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CNN Headlines: Today: Jurors Resume Deliberations In Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial; Survivors Of Flood At Nepal-China Border Crossing Speak To CNN; Trump: NBC Anchor Should Face "Rebuke Or Punishment" From FCC. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired August 31, 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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[05:30:25]

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

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are rising around the Strait of Hormuz with both sides trading attacks for the first time in more than a month. Iranian state media says its military retaliated after the U.S. struck an island near the strait on Sunday. The U.S. Central Command confirms that it targeted two Iranian rocket launchers.

And flash flooding at the Grand Canyon has killed one person and left about 15 people missing, while dozens more had to evacuate. Park officials say that the flooding destroyed foot bridges as storms swept over Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on Saturday. A water pipeline that serves tourists was also knocked out.

And deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy triple murder trial -- they resume today. The former Massachusetts nurse who tried to take her own life after she killed her three children has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder.

Here's CNN's Jean Casarez with the latest for us.

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JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Judge William Sullivan, Friday afternoon, told the jury, "You are excused for the weekend" but asked them to come back to this courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts Monday morning at 9:00 a.m.

Our producer in the courtroom noted that several of the jurors were speaking to each other as they walked into the courtroom and as they walked out of the courtroom, but that is to be expected because they've gotten to know each other. They have sat listening to the testimony for several weeks now.

Now as far as the evidence, the jurors asked for two pieces of evidence on Friday -- one, prescription pill bottles from Lindsay Clancy; the other being the knife. Prescription pill bottles were entered into evidence by the prosecution. Patrick Clancy was the first witness on the stand. He had a paper bag of pills bottles, and he wanted to take them after the event to law enforcement and officials.

The jury saw those pill bottles, and it was learned that only a few pills out of every prescription were actually out of the bottle.

The defense showed the jury, during closing arguments, a drawer from the nightstand next to the bed with a plastic Ziploc bag filled with prescription bottles, and law enforcement had never collected that.

Secondly, the knife. The knife is truly not an issue in regard to the suicide attempt because both sides believe this was a very serious suicide attempt. But there was blood on the knife, blood in the bedroom. As we know, the jury did a jury review where they went into that bedroom now. And so -- but they wanted to see the knife up close. We do not know why but it is something that they wanted to see.

In other news, Dr. Avram Mack, who was a prosecution rebuttal witness -- CNN has confirmed that he has resigned from a children's hospital in Delaware. We do not know why he has resigned. CNN has reached out to Dr. Mack. Be he was a board certified forensic psychiatrist that testified that he did not believe Lindsay Clancy had bipolar shortly before she killed her children. He thought it was an episode of depression and also anxiety. The reasons why he is no longer with that children's hospital remain unknown.

In Plymouth, Massachusetts, I'm Jean Casarez for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Thank you, Jean.

The death toll from last week's catastrophic flooding in Nepal and China has risen to more than 900 people. Forty-eight hundred are missing right now and among them, at least 85 Americans are also missing with no reported deaths, the State Departments says. At least nine Americans have been safely evacuated.

Urgent search and rescue operations -- they've continued to day. This is all in an effort to reach more than 900 workers trapped in hydro tunnels in Nepal. There are specialist teams that are joining thousands of Nepali troops already engaged in that effort.

And as rescuers reach victims, stunning stories of survival are coming to light. CNN's Will Ripley spoke to two Italian tourists about the experience that changed their lives.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've all seen the video now of the giant wave that consumed that building, that washed the rows of tour buses away.

Valentina and Stefano were on one of those buses. And I have goosebumps just because we were talking in the lobby and I asked how you're doing and you said, "I'm alive."

VALENTINA PICCININI, ITALIAN TOURIST WHO ESCAPED FLOODING: That's the only thing that really matters right now, honestly. It was massive. It was, for me, such a (INAUDIBLE). I cannot hear my name because they are only -- everybody's saying my name, but I was not able to hear them.

[05:35:05]

So I just following Fernand (PH). He showed me the only way I could follow to survive -- the only way. Because if I'm going straight on, for sure I would not be here.

RIPLEY: Did you know it was water that was coming when you saw the big, black --

STEFANO LUTUMOLO, ITALIAN TOURIST WHO ESCAPED FLOODING: No, we couldn't know. We just saw something crashing into Basti. The (INAUDIBLE) in front of us -- it was very big, like it was crazy. The sound, it was unbelievable. We are just human being, survivor, and they lost everything.

RIPLEY: You can survive anything now, I think.

I was in Bidur all day yesterday, one of the hardest hit areas, and I'm still sort of processing everything that we saw. I spoke with a young woman yesterday who lost 17 family members in this flood. And I spoke with a young man who lost eight family members.

All of the effort right now is on trying to send helicopters into even more remote areas, some of which have yet to be reached, to try to find people who might still be alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: CNN's Will Ripley reporting from Nepal.

And now to this. A young girl saved from the rubble after 60 hours. Take a look.

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Rescuers saving 6-year-old child from rubble after Nepal-China flooding.

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SMITH: The girl's name is Manisha, and she is currently receiving special medical treatment in Kathmandu. And just days after her rescue she was reunited with her parents.

For more information on how you can help Nepal flood victims go to CNN.com/impact.

A passenger ferry -- it capsized with nearly 270 people on board. And you can see some of the survivors in life jackets standing on the boat waiting to be rescued. This was off the northern coast of Cyprus. They were heading to Turkey. The Turkish Interior Ministry says that the ship started taking on water just a few miles off the coast. At least eight people have died, and more than a dozen are still missing right now.

Well, the Trump administration is facing growing backlash over a proposal that could open part of Yosemite National Park to private development. The plan would allow a Nevada-based private developer to build a road through Yosemite Park land to reach an 83-acre property where it wants to build homes and retail space. Park employees, conservation groups, and some California officials are criticizing the idea. The Interior Department no final decision has been made.

And Dolly Parton's name could soon greet travelers flying into Nashville. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has proposed renaming Nashville International Airport after the country music legend just days after her death at age 80. More than 150,000 fans have already signed an online petition backing the idea. The airport's board will take it up next month, but current rules say that people should be dead at least two years before an airport can be named for them. We'll continue to track that.

Well, Scottie Scheffler has lamented his status as the year's top golfer. And he came from behind in Atlanta on Sunday with the tour championship win and his second FedEx Cup. The victory also pushed him past Tiger Woods in PGA Tour career earnings. Now, Scheffler has earned more than $130 million now compared with Woods' $120 million. That figure unadjusted for inflation. Adjusted winnings would put Woods' career earnings closer to $200 million.

Scottie spoke with CNN after the win.

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SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, WINNER, FEDEX CUP: I'm very proud of the body of work of the whole season. And I think to be able to culminate that with the FedEx Cup win is really, really special. I felt like there's been some years where I've had good chance to win the FedEx Cup and I haven't been able to get it done. But to be able to do it a second time is a really, really great way to end.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Let me ask you about the family because it's been an incredible year. I remember it had to be your first FedEx Cup title. Baby Bennett is born that year, right? This year, Remy is born ahead of your second FedEx Cup title. I wonder, though, how does the -- how does the joy of fatherhood define you as a person?

SCHEFFLER: Yeah. To be where we're at right now with a young family and to be able to travel pretty much the country playing golf and getting to spend time with my family and really be a dad and a professional golfer is a dream come true. I'm very fortunate that my family can travel with me and we have a lot of fun on the road. And I'm looking forward to getting home and relaxing a bit with them and me getting some more time. But overall, it really is a blessing to be able to do what we do and, you know, we enjoy it a lot. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Congratulations.

To the Little League World Series we go. Henderson, Nevada facing Curacao in the championship game. Nevada led 2-0 early on but Curacao took the lead for good in the fourth inning and went on to win 11-2. The island country was in the finals for the third time in five years but wins for the first time since 2004. Look at those dads' moves too.

[05:40:10]

Well, next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, President Trump takes aim at another journalist, this time calling for the FCC to punish an NBC host. What has him so upset this time? That's coming up.

And a big announcement from Tom Cruise. A popular '90s flick is back and with a new co-star. What we know about "Days of Thunder 2" next.

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[05:45:00]

SMITH: President Trump is calling for the FCC to punish an NBC anchor over a TV segment because he didn't like it. On Sunday, social media is what Trump took to say that Kristen Welker would be "reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment."

The segment in question was about the president's endorsement record in the primary elections. FCC chair Brendan Carr did not respond to CNN's request for comment. A spokesperson for NBC News says they are standing by Welker.

CNN's Brian Stelter walks us through Trump's latest attack on the press.

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BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey, there. Yeah, it seems like President Trump is treating the FCC like his own personal enforcement squad. Now, the FCC is the main media regulator in the U.S. and historically, has been independently administered. But Trump taken action of the FCC in the same way he has across the executive branch, trying to take control and install people who will carry out his wishes.

But the FCC, the agency that licenses the public airwaves for local TV and radio stations -- we have seen several aggressive actions against media companies.

So that's the backdrop for Trump's posts on Sunday. He wrote on Truth Social that NBC's moderator of "MEET THE PRESS", Kristen Welker, would be "reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment." He also separately complained in all caps about fake polls and said, "SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT IT," adding, "FCC TO THE RESCUE!"

I reached out to Trump's SEC chairman Brendan Carr about those posts and I didn't hear back.

But I did hear from Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat left on the commission. She said this about Trump's posts about Welker. She said, "The FCC has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn't like. These threats to press freedom are dangerous. They undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it."

Historically, the notion of punishment for Welker would be a total nonstarter. The FCC has limited power. It has no power over what a journalist reports on the air. And its own website says the agency cannot prevent the broadcast of any particular point of view.

But in the past 18 months or so, Carr has been quick to respond to some of Trump's other requests or his other posts about news organizations. This also includes the broader entertainment companies that are owners of these news organizations.

For example, in April, one day after Trump complained about ABC comic Jimmy Kimmel and demanded that ABC fire Kimmel, Carr took an unusual action against ABC, calling up all of its local stations for early license renewals.

Earlier this month, ABC's parent company Disney filed a first amendment lawsuit against the FCC charging the government with violating its free speech rights.

So because Carr has taken aggressive action in the past, there's curiosity now about whether he will follow up on Trump's demand to punish Welker in some way.

So what made Trump mad on Sunday? Well, he said he was watching -- or apparently, he was watching NBC's local station when Welker made a comment about his endorsement record. Welker said that Trump has had mixed results with his endorsements.

Trump says his record is at 100 percent for the U.S. Senate and 98 percent for the U.S. House. But that overlooks the fact that several of his chosen candidates, especially for governor, recently lost their primaries.

As CNN's "INSIDE POLITICS" recently said, "Trump has had a mixed endorsement record this primary season."

So Welker was right. But much more importantly, there is no history -- no precedent of the idea of an American president saying he's going to report a journalist to the FCC over a TV segment he didn't like. There's just nothing like that in the past.

And if you go on the FCC website, fcc.gov, you can see there is not even a way to lodge a complaint like that. You can complain about indecency, you can complain about the ads, but not about the journalism that's being broadcast.

So there is no action the FCC could take against an individual, never mind what an ethical and legal travesty that would be. But the FCC does have some power against the parent companies. In ABC's case, that's Disney. In NBC's case, it's Comcast. And Carr does have an open investigation into Comcast over its diversity practices, so that's what to watch out for next.

Back to you.

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SMITH: All right. It is time for Buzz Express, the stories that have people talking.

First up, Tom Cruise is back for a follow-up to "Days of Thunder" and here's the official post with the big announcement. His co-star will be Anne Hathaway. The original came out in 1990 and co-starred Cruise's ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. This new movie is expected out in 2028.

But to add to the drama, another co-star from that original film, Randy Quaid, says that Kidman should come back for this one because he claims Hathaway will alienate some of the audience because of politics. No word from Cruise or Hathaway about that.

[05:50:05]

All right. And Olivia Rodrigo announced that Melinda French Gates pledged $10 million at the singer's Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival over the weekend. That doubles the $10 million that Rodrigo says they already raised through the festival. The money will be split among 10 organizations that help women and girls.

And Pabst Blue Ribbon wants to know who stole its beer. About 40,000 pounds of it went missing from a California distribution center. The company is offering a reward of $25,000. It wrote on social media to the thief, "We don't fault you for wanting to brag to your friends about how much PBR you have; we just wish you obtained it the honorable way." We'll see if they come forward.

Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, a popular weight loss drug gets the green light to treat other ailments. What new studies just revealed.

And love is in the air. This couple just couldn't wait to get to the chapel. Their story on the other side of the break. Hey, Siri, play "Ribbon in the Sky" by Stevie Wonder.

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[05:55:35]

SMITH: In today's Money Express, a new use for a popular drug that helps treat diabetes.

Maribel Aber joins us from the Nasdaq MarketSite with that and the rest of your top Money Express headlines. Hey, Maribel. What do we know?

MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: Hi, Brad.

Eli Lilly announcing that its diabetes drug Mounjaro has been approved by the FDA for patients with type 2 diabetes to lower their risk of a heart attack or stroke. Mounjaro is already approved for weight loss under the brand name Zepbound. The studies showed that patients who took Mounjaro had an eight percent lower rate of heart attack or stroke. The approval gives patients another option of medication to try their cardiovascular issues.

Walmart has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a federal lawsuit related to its alleged role in the nation's opioid crisis. The Justice Department sued the retailer in 2020 alleging that its pharmacies filled thousands of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances. Along with a monetary settlement Walmart will establish stronger safeguards to prevent improper drug refills in the future. The DOJ and Walmart both said they are satisfied with the agreement.

And Crumbl's newest cookie collection is inspired by one of the best- selling video games of all time, Minecraft. The limited time Crumbl pack includes popular characters like Enderman and Creeper, and a chicken. The cookies come in a theme box which also includes a Minecraft mystery spoon. The collection drops today at stores and online while supplies last, Brad.

SMITH: All right, Maribel. So two things that I apparently need to try. I need to try Crumbl cookies.

ABER: Oh, yeah.

SMITH: And then I also, I guess, need to try Minecraft as well so that I get this collaboration fully.

ABER: It sounds good.

SMITH: All right. I'll report back on that one.

Maribel Aber, thank you. Good to see you.

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

We start in the Garden State, in New Jersey. An unauthorized block party in Trenton -- it turned deadly when multiple shooters walked in and opened fire. Two people were killed and eight others were hurt. Right now, no one is in custody and the search continues for the gunmen.

The William Jewell College community in Liberty, Missouri is mourning after one of its football players died at a game Saturday. School officials say that the running back, MicahJo Barnett, passed away after experiencing a medical emergency on the sidelines during the school's season opener. He had just scored a touchdown. Barnett was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced death. No further details have been released.

We take you to Oklahoma now. A deadly explosion triggers a fireball in the sky. Here is more on that story.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators say an explosion at a Sand Springs, Oklahoma business complex has left two people dead. Deputy Chief Todd Enzbrenner told CNN affiliate KJRH that this was likely chemical- related and may have happened during a THC extraction process related to marijuana.

The business owner, according to the district attorney's office, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder as officials investigate the explosion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: OK, let's go to the north now. In Michigan, the Wolverine State and a very close neighbor to Canada, of course, a brewery is turning a viral moment into a charitable statement. So this place is called HOMES Brewery. That is H-O-M-E-S. So it's the common trick for remembering the names of the Great Lakes. We know this, right? You remember from elementary school perhaps.

Well, the brewery shuffled its letters, and they did this in response to President Trump's renaming of the lake to Lake Ontario. So Lake Ontario, which is what it was in HOMES, to Lake America.

So what's the new acronym -- the new name? SHAME. See what they did there? The proceeds from the T's will go towards a Great Lakes nonprofit.

And we've got to talk about this one. One couple on Southwest flight took their love to new heights, literally. Sara and her fiance -- they were flying to Vegas, already planning to elope, when the flight attendants learned about their plan while they were on board and suggested a midair ceremony. So the captain officiated as a cabin full of passengers cheered them on. The couple made it official in Vegas the next day. Congratulations to the happy couple, and glad that flight safely made it to Vegas as well because I would certainly be in the back saying, "Man, this autopilot better be strong."

That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.