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CNN Headlines: Rescuers Race To Find Survivors As Death Toll Rises In Twin Venezuela Quakes; Team USA Gets First Loss In 2026 World Cup; Deadly European Heat Wave Setting June Temp Records. Aired 5:30- 6a ET

Aired June 26, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:30:55]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.

Former Trump national security advisor John Bolton who then became a critic of the president is expected to plead guilty today in a federal court. He is facing one felony count of mishandling sensitive information. And today's hearing could turn into a big win for the Department of Justice after several cases against Trump and those foes ended in dismissal.

Billionaire investor Leon Black is expected to testify on Capitol Hill today. He will face questions behind closed doors from lawmakers about his alleged ties to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Now Black denies any wrongdoing but told investors in a letter that he regrets the relationship.

And the window to reach survivors is quickly closing after two earthquakes rocked Venezuela Wednesday. Hundreds are dead, thousands are injured, and countless more remain missing. One aide worker says that the search and rescue is now an around-the-clock operation.

CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon, who felt the tremors from hundreds of miles away, filed this update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voiceover): Chaos, confusion, and fear. These were the scenes as not one, but two earthquakes rocked Venezuela in a matter of seconds. Massive buildings collapsed to the ground in the capital Caracas and the country's main international airport was forced to shut down after feeling the ripples and destruction of the tremors.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez declared a state of emergency as search and rescue operations continues looking for survivors.

The 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes heated around 6:00 p.m. local on Wednesday. The epicenter was the country's northeastern coast. Venezuelan authorities said they registered around 140 tremors throughout the country.

MARIA ALEJANDRA, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): He was here when I managed to get dressed. He helped me. And all the walls were cracked. We managed to open the door however we could. It was a cloud of smoke that wouldn't let us see. And when we went downstairs the scene was like a horror movie.

POZZEBON (voiceover): The coastal state of La Guaira was hit the hardest. Three-story houses were flattened into piles of debris and major highways split in half. Many fearing aftershocks have taken shelter in outdoor squares and parks.

JOSE TERRAZA, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): We slept here on the pavement and that bench. Well, slept -- nobody could sleep last night, and nobody wants to go back inside now.

POZZEBON (voiceover): Venezuelan authorities are calling it the worst natural disaster to hit the country in nearly three decades.

This comes in the midst of political and economic instability. The United States and neighboring countries have offered aid and supplies. The real cost of the tragedy is still impossible to predict.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: And thank you to our contributor for CNN, Stefano Pozzebon.

For more information about how you can help Venezuela earthquake victims go to cnn.com/impact or if you're in the U.S. you can text "QUAKE" to 70770.

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he and President Trump are "on the exact same page" to end the legislative gridlock and push the president's agenda.

CNN's Kristen Holmes has the details from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly looks as though Speaker Mike Johnson got something out of his lengthy meeting with President Trump. It was roughly three hours.

And as Speaker Johnson was leaving the White House -- we saw him walking out -- we saw President Trump posting on Truth Social encouraging Republicans not to hold the House floor hostage. This had been something that Johnson had wanted to talk to the president about as we reported. These hardliners were saying they were not going to let anything pass on the House floor until the Save America Act went through.

[05:35:00]

The other thing we have since learned is that Speaker Johnson is sending that housing bill over to the White House, and this is significant for a number of reasons. Of course, as we remember, President Trump was set to sign this bill on Wednesday and then at the last minute said he wasn't going to unless he got the Save America passed.

This bill is a bipartisan bill and when the House GOP transmits it over to the White House that starts the 10-day period in which President Trump has to either sign it or it will go into law. Now, he could veto that bill but it does seem unlikely that he would want to be on the wrong side of this housing bill, especially given that Speaker Johnson and really, anyone in Congress could tell you that they have the votes to override a president's veto, which would be certainly embarrassing for President Trump.

Now we're still learning more details about what happened between these two men, but one thing is very clear, Speaker Johnson has a unique ability -- a way to handle President Trump. And he came out of this with all intents -- for all intents and purposes somewhat successful in at least getting that housing bill transmitted over to the White House and getting President Trump to intervene with those Republican hardliners who are trying to hold up Speaker Johnson's agenda.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Thank you, Kristen.

Well, in perhaps what was the best free marketing for Waffle House, a high-ranking FEMA official who claimed he teleported to a Waffle House has been pushed out of the agency. That is according to four sources.

Gregg Phillips was hired at FEMA last December despite being known for promoting election conspiracy theories. In March, CNN reported on the debunked and bizarre claims Phillips made during right-wing podcast appearances. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Phillips was leaving FEMA for personal reasons. The Washington Post first reported on Phillips' ouster.

As we get ready for the Fourth of July, one state is saying not so fast on fireworks. Utah's governor has issued an emergency order banning them through July 5 as wildfire danger remains high. The move comes as hot, dry conditions raise the risk of fast-moving fires. The order does allow for cities to designate areas where people can set off fireworks if local communities can safely manage them. State officials say that they will keep watching conditions closely as several large wildfires continue to burn across central and southern Utah.

Luigi Mangione's attorneys discussed the possibility of a plea deal in his federal case. That is according to a source familiar with this matter. Now, however, the source does say that the discussions did not result in an agreement.

Mangione is accused in the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He is expected in federal court Monday where the focus is expected to be on jury selection. The 28-year-old has pleaded not guilty and is also facing charges in state court.

New York prosecutors are dropping the last unresolved rape charge against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein instead of trying him for a fourth time in the case. The decision follows an overturned conviction and back-to-back hung juries. Plus, accuser Jessica Mann sent an emotional note saying that she could no longer endure another trial. Weinstein remains in prison while still serving significant sentences on separate sex crime convictions in New York and California.

A rising NFL star is now facing some serious criminal charges. The Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold is accused of orchestrating a violent attack on three people in Florida. Police say that he thought the victims stole cash and luxury items from him, but investigators later found they were not involved. Authorities say that the three were lured to an apartment, held at gunpoint, and pistol whipped. Prosecutors say Arnold directed the attack.

His attorney says that he denies the allegations and several others have been charged. If convicted he could be sentence to life in prison.

The Lions and the NFL say that they are aware of the arrest but declined to comment.

Well, Team USA heads into the World Cup knockout round with its first loss of the tournament. Last night the Stars & Stripes lost to Turkey 3-2 in the very last minute. Now the good news here, the Americans still won Group D and will advance.

CNN's Andy Scholes was at the game and has more from Englewood, California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'll tell you what -- I mean, you could not tell that there were no stakes in this game based on the atmosphere. It was just electric outside the stadium beforehand, inside the stadium that entire game. I mean, it was just unbelievable.

But as you said, the USA had already won the group coming into this one. Turkey -- they were already eliminated from the World Cup. But this match still turned out to be incredible.

[05:40:00]

I'll show you the highlights of how it all went down. Early on, this stadium had the chance to erupt right away because off a corner, Auston Trusty -- he buries the goal three minutes in, and the U.S. would take a lead almost immediately. It was the second-fastest goal in U.S. World Cup history.

The defense though for the U.S. showing some cracks, you know. It was a whole new backline playing for the U.S. in this one.

And Turkey, who hadn't scored at all in this World Cup in more than 60 shots, finally found the back of the net twice. They took a 2-1 lead into the half.

But the U.S. -- they responded -- 49th minute. There was a throw and then Sebastian Berhalter -- he was just awesome in this entire game. He leveled the match at two with a one-timer. And then in the 58th minute, kind of the moment all of these fans here were really waited for, Christian Pulisic making his return from injury. And then every time he touched the ball -- I mean, the crowd just went wild. All the fans really wanted a goal from him so badly. He came close a couple of times but the U.S. never able to get that go-ahead goal.

And then in the 98th minute everyone thought this game was just going to end in a tie but Turkey, on the last kick of the game, would win it. The crowd in the stadium was just absolutely stunned at that point.

The final ended up being 3-2 Turkey, but the U.S. still wins the group, and they say they're not going to lose any momentum with this result. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first two games, incredible. Again, I think today they showed that even a second string can come in and compete against a world class team. We're so excited for the next round.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a weird feeling. I'm a lifelong USA team. It's weird to think that we lost but it didn't really mean anything and we're still going to through first place in our brackets. So, I mean, this experience was phenomenal and I couldn't have wished for anything else. Obviously, that last goal sucked but at the end of the day it is kind of crazy how we played with basically our entire subs and we showed out against one of the better teams in the world.

SCHOLES: Yeah. So those are actually the fans that were leaving the stadium. As you could hear they're still optimistic about the U.S.' chances going forward in this World Cup.

Here's what the players had to say after that last-second loss.

SEBASTIAN BERHALTER, USMNT MIDFIELDER: I think you saw the second half how we came out, and I think we deserved more out of that game. You know, that's one moment, you know, we slipped in the last second of the game. And, you know, I think we're proud of (INAUDIBLE). You know, I think the guys, you know, did well and, you know, we fought. And, you know, unfortunately, not the end result but we'll be ready for sure.

BRENDEN AARONSON, USMNT FORWARD: You can always take these things as fuel, you know, for having that moment, you know, in the last moment where they score. Uh, it's tough, you know. We wanted to walk away with, you know, no loss in the group stage but, you know, we've got to take it as it was still a fantastic group stage. We had so many really, really good performances and even before the group stage -- you know, in the friendlies. We're at a top level and I'm not worried whatsoever, and you know, we're going to move on to the next one and be ready to go for Bosnia.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SMITH: All right. Thank you so much. CNN's Andy Scholes out there.

Next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, a man driving a van ends up giving police a ride to chase down a suspect. More on that ahead.

And one of the beloved characters from the "Shrek" film franchise getting his own movie. We've got those details on the other side of the break.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.

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[05:47:35]

SMITH: Let's go around the globe to see what else is making headlines.

We begin in Europe facing another day of deadly heat. Paris, for instance, baking in temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit or London enduring a rare red extreme heat warning for the third day and counting.

So how long will the heat stick around? CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has your forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: More and more records continue to be set across portions of Europe. Take the U.K., for example, Thursday, having their hottest June day on record, beating the previous record which was set the day before.

And they're not alone. Many other countries have been setting records. Take a look at this. This Switzerland. Basel reached a temperature of 38 degrees on Thursday. That is the first time they have ever had a June temperature above 37 degrees.

And for many areas the heat is not over. It's only going to continue as we approach the weekend. Here's a look at the alerts for Friday. Again, notice we still have a lot of them over central Europe but they're starting to expand over areas of eastern Europe. And that's because this dome of high pressure is also going to shift eastward. That means it will be a little bit of a brief reprieve for areas a little bit farther to the west but it's only going to get worse for areas in eastern Europe.

Take, for example, places like Vienna. The high temperature on Friday, 98 degrees, but then back into the triple digits as we head into the weekend. Same for Berlin. That's looking at the Fahrenheit. Now let's take a look at the Celsius temperatures. Again, look at that -- 40 degrees two days in a row for Berlin as those temperatures continue to tick back up.

Now, as we mentioned, some places will actually start to see a brief reprieve from that heat. Take London, for example. Still very hot on Friday, still very hot on Saturday, but then we finally start to see those temperatures at least coming back down as we head into the latter half of the weekend and early next week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Thank you, Allison.

A historic shift for the British monarchy. Royal officials say King Charles will not move into Buckingham Palace after its decade long renovation that came at a price tag of nearly $490 million. Instead, he'll remain at Clarence House. But the palace will continue to serve as the primary venue for official functions. For about two centuries Buckingham Palace has been the primary residence of the British monarch.

[05:50:00]

Also in the U.K., some dramatic video of a driver who helped a police officer during a chase. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE OFFICER: Police! Stand where you are. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in the back! Get in the back! Go, go, go, go. Go, go, go.

POLICE OFFICER: Would you follow that police officer? Don't crash. If you could just fast. Keep going fast. Keep going fast. Keep going fast. Can you go fast? Stop here on the right. Stop! Stop!

Don't move! Don't move! Put your hands on your head.

It's all right. No worries. Cheers for your help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem. I'm glad I could be of service.

POLICE OFFICER: Thank you. Cheers, buddy. We'll get on with doing the rest of the work. Thanks very much for your assistance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was quite exhilarating.

POLICE OFFICER: Right. See you later. I hope the rest of your day is a bit calmer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

POLICE OFFICER: Cheers, guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Covert rideshare ops in action there. That is from the Kent Police Department and that suspect that they were chasing was arrested.

It is time for Buzz Express, the stories that have people talking.

Shrek's lovable and chatty sidekick Donkey will trot into theaters with his own movie. Universal and DreamWorks Animation have slated "Donkey" to release in June of 2028. Eddie Murphy will return to voice the beloved character. The film will focus on how Donkey became Donkey. By the way, "Shrek 5" will hit theaters next year.

All right, let's check out some new music on this Friday. Cookie Monster -- yes, the star from "SESAME STREET" just dropped a new song and it might sound familiar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOKIE MONSTER: Singing "C is for Cookie."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: So if you were thinking that sounds like Bruno Mars' song "I Just Might" you are correct. Cookie Monster put his twist on it for "SESAME STREET'S" new album "Parody Party." It drops next month. All right -- I've got to update my gym playlist.

And the 2026 ESPY Awards are headed back to New York City for the first time in 25 years. New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is nominated for Best Athlete in Men's Sports alongside Messi, Matthew Stafford, and many more. ESPY Awards are taking place on July 15.

And still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, why some of Apple's most popular products are about to cost you more.

And cannabis workers in one state are striking. What they are demanding, coming up.

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[05:57:05]

SMITH: Well, in today's Money Express, OpenAI's latest ChatGPT 5.6 model may only be available to a small group of people until the government can fully understand what it can do.

Maribel Aber joins us from the Nasdaq MarketSite with more on that and the rest of your top Money Express headlines. Maribel, what have we learned here?

MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: OK, Brad. The Trump administration has asked OpenAI to limit the release of its next model update because of concerns over its advanced capabilities. Now, according to sources familiar with the matter, officials are worried that Chat -- or excuse me, GPT 5.6 could pose unprecedented safety risks. The details of those risks were unclear. The White House request follows export controls it also placed on Anthropic Mythos and Fable models.

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman reportedly said in a memo the company will comply with this release but that it's the -- it's not the preferred long-term solution.

Apple is raising prices on several of its most popular products citing soaring ship costs tied to the AI boom. The average increase is $100 and takes effect immediately. Entry-level MacBooks will now cost $6.99 -- $699. iPads jumped to $499, and the iPad Mini rises to $599. Other products, including Apple TV, the HomePod speaker, and Vision Pro headset are between $70 and $200 more. The new pricing is already reflected on Apple's website.

Now, global World Cup fans are scooping up American ranch dressing so fast that UPS and TSA are taking notice. UPS is offering a ship-and- dip promo that gives customers 20 percent off shipping ranch dressing internationally. Now their offer runs through September 30 and must be redeemed in-store when the package is shipped.

TSA is already reminding travelers that full-sized bottles of ranch belong in checked bags, not carry-ons.

Ranch dressing has become a viral sensation Brad as visitors get their first taste during the games.

SMITH: You never know what you have until it's gone, I guess.

ABER: Yeah.

SMITH: And they're going to be taking that ranch dressing back home for sure.

Maribel, thank you.

Let's get a check in on some of the other stories making news across the country.

We start in Mesa, Arizona. That's where bodycam footage -- it captured the moment that police officers rushed inside a burning house to save a woman trapped inside. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Police going into burning home to save woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: And you could see how quickly that fire was spreading.

Police got the woman and the others in the house out safely with no serious injuries. The officers did go to the hospital for smoke inhalation and have fully recovered.

And in New Jersey, two semitrucks collided and burst into flames. Video shows fire and thick smoke pouring from the scene after Thursday's crash. It is still unclear whether anyone was hurt. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

[06:00:05]

And in Illinois, more than 30 -- 300 cannabis workers have gone on strike. Three hundred cannabis workers going on strike allegedly unfair labor practices. Their union accusing Ascend Wellness of not bargaining in good faith.

All right, that does it for us here on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.