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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Hawaii Tsunami Warning Downgraded To An Advisory; Police Digging Deeper Into Manhattan Gunman's Motive; New Photo Released As Police Work To Identify Person Of Interest In Killing Of Arkansas Hikers. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired July 30, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

MJ LEE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

More now on tsunami threat in the Pacific following that major 8.8- magnitude earthquake in Russia's Far East. The worst now appears to be over for Hawaii where officials have downgraded from a tsunami warning to an advisory. Earlier the state had reported waves of more than five feet or well over a meter higher than normal tide levels. Sirens blared as authorities urged beachgoers to stay out of the ocean and evacuate to higher ground.

Hawaii's governor warned earlier that tsunami waves would "wrap around the islands" but so far, he says everything has been OK. Officials have still been urging people to not let their guard down.

The tsunami warnings in Hawaii caught some cruise passengers by surprise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY BOOKER, TOURIST: We were up visiting Volcano National Park and saw the tsunami warning go off on our phones. And then one of the tour operators from our cruise ship, the Pride of America, said everyone back to the ship as fast as you can. The ship is leaving at 3:30 and -- but we knew at that point we weren't going to make it. So it's pulling away now. We heard the ship had to be out of port by 4:00 and there was just no way to make it.

So we'd like to keep the rental car. We're going to talk to them about that -- might do it anyway -- and then find some place to stay.

The ship was headed next to Kona. It's possible to drive there but I don't know if we'll actually do that now. So no idea. We're in uncharted territory. And it didn't immediately dawn on us that was going to affect the ship. It should have -- should have. Next time I get a tsunami warning I'm going straight to the ship. I might make it on time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: We now go live to Honolulu, Hawaii where I'm joined by Laura Kong, director of the International Tsunami Information Center. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

First of all, since you're in Honolulu, tell us what you have been seeing and experiencing tonight where you are.

LAURA KONG, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL TSUNAMI INFORMATION CENTER: So I'm actually at the warning center -- the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. So we've been monitoring the issuance of warnings and alerts. Hawaii is now in what we call an advisory, which is a lower-level warning where we want to make sure people don't go into the water.

So, over the course of the night, what happens in the warning center is we go ahead and look at these instruments which are recording waves, and we monitor them both from Russia all the way through Hawaiian Islands. And now the waves are heading towards Central and South America, so the warning center is helping to alert and inform on the threat in that area.

LEE: Yes.

KONG: But at the same time, we've also been working with the state of Hawaii and their local government, and you've heard from the governor where we've provided that information to base his decision-making for evacuation.

LEE: Yeah. And in the last hour or so these waves have started reaching the West Coast of the U.S.

What is your modeling showing you about what's next and the biggest areas of concern?

KONG: So there are warnings still in effect for, I guess, the northern California-Oregon border. And so the warning center in Palmer, Alaska -- the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center is monitoring that and will continue its warning until it's no longer -- no longer -- it's safe for people to return.

LEE: Um-hum.

KONG: At the same time internationally the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the International Tsunami Warning Information Center are helping and assisting people in those countries of Central and South America as the wave approaches them.

LEE: And Director Kong, as you know very well a tsunami is actually waves plural. It's not just one wave. So in Hawaii and some of these other places on the U.S. West Coast, are we right that people shouldn't assume after the first wave that there are no more waves coming?

KONG: That's correct. So a tsunami is actually a series of waves. The first wave does not have to be the largest and, in fact, that's what we saw in Hawaii. It was the second or third wave that was the highest. So, as a result, they could be dangerous for hours. Certainly, we don't want to have someone think we've seen the biggest and then go back only to find that the largest is yet to come. It's really about not only using our technical system to issue warnings and making sure there are alerts coming out, but also personal preparedness where you've made sure that if you know there's a tsunami coming and you know this warning has been issued that you know what to do and where to go.

LEE: And we've already seen some aftershocks, especially for such a huge earthquake like this one, 8.8-magnitude.

For how long can we expect to see aftershocks, and are they likely to prompt additional tsunamis? How are you watching them?

[05:35:00]

KONG: Well, certainly what we can call attention to is on the 19th or 20th there was a magnitude 8.2 in around the same area. We thought that was quite large, and it did result in a tsunami watch for Hawaii -- not a warning. But we certainly did not know that a magnitude 8.7 was going to occur about a week and a half later, which was going to be a warning.

So in the same way, we don't know what's coming next. Certainly, it's possible that an even bigger earthquake could occur. But at the same time, there are probably going to be and are aftershocks, many of them smaller than we just had. And those will continue to be a concern for not only earthquake damage but potentially tsunamis if the earthquake is large enough.

LEE: All right, Laura Kong. Thank you so much for joining us during what has been a very busy night for you. We really appreciate it.

Still to come, New York remembers the four victims of Monday's shooting in Manhattan as police try to find out more about the gunman's motive. What we're learning about his past.

And authorities in Arkansas release a photo of a man they're calling a person of interest following the killing of two hikers in a state park. We'll have those details next.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:41:00]

LEE: The Palestinian Health Ministry now puts the death toll in Gaza above 60,000 and a U.N.-backed food security initiative is warning that the situation will only get worse. The group says the worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding right now in Gaza with access to food and other essentials at an unprecedented low.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will recognize a Palestinian state if Israel does not take steps to end the appalling conditions in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The reason that we have announced this in the way we have in relation to the General Assembly in September is precisely because I want to insure that this plays a part in changing the conditions on the ground, making sure that aid gets in and making sure that there is hope of a two-state solution for the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted that decision saying on social media it "...rewards Hamas' monstrous terrorism."

A multi-faith prayer vigil was held in New York Tuesday for the four people killed in the Manhattan skyscraper shooting. New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams were among those in attendance.

While authorities learned of the gunman's grievances against the NFL and its handling of the brain disease CTE they still want to know more about his motive.

CNN's Jason Carroll has the latest on their search for answers in the gunman's hometown of Las Vegas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Police thousands of miles away from the Manhattan crime scene positioned outside the shooter's Las Vegas home as investigators try to learn as much as they can about Shane Tamura and his motive for carrying out the deadly attack.

The New York Police Department is sending two teams to Las Vegas.

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: To conduct interviews and execute a search warrant at Mr. Tamura's home. They'll also visit the gun store where he legally purchased a revolver on June 12 using a Nevada concealed carry permit.

CARROLL (voiceover): Neighbors outside the suspect's home stunned to hear about what had happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not something you really expect to see, so yeah, it's a real shock.

CARROLL (voiceover): The 27-year-old worked here at the Horseshoe Casino as a surveillance department employee.

Police have uncovered some of his movements in the days before the shooting. He left Las Vegas in his black BMW on July 26. He traveled through Colorado. The next day Nebraska and Iowa. Then on Monday, July 28 at 4:24 p.m. he was in Columbia, New Jersey before he entered New York City.

TISCH: Surveillance video shows a male exit a double-parked black BMW on Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets carrying an M4 rifle in his right hand. CARROLL (voiceover): As for his intended target, the early investigation suggests Tamura was headed to NFL headquarters at 345 Park Avenue but used the wrong elevator bank.

These pictures obtained by CNN show some of what investigators found inside his car, including a nylon rifle case and a Ziploc bag filled with ammunition. Police also recovered a revolver and Zoloft, an antidepressant medication.

TISCH: According to our law enforcement partners in Las Vegas, Mr. Tamura has a documented mental health history.

CARROLL (voiceover): Police found a suicide note in his back pocket where he alleges he suffered from CTE, a brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. The note saying in part, "You can't go against the NFL. The squash you." Adding, "Study my brain, please."

Tamura did not play in the NFL. He was once a promising high school football player in Southern California described by a coach in a 2013 local newspaper article as "lightning in a bottle."

[05:45:05]

Studies have shown CTE in former football players though it is more common in pro athletes.

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY: The motives appear to be connected to the shooter's belief that he was suffering from CTE, and he was an ex- NFL player. Those items just don't pan out. He never played for the NFL. And so we're still unraveling this terrible shooting that took place in the city.

CARROLL (voiceover): Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: We are also learning more about the four people who were killed on Monday.

Julia Hyman worked for the Park Avenue building's real estate firm and had a passion for the real estate business. One of her former professors at Cornell University says her journey was "marked by determination, warmth, and a strong commitment to learning."

Wesley LePatner was an executive at Blackstone, which is headquartered in the building. She was a Yale graduate, a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and known for her compassion and mentorship. She leaves behind a husband and two children.

Aland Etienne was a building security guard. The New York Times says he was a father of two. His brother told the Times that he was the light in their lives. His sister says she could not stop thinking about her big brother's warm, inviting smile.

And finally, NYPD Officer Didarul Islam who came to the city from Bangladesh -- his father's only son. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(Taps being played as Islam's body is taken from medical examiner's office by police escort.)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Officer Islam's body was taken from the medical examiner's office by police escort on Tuesday. He served in the Bronx but was working as an off-duty security in Midtown Manhattan to support his wife, two young children, and a third child on the way.

Stay with CNN. We are following the latest on the massive earthquake off Russia's eastern coast and the tsunami threats around the Pacific region, including Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast.

Plus, President Trump is trying to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein. He says the late sex offender poached employees from Mar-a- Lago to be his own employees. More details on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:51:50]

LEE: Welcome back. I'm MJ Lee. Here are some of the stories we're watching today.

Hawaii has now downgraded its tsunami warning to an advisory following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake in eastern Russia earlier. Waves were reported in both California and Hawaii -- some more than five feet or well over a meter higher than normal tide levels. Hawaii's governor says everything has been OK so far, but they don't want people to let their guard down yet.

More aid is entering Gaza by land and by air but officials on the ground say it's nowhere near the amount needed to address the hunger crisis. Jordan is among several countries dropping supplies from the sky and plans to bring in hundreds of tons of flour this week.

And family, friends, and dedicated fans will say goodbye to legendary heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne today. The Black Sabbath frontman's funeral procession will pass through his hometown of Birmingham, England this afternoon. The hearse carrying Osbourne will pause at the Black Sabbath bench and bridge. Ozzy Osbourne died last week at the age of 76.

U.S. President Donald Trump is sharing more about the end of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He says they had a falling out in the early 2000s before Epstein was arrested on child sex abuse charges and later convicted. But the president says things went downhill when they discovered -- he discovered Epstein hired away employees from Mar-a-Lago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I have a great spa -- one of the best spas in the world at Mar-a-Lago. And people were taken out of the spa -- hired by him. In other words, gone. And when I heard about it, I told him. I said listen, we don't want you taking our people. Whether it was spa or not spa, I don't want him taking people. And he was fine. And then not too long after that he did it again and I said outta here.

REPORTER: Did one of those stolen, you know, person -- did that include Virginia Giuffre?

TRUMP: Uh, I don't know. I think she worked at the spa. I think so. I think that was one of the people, yeah. He stole her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: The president there is speaking about prominent Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre. She died by suicide earlier this year. She was just a teenager when she was recruited by Epstein and later accused him of trafficking her and forcing her to have sex with his friends.

And a manhunt is heating up for the killer of a married couple hiking in Arkansas. On Tuesday state police released a photograph showing the back of a man they are calling a person of interest. Earlier they put out a sketch and are asking anyone nearby at the time to check their photos and videos for possible images of the person they want to question in connection with the deaths of the hikers.

They were killed while walking with their two young daughters at a state park in the Ozark Mountains. The girls were unharmed and are with family members.

Millions of people are being impacted by the massive earthquake that struck a remote part of Russia. We'll have the latest on the tsunami waves hitting Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast.

[05:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL)

LEE: Before we go the latest on our breaking news -- the tsunami scare that spread across the Pacific Rim after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's Far East.

Over the past few hours tsunami waves have been hitting U.S. shores. Waves of up to five feet have lashed Hawaii but its tsunami warning has now been downgraded to an advisory and an official there says the worst is over. Evacuations have been lifted across the island of Oahu, which includes Honolulu.

Tsunami waves have also reached the coast of Washington State, Oregon, and California. A warning remains in effect for Northern California. Dangerous currents and surges can happen hours after the initial waves, so please stay safe.

[06:00:10]

And thank you so much for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm MJ Lee in Washington, D.C. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.