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CNN Headlines: Actress Hayden Panettiere Dies at Age 36; Opening Statements Set to Begin in the Tupac Shakur Murder Trial; Thousands Still Without Power Following Hurricane Lala's Destructive Trek Across Parts of Hawaii. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired August 17, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
BRAD SMITH, ANCHOR, CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS: Actress Hayden Panettiere has died. She was 36 years old. How she's being remembered this morning. And opening statements set to begin in the Tupac Shakur murder trial. We'll look at the key players and the book written by the defendant now at the center of the case.
And thousands are still without power following Hurricane Lala's destructive trek across parts of Hawaii. Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to need to figure out a way to get him out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be totally honest, we might have to hoist him out of here.
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SMITH: An elderly man airlifted to safety after getting lost in a New York Park. More of the dramatic video coming up. Good morning, everyone, I'm Brad Smith, this is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, glad that you're with us. Let's get this started.
We begin with the breaking news. Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36 according to her representative.
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(LATE HAYDEN PANETTIERE SINGING)
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Panettiere best known for playing country music star Juliette Barnes in the TV show "Nashville", and Claire Bennet in "Heroes". But she got her start at a very young age, appearing in commercials at just 11 months old, according to her TV Academy bio.
She's one of the youngest people ever nominated for a Grammy Award for voicing Princess Dot in the 1998 movie "A Bug's Life". And she appeared in "Remember the Titans" back in 2000. In a statement to CNN, her father called her an incredible light and a force of nature who brought joy to those who knew and watched her.
The circumstances surrounding her death are not known, leaving the entertainment world in shock this morning. Here's Emily Longeretta, who is the director of "Features" at "Variety".
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EMILY LONGERETTA, DIRECTOR OF FEATURES, VARIETY: I think I can probably speak for most when I say it was absolute shock, 36 is extremely young, and of course, as you said, we don't know any of the details yet surrounding what happened to Hayden Panettiere.
But she has been acting and on our TV screens since '94. She made her debut and working on "One Life to Live" and then "Guiding Light". She's been on TV, you know, for many years, starting around five years old.
But she's been open with the public a lot through the years about what she's been going through and kind of her ups and downs in her personal life, and some mental health struggles and some abuse with substance struggles.
And she was recently sober and recently put out a memoir and was talking a lot about how good she was doing. So, it's really shocking to hear.
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SMITH: Panettiere released a candid memoir earlier this year, reflecting on her life growing up from a child star to confronting postpartum depression, addiction recovery and domestic abuse. Hayden Panettiere was 36 years old.
Happening today, the jury is seated and the opening statements will begin in a matter of hours in the Tupac Shakur murder trial. Duane "Keffe D" Davis is the only person ever charged in Shakur's death nearly 30 years ago.
Davis is accused of orchestrating the murder in an act of revenge. He now claims that he was not in Las Vegas on the night that Tupac was shot.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you have anything to do with the murder of Tupac Shakur?
DUANE KEFFE D DAVIS, ACCUSED OF MURDER OF TUPAC SHAKUR: No, ma'am, no, ma'am. I wasn't even in Nevada. I wasn't even about a period.
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SMITH: Davis also trying to distance himself from a book that prosecutors say he co-authored seven years ago. They plan to use it against him.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you regret the book and the interview?
DAVIS: Yes, I was just after the money and they said I was covered. I did it for the money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did anyone close to you say not a good idea?
DAVIS: No, those writers did. I didn't write that book. You know, I don't know nothing about no Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra. Just read the book. You know, I didn't write that book.
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SMITH: Attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin explains why the book is so important and what else we can expect to see.
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AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY & LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: We should expect a lot of back-and-forth about this book as well as the proffer that was given back in 2008. The prosecution's whole case is that he did admit to killing Tupac, and he did it pretty brazenly.
He did it in a book. He did it on a series of interviews, podcast and television interviews and a documentary. And now, his lawyer is saying all of that was fictionalized. That was all just one big embellished story solely for the purpose of making money, solely for the purpose of getting attention and cashing in on the death of Tupac Shakur.
Jurors are going to have to grapple with this. Is this truly an admission, or is this, as his lawyers like to say, an old sick man who was simply trying to make a buck because he was broke?
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SMITH: Potential witnesses include Sean "Diddy" Combs and former rap mogul Suge Knight, both of whom are in jail. Davis has pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote further or assist a criminal gang.
Today starts the fourth week of testimony in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. She is the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children. She has admitted to strangling them, but her attorneys argue that she is not criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Prosecutors allege Clancy killed her children, quote, "deliberately and meticulously". And last week, jurors heard a state investigator read notes found on Clancy's cell-phone describing her mental health struggles.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sad and depressed because I am not able to parent my third child like my first. I want to treat any one of my babies like my first, but I know that's not a feasible possibility. I'm sad that I stopped breastfeeding. I feel not as connected with Cal now.
I think I sort of resent my other children because they prevent me from treating Cal like my first baby.
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SMITH: Criminal Defense Attorney Elyse Hershon has more on the role that those messages could play in the trial.
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ELYSE HERSHON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: So, the prosecution is presenting evidence, but this evidence can be explained or argued both ways, and the prosecution has the burden here. So, they're essentially saying, look, she was fed up with her situation.
She was overwhelmed. But look how clearly, she was expressing herself. She was lucid. That means she was able to form the intent to commit these premeditated murders. That's their argument.
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SMITH: Testimony resumes at 9:00 Eastern this morning. Joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea kicked off today just hours after President Trump criticized the drills, calling them inappropriate and hostile to North Korea.
And he called for them to be scaled back in the future. The President also brought up South Korea's lack of assistance with the war in Iran. A former U.S. ambassador to South Korea tells CNN, this will have a lasting impact on U.S. allies in the region.
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CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: The notion that these exercises are designed to invade North Korea to launch a surprise attack on North Korea, that's something the North Koreans say every single year, and it's something that is quite inaccurate.
To have us suddenly say we're scaling back and then to throw in the issue of Iran in the middle of it, I think was rather disingenuous. But in any event, this is really worrying a lot of countries about our reliability.
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SMITH: South Korea has been a close U.S. ally for more than 70 years. It's also home to the largest American military base overseas, and tens of thousands of American service members. The South Korean government says it's reviewing President Trump's comments. President Trump also criticized the cost associated with the
exercises, and earlier, he touted his relationship with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. Staying international news today. Iranian media is reporting that Tehran plans to take action in response to President Trump's promise to inflict economic pressure.
This comes as the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran expired overnight. It was a 60-day agreement, which unraveled soon after its June 17th signing over tensions in the Strait of Hormuz that triggered renewed strikes.
Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent doubled-down on Trump's threat, saying that unprecedented economic measures against Iran could go into effect this week. Global financial markets are losing hope that a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz will materialize soon.
Meanwhile, an Iranian spokesperson says talks with Oman over the strait are complex, but are continuing.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got 30-40 mile an hour gusts and it's raining like crazy.
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SMITH: That is water rushing down a hillside in Hawaii over the weekend, as parts of the island were slammed by Hurricane Lala. Floodwaters and debris destroyed a section of a highway on the Big Island, which bore the brunt of it.
And one homeowner says she's thankful the damage wasn't worse. CNN's Reid Binion has much more.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Worrisome, in all honesty, because we're -- we've always been stuck in the middle of nowhere like you're on an island by yourself.
REID BINION, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Isolated on an island within an island. That's how one resident of Hawaii's Big Island says it feels in the wake of Hurricane Lala after floodwaters caused a highway collapse, leaving up to 2,500 residents trapped.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, it's nice to see that the crews are out here and trying to find at least a way to hopefully get to Hilo, because I don't think there's any way that we can get that way.
BINION: Lala made its closest approach to Hawaii's Big Island Saturday, dumping torrential rain, causing mountain streams to swell and leaving roads and highways flooded. GOV. JOSH GREEN (D-HI): It was actually 32 inches of rain in La
Pahoehoe. Unbelievable. That means all kinds of damage, and frankly, that's going to be major recovery.
BINION: As the storm barreled westward, it lashed communities across the Hawaiian Islands with destructive winds, knocking down trees and utility lines, leaving many thousands of customers still without power across the islands as of late Sunday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a very strong wind event. We had lots of trees down.
BINION: The head of the state's National Guard says the biggest challenge in restoring power will be clearing downed trees that fell. According to the governor, at least 100 homes were damaged or lost in the storm. I'm Reid Binion, reporting.
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SMITH: All right, thank you reed. We've got lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. A heist caught on camera. Thieves make off with artwork worth millions of dollars. More details on the museum heist and how the items were recovered straight ahead.
And a construction crew renovating an old brewery made an unusual find worth a lot of money. That story also coming up. Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Knew he was lost, and I did not realize that he was broken.
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SMITH: New look -- who this? Dr. Doom checking in from the upcoming "Avengers" movie. That's coming up on CNN HEADLINES EXPRESS.
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SMITH: Attorney General Todd Blanche says that there will be very little daylight between his office and the President. Blanche has now officially been leading the department for a week, even as some Republican senators voted against his nomination.
They questioned whether the President's former criminal defense attorney could lead an independent Justice Department. And yesterday, Blanche was asked if he could pledge his department would act independently of the White House.
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TODD BLANCHE, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I'm not going to pledge that. And no attorney general should ever pledge that. The President -- I mean, if I were to pledge, I will be independent of the White House.
What that means is that if President Trump says, I want the Department of Justice to go after every violent criminal in this country, which is what he has said. What you're saying to me is, I should say, no, sir, I'm not going to do it.
So, there's the -- I will act with integrity. Our prosecutors will act with integrity. We will prosecute without fear or any sort of favor.
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SMITH: Blanche also suggested that he would take Trump's views into account in individual prosecution decisions A tragic story, a man once lauded as the youngest black professor at Cambridge University in England, has been found dead. As CNN's Larry Madowo reports, his death comes amid allegations of plagiarism.
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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The death of high profile academic, Jason Arday, has intensified scrutiny of the media coverage of him beforehand. Jason Arday, a sociologist who was once celebrated as the youngest-ever black professor at Cambridge University was found dead on Friday.
That's just nine days after he resigned over allegations of plagiarism in his academic work. His family said in a statement released by his publisher. The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, as he had been subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse since taking the job. The British Prime Minister called his death a tragedy on so many levels.
ANDY BURNHAM, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: A really sad and sorry state of affairs. And I think we just all today think of Jason and his contribution and his family and friends.
MADOWO: Some British media stories call the 41-year-old "Professor Plagiarism" and a poster boy for diversity. He acknowledged some mistakes in his work, he said, were partly due to a lack of supervision, but denied plagiarism.
Questions surrounding his athletic and fundraising achievements also dominated media coverage. As the story about him continued to gain traction, Arday said in a letter posted online that he resigned because he, quote, "reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure."
Arday was found unresponsive in South London on Friday and was later pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told CNN. Following his death, Cambridge University said in a statement, "we are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."
(END VIDEOTAPE) SMITH: If you or someone you know is struggling, we want you to know
that help is always available. Call or text, 988 or you can also chat online with someone any time at 988lifeline.org. We'll be right back.
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SMITH: A New York man faces hate-crime charges after police say that he disrupted a service at a Manhattan synagogue. Video from a Friday night live stream shows the man screaming before a security guard restrains him. Here's more on what happened.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
SMITH (voice-over): A man is charged with hate crimes after disrupting Shabbat services and injuring a woman at Central Synagogue in Manhattan, police say. Congregants can be seen in this live- streamed video scrambling as a security guard restrains the screaming man.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard a loud pop, and the first thing I heard --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We thought it was a gun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We thought it was a gun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he was just running and raving and yelling, he looked like a maniac.
SMITH: New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch says officers arrested a 46-year-old man from the Bronx in connection to the incident. Tisch says the man also damaged synagogue property and headbutted a member of the security team. She says he's been charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime, among other charges.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the attack on social media. In a live stream on Facebook of Saturday's service, Central Synagogue referenced the incident.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We went through something really hard and scary last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are safe. We are grateful to be here. We are grateful to our security team for supporting us.
SMITH: CNN has reached out to learn if the man has an attorney.
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SMITH: Construction workers in Belgium made quite the fine this week. More than $10 million in gold. A crew renovating an old brewery in a town outside Brussels was working on the walls when they found a wooden chest full of gold.
The property owner called police to investigate. So far, no word on who the treasure could belong to. Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, look at how strong those flood waters are here. Two paramedics were inside that truck. They are OK, but we've got more on the destruction for you from Hurricane Lala. That's coming up.
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