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CNN Headlines: Families Search For Missing Loved Ones in Nepal; Jury Deliberations Resume Today After Failing To Reach A Verdict Monday; Teen Charged In Deadly San Diego Mosque Shooting. Aired 5:30- 6a ET

Aired September 01, 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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[05:30:45]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.

Search and rescue efforts are underway this morning after historic floods killed two people at the Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend. At least one person is still missing but officials say that other visitors could have been in the area without their knowledge. The park is open to visitors although people are warned to stay out of closed areas.

Now meanwhile, this was the scene at Utah's Zion National Park -- my goodness. Monday, heavy rain pounded the area and flash flooding sent water rushing over a cliff leaving mud, rocks and debris and it was all across the roadway. Visitors to the park -- they're urged to check the forecast because conditions can change very quickly, especially during heavy rainfall.

All right. And Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down from his post. Sources say that Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Trump after months of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A White House spokesperson said Driscoll has provided "outstanding leadership" during historic military operations. His departure come six months into the war with Iran.

And new drone video -- it shows the scope and the scale of the damage in Nepal and China after last week's disaster. Those who survived are still trying to process just how much was destroyed. Rescue crews are racing to locate thousands of people who are still missing.

And CNN's Anderson Cooper is in Nepal, and he spoke to an American doctor who is looking for her missing parents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voiceover): Last Wednesday morning, Ramesh Sharma and his wife Neelam, New Yorkers, were getting ready to cross into Tibet on a Hindu pilgrimage with five other Americans, including Amita Amin and Tejal Patel. Their guide, Abi Shakseen, called his wife in Kathmandu saying they were about to go through immigration. A little more than 30 minutes later, this happened. The border crossing was obliterated.

I spoke with the Sharma's daughter, Radhika, a doctor, and her brother, Akash, in North Carolina. She was already planning to come to Kathmandu.

DR. RADHIKA SHARMA, PARENTS MISSING IN NEPAL: My plan is to first go to the embassies, talk to them, and then from there maybe go to the different hospitals.

COOPER (voiceover): She arrived Sunday with her husband, Pujan. A family friend brought them to the small upstairs office of Trekking Planner, the tour company that organized her parents' visit.

COOPER: How are you holding up?

SHARMA: I've had ups and downs. Um, it kind of just fluctuates, honestly. Um, it is nice to be here with people who are, like, also directly affected --

COOPER: Yeah.

SHARMA: -- by this.

COOPER (voiceover): Dikshya Lamichhane runs the company.

DIKSHYA LAMICHHANE, TREKKING PLANNER NEPAL, HUSBAND MISSING IN NEPAL: So here is my husband.

COOPER (voiceover): Her husband, Abhishekj, was Radhika's parents' guide. He and two other guides are also missing.

LAMICHHANE: He got a tattoo.

COOPER: Wow, it's an amazing tattoo.

LAMICHHANE: His whole back and one leg. He's a Chelsea fan. I have given all the information about him because he got a lot of tattoos so it would be very easy to identify him. We have been to everywhere to check the bodies.

COOPER: You've been to the hospitals and the morgues?

LAMICHHANE: Yeah.

COOPER: You're hopeful but you also --

LAMICHHANE: Yes. I'm still checking every place.

SHARMA: Of course, our hope is that if they heard the alarms and the warnings they either drove or they ran, and we're still waiting for that answer.

COOPER (voiceover): On the street outside, a Hindu procession passes by. Radhika and Pujan will head to the embassy and then hospitals and the morgue.

COOPER: We're seeing that inside that part of being here, it helps because there's others who are in the same situation.

SHARMA: Yeah. Because then I know -- I know I'm not going through this by myself. There are other people who are affected and we will all get through it together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:35:00]

SMITH: Thank you, Anderson, and bringing us their story.

President Trump is following up yesterday's tensions with Iran by saying that future actions will be "very limited." This follows both sides trading attacks early Monday for the first time since late July. And later, the president dismissed further escalation, ruling out nuclear options and weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're totally defeated militarily. So, no -- I defeat them and now I should use a nuclear weapon on top of them? What a stupid question.

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SMITH: Meanwhile, Iran's president says his country is ready to resume a deal with the U.S. if "the United States returns to its commitments." He was speaking early today at a summit, and it was the second time this week that the Iranian leader signaled a readiness to return to the memorandum of understanding.

For nearly three decades Tupac Shakur's murder remained an unsolved mystery. And now, just two weeks before the 30th anniversary of his death comes a verdict. A jury has found Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of first-degree murder for plotting the killing. He is now the only person ever charged and convicted in Tupac's murder. He will be sentenced next month and could face life in prison without the possibility of parole. Davis has said that he will appeal the verdict.

Shakur's family and loved ones were emotional after the verdict and they embraced each other as they left the courtroom.

In a separate case, we are still on verdict watch in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial as jurors resume deliberations today. Her defense argues that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed her three young children and is not criminally responsible.

CNN's Jean Casarez has been tracking this from the beginning and spoke with Phil Mattingly about what she saw in the courtroom yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I wanted to be in that courtroom, and I watched the jury come in, and I'm just going to give you the facts because we don't know what they're thinking, what they're doing.

But the filed in. They were stoic, serious, focused. I did not see them at all look at the defendant. They didn't look at the gallery -- and they have been looking at the gallery a little bit.

But one female juror in the back row -- I had a very clear view. She went to her seat, still standing as they're filing in. She took her hand and she went like this, and she looked at the ground, and then she went like this and looked at the ground. Very serious. And then sat down and continued to look at her lap.

The judge started to speak to the jurors. They looked up and just looked at him. No facial expressions. And normally, they're a little animated to talk with the judge who is so nice to them. Nothing today.

Then they stook up. He said, "We'll see you tomorrow morning, 9:00." They turned, they filed out. No interaction, no smiles with each other at all, and they were gone.

That's what I saw in the courtroom today.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: And Jean, you caught up with Clancy's supporters outside the courthouse today. What are they telling you?

CASAREZ: Well, there are a lot of female women that are very focused and supportive of Lindsay Clancy, and they sit right outside in the courtyard, and they just sit all day waiting for something to happen. And my producer and I -- Sara -- we went and we spoke with some of them. It was very enlightening to hear what they said. And their main focus is the medical system. They let Lindsay Clancy down. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mental illness is a problem in the United States. And l look back at what happened to Andrea Yates and to now, there's been no improvement. Now, I also feel that this trial never should have happened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If someone is coming in complaining of psychosis -- I mean, it's a psychiatric emergency. In that perspective, as a health care provider and just seeing how broken our system is, in Lindsay's case, um, you know, she raised a lot of red flags. Putting this woman behind bars -- it's just going to cause more suffering and it's not going to bring the children back.

CASAREZ: And, of course, the prosecution says otherwise. There should be some accountability because three young, beautiful children were not allowed to lead their life and that there should be a conviction in this case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Thank you, Jean Casarez, speaking with Phil Mattingly.

Also happening today, the final day of a pretrial hearing in the Charlie Kirk murder case. Tyler Robinson is accused of shooting and killing Kirk from a rooftop at a Utah college last year. Now, a judge is expected to rule whether there is enough probable cause to proceed to trial. Closing arguments will be heard prior to the decision. Each side will be given four hours to make their case.

Charlie Kirk's wife Erika and his parents plan to attend today's hearing. They are expected to issue a joint statement by email after the ruling.

A North Carolina teen is facing murder charges for a deadly shooting at a mosque in San Diego earlier this year. Three people were killed in the shooting. CNN's Dianne Gallagher breaks down the allegations in this indictment.

[05:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A 17-year-old in North Carolina who allegedly agreed to record the livestream of a mass shooting at a mosque in San Diego and then publish the racist writings of the attackers has been indicted on murder charges in connection with that attack, even though she didn't set foot in California.

Now, this is according to the Forsythe County, North Carolina district attorney who announced those grand jury indictments on Monday. Seventeen-year-old Sarah Santiago is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of criminal conspiracy.

JIM O'NEILL, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, FORSYTHE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: The law in North Carolina is clear. A person may be guilty of a crime although he or she personally does not do any of the acts necessary to constitute the crime. A person who aids and abets another to commit a crime is guilty of that crime. So she didn't have to be in California.

GALLAGHER: The indictments allege that Santiago agreed to and planned prior to the attack to livestream the shooting, disseminate the recording of that shooting to the public, and to publish the attackers' manifesto. She also bought and sent one of the shooters a patch with a neo-Nazi and white supremacist symbol on it that he wore during the shooting, according to the indictments.

Now, on May 18, two teenagers stormed the Islamic Center of San Diego killing three men, including Amin Abdullah, a security guard who returned fire and likely saved the lives of more than 100 children inside at the time.

Now, the two attackers who had planned to hit other locations as well later died by suicide, according to law enforcement.

Santiago's attorney told CNN in an email that his client, who he pointed out is a juvenile, is innocent of all the charges.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Dianne, thank you. Next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, after reportedly getting ill during a performance, Grammy Award-winning singer Lionel Richie is hospitalized. We have more on his condition coming up.

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[05:46:30]

SMITH: A tree stump in D.C.'s East Potomac Park has left some people in Washington confused and upset in the wake of President Trump's plan to remake the capital city.

Here is CNN's Sunlen Serfaty with more.

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SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: This one tree stump has the internet very confused and some very angry at President Trump. There's a lot of talk about whether this was a historical cherry tree that was recently cut down and if it was chopped down by the Trump administration to make way for a new golf course the president wants to build right here on this land in Washington, D.C. But it's actually very unclear what the particular history of this tree is and why exactly it was cut down.

And more than 100 years ago, Japan gifted thousands of cherry trees that were planted here in Washington, but many of the ones at East Potomac Park -- they are not the original ones. And it's not clear whether this is a fruit-bearing cherry tree or one of the cherry blossom trees that tourists regularly come out to see every spring.

However, Washingtonians take any cherry tree very seriously and don't like to see any of them cut down. Now, the Department of Interior -- they say all of this is just routine maintenance. They say they were just clearing out several dead or unhealthy trees I the area.

Groups who are suing the administration to stop the golf course from being built -- they are very worried though. They believe the administration is taking steps to clear out this land to make way for the president's golf course without going through the proper approvals first -- something it has done on many projects throughout this city.

All of this showing the extreme anxiety over every move Trump is making as he works to remake Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Grammy Award-winning singer Lionel Richie was hospitalized after a concert in St. Louis on Saturday. The 77-year-old reportedly checked himself in to the ICU out of precaution. Reports say during the show Richie asked his team for a chair to perform his final song of the night. Earlier this summer he cut another concert short after becoming dizzy on stage. Richie's next performance is set for later this month in San Francisco.

Controversial British designer John Galliano will not be the subject of an exhibit linked to the Met Gala. Here's more on that story.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John Galliano!

LEAH DOLAN, CNN STYLE REPORTER/WRITER: The Met Museum has canceled its 2027 exhibition of controversial fashion designer John Galliano leaving next year's Met Gala theme in question. Just a few weeks ago the museum announced it would be honoring the British designer with the Costume Institute's spring 2027 exhibition. Galliano would have been just the third-ever living designer to be honored with a retrospective at the Met.

But that decision sparked a growing outcry as Galliano was fired from his post at Dior in 2011 following an antisemitic outburst at a Paris cafe that was caught on video. He was later found guilty of public insults based on origin, ethnicity, race and religion.

A statement written by Galliano and released by the Met read, "After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition to not take place at this time."

[05:50:00]

DOLAN: The event, which is always the first Monday in May, next year would have fallen on Yom HaShoah, which is a day of Holocaust remembrance in 2027, putting the incident right back into the spotlight and potentially adding a layer of difficulty for celebrities who wanted to show up for fashion's biggest night out of the year.

Since the Paris incident, Galliano has said he has been sober and worked hard to repair the damage his words have caused. "I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry." The statement continued. Galliano said he did not "...want the debate surrounding me to place the Met in a difficult position or to distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute."

The exhibition was supposed to confront Galliano's criminal convictions head-on, according to the museum's initial announcement earlier this month.

Today, both Anna Wintour, global editorial director at Vogue, and Andrew Bolton, curator at the Met's Costume Institute, say they supported this decision and believed it was the right one. But where they take the exhibit and the Met Gala next remains to be seen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Dolly Parton's estate is going forward with "Dollyfest," a big music festival. It was planned to celebrate the music legend's 80th birthday back in January. And Dolly was going to host it, but she couldn't because of health issues. So now organizers say that there will be a "Dollyfest" in Nashville and London next year on back-to- back weekends. Her estate calls it a "party of a lifetime."

Well, still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, why two music publishing giants are suing AI giant Anthropic over its popular chatbot Claude.

And the third time's the charm. Why doctors are calling these adorable newborn triplets a rarity. That's coming your way.

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[05:56:10]

SMITH: In today's Money Express, the Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon, accusing it of deceiving businesses by overcharging to advertise on its website. So the lawsuit claims more than one million advertisers were deceived and that Amazon has raked in billions of dollars with the practice. Amazon says it strongly disagrees with the claims.

And a couple of music giants are accusing an AI behemoth of stealing their music and they want to get paid.

Maribel Aber joins us from the Nasdaq MarketSite with that and the rest of your top Money Express headlines. Maribel, what do we know here?

MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: OK, Brad.

Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell Music have filed a federal lawsuit against Anthropic, accusing the company of using copyrighted songs without permission to train its Claude chatbot. The music publishers allege Anthropic downloaded tens of thousands of copyrighted songs and are seeking damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work. Anthropic settled a similar copyright lawsuit in July filed by authors and publishers for $1.5 billion.

Lending Tree's latest ranking of states with the highest average credit card debt is out and New Jersey was number one. The median credit card balance there is $9,733. The lowest average credit balance -- credit card balance on the list was West Virginia, around $4,800. The New York fed says the nation's collective credit card debt topped $1.2 trillion last quarter. To see where your state ranked you can check out the list on lendingtree.com.

Hey, Olive Garden's never-ending pasta bowl deal is back now through November 22. All you can eat pasta, unlimited soup or salad, and breadsticks start at $14.99. Parent company Darden says the promotion is aimed at driving sales during the traditionally slower period between late summer and the holiday season. The available pasta options and other details are on Olive Garden's website.

Brad, I always have my trusty emotional support loaf. It's by my side; you just can't see it.

SMITH: I believe you. I wholly believe you.

Maribel Aber, thank you so much. Let's get a check-in on some of the other stories making news across the country. We start in Virginia. That is where detectives say that they caught a man wearing a "Ghostface" mask you allegedly went on a destruction spree, and here's how they caught him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE OFFICER: I'm gonna take you mask off, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Detectives in Virginia unmasked a suspect who was wearing a costume from the horror movie franchise "Scream." Newly- released body camera footage shows detectives arresting the man outside a neighborhood's community center.

POLICE OFFICER: Do not move! Do not move!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fairfax County police allege a surveillance operation connected the 22-year-old to a destruction spree causing thousands of dollars in damage at the property. The department later posted a photo of the suspect's outfit complete with a Ghostface mask and a black robe. Police say the man has been charged with three felony, and three misdemeanor counts of destruction of property and wearing a mask in public.

The man has since been released from detention. Online court records do not show that he has entered a plea. A hearing in the case is set for early November.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right.

And near Los Angeles, a mama bear and her three cubs found themselves in a tricky situation after getting themselves trapped in a water tank for about 12 hours. One cub escaped before firefighters arrived, but crews had to cut a bigger hole and lower a ladder to free the others. The family is back together after a rescue fittingly dubbed this operation "Care Bear."

[06:00:00]

And a family is welcoming a rare set of naturally conceived triplets into the world. Doctors say the triplets are uncommon because the trio's combined weight was about 19 pounds at birth and they are all the same sex -- three boys. And within the triplet set there's an identical twin set, and then a fraternal sibling. The babies were also close to beating the world record for the heaviest set of triplets at birth.

That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.