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CNN Headlines: Official: Trump-Netanyahu Relationship Is "Stronger Than Ever" After Meeting; New Audio Shows Boat Carrying Nolan Wells Started Sinking; Devastation In Japan After Major 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired July 29, 2026 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:30:20]
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.
U.S. Central Command says Iran attempted a surprise attack targeting U.S. forces in the region. The U.S. military says all of the missiles were successfully intercepted. And Jordan's military now says that its air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran earlier. Video obtained by CNN appears to show interceptors stopping missiles over Jordan where U.S. troops are based.
And the teen who pleaded guilty to a deadly Georgia school shooting was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on Tuesday. Colt Gray shot and killed four people and wounded nine others at Apalachee High School in September of 2024. The 16-year-old declined to speak to the court before his sentencing, but the judge did have something to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE NICHOLAS PRIMM, BARROW COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT: I also recognize that you were failed by each of your parents. You were failed by your extended family. To a certain extent you've been failed by a society that can't stop propagating this misguided values and online cultures, and social media rather than making genuine interpersonal connections and relationships. That failure does not absolve you from you chose to idolize, worship, and become.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Tomorrow the teen's father, Colin Gray, will be sentenced. Earlier this year he was found guilty of murder and manslaughter for purchasing the rifle for his son as a Christmas gift.
And more than 36 million people are under flood watches across the Northeast today. The dangerous storm system is slowing moving across the region with torrential rain that's already prompted water rescues and major travel disruptions. Some areas were forecast to get more than a month's worth of rain. "Positive, product, stronger than ever" -- words that both Israeli and U.S. officials used to describe Tuesday's closed-door meeting at the White House. Yet hours earlier Trump said this on Fox about the intel on Iran that Netanyahu said he had. "I don't need Bibi to tell me that." Yesterday's White House meeting, the eighth of President Trump's second term, but the first since the war with Iran began.
And CNN's Nic Robertson explains the state of their relationship.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: What's been projected from around the prime minister here is a positive meeting. It belies the tone that the president gave on that "FOX & FRIENDS" interview.
However, we've also heard from the Defense Minister Israel Katz speaking on TV here a little earlier this evening saying that yes, there are differences between what the United States and what Israel wants in the war with Iran. And absolutely, they do see Iran still as being a threat.
He also said something we haven't heard Israeli officials put on the record before. He said that U.S. fighter jets have been taking off from Israel for their strike missions on Iran. Now it was common knowledge that the U.S. refuel tanker aircraft. The Stratotanker KC- 135s were being based here in Israel and were being used to support that military operation.
But here he's putting on the record -- the defense minister here saying that actually, U.S. fighter jets are taking off from here which, in a way, puts Israel in some level of jeopardy from response from Iran, which has not done that and has been seen as a signal of Iran not wanting to escalate so far.
So the messaging I think here is very much around the prime minister to project a positive image of a relation -- a positive relationship with President Trump because Prime Minister Netanyahu needs that in the polls here and reaffirming here in Israel for a U.S. audience and a domestic one, of course, that Israel is doing everything to support the United States in its war with Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Thank you, Nic.
New this morning we're now learning that the boat carrying Nolan Wells and his friends began to sink hours before his disappearance. New audio obtained by CNN from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources -- you can hear the people panicking as they call for help on the Fourth of July. They tell dispatch that pump stopped working and that they were sinking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RESPONDER: It looks like you're on Horn Island, correct? As you on Horn Island?
CALLER: Yes, we are at Horn Island. Yes.
RESPONDER: All right. Is the boat sinking or you have it aground?
CALLER: We are sinking, yes.
RESPONDER: Is it aground is the question.
CALLER: No, we're not aground. We are in --
RESPONDER: OK.
CALLER: It's 17 foot of water. We're in 31 foot of water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:35:03]
SMITH: The teen appeared to be distracted by the others on the boat. He told the responder that there were about seven people on the boat, none of whom were 21.
And now you'll hear from the captain who agreed that the group was panicking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPTAIN: They're in a panic and their boat won't crank.
RESPONDER: They're in a panic.
CAPTAIN: So --
RESPONDER: He's saying the bilge is not keeping up. I asked for Coast Guard. He said no, but he' just really upset on the back end. And, you know, I get it.
CAPTAIN: OK.
RESPONDER: It's a kid. He just doesn't understand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: The community has been calling for answers and transparency in this case surrounding the death of Nolan Wells. He was found dead off the coast of Mississippi two days after this boating trip. The case is now in the hands of a grand jury that will determine next steps.
We've got some new developments this morning. Seattle's police chief says that they found an untraceable ghost gun and a Glock pistol at the scene of that deadly festival shooting that happened Sunday. Police have said that they believe this was gang related. They say that three people were killed, including a 19-year-old who is believed to be one of the gunmen. A 15-year-old was arrested and is being held in juvenile detention pending possible charges. And authorities are trying to identify an additional suspect.
President Trump is once again asking the Supreme Court to step into his legal battle with writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump made an appeal to overturn the $83.3 million verdict against him in a defamation case involving Carroll.
The president's lawyers argue that he is immune from the litigation because of the high court's 2024 decision granting presidents wide immunity for actions taken in office. They say if the appeals court decision in Carroll's favor is allowed to stand it would cause significant damage to President Trump but also to future presidents and the nation.
The Supreme Court has not agreed to hear the case and won't consider the appeal until the fall.
Well, Boeing is pouring more of its own money into new Air Force One jets -- billions more, in fact. In an internal email to employees the CEO said the company is working to deliver two modified jets by 2028. That is four years later than initially planned. The project to replace the planes that have been in service since 1990 has cost Boeing $3 billion more than expected. Boeing is eating the overrun after capping the cost to U.S. taxpayers at around $4.5 billion.
Well, Delta said it has banned humanoid robots from its flights. This is a policy that apparently went into effect last month. In a statement to CNN, Delta said that the devices contain lithium batteries that pose a safety risk and they cannot be transported inside the cabin or as checked baggage. Both United and Southwest have announced similar bans.
Now to a severe weather alert. Twenty-eight million people are under flood watches this morning after heavy rains forced water rescues and canceled flights across the Northeast.
CNN's Reed Benyon has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just got dark and windy. It rained so bad that you couldn't even see out your window.
REED BENYON, CNN REPORTER (voiceover): Communities across the Northeast slammed with violent storms Tuesday.
GRACE, WEST HAVEN RESIDENT: I just hunkered down. And my dog is very scared of the thunder.
BENYON (voiceover): Some parts of the region were forecast to possibly get more than a month's worth of rain through the night. Flash flood watches were in effect for tens of millions of people from Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, as well as parts of New England, down to Maryland where street flooding in Baltimore was bad enough to leave cars partially submerged.
The high water got so bad in some areas that crews had to carry out rescues, including in the town of Coalport, Pennsylvania where three people and two dogs had to be rescued from a home.
The destructive weather pushed further south, too, with storms powerful enough to send a massive tree crashing into this house in the Washington, D.C. area.
The storm threat stretched even farther south into the Carolinas where the rain was so heavy in Charlotte that it completely obscured the skyline for a time. Elsewhere in the state in the city of Asheville, public meetings put on hold for a tornado warning and evacuation.
It comes as communities in the Midwest are still reeling from storms that struck earlier in the week. The National Weather Service confirming that at least four tornadoes hit the Chicago area Monday.
I'm Reed Benyon reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Well, it's time for Buzz Express, the stories that have people talking.
And the first official trailer for the third and final "Jumanji" movie is out. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Clip from Sony Pictures Entertainment "Jumanji: Open World."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:40:02]
SMITH: Good question.
"Jumanji: Open World" takes Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart out of the console and into the real world. Their videogame characters stuck in demo mode. This movie follows the 2017 sequel that rebooted the franchise that started in 1995 -- the OG, if you will. You can catch the new film on Christmas day.
And if you didn't score an invite to Zendaya's and Tom Holland's top- secret wedding, her longtime stylist says you missed your chance to see the couple tie the knot. Law Roach says rumors that they are planning a second celebration are just not true. In a new interview with Complex, he said the pair got away with a private ceremony. Holland confirmed the marriage last month.
And pop star Madison Beer and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert are engaged. She posted this video on her TikTok. The couple's joint social media announcement included proposal photos. And now experts are speculating on the size and cost of Beer's dazzling engagement ring. Some estimate it weighs between five and 10 carats and could have cost the QB more than $1 million. He's got it. Happy engagement.
Next on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS we are getting a look at what first responders saw as they tried to find people who may have been trapped after that earthquake in Japan. We'll give you an update there.
And a close call at the airport when anticollision alarms went off on two planes.
Stay with us. We've got the details for you on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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[05:46:00]
SMITH: Let's take you to southern Japan. That's where we're getting a better idea of the scope of devastation from yesterday's deadly earthquake. Japan's prime minister says at least 13 people are dead so far. And there's mad scramble to reach others pinned beneath the rubble to keep that number from rising. Much of the action is centered on this shopping mall that partially collapsed after a likely gas explosion. We know at least three people were killed there.
Now here's what rescuers saw when they made it inside. This bodycam video shows fragments of walls and ceilings strewn across the floor as officers navigated through dangling electric cables. We've learned about 2,700 worked in this mall across nearly 200 shops left unrecognizable by the blast.
Now meanwhile, we are starting to see some new images of some of the damage. This video shows part of the Kumamoto Castle which is now crumbling. In other places entire blocks of homes have been destroyed.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is tracking the latest developments for us from Hong Kong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: The race is on to find survivors, especially in that shopping center that was partially collapsed in an explosion shortly after that massive 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan on Tuesday.
This was an earthquake so massive that it brought down buildings and bridges, and it's also taken lives. At least 13 people are deal. We learned that dozens more are injured. We've also learned that tens of thousands of people are without electricity, including patients seeking care in a hospital. And some 300,000 people have been told to go to evacuation centers.
Now we are keeping a close eye on the situation here on your screen -- that partially collapsed shopping center. Remember, after this earthquake hit southern Japan on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after that a massive explosion ripped through that site. Officials there saying that gas was detected on the site but the investigation as for the cause of that blast -- that is still underway. And this dashcam video shows you the moment of the explosion and then you can see the smoke billowing across into the air and across the road there as well. We heard from a witness saying that the sound of that explosion was "deafening." And as that rescue effort is underway, we are not sure just how many people are trapped in the rubble.
Now meanwhile, we are keeping an eye on a separate situation at a paper factory where a huge industrial-sized chimney collapsed there. We could bring up the video so you could see what's happening there. This is called Nippon Paper Industries. It's in Yatsushiro city. The damage there is extensive and several people there are unaccounted for.
Now we have been hearing updates from the government in Japan, including the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and she has not only provided updates but pledged that the government response will be that of full force to rescue people who are still trapped in the rubble.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Kristie Lu Stout, thank you.
We have learned that five people at that paper factory have also died, according to Japan's public broadcaster.
Let's stay international and go around the globe.
Spain and France are now facing their fourth heat wave of the summer with seemingly no rain in sight. This video shows the aftermath in the Gironde region of France. This is where officials say that the wildfire there is stabilized but not yet contained. The flames have forced about 330,000 people to evacuate across the two countries.
A New Zealand fisherman posted a video of the moment that a grey reef shark attacked him while diving in Fiji. He's expected to make a full recovery after four surgeries. We want to warn you that you may find the video disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY GIBBS, NEW ZEALAND FISHING CONTENT CREATOR: Ohhh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A spear fisher from New Zealand posted this video online showing the moment a grey reef shark in Fiji made semicircles beneath the surface before surging toward him. Henry Gibbs said the shark latched on his calf and dragged him in what's known as a death roll. Friends pulled him from the water before he was treated in Fiji and later flown to Auckland, New Zealand.
[05:50:10]
Gibbs says he's undergone four surgeries and a skin graft and is expected to make a full recovery. He added he made mistake underestimating the shark because of its size, but he's ultimately feeling incredibly lucky to still have his leg and full use of his foot. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Incredible.
And Uganda's health minister says that the country is now Ebola-free. This comes after the latest outbreak which sickened 20 people, killing two of them. Fifteen people were also infected in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda has suffered several Ebola outbreaks since 2000.
And today, Pope Leo will host a concert for peace near Rome. The concert aims to use music as a universal language to reach nations around the world. And Italian singer -- Italian singer Andrea Bocelli will join the event, which features an international choir of children from crisis-affected countries. Can't wait to listen in.
Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, not something that you see every day. Police say that somebody took this backhoe on a joy ride. We've got the details for you there.
Plus, there is one winning ticket for that $800 million Mega Millions jackpot. Did you check yours this morning? Where it was sold, coming up.
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[05:55:50]
SMITH: In today's Money Express, grounded due to IT problems. If you're heading out to catch an American Airlines flight this morning, check your status of your flight.
Maribel Aber joins us from the Nasdaq MarketSite with that and the rest of your top Money Express headlines. Hey, Maribel.
MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: Hey, good morning, Brad.
That's right. Have your app up. American Airlines is working to recover after a nationwide ground stop Tuesday evening. The airline says a technology issue temporarily halted all U.S. flights. At the peak, more than 2,500 flights were canceled according to FlightAware. The ground stop lasted a little more than 45 minutes, but delays could persist throughout today.
Apple has launched a new leasing program for iPhones, Macs, iPads, and Apple watches through Klarna. Customers can sign up in Apple stores, online, or through the Apple Store app. Lease terms range from 12 to 36 months with iPhone payments starting at $17.99 a month. The new plan replaces Apple's iPhone upgrade program and expands leasing to more products. The move comes as consumers hold on to their devices longer and look for ways to lower monthly costs.
There is a new Mega Millions winner. A single ticket sold in Florida won the $800 million jackpot. That lump sum cashout is about $344 million before taxes. Powerball still up for grabs tonight at 10:59 p.m. Eastern with an
estimated jackpot of $633 million. So there's still a chance, Brad.
SMITH: You're telling me there's a chance.
Maribel Aber, thank you so much -- appreciate it.
Let's get a check in on some of the other stories making news across the country.
We start in Atlanta. That is where the FAA is investigating an extremely close call between two Delta planes. It happened on Monday while one plane was trying to land. The pilot aborted the approach as another jet was taking off from a parallel runway. Anticollision alarms had gone off in both cockpits, and the planes were separated by about 600 feet in altitude at their closest points, according to flight tracking data.
Meanwhile, another close call, and this time in California where a pilot was forced to land his plane along the Huntington Beach shoreline.
CNN's Jeremy Roth has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY ROTH, CNN PRODUCER (voiceover): Safely on the beach is how and where a pilot made an unexpected landing in Huntington Beach, California. KCAL reports the small plane had just taken off when the pilot says thing went sideways.
MIKE BREMMER, PILOT: We were in the process of just talking with L.A. approach, then the engine quit. And I got out a call. I just called "mayday, mayday, mayday."
ROTH (voiceover): The local beach provided a soft and secure spot for the impromptu landing, which eyewitnesses described as perfect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Impressive.
New video of a rescue at a Texas lake. A man who was pulled to safety after treading water for nearly four hours. Here's the moments that he was rescued.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hang on. We got you. We got you. Hang on. I got you. I got you. We got you now.
RESCUED SWIMMER: Would it be easier to go to the stern?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably. You've got handle back there. I'll walk you back there. Yeah.
RESCUED SWIMMER: I think I've been in this water for nearly four hours at least.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. You're --
RESCUED SWIMMER: I'm a little tired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: They eventually pull him up onto the boat and listen to what he said about what saved his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RESCUED SWIMMER: Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would need a life jacket like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, they save lives. That's for sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: He was thrown into the lake after his boat slammed into a stump. Officials say that the man's Apple watch actually called for help. He was dealing with 3- to 4-foot rolling waves across the lake the whole time.
And in California a driver who allegedly stole an SUV led police on a high-speed chase. The chase had several dangerous encounters, including a close call with several dirt bikes. Police cornered the car in parking garage and arrested multiple people but are still on the lookout for one more person.
[06:00:00]
Now also in California, a man was arrested after stealing a backhoe and then taking it on a Sunday morning joy ride. It was all caught on camera here as a witness says that the driver knocked down street signs and trees all while the shirtless man was arrested. Uh, OK. So some interesting -- I can't even say maneuvering here, ultimately. But some cleanup work for sure to be done there.
That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
