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CNN Headlines: Florida Governor: Donalds & Jolly Will Face Off In November; USS George Washington Coming To Relieve USS Abraham Lincoln; Hostile Witness Takes Stand In Tupac Murder Trial. Aired 5- 5:30a ET
Aired August 19, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:23]
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REP. BYRON DONALDS (R-FL): Liberal David Jolly is the change that Florida cannot afford.
DAVID JOLLY (D), FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Byron Donalds might be for sale, but Gwen Graham and David Jolly never are.
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BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: CNN projects Representative Byron Donalds wins the GOP nomination for Florida governor. He faces off against Democrat David Jolly. It sets up the stage for a battle to replace Governor Ron DeSantis in November.
And --
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JAMES MCDONALD, WITNESS, FORMER HEAD OF SECURITY AT CLUB 662: Like I explained to everybody in here, you ask me something, I'm going to be honest about it. You ask me something I don't want to talk about. You're going to have a problem. Treat me as a hostile witness.
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SMITH: A heated moment during the Tupac Shakur murder trial, as Suge Knight's former head of security took the stand.
Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't move or I will shoot you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got the baby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't move!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Body cam video reveals the moment a babysitter accused of kidnapping two children is arrested. What we know about her criminal background 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 with a handful of states that held primaries Tuesday, beginning in Florida. CNN projects Byron Donalds will easily win his party's nomination for governor.
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DONALDS: My administration will be guided by three pillars -- making Florida accountable, achievable, and most of all, affordable.
An affordable Florida starts with a limited government that respects hardworking taxpayers who fund it.
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SMITH: Donalds will face a former anti-Trump Republican turned Democrat, David Jolly, in November.
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JOLLY: Byron Donalds has sold the governor's mansion to the highest bidder and the special interests across the state have been happy to play ball. Folks, let me tell you something. Byron Donalds might be for sale, but Gwen Graham and David Jolly never are.
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SMITH: Now, Byron Donalds was a win for President Trump, but the president's backing wasn't enough for Catalina Lauf, who lost to newcomer Jim Schwartzel in this very crowded slate of Republican candidates seeking to replace congressman Donalds. We'll have more on how Trump backed candidates performed later on this hour.
In Florida's senate primary, a surprise win for progressive Angie Nixon. She defeated Alex Vindman for the Democratic nomination and will face Republican Senator Ashley Moody, who easily won renomination.
Let's stick with the Senate. Alaska's top four primary system not one, but two Dan Sullivans ran for Senate. Incumbent Dan S. Sullivan will advance, along with Democrat Mary Peltola. Now, it's too early to tell if the other Sullivan will make it, or who else would join him if he does.
And in a California special election, two Democrats will face off in November to replace Congressman Eric Swalwell. A lot more results to cover. Stick with CNN all day for the latest.
We are getting a new look at the battleship that's on its way to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Defense Department releasing this time-lapse video of the USS George Washington. The aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East from the Indian Ocean to relieve the troubled USS Abraham Lincoln. That ship has been at sea for an extended deployment due to the war with Iran. There have been recent reports of worsening mental health for crew members, raising concerns among lawmakers and military families.
Well, in Las Vegas, high emotions and a hostile witness as the murder trial over the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur continues. Prosecutors say that Duane "Keffe D" Davis orchestrated a hit on Shakur after Davis's nephew got into a fight with the late rapper.
CNN's Reid Binion has more for us.
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JAMES MCDONALD, WITNESS, FORMER HEAD OF SECURITY AT CLUB 662: You asked me something I'll be honest about. You asked me something I don't want to talk about, you're going to have a problem.
REID BINION, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fiery testimony from a star witness on day two of the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, charged in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.
MCDONALD: Treat me as a hostile witness. You're not going to talk to me and tell me as a grown man, what I have to do up here.
BINION (voice-over): On the night of Shakur's fatal shooting, James McDonald ran security at a Las Vegas night spot operated by death row records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight. Prosecutors say Shakur's killing was part of an exchange of violence between the Crips and Bloods street gangs revolving around Davis's nephew.
McDonald gave candid testimony about violence between the two gangs. He also provided the biggest fireworks so far in the trial, at one point eliciting laughter in the courtroom.
[05:05:05]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know how many people were on the payroll that night from your security team?
MCDONALD: Y'all do -- y'all do paperwork different than we did? Our paperwork was what they call under the table.
BINION (voice-over): Jurors also heard testimony from Reggie Wright Jr., the official head of Death Row Records security at the time of Shakur's killing. Davis previously cited Wright as possibly orchestrating the killing, a claim Wright denies. Jurors also saw autopsy photos Tuesday. One showed the green bag that held Shakur's body. Another showed a bullet fragment removed from his body. Two of Shakur's family members left the courtroom before the most graphic visuals were displayed.
I'm Reid Binion, reporting.
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SMITH: Thank you, Reid.
Turning now to the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. Jurors are getting a deeper look at the mental health crisis. The defense says is to blame for the death of her three children. Clancy does not deny strangling her kids, but her attorneys argue that she was in the throes of postpartum psychosis. On Wednesday, the court heard from a psychologist who reported that Clancy revealed auditory hallucinations during a meeting after the incident. A former psychiatrist who treated Clancy testified that the Massachusetts mom may have minimized her symptoms out of fear of having her children taken away.
The court also heard from Clancy's former mother-in-law, who said Lindsay talked to her about feeling unwell.
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FORMER CLANCY MOTHER-IN-LAW: She reached out to me in November and told me that she felt unwell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she describe any symptoms?
FORMER CLANCY MOTHER-IN-LAW: She did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What she said?
FORMER CLANCY MOTHER-IN-LAW: She felt -- mostly she had insomnia. She was losing her appetite. She was very anxious and sad.
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SMITH: Testimony is expected to resume at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Stick with us for the latest updates.
Well, new this morning, President Trump says his tariff threat against Canada is now on hold. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claims the U.S. and Canada have reached a deal, one that appears to include the Keystone XL Pipeline. He says the pause will be held for three days and that the deal is subject to the finalization of documents.
A Minnesota federal judge ordered a closed-door review of grand jury materials linked to the indictment of several media figures, including Don Lemon. Lemon, along with independent journalist Georgia Fort and other co-defendants, are accused of disrupting a church service in January. This order compels the DOJ to provide information presented to the grand jury that led to the indictment. The judge says she wants to balance secrecy around these proceedings. Lemon denies the charges and is working to have the indictment thrown out.
We've got a lot more to come up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. New details about the White House aide Natalie Harp and the reports that she once wrote in an SUV trunk when she didn't have a seat in the motorcade.
Plus.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I started to wave at her across from the intersection and say, hey, there's someone behind you.
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SMITH: She is sharing her story of how she tried to stop this masked man who's accused of terrorizing people. That is all coming up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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[05:12:50]
SMITH: Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is upping the ante, and he has the president's attention. Ossoff launched a new line of attack. This time, he was next to veteran and astronaut, Senator Mark Kelly, and Kelly's wife, Gabby Giffords.
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SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): I don't think anything illustrates the times more aptly than that. The draft-dodging crook president who has plunged our nation recklessly into a war he knows not how to end or to win, tried to imprison this man.
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SMITH: Ossoff's feud with the president all started when he brought up President Trump's aide Natalie Harp, and it hit a nerve. Trump personally hit back, calling Ossoff Pee-wee Herman.
Now you may be asking, who is Natalie Harp? Well, she's now one of Trump's closest and most trusted personal aides, and he dictates many of his social media posts to her. Harp first came on Trump's radar in 2019, when she said his right to try policies saved her life as she faced bone cancer. She later went to work for him.
Now, Harp was one of a few staffers that Trump took with him when he was taken away from air force one, when it was under threat of an Iranian attack. Leaving cabinet secretaries, other staffers and journalists behind.
Now we're getting new details about harp sources telling us that she once jumped into the trunk of a motorcade vehicle when she was told that there was no room for her.
CNN's Kristen Holmes picks up the story from there.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This was back in 2023, when President Trump was in court in New York, and he was going down to head to the courthouse, and the motorcade was waiting outside of Trump Tower when staffers realized that there weren't enough seats for Natalie Harp. They had an accountant that she would be going down to the courthouse.
[05:15:00]
And she was told that. Now, a screaming match then ensued in the lobby of Trump Tower at that time, with essentially Harp saying that the president had personally asked her to go and she was determined, so determined to not be left behind that she actually got in the trunk of one of the SUVs that was part of the motorcade and sat there. It's almost like a cargo hold. And that was according to multiple sources and to a photo that I obtained and reviewed that showed the space that she had been in and her sitting there.
It was really an extraordinary moment for so many people around President Trump who really, you know, things come and go and Trump world in terms of who gets a seat where, whether its on the plane, whether its in the motorcade. But she was so determined she was going to get that seat and go down to the court with President Trump.
And what I learned through this reporting today is she's really made her role with President Trump indispensable. She is the one who deals with lawmakers and allies and government liaisons. She is texting them messages from President Trump, articles that President Trump wants these lawmakers to see, and vice versa. They are reaching out to her if they want to get in touch with President Trump, if they want him to see something.
She's known as the human printer, in part, because she is constantly printing out information for him. So, he has it at his fingertips. One of the things that a source told me is that he's often used how fast Natalie Harp is.
Now, part of that is the fact that she is in proximity to President Trump all of the time. We often see her when we go to these Oval Office events. She's standing just on the periphery of the room, smiling, nodding along as President Trump is speaking. And it really goes to her devotion. Now, I did talk to some people who said that she has ruffled feathers throughout her tenure with him, both on the campaign and at the white house in particular, because she insists that her boss, that she only reports to President Trump, but she is actually a White House staffer. And there are a plethora of other White House staffers who actually operate within the chain of command.
But she seems to exist kind of in a different plane here, given the role that she has carved out for herself. And she is uniquely influential in this white house, and particularly when it comes to President Trump.
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SMITH: All right. Thank you, Kristen.
Ahead in our next half hour, reaction to this new reporting from Natalie Harp's brother. Hear his message to her. That's coming up.
All right. New this morning. President Trump is set to nominate a new head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, known as the FDA. His pick is expected to be Dr. Heidi Overton. She's a doctor by training, but most recently oversaw health policy for conservative think tank. The position has been vacant for three months, since Trump's first FDA chief was pressured to step down back in May.
We've got much more coming your way on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Surveillance video could be key to a high-profile murder case. A dad gunned down in his ex-wife's new husband is on trial. More on that coming your way.
Plus, more details being revealed about the sudden and untimely death of actress Hayden Panettiere in a 911 call. That is ahead.
Stay with us
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[05:22:38]
SMITH: Meta's most consequential legal fight yet over child safety and addiction is officially underway. Twenty-nine states are suing, claiming that the tech giant is intentionally designed its platforms to addict young people in pursuit of profit.
Colin Jeffery has more on the trial for us.
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COLIN JEFFERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Opening statements began Tuesday in a trial that could reshape how social media platforms interact with children. Twenty-nine states filed suit three years ago, alleging that Meta designed its platforms to get young people addicted, harming the mental health of children as it boosted its profits. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are representing the bipartisan coalition in federal court, and those states are collectively seeking as much as $1.4 trillion in damages.
JACOB WARD, TECHNOLOGY JOURNALIST & HOST, "THE RIP CURRENT" PODCAST: What sets this case apart is that this is actually -- these states asking a federal judge to reach into the company and make changes, not just hit them with fines, but make fundamental changes.
JEFFERY (voice-over): The states claim that Meta designed features such as recommendation algorithms, infinitely scrolling feeds, likes, and notifications to be intentionally addictive, according to the complaint.
ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: They knew their product was dangerous, and they lied to the public. They lied to Congress. They told the public. They told the world that their product was safe, that it wasn't dangerous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can't say definitively that something will change, but I think what has changed is the whole world now knows what's really going on in Meta.
JEFFERY (voice-over): Meta denies the allegations, and a spokesperson says the A.G.s offer no proof anyone was misled and are attempting to penalize Meta for industry wide challenges like age verification. The trial is scheduled to last at least six weeks, with testimony expected from top Meta executives, including founder Mark Zuckerberg.
I'm Colin Jeffery, reporting
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SMITH: We are learning more about the death of actress Hayden Panettiere. Officials say that the cause and manner of Panettiere's death are still unknown, and pending the results of toxicology testing. The coroner says that autopsy revealed no signs of trauma, but newly obtained 911 dispatch audio references a possible overdose.
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911 DISPATCH: And 29 Easley Bridge Road, overdose. CPR is in progress.
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SMITH: Panettiere's estranged mother, with whom she hadn't spoken in some time, talked to NBC News Tuesday about her daughter's difficult life.
Lesley Vogel said that, "I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry, it is a struggle and it's a very challenging industry, and it's not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path. I think it becomes very difficult to be true to yourself, and I think Hayden sadly lost her way and I wish it were different."
We'll continue to keep you updated on any findings in the untimely death of Hayden Panettiere.
Ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, there is this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't move or I will shoot you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got the baby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't move!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baby back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: A shocking discovery in a cargo trailer. Two missing children and the woman accused of kidnapping them. Weve got that story.
Plus, the brother of White House aide Natalie Harp is opening up to CNN. What he says about her fierce loyalty to President Trump and all the attention that it's bringing.
More to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
