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CNN Live Event/Special
CNN Headlines: Multiple People Dead After a Shooting at a Food Festival in Seattle; Families Confront Apalachee High School Shooter with Grief, Anger in Emotional Courtroom Testimony After Guilty Plea; NYPD Says Five Teens were Arrested After Subway Surfing Drone Footage. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired July 27, 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 FEMALE: What happened here today at the Seattle Center is an unbelievable tragedy and a horrific act and violence.
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BRAD SMITH, ANCHOR, CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS: Multiple people dead after a shooting at a food festival in Seattle. We hear from witnesses who heard the shots rang out. Plus, the developments in the investigation. And --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to be very clear, that I do not forgive Mr. Gray.
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SMITH: Emotional victim impact statements in the sentencing hearing of convicted school shooter Colt Gray. What we can expect today as his hearing continues. Plus, his mother's message to the victims' families. And take a look at this.
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(TEENS SURFING ON A SUBWAY)
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SMITH: These teens caught subway surfing and you can see, yes, that train is on the move. We've got more on this story later on this morning. Good morning, everyone, I'm Brad Smith, this is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, glad that you're with us today.
Let's get this started. We begin in Seattle; we've got new details out this morning on a deadly mass shooting that disrupted a food festival on Sunday evening. At least, three people are dead and several more are wounded including a toddler. Gunfire erupted around 6:00 p.m., and police say that they were
already on scene for the food festival.
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TYRONE DAVIS, ASSISTANT CHIEF, SEATTLE POLICE: Officers responded and addressed one of the shooters. That person gave up and was taken into custody. There was another person that we believe that was also involved that fled the scene, and officers began an active search for that person.
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SMITH: Police say that there is no outstanding threat to the community. Eyewitnesses describe people running everywhere. Some seen here hiding in a nearby gift shop. CNN's Reid Binion has more on what people saw.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I jumped the fence quickly and I ran.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we saw people storming through the area.
REID BINION, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Witnesses reacting after a deadly mass shooting in Seattle. It happened Sunday at the Seattle Center, about a block from the city's iconic Space Needle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw families, kids, everyone just like running out of the -- out of the fair.
BINION: The shots rang out at an annual food festival that features hundreds of local vendors and live music performances.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was one volley which we heard, a lot of people didn't react at first because we thought, oh, it must be firecrackers or something. But then there was a second volley.
BINION: Two witnesses at the festival said they heard 7 to 8 shots, with another person saying he heard even more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say at least, two dozen shots. It was multiple, it sounded like an automatic weapon.
BINION: According to officials, at least, three people have been killed, several others were hospitalized. The youngest, just two years old. Harborview Medical Center said late Sunday that all patients suffered gunshot wounds in addition to local police and first responders.
Officers from several agencies, including the FBI, were on scene after the shooting. I'm Reid Binion, reporting.
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SMITH: All right, thank you, Reid. The mass shooting in Seattle is one of at least 271 recorded this year across the U.S., according to gun violence archive. The sentencing hearing for a convicted school shooter resumes in the coming hours in a Georgia courtroom.
Sixteen-year-old Colt Gray pleaded guilty to all 55 charges against him in the deadly 2024 rampage at a high school about 50 miles outside of Atlanta. The attack killed two teachers, two students and injured nine others.
On Friday, the court heard emotional victim impact statements and CNN's Isabel Rosales reports how the court also heard for the first time Gray's confession in his own words.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to start off by saying that I forgive you, not for you, but for me and my peace.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hate everything about you. I hate the scars you left on my body. I hate that I -- that you took innocent lives in front of innocent people.
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN REPORTER (on camera): I heard rage, disgust, but for some, also sympathy inside a Georgia courtroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Admittedly, I feel compassion for Colt, and I hate that. He is a part of two people that did not deserve the privilege of bringing life into this world.
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ROSALES: As survivors of the mass shooting at a Georgia high school got to confront the school shooter directly for the first time since the 2024 attack.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can acknowledge that he was failed without excusing what he did. I can have the compassion for the child that he once was, while holding him fully accountable for the choices that he made as a young man.
ROSALES: The energy felt charged inside the packed courtroom, and there was also this stunning moment in court with new evidence. Colt Gray's notebook detailing a plan for the shooting, and the courtroom completely silent as we heard for the first time, in his own words, his confession.
COLT GRAY, CHARGED WITH MURDER: What I've done is beyond horrible. Like I have no words even for what I've done. And it's absolutely horrible that the parents have to go through this -- that I've caused.
ROSALES: He won't face the death penalty because he was 14 years old when he carried out this mass shooting. A judge will decide whether he'll be eligible for parole or not alongside his mandatory life in prison sentence.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SMITH: Thank you, Isabel. The trial for a mom accused of strangling
her three young children, that begins today. The case will explore the controversial insanity defense and the severity of postpartum mental illness. Officials say that in January of 2023, Lindsay Clancy used exercise bands to kill her children before trying to kill herself and jumping from a second story window, leaving her partially paralyzed.
In a lawsuit against her medical providers, she details that a voice in her head ordered her to kill the children and herself. New details this morning on the war with Iran. U.S. military operations appear to be on hold after nearly two weeks of consecutive strikes on Iranian targets.
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz says diplomatic efforts have ramped up, and President Trump is giving talks with Iran some space. Meanwhile, sources say that Vice President J.D. Vance and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff raised concerns about escalating the war as Trump weighed the issue during a meeting Friday.
They pointed to depleted stockpiles, potential civilian casualties and a possible refugee crisis. This all comes as Iran confirms it held talks with Oman over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Foreign Ministry says that those meetings were constructive and progress was made.
But adds that there has been no change in the maritime traffic through the waterway. Well, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to arrive in Washington in the coming hours, and tomorrow, he will meet with President Trump and attend the funeral of late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.
And this morning, never-before-seen documentary footage, it chronicles Graham's relationship with both Trump and Netanyahu, and it's giving us new insight into the President's views on the war with Iran.
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LINDSEY GRAHAM, LATE SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR: I mean, like, how long have we been pushing this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you've been pushing this for years, right?
GRAHAM: Right, it's here, I thought that Trump was born.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's literally --
GRAHAM: Oh, he's jacked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes --
GRAHAM: It's the best thing I've ever done. He loves -- he loves blowing stuff up. He has done nothing -- he hasn't tweeted much at all. No drama, he's been a great war-time President. I said last night that Trump and Bibi are like Roosevelt and Churchill. I mean, they're the right two guys to confront this evil.
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SMITH: Graham will be laid to rest this week. There will also be a ceremony at the Capitol before a memorial service at the National Cathedral on Tuesday. A funeral will then be held in his home state of South Carolina on Wednesday.
Senator Lindsey Graham was 71. Democrats in Maine formally tapped Troy Jackson this weekend as their Senate nominee. Jackson is a former State Senate president, and he replaces Graham Platner on the ballot.
After Platner dropped out amid sexual assault allegations, which he denies. Jackson's nomination sets up a showdown with Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins in November. Democrats believe Maine is firmly in play, and the race is also considered a central battleground in the fight for control of the Senate.
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TROY JACKSON, FORMER MAINE STATE SENATOR: This is the absolute honor of my life to accept the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.
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Today, we turn the page. Today, this becomes a general election campaign. And today, we begin the work of defeating Susan Collins in November.
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SMITH: Jackson also accused Collins of not doing enough to stand up to President Trump on behalf of Mainers. Well, in France, firefighters are taking advantage of lighter winds before another oncoming heatwave could possibly worsen conditions.
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The country is facing its biggest evacuation since World War II. More than 200,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as flames engulfed the area. The fires are just now nine miles from the historic wine city of Bordeaux.
That is where thousands of people are sheltering. The city's mayor says that the area is not yet directly threatened. We'll continue to track any developments and bring them to you. We've got lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS including this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out! Get out! Go!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what? We got --
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SMITH: Police rush in to try and save horses as their stables went up in flames. We've got more from that body camera footage. Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sprint all the way up to the top, climb over, run and do a backflip off.
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SMITH: Just a shocking sight for tourists at the Space Needle. The viral video of base jumpers making that big leap. And look who is back. The latest adventures of everybody's favorite punch the monkey. That's coming up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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SMITH: The death of Corey Ruiz at the hands of law enforcement is sparking protests and calls for action in Wisconsin. Local official tells CNN's Victor Blackwell that the officer should be arrested.
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VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think this officer should be arrested?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do think he should be arrested. As I looked at the video, you know, the video slowed down where you have an officer who appears to be maybe on his backside and arm. Another officer comes in with his foot or, you know, foot or whatever to hold another part of him down. And he is --
BLACKWELL: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Down. Now, I can't tell, of course, you know, where the knife was and how it moved or how he got injured, but even so, why is the option to shoot him?
BLACKWELL: Let me take --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why is that the appropriate action to take?
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SMITH: A 51-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder and multiple hate crimes after an attack in broad daylight on -- in New York City. Now, police say that he stabbed an Asian man and a Jewish man Thursday afternoon, both are expected to survive.
The suspect was remanded in custody without bail. Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the violence, saying, quote, "every New Yorker deserves to be safe, regardless of their religion or race." President Trump made a number of jokes that drew mixed reactions at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner. CNN's Julia Benbrook reports with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Donald Trump gave a speech here at the White House Correspondents Dinner for the first time as a sitting president. But he didn't exactly command the room. The President attacked familiar foes, reporters, including several from CNN, J.B. Pritzker, Joe Biden.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Just remember, before I came along, if you wanted to see someone lose consciousness on the South Lawn of the White House, all you had to do is ask Joe Biden a question. Remember that.
BENBROOK (voice-over): But many of his jokes didn't seem to land, and some weren't even jokes at all. He riffed on Iran and the new ballroom he's building at the White House. He seemed to recognize at times, it wasn't going well.
TRUMP: You know what -- you know, in other words, you can't go up the stairs and make love. Does anybody get that? Well, I thought that was actually pretty good.
BENBROOK: Inside the room, there were often long stretches of silence as Trump talked. He drew some laughs early on, particularly with a joke about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
TRUMP: I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloin. It's a very special beef. And I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy is right here, personally ran over the cow in his car.
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BENBROOK: Earlier in the night, he shook hands with journalists who won awards, several of them honored for journalism, highly critical of Trump and his administration.
(On camera): We do expect to see him back on a similar stage. During the remarks, Trump vowed to attend the dinner when it takes place next year.
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SMITH: All right, thank you, Julia. Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, an attack on a Pride parade. It led to a manhunt for the suspect where police ended up finding him, coming up. And the FDA gives the green light for a new pain pill.
It's a combo of some things that you might already have in your medicine cabinet. We've got the details for you coming up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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SMITH: In today's health express, a new over-the-counter pain relief option will soon be headed to store shelves. The Food and Drug Administration, known in your hood as the FDA, has approved a new combination of Tylenol and Naproxen. You may know that better as Aleve.
The two medicines work differently, with Tylenol disrupting pain signals, while Naproxen targets inflammation. On this specific docket here, the non-opioid pain reliever can actually provide up to 12 hours of relief and is safe for adults and children over 12.
An FDA advisory committee has greenlit six Peptides for pharmacy compounding. You may have heard of them from wellness influencers or doctors as a way to improve overall health. Some, like insulin, have been FDA approved for decades, but others are not.
Critics worry that moving them to legit pharmacies could imply that they've been proven safe and effective despite limited data. The FDA will have final say about whether to follow the panel's recommendations. Forecasters say watch for flooding starting tomorrow in the northeast, but today, it's the extreme heat that got us all sweating here. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar explains what we should be on the lookout for.
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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Roughly a 100 million people are under some type of heat alert, both today and tomorrow, all thanks to this heat dome that is set up across the southern tier of the U.S.
And in the coming days, it's going to start to spread eastward, impacting even more people as we head closer into the middle portion of the week. Now, high temperatures for Monday are still looking at several locations in the triple digits.
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But even places like Denver, Kansas City, Chicago may not reach the triple digits, but they are still well above average for what they normally would be this time of year. The heat-risk map, but focus here is really the red and especially the purple color showing where the biggest impact is going to be from the heat.
Now notice in the coming days how the purple color really starts to expand across the southern plains and even into the southeast, because that's where we're going to start to see the heat spreading in the coming days. A place like Dallas, looking at every single one of the next seven days above average.
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SMITH: All right, thank you, Allison. For your weather, anytime, anywhere, you can try our new iPhone app, go to cnn.com/cnnweather. Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, festival goers forced to hide inside stores and wherever they could find shelter as gunfire erupts in Seattle. The latest developments coming up.
Plus, hundreds of students at Howard University are told you've lost your spot at the school. More on that story straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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