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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Says He Is Banning CNN, Politico And MS NOW From White House; Source Says, A.I.-Assisted False U.S. Intel Report Almost Started A War; Former American Idol Contestant Accused Of Murder; Health Officials Warn Of New Opioid Stronger Than Fentanyl. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 18, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: The Lead tonight, in a stunning move this afternoon, the president made a sharp rebuke of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, claiming in a post that he's banning news organizations, including CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, from the White House for what he calls, quote, constant reporting of, quote, fake news when we cover him and his administration.

President Trump took some questions on the ban. He said it was effective immediately, though CNN reporters remain in the building as of now. Earlier today in the office, there are guesses as to which particular story from which outlet was the straw that broke the camel's back, but here are some of what the president said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's really just cumulative stories over the last few years. You get sick of it.

They're smart people, but they purposely write negative news. And they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration. And, honestly, we've done a fantastic job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The president also slammed The New York Times and The Washington Post, calling them fake and disgusting. They are not, either. He threatened that they could be the next to be banned from White House grounds. He said this was just the beginning.

Now, Politico said in a statement that, Politico will continue to report fairly on the White House and future ones. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them. The claims that Politico received government subsidies are false and have been thoroughly debunked. That's something that Trump said in his press avail.

CNN said in a statement, quote, CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban, which President Trump threatened, go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally protected right, unquote.

CNN has not yet heard from MS NOW now about this ban, and CNN journalists remain in the building at the White House.

CNN's Kristen Holmes, for the time being, is still there. Kristen, maybe it's because these -- anybody who would carry out this order has been clearly briefed that it's unconstitutional and illegal, and they don't want to do it. I don't know. What are you learning?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, President Trump himself seemed to say that it didn't matter if it would hold up or not, that he wanted to send a message. He was asked specifically about wanting to do these kind of bans in the past and how they were not upheld legally, and he said, whether it survives or it doesn't, I don't think someone should be allowed to come in here and write what he calls fake news.

Now, it became very clear during that meeting in the Oval Office that what he is referring to is stories that he does not like, particularly negative stories. He said repeatedly that he doesn't get free press. But when it comes to the actual logistics of what this means, he did not have a definitive answer. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: A very simple ban. I don't want them in my office. I don't want them here. I would say the ban would go as far as you can. And if they could straighten themselves out, you know, if you -- if they could straighten themselves out, I'd love it. Look, they're very dishonest people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And, obviously, you hear him say there saying that if they could straighten themselves out, he would love it, essentially, seemingly asking to change coverage in order to stay here.

Now, just a couple of things to note, the pool, which is a rotation of the networks that is on television, that has the camera, that has the reporter in the room, we were not pooled today, we are not pooled tomorrow or Sunday. This is a rotation. And we were never going to be, so that is unclear. The idea of, you know, saying he doesn't want CNN in his office, again, is raising a lot of questions. Does he mean in the Oval Office or does he actually mean here on the White House grounds?

So, right now, Jake, this is something he has said, and we are here doing our job, and we will see if and when it is executed upon.

TAPPER: All right. Kristen Holmes at the White House, thanks so much.

My panel's here. Jamie Gangel, you and I remember when CNN had to challenge the first Trump administration for taking away Jim Acosta, who was our White House correspondent, taking away his credentials. They didn't like how he did his job. They tried to kick him out. Jim, CNN won. Trump lost. What do you -- now he's trying to ban the entire organization.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Okay, for context, Trump's attacks on the press go back his entire career, not just as president, but when he was in public life. So, my question is, why take it to this level today?

And even though he said there was no reason, it was cumulative, he was just sick of it, I do think with time we may find that there were some things that he read or saw today that triggered him. But I would add to that, this is not a good time for Donald Trump. His poll ratings are 35 percent.

TAPPER: Historically low.

GANGEL: He has the war in Iran. He is facing midterm elections where Republican candidates may lose, exactly the kind of thing that would make him sensitive.

[18:05:07]

All presidents get frustrated with the press. Frustrated is a nice word for how they feel about us.

TAPPER: I don't think one of them has ever liked me, to be honest.

GANGEL: There you go. But this is not normal. This was a temper tantrum, and it is what dictators and authoritarian leaders try to do.

TAPPER: So, Gabe, you're with the Reporters Committee for a Free Press, and the president of your organization, Mr. Brown, says, quote, a ban like this would be flatly unconstitutional. The First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it can't ban others because it doesn't like the reporting. This is textbook viewpoint discrimination and will be quickly struck down by the courts if challenged. How will court challenges in these cases look any different than in the first administration, if at all?

GABE ROTTMAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF POLICY, REPORTERS COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: Well, I -- so this particular case is even more stark because you have the president saying that he is excluding news organizations from the White House explicitly because of coverage that he does not like.

And if there's one thing that is crystal clear under the First Amendment is that even in a place like the White House, where the White House doesn't need to open itself up to journalists, once it opens itself up to journalists, it can't exclude journalists because it doesn't like what they say.

TAPPER: So, let me just read this quote. I just can't get over this. This is what President Trump said today. Quote, I mean, there's something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories, unquote. I mean, honestly, if you're the CNN, MS NOW, Politico attorney, you just put that down, put that in front of the judge, case closed. There's not something wrong with the country. There's everything right with it, and even if you don't like it, that's the First Amendment.

ROTTMAN: Right, absolutely. And, I mean, it's also good for -- I mean, it's good for the president, right? It is good to have an adversarial and independent press holding government to account. It makes government better, it makes us all free, and it makes the public able to do its job when it has to go to the ballot box to figure out who should lead the government.

TAPPER: So, something else really, really telling, Jamie, that President Trump said today when he was asked about the specifics of what he wants to come from this ban. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If you -- if they could straighten themselves out, I'd love it.

Look, they're very dishonest people. They write in a very dishonest way. ABC Fake News gave me $16 million that was agreed to, $16 million that I won from ABC News because George Slopodopoulos wrote incorrect stuff. CBS gave me $38 million because they broadcast Kamala Harris on 60 Minutes, and the question bore no relationship to what she said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: I mean, first of all, so many things that he just said are not true, but I guess we're just kind of, like numb to that at this point, but it does seem to suggest -- I mean, he's saying, if they could straighten themselves out, and then he starts talking about ABC giving him $16 million, CBS giving $38 million, which is news to me, I didn't know he gave that much, I didn't think they had, so is the -- his idea of straightening out is giving him cash?

GANGEL: Well, that is normal for Donald Trump. I mean, there is a history of that's what he wants.

Look, I just -- it shouldn't need to be said, but CNN is not fake news. We report the facts to the best of our ability. What you saw here today is that Donald Trump doesn't like the facts. He does not like what's going on, and he can't control the press. And the best he can do to control the press, I guess, is to try to get money in these cases.

TAPPER: One of the things that's always interesting is watching people who know better who are, you know, allegiant to the president, how they deal with the president doing extraordinarily damaging and unacceptable things.

His former press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders from the first term, is now the governor of Arkansas. And she was asked about the ban, because she was there for this announcement about drug prices coming down because all the states can negotiate through Medicaid, a story that we'd be covering more if the president had stepped on his own event with this nonsense.

Anyway, here is Governor Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS (R-AR): I think it's hard for you to argue against a free press when you're literally standing in the Oval Office asking questions of the president of the United States. He's been more accessible and easier to talk to than any president in history.

Because I think the president is right to support the First Amendment, but he's also right to ask that you be honest and fair. That's not an unreasonable thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, the governor dissembling there but also not defending the ban, right? I mean, she is talking about how accessible he is, which is true.

[18:10:01]

He's right to support the First Amendment. He's not supporting the First Amendment. He's also right to ask that you be honest and fair. That's not what he's doing. I mean, it's interesting to watch the contortions.

ROTTMAN: Yes. Well, you know, access is great. And, you know, it's great that Governor Huckabee is emphasizing the importance of access. What's dangerous is selective access, because that is what leads to a distortion in the information that is going out to the public. And that distortion can improperly boost the political fortunes of the ones who control that access. That's the problem.

TAPPER: All right. Jamie Gangel and Gabe Robbins, thanks so much, really -- Rottman, sorry. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

ROTTMAN: Thank you.

TAPPER: Much more on the breaking news ahead as President Trump says he's banning three media outlets, including CNN from the White House. Why? We don't really actually know.

Plus, a CNN exclusive report revealing that the U.S. military nearly boarded a Chinese ship in the Middle East thinking it was carrying, the ship kept parts of a nuclear weapons program, but the U.S. military had to call this all off after realizing that the false report was because of a mistaken information channel from A.I. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: We're back with the World Lead, a CNN exclusive. The U.S. military had plans to intercept a Chinese ship in the Middle East that they believed was transporting components of a nuclear weapons program, sources tell CNN. This was just before the planned operation that officials dug deeper into the intelligence report to learn that it had been generated with help from A.I., artificial intelligence. And once they dug even deeper, that the A.I. had inaccurately identified the material that the ship was carrying. The report, according to one source, almost started a war, a report from Katie Bo Lillis and Zach Cohen from our Pentagon team.

Joining us now, Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean from the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Congresswoman, your reaction to this A.I. story, the fact that this false A.I. report seems to have almost triggered a military confrontation with China.

REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): Well, it's stunning. A- and yet it shouldn't be surprising or shocking. And look where we are. We were in session this week three days when the speaker sent us home, not that there wasn't important stuff to work on, like A.I. I note that you just had my colleague, Don Beyer, on. We are not unprepared to deal with A.I. at the federal level. We have experts within our Congress. We have experts with whom we rely, and yet the speaker had no interest in holding us there.

As that report comes forward, and several of the reports today are extraordinarily troubling, but they were ready. They had planes in the air. They had military people prepared to get on that vessel and tackle the problem. And this was in the Middle East. Think of what that risk in terms of lives, in terms of a greater escalation of war, a war then with another adversary.

So, it's stunning. My grandfather, who did a lot of woodworking, and I used to join him, he would say, measure twice and cut once. Thankfully, somebody here measured twice.

TAPPER: The Pentagon indeed -- they didn't inform Congress about this, but they informed Congress that the U.S. war with Iran has cost, as of now, $45.1 billion, we're told. What do you make of that $45 billion as you talk to constituents back in Pennsylvania?

DEAN: I fear, number one, it's an underestimate. I don't know what that encompasses. I don't know if that encompasses all of the military people who are there, 50,000 or more in the region. I don't know if it encompasses the number of vehicles lost, the planes lost, the bases damaged, of course, the loss of life, and the other extraordinarily troubling report today that it's no longer 18 service members dead. It is either 22 or 23.

So, my fear is that number is an underestimate of our losses. I think it might be closer to $100 billion, and I could be off with that, and I'm an appropriator, so I care a lot about it. And I care a lot about it because my constituents care about their lives and their cost of living. Everything they are buying is up.

I just filled my tank yesterday in Montgomery County in Flower Town and topped the tank, and it was $99.89. I'm lucky I could do that, but I know some who are filling it up $10 at a time, $20 at a time. Everything is costing more.

This war has not proven to be successful. We don't even know what the mission is. And I really feel for our military who, I have to tell you, they are exquisite. I have visited with them on aircraft carriers and submarines and on the ground. They're exquisite. They deserve better.

TAPPER: Before you go, Congresswoman, I want to get your reaction to the breaking news, President Trump this afternoon saying that he is banning certain news media, including CNN, also MS NOW and Politico from the White House. He says this is possibly just a start. He also singled out The New York Times and The Washington Post as, quote, fake and disgusting, unquote. Obviously, they're not fake or disgusting. What's your reaction to this?

DEAN: Again, awful but not surprising. The president is so thin- skinned. And you notice what he said, Jake, about some of your reporting. It's negative. That doesn't mean it's false. It means he doesn't like it because it's not flattering him.

Well, we are not in Russia where they are known for their propaganda. We're not supposed to be -- you're not supposed to be a propaganda machine. Congress is not supposed to be somebody who just boosts the ego of this very fragile emperor with no clothes.

[18:20:02]

So, it's very troubling. It's obviously against our Constitution, the First Amendment.

I want to point out something I'm reading, which I've read this summer, and I gave it to everybody who works with me, "On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder. If you worry that tyranny might be in our future, it's here. When you're curbing freedom of the press, when you're lying about war dead and using euphemisms to rename war dead as overseas operations casualties, you know we are in tyrannical times. And that's why I'm very excited that in fewer than 50 days, we're going to have free and fair elections in this country, where we will reject this president's bigotry, narcissism, and childlike behaviors.

TAPPER: Pennsylvania Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean from the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I said that twice because I like that's commonwealth so much, thanks so much for being with us. I appreciate it.

DEAN: We like that.

TAPPER: Today was the first day of testimony in the trial of a former American Idol contestant accused of killing his wife and staging a fake crime scene. What we learned from the first witnesses ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

TAPPER: Our Law and Justice Lead now. Today marked day one of testimony in the murder trial of former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn.

Flynn, a former music pastor, is accused of shooting his wife to death last February inside their Ohio home, and then staging a fake crime scene to appear as though her murder had been at the hands of an intruder. Flynn has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

CNN's Jean Casarez is following today's opening statements for us. Jean, take us inside the courtroom today. What happened?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jake, the prosecutors wasted no time. They told this jury in their opening statements the evidence will show that Caleb Flynn had a mistress, that it was a years-long affair, over 100,000 texts in a year, and this self-proclaimed music pastor, man of God, here are some of the texts that he sent to the mistress about what he wanted to do to his wife. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL WATKINS, PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: I was up until 4:00 A.M. last night, crying, literally crying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail. If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat. That is how dark and how hateful I feel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And the defense pushed back saying, well, the texts, a lot of them talked about that he was going to get a divorce. That's what he wanted to do. And just because he had a theory in his mind, it doesn't mean that he executed it. But the prosecution said, the DNA, the ballistics, the electronics, all of the forensic evidence we have is going to poke holes in his theory and show that he was not telling the truth to law enforcement.

TAPPER: Let's turn to another high-profile case, the Lindsay Clancy trial, which you covered so well for us, and it ended obviously in a mistrial two weeks ago after the jury was deadlocked. Now, that one holdout juror is speaking out. Tell us what he's saying.

CASAREZ: Well, it's fascinating because what he is saying basically, and I'm going to read the statement to you, is that he deliberated. That's what a jury is supposed to. And we had heard the opposite from the 11 jurors. Not all of them have come out, but the foreperson sent a note talking about how we wouldn't deliberate, wouldn't follow the law, wouldn't follow the instructions. Here's what he says. Let's look at this.

I didn't have any doubts. As I tried to explain different possible theories during deliberation, I kept getting cut off as if I had doubts based on the evidence present. Based on all the physical evidence, key witnesses, and what the prosecution presents, I thought it was enough proof that she, Clancy, knew exactly what she was doing and planned.

And this holdout juror is now represented by law enforcement, Jake, an attorney.

TAPPER: Jean Casarez, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

Crowds gathered outside the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., tonight as President Trump continues to insist that his name needs to be added to the building in exchange for renovations, and if not, there's this threat that the building might be demolished. JFK's niece, Kerry Kennedy, is going to join us to respond.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

TAPPER: In our National Lead, you are looking live at the start of a Hands Around the Kennedy Center rally here in Washington, D.C. Supporters of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts joining hands to protest what they see as President Trump's wrongheaded attempts to take over, change, close, even potentially demolish the historic building, demanding that his name be put on it at the very least.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty's at the Kennedy Center. Sunlen, tell us what you're seeing.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, certainly there are a couple hundred people out here in Washington showing up on a Friday night to acknowledge what is happening to the Kennedy Center and protest against it. We see many people in the crowd. I'll take you through this crowd and acknowledging right now that they are singing the national anthem.

They're talking about, no kings here, no JFK. They are noting that this arts institution is made irreparable, that there is harm to this building, and that is irreparable harm.

And I want to point you over here in this area of the crowd. It's hard to see because there are so many people here, but they actually have a piano out here on the street, and they've been singing songs, playing live music, getting back to what is core to this building. It's arts and music that's provided to Americans.

I spoke with many people in the crowd, many people who said they had to be here tonight. They've been watching over the last weeks, months, and better part of the year what's happening at the Kennedy Center and wanted to come out and show their support of this center that is just temporarily a sight for the moment.

I talked with one woman, she came here on Monday before it closed. She said she came and specifically she wanted to see herself if there was any damage to the building, any renovations that were needed, anything that would prompt this building to close temporarily. She said she didn't see anything, and it's so sad what is -- I talked to another woman, she actually works at the Smithsonian, and she said, I need to come and see what's going on here because, potentially, my work office could be next. And that just an acknowledgement, Jake, of course, President Trump's projects, his focus here in D.C. remains a constant concern for many people here as he works to remake D.C. in his style and his liking.

[18:35:09]

Jake?

TAPPER: All right. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, thank you so much.

Joining us now is a rather high-profile member of the Kennedy family, Kerry Kennedy, a daughter of JFK's younger brother, a former attorney general and senator, Robert F. Kennedy. She's also the author of the upcoming book about her mom. It's called "Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy". I can't wait to read it. Kerry, thanks for joining us.

First of all, what went through your mind when that photograph popped up of President Trump on Air Force One and through the windows you could see he was holding some sort of poster that said, Kennedy Center Demolished?

KERRY KENNEDY, PRESIDENT, ROBERT AND ETHEL KENNEDY HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER: Yes. You know, it's heartbreaking to me. It's heartbreaking because this is the monument to our slain president, and this is also the monument to the arts the most important monument to the arts in our entire country. And this is -- these are the actions of a -- these are the actions of a petty tyrant who can't get his way. And because he can't add his name to it, he's going to blow it up.

It would be like the Trump Eiffel Tower or the Trump Buckingham Palace or, you know, the Trump Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Keep your name off our buildings, Mr. Trump. Do your job, lower our prices, stop the war in Iran, and get to work on what's important.

TAPPER: Let me play a clip for you of something President Trump said this afternoon when he was asked about wanting to put his name on the Kennedy Center and the future of the Kennedy Center. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I can save it easily. But why should we be doing that and then raise money for the rest of our lives to keep it afloat, because that's what you have to do, if we get no recognition? I think the Trump administration should be recognized as having saved the Kennedy Center, because nobody else can do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, he won't save it unless he gets his name on it. What's your reaction?

KENNEDY: Well, like I said, it's a temper tantrum from a petty tyrant. But I think, you know, it's not that he has to raise the money. The money has already been allocated by Congress in the big, beautiful bill, $256 million, more than enough to completely remake the Kennedy Center.

So, this is just a false narrative. And the -- for the ongoing work of the Kennedy Center, there are three sources of funding: government, charity, and ticket sales. Well, charity and ticket sales plummeted as soon as Trump put his name on the building. So, all he has to do is step away, and people will come flooding back.

TAPPER: Have you -- your brother, Bobby Jr., Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is obviously the Health and Human Services secretary. Have you talked to him at all about this, because he seems to have a close relationship with the president?

KENNEDY: Yes. I -- you know, all I can tell you is what I've read in the paper, that he feels he's got other more important things to do than focus on this.

But I think that this is more than slapping a name on a building. This is the arts. This is the premier arts organization for our entire nation. Millions and millions of people tune into the Kennedy Center Honors. And this is an opportunity for people in the arts to be recognized, to be lauded, and to be encouraged to express themselves from their heart, from their creativity, in a way that you can't do in politics or journalism or any other -- in any other way.

TAPPER: Has anyone with the administration, including those on the Trump-appointed board of the Kennedy Center, has anyone been in touch with your family about the future of the Kennedy Center?

KENNEDY: No.

TAPPER: We mentioned that you've written a book about your mother, Ethel Kennedy, may she rest in peace. How often did she visit the Kennedy Center? What do you suppose she would think about all this?

KENNEDY: Well, when she started Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in 1968, and then when the Kennedy Center opened, we went there every year for our journalism awards, which, of course, lauds journalists who expose injustice in our country and around the world.

[18:40:16]

So, it's always very central to us.

I remember as a young child, the architects coming to Hickory Hill and laying out the plans for the Kennedy Center. So, this has always been important to me and to our family, and my mother went, of course, quite often when she was in Washington, D.C., and that's where we grew up.

But it's not just our family. It's central to what it means to be a Washingtonian. You know that, Jake, because you live in Washington too. But it would be like the Trump Eiffel Tower. You don't do that. Or the Statue of Liberty, the Trump Statue of Liberty. This is an iconic building and it's a central force in the life of Washington and in our nation, and the president should just focus on stopping the war in Iran, which he started, and it's devastating our country and the world, and he should focus on lowering prices for ordinary Americans.

TAPPER: You know, it occurs to me, Kerry, the last time I saw your mom was at the Kennedy Center. She was in a wheelchair. I think you might have been with her. I'm not sure. But I was in an elevator with her. I mean, she was going to the Kennedy Center as long as she could. And it was great to see her.

KENNEDY: As long as she could. And she loved every minute of it. TAPPER: Yes.

KENNEDY: She loved the performances. She loved the people there. And she was a big supporter.

TAPPER: Yes. Kerry Kennedy, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate it.

KENNEDY: Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: Health officials are warning about a new deadly drug that's believed to be ten times stronger than fentanyl, if you can believe that. Those details are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:08]

TAPPER: In our health lead, officials are warning about a new opioid described as ten times stronger than fentanyl. The White House says cychlorphine. It's brand new, so I don't even know how to pronounce it. Cychlorphine has been involved in at least 55 deaths and identified in at least 10 states, and has the potential to spread across the country.

Joining us now to discuss, Daniel Tsai. He's the director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Dan, police say that this new drug, cychlorphine, killed a 16-year-old in San Francisco earlier this year. What do we know about it, this drug?

DANIEL TSAI, DIRECTOR, SAN FRANCISCO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH: That's right, Jake. It's a very, very tragic overdose death. The first that we've recorded of cyclophane, which is this new, very powerful synthetic opioid.

And the message we as public health officials, want to make sure folks are aware of parents, youth, the entire community is that there is an extremely potent new synthetic opioid. It's known as cychlorphine. It's now entered, as you noted, the illicit drug supply across the country here in San Francisco. We've seen it in counterfeit pills and tragically involved in overdose deaths.

And there's two things that I think are particularly dangerous about this drug. First, it's ten times more potent than fentanyl, which means it's probably at least 500 times more potent than oxycodone. And in San Francisco alone, we've had over 4,000 deaths, overdose deaths since 2020, primarily from fentanyl.

And even as we've made real progress in tackling the fentanyl crisis in San Francisco and our overdose death numbers are down 24 percent, I can't overstate how dangerous this is. Human beings should not be taking cyclosporine. If there's anything we've learned from fentanyl, it's tackling this head on with the treatment and tools we know and develop in response to fentanyl is incredibly important. Second --

TAPPER; Now, so some people say, oh, go ahead, I'm sorry.

TSAI: I just want to say particularly on the youth piece, youth teenagers are disproportionately impacted with counterfeit pills. And we've seen teens on Snapchat chat looking to buy pills. I've even had questions from folks like, how do I know if my pill is safe?

The short answer is, you don't. Never take a pill that hasn't been prescribed to you by a doctor that you haven't gotten from a pharmacy, and really importantly, even one pill can kill you.

TAPPER: Yeah.

TSAI: And treatment available if you need it.

TAPPER: So I guess the big question about cyclosporine is some people take fentanyl purposefully, but a lot of the overdose deaths are because somebody put fentanyl in cocaine or even like an herbal pill or a fake opioid or whatever. Like its people don't know that they're even taking it.

Is that what's happening with cychlorphine, too? People don't even know that it's in whatever they're ingesting.

TSAI: Well, to be clear here in San Francisco, we've had one overdose death so far. And in that instance, yes, very tragically, the teenager that took it did not know, at least as we understand, that there was cychlorphine and cychlorphine does not show up when you do. We have things called fentanyl test strips to test for certain compounds. If they have fentanyl. Cychlorphine is so new in the drug supply that it does not show up on that yet.

We also know that people, you know, there's a whole range of situations that people in which people are using drugs. And we want to make sure folks understand, even for folks intentionally trying to seek out opioids, how dangerous, how potent cychlorphine is, and that it is now in the drug supply.

TAPPER: Is Narcan effective at all at reversing an overdose on cychlorphine?

TSAI: The short answer is yes. Narcan is effective. It works. Narcan is often known as naloxone.

It works at reversing overdoses from opioids and cychlorphine is an -- is an opioid. But because it is so much more potent, it is possible that you may need more one dose. But the -- if you're with someone that has an overdose, the same approach applies. Give someone Narcan. Call 911 and then two to three minutes, if needed. Give another dose of Narcan.

TAPPER: A reminder for everybody out there. As you said, don't. Don't take medicine that hasn't been prescribed, even if you think it's an herbal supplement, there could be fentanyl in it. And now that we know there could be cychlorphine in it.

Daniel Tsai, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

TSAI: Thank you, Jake. Take care.

TAPPER: Coming up next, renowned chef David Chang is here for a happier story. He's going to give us a preview of his brand-new CNN series before it premieres this weekend. Stick with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:55:00]

TAPPER: Our pop culture lead. Now, are you looking for some inspiration for your next meal? Well, you're not alone. Join acclaimed chef David Chang and his friends on a wild journey to discover delicious foods in the all new CNN original series, "THE DETOUR WITH DAVID CHANG".

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CHANG, HOST, THE DETOUR: We -- I absolutely love a meat and three, so just a fair warning. I'm going to over order.

Can I get oxtails with dressing pinto beans with that and cabbage, the fish, the catfish. Awesome. Can I try the meatloaf? Do you like the meatloaf?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Meatloaf looks really good.

CHANG: Can I add a couple sides, too? So, it's like a meat and five. Can I add a couple sides? Could I get the green beans and the mac and cheese?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're sharing everything with me. To be crystal clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: With me now, the chef host of the new show, David Chang.

David, you're -- you're an over-orderer. That's -- that's very clear to me. You're an over orderer. Explain, explain why.

CHANG: You know, life is short and you got to try a little bit of everything. And when I get to a place like a meat and three, everything has to get ordered. So it's better than being an under order.

TAPPER: Oh, 100 percent. I guess the -- I was always raised thinking you have to clear your plate and you don't -- you don't have to clear your plate. That's the point.

CHANG: Well, you can always invite people over to finish the food. That's what I like to do, too.

TAPPER: So the premise of the show is to use word of mouth to discover new foods, as opposed to using, you know, Yelp reviews or whatever. How different is an in-person recommendation from one that you might read online?

CHANG: It is the polar opposite, right? And again, I'm guilty as just as much as anybody else of using an algorithm or just being sort of information fed what everyone else is using. And I wanted to go back to the way it used to be, like discovering a book or a band that you were into.

And when you have a recommendation from somebody, a stranger on the street or a diner that's already in the establishment, I think it just completely changes the dynamic of what to eat, how to eat, and just sort of the, the context of the restaurant. So, it was a dream that CNN let me just basically wander around asking people what to eat.

TAPPER: So it's called "THE DETOUR" because your road trip is, is it's not necessarily in a straight line. Is that kind of a life philosophy just to kind of go where fate and the whimsy and the wind push you?

CHANG: Yeah. I mean, I haven't been on a proper road trip since college, quite frankly, and I wanted to remind myself of what discovery was once again. And again, like, I can get stuck in a rut just like anybody else, and especially with food.

So, it was really refreshing to go back to a more simple time. And not everything we ate was delicious. But that's not the point, right? Sometimes the restaurant or an eatery, it's the sum of its parts, right? And the experience and talking to people and the ambiance, that's -- that's everything.

TAPPER: And you're also joined by different people on your travels, on your detours. Did connecting with different people change the outlook on cooking, on food, on life?

CHANG: Especially this trip, because sometimes we were going with individuals that knew that area quite well, like Gillian Jacobs. We went from her hometown of Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, a town that she didn't know quite as well as I did. So, each guest brought their sort of strengths in terms of what they knew. And sometimes I knew quite a bit and I could teach them. So, it was a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and a lot of great eating.

TAPPER: I'm from Philly. Where did you go in Philly?

CHANG: We went to Marc Vetri's great restaurant, Fiorella. Not -- and the problem is we couldn't fit everything in. And hopefully sometimes the extra content we filmed will be living elsewhere. And we went to a bang bang room in Philadelphia. You haven't been. That was just an outstanding restaurant.

TAPPER: I'll have to check that out. Were there any meals or concepts you discovered while traveling that you might want to incorporate into a future David Chang dish? CHANG: Well, I'll tell you, the most shocking meal was probably the

best meal. And that was again in Pittsburgh at a restaurant called Apteka. And that's Gillian Jacobs like, favorite spot. And when she told me it was a vegan Polish restaurant, I was hesitant. But again, like Pittsburgh, that restaurant sort of blew me away.

TAPPER: What are you most excited for people to see on the show?

CHANG: I just think getting some friends together and not having a plan, and that's sort of what the pitch was to CNN like, let's just go to a place, not have really any idea what we're doing and then see what comes out of that. So, getting to make that with Morgan Neville, the Oscar-winning director, was a dream come true.

TAPPER: All right. Be sure to tune in this all-new CNN original series, "THE DETOUR WITH DAVID CHANG" premieres Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

David, thank you so much. Good to see you again.

CHANG: Thank you, Jake.

TAPPER: Coming up Sunday on "STATE OF THE UNION," U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, Maryland Governor Wes Moore. That's Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern, only on CNN.

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, 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. Download the CNN app, folks.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.