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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Now, Night Two of GOP Midterm Convention in Dallas; New Data Shows Pilot Warned of Excessive Speed Before Crash; AAA Says, National Gas Average Jumps 13 Cents in One Week. Now: Night Two Of GOP Midterm Convention In Dallas; Ex-Anthropic Employee: A.I. Could "Kill Us All" By End Of Decade; Dad And Daughter Pilots Have Surprise Meeting On Taxiways. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 10, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

We start with some brand-new reporting coming in the Politics Lead as day two of the first-ever Republican midterm convention in Dallas gets underway. We're learning how President Trump's plan came together to last night offer every American adult $5,000 if Republicans keep control of the House and the Senate.

Plus, what we expect to hear tonight from the Vice President, J.D. Vance. He'll give the keynote address after another round of remarks from President Trump last night. As we've been covering, the president delivered a rambling, almost two-hour-long speech trying to come up with a winning message for his party to run on in November.

What he seemed to land on was an extraordinary promise of, frankly, questionable legality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: CNN's Alayna Treene is inside the arena in Dallas. Alayna, what more are you learning about this promise?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, I caught up with a bunch of my sources today and look, I'll tell you, a lot of Republicans, some of the president's closest allies, and a lot of Republican lawmakers were really caught off guard by that announcement the president made yesterday about these $5,000 dividend checks that he wants Americans to be sending. One political operative I spoke with, a political adviser, I should say, of the president's, said that it has been discussed. The president had floated the idea with a very small group of his loyal advisers. People like Jason Miller and James Blair, both people who are working on the president's political operation.

But a lot of his other allies, including some senior administration officials, didn't know this was coming. And actually today, one White House official told me that they were kind of scrambling to put together a list of talking points to send out to people to try to explain this idea. Notably, they did not get that together before this announcement was made yesterday when he publicly floated it on the stage.

But then today we also heard the president, he sat down with a local CBS reporter and argued that despite what he said yesterday, which was that, I'm going to get these checks out, but Republicans need to control Congress, to keep the majorities in Congress in November in order for me to do this, today he suggested, well, perhaps he doesn't actually need Congressional approval. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would Congress need to approve that?

TRUMP: Well, we think not. I think they will do it if we needed it, but we think not.

We do have one proviso, and that's that the money be spent, that people spend their money in the United States. We don't want to have that money spent in other countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Now, Jake, look, I think it's obvious that Congress is the one who actually controls spending, so it's very much unclear what the president's referencing when he thinks he could potentially do this through executive action alone. But it also does think, you've heard from a lot of critics, including a donor who actually co-hosted a fundraiser last night with the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., casting some doubt on this as really being potentially, in some ways, a bribe. Is this a carrot that the president is trying to dangle in front of a lot of Republican voters that they're trying to energize to get out for the midterm elections in less than 55 days now?

So, a lot of questions over this, and a lot of skepticism we're hearing from the broader GOP on this potential idea.

TAPPER: Alayna, the timing of this all is rather unfortunate. These two nights are both the first nights of NFL football. Also today is the anniversary of Charlie Kirk being murdered. I'm told from a source close to the vice president that he is going to talk about Charlie Kirk's death in his remarks tonight.

[18:05:04]

You have also some new reporting on the vice president's message overall in Dallas. Tell us what he's been saying.

TREENE: Yes. Look you're exactly right, Jake. He is, I'm told also, expected to discuss Charlie Kirk and his one-year anniversary of his death. Vance and him were very close friends. But the vice president also had a closed-door meeting this morning with a number of different Republicans from battleground districts. And he essentially laid out really the message that a lot of Republicans want Trump to be giving. He talked about how he believes that Republicans aren't doing enough to tout some of the accomplishments that Trump has had thus far, things like no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security. He said people don't really know that's coming from Republicans.

He also said they need to be harder and go stronger about nationalizing the politics in each battleground district. I want to read for you just a quote I got, because I did obtain the audio of Vance's remarks from that closed-door meeting, and he told the room, the vice president, he said, quote, we have to remind the American people of all the good things that we're doing, and number two, we have to remind the American people of how effing crazy the Democrats have been over the past couple of years. We've got to nationalize this election.

TAPPER: I'll note, Jake, the one name he brought up multiple times in those comments was, of course, the progressive Democrat, Abdul El- Sayed from Michigan. He argued that El-Sayed could actually be the one to help Republicans in November. So, you'll likely hear a lot of that tonight when he speaks on stage.

TAPPER: All right. Alayna Treene in Dallas, thanks so much.

Joining us now, Montana's former Republican governor, Marc Racicot. Thank you so much for joining us, Governor.

So, last night, President Trump promised that he would give every American adult $5,000 if Republicans keep the House and Senate in November. You heard the president say he doesn't think he needs Congressional approval for such payments. You've been something of a critic of the president for a while. What do you think of this plan?

GOV. MARC RACICOT (R-MT): Well, it's a classic bait and switch from Donald Trump, typical, full of holes and frankly impossible to accomplish without Congressional approval. You're talking about $1.4 trillion being added to the deficit. Of course, Congress is going to be involved, especially when you have a request from the administration for $1.4 trillion of additional defense spending. They paid $1.4 trillion this year on the national debt. There's another trillion dollars of spending over appropriation levels.

So, they're spending money, he's spending money like a drunken sailor. And the fact of the matter is, I think it's going to be virtually impossible to bring about and see adopted by Congress. It's a bait and switch. He senses what's going on in the country, and as a consequence of that, he resorts to his typical prevarications, claiming at the very beginning of his discussion that, in fact, the hall was full. Well, it wasn't full. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of seats that were empty. So, the fact is he'll make up what he has to say at the moment in time that it's necessary to say it. It's like carnival barking, and he's not the least bit concerned with what's true or untrue. If he told me that the sun was going to rise tomorrow, I'd wait until morning to make sure.

TAPPER: I just want to take issue with one thing you said, Governor, and that is in defense of my drunken sailor friends. I don't think they spend money the way that the president and Congress spend money.

I do want to play something else that President Trump said last night, something we've also heard from Speaker Mike Johnson and the vice president. They've also said this as they try to pull together a midterm message. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Why is it that no matter how well you're doing, we seem not a president, Democrat or Republican, almost never wins the midterms?

So, I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot. I'm on the ballot. I'm on the ballot. Just one more time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What do you think of that strategy, putting Trump front and center this midterm election?

RACICOT: Well, frankly, I think everything he's done in the last 24 to 48 hours, and even preceding that, is a sign of desperation. He senses -- he's got a good sense of escape that has served him well over the course of time. Whatever he has to employ to accomplish that, whether it's untruths, half-truths, or no truths, he's going to put it into the mix and tell people what they want to hear. So, I think, frankly, he's desperate.

And if the polls are any indication, and the public of America is seeing it turn, as I have been watching it over the course of the last three to four years, I think the screw is turning and that they're going to be in some difficult times.

TAPPER: You're supporting a Democrat, Sam Forstag, in Montana's First Congressional District election this November.

[18:10:01]

It's a district currently held by a Republican. You have backed Democrats before something your state party rebuked you for in 2023. Do you think that -- I don't know what you consider yourself, an old- school Republican, an establishment Republican, a Bush-era Republican, but do you think Republicans like you have more in common with more moderate Democrats than with MAGA Republicans?

RACICOT: Oh, there's no question in my mind that when you make that comparison, I'm a part of the middle and frankly have a lot of I think opportunity to be exposed to people that are the same way that call themselves Democrats.

You know, the hierarchy of values for me, Jake, is that the country and the Constitution come first. And I crossed the Rubicon with Donald Trump back in 2016 when I penned an op-ed in The Washington Post saying I could not support him because he lacks the character to lead, and he certainly has no appreciation for the values and virtues of the Constitution.

He violates the Constitution virtually constantly, and frankly, the law on most occasions. I mean, we're involved in illegal wars. We've illegally attacked those boats that are sailing toward the United States or whatever direction they're leaving South America, that we've seen 227 people killed without any evidence to back up what it is that's being claimed, vaporized, so there's no evidence at all.

So, frankly, whether I'm a this or a that doesn't make any difference to me at all. What I want to do is focus upon people of character, who focus on the public good who want to work with people to get things done on behalf of the public, and that's what Sam Forstag stands for.

TAPPER: Former Republican governor of Montana, Marc Racicot, thank you, sir. Good to see you.

As Republicans make their pitch to voters in Dallas, gas prices are up yet again. Will they start dropping after the midterm elections as President Trump has predicted? We're going to hear his latest take ahead.

But, first, new details from the cockpit voice recorder after Sunday's Amazon cargo plane crash that killed five people. Does this advance the investigation into what went so horribly wrong? We're going to talk to the head of the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board, next in studio.

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[18:15:00]

TAPPER: In our National Lead, new details about Sunday's Amazon cargo plane crash in Miami that killed five people. The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, released its summary on what was heard in the cockpit. About two minutes after the plane was cleared for landing, one pilot said the aircraft was going too fast. NTSB says that pilot, quote, made additional comments regarding the aircraft's excessive speed throughout the remainder of the recording, unquote.

Several alarms went off in the cockpit nearly one minute until landing. The plane touched down on the runway. It's traveling at nearly 140 miles per hour when one of the pilots releases the brakes and sets the throttles to full power. By the time the throttles were readjusted and the brakes reapplied, the plane by then was careening off the runway and plowed into cars.

Here to discuss is NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. Thank you so much for being here, Chairwoman. I believe NTSB investigators spoke with both of the pilots yesterday. Is there any answer as to why one of the pilots did not give a consistent verbal response to the other pilot who was expressing concern about how fast they were going?

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIRWOMAN, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: Well, we did interview the assistant chief pilot, the pilot and the -- or the captain and the first officer. There was a big workload going on in the cockpit, and not everything was a verbal response, which is why we wanted to talk to both pilots, but we have additional interviews to conduct and additional questions.

TAPPER: Did you get any answer as to why either pilot made what seemed like indecisive decisions?

HOMENDY: This was just the beginning round of interviews. We had questions about their background, about their training and their first review of how the flight went and how they set up for the final approach and the final approach itself, but we need to do additional interviews after today.

TAPPER: While I have you, one of the deadliest plane crashes in the United States in recent years happened just a few miles from here. It's the 2025 Army helicopter collision with an American Airlines jet right near Reagan National Airport over the Potomac River, 67 souls taken from us that day.

Today, the Democratic senators from Virginia, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, said they're going to introduce a bill that would limit flights at Reagan National Airport. Right now, it's about 30 flights an hour. This would limit it to 28. Does that go far enough? And where are we on all the recommendations the NTSB made to prevent that horror from ever happening again at Reagan National?

HOMENDY: Yes. I mean, as you mentioned, 67 people died, and that calls for action. We issued 50 safety recommendations, 33 of which were to the FAA. None of the 50 safety recommendations have been implemented.

TAPPER: None?

HOMENDY: None. And we are over 500 days from the accident, over 200 days since we issued our final report. None of the recommendations have been implemented.

I tell people all the time we can conduct investigation after investigation, but until our safety recommendations are implemented, which are aimed at preventing the next tragedy, we're not going to improve safety.

TAPPER: Why -- I mean, have you met with the head of the FAA? Have you met with Secretary of Transportation Duffy? I mean, why wouldn't they implement any of these recommendations?

HOMENDY: I think those are great questions for them. We do have -- there are two bills that are going through Congress, one on the House side, one on the Senate side. I'd love to see action. Those would implement our recommendations, including our longest-standing recommendations on technology that could have prevented this collision. But we need action. And the FAA doesn't have to wait until Congress acts. They can implement those recommendations now.

TAPPER: But why would they not? I mean, I know lawmakers in D.C. love the convenience of Reagan National Airport. I know that they don't want to be held up flying in and out in an easy way. I personally love Reagan National. It's right there. Is that why there isn't any action, because they don't want to piss off lawmakers?

[18:20:00]

HOMENDY: I don't know that it has anything to do with that. I don't know the reason. All I know is that promises were made to improve safety after the midair collision. We investigated it. We issued 50 safety recommendations, 33 to the FAA. They must be implemented to improve safety.

I know they're taking a number of measures to improve safety in other areas, but until our recommendations are implemented, we're going to be back here again with another tragedy where we issue it, them again.

Right now, we have 235 open safety recommendations to the FAA. 40 percent of those are designated as unacceptable today. That means no action was taken or unacceptable action was taken. When we issued our recommendations on the midair collision, some of those have been issued for years. ADS-B in, increased training for controllers, yet today they remain unimplemented.

TAPPER: It sounds like you're saying, although you're being more polite than I would be, that the head of the FAA, if he doesn't act soon, will have blood on his hands.

HOMENDY: We will be here again.

TAPPER: NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, thank you so much. Good to have you here. Come back here. Let's keep covering this until the FAA does its job.

HOMENDY: Thank you.

TAPPER: A major request today after the mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case. What her defense team is now asking after the jury could not come to its unanimous verdict in the killing of her children.

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[18:25:00]

TAPPER: And we're back with our Law and Justice Lead, and new action today from the defense team of Lindsay Clancy, trying to avoid a retrial in the case against her for killing her three children. Last Friday, a judge declared a mistrial after the jury deliberated for seven days and was not able to reach a unanimous verdict due to one lone holdout juror.

Let's bring in CNN's Jean Casarez. Jean, what is Clancy's defense asking the judge to do? JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They want the judge to find Lindsay Clancy not guilty, the judge to find her not guilty, and this is going to be argued on the 29th of September when they have the next hearing.

Here's the basis for it. The defense here was not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility or not guilty because of mental insanity. What that did is that then shifted the burden to the prosecution. So then the ultimate question was, can you say beyond a reasonable doubt that she understood right from wrong, that she understood the criminal responsibility that involved killing her children?

So, here's what the defense is saying. All of the expert witnesses, whether it was prosecution or defense, they all said that Lindsay Clancy had mental illness. Now, on the defense side, it was psychosis. On the prosecution side, it was mental defect or disease. And so the defense is saying because everybody said she had mental disease, you cannot say beyond a reasonable doubt, beyond a reasonable doubt, high standard, that she understood the criminality of what she did. So, that's the argument.

Now, here's the downside. They already gave the argument after the prosecution rested. They gave the argument when the trial ended. So, this'll be the third time, but they've got it for appeal, and they're going to make it.

Now, the second argument they're going to have is involving the jurors. 11-1, just like you said, Jake, we believe for acquittal, right, not guilty based on mental insanity, and the judge declared a mistrial. The defense is saying, you shouldn't have done that. There was one juror. You needed to talk to him. You need to inquire him. Listen to what he told our Anderson Cooper about that issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY'S ATTORNEY: That's where you have the opportunity and request of the judge to have a hearing, which we didn't do. He just declared a mistrial. That's the difference. If you have a hearing, at least there's a basis for someone to determine if there is manifest necessity to declare a mistrial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: The problem there is three notes from the jury, we can't reach a unanimous decision.

TAPPER: All right, Jean Casarez, thank you so much.

The current state of the war with Iran and the ripple effect on gas prices. Will we see prices start to drop after the midterm elections in 54 days or so, as President Trump predicts? My next guest was once on the frontlines of war and helped lead the U.S. Army. We'll get his take next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00] TAPPER: In our Money Lead, brace for sticker shock as you fill up your car's gas tank this weekend. The national gas average jumped another 6 cents today, bringing this week's spike to 13 cents compared to last week, according to AAA. The driver of this spike? Crude oil, specifically the all import- important Brent crude, which hit $107 a barrel today as the Iran war heats back up.

Here's President Trump's promise last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Prices right after this very important election on November 3rd will be plummeting. The war will be over very shortly after the election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Joining us now, former Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy, who was also the undersecretary for the Army under President Obama. Sir, thanks for joining us.

So, you've compared this election season to 2006, citing the increasingly unpopular Iraq War, as opposed to the Iran war, affordability issues, and then President Bush's low approval rating back then. Looking back, what do you think was the key to that blue wave, and can Democrats recreate it?

FMR. REP. PATRICK MURPHY (D-PA): No doubt, Jake. I mean, listen, you know I just was back from Iraq when I ran and won in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. And 20 years ago, Jake, you know, there was a crisis. We had an unnecessary war in Iraq. We now have an unnecessary war in Iran. And you cannot deny the fact that there is an affordability crisis in America. The average American family is paying $2,000 more a year, higher gas prices, higher prices for goods because of the tariffs, higher electricity prices. They hear the empty promises, but they're not buying it.

And that's why you see the numbers, 20 years ago, when I won, President Bush approval rating, 37 percent, President Trump's approval rating right now, 38 percent. The Democrats 20 years ago took back the House and the Senate. 52 days out, it's looking pretty good for the Democrats.

TAPPER: So, let's turn to the war because new CNN exclusive reporting shows U.S. troops are taking on an expanded role in Saudi Arabia. More than 100 U.S. military advisers are there, as they're called, advisers, to provide intelligence and targeting support as the kingdom fights the Houthis in Yemen. The Houthis are in cahoots with Iran, of course, and Iranian military officers in trying to shut down another key waterway crucial to global shipping.

So, what do you make of this partnership?

[18:35:01]

MURPHY: Well, Jake, it's deja vu all over again. We're in the middle of a religious civil war. As you know, you had Iraq back in the day, Sunni country. You had Iran, Shia country. We went in, we took out Iran. That was a counterbalance to -- we went in and took out Iraq, but that was a counterbalance to Iran.

Right now, what you're seeing, you're seeing Shia militants from Iran hit troops, hit Sunni countries like Jordan, like Yemen, like Saudi Arabia. And just this week, we saw in Yemen Shia Houthis overtake a Yemen critical seaport right there. And so it's getting worse, not better, and it's just -- you know, to have over 50,000 of our troops in the middle of that religious civil war, not good.

TAPPER: Speaking back to the Iran war and Iran's -- strikes against Iran, take a listen to more from Trump last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There's another place called Pickaxe Mountain, another nice place. We may have to give them a shot there too, because somebody said there was a little movement at the site.

Does anybody here think that Iran should have a nuclear weapon? Anybody?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Strategically thinking, does it make sense for the U.S. to strike Pickaxe Mountain?

MURPHY: Well, we don't want the Iranian regime to have nuclear weapons, and that's why we had a deal. We broke the deal. It is what it is. But now, you know, we've lost 18 troops.

Pickaxe, the reason why it's important is because the granite there, we wouldn't be able to -- basically, if they rebuild there, which there's intelligence from CSIS, satellite imagery showing that they are trying to rebuild there, our bunker-busting bombs can't reach that deep in that granite mountain.

So, it's not good and clearly things are not going well.

TAPPER: All right. Patrick Murphy, former congressman, former undersecretary of the Army, thank you so much.

New reaction after President Trump offered that $5,000 to every American adult, but only if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate. Apparently, that went over like a lead balloon with some convention-goers. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would prefer him to give $5,000 towards paying down the deficit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't imagine them mailing out a check to everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Is comedian Roy Wood Jr. finding any humor in what is already an exploding deficit? He's joining the panel next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

TAPPER: Cue the election music please, because the midterm elections are just 54 days away. I love that music. We're going to have to come up with lyrics for it, Roy. We're going to get you on that.

Here's a live look at day two of the GOP's first ever midterm convention.

ROY WOOD JR., CNN HOST: It looks exciting.

TAPPER: It's being held in Dallas, the unconventional, non- presidential year gathering. Many in support of the president are calling Trump-a-palooza. The party says its goal is to send Republicans home energized and united to deliver big wins in November.

A panel joins us now, and we have with us comedian Roy Wood Jr., the host of Have I Got News for You, on CNN. We've had you on the show, but never as a panelist.

WOOD: I'm here in studio with you, man.

TAPPER: Right.

WOOD: Be back Saturday night, man. I think I'll make a special trip for you.

TAPPER: And the beard, we should point out to your fans, the beard is because you're in a new show based on Barbershop.

WOOD: Yes, but that comes out later on in the winter.

TAPPER: Well, don't worry. Okay.

WOOD: This is my fourth score in seven years.

TAPPER: You look good.

WOOD: My wisdom beard.

TAPPER: You're really very wise.

WOOD: You can trust political opinions when you have a beard.

TAPPER: So, the new season of Have I Got News for You kicks off Saturday.

WOOD: Yes, sir.

TAPPER: And just in time, President Trump has made this pledge of $5,000 for every American citizen only if the Republicans keep the House and Senate.

WOOD: Okay. Well, I believe that our president will keep this promise, as he has all of the other promises. And I look forward to the $5,000 check, or however it's going to come in my bank account.

TAPPER: And, Jonah, you have thoughts on that? It's just -- it's so funny because all he does is say it straightly and everybody laughs, because nobody thinks it's going to happen.

JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. I mean, it's --

TAPPER: Except for Bryan.

GOLDBERG: I mean, it reminds me, H.L. Mencken once said about Harry Truman that if there was a sizable number of cannibals in America, he would offer every one of them a missionary in a boiling pot. It is just such a flagrantly ridiculous thing. He needs Congress to do it. We don't have the money. It would be inflationary, and calling it dividend doesn't make it magic.

TAPPER: So, beyond --

WOOD: See, he's got the beard. That's why it sounded good.

GOLDBERG: See, this is the kind of wisdom you get when you got a beard.

TAPPER: So much wisdom. Let's turn to the clean-shaven people on this --

BRYAN LANZA, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP 2024 CAMPAIGN: I shaved for the show.

TAPPER: So, beyond the, the $5,000 per American citizen, there is this idea that this convention is for, which is pretend President Trump is on the ballot. He wants people to have him on the ballot. Now, I should note that when he, you know, was on the ballot in 2024, he had a 55 percent approval rating, so that's when last time he was on the ballot. Now, he has a 33 percent approval rating.

So, my question is, is it actually a good idea to pretend he's on the ballot?

LANZA: Yes, I think so. Listen, at the end of the day, the way Republicans are going to do better in November is when more Republicans who are going to vote, and I think the biggest energizer for the Republican Party is certainly Donald Trump.

Now, the message, you know, is going to be targeted, right? You know, if you're hitting hardcore Republicans, you know, it's -- we've seen some of the messages sort of get out there already. We've seen transgender conversations pop up. So, I think those conversations work. But at the end of the day, you know, it's President Trump is sort of like Michael Jordan. He wants the ball at the end because he thinks he, and he knows he can score, and Donald Trump knows that at the end, if people think he's on the ballot, that his base will turn out and vote.

TAPPER: Adrienne, how are Democrats viewing this midterm convention?

ADRIENNE ELROD, FORMER SENIOR SPOKESWOMAN, HARRIS-WALZ CAMPAIGN: Well, first of all, I appreciate my friend, Bryan Lanza, over here, but I just saw the video of people in that room. I didn't see a whole lot of energy and enthusiasm and excitement in there for Donald Trump.

I mean, look, at the end of the day, I thought James Talarico had a really good response. Instead of doing, like, a big counter- convention, he actually had a food drive, and he got people in, mobilized people to actually, like, give food to the homeless and give food back to the community. I mean, that's the right kind of response.

You also saw Talarico go on offense and say, welcome to the state, Donald Trump.

[18:45:04]

Keep talking. We're glad to have you here. This is exactly the kind of, you know, this is what we want to see because it helps us.

I think at the end of the day, you're -- you're just seeing a lack of enthusiasm among Republicans. And I think there's quite a few Republicans out there who are on the ballot this cycle, especially on some of these top tier Senate races, who don't want to don't want Donald Trump to say try, you know, pretend that I'm on the ballot because at the end of the day, it does not help.

JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: But that's sort of the genius of what he's doing with the dividend thing is that the only and look, again, I think the dividend thing is profoundly stupid. But the only people who would actually believe that they're going to get the money are incredibly low information voters.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Well, Roy just said he's going to -- Roy Wood just.

GOLDBERG: I stand by what I said.

ROY WOOD JR., HOST, HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU: You can't call it a dividend. You have to call it like a rebate. Like, let's say if you were magically, I don't know, overcharged for Obamacare. And I gave some of you $500. Oh, wait, he already did that. So I just think that to Blake --

TAPPER: But he didn't give that money either.

WOOD: No, I didn't get that to me. But I just think that even if he tried to do something as stupid as just give people half of the money up front, like there are a lot of people that even still give Trump credit for the COVID checks from years ago. We know that that whole situation was not what that was --

GOLDBERG: What if he tore the bills in half and you get one --

TAPPER; Oh, nice.

ELROD: You got to tape them together.

TAPPER: Now, now -- you're thinking. Now you're thinking.

Roy, I want to ask you, this is maybe I don't know if you guys are going to find comedy in this on Saturday or not. But yesterday, we were consumed and today a little bit as well with the fact that all these A.I. experts are talking about how there's a, you know --

WOOD: We're going to die.

TAPPER: -- 10 percent chance that A.I. is going to bring about the end of the world. What do you make of all that?

WOOD: I think the mistake they made with A.I., especially if we just talk with cameras and everything, is that they didn't trick us into thinking it would help us first, like so much of what has happened with A.I. is just solving problems that were never problems in the first, I didn't need to know the weather for my refrigerator. I just needed the milk to be cold.

TAPPER: Yeah.

WOOD: I do think that if you have actual people that are resigning from these companies, which is starting to happen, and these people are coming out and saying, hey, this is going to be a serious issue. You might want to listen to those people because our government right now, they can't even get food. They recall bleach.

TAPPER: Is that true?

WOOD: Yes. There's bacteria in the bleach. So, if we can't get bleach right, I don't know if our government are the ones that should be in charge of regulating high tech electronics that are run by companies that do their best to hide their actual intentions from the oversight.

TAPPER: Do you have any thoughts on this ai apocalypse that we're facing?

GOLDBERG: So I'm a little skeptical whenever, whenever big businesses beg the government to regulate them, I feel like there's something else going on. At the same time, it does feel like this is the computer equivalent of gain of function research that like we're trying to create things that we, were literally having people leave the lab say, you know, if this breaks out of the lab, we're all toast, right? That -- that should get our attention a little bit more.

TAPPER: So let me turn to the Georgia Senate election, because Senator Jon Ossoff, who is running for reelection, is going to be campaigning with Kamala Harris, your former boss. There are other Democrats who have not wanted to campaign with her in Alaska and others. What do you make of this, though?

ELROD: Look, first of all, I mean, she is still Kamala Harris is still very popular with a lot of base voters in the Democratic Party, especially black women and black voters across the board and women.

So, I think it's very smart that Jon Ossoff is bringing her in. He has a smart, a smart team of advisers, and they're looking at all the data, they're crunching the numbers, and they're bringing in the best surrogates who can mobilize the vote in that race.

Now, there are other parts of the country, for example, Arkansas, my home state where she has not been asked to campaign with Hallie Shoffner, who is running against Tom Cotton, a much more competitive race. And I think any of us thought it was going to be.

So, it just depends on where you are. That's how the surrogate process works. There are some places where certain surrogates are very popular, other places where they're not.

TAPPER: What do you think about bringing Kamala Harris?

BRYAN LANZA, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP 2024 CAMPAIGN: I think it's a comeback. I think we're all ready for Kamala Harris to hit the campaign trail. Talk about the messages that are coming out of San Francisco, which have always been consistently outside of the mainstream of America.

So I think Kamala Harris, whether Ossoff or anybody else, we need to see more of her. I ran into her, oddly enough, at the -- at the -- at the world cup, and it was pretty clear to me then that she was she made a decision she was going to run.

TAPPER: So why do you say that? Was she --

WOOD: So, this is the pre-campaign before the campaign.

LANZA: This is it.

TAPPER: Were she handing out bumper stickers like. What do you mean?

LANZA: She was clearly entertaining the crowd of donors and --

GOLDBERG: Were she asking them money?

LANZA: Not -- not yet. But it will come soon. We know she's going to run because she -- you know, she's talked about how she was given an unfair chance when she did it at that level. And she's now going to get her chance.

TAPPER: What do you -- what do you think about that?

LANZA: Well, for as long as she give me that $5,000 like Trump, I'm with it. Do you --

WOOD: Get my vote?

TAPPER: What else can we expect? What else can we expect on Saturday?

WOOD: You know, Saturday, we're going to try our best to dabble into everything that has happened in the last three months. That's where we're at a disadvantage.

So much stuff has happened. They've gerrymandered districts. Vivek Ramaswamy can't hit a baseball. There's all types of stuff --

TAPPER: That was something with the batting cage.

WOOD: That we're still looking for Mitch McConnell. There's a lot we got to get to on September 12th. We're going to figure it out.

TAPPER: All right. Any -- any -- any thoughts on the Kamala Harris/Jon Ossoff thing before we -- before we go?

[18:50:01]

GOLDBERG: No. I think it makes sense for her campaign in Georgia. I think it makes sense for a lot of other people not to want her to campaign with them. I don't think she is the shoo-in for the nomination by any stretch of the imagination, but she'd be competitive. You know, her polling is good and she can raise a lot of money.

TAPPER: Do you think she'd be the shoo-in if she runs? I mean --

ELROD: I cannot predict who is going to win in any primary right now. But I agree with Jonah. I think she'd be very competitive. And a lot of polls right now show her at the top of the pack, and we'll let the process play.

WOOD: I think it's enough to hurt Newsom's chances. I think she will pull from some of Newsom's voter base.

TAPPER: That'd be bad news for Newsom.

WOOD: Don't tell him he's not watching.

GOLDBERG: But they like each other so much.

TAPPER; All right. Thanks to all of you. Roy, thanks so much for being here.

Look for the season premiere of "Have I Got News For You". That's this Saturday night at 9:00 Eastern on CNN, then streaming Sunday on "CNN All Access".

Coming up, some good news when it comes to air travel, two pilots run into each other on the runway, but not physically. And it turns out they wanted to see each other. They're related. Their inspirational story, next.

(COMMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:55:25]

TAPPER: In our national lead, a heartwarming moment caught over the radio airwaves. A father/daughter pilot duo had a surprise meeting while taxiing their planes at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, right outside D.C.

Twenty-four-year-old Kenny Katnik was preparing for a trip to Syracuse, New York, when she happened to catch a familiar voice on her radio. That voice belonging to her dad, Kent Katnik, who is getting ready to fly to Munich.

Here's a little bit of their exchange.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

KENNY KATNIK, DAUGHTER: Pops?

KENT KATNIK, DAD: Hello! Where are you at?

KENNY KATNIK: About to depart 1R Right. Safe travels.

KENT KATNIK: Bye, bye.

CO-PILOT: Is that your daughter?

KENT KATNIK: Apparently.

KENNY KATNIK: Yeah, commuter 4977.

CO-PILOT: Your daughter's a pilot. Aren't you proud, papa?

KENT KATNIK: Sort of.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

TAPPER: Sort of.

With me now, to put faces to the voices are Kenny and her dad, Kent.

Kent, sort of proud? What do you mean?

KENT KATNIK: When we are on the ground, we are really trying to focus on the task at hand. Safety is number one. And we don't want to get distracted by these external threats. So minimal communication is part of it.

The other part is my sense of humor. It's a little bit dry. That was my response.

TAPPER: That's what I figured.

Kenny, what was your reaction when you first heard your dad's voice?

KENNY KATNIK: I got really excited. It was my -- dad's voice was the first voice I think I've ever heard on a radio. He taught me how to fly over 10 years ago now. And there's just something that struck me. Knowing that I recognized that voice.

And it was really fun to hear him. And it took me a minute to put the thoughts together that he was also in the area because he's not based in Washington Dulles. But it was really fun to hear. TAPPER: Kent, you must have been really excited when your daughter

decided she wanted to be a pilot.

KENT KATNIK: Definitely excited. She was her second year in college. Already had her private pilot certificate and approached myself and my wife and said, hey, I think I want to be a pilot as a career and not go to business school.

And my wife and I just responded with, okay, what's your plan? And she actually had a plan and she laid it out. We said, we're on board. And here she is ten years later as a captain at a regional airline, really proud.

TAPPER: And, Kenny, aside from it being a sweet moment, we have to say that the recording also triggered a very fierce debate here among my staff at the lead, specifically, this exchange. Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CO-PILOT: She's still living in your house?

KENT KATNIK: Oh, no. But she is on my cell phone plan.

CO-PILOT: Hey, hey. They can't. She's not allowed off her cell phone plan until she gets married.

KENT KATNIK: Thanks.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

TAPPER: So you have some strong support from the younger members of my staff that you are allowed to be on the family cell phone plan until you get married. Aside from the phone plan, though, how helpful has your father been in your journey to become a pilot?

KENNY KATNIK: That's a great question. Really, it's unspeakable. I have been able to use him and my brother, who also works at my company, as two really great resources anytime I have a question, no matter the time of day. They just both have really strong experience and are able to help me kind of navigate any questions I have. And he's obviously provided a really great career footprint for me to kind of follow.

TAPPER: And, Kent, do you have any words of wisdom to share with either your daughter or any other aspiring pilots who might be watching right now?

KENT KATNIK: You know, I would say stay focused. Be a listener. Stay humble. And we're all in this together. It's a very social career. And you have to be willing and put yourself out there a little bit to stay connected with others.

TAPPER: Kenny, similar question for you, but not only as a young pilot, but as a woman pilot. What advice might you have to any little girls out there who aspire to be a pilot? KENNY KATNIK: I think something that's really stuck with me is that

representation matters a lot. I would not be able to be where I am without all the women who have come before me and made my life much easier. I also would say just stick with it. And even if you are the only person that looks like you in your class, you know, you're meant to be where you're meant to be and just stick with it. Work hard and you can achieve great things.

TAPPER: Kenny and Kent Katnik, thank you so much for joining us today. Appreciate it.

KENNY KATNIK: Thanks so much for having us.

TAPPER: That's all for us today. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bluesky and on TikTok @jaketapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can watch the show on the CNN app.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now. See you tomorrow.