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Minneapolis Shooter Released "Manifesto" on YouTube; Police Search for Motive After Deadly Catholic School Shooting; Massive Russian Attack Kills at Least 15 in Kyiv; FEMA Workers Suspected After Signing Letter to Congress. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 28, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This morning, investigators in Minneapolis learning new information about what led up to the horrific shooting that killed two children injured 17 at the Annunciation Catholic School. They're sifting through what they say are the shooters hate-filled writings and social media videos.

Let's get right to Brian Todd for the very latest on all this. Brian, what are you learning?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John the suspect, Robin Westman, seems to have left a series of online videos which describe an obsession with school shootings, and they named some other mass shooters such as the 2012 Sandy Hook gunman, the Columbine shooters, and the man who attacked the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2008.

And according to CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller, Westman also posted a video on YouTube showing writings which contained anti-black, anti-Semitic, and anti-religious messages. Some of the videos the suspect posted are just outright bizarre. There is one of Westman's simply reading the manual for a clothes dryer, that video goes on for several minutes.

Now, in one video, the suspect pages through a handwritten notebook. One video shows guns and gun magazines with various messages and racial slurs written on them. One magazine says the words psycho killer on it. Now, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara had this to say about the shooter's weapons and about his writings.

[08:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF BRIAN O'HARA, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE: As to the weapons used to perpetrate this horrific attack, there was a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. All three had been lawfully purchased by the shooter. We were also aware of a manifesto that the shooter had timed to be released on YouTube. This manifesto appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings. That content has since been taken down with the assistance of the FBI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Now, there's also one disturbing video, which seems to illustrate part of the shooter's plans to attack that church. The video shows a slab of wood, which has the words, no escape on it, among other things. Now, an actual slab of wood was found at the scene blocking a door of the church from the outside. We have also learned that the shooter identified as female and changed their name legally from Robert to Robin in 2020 with the permission of their mother.

And, John, last night, the shooter's uncle, he is a former Kentucky lawmaker named Bob Heleringer, he spoke to CNN affiliate WLEX and called the attack, quote, "an unspeakable tragedy." The uncle also told the Associated Press, quote, "I wish he had shot me instead of innocent school children." John.

BERMAN: All right. Brian Todd, going through all of that new information. Brian, thank you very much for that. Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now, CNN's senior law enforcement analyst, former deputy director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe. Good to have you with us this morning. When we just sort of picking up where Brian left off there, this clear obsession with other shooters, with other mass shootings, we know there was no criminal history, but all these other signs that I suppose exist in these videos, in these posts that were there. Are you seeing a rise in copycats given what we're learning about this obsession that existed?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST AND FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: Yes. Absolutely, we are, Erica. And I think this is something that we've seen in other mass shootings. We've seen mass shooters who actually refer in their manifesto to previous shooters. But this one is really remarkable to me in that respect. I was looking at -- you know, we don't -- I haven't seen the manifesto, so I can't say whether there are specific references to the 2023 Covenant School shooter in Nashville. But if you look at that situation and this one, there are remarkable similarities.

So, both were in their 20s, both targeted religious schools that they formerly attended. Both brought three weapons to the crime. Both purchased those weapons legally. Both drove to the attack site and left a vehicle there. Both posted manifestos in which they raged and expressed grievance towards numerous ethnic groups and religions. You know, a real broad stroke of kind of anger there. Both sought to kill children, young children specifically. And I think the most important here is both were students of other mass shooters.

And this is key because. I think what we are seeing is as we have more and more of these mass shootings, if you are someone who is mentally disturbed and alienated and filled with rage and grievance, and you're considering doing this, you can find a template, an example of someone just like you who did it, and that can be a very confirming, like, affirmative influence on someone who's progressing to this sort of a violent act.

This could be really an indicator of an expansion of the type and number of people who get into this who are drawn to these despicable acts of violence.

HILL: And the alarming in there too, or maybe alarming is not the right word, but when we look at it too, it's this balance too of information balanced with a concern about unintended influence as we look at this incident at others.

MCCABE: Yes.

HILL: How do you balance that?

MCCABE: You know, it's very hard. I mean, our instinct as -- certainly as investigators, but as a society in general is we want to know as much as we can about this. And the general public is obviously drawn to these stories. We hope that understanding the gravity of these situations. In some instances, you know, the really gruesome details of what happened here will finally compel people to take steps to kind of -- to prevent these acts of violence.

But it has that double-edged sword quality to it. As you -- as we put more and more of these details out, there are those among us who are maybe drawn to this stuff, maybe have that particular cocktail of grievance and rage and alienation and, you know, lord knows what other issues. And we're in some ways giving them more details to feed upon to go through that developmental cycle.

We know this person spent a lot of time in that planning cycle, acquiring weapons, writing those messages, taping videos. So, yes, there is an awful kind of teaching element here that goes both to the general public and to people who might be drawn into this activity

[08:40:00]

HILL: I also wanted to ask you about what we heard from FBI Director Kash Patel who said very quickly that this is being investigated not only as domestic terrorism, but also as a hate crime targeting Catholics specifically. Based on what we know publicly at this point about the investigation, what do you see in terms of the detail that would lead so quickly to that declaration from the director?

MCCABE: So, you know, at baseline, obviously, we have someone who very intentionally targeted a Catholic institution. So, that would give you that, as an investigator that's -- that figure is prominently in your understanding of what happened here and might inform your decision of what was their motive.

However, in the manifesto, which is probably the most specific recitation of the shooter's actual beliefs and motives, it's not that clear. Apparently, there are numerous ethnic groups and religions, there's anti-Semitic language in there. So, it doesn't -- I don't know that we have very hard evidence of a Catholic specific focus other than the physical things that we've observed, the targeting of that institution.

So, it may actually very well be the case, but I think right now investigators have to keep a broad kind of spectrum of options available to them. And at the end of the day, it doesn't actually matter because the person's not going to be charged. They're dead. There won't be a prosecution here. It's just important that we keep digging to the bottom of this to really understand whatever those motives were.

HILL: Yes. Andrew McCabe, appreciate your insight as always. Thank you. John.

BLITZER: All right. With us now, Mark Barden. He is the co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise. His son Daniel was killed in the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

I can only imagine how hard this is for you. It's been 13 years since Sandy Hook, but what do you go through every time you get that alert on your phone or you look up on the television screen and you see there's been a new mass shooting?

MARK BARDEN, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, SANDY HOOK PROMISE AND SON DANIEL BARDEN KILLED IN SANDY HOOK SCHOOL SHOOTING: I think about those families, John. You know, when we hear the news of another deadly school shooting or a public shooting, mass shooting unfolding, I think about the families and what they're going through. I am still going through this. It's not something that I went through 13 years ago. This stays with you forever.

I will desperately miss my sweet little Daniel for the rest of my life. And I think of those families who are now embarking on this journey that no family should ever have to be part of. And my heart goes out to them. I stand here with them and for them.

BERMAN: You say you're thinking about the family, since you brought that up, s few minutes ago I spoke to Vincent Francoual who daughter Chloe was in the church at the time of the shooting. Now, she's fine. This much fine. She survived this morning. She's going through a lot right now. But Vincent was telling me how hard this is for him. I just want you to listen to him for a second.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VINCENT FRANCOUAL, DAUGHTER AT MASS WHEN SHOOTER OPENED FIRE: I, you know, didn't really sleep well. It has been very emotional. You know, I'm originally from France and I just don't get it. I just don't, you know. So, right now, I'm -- you know, I'm like, everyone, we just take it one minute at a time, if have two. There's -- you know, there's so much uncertainty. Life is about uncertainty, but this one is deeper than other, I believe. And I'm just trying to -- you know, my eyes are burning, but because I'm crying too much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: His eyes are burning because he's crying too much. What advice do you have for him this morning?

BARDEN: You know, I think it's important for us to understand the impact and the concentric circles of impact that occur when there's a tragedy like this. And it's, of course, the families who are directly impacted, but it's all of those folks who are in the vicinity or the community itself and then, more broadly, the nation. I mean, we are all here, we are talking about this, and it's heartbreaking for all of us.

And I guess, what I would say to him is just you just -- you move through this one moment at a time, and folks will come to you, you know, from your friends and your family network who want to help, who want take your pain away, and they know they can't. If you're able to let them help you, let them help you.

I remember when our community organized a meal train for us. We had a lot of family staying with us in the days and weeks after Daniel's shooting murder. And somebody would show up at our door at dinnertime every evening with a full meal to feed everybody in my home. And it was just a very practical way to help.

[08:45:00]

So, it's so unfortunate that, you know, this continues to happen. It's just tragic that this continues to happen. And we need to pull together as a community and just move through this and then do everything we can to prevent it from happening again, which is what I'm doing with Sandy Hook Promise.

BERMAN: And Sandy Hook Promise put out a statement pretty quickly yesterday saying that the early reports say that there were some warning signs that were missed. What can be done going forward not to miss them?

BARDEN: Well, that -- I think that's -- that is the -- that's the focus. You know, we work on policy solutions. We also work on prevention. We call our suite of programs know the signs, because research informs us that almost always, and this case is no different, there were warning signs before the tragedy occurred.

So, what we do with our free programs, we teach students, teachers and parents how to look for and recognize those warning signs and then give them the tools to connect somebody to the help that they need before it becomes a tragedy. And so, that's something that we can all do. It's something all of us need to be involved with, is how do we learn how to recognize those warning signs that, like I said, are almost always present.

Students who have been trained in our programs have now prevented 18 planned mass shootings in schools and over a thousand suicides have been prevented by students, you know, speaking up and seeing those warning signs, telling trusted adults. So, we know it's not inevitable. It is preventable. We just need to kind of all get focused on that.

And, you know, there's a role for our elected officials as well. You know, smart gun safety policy. It is proven to be effective and consistent with the Second Amendment of our Constitution. And our elected officials need to be part of that solution as well. I mean, the -- at a federal level, most importantly. BERMAN: Mark Barden, we do appreciate you being with us. I know you think about your son Daniel every day. May his memory be a blessing. Thank you.

Russia launches the second largest assault on Ukraine since the war there began. This morning, a race to find survivors in an apartment building in the rubble of an apartment building. Fiery testimony from Cardi B as she describes the heated altercation that led to a lawsuit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You used the F word during that fight, didn't you?

CARDI B, RAPPER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What other words did you use? Tell us in your own words what you said.

CARDI B: I said -- in my face. Why are you in my face? Why are you recording me? Ain't you supposed to be security?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:00]

HILL: New this morning, just imagine the frustration you submit 150 job applications, you get one offer. One recent computer science grad telling CNN that's his reality. And in the age of A.I. a growing number of tech grads report they're also having a difficult time navigating the job market.

CNN Tech Reporter Clare Duffy, joins me now. I mean, for a lot of folks they thought this is going to be it. This is going to be a secure job when I get out of college. Fast forward a few years, how is A.I. changing things? What are they finding out there?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes. Computer science used to feel like the golden ticket to a high paying sustainable job, even coding bootcamp certificates served that purpose for people, but it appears that is no longer the case.

And just to illustrate this for folks, I think we've got a graphic we can pull up on screen here that shows how job openings, job postings on the site indeed have really fallen off since 2022. They're down about 70 percent --

HILL: That is a cliff.

DUFFY: -- since that 2022 peak. The unemployment rate for computer science and computer engineering grads is now higher than that of English grads or history grads. And a big part of this is because tech companies are now relying much more heavily on A.I. for a lot of their coding work. We're seeing education institutions try to play catch up here, teaching students A.I. skills. But for the students who just graduated in the last year or so, they're really in this tricky position where they're submitting dozens if not hundreds of job applications, getting very few offers.

And what I heard from Abraham Rubio, he graduated in May. He said, it feels like I'm competing with A.I. just to get my foot in the door. Nick Vinokour, who graduated in December, said, it's this very weird middle ground because it's exciting that the industry is on the precipice of this insane technology, but it's harder for a junior engineer to be hired.

So, it is this tricky position where young people want to get into this industry, they want to play a part in the A.I. boom, but the tech companies aren't hiring these entry level workers as much. They do say they're hiring entry level workers with A.I. skills, but if you didn't get that in the last year or so in your college education, you're in a tricky position right now.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. I wonder how many of them will ultimately go back and try to get some of those skills, maybe to get their foot in the door. Clare, appreciate it. Thank you. John.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, a search for survivors underway in Ukraine's capital after a huge Russian missile and drone attack. Video of the strikes right there. Ukrainian officials say at least 15 people were killed, including several children.

A heated exchange on the witness stand. Cardi B testified in the civil assault trial against her in Los Angeles. She's being sued by a security guard who claims then-pregnant Cardi B physically assaulted her at a doctor's office in 2018.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDI B: I was more on a high level of concern, very concerned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And why were you concerned?

CARDI B: Because I'm pregnant, and this girl's about -- beat my -- Hello?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you disabled? Yes or no?

CARDI B: At that moment -- when you're pregnant, I'm very disabled. You want me to tell you things I can't do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fine. What was your disability on February 24, 2018? What was your disability?

CARDI B: I was pregnant. I couldn't protect myself even if I wanted to. She's like twice my size.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:55:00]

BERMAN: Cardi B claims the argument was strictly verbal. The security guard is suing her for $24 million. Delta agreed to pay more than $78 million to resolve a lawsuit over a 2020 fuel dump that covered tens of thousands of properties in California, including houses and schools. The flight poured out some 15,000 pounds of fuel to reduce the risks of an emergency landing. Several dozen people on the ground suffered minor injuries. Erica.

HILL: We're continuing to follow the developments after dozens of FEMA workers, of course, are now on leave, paid administrative leave, just days after signing an open letter to Congress in which they warned the Trump administration's overhaul of FEMA is gutting the nation's ability to deal with disasters. The letter itself is called the Katrina Declaration, and this of course, as tomorrow we will mark 20 years since New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. We are, of course, in the thick of the Atlantic hurricane season right now.

Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate joins me now. It's good to have you with us. I'm curious, first of all, your reaction to not only this letter, which also raised concerns about the politicization of both the agency and the response, but also the fact that so many of those who signed it were then put on leave.

CRAIG FUGATE, FORMER FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Well. You know, federal employees are held to a higher standard. They take an oath of the office, and a lot of people just consider that a formality. But the last line of that oath is to well and faithfully discharge the duties of your office. And so, when employees reach the point where they feel they can no longer do their jobs, or that their jobs are being affected in a way, they cannot carry out that oath, they don't usually have a lot of options.

And these folks knew there was going to be punishment. Traditionally whistleblower protections would've given them some cover, but much of that's been disassembled in this administration. So, there were -- they knew the consequences. And so, I think it's kind of extraordinary people that were willing to lose their jobs, to stand up for something they believed in.

HILL: This is all happening at -- I mean, it's, in many ways, difficult to believe that it's 20 years tomorrow since Hurricane Katrina. But when we look at where things have moved since that tragedy, based on what you know, what is available publicly, obviously, because you're no longer at FEMA, I understand that, but what you see externally, do you believe FEMA, as it stands right now, is prepared for perhaps another Hurricane Katrina?

FUGATE: Well, let's go back to 2005 before Katrina made landfall. The Department of Homeland Security was in the process of taking FEMA apart. Many of the senior leadership had left. Resources were being transferred out of FEMA to support other Homeland Security operations, including canceling funding for a major exercise to be held in Louisiana in the spring of 2005 based upon the potential impacts of a major hurricane.

Morale was at a low. And if you go back and you read about that report that Senator Collins and the late Senator Lieberman shared, they ended up drafting legislation called the post-Katrina Emergency Management Format Act to address many of the shortcomings, most importantly, that the FEMA administrator would have to have the experience and competencies to perform that job.

HILL: When we look at where things are then today, I mean, you touched on this, but just put in perspective for us, why does FEMA matter now? What would dismantling FEMA, what would no FEMA or a delayed response mean in the face of the next Hurricane Katrina, the next flooding in Asheville, North Carolina, wildfires out west?

FUGATE: We go back to 1979. You know, President Carter formed FEMA by executive order at the request of the governors who were tired of having to shop through the federal government to find assistance and had basically almost an erratic approach to disaster recovery. Eliminating FEMA and more importantly, the Stafford Act, which is the funding mechanism to pay for disasters would leave local and state governments on the hook.

Also, if the federal government did choose to respond, there wouldn't be the coordination element and the legal basis that FEMA has to coordinate that responsible behalf of the president.

HILL: In terms of that coordination, there been so much made about local and state efforts, which we know are critical. Do you believe there is still the same level of coordination happening that we had seen in the past?

FUGATE: I think that many of the people in the FEMA regions and the states are trying to maintain that. But it goes back to the basic principle that disasters are locally led, state managed, and federally supported. And FEMA's job is to support the states and have that relationship. Because that becomes key in the initial hours, the initial days of any event, to make sure that we're working as one team, not a collection of agencies trying to show up.

HILL: Craig Fugate, always appreciate --

[09:00:00]