Federal Prison Camp In Texas; BLS Made Downward Revisions To May And June Jobs Reports; Arrests Made In Killing Of A Couple Hiking In Arkansas; UCLA Loses Federal Research Funding Amid Fight With Trump; NTSB Wraps Up Grueling Testimony On Potomac River Collision. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired August 02, 2025 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[07:00:50]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: You made it to the weekend, we are glad to have you. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It's Saturday, August 2nd. I'm Victor Blackwell.
Here is what's new this morning.
Police in Montana. They are looking for a man they believe killed four people at a bar. They say he's armed and dangerous. We've got new details about what we're learning about him. That's just ahead.
Ghislaine Maxwell, she is waking up in a minimum-security prison camp in Texas after being moved from Florida yesterday. Jeffrey Epstein's accusers called this a cover up. But President Trump is again weighing in on the possibility of a pardon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: End of a crew, welcome on board. (INAUDIBLE)
We are so happy and excited to see your smiling faces.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The International Space Station's newest tenants arrived just a short time ago. We'll tell you what's interesting about this crew and this mission. Plus, a major first for Major League Baseball today. The Braves and the reds will face off on a NASCAR track. How this will all look very different than your usual baseball game?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And this cold front is packing a double punch. It's bringing a lot of rain to the southeast, but also some very nice cooler temperatures. We'll take a closer look coming up.
BLACKWELL: We're starting this hour, though, with the new details in the search for a suspected killer. Police in Montana are looking for this man, Michael Paul Brown. They say he killed four people yesterday at a bar in Anaconda County before he ran off.
Overnight, police say they found the vehicle he was believed to be driving, but they still haven't located Brown. Authorities are now focusing their search in the mountains west of Anaconda.
CNN's Josh Campbell has more on the search.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Victor, an active manhunt underway right now in Montana, after authorities say a man allegedly opened fire inside of a bar in the city of Anaconda, in the western part of the state, sadly killing four people and then, fleeing.
We've seen this infusion of multiple law enforcement agencies at the local level, the state level, as well as agents from the FBI and the ATF, now also involved in this manhunt.
Now, authorities pushed out this image that you're seeing here of the suspect. They named him as Michael Paul Brown. This information they are trying to get out to the public, so, anyone who might see this person or recognize him will actually call law enforcement. Authorities did give an update on the status of this manhunt on Friday.
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SHERIFF RICO BARKELL, GRANITE COUNTY, MONTANA: Anytime you got, you know, active shooter still on the loose, is going to be dangerous. So, I know Deer Lodge County and Anaconda are taking every kind of precaution they can to make sure their citizens are safe. If there is any notification -- changes in their safety, they will be notified. As of right now there's no threat to the community as right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: Now, Victor, as far as a possible motive, authorities have not yet said their first focus right now is on locating this individual and bringing him safely into custody. We have seen in so many of these incidents that you and I have covered, involving mass shootings that often in the early hours after an incident, sometimes police don't actually know the identity of the person that they are looking for. That's different here.
Here, relatively quickly, officials in Montana came out with the identification with this image, again, trying to push this information out, telling the public that this suspect should be considered armed and dangerous after this incident. Again, they are wanting people to contact law enforcement, but they are specifically saying, Victor, if you see this individual, do not approach him. Rather, pick up the phone, call 911. Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right. Josh Campbell, following that developing story for us. Thanks so much. Also new this morning, Jeffrey Epstein's co- conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, she is waking up in a federal prison camp in Texas.
Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 for carrying out a years-long scheme with Epstein to groom and then sexually abuse girls. The prison is minimum security that marks an unusual move for the Bureau of Prisons, for an inmate like Maxwell to be transferred to a prison like this.
A top official would need to conclude that a risk to public safety has been lowered based on recommendations from prison staff or good behavior.
Now, family members of Virginia Giuffre, she is one of Epstein's accusers who died by suicide earlier this year.
[07:05:04]
They say that this move smacks of a cover up. Well, CNN's Ed Lavandera explains what Maxwell can expect in this new prison camp.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the first things you notice when you arrive here at the federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, is that much of it is not surrounded by tall fencing with razor wire. Most of it is surrounded by a simple black metal fence that you would see in many residential neighborhoods across the country. And that kind of gets to the point here that this is a minimum-security facility.
We are told that there are more than 600 female inmates at this facility, and it's also, we should point out, very unusual that Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred here. This is a facility, a prison camp that usually houses inmates that are considered to be low risk, not a flight risk, and also be nonviolent.
But there are a number of high-profile inmates at this particular location in Bryan, Texas. One of them, including Jen Shah, who was a cast member of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City; and also, Elizabeth Holmes, who was executive in the blood testing company Theranos and part of a high-profile criminal trial just a few years ago.
But, you know, this facility has areas for outdoor recreation. There is an area underneath some oak trees in the shade, where inmates can sit in benches and chairs. They are simply surrounded by one chain with signs that say, 'out of bounds' if you go beyond that area, and it literally sits right at the entrance into the prison camp.
Federal -- prison officials have not explained the details and the specifics of how Maxwell was transferred from a facility -- a more secure facility in Tallahassee to this one here in Texas. They have not explained that. But for the moment, Ghislaine Maxwell is one of the most high-profile inmates here at this prison camp.
Ed Lavandera CNN, Bryan, Texas.
BLACKWELL: Ed, thank you very much. SpaceX's Dragon capsule is now docked at the International Space Station. The crew is embarking on the first of what NASA hopes will be longer routine missions.
This four-person, Crew-11, is an international crew made up of two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and a Japanese astronaut. For NASA astronaut Zena Cardman and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. This is their first spaceflight. And here is what Astronaut Cardman had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZENA CARDMAN, ASTRONAUT: This has been the absolute journey of a lifetime. We are so incredibly grateful to be here. Thank you so much for this warm welcome. It was such an unbelievably beautiful sight to see the space station come into our view for the first time, especially with these wonderful crew mates. Oleg and I, both for the first time, and of course, Mike and Kimiya's on have so much experience that they bring to this team. With deep gratitude to everyone who got us ready for this moment, thank you so much.
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BLACKWELL: The Falcon9 rocket blasted off from Kennedy Space Center, Friday. A normal crew rotation missions last about six months, but NASA says they want to start making these missions last eight months. Thats to better align U.S. mission schedules with Russia's missions. Crew-10 will return home in just a few days.
Reaction is coming in this morning after President Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the president accused her of manipulating jobs reports for "political purposes". The firing happened after yesterday's announcement that the May and June numbers were revised downward by a combined 258,000 jobs.
Now, the president has not provided any evidence to back up his allegation that the numbers have been rigged. The National Association of Business Economists called the firing an unprecedented attack.
And those weaker than expected jobs numbers rattled investors and closed out a week of a big economic news. The Dow closed down more than 500 points. NASDAQ, which is made up of major tech companies, slid more than 470 points. A significant downward revision to May and June. jobs sent warning signals about the economy.
And CNN senior reporter Matt Egan has details.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: This job market has been so relentless for so long. But all of a sudden, its losing steam and warning lights are flashing. So, the latest numbers show the U.S. economy added 73,000 jobs during the month of July. That is much weaker than expected.
The unemployment rate went from 4.1 percent to 4.2 percent Thats still low, but its moving in the wrong direction. the thing that really got economists and investors alarmed, though, is the fact that there were these massive negative revisions to the months of May and June.
Those months were revised down by more than a quarter of a million jobs, just a stunning negative revision there. When you look at the trend, you can see that during the months of May and June, there was almost no job growth at all. A major, major slowdown. Now, economists, they like to take an average because it smooths out some of the volatility. But when you do that, you can see that over the last three months.
[07:10:02]
This was the slowest pace of hiring in the United States that since the middle of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, when we look at the sectors, you can see the good news is some sectors like health care, they are still adding jobs, another 73,000. But the bad news is that really accounts for all of the monthly job gains.
We saw a slowdown in hiring and leisure and hospitality. That's bars, restaurants, hotels. Some sectors, they are losing jobs. Information down by 2,000, professional services, losing another 14,000 jobs in July.
And look at manufacturing, losing 11,000 jobs. That suggests that the president sky-high tariffs, they are not paying off and boosting manufacturing employment, at least not yet. If anything, they appear to be backfiring, because this sector continues to lose jobs. So, why is this happening? Economists say one factor is, yes, the trade war, it's paralyzed businesses. Bosses, CEOs, they don't know what's going to happen next, and so, a lot of them are delaying or canceling hiring altogether.
Another factor, the immigration crackdown. Look at this, foreign born employment in the United States is down by 1.5 million between March and July. That is a very significant drop, and economists say that reflects mass deportations and visas that have been allowed to expire.
No matter the reason, it is very clear right now that this job market is suddenly stalling out. Back to you.
BLACKWELL: All right, Matt, thanks so much.
Right now, smoke from hundreds of wildfires in Canada is flowing into Midwest, lowering air quality, creating unhealthy levels in several states. Cities like Chicago and Minneapolis, they are seeing some of the worst conditions, with hazy skies stretching from Nebraska to Iowa. It's expected to last throughout the day.
And after weeks of intense heat and humidity, a cold front is moving in.
Bringing some much-needed relief, CNN's Allison Chinchar is back. You know, I was sitting outside. I was like, you know what I need? I need a cold front?
CHINCHAR: I bet that was the first thing on your mind.
BLACKWELL: That's what I --
I need a cold front. CHINCHAR: Yes, yes.
BLACKWELL: So, what's --
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CHINCHAR: Well, I am happy to provide you, even though I had nothing to do with it.
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BLACKWELL: Thank you so much. Thank you.
CHINCHAR: Yes, because it is. This cold front is, you know, it's going to bring some rain to some areas that don't really need it. But look at all the blue on this map. That blue indicates temperatures that are actually below where they normally would be, this time of year. And for some places it could be, you know, five degrees below average. Some places, it could be 10 degrees below average.
So, we'll take a look at what these numbers are going to look like here. So, you can kind of see, we've got several of them.
Again, look at all these 70s and even some low 80s. Again, that feels great in May, but that's not really common to see that in August.
Now, look at some of these. Again, just to give you some perspective here. Say, Charlotte and Raleigh both normally would be 90 degrees right about now.
77 for that high temperature today in Charlotte, 80 for the high temperature today in Raleigh. Again, so, temperatures well below where they would be.
Atlanta, here is the treat, Victor. This is what I brought for you. Take a look at this.
BLACKWELL: Thank you.
CHINCHAR: Our average is 90 degrees. We will spend every single one of the next seven days well below that.
In fact, take a look at Sunday and Monday, barely even getting into the low 70s for those high temperatures. Now, on the flip side, it does come with some rain, but at least you've got those cooler temperatures. And we are not the only one. Even New York City is going to be well below average for much of their seven-day forecast as well.
BLACKWELL: And soon, I'm going to be in Washington all week, but that's chai tea weather.
CHINCHAR: It is.
BLACKWELL: The six season '70s?
CHINCHAR: Almost boot season, but definitely chai. BLACKWELL: Almost boot season. Yes, I pull out my spice pumpkin.
CHINCHAR: There you go.
BLACKWELL: Yes, yes. All right.
"MORNING HEADLINES" now. Allison, thank you so much.
New Video of the U.S. special envoy to Middle East, Steve Witkoff, arriving in Tel Aviv to meet with the families of Israeli hostages.
On Friday, Witkoff spent hours visiting a controversial Gaza aid site. He said the purpose of the visit was to give President Trump a clear understanding of the situation and to help craft a plan to deliver food to the people of Gaza.
Federal agents found explosives in the bedroom of a California man accused of sending money to ISIS. They arrested 28-year-old Mark Villanueva yesterday, and recovered what appeared to be a homemade bomb from his bedroom.
The court documents show he sent 12 payments, a total of $1,600 to two intermediaries who accessed the money overseas. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Police in Birmingham arrested a woman in the death of a 3-year-old, who died after being left inside a hot car.
54-year-old Keela Stanford worked for a company contracted to help with child transportation for Alabama's Department of Human Services. She was transporting Ke'Torrius Starts -- Ke'Torrius Starks Jr., I should say, last week, when she left him in the car while running personal errands.
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The coroner's office confirmed he was left inside the car for hours.
New video shows the moment a suspect in a double killing was caught by police, while he was getting a haircut. Look at this. The man was arrested in connection with the deaths of a married couple. They were attacked while hiking with their two young daughters at a state park in the Ozark Mountains. CNN's Dianne Gallagher has details.
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DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Elementary school teacher, Andrew McGann appearing for the first time before a judge Friday. Police say the 28-year-old admitted to the shocking killings of Clinton and Cristen Brink stabbed as the couple hiked with their daughters at Devils Den State Park, Saturday afternoon.
COL. MIKE HAGER, DIRECTOR, ARKANSAS STATE POLICE: It appears to be a completely random event.
GALLAGHER (voice over): The Brinks being hailed as heroes. HAGER: They absolutely protected those girls to their fullest extent, to the point that it cost them their lives.
GALLAGHER (voice over): Cristen's last moment spent trying to save her family.
STACIE RHOADS, MAJOR, ARKANSAS STATE POLICE, INVESTIGATION DIVISION COMMANDER: The husband was attacked first. The mother did not return all the way to the car with the kids. We believe that the mother took them to safety and then return to help her -- to help her husband.
GALLAGHER (voice over): New court documents reveal the Brink's daughters first reported the attack to another hiker, who got them off trail before heading to find the Brink's bodies and then hiking back out to get cell service.
Another witness noticed a man with blood on his face drive off in a black car with tape over the tag. Police believe the attack was planned, even though the victims were random, and after more than 500 tips from the public, the terrifying four-day manhunt ended mid haircut at Lupita's Beauty Salon and Barber Shop in Springdale, Wednesday evening.
ADRIANA RUIZ, LUPITA'S BEAUTY SALON: Something fell off about him. He looked pretty scary. He didn't look like he was OK.
GALLAGHER (voice over): McGann had just moved to Springdale after accepting a teaching position at a local elementary school for the upcoming school year. The district confirmed to CNN. McGann had been hired to work at, at least four school districts in three different states in just three years.
In 2023, in Texas, a parent who described him as cold, told CNN she reported McGann after her son described his fourth-grade teacher as touchy and inappropriate with certain girls in class. An internal investigation found problems with classroom management and professional judgment, but did not find evidence of inappropriate behavior, according to the Lewisville Independent School District.
It said, McGann resigned that May.
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GALLAGHER (on camera): Now, each of those school districts say that McGann passed a background check before being hired in court, Friday. It was determined he would be represented by a public defender.
Police say that McGann was injured during the attack, and they have hair, blood, and other materials that connect him to the scene. They called him a DNA match. And look, Arkansas State Police also said, they fully expect law enforcement from neighboring states to begin reaching out to them about unsolved crimes in other jurisdictions.
Dianne Gallagher, CNN, back to you.
BLACKWELL: Dianne, thank you. Still to come. UCLA is the latest target in the White House's fight with America's top universities. The key funding the school just learned it will not receive. Plus, new details about the moments before a military helicopter crashed into an American Airlines jet over the Potomac.
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BLACKWELL: UCLA is losing access to roughly $200 million in federal research grants. That's according to the L.A. Times. It's the latest university targeted by the Trump administration. The administration cited anti-Semitism concerns tied to campus protests. The university's chancellor reacted to the cuts and said, "It is a loss for Americans across the nation whose work, health, and future depend on the groundbreaking work we do."
On Thursday, President Trump posted woke is officially dead at Brown after reaching a separate deal with that school. Brown will pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce groups to restore funding.
Joining me now, Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education.
Ted, welcome back. Good to have you this Saturday. Let's start with UCLA.
TED MITCHELL, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION: Great to be here, Victor.
BLACKWELL: And what you see is the impact of the research funding that's withheld. At the university and in higher ed more broadly.
MITCHELL: Yes, it's a shame. I think that the research funding is really unrelated to the anti-Semitism that the Trump administration says it's trying to root out. And first of all, we all agree anti- Semitism has no place on American college campuses. Many of us look at last spring as a call to action.
UCLA Brown, other institutions have taken steps to root out anti- Semitism, to create stronger student conduct guidelines. And so, it's odd, and as I said, disappointing that the administration has chosen to froze -- to freeze research dollars to address that issue.
[07:25:01]
They are not related, and as Chancellor Frank so eloquently stated, these freezes are not punishments to UCLA, they are punishments to research teams that go far beyond UCLA, to some of the less resourced institutions. 75 of these grants are collaborative grants with other institutions that are not as well-known as UCLA. We're stopping that research. We're not just pausing it. Pause is a benign term, but it really understates what's happening.
Lab directors will have to cut their staffs. Biomedical research will have to stop. Clinical trials of major cancer drugs are going to be stopped and patients are going to be told that there is no hope for them. That's not what a good administration does. We need to bolster our scientific research and at the same time root out anti-Semitism.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Let me ask you about Brown and this deal that was raised $50 million. That's over 10 years, to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island, also dismantling DEI programs at the school. That money is not paid to the government. And that's different than the Columbia agreement, where that $200 million goes back and fines to the U.S. government.
How do you compare these two and how they reach this deal with Brown versus Columbia?
MITCHELL: Yes, Victor. It's a -- it's a great point, and I think that it is the key point of distinction. The Columbia, $200 million is going, who knows where, maybe it will build the ballroom in the White House.
But the $50 million from Brown indeed will support public service and the public mission of workforce development in the state of Rhode Island. So, I think if there is going to be a fine connecting it to the needs of the -- either the university or its community is, I take, a step forward.
But let's step back. This is still extortion. The administration has determined on its own that institutions are guilty of something, in this case, anti-Semitic -- supporting anti-Semitic behavior. They then extort a sum of money that's unrelated to either remedying the situation or to the nature of the allegations, and then, it forces institutions not only to make financial restitution, but to change their behavior in a way that comports with the executive branch's view of how a university should work.
That's unwelcome and I think illegal, interference in the management of a university.
BLACKWELL: Yes. And some of these universities acknowledge that they have changes to make, especially when it comes to making Jewish faculty and students feel welcome and safe on campus, that is a separate issue from DEI, obviously.
The outlier had been Harvard, suing, saying, we will not accept this. And of course, they've got a 50 billion plus endowment, and they've got the money to do it. But the New York Times is reporting that now, they are willing, potentially, to spend up to a half billion dollars to make this go away, to settle this.
And so, what -- how is that reverberating through higher-ed that even if the richest university in the country is willing to say, fine, we'll pay the 500 million to make this go away.
I mean, a smaller school that might be targeted, a state school, a smaller private school, would have no chance in fighting this if they believe that they are being targeted for extortion, as you call it. MITCHELL: Yes, I think, Victor, you're right, right on target. And I'm not sure what the state of the Harvard negotiations is, but it's clearly the same playbook: make accusations, exert a price, a financial price, exert demand -- demands that the institution change some of its behavior.
Open wide, all of the data around admissions and hiring and so on, and then, maybe the government will leave you alone. This is not an administration that has a great record of creating deals that it sticks to. The other thing I'll say is that these are all just deals.
Frustrating for all of us who work in the area of policy is that this is not education policy. This is deal making on a case-by-case basis, whose bottom line seems to be the bottom line. How much money can I extort from these institutions?
And so, there will be customized deals that will probably have a lower price tag for some of the less well-endowed institutions you mentioned.
[07:30:04]
UCLA is particularly interesting because it's the first public institution that's been put into this situation.
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BLACKWELL: Yes.
MITCHELL: And let's remember that UCLA is governed by a board of Regents, who are appointed by the governor. They are funded by the state legislature. And so, this one's not going to be as easy to pull off --
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BLACKWELL: Yes.
MITCHELL: -- as private universities.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and we're seeing a different trend in Virginia with George Mason, they decided to give their president a raise when some expected that he was going to be a fire as to resign. Ted Mitchell, always good to have you on a Saturday morning. Thanks so much.
Still to come, the threat of torrential rain moves south after storms brought major flooding to the northeast.
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BLACKWELL: Parts of the South are under a flash flood threat this morning as more heavy rain moves in. Allison Chinchar is back with us now. So, which areas are seeing the greatest risk? CHINCHAR: Right. It's basically going to be much of the southern tier, essentially stretching from Texas all the way over to the Carolinas. This is where we're already starting to see some of those showers begin throughout this morning. Most of them are not terribly heavy at this hour, but that is expected to continue as we go through the afternoon hours. Especially here, where you see these yellow blobs, that's where you have the higher risk for that excessive rainfall, and obviously the subsequent flooding that could come along with it.
You're talking cities like Knoxville, Savannah, Macon and Columbus, Georgia, and then, even also over here into Amarillo, Texas. Keep in mind, though, too, for a lot of these southern cities, say, like Houston, New Orleans and even Gulfport, Mississippi, they already have a surplus of rain going into the summer. Now, we're going to be adding more rain on top of it.
A lot of these areas, you'll really start to see a lot of those showers and thunderstorms ramp up later this afternoon. They'll continue through the evening hours, and in some of those cases, going well into the overnight timeline. Sunday, much of the same thing, which is why it's a double whammy, because a lot of these areas that already don't need rain could get some today and they could also get some tomorrow.
BLACKWELL: All right. Allison, thank you.
Today, Bristol Motor Speedway will host its first ever major league baseball game.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Andy joins us now with a look at the speedway classic.
SCHOLES: Yes, Victor, it's going to be so cool. You know, we've seen a baseball game in the middle of a cornfield.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SCHOLES: We've seen it at a military base. Well, now, Major League Baseball taking the game to a NASCAR track for the very first time. The Braves and Reds set to square off at Bristol Motor Speedway tonight, and check out the field they installed there in the infield of the track.
This is going to be the first ever major league game in Tennessee, and they've already sold more than 85,000 tickets, which is a Major League record. The Braves and Reds also be wearing special NASCAR themed jerseys. The Braves have flames on the hat, while the Reds they got checkered flag look pretty cool looking jerseys and uniforms there.
Bristol Motor Speedway also going to be serving up a special menu. Tennessee Egg Rolls, smoke pulled pork, little mustard cabbage slaw, served with a moonshine and peach barbecue sauce. Also, going to have Corn-on-the-Cob Tires, a playful racing inspired take on a low tech. I love me some corn, Victor. Anytime I can get I do. But at a game, it's dangerous. You're going to have to bring like some like a pick or floss or something like that. That's the problem.
BLACKWELL: For the whole time you do -- we doing that.
SCHOLES: I know.
BLACKWELL: 85,000 tickets sold. How many fill it? What's the capacity?
SCHOLES: It's like 150,000 filled a stadium, but they only have part of it open for this.
BLACKWELL: All right.
SCHOLES: But still, 85,000 baseball game --
BLACKWELL: Yes, it's huge. It's huge. Andy Scholes, thank you.
All right, still ahead. The NTSB is investigating the deadly mid-air collision of a military helicopter and an American Airlines jet. The agency's former chair about the findings so far.
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[07:42:45]
BLACKWELL: The National Transportation Safety Board wrapped up three days of testimony on Friday. It looked into nearly every detail of what led up to the January 29th midair collision. You'll remember this was between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines jet.
On Friday, the testimony was focused on the organizational structures that may have impacted the collision. 67 people were killed over the Potomac River.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: Were any traffic advisories or safety alerts issued?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No safety alerts.
HOMENDY: Should the local controller have let the PSA crew know that there was a helicopter there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: An NTSB determination of the collisions probable cause is expected in January. Let's bring in now, former NTSB chairman, Jim Hall. Jim, good morning to you.
And I want to start with really what was one of the more dire statements to come out of this testimony. This is from air traffic control specialist at the FAA Clark Allen. He said, "I don't think the accident occurred that night. I think it happened years before. It was a combination of many years that built up to that evening." What's your assessment? Do you agree?
JIM HALL, FORMER CHAIRMAN, NTSB: I agree. The -- yes, clearest thing from this hearing is that aviation safety was not the highest priority at Reagan Airport. At the time of the accident, it appears that it worked -- the system worked well for the military brass that were faring back and forth between the White House at the Pentagon, and it worked for the members of Congress who were using it, obviously, as their hometown airport to get in and out of Congress. And increased dramatically the number of flights.
But it did not work, as you pointed out, for the 67 individuals that lost their lives in both the American Airlines flight and the Black Hawk accident.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HALL: It's a tragedy of the highest level.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk about what's been described as the data game here, one of the things that came up in this hearing. And let's listen to the chair of the NTSB, Jennifer Homendy.
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[07:45:03]
HOMENDY: We don't even know where that came up -- came from, because this information we got was from you all. And the information you provide senators was from -- actually from, I don't know, and Mac, or whatever you call it. I mean, I'm not going to play the data game with you guys anymore. It's actually a well-known thing that every time we come out with data, you're going to come out with some other data, the night before. And that data should have been shared with our IIC, according to your own order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Can you help us understand what is happening here that has her so passionate that the data game, as she calls it, what's that mean to somebody who's not in the industry?
HALL: Well, aviation safety is built on independent investigations that require on the parties. In this situation, it's the Air Force, the airport, the commercial airliner, to cooperate with the investigation. And in Washington, D.C., unfortunately, when you have a number, everyone wants to increase it, or you have words, everyone wants to use them for confusing purposes, their own purposes. And here, the purpose of this investigation is aviation safety. That has been the job of the NTSB, and that's why we have been so successful in avoiding commercial accidents for such an extended period of time.
But Washington, D.C. is a very difficult area to maneuver and navigate. It doesn't need to be -- it's human beings, just like everyone else.
BLACKWELL: What's your degree of confidence that there will be concrete change that comes from this, more than just the hearings, and for as much as there might be some performative nature of this, that there will be policy change, equipment change, technological change, potentially?
HALL: I'm not confident at all at the moment. The military has not treat aviation safety as a mission or aviation as a mission, and aviation safety is not the highest priority the mission is. And you don't have core coordination and cooperation between the military and the civilian authorities.
And inside the military, you have different -- the Navy, the Air Force, the Army, don't coordinate as they should on aviation safety issues. It's up to Congress and their oversight. They have the power of the purse to ensure that these lives are not lost in vain. And the congressional oversight committees have their own silo problems, because there are various committees in Congress, different committees that will be looking at this, one from the military aspect, one from the civilian aspect.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HALL: So, government is hard work, and the American people need to hold accountable the people they elect to do the job in Washington.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Not to mention the budget and appropriations aspect in Congress as well, for what these changes will cost. Jim Hall, former NTSB chairman. Thanks so much for your expertise and your time this morning.
Next in "SPORTS", there's double trouble in Dallas. We'll tell you about the latest contract dispute involving the cowboys and Pro Bowler Micah Parsons at the end in a trade request.
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[07:53:04]
BLACKWELL: Trouble in Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl pass rush of Micah Parsons once out. Andy is back.
SCHOLES: Yes. Well, Victor, you know, it's always bad when your best player asked to be traded. It's extra bad when they lay it all out on social media to demand that trade. And that's what the Cowboys' Micah Parsons did yesterday. So, he's been negotiating with team on new contract extension, but the all-pro defensive end clearly fed up with how it's going.
Parsons made a lengthy post on social media saying, "I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy and wear the star on my helmet. I wanted to play in front of the best fans in sports and make this America's team once again." But he went on to say, "Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to closed door negotiations without my agent present." Very long message as you can see.
Parsons is under contract for this year, and the Cowboys could then franchise tag him for the next two years after that. And of course, the two sides could still come to an agreement, but doesn't seem great right now. Cowboys, they had no comment on Parsons' trade demand.
Tom Brady, meanwhile, back on the field at training camp, but in a new role, he was checking out his Las Vegas Raiders, for which he is now a minority owner. This was the first time Brady was publicly rocking the silver and black at a practice, interacted with players and coaches during the session. Brady, he will once again be on the marquee Fox broadcast this season.
Finally, baseball Yankees newest additions, they made the trade deadline, didn't quite make a great first impression with New York fans. Reliever Camilo Doval, he gave up the single there.
But look, Jose Caballero, he let the ball just roll right by him. Marlins scored two on that play to tie the game at 12. Then, the Marlins, they ended up getting a swinging bunt from sea Ramirez that -- I like you're laughing at that ball going by there.
They lost on that swinging bunt right there. Yankees had won 79 straight games. And scoring 10 plus runs. That streak is over. They lost 13 to 12. There to the Marlins, a fun night for the Miami fans. Lot of Yankees fans in attendance, of course, because it's Florida, they were not happy with what they saw from all the new guys they got.
BLACKWELL: I know little about baseball, but that's a clear win. When the ball just rolling by you --
(CROSSTALK)
SCHOLES: Yes, I think he got excited and really wanted to make a strong throw, but you got to get the ball first.
BLACKWELL: You got to get the ball first.
SCHOLES: You got to get the ball first.
BLACKWELL: Andy Scholes, thanks so much.
All right, "FIRST OF ALL" is coming up at the top of the hour. There is a number in the latest jobs report that suggests that there is trouble ahead in the economy. I will tell you what that number is.
Plus, while schools like Columbia and brown are cutting deals with the Trump administration, one university president targeted over support for DEI is pushing back, he got a raise.
And later, a woman who says she was kicked off a Southwest Airline flight, claims there's no other explanation for it beyond race. She'll join us and make her case.
Those stories and conversations you likely won't see anywhere else are coming up after a quick break on "FIRST OF ALL". (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
