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CNN Headlines: Trump: U.S. To Reduce Military Exercises With South Korea: "Inappropriate And Hostile"; CENTCOM Commander Addresses Concerns Over USS Lincoln's Crew; Crushable Cement Preventing Planes From Skidding Off Runways. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired August 17, 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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[05:31:00]
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.
The entertainment world is waking up to a shocking loss this morning. Actress Hayden Panettiere has died according to her rep. She was best known for her roles in "NASHVILLE" and "HEROES." The cause of her death is not yet known. Hayden Panettiere was just 36 years old.
Opening statements are also set to begin in a few hours for the man accused in the 1996 death of Tupac Shakur. Duane 'Keffe D' Davis accused of orchestrating the shooting. Now Davis admitted to being part of it in a book in 2019 but in a recent jailhouse interview he said he made it all up. Davis has pleaded not guilty.
And 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. This does raise questions among the allies in the region and follows President Trump's recent social media post over the weekend seen here on your screen. He says, "Kim Jong Un and I get along great," referring to the North Korean leader.
CNN's Gage Goulding is explaining further what's going on here.
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GAGE GOULDING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's kind of two points here. There's the fact that, hey, you know, the president is saying we have a great relationship with North Korea. We want to scale back this operation. And on the other hand, taking a little bit of a jab of South Korea, saying when we asked you for help with the denuclearizing, excuse me, Iran, the South Korean government said no thanks.
Now in a statement to CNN the Blue House, which is the official government agency -- the head of the government there in South Korea -- essentially said that's not necessarily the case. That, you know, they hope that this open communication between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. will lead to "meaningful talks" between the two countries. And they went on to say that they are actually working to try to help kind of solve the problem -- the ongoing conflict if you will in Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz.
So they didn't necessarily take a jab back at the president because they are good allies, which also raises the question as to why exactly would the president do that. Now it could just be trying to extend an olive branch to the North Koreans and trying to set up another summit because again, going back to the president's first term there was three different meetings. Actually, President Trump was the first president to ever step foot on North Korean soil. Fast-forward to now, the second term -- that hasn't been the case.
And in the past, President Trump has extended invitations or interest, if you will, to try to meet with Kim Jong Un. That has been met with silence, crickets.
So this could be an opportunity for that. Does that mean that he's looking for a diplomatic win? Possibly. But on the other hand, for the South Korean side this could be the president saying look, we asked you for help with Iran and you didn't. You know, our protection goes beyond the South Korean -- the Korean Peninsula and we need your help beyond the Korean Peninsula.
However, with all of that said, the focus on that exercise, right -- the South Korean government says that it actually started today -- the 10-day operation started today as planned.
So it's going to take some time to fully understand 1) are they actually reducing the amount of exercise that they're doing, and 2) what kind of fallout, if any, will happen on either side of the Korean Peninsula.
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SMITH: All right. Thank you, Gage.
Well, Virginia State University will begin classes as scheduled today. This is following a mass shooting on its campus over the weekend. Five people were wounded, one critically. Police arrested the 19-year-old suspect after finding him hiding in a dorm closet. They say the suspect and four of the victims were not students there. No word yet on a possible motive.
[05:35:00]
A deadly shooting at a park in Kentucky killed a teenager and wounded four other people. Police say two children, including a 4-year-old, were among those shot during a community event in Lexington. A content creator was filming when he captured the gunfire, and we want to warn you may find this next video disturbing.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't even know how much I want to do with it.
(Multiple gunshots)
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SMITH: Police say an 18-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the shooting. He is facing numerous charges, including murder and assault.
President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is in Israel today trying to get Gaza peace talks back on track. Kushner is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sometime today. That is after Netanyahu rejected President Trump's 15-point peace plan last week. Sources tell CNN that Kushner also sat down with the new leader of Hamas in Egypt on Sunday.
The prime minister's public rejection of the deal has frustrated regional leaders. Foreign ministers from seven countries in the region and Indonesia released a joint statement condemning Israel's dismissal, warning it could undermine efforts to end the war and achieve a lasting political settlement.
The CENTCOM commander is pushing back after concerns about morale and mental health aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Admiral Brad Cooper visited the aircraft carrier this weekend as part of a recent trip to the Middle East. The ship has been deployed for more than 250 days after being sent to the region to support U.S. operations in the Iran war.
Admiral Cooper says the USS Abraham Lincoln has among the lowest mental health cases out of the Navy's 11 active carriers, but he acknowledged the challenges of a long deployment at sea.
CNN's Julia Benbrook has the details, including President Trump's response to the rising mental health concerns for crew member.
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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a statement over the weekend, CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper called his recent visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln "awe-inspiring." That visit comes as there are growing concerns about the conditions on that ship.
The Lincoln has been deployed for nearly nine months as it is supporting operations in the Middle East, and its combat efforts have prevented it from making stops at friendly ports to regather supplies and get the sailors some rest. That has led to a number of family members voicing concerns. One crew member told us that morale on the ship is very low and that there is this regular strain on some essential amenities.
Cooper did say that out of the 11 active aircraft carriers that the Lincoln actually has among the lowest cases related to mental health right now. He went on to say this. "This doesn't mean that all is perfect. Find any of the nearly four million Navy veterans in America today and they will likely tell you that service at sea for long periods isn't for everyone. It is uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways."
President Donald Trump was recently asked about this lengthy deployment and the mental health concerns surrounding it, and he seemed to dismiss those concerns. He said that the deployment wasn't nearly long enough. Those comments have received swift criticism.
He did say that the Lincoln would be traveling out of the region soon and it would be replaced with a very similar ship. A U.S. official tells us that swap was previously planned.
Julia Benbrook, CNN.
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SMITH: Tropical Storm Lala has started to leave Hawaii, but parts of the state are still seeing heavy rain and strong wind gusts. Officials say that the most serious threat is now flash flooding and mudslides, especially in higher areas. Lala made its closest approach to Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday as a category one hurricane and left a lot of devastation behind. Hawaii's governor says at least 100 homes have been damaged or lost.
And take a look at this video. It shows water rushing down a hillside under a bridge in Maui. More than 150,000 customers are still without power.
After a week of record rainfall across the Midwest as well, another system moved across the region overnight. Indiana has been hit the hardest and officials say at least seven people have been killed in the storms. The Indianapolis mayor says this is the city's most severe flooding in more than 30 years. And you're looking at a public library in Yorktown devastated by flooding.
More than 21 million people across the Midwest were under flood watches through Sunday night.
[05:40:00]
And now to Mexico. That's where FDA officials are inspecting the Taylor Farms facility linked to a multistate outbreak of cyclospora. The illnesses have been tied to iceberg lettuce sold at restaurants and some grocery stores. More than 9,400 people have gotten sick and nearly 400 have been hospitalized. Two people have died. The FDA says it believes that all recalled lettuce tied to the outbreak is now off the market.
It's time now for Buzz Express, the stories that have people talking.
And first up, soccer superstar Cristiana Ronaldo is hinting that retirement could be coming soon. In an interview with Vogue, the 41- year-old says the upcoming year will probably be his last playing the game. Ronaldo's contract with Saudi Club Al Nassr runs through June. The Portugal captain has scored 976 goals over a career spanning more than two decades, but one major prize is missing -- a World Cup title.
And Disney had a big reveal over the weekend for its upcoming movies and games. That included Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Hayley Atwell introducing the latest trailer for the new "Avengers: Doomsday" movie.
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Clip from Marvel Entertainment's "Avengers: Dooms Day."
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SMITH: "Dooms Day" comes out December 18.
Disney also announced that Harrison Ford is coming back as Indiana Jones, not for a movie but for a ride at Disney World. Here's part of the message that he sent to fans.
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HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: I'm please to share that for the first time ever I'm the actual model of the Indiana Jones animatronic, fear of snakes included. I'm excited for you to see his next epic adventure and I'm coming to Walt Disney World soon.
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SMITH: Ford first played Indiana Jones in 1981 in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." And the latest movie was "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." That was in 2023.
Next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS police say a man was randomly shooting at cars as they drove by. How they managed to stop him.
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[05:46:52]
SMITH: Pilots and aviation experts say landing and taking off are the most dangerous parts of a flight. Now a new safety system installed at dozens of airports across the country is already saving lives. Last year alone it stopped four planes from overshooting the runway.
CNN's Pete Muntean has the details.
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): From Virginia --
ATC: We just had an alert three on the airfield, aircraft accident.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): -- to California --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We literally, like, and so we were all like whoa.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): -- an airport safety system is saving lives called Engineered Materials Arresting System. EMAS is a bed of lightweight, crushable cement placed at the end of runways to stop an airplane that's about to careen off the end. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like to think of it -- it's like a runaway truck
stop but for airplanes.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): Here at its facility in New Jersey, the Federal Aviation Administration has been testing EMAS, which in the last year has stopped a record four planes from running into highways, hills, even homes.
MUNTEAN: This material is soft enough that a heavy airplane will sink into it, but dense enough that a person can stand on it. I can even jump on it, and that's key in an emergency.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): The system is installed at 70 airports across the country, including Roanoke, Virginia where last September husband and wife Steve Harrison and Deborah Tater's (PH) United Express flight skidded off the end of the runway. The National Transportation Safety Board said the plane's approach was too high, and the first officer twice told the captain to abort the landing.
STEVE HARRISON, PASSENGER: And I thought, you know, this better stop pretty soon. And then I remembered seeing that device at the end of the runway and thinking, like, that's supposed to stop airplanes, and that's when we hit it.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): The couple says the plane would have tumbled down on embankment were it not for EMAS.
DEBORAH TATAR, PASSENGER: There were probably other things that should have happened differently before we got to that point. All we know is that was the last point.
HARRISON: And that's what saved us.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): For Tater, the incident carried a poignant reminder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good evening. There was an air disaster today in Boston.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): As a teen, a friend was killed when the flight she was on crashed into a seawall at Boston's Logan International Airport. The airport is about to begin installing more EMAS pads to prevent planes from skidding into Boston Harbor. The more than $100 million project could delay flights for 2 1/2 months. Worth it, says Tater and Harrison, whose first grandson was born only weeks after their crash.
TATER: We would not have seen him born.
HARRISON: Yeah, yeah.
TATER: A very good chance that --
HARRISON: Yeah.
TATER: -- we would not have survived. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Wow, fascinating. Thank you, Pete.
Let's go around the globe to see what else is making headlines, beginning in Indonesia where the window of time to find survivors buried in the rubble of a massive earthquake is running out. At least 53 people are confirmed dead and many more still missing.
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The magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast Saturday forcing thousands of evacuations. Crews are struggling to reach remote areas as some roads are said to be impassable. Hundreds of aftershocks followed the initial quake, leaving people scrambling to get to safety.
And now a follow-up to that devastating earthquake in Colombia. It's estimated to have killed nearly 300 people and injured thousands more, but authorities are not giving up hope of finding more survivors. With hundreds still missing, search operations continued over the weekend and some of the hardest hit areas. More than 12,000 homes have been destroyed.
In Italy, officials say that they have recovered three painting stolen from an art museum earlier this year. And we now have video of the heist. Take a look.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN ROME CORRESPONDENT: In just three minutes, this thief stole paintings worth $10 million, but now they've been recovered. Italian police released a new CCTV footage showing the masked men breaking through window into the Magnani Rocca Foundation in northern Italy on the night between the 22nd and the 23rd of March.
They got away with three masterpieces from French artists Cezanne, Matisse, and Renoir. Local media says that the paintings have been found in a cardboard box used for a TV set in the basement in one of the alleged thieves.
Magnini Rocca is one of Italy's largest private art collections and is located in Parma. And the foundation celebrated the recovery, posting on Instagram that "beauty has prevailed."
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SMITH: Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, just in time for your breakfast, the FDA upgraded a recall on eggs. What you need to know coming up.
And --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be totally honest, we might have to hoist him out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2424 to helicopter --
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SMITH: More on this rescue by the NYPD. That is coming up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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[05:56:15]
SMITH: In today's Money Express, if you're about to crack some eggs, you'll want to make sure that they are not part of a massive recall alert.
Maribel Aber joins us from the Nasdaq MarketSite with that and the rest of your top money headlines here. Maribel, these eggs are making people sick, yeah?
MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: They are, Brad. So here are the details. The FDA is escalating a nationwide egg recall to its highest risk classification over salmonella concerns. The new Class I designation means there's a reasonable probability exposure could cause serious health consequences or death.
The eggs, distributed by Midwest Poultry Services, were shipped to retailers and food service locations in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma. And at least 98 people in 17 states have been sickened with 26 hospitalized. The eggs were sold under brands including Kroger, Berkshires and Country Morning. For the full recall details go to fda.gov.
Comcast has agreed to pay $117.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over a 2023 cyberattack that exposed the personal information of nearly 36 million Xfinity customers. The media and telecommunication company told customers that the data breach exposed their personal information, including usernames, passwords, contact information, dates of birth, and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers. Comcast has denied any wrongdoing. The deadline to file a claim has been extended to September 14, 2026.
Hellmann's has crowned America's favorite sandwich after a nationwide vote. The mayo brand created a March Madness-style bracket narrowing 50 sandwiches down to 16, then eight, then four. After five rounds and more than 100,000 ballots, Pennsylvania's Philly cheesesteak edged out Kansas' burnt end sandwich for the win. The winner gets bragging rights and Hellmann's title of "America's Sandwich." One early upset in the brackets was the classic BLT. It didn't make it past the first round.
But Brad, I know you know a true Philly cheesesteak is hard to beat.
SMITH: It is. And as a Philly area native, this news makes me very happy.
Maribel Aber, thank you so much.
ABER: You got it.
SMITH: Let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines across the country.
We start in New York. That's where authorities say that they had to airlift a man from the woods. Take a look at this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, 24, we have the patient. We're going to need to figure out a way to get him out of here. To be totally honest, we might have to hoist him out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2424 to helicopter six. Be advised -- I don't know if anybody notified you. City has got him out of the woods. We're making our way out now.
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SMITH: Police say the 70-year-old man got lost looking for his model airplane near a field on Long Island. He was taken to the hospital to get checked out.
And in Houston, police say a man with an automatic weapon opened fire on passing cars, wounding three people. A mother and her young daughter rushed to a nearby fire station for help. Officers shot the suspect after they say he refused to drop his weapon. The victims are stable. The suspect's condition is unknown.
In California, hotel workers at Disneyland took to the streets over the weekend demanding better pay. A Disney spokesperson says their contract expired in January, but it was extended as talks continue. The union claims Disney makes billions of dollars and that should translate to livable wages for their workers. The company says it's optimistic a fair deal can be reached.
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And in North Dakota, forget books. This little library runs on horsepower. Terry Spur (PH) built a toy car swap box outside his home. Take a car, leave a car. He says it teaches kids to let go and it's catching on fast. I mean, how many of us remember playing with these little cars growing up. The collection -- it grew from eight cars to more than 20 in two weeks. A second pitstop is also on the way.
That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
