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Tiger Woods Reaches Deal on Lesser Charge in DUI Arrest; Any Moment, Deadlocked Jury Resumes Deliberation in Lindsay Clancy Trial; Several Massachusetts Incumbent Democrats Fend Off Younger Primary Challengers; 70,000 Under Flood Threat as Edouard Lashes Texas with Rains, Heavy Wind. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 02, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: On a trend, Democratic voters say they're hungry for younger candidates. So explain this. An 80-year-old incumbent just won his primary by running as the more progressive choice. What it could mean for the midterms?

John Berman is out today. I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The breaking news from just moments ago. We watched Tiger Woods, the golf legend, in court and changing his plea. Woods reached a plea deal on a lesser charge after his arrest in March for driving under the influence following that rollover crash, crash we've reported on near his home in Florida.

Back in court today with a big change. CNN's Randi Kaye was inside the courtroom. She's now outside to tell us more about what happened in there.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kate. I was in court just seated just a few feet behind Tiger Woods. And as soon as the judge came in, he said to him, I understand we have an agreement.

And they certainly did. On the charge of DUI, driving under the influence, that charge was lowered to willful, reckless driving. And in that agreement, he will lose his license for five years and also pay a $1,000 fine.

On the other charge for not agreeing to take a urinalysis test so they could see what kind of medications or drugs were in his system during that incident, that charge, he got a $500 fine for, and another five- year license suspension. Now, those license suspensions, according to the judge, will run concurrently. The judge said to him, if you drive, you will be put right back in jail for the public's safety.

Tiger Woods was then fingerprinted. And he sat there and spoke with his lawyer for a bit. And then also with his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, who was accompanying him in court and also sat just behind him.

Of course, this all goes back to that March incident where he had that rollover crash. He was driving his Land Rover and driving behind a pickup truck that was pulling a trailer. He ended up clipping the trailer, rolled over, flipped his car.

He was pinned to the ground, had to climb out the passenger side of his Land Rover. He pled not guilty at first. And now we have an agreement.

Now, we're expecting to hear from the prosecutors in just about 25 minutes or so. So we'll get more information, Kate, and hopefully a copy of this agreement as well.

BOLDUAN: Randi, from what we could see from the video from court, very little emotion expressed by Tiger Woods throughout. What did you see?

KAYE: Yes, he didn't say much. He looked relieved, I guess, if you want to call it that. He was actually smiling and joking a little bit with his lawyer before the proceedings started.

But he was very, very serious in his answers to the judge. He asked him if he understood what was happening in the procedure. He said yes.

He said that he asked him about the advice from his counsel. And if he was in agreement with that, he said yes. But he did not have much to say and certainly did not show much emotion -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right, let's see what may be said now outside of court. It's good to see you, Randi. So glad you're there.

Thank you so much -- Sara.

SIDNER: And the breaking news this hour, we're standing by for the jury to begin deliberating for a fifth day in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial. Her attorneys argue she should not be held criminally responsible for fatally strangling her three children. The jury has now spent about 23 hours weighing the evidence without being able to reach a verdict.

CNN's Jean Casarez is outside the court. They have told the judge that they are deadlocked. But the judge yesterday had said, please try again.

Is that what you're expecting to happen today as well?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We will see. Keith Reddington, the defense attorney, just walked into the courtroom and he said he is hopeful that there could be a verdict today, possibly. We think any minute that the jury will come into that courtroom and then they will start deliberating again.

We'll see what happens after that, because yesterday, when just as you said, Sara, when the judge said very informally, go back there, keep deliberating, they did. And they did for the vast majority of the day. They asked to leave early, though, 3:30 in the afternoon is when they left.

And our producer in the courtroom saw one juror wringing their hands, another juror wiping their eyes. But today is a new day. But here is what we need to look for today, because in Massachusetts -- and all jurisdictions have this -- but in Massachusetts, it's called the Tuey- Rodriguez charge, based on two precedent-setting cases in Massachusetts.

And it's where the judge formally reads to them about continuing to deliberate. Hold your thoughts, have your opinions, but be open to what other jurors are saying to you in that deliberation room. So that would be on camera.

We would be able to watch that if it happens. Now, will there be another note that comes from the jury today, one way or the other? Will they just keep deliberating?

[09:05:00]

If they just want to keep deliberating, potentially nothing will be done. The judge will just allow them to do what they are doing at this point. But today could be a very pivotal day in the case.

SIDNER: Absolutely could be, since they have told the judge that they are deadlocked. If there is a mistrial, and that is the outcome here, what happens to the case? What happens with Lindsay Clancy?

CASAREZ: Right, because obviously, if there's a mistrial, then there's a question, what's going to happen next? Well, the prosecutor most likely would stand up and say, Your Honor, we have an intent to retry this case, or Your Honor, we choose not to ever retry this case again. Now normally they -- it's informal, so then normally they say that they want to retry the case.

But then they also say, Your Honor, we ask that the defendant, Lindsay Clancy, be held in custody, continue to have no bail. And this is a no bail case, and remember, this is a triple murder case. So she has been in custody, even though she's at a mental hospital.

So conceivably she would stay where she is. And then in a formal nature, some weeks down the line, the district attorney of this county makes the final decision, if in fact there will be that retrial.

SIDNER: Jean Casarez, great reporting from you from Plymouth, Massachusetts throughout this trial. Thank you so much, this morning -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Let's talk more about this as they're about to be getting underway. Former prosecutor and trial attorney Margaret McClean joining us now, host of The Margaret McClean Show on YouTube. Thanks for being here.

The fact that the jury didn't ask any additional questions yesterday afternoon after they had been sent back by the judge to continue deliberating, I don't know, everyone's trying to, trying to read into every, you know, blink, wink and nod at this point, but does that indicate anything to you?

MARGARET MCCLEAN, FORMER PROSECUTOR: It really doesn't. You can never predict what a jury will do. I just think this deadlock was predictable from the beginning because of the trial's sheer density and high emotional stakes here.

And as Judge Sullivan noted in open court yesterday, this is grueling with 80 witnesses and 300 exhibits. And I think the jury is debating first degree murder, second degree murder, possibly did Lindsay Clancy know that what she was doing was wrong when she committed the acts that she admits to? Did she really hear command hallucination voices?

I have a feeling this jury is bitterly divided. And what's interesting is under Massachusetts procedural law, a judge can only force a deadlock jury back into the room twice. So we haven't had the official dynamite charge or Tuey-Rodriguez yet.

But if they return back to court, I'm certain that Judge Sullivan will give them that charge. And then if they come to go back in and what it means, go back in, deliberate. I actually served, believe it or not, as a lawyer.

I served on a Massachusetts jury and we were hopelessly divided. So the judge gave us this instruction twice and we were actually able to resolve our differences, and we returned with a unanimous verdict. So it can happen.

BOLDUAN: Margaret, that's pretty fascinating because I was -- so you have additional unique perspective on this kind of just what happens kind of inside a jury deliberation when they're deadlocked. The judge sends you back in. What's that conversation like?

MCCLEAN: Well, we were divided because it was around 2008 and it was the banking crisis. And so we were divided, believe it or not, over political lines. And two people were in the minority and then the rest of us were in the majority.

And we just went around and around and, you know, we had arguments. There was yelling. I didn't yell, but there was yelling going back and forth.

And ultimately, the jury foreperson was excellent and was able to really, I think, get people together, consider each other's opinions, why they felt the way they felt. And I think that's likely happening here because in this case, the jury for a person, she's a bit older, older and wiser, as they would say, and she was very attentive listener. She took great notes.

So hopefully she's able to get the jury to agree. And I think, again, though, it might be this case is so unique in that people -- it's a gut check at this point. I think they've gone through all the exhibits.

They heard the medical testimony. But they're really thinking about these beautiful young children, the victims here. And I think they're divided there because, you know, justice for the children.

Yet it's a big question on mental health. BOLDUAN: Yes, and what postpartum psychosis is, is not the responsibility of care. I mean, there is so much conversation around all of this.

[09:10:00]

And again, three babies were murdered here in all of this. If a mistrial is declared, do you think the prosecutor does try to retry this? You know, when you take into how just all of the attention around this, around this trial?

MCCLEAN: Well, this is happening in my county, Plymouth County, and absolutely District Attorney Tim Cruz will try it again. There's no question in my mind. And remember, you know, I was a former prosecutor and we looked at things.

We look at justice for the victims. And in this case, they are standing up for the justice for those three beautiful children. And they will 100 percent try it again, especially if we have a divided jury now.

BOLDUAN: Yes, what we're looking at right now is this getting -- this is getting underway right now. The judge speaking, you see, as we have seen over and over again, they are the -- Lindsey Clancy is seated there, and we are waiting to see what happens now.

Let's listen in, actually. Stick with me, Margaret.

JUDGE: And so, counsel, can I see it sidebar?

BOLDUAN: All right, looks like we're going to sidebar, which seems to be always what I have -- I do have famously horrible luck when I try to jump into a trial, into a courtroom. This is what can happen is that they go to sidebar.

Regardless, what do you -- what for everyone at home? Remind them what this Ivan Rodriguez described it as the dynamite charge.

And it's this Tuey-Rodriguez charge that tell people what they're going to need to know about this. If this is the next going to have to be a move that the that the judge goes to.

MCCLEAN: Yes, absolutely. So under Massachusetts law, what the judge does is they give -- he will give the jury what they call the it's a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction, the dynamite charge, as you mentioned.

And this instruction admonishes the jury that they are the best panel suited to decide this case. And it specifically asked jurors in the minority to consider whether their position is reasonable if the majority sees it differently. And of course, vice versa.

But they stress the judge will stress no one should surrender an honest conviction. So go back, listen to each other, talk about it some more. But in my opinion, they are I think they're stuck on and that 18 minute smallest, short timeline, when Lindsay Clancy heard those voices, were they real? We have conflicting testimony here of experts. We have the

Commonwealth's experts and then, of course, the renowned Dr. Resnick for the defense. So I think it's something that -- I mean, I see it in my own show. People are divided and it's been divided since the very beginning. And those who have favored a guilty verdict in the case have stuck to their guns and they're still looking for guilty.

So I have a feeling we have some holdouts that may not budge here.

BOLDUAN: Margaret, thanks so much for walking through that with us. We're going to be watching and waiting to see what happens in court as it is underway.

We're also keeping an eye on much more news ahead, including new video showing the heart stopping moment. A woman and two children narrowly escape the wall of water rushing in during the catastrophic Nepal floods. The latest also on the race to rescue hundreds of people still believed to be trapped in tunnels.

And the CDC says the agency is not counting two recent measles related deaths in their national numbers. We will explain why.

And Tropical Storm Edouard makes landfall weakening now, but the threat still not over with tens of thousands of people now under flood watch. What to expect today?

[09:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: Voters consistently say they want younger congresspeople, but they did quite the opposite in Massachusetts. Three incumbent Democrats in Massachusetts are proving they've got the staying power. Key among them, Senator Ed Markey, the 80 year old with 50 years in Congress, beat his 47 year old opponent, Congressman Seth Moulton.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Massachusetts. Arlette, that wasn't the only race. There were several where the incumbent kept it.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there were, Sara. And Massachusetts Democrats in the Senate primary said that progressive support mattered more than concerns over age as they lifted Senator Ed Markey to victory in the primary. Markey successfully fended off this challenge from Congressman Seth Moulton, a 47 year old who had really made generational change the key centerpiece of his campaign.

It's a bit of an inverse situation, though, than the races that we've seen play out nationwide, when it's typically been younger, progressive challengers to these incumbents. But in this contest, Markey was the one who carried the progressive mantle.

[09:20:00]

The issue of transgender rights also played out in this campaign as Markey tried to make that a centerpiece following critical remarks from Moulton about the participation of transgender children in girls and boys sports. But as Markey celebrated with his supporters last night, he talked about how this victory was a success for the progressive movement and for young people. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. EDWARD MARKEY (D-MA): Because tonight is a testament to the power of the progressive movement. It is a progressive movement fueled by young people demanding more from their leaders. And it's your voices that are the ones we need to hear right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, two other Massachusetts Democratic incumbents in House races who are in their 70s themselves, they also succeeded in their primary despite facing challenges from younger progressive candidates. And then in that race to replace Seth Moulton in a U.S. House district here in Massachusetts, Dan Koh, a former White House official under former President Joe Biden, successfully won his primary. Koh is one of the few candidates who has actually featured the former president in his campaign advertisements this midterm cycle.

But the biggest takeaway here is Markey's success in this race. Back in 2020, he had faced a challenge from a younger challenger. And once again, he was able to fend off that challenge as he's tried to argue that progressive policies are the answer in Washington -- Sara.

SIDNER: Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for reporting there from Somerville, Massachusetts -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Parts of Texas on flood watch this morning after Edouard made landfall yesterday with heavy rain, big winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. Let's get to Derek Van Dam for much more on this, because the threat not over yet, Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No longer a wind threat, but more of a heavy rain threat, like you mentioned. This is creating excessive rainfall in some specific counties, particularly into Polk, Hardin and Tyler counties. We're talking northeast of Houston.

So what it is not is the wind threat. I'm showing you this just because the winds gusts that we're picking up here are generally between 20 to 35 miles per hour. There's a couple of higher gusts on the northern side of the storm. But what I really want to hone in on are these tropical type features that are kind of pulling in moisture from the northern Gulf and feeding in bands of rain, repeated bands of rain over the same locations.

That's why National Weather Service has this catastrophic flash flood emergency tag. That is the highest level of flood threat that they can actually tag on to this particular instance. And that is for these locations northeast of Houston.

And the reason being is that the radar estimated totals here have exceeded 20 inches. I mean, that's incredible amounts of rain since the beginning of this system as it moved on in. And some of those impressive rainfall totals extend all the way to the coastline right where Edouard made landfall.

That's why we have a level three of four that is for excessive rain leading to flash flooding. There's still additional rain to come again. This is northeast of Houston.

These areas sparsely populated, but still about 100,000 people live in those areas.

Let's talk about what's happening across the northeast, because this is another major story that we're following. Severe weather threat, large hail, few tornadoes possible today across northern New England, all the way into the Mid-Atlantic. And here comes these storms racing from the Canadian border into northern New England and portions of Pennsylvania.

I mean, we have active severe thunderstorm warnings right now. Here's one impacting Jefferson County, heads up Brockway, Reynoldsville, Warsaw. These areas will be struck by some powerful winds, frequent lightning and perhaps some large hail as well.

This is mainly a wind threat today, but notice the areas that this encompasses Baltimore, parts of the I-95 corridor. We do have a chance of stronger winds here for places like D.C. and Philadelphia, as well as these storms kind of evolve over the next 24 to 36 hours, Kate. Active stretch of weather across the northeast and throughout eastern Texas.

BOLDUAN: I mean, all summer. It's been such a wild, wild summer, Derek, one after another. You thank God for you because keep track of it.

I really appreciate it, Derek.

All right, coming up for us, there's new CNN reporting coming in this morning on the growing and growing concerns being heard inside the Pentagon. Sources saying that Secretary Hegseth is too fixated on culture wars and it's coming at the cost of modernizing the military.

And we are just minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street. I'm going to give you a live look of morning market futures, where they stand right now next to the moment. Investors are keeping a close eye, of course, on global energy markets.

Gas prices continue to climb with the national average over $4.12 a gallon. Tensions escalating yet again between the U.S. and Iran after the countries traded another round of strikes overnight.

[09:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: This morning, police in Nepal are collecting blood samples from survivors as officials try and identify the countless bodies that are being recovered after the catastrophic flood there. The death toll in Nepal is now more than 1,100 people. For some surviving, it came down to a harrowing matter of seconds. Look at this. Here you see this woman, you see her there fall and then grab her two children as she barely escapes with them. The water rushing in right behind her.

Some families are still hoping against all odds that their loved ones have similar survival stories. But the stark reality this morning, search and rescue teams are looking still for some 4,500 people still missing seven days on. And some video there of the aftermath of this flooding as we get into.