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CNN Headlines: Reports Reveal How Trump Secretly Switched Planes Last Month; Trump-Backed Candidates Peddle Election Fraud Claims; Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting Childhood Vaccines. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired August 11, 2026 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:30:35]
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.
President Trump's trip back from the NATO summit last month -- it didn't happen the way that you thought it did. New reports today revealing how the president hid in a catering truck and secretly changed planes. Now attention shifts to the nature of the threat that prompted such dramatic security measures to be taken.
Also today, jury selection resumes in the murder trial of Duane 'Keefe D' Davis, the only person ever charged in Tupac Shakur's killing nearly 30 years ago. Davis has pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors say that his own public statements could help make their case. Opening statements are expected to begin next Monday.
And accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione is due in court for the final hearing before is state trial. Jury selection is scheduled to begin September 8, and he has pled not guilty to the charges. Mangione's lawyers are arguing for more of the media to be allowed in the courtroom. His federal trial is expected for early next year.
All right. Now more on how President Trump hid in a truck to board a secret flight last month that happened when he was leaving the NATO summit in Turkey. Reports explain how he and several aides secretly exited the plane and got into a truck -- you see it there circled on your screen -- yep -- which moved them to a smaller military aircraft. And meanwhile, the plane everyone thought the president was on -- it just took off as a decoy.
Once both planes arrived in England, President Trump was secretly moved off the military plane, a C-32, and back to the decoy plane where he got off as everyone expected him to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN LAMOTHE, NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: The C-32 simply did not show up in flight tracker data at all, at least in the publicly available information we had. And the Air Force -- one jet landed with the Air Force One call sign despite the president not being aboard. That -- there was a series -- a shell game of sorts that occurred there, you know, for them to keep the president safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: And so that was The Washington Post reporter on CNN last night with the original reporting, now also verified by The New York Times.
Those flights on July 8 followed fresh U.S. strikes on Iran, which shares a border with Turkey.
Today voters head to the polls in several key states with some of the biggest races unfolding in Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Carolina. These contests are being closely watched as both parties look ahead to the midterms and as Democrats continue debating the director of their party.
We'll start in Wisconsin. That's where one of the most closely watched is the Democratic primary for governor. State Assembly member Francesca Hong is hoping to build on recent momentum from progressive candidates as she takes on Milwaukee County executive David Crowley.
Here's how the two are making their cases to voters.
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FRANCESCA HONG, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR WISCONSIN GOVERNOR: Folks are working harder and harder and it's still not enough, and we need the types of bold, transformative policies that we're talking about.
DAVID CROWLEY, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR WISCONSIN GOVERNOR: We need a governor who will build an economy where every community -- urban, suburban and rural -- has the opportunity to succeed. That's the Wisconsin I'm fighting for, y'all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Now another race to watch is South Carolina's special Republican primary for the Senate seat held by the late Lindsey Graham. More than half a dozen Republicans are running, including his sister, Darlene Graham. The winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.
And according to independent analysis, U.S. elections are widely considered among the most secure in the world, but President Trump continues to falsely claim that the 2020 election was stolen through widespread fraud. Now some Republican candidates are echoing those claims and on the campaign trail.
CNN's Tom Foreman takes a closer look.
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's like 2020 all over again for some Republican candidates -- REP. TOM TIFFANY, (R-WI) CANDIDATE FOR WISCONSIN GOVERNOR: How's everybody?
FOREMAN (voiceover): -- in Wisconsin, where Congressman Tom Tiffany wants voters to make him governor.
TIFFANY: They want election integrity. Let's make it easy to vote, hard to cheat.
MIKE ROGERS, (R-MI), SENATE CANDIDATE: Mr. President --
FOREMAN (voiceover): In Michigan, where Senate candidate Mike Rogers posted, "If our nation does not have security and confidence of our elections, then we do not have much of a nation at all."
[05:35:05]
And in Minnesota, where Mike Lindell wants a governor's chair too.
MIKE LINDELL, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: And you all know that I have been relentless in making people aware of the fraud in our elections.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a great Republican and a great person.
FOREMAN (voiceover): What do they all have in common? The backing of President Donald Trump who has relentlessly claimed he was cheated in the presidential election six years ago.
TRUMP: It was a rigged election. He just rigged the election. The election was rigged. They rigged the election.
FOREMAN (voiceover): Despite a brutal attack on the Capitol, scores of court challenges and investigations, evidence has persistently shown Joe Biden won that election. And at the time, Rogers, then a CNN contributor, said Trump's falsehoods were to blame for the violence.
ROGERS: Well, you're damn right you had responsibility for this.
FOREMAN (voiceover): As for claims of election fraud --
ROGERS: You have to go home and say listen, we lost. The President of the United States lost.
FOREMAN (voiceover): -- the vast majority of voters have agreed all along Trump lost fair and square.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: The American people do not buy the case that Donald Trump has been making no matter how obsessive he is.
FOREMAN (voiceover): But Republican voters overwhelmingly think that election was corrupt and Trump's suspicions are right.
TRUMP: Our elections were vulnerable to being rigged and stolen. FOREMAN (voiceover): So after Trump warned about possible voting shenanigans in the Michigan primary, the formerly skeptical congressman has posted this. "I am thankful for President Trump's commitment to transparency."
FOREMAN: For many Republicans this clearly comes down to a simple test of loyalty. If you don't buy into Donald Trump's belief about what happened in 2020, no matter how false it is, he may not let you stay in his party.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: All right. Thank you, Tom.
President Trump has signed an executive order to reshape the childhood vaccination schedule, and it calls for fewer routine immunizations spread out over a longer period. The order would also split the MMR vaccine into three separate shots despite little scientific evidence supporting the change. Trump defended the policy, saying, "Large amounts of vaccines are currently given to children at once," and reupping his administration's claims that vaccines are linked to autism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Very simply, large amounts of vaccine -- large amounts of, like, vats of vaccine are currently pumped into your child's body. And we're doing 20 percent of that at each visit, and we'll let time elapse between visits so the body can handle this massive amount of fluid being pumped in. I think it's going to make a big difference. You know, there are some groups that have virtually no problem with autism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: To be clear, there is no evidence that children are getting more vaccines than they can handle and extensive studies of vaccines have shown zero evidence of a connection to autism.
Dr. Andrew Racine, who is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, spoke with CNN's Eric Burnett -- Erin Burnett, excuse me, about what this means for families.
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DR. ANDREW RACINE, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: I look at it from the point of view of a parent who is going to be walking into a pediatrician's office tomorrow. What do they need to know? And what they need to know is several things, but the most important thing they need to know is that nothing has changed.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah.
RACINE: The science behind vaccines is the same today as it was yesterday. The security that we have with vaccine safety has not changed. The risks that the children in this country face for vaccine preventable diseases has not changed. The composition of the children of this country has not changed in the past 48 hours.
And there are a couple of other things that haven't changed. The feeling that a parent has when they come home with that newborn baby -- and I know that you've experienced this -- that kind of anxiety but at the same time that excitement --
BURNETT: Um-hum.
RACINE: This is this thing that's coming and all of a sudden, it's handed to you. You're in charge. There's no -- there's no auto reset on it. There's no instruction manual.
BURNETT: Um-hum.
RACINE: That fear and that anxiety is going to still be there. And when you have people in the United States in positions of authority that are feeding into confusion and fear, that is doing no service to those parents.
And then the final thing that hasn't changed is that when those parents walk into that pediatrician's office they know they are in the presence of the best partner they could possibly have to raise those children in a way that's going to be safe and that's going to be effective for their health.
BURNETT: Yeah.
RACINE: And that partnership, which is what every new parent depends on --
BURNETT: Right.
RACINE: -- is what's going to get us through this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said in a social media post, "I'm a doctor. This executive order is wrong," adding that "vaccines do not cause autism."
[05:40:00]
Fans are still buzzing about LeBron's move to Philadelphia, myself included. CNN's Omar Jimenez sat down with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson for a player's take.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: By the way, the east looks a little different now -- LeBron going to Philly. What did you think about that?
JALEN BRUNSON, POINT GUARD, NEW YORK KNICKS: Honestly, I've been enjoying this as much as I could. And so there's been a lot on my plate since, obviously, we won. But, you know, when it comes time -- when it comes time to get back with my team then we'll focus on that. But just the experience with my teammates and family, and everything like that, that's all I'm going to focus on right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Time for Buzz Express, the stories that have people talking.
First up, Anne Hathaway wants everyone to know, yes, she really is pregnant. She posted this video to Instagram with the caption "fake hair, real bump." That's after some people on social media started speculating that she's wearing body makeup, saying it looks fake. This all began after the premiere in L.A. over the weekend of her new movie "The End of Oak Street." This will be Hathaway's third child.
And will the real Usher please stand up? Fans are convinced that the singer used a body double to perform at his concert in New Jersey last week. We're going to show you the performance and look closely and assess for yourself -- does this look like Usher?
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what's going on here but look at this. Look at this. Yeah. Yeah. Um-hum. Yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Fans at the concert say they believe the real Usher did perform at one point but there was also a look-alike performer. One fan claims that his dancing is too stiff and his jawline was a little too chiseled. And here's a side-by-side and you can be the judge if you think the person on the left isn't the real Usher.
Usher's response to all of this? He joked on Instagram that "AI ain't that advanced and you can't clone this."
Well, a man is facing burglary charges after allegedly breaking into Kim Kardashian's California home. Police say that they received a call on Sunday that the suspect was inside the property and taking items. The man is also accused of stealing one of Kardashian's cars and taking it for a joy ride. The reality star and her family were not home at the time of the incident. Police are still investigating.
Well, next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, a murder mystery of a different kind. Police thought that they had a victim, but it turned out to be a doll. More on that case.
And --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God, we better be turning back. She's on fire pretty good now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Yeah, not what you want to see from your seat on the plane. More on the story behind this emergency in the air when CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS continues.
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[05:47:15]
SMITH: Incredibly emotional video gone viral as a Haitian man collapsed to the ground in tears outside an Ohio ICE office. CNN's Jon Sarlin reports with more.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can we ask you a question?
MONSANTO MALER, HAITIAN IMMIGRATION: (Collapses, crying).
JON SARLIN, CNN DIGITAL PRODUCER (voiceover): Monsanto Maler, an immigrant from Haiti, collapsed to the ground in tears after leaving with an ankle monitor from an ICE check-in on Sunday.
This comes after the Supreme Court cleared the way and a federal judge, earlier this month, allowed the Trump administration to end temporary protection for hundreds of thousands of Haitians.
Maler has lived in the U.S. since 2023 and explained why he fled Haiti through an interpreter.
INTERPRETER: So the reason why I fled the country is just because I was not feeling safe because I've been even chased by other people and they hit me on the back of my head.
SARLIN (voiceover): CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to learn about Maler's case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Let's go around the globe to see what else is making headlines.
In Australia, forensic testing revealed what a suspected body in a suitcase really was. CNN's Scout Richards explains.
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SCOUT RICHARDS, CNN JOURNALIST (voiceover): Australian police were called to investigate a body found in a suitcase, only it wasn't a body. It was a lifelike doll with hair, piercings and marks resembling bruises.
POLICE OFFICER: They were mistaken for a human originally, so they are very realistic in the terms of looking like human remains. But we've confirmed by other means that they are not. RICHARDS (voiceover): Authorities say it all started when two people
found a suitcase dumped on the side of the road in Ulan, New South Wales. They opened it up and found what appeared to be the remains of a woman inside. Police were called and established a crime scene, but they didn't examine the remains too closely.
POLICE OFFICER: Of course, we don't like to disturb them too much in situ, particularly when we have faced inclement weather as we did yesterday and again today. And it's due to that where we've been able to collect the remains and then take them to investigation at forensics to then determine that they are not human.
RICHARDS (voiceover): It wasn't until the item was examined by forensics that New South Wales police discovered what they were dealing with -- a lifelike doll. CNN reached out to New South Wales police to ask whether the doll was a movie prop, a fetish item or a deliberate prank. Their response: "Investigations have now concluded."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[05:50:00]
SMITH: Another heat wave and strong wind gusts are fueling more fires across Spain. Nearly 50,000 acres have been scorched in the southwest and hundreds of people have fled the area. Crews are also battling another fire in the eastern region. It's burned around 2,000 acres but officials say it's close to being stabilized.
A Chinese rocket attempted to launch a satellite into orbit, but it didn't quite make it.
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Chinese rocket attempting to launch satellite into orbit exploding.
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SMITH: Eyewitness video shows the moment that a Chinese rocket erupted into massive fireball just 85 seconds after liftoff yesterday. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. The state news agency confirmed this failure three hours after the launch, saying the rocket experienced an anomaly. Another rocket launch that was planned for today has been delayed.
A former flight attendant is admitting to a scheme that sounds straight out of a movie as prosecutors say that he spent years pretending to be a pilot to score free flights. Here's the story.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voiceover): A Canadian former flight attendant has pleaded guilty to wire fraud for pretending to be a pilot to get hundreds of free flights. According to the U.S. Attorney's office in Hawaii, from 2020 to 2024 Dallas Pokornik used a fake employee I.D. card to board the flights for free. Pokornik committed his fraud on three different airlines. On his Facebook page, Pokornik posted images of a high-flying lifestyle. Prosecutors say he faces up to 20 years in prison.
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SMITH: Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, things are changing for 7Up. Why it's going to taste a little bit different.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to be OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy crap, man.
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SMITH: Three people go missing during a tubing trip. The dramatic rescue was caught on bodycam. We've got that coming up.
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[05:56:15]
SMITH: In today's Money Express, the union that represents TSA workers is suing the agency over the rollout of a privatized airport screening program.
Maribel Aber joins us with more details. Maribel, what do we know? Hi, Brad.
MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: It's called Gold+. This union representing TSA workers nationwide is suing the agency over this new airport security program called Gold+. The program would bring in private, for-profit companies to handle some screening and security duties. Union leaders say the government created the program without required public disclosures.
About 20 airports already use private screening to keep security lines moving during government shutdowns and funding lapses. But the union warns privatization could hurt public safety and put TSA jobs at risk.
7Up is changing its taste for the first time in 15 years to appeal to younger customers. The nearly-century old soda brand is cutting back on the lemon and boosting the lime flavor. Parent company Keurig Dr. Pepper says its research shows Gen Z and Gen Alpha are increasingly drawn to strong citrus flavors. The new formula rolls out this month with lime-lemon replacing lemon-lime on the label.
Hey, last night's Powerball drawing couldn't find a grand prize winner. The jackpot now climbs to $975 million for the next drawing. The cash option is just over $422 million before taxes. Tickets are $2.00 each. The next drawing is Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern.
Brad, hope is still alive.
SMITH: I'm starting to think I'm not good at this, Maribel. I don't know. I've got to find some new numbers or something.
Maribel Aber, thank you.
Let's get a check on some of the other stories making news across the country.
We start in South Carolina. Check out these flames. Videos show this flame shooting from a plane engine after an American Airlines flight struck birds shortly after takeoff from Myrtle Beach yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PILOT: Departure American 1760 is looking for mayday, mayday, mayday. We've got an engine malfunction here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The left thing is on fire.
ATC: American 1760, maintain 2,110.
PILOT: Roger. Eventually we'll be looking to go back to Myrtle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Now despite the scary moments, the plane did land safely. American Airlines says the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection, and the FAA is now investigating what happened.
Now to a scary situation in Oklahoma City. A semi-truck veered off the expressway and smashed into a house. The collision caused a gas leak forcing police to evacuate homes in the area. The driver was trapped in the wreckage and later taken to the hospital. Two adults and one child were inside the home at the time but were not hurt. Police are investigating the incident.
And in Maine, a lifeguard says that a shark grabbed him rescue buoy and dragged him under the water. Listen as he describes the frightening close call.
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GREG WILFERT, SCARBOROUGH BEACH LIFEGUARD: Probably five feet under and I thought I was caught in a boat prop. And I realized it wasn't. There's no fish that's going to do that. It has to be big fish or a shark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: He says that he was able to slip out of a harness that was attached to his rescue device and he made it to shore. Lifeguards say swimmers are now limited to waist-deep water as crews monitor for shark activity.
And after nearly days lost in the Michigan wilderness two women and a 9-year-old boy were rescued. It was all caught on body camera.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were on the river for hours.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're OK now though, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dude.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to be OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy crap, man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[06:00:00]
SMITH: Wow. OK, so the three went missing while tubing in the Muskegon River. In this footage you can also hear the woman tell conservation officers that they became lost after tubing for four hours. That's according to our CNN affiliate. Now, the officers say they located the group by tracking footprints, bent grass, and snapped sticks. What a rescue.
That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
