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Soon: Opening Statements Begin In Tupac Shakur Murder Trial; South Carolina Officially Replaces Iowa In Dem 2028 Contest; Allison Janney Nominated For Best Supporting Actress Emmy For Role In "The Diplomat"; Remember CNN Special Events Legend Alec Miran. Aired 12:30- 1p ET

Aired August 17, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: -- he has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors will not argue that Davis pulled the trigger, but they will make the case that Davis planned the gang-related attack and supplied the weapon, all to retaliate for a fight involving his nephew.

CNN Senior Correspondent and Former FBI Special Agent Josh Campbell is in Las Vegas, outside that courthouse. As I mentioned, this is a huge cultural moment, Josh. What are you hearing from people who are involved and the sense that you're getting being there about this trial happening 30 years after the fact?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's extraordinary, Dana. I mean, you go back to September 2023, when Duane Davis, who's now on trial, he was out for a walk in a Las Vegas suburb. Police were staking him out. We see on body camera footage them actually taking him into custody.

And I remember when that happened, I was talking to our colleague Jack Hannah, our senior producer at CNN, who's just off camera. When that news broke that there had been an arrest in the murder of Tupac Shakur, we both looked at each other like, wait, what? Three decades later, there is now an arrest.

And what is so fascinating is it appears that much of the evidence that is going to be used against Davis, it's his own words. He did a number of media interviews. He wrote a book about the topic as well. Interestingly, several years ago, he was interviewed by the FBI as part of a separate investigation involving drugs.

He was provided immunity to speak with them about what occurred that night here near the Las Vegas strip. He told them that he was there, that he had handed a firearm to the backseat of this white Cadillac that pulled along Shakur. He said that it was his nephew who fired the shots. But interestingly, that -- he was immune from using that, the prosecutors were.

But since he gave so many different interviews publicly, it appears that is what will largely be used against him. It will truly be fascinating to watch. And for that matter, to see if there's other evidence that maybe we don't know about that investigators have been gathering, but he has been indicted by a grand jury. Prosecutors say they believe that they have enough not to charge him with pulling the trigger, but for being the so-called shot caller, Dana.

BASH: Yes, so he did a lot of interviews, but that memoir that you refer to, it's called "Compton Street Legend." That is where he wrote about getting a gun, riding in a white Cadillac with three other people looking for Tupac, slipping the gun into the backseat. Now, the defense says that's not true, that he was just trying to sell a story, sell books. Is that how you expect the presentation to go as this trial begins?

CAMPBELL: Yes, and that's just yet another fascinating element of all of this. I mean, he's been on the record describing these things and now it appears, according to his attorney and from, you know, his own words saying that, look, I made all of that up in order to take -- make money.

He was interviewed just a few weeks ago by an affiliate here in Las Vegas, KLAS. Take a listen here. They asked him about that night. They asked him about that book.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you have anything to do with the murder of Tupac Shakur?

DUANE DAVIS, CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN SHAKUR'S DEATH: No, ma'am. No ma'am. I wasn't even in Nevada. I didn't write that book. I don't know nothing about no Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra. Just the read the book. You know I didn't write that book.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: And what is interesting about all of this, once it actually gets presented to the jury, is that typically it's flipped. You have the prosecutors saying, no, this person's a liar. Don't believe what they're saying. Here it's the opposite. They're saying, believe him then. Don't believe him now. And again, it will be interesting to see how that all resonates with the jury.

BASH: Yes. And one of the things that I'm watching for, and I'm sure you are too, Josh, is whether or not Suge Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records, is going to testify. What a fascinating trial to be able to cover.

CAMPBELL: That's right.

BASH: Thanks for being here, Josh.

And up next, Democrats officially shucked Iowa from their 2028 calendar. Which White House hopefuls could benefit? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:38:46] BASH: It's official. South Carolina is now the Democrats' new Iowa. The Democratic National Committee locked in its primary calendar for the 2028 presidential race, and that happened this weekend. South Carolina will lead the pack, followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia.

What do you think about this, Phil? I mean, it is extraordinary that after all of these years, I mean, how many times have you heard from Democratic leaders, from activists, that the way that the calendar was built was not representative of the Democratic electorate, and now they finally made a move to change it?

And I just want to give some demographics here and some statistics that will really, I think, help hit home what we're talking about. If you look at the 2020 voter demographics, this is based on exit polls. This is the last time there was a competitive primary when there were actual voters who went to vote.

Iowa, 91 percent white, 3 percent black. South Carolina, 40 percent white, 56 percent black. I think that just tells you the whole story of the way and the why of scrambling this calendar.

[12:40:08]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, I think that, first off, we should make this about us. As a reporter, we've spent a lot of time in Iowa in the last several decades, and I'm going to miss our focus for the better part of like six months leading into the caucuses.

BASH: Well, Republican --

MATTINGLY: You and I have spent a lot of quality time there.

BASH: Republicans aren't changing anything, so you'll have time there.

MATTINGLY: No, but joking aside, I think to your point, we have heard this cycle after cycle --

BASH: Yes.

MATTINGLY: -- from Democrats since really probably around the time I started. And while everybody looks back fondly at what it meant for Barack Obama's campaign in 2008 and how it launched and how it changed everything, the Democratic Party, the shape of the Democratic Party, and I think the recognition over the course of the last several cycles of what is the backbone/cornerstone of the Democratic Party, and that is black voters in particular, this reshapes that, not just in the first contest, but I think when you look across the locations of kind of the first five or six throughout the last week of January, first week of February, you understand that for Democrats, these are critical races.

They think they better reflect where the party is, where the party needs to be, and where the party is going to have to be if they're going to win in 2028. BASH: And there's so many theories and sort of predictions about what this will mean for which candidates succeed and how they do. And again, just to put up the calendar again, if we could, South Carolina, as we said, then it is followed by Nevada, which is a caucus generally, which has a very high, excuse me, Hispanic, Latino representation, followed by New Hampshire, which does not. It's very, very white, then New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia.

But on the question of sort of the candidates and what kind of policies, what kind of sort of character would succeed in a way that perhaps didn't with Iowa first?

ADAM HARRIS, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Yes, you know, it was interesting watching even this last presidential cycle where Joe Biden was sort of flagging until he got to South Carolina, right?

BASH: Yes.

HARRIS: At every stop, he kept saying, you know, just wait until we get to South Carolina, wait until we get to South Carolina. And then on that election night, on primary night, he's like, you know, South Carolina, you brought me back, right? And Jim Clyburn sort of saying that we know Joe and Joe knows us, right?

There's a sort of style of establishment Democrat that actually does really well in a state like South Carolina state where, you know, black voters tend to not necessarily be politically conservative as much as they are sort of socially conservative in a way where the policies are sort of more moderate and ensuring that they are holding on to the gains that we've --

BASH: OK, so that goes to what has, you know, kind of been unsaid here. But just to --

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: -- say it bluntly, there is a theory that not only does this give access to a more representative part of the Democratic electorate, it also makes it harder for more progressive DSA type candidates who tend to be buoyed by white liberal, college town, Democratic voters make it harder for them to succeed.

HARRIS: That is the argument. Yes, that it would make it harder for someone say like a AOC. It was harder for a Bernie in South Carolina, right? And in his connection, even though he did draw out large rallies in South Carolina, once you sort of think of the electorate who is actually going to the polls, it's typically the older sort of black voters who are going to the polls who supported folks like Jim Clyburn, right? Where it is a -- as far as sort of Democrats and having a hold on the state, it is functionally a Jim Clyburn's state.

BASH: I just want to quickly mention the fact that the Republicans are going to try to have a convention and I'm doing the air quote thing, September 9th and 10th in Dallas, with the point being to try to get some energy. And they're very sort of not energized base. ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a huge problem. I mean, you keep hearing the President referred to as a mini convention you know, and I did a story on this actually over the weekend. There's a lot of concern, even though it's of course not being spoken publicly about their chances in the midterms and everyone, even, you know, surprisingly some Republicans in more moderate districts.

The goal has been that they need to get Trump out there mainly because the way that they're going to win in November will be by energizing the President's base. They recognize independence, more moderate voters. It's going to be a lot harder to get them out. They need to get the base out.

But the problem with that too, is those are the type of voters that don't typically show up in a midterm election with Trump's name, not on the ballot. So that'll be very interesting to see if that helps at all.

BASH: All right. You guys are all going to want to see this next segment, because from the White House, Press Secretary to the President of the United States, Allison Janney loves a political drama. I should say we all love Allison Janney in a political drama. CNN sits down with the award winning actress next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLISON JANNEY, AWARD WINNING ACTRESS: I'm the name and I'm the face and we should say so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no.

JANNEY: I suggested that a situation needed handling. Roiland hired Russian mafiosos. That's what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't care what happened. You're not telling that to the public.

JANNEY: When all the facts are on the table. I don't look so bad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Respectfully --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look very bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:45:51]

BASH: That is award winning actress Allison Janney playing President Grace Penn in the Netflix series, "The Diplomat." Janney's portrayal of a female U.S. president has earned her an Emmy nomination for best supporting actress in a drama. [12:50:05]

American's fascination with politics and the inner workings of the White House helped make Janney a household name back in the 90s, of course, as White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg on the West Wing. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister got to sit down with Janney in her new CNN streaming series "Coming Up."

Elizabeth, first of all, I'm very jealous because she is -- she's an icon and she's also just such a lovely person. What else did she tell you?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: She really is a lovely person and so accomplished. Dana, this is her 16th Emmy nomination and she has won seven. She's also won an Oscar. Pretty impressive.

Now, what we spoke about that I found so fascinating is that when Allison Janney booked her role on the West Wing, she was 40. She told me that she did not really start her career until she was 38. And that, of course, her big break came at 40. And Hollywood, of course, is an industry that values youth, let's be honest.

And she is just proof that the roles keep getting better and that it is getting greater for her later. And I also spoke to her about her role, as we just saw on "The Diplomat," and how that resonated with her looking at what's happening in real life. Of course, she plays the female president. I don't want to give too much more away, so let's just let Allison Janney tell us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANNEY: I love playing a female president. That sort of resonates with a lot of us right now. And just being in these rooms, getting to play these incredibly smart, capable people. So getting to play these badass women is just so much fun. I think politics always is a great backdrop for a good drama.

WAGMEISTER: At the time of the West Wing, could you have seen a female president being written into a show?

JANNEY: I don't know if I thought about it then, but it certainly resonated -- being sworn in as Grace Penn, president on "The Diplomat," it was a very -- I think when I -- when we filmed that scene, too, people were coming up after and saying everyone was crying in the video village seeing you sworn in as president.

And when I saw it after, I got emotional, too. It was just beautiful with all the music and the writing and the -- obviously the -- you know, what's not happening in our country today and what we haven't been able to do as a country to elect a female president. That's pretty -- I feel that history, and it feels pretty great to play Grace.

WAGMEISTER: Do you think that you'll see a female president in real life in your lifetime? JANNEY: I really think, yes, I will. I have hope that there will be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: Now, she also spoke about how way back when on the West Wing, how her role was a very strong, powerful woman. And to be quite honest, at that time, there weren't many roles being written like that. So Allison Janney said that she is very proud to always play these strong, powerful women. And of course, as we see there, she continues to do so.

BASH: Yes, she sure does. What a great interview and not for nothing. It looks gorgeous. Shout out to whomever shot that --

WAGMEISTER: Our team did an amazing job.

BASH: Yes, they definitely did. Real quick, before I let you go, you talk to other Emmy nominated actors. Who else?

WAGMEISTER: Yes. So we have Matthew Rhys, who was nominated for two Emmys. Also, Colman Domingo, another double Emmy nominee. We have Paul W. Downs, who is the star and co-creator of "Hacks." We have Jessica Williams from "Shrinking," Ariana Madix, the host of "Love Island." For any of you "Love Island" fans. And Katherine LaNasa from "The Pit," which is --

BASH: Amazing.

WAGMEISTER: -- one of my favorite shows.

BASH: Next time you do this, if you need an intern, you got my number, Elizabeth. Call me.

WAGMEISTER: I'll call you, Dana.

BASH: You can see more of Elizabeth's incredible pre-Emmy interviews on her "Coming Up" series exclusively on CNN streaming starting today.

Up next, saying goodbye to a legend who helped change the way we see the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:58:59]

BASH: As history erupted in Tiananmen Square in 1989, CNN brought the world there live, even when Chinese authorities stormed the CNN control room during the coverage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm being told that the government officials are coming into the CNN control room now. This man with a piece of paper in his hand, I'm certain that is not a party invitation. It seems to me this official has come in, officially told CNN, and he has a piece of paper. Alec Miran is appealing to this official, and this official is calling his bosses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEC MIRAN, CNN PRODUCER: The government has ordered us to shut down our facility. We are shutting down our facility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: That man you just heard there was a driving force behind that history, making that coverage available to the entire world in a unique way, and that was Alec Miran, a CNN legend who died unexpectedly this weekend at age 69.

For four decades, when news broke anywhere in the world, Alec brought you there. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Gulf War, September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, the Sandy Hook Massacre, and that is only a fraction of the history Alec helped put on the air on the CNN special events team.

There was also plenty of politics where I had the good fortune of working with and learning from Alec. From candidate town halls to election night events, inaugurations, State of the Union addresses, Alec was always at the center of our coverage. And when Alec wasn't bringing the world to CNN viewers, he was at home with his own world, his wife Debbie and their beloved children.

Our hearts are with them and with the generations of friends, colleagues, and mentees here at CNN who love Alec. May his memory be a blessing.

Thank you for joining us on Inside Politics today. CNN News Central starts right now.