Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Mass Shooting in New York; Interview With Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); Interview With New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired July 29, 2025 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: A source says the killer had a suicide note voicing grievances with the league.

And the gunman, who had a history of mental illness, also claimed to suffer from CTE, a brain disease linked to head trauma.

CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is joining us right now.

Sanjay, CTE can only be diagnosed, I'm told, after death. Is that correct?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.

So CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, it's a neurodegenerative disease. Basically, you build up these proteins in the brain, causes neurodegeneration. But to your point, the only way to definitively diagnose this is at autopsy, Wolf.

So, if you take a look at these images here, the top images, they may look -- you can tell they look a little different than the bottom images. Those are brains of someone who had CTE. So you really make that diagnosis definitively after death, as was the case years ago with Chris Benoit.

You may remember, Wolf, Aaron Hernandez more recently. Those diagnoses were made after the person had died. There are some new technologies that are developing, scanning to try and get a sense if someone might have evidence of CTE while they are still living. There may be clinical symptoms that are very suggestive of CTE, but the definitive diagnosis, again, only at autopsy, Wolf.

BLITZER: What are the symptoms, Sanjay, that could lead someone to believe that they have CTE?

GUPTA: Well, a lot of times, first of all, it's a history of repeated blows to the head, not necessarily concussive blows. People always will ask, well, how many concussions do they have? Not necessarily relevant. People can have a lot of subconcussive blows that can still lead to this. But there's behavioral problems. There's memory loss. There's impulse

control problems, depression, suicidal behavior, all of that sort of in the wake of repeated blows to the head, again, suggestive of CTE. Sometimes, the symptoms change as people get older. So, in the 20s and 30s, it may be more behavioral issues. As people get older, they can even develop movement issues.

It almost appears like Parkinson's disease, for example. So they can change throughout someone's life.

BLITZER: This was not someone who had played pro or college football. Do we have evidence that high school football players -- he was a high school football player -- are at risk of CTE?

GUPTA: Yes, it is possible. In fact, when we worked on this documentary a few years ago, Wolf, at that point, we actually showed the brain of someone who was the youngest person really in the world at that point that had been diagnosed with CTE around 17 years old, so a high school football player.

There was a study that came out in 2023. It got a lot of press at the time, but, basically, in that study, these are all people who had died between the ages of 17 to 29. They donated their brains, and that's relevant because there was concern during their lives that they had problems. And of those brains that were donated, 40 percent of them tested positive for CTE, again, Wolf, pretty young age.

BLITZER: Very young.

All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, as always, thank you very, very much.

GUPTA: You got it.

BLITZER: Right now, I want to take a moment to pay our tribute to the New York City police officer who was killed in Monday's shooting in New York, 36-year-old Didarul Islam.

He was an immigrant from Bangladesh and a 3.5-year veteran of the police force in New York. At the time of the shooting, he was off-duty working security at the Park Avenue building when the gunman stormed the lobby and shot him. He was married with two young boys, and his wife is expecting their third child.

This was outside the hospital where Islam's body was transferred. His casket is being carried out wrapped in the New York Police Department flag. His fellow officers line the street, some bowing their head as they pay respects and say their final goodbyes to Didarul. His family and friends watch as he is taken away.

I want to express my deepest condolences to Didarul Islam's family. May he rest in peace, and may his memory be a blessing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:38:47] BLITZER: New this morning, members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee are receiving a closed-door briefing on President Trump's historic decision last month to strike three Iranian nuclear sites dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer.

U.S. B-2 bombers have secretly journeyed some 18 hours from Missouri amid intense fighting between Iran and Israel. But questions still remain about just how effective those strikes were in eliminating Iran's nuclear capabilities.

Joining us now to discuss this and more, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. He's a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and was just in that briefing.

Senator, thanks so much for joining us.

But, based on what you learned -- and I know you don't want to release any classified information -- do you believe the president made the right decision by striking Iran?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Without going into the classified material that we have just heard, Wolf, there's no question that this mission was highly successful in degrading, if not destroying Iran's nuclear capability. But the damage assessment is ongoing, and we have no certain knowledge right now about how complete the destruction was.

[11:40:03]

There's a high likelihood that enriched uranium and perhaps even centrifuges remain. And so we need to be vigilant and vigorous in preparing now for diplomacy. I think there's an opening now for diplomacy that has resulted from this mission, which was, I can tell you, staggering in the complexity, the length of planning, the numbers of aircraft and airmen involved.

And I am deeply grateful to our military for their extraordinary capability in defending our nation.

BLITZER: When you say, Senator, this is now a time for diplomacy, are you talking about diplomacy with Iran, beginning a dialogue with Iran? Is that what you're suggesting?

BLUMENTHAL: The president has suggested -- and I agree -- that there is an opening now. Our European allies certainly are eager to explore it.

But we can't count on diplomacy alone, because the history here is that the Iranians may not be ready for it. And so we need to be continued in our strength, not only against Iran's nuclear capability, but also its support for proxies in the region. The Houthis are still very much a malign force.

Hezbollah has been largely degraded, if not completely destroyed, as a force in Lebanon. And, of course, Hamas is a continued threat in Gaza. Iran is the malignant and toxic force in the Middle East. Talk to all of our friends there, including the Saudis, UAE. All of the responsible countries in the region are supporting our effort to contain and hopefully change the course of Iran's conduct in the area.

BLITZER: While I have you, Senator, I want to turn to the very disturbing images we are all seeing coming out of Gaza, starving civilians, including babies and little kids.

Do you believe, like your colleague Senator Angus King of Maine, that U.S. support for Israel should be pulled until this hunger crisis in Gaza is over?

BLUMENTHAL: I believe strongly -- and I have just joined in a letter to Secretary Rubio and Ambassador Witkoff -- that there is an acute and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

It's unsustainable. It's worsening. Starvation there is real. There needs to be a large-scale expansion of humanitarian aid. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has failed to meet that need. We need to make use of other multinational organizations, the NGOs, the possibility of other sources of aid, because the starvation is real.

There's a need for food, medical supplies, water. And that must be a priority of United States foreign policy right now.

BLITZER: Lots of priorities right now.

And another issue I want to discuss with you while you're still with me, Senator, I know you're following very closely the situation between Russia and Ukraine. The president cut the 50-day deadline he gave to Russia a few days ago to end its war in Ukraine to just 10 to 12 days now.

I know you're spearheading a bipartisan Russia sanctions package. Is the president making the right move here?

BLUMENTHAL: The president is certainly making the right move by cutting the number of days he's giving Vladimir Putin to comply with cease-fire efforts.

In my view, our sanctions bill -- it's bipartisan with 85 co-sponsors. Senator Graham and I are continuing to advocate that it's necessary now. And I'm hopeful that it will be passed, because it imposes bone- crushing sanctions, not just on Russia, but on China and India, who are fueling Russia's war machine by buying its oil and gas.

I have no question that Vladimir Putin is a murderous thug who is going to continue his aerial reign of terror on Ukrainians. I have been to Ukraine eight times. I have seen the destroyed homes, hospitals and schools, other civilian areas that have been decimated. And I have met with the amputees, the kidnapped children; 20,000 of them are still in Russian hands.

And Russia should be declared a terrorist state if it fails to return those children. But the president, I hope, is seeing through Vladimir Putin's con game. He's been playing America, mocking us. And now is the time for passing the sanctions bill and continued pressure to bring Russia to the table, so that there can be peace with Ukraine.

[11:45:01]

BLITZER: Senator Richard Blumenthal, as usual, thank you very much for joining us.

BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up, we will be joined right after the break by the New York City mayor, Eric Adams, as investigators are working big time to try to figure out a motive behind that deadly shooting at a Manhattan office building.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Back to the breaking news that we're following this morning, Manhattan reeling after a lone gunman killed four people before fatally shooting himself at a Park Avenue skyscraper Monday night in Manhattan, marking New York City's deadliest mass shooting in some 25 years.

And we just learned that the gunman worked the Horseshoe Las Vegas Hotel and Casino as a surveillance department employee.

Joining us now is the New York City mayor, Eric Adams.

Mayor, thanks so much for joining us. I wish we were talking about something more pleasant than this. My deepest condolences are with the police department and your city right now.

Have investigators shed any more light on what may have been the motive for this attack?

Mayor, I don't know if you -- we're going to try to correct the audio. We're not hearing you right now. Maybe we can turn that on.

ERIC ADAMS (D), MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: OK, I think -- can you hear me now?

BLITZER: All right, we got you back now, Mayor.

ADAMS: Can you hear me now, Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, I hear you. Did you hear my question?

ADAMS: OK. Yes, I did.

BLITZER: Do you have any more information about a motive?

ADAMS: The investigation is continuing. We're sending two teams to Las Vegas, one to execute a search warrant and the other to look at the two firearms and guns that were recovered.

[11:50:02]

The motive appeared to be connected to the shooter's belief that he was suffering from CTE, he was an ex-NFL player. Those items just don't pan out. He never played for the NFL. And so we're still unraveling this terrible shooting that took place in the city.

BLITZER: Yes, he never played for the NFL, never played college football. He did play high school football.

New York authorities, as you well know, Mayor, found prescription medication, a loaded revolver and more ammunition in the suspect's car, which was double-parked on Park Avenue right across from that building.

Were there any indications he was planning additional violence elsewhere in New York besides the Park Avenue office building?

ADAMS: Not at this time. There were -- we had a large number of bullets that were found in the car, but at this time the investigation has not concluded if he was going to take more actions.

BLITZER: What about the medication that police found in his car? Did that have anything to do with the suspect's mental health issues?

ADAMS: It's still under investigation.

As you can imagine, this is still relatively new. It's less than 24 hours. The shooting took place around 6:20-something last night. And so there are many layers of the investigation that we have to peel back to sort of get a full understanding of what took place here and what motivated a shooting of this magnitude.

And, as you indicated, we lost a young officer who has two children and a child on the way. It was just a devastating impact, what happened to Officer Islam, as well as the other victims.

BLITZER: It's so heartbreaking indeed.

I know it's still very early in the investigation, Mayor. Is there any indication, at least so far, that the suspect was on the radar of any legal authorities?

ADAMS: No, not at all. And what's challenging, Wolf, is that we have done an amazing job here removing illegal guns and weapons off our streets.

But this came into our city. Many of the other jurisdictions have more lax gun policies. It appears as though this individual had a permit to obtain firearms. And we really need to look at allowing our federal law enforcement officials to look into the database of those with severe mental health illness. Should they be allowed to carry firearms?

This is a conversation that is going to be carried out on a federal level, but he was not on our radar at all.

BLITZER: Will they be doing an autopsy and will authorities be testing the suspect's brain for what's called CTE?

ADAMS: The M.E., the medical examiner, here in the city, he will make that determination on the next steps in collaboration with the district attorney in Manhattan County.

BLITZER: We know, Mayor, that one woman who encountered the shooter in the elevator was spared. Have you or investigators spoken to her and how is she doing and what did she have to say?

ADAMS: It was pretty hairy.

When you looked at the video, Wolf, you saw that after the suspect shot several individuals, he came in contact with the woman who was leaving the elevator. And he allowed her to walk past him without any action at all. And he'd just shot one of the security guards who was behind the desk.

And so that is going to be part of the investigation and the interviews that will follow.

BLITZER: Was the suspect's concealed firearms permit that was issued in Nevada back in 2022 still active? And what do we know about the permit or any of the gun purchases?

ADAMS: We're looking into that.

That is why our team is going to Las Vegas to do a thorough investigation into the firearms to find out, were they legally possessed and were they on his permit, and was he allowed to follow? But that is part of the ongoing investigation that our detectives are going to carry out in Las Vegas.

BLITZER: As you know, President Trump issued a statement earlier this morning from Scotland, saying he's been briefed on the shooting and he expressed his condolences.

Have you actually, Mayor, spoken to the president since last night's shooting? And, if so, what did he have to say?

ADAMS: No, I have not. And we thank him for his kind words for all of the victims and for the -- our slain officer.

[11:55:01]

I have communicated with our federal authorities. And our teams are doing the same. We are -- they are assisting us as we move forward in this investigation.

BLITZER: Finally, Mayor, I know you spoke with police Officer Didarul Islam's family, the New York police officer who was killed.

You are a former police officer yourself, so what's your message to his family and the family of the other victims?

ADAMS: Painful moments.

And everyone who puts on a uniform, we do it with the full understanding that we are going to run towards danger as others will run away. And this was his dad's only son. And as a father with one child, a son, I could only imagine how painful it is. And I shared that with him and his family. And we thank them for their service.

This is a fine family. This was a fine young man that believed in faith, believed in fatherhood, and believed in protecting the city of New York.

BLITZER: As I said, our deepest condolences to his family. May he rest in peace and may his memory be a blessing.

Mayor Eric Adams of New York, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for all you're doing.

ADAMS: Thank you. Take care.

BLITZER: And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. You can always keep up with us on social media @WolfBlitzer and @PamelaBrownCNN. We will see you back here tomorrow morning and every weekday morning 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

"INSIDE POLITICS," today with Manu Raju, is coming up next. He will be talking to the New York governor, Kathy Hochul.

Stay with us.

[12:00:00]