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CNN Headlines: Tens of Thousands Told to Evacuate as Hawk Wildfire Approaches Reno, Nevada; Manhunt for the Wife of Slain Worcester Police Officer Underway; Man, Who Took Last Known Photograph of Tupac Shakur Testifies in Court. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired August 24, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we -- when we came through, it looked like a movie scene.
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BRAD SMITH, ANCHOR, CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS: Thousands of people are told, you need to get out now. A dangerous fire quickly spreading. We've got the story. Plus, a manhunt is on right now for the wife of a police officer who was found dead in their home. More on this developing case. Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that's unexpected.
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SMITH: The shocking thing that he saw on that beach. And it had everybody running towards the water. We've got the full story for you. Good morning, everyone, I'm Brad Smith, this is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, glad that you're with us this morning. Let's get started.
We begin in Reno, Nevada. That's where a fast growing and uncontained wildfire has prompted widespread evacuations. The so-called Hawk Fire ignited on Saturday and has already grown to more than 15,000 acres. Around 90,000 people have been told to leave their homes or prepare to leave as crews tried to get the flames under control.
Two medical centers have also evacuated their patients. Reno's Fire chief explains why the fire is so challenging.
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DAVID COCHRAN, FIRE CHIEF, RENO FIRE DEPARTMENT: We're seeing some incredible erratic fire behavior. That behavior that you -- well, many have never seen before. The other thing that's happening is it's extending for longer periods. We're getting that erratic fire behavior into the nighttime and into
the early morning hours, which is unusual. And that's what's making this so hard to control and so hard to contain. Because typically overnight, especially in Nevada, where I'm working, you get the temperature drop, the winds will drop, and the fire kind of settles down.
And that allows us to really get after it. It's very hard to attack the fire when there's high winds, high heat in the middle of the day. But when it settles down, we can get after it. That's when we can ramp up that containment.
But the winds don't drop, the temperature doesn't drop, and you're getting that erratic fire behavior, it just makes it hard to get your arms around the fire of this size and this magnitude.
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SMITH: Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has declared a State of Emergency in Washoe County, which includes Reno and parts of Lake Tahoe. He also activated the Nevada National Guard there, evacuees there saying that it looks something like they've seen in the movies.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we -- when we came through, it looked like a movie scene. Like you don't expect to see something like that in real life. And then like, we looked over the overpass and we could see like the top of these flames and then the smoke overhead or whatever.
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SMITH: Now, here's what's interesting. Officials say that the fire appears to be caused by human activity, but there is no indication that it was intentionally set. Fire officials say six people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Those injured include three civilians and three first responders. Forecasters believe that the windy conditions could get worse later this afternoon. Even stronger winds are possible tomorrow through Thursday.
Let's take you to Massachusetts now. That's where a manhunt is underway for the wife of a slain police officer. Local police say that Karen Solomon is wanted in connection to the death of her husband, Kurt Solomon, who was found dead in their home, killed by some kind of sharp object. CNN's Zain Hyndland(ph) has more.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will not stop until we find her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): A search is underway for a Massachusetts woman in connection with the death of her husband. Police are looking for this woman, Karen Solomon. Police previously released doorbell camera footage showing Solomon early Tuesday morning.
Police say they discovered Solomon's husband, Worcester Police Officer Kurt Solomon, dead in their home on Tuesday. The dispatcher said the person who reported the incident was a female resident of the home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A visible blood inside the building, inside the bathroom, in the back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When dispatchers called the number back, the voicemail identified the number as belonging to Karen Solomon. Police have not publicly confirmed that Solomon placed the 9-1-1 call.
Dispatch audio shows an SUV registered to the Solomons was also reported missing shortly after the 9-1-1 call. Solomon is an author and co-founder of First Help; a group that advocates for the mental health of police officers.
Authorities have also not disclosed the contents of the 9-1-1 call or a potential motive. Police say Solomon is considered armed and dangerous and faces a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon with serious bodily injury.
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As the search enters its sixth day, authorities have deployed divers, dogs, SONAR and other technologies to find Solomon.
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SMITH: Well, today, the White House is expected to announce new sanctions on Iran, with the Treasury Secretary warning that an economic D-Day is on its way. In a "Financial Times Sunday" op-ed, Scott Bessent wrote, "the world should understand that our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone."
He also says that anyone working with Iran will also feel the impact of these sanctions.
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SCOTT BESSENT, SECRETARY OF TREASURY, UNITED STATES: If you insist on doing business with them, either transferring money, buying their oil, they're doing seaborne ship transfers, then the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Government, they will put its full might and force toward enforcing against you.
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SMITH: Meanwhile, Iran's leadership doesn't appear to be on the same page when it comes to handling the conflict. The President says the country, quote, "cannot continue with war forever." But the Foreign Minister insists sanctions and pressure campaigns by the U.S. are nothing new for Iran.
It all comes as Tehran warns that ships accused of violating its transit rules in the Strait of Hormuz could be penalized or seized. The Trump Administration is blaming Canada for the collapse of trade talks with our neighbor to the north.
Canada walked away from the negotiations late Friday. Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the U.S. had introduced last-minute demands that would have harmed his nation's economy. He's promising to match the United States' new tariffs on Canadian goods, dollar for dollar.
Despite the standoff, White House officials say they expect talks to resume soon. CNN's Julia Benbrook has more on how the trade talks went wrong.
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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Taking a step back here throughout the week, President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, as well as top trade officials from both countries, had been in direct contact.
That was after Trump put a three-day pause on the tariffs. Both sides had expressed optimism that they would be able to come to an agreement before that new deadline. In fact, hours before everything fell through, Trump said that things were moving along with Canada, and that the United States and Canada should be able to come to a deal.
There is now, though, that 50 percent tariff on roughly $20 Billion worth of Canadian goods. And Canada has vowed to match that tariff dollar-for-dollar starting September 8th. This all just injects more uncertainty when it comes to the relationship between these two countries.
And as of right now, there is no sense of when the two sides might come back to the table. Over the weekend, while speaking with CNN's Dana Bash, former Vice President Mike Pence said that he hopes that the two sides are able to come to the negotiating table again soon, adding that the last thing Americans need right now is a trade war with Canada.
And some important context to add there. During Trump's first term, when Pence was serving as his Vice President, Trump touted the U.S.- Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement as a fair and balanced trade deal.
He has in recent months, though, decided not to renew it. That doesn't mean that it goes away entirely, but that they try and maintain the status quo, and that some of these bilateral conversations on specifics continue.
The latest, though, is that these recent talks with Canada have failed. Both sides said that last-minute changes to the deal really unraveled a delicate balance that was struck in recent days. We have reached out to the White House to see if there are any plans to start these conversations again. Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.
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SMITH: Thank you. Julia. The former sheriff's deputy convicted in the 2024 death of Sonya Massey in Illinois, has died in prison. Sean Grayson's lawyer confirmed the 32-year-old's death Sunday after a battle with stage four cancer.
He was serving a 20-year sentence. Massey had called deputies to her home, suspecting an intruder, and Grayson fatally shot her after she grabbed a pot of boiling water from the stove. Massey had struggled with mental health issues.
The U.S. military says it struck an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific. The U.S. Southern Command says two people were killed in Sunday's strike, and it marks the first known strike in more than two months as at least 221 people have been killed, and at least 67 vessels have been destroyed since the Operation Southern Spear campaign began last September.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix race through the heart of D.C., it took place over the weekend, with IndyCars reaching speeds up to 180 miles per hour. CNN's Brian Todd was there and has more.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): That's President Trump and the presidential limousine doing a ceremonial lap around the course ahead of the race. This is turn four, one of seven turns in this race, and there's the President right there.
He's riding the presidential limousine called The Beast as he takes a ceremonial lap around the course before the start of the race, the President also dropping the green flag from his seat to start this race.
Just about everybody we talked to had a pretty smooth experience getting through the security gates, through the checkpoints and up to these fences. And you can see people have pretty good access. Again, this is turn four coming down Constitution Avenue, turning right onto Seventh Street, Northwest.
One of the tighter turns in a race that has several tight turns, actually. So, it's 1.7 miles. They have to do it 147 times to get to 250 miles. Good weather today. Crowds really excited. Again, we talked to people coming in through the checkpoints.
Everybody we talked to said it was a smooth experience. And people here seem to be pleased with the access they're getting and the proximity to the track.
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SMITH: Driver Kyle Kirkwood took the checkered flag, earning his second victory of the season, and he called it a dream come true. Lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. The man who took the iconic last photo of Tupac Shakur right before he was shot, takes the stand.
The latest in the trial of the man accused in the murder of Tupac. Plus, why the President's son-in-law and the Democratic House Minority leader got together for a meeting. Details on that and more when CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS returns.
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SMITH: A source says that President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, recently met with House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries to discuss the ways that the White House and Democrats can collaborate. The source says that they discussed issues such as immigration, housing and the cost of living.
They previously worked together on prison reform legislation. House Speaker Mike Johnson downplayed the meeting and said it does not mean Republicans expect to lose control of the House. Jeffries is the frontrunner to become Speaker if that happens.
The Pentagon is forcing out several top staffers at Stars and Stripes. That is the official U.S. military publication that has a long record of editorial independence. The publisher, editor-in-chief and a reporter were all fired, according to the reporter.
The publisher had already told staff that he would retire at the end of next month because his philosophy differs from the Defense Department. The editor-in-chief told CNN, he was dismissed for insubordination for speaking to "CBS News" earlier this year over Pete Hegseth's efforts to exert control of the military publication.
A robot beat Usain Bolt's 100-meter record, but at what cost? As robots went head-to-head in different sports. CNN's Mike Valerio was there.
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MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Pretty astonishing and not so astonishing feats in one of Beijing's Olympic stadiums. A humanoid robot named Lightning ran the 100-meter race faster than Usain Bolt's World Record time.
But these competitors, they don't need protein drinks. They need batteries. Here at the World Humanoid Robot Games, robot athletes are being tested like never before. More than 2,000 robots from 16 countries are registered for this year's games, and we have kickboxing, football, table tennis, and some of these events are getting much harder.
The 400-meter race, for example, is now totally autonomous, since -- meaning, these robots need to see the track, navigate it and cross the finish line without anybody guiding them by remote control.
And this is actually part of the point when a robot falls, gets confused, or manages to recover on its own, engineers get a real-world test of technology they ultimately want working outside the arena. China has made embodied A.I., which is essentially A.I. in a physical body, a national priority. The government has backed research, training centers and real-world
testing, as so many Chinese universities and companies have raced to build better robot bodies and smarter robot brains.
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SMITH: All right, that robot's got nothing on Mike. Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, a father and son hike on Mount Fuji. It takes a turn when the father leaves his seven-year-old behind. Now that dad could face charges.
Plus, this shocking incident on the beach that had everyone running towards the water. Stay with us, you're watching CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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SMITH: Now to the murder trial of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. The 1996 death of Tupac Shakur, the man who took the last known photo of the rap legend, testified how he encountered Shakur and Death Row Records owner Suge Knight in the minutes that were leading up to the fatal shooting.
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LEONARD JEFFERSON, TOOK TUPAC SHAKUR'S LAST KNOWN PHOTOGRAPH: A car rolled up, really, it's the wheels really caught my attention. And then I looked up and I saw it was Tupac and Suge sitting in the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did you try to interact with Mr. Shakur or Mr. Knight?
JEFFERSON: With Tupac, I did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, and what happened? Can you tell us about that?
JEFFERSON: Yes, I just said -- I said, hey, what up Pac? And then he kind of looked and kind of took like a double tap and said, oh, what up, man? And then I said, hey, where are you guys headed? He said, we're headed to the club. You should follow us.
I said, all right, cool. And then, I don't know -- I said, man, let me get a picture real quick. And I just -- I had my camera in my center console, so I just grabbed my camera and snapped the picture. And after I took the picture, the light changed green and they took off.
And I recognized like one or two of the cars that were behind them, from seeing them from L.A. So, I let them go by and then they got in front of me, and then I got three cars behind them behind the BMW.
And then we were just driving down -- driving down Las Vegas Boulevard, and all of a sudden, I just hear pop-pop-pop. I see Suge getting out the car, and now the officer is yelling, commands him! Get down! Lay down! And you hear -- you hear Suge saying, my man Pac got shot, Pac got shot. We need help. Pac got shot.
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And then the cop for whatever walked over there to Suge, Suge got up and they walked over to the passenger side of the car.
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SMITH: The trial is scheduled to resume later today in Las Vegas. Rescue efforts are underway in Guinea after heavy rain triggered a landslide at the capital's largest landfill, killing at least 30 people. Authorities say that the site was scheduled to close and people were given evacuation orders, but many were still there when the disaster hit.
A father is accused of leaving his son on a bench alone while he hiked Mount Fuji with other family members in Japan. Now, police say that the seven-year-old got tired more than halfway through the climb, and his father told him to sit on the bench and wait until they finished the hike.
Someone spotted the child and alerted the police. Officers were waiting with the child when the father returned about five hours later. The father did express remorse but he could face charges. It's a new -- to monitor that straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
A disturbing scene in a hospital room when ICE takes a mother and daughter into custody after they were in a car crash. We've got more on that story straight ahead.
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