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Congress Facing High-Stakes Battles After Month-Long Recess; New Details in Investigation of Boy Killed Playing Ding-Dong Ditch; Job Hugging on the Rise Amid Economic Uncertainty. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired September 02, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A possible government shut down, an Epstein files showdown, faceoff over vaccines and face-saving over Vladimir Putin. Welcome back, Congress. I hope you had a nice summer.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: A tragic ending to an innocence prank. So far, no charges have been filed after the 11-year-old boy was shot in the back and killed apparently over a doorbell prank. The latest on the investigation this morning.

And incredible video of a heroic rescue. You will want to see this. A West Point cadet and his dad jumping into action, pulling a man to safety before his car goes up in flames.

Sara is out. I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: That is a live look at the U.S. Capitol where Congress is returning today after a month-long recess. We are back baby. The to-do list for lawmakers and for President Trump is a big one with lots of deadlines, decisions, and high stakes battles that have been simmering over the last few weeks. And Democrats are signaling they are ready for a fight.

Just to name a few things up in the air right now, a funding fight with a potential government shutdown looming, that's real, a clash over whether to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, the president's latest deadline for Russia to agree to peace talks with Ukraine has come and gone, and Chicago is bracing for a major federal immigration crackdown as the president threatens to send in troops.

There is a significant development on just one of those issues today. The House Oversight Committee is expected to meet with victims of Jeffrey Epstein and their attorneys. There's a bipartisan push in the House by Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files. But the House left town in early July to avoid doing just that. So, tons going on.

Let's get right to CNN's Arlette Saenz in Washington with the latest this morning. Good morning, Arlette.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. In many ways, Congress is picking up right where they left off, facing a very jam packed schedule and a potentially messy fall fight.

Now, at the top of their agenda, we'll be trying to avert a government shutdown on September 30th. Democrats have said that they want to work in a bipartisan manner. And they have already signaled that they want new checks on Trump's power and also potentially rollbacks of that domestic policy bill that was passed over the summer.

But they're also warning that the Trump administration's latest move to claw back $5 billion in foreign aid that was already approved by Congress will complicate the dynamics as they are trying to have these bipartisan negotiations. But for the White House's part, they have said that they are in no mood to have any concessions from the president. And so that is one of the battles that we could see play out in the coming weeks as lawmakers are trying to avoid a shutdown on September 30th.

But there's also a host of partisan battles that are set to play out in the coming weeks. And perhaps the most immediate one is the debate over whether to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Congressman Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna have signaled that they are undeterred, that they do want to force a floor vote in the House using a procedural tactic that would require them to have the sign on for 218 lawmakers. They believe that they will be able to meet that number.

Now, House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that really that push for a vote is moot as the Trump administration has started to turn over some documents to the House Oversight Committee, but Massie and Khanna have said that they are undeterred. They are also trying to put a face to this Jeffrey Epstein scandal when they will be hosting tomorrow a press conference with several survivors of Epstein's sex trafficking ring. The House Oversight Committee today also will be meeting privately with many of those survivors to talk about some of the complicating factors with making some of these files public.

But that is just one of the fights that we are expecting to play out over the course of this week. We also expect senators to take issue and at least Democrats and some Republicans with the firing of the CDC director, also Trump's push to remove some from the Federal Reserve, all really setting up some of the high stakes that these lawmakers are facing as they're now returning to a potentially very messy fall.

[07:05:09]

BERMAN: Yes, time to carbo load, remember to hydrate, a lot going on here.

Arlette Saenz for us in Washington, thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: A lot going on. We're also following the latest here this morning. We have new details on the investigation into the tragic death of an 11-year-old who was killed while apparently playing a harmless doorbell prank in Houston, Texas. Officers say a group of children, they were ringing doorbells at homes in the neighborhood and then running away, the timeless childhood game of ding-dong ditch.

Now, according to witnesses, someone came out of one of those homes with a gun chasing the children and shooting at them as they ran away. One boy hit multiple times in the back. He died the next day.

CNN's Ed Lavendera is following all of the details on this. And it seems it just gets more tragic the more we learn about it. And now there's a big, lingering question today, Ed, of are there charges coming? What are you learning?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the information we're trying to track down as best we can. This shooting took place Saturday night just after 11:00 P.M. And as you mentioned, these group of kids going through the neighborhood knocking on doors and ringing doorbells as a prank, and that is when police say it turned deadly.

Now, the question at this point remains whether or not charges, criminal charges, will be filed. We got a clue into where investigators are at. Over the weekend, one of the detectives with the Houston Police Department said that they do not believe that the details of this case line up with some sort of self-defense, castle doctrine defense that the alleged and suspected shooter might be able to use down the road. The detectives said that they do believe that the charges could lead to something like murder.

We have not seen that officially at this point, so we're still waiting word on that. Police still have not identified who the suspect is. The child has not been identified in all of this either. But this entire episode has left many neighbors rattled about what has happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE SKINNER, NEIGHBOR: It's really upsetting. You know, you're young, you're a kid, and it's a whole life going. And so far, I ain't never seen no bad children out here.

And there's no way you can mistaken that kid for somebody grown or to do you any harm, and that's what hurts so bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: So, Kate, as we mentioned, we're still waiting to see what kind of criminal charges are filed in this case. Police did say over the weekend that they did take into possession several firearms at a home that they searched there. So, in the last we heard from Houston Police late yesterday afternoon is that they continue to investigate the details of this shooting. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And people are going to follow very closely how the details that they do uncover. Ed, thank you so much for being there and covering this, I really appreciate it.

Still ahead for us, with the president still planning to ramp up federal enforcement on the streets of Chicago, he's facing protests from city leaders and many there. But we are also hearing from people in the city who welcome the extra help, but there is more to it, their message to Washington today.

And how A.I. convinced a man helping his daughter with math homework that he had discovered a completely new mathematical framework. Why this man now says that he was sent into what he calls a delusional state. The new warning with this today.

And if you played Powerball last night, spoiler alert, you do have to go to work today. You did not win. The jackpot still climbing to a staggering $1.3 billion.

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[07:10:00]

BERMAN: All right. Breaking news, if you bought a Powerball ticket, you are that much poorer. You lost again. No winner, which makes the next jackpot now $1.3 billion, which sources say is a lot of money. There were a few smaller prizes awarded. Two tickets won $2 million each, ten others won a million. The next drawing is Wednesday. The odds of winning are 1 in 292.2 million, which sources say pretty low odds game.

BOLDUAN: Should we do our song and dance now? So, you're saying there's a chance?

BERMAN: You're saying -- no, there really isn't. I mean, really there isn't.

BOLDUAN: I mean, I someday for a birthday present, I am going to put together the number of times you've had to lovingly talk about Powerball and you'll have to see it, Matt. He literally despises it.

BERMAN: It's a tax. It's a tax.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: It is.

BOLDUAN: There's still a chance. There's still a chance. Okay. We'll take it. Thank you.

This kind of also feeds into it a little bit. New this morning, say goodbye to the great resignation. There's new data showing that more workers are staying put in their current jobs, making way for a new trend. Analysts are calling, it sounds so delightful, job hugging.

EGAN: Yes, it sounds delightful.

BOLDUAN: I was going to say, but there's a little bit more to it.

BERMAN: No job hugging. No hugging on the job.

BOLDUAN: What do I say? This is an H.R.-free zone. Kidding, kidding, kidding. Please continue.

EGAN: So, it's known as job hugging, which like you said, sounds good, but it's basically the fact that more and more workers are holding onto their jobs for dear life because they're worried that they're going to lose their job and they're less confident that they'll be able to get a new one.

[07:15:05]

So, look at this chart. This shows job to job change rate. And what you saw after 2020, after COVID, there was this skyrocketing where people were job hopping. They were felt increasingly confident they could get a better job with a bigger paycheck, and they were willing to try that out. That was the great resignation. But that has come down very significantly.

And the other thing that's come down is paychecks for people who do change jobs. So, back in 2019, before COVID, a 10 percent increase on average for people who were job hopping. That skyrocketed to 20 percent-plus during the great resignation. But look at this, it's come down to just 7 percent now below the pre-COVID average.

BOLDUAN: So, that's like the whole story right there, right?

EGAN: It is. In fact, some of the government data actually shows that the people who are changing jobs, their pay increases on average, it's the same as the people who are changing jobs. And banking --

BOLDUAN: People who are staying in their jobs is the same as people changing jobs, got it.

EGAN: Yes, exactly right, the pay increase. And where is this happening in terms of job hugging? Where has it slowed down in terms of people changing? Bank of America said it's happening mostly in jobs where people get paid once a month. This tends to be white collar jobs, often in finance, in tech, also business and professional services, which includes everything from managers and lawyers, to accountants as well.

So, why is this happening? Again, economists say this reflects a loss of confidence in the ability to get a better job. The University of Michigan has a survey out where they ask consumers whether or not they think that unemployment is going to go up over the next year. And back in November, just about one in three people said they were bracing for higher unemployment. So, that was pretty low. But look at this. It has come all the way up to 60 percent now. That is the highest since the Great Recession.

The other thing here, according to Bank of America, is we've seen a freeze in hiring in a number of different sectors, and the bank says that likely reflects concern over tariff uncertainty in all this volatility surrounding trade policy.

BOLDUAN: All right. Continue to buckle up.

EGAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you.

EGAN: Thank you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Still ahead for us, they've been dubbed the axis of upheaval. Right now, the leaders of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran meeting in Beijing for a show of military might. You see the Russian president right there. What kind of challenge to the west does this big summit in all these meetings now pose?

And the second dust storm in a week swept through Phoenix. Gusts of sandy, dangerous wind reaching as high as 50 miles per hour. We've got the latest on this.

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[07:20:00]

BERMAN: All right. One of the most successful NFL coaches of all time just went back to college and he got schooled.

Let's get right to CNN's Coy Wire. So, what happened to Bill Belichick?

COY WIRE, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, a lot, a lot that was not good. Six Super Bowl titles to his name, 73-year-old coach Bill Belichick enrolling for his freshman season as the head coach at UNC. He had that trademark hoodie with his sleeves cut off coming out of the tunnel to face the TCU Horn Frogs. 34 years to the day since he debuted as an NFL head coach, incredible scenes there with 70 new players on his roster, John. The Belichick era got underway at Chapel Hill in a big way, 83 yards, 7 plays for a touchdown.

UNC Legends Michael Jordan, Roy Williams, Lawrence Taylor, Mia Hamm were there, but after that struggle bust. Tar Heels Quarterback Gio Lopez staring down his target and TCU's Bud Clark takes it the other way for a pick six. Look at the faces.

At the start of the second half, maybe some hope, but, no, TCU running back Kevorian Barnes takes us 75 yards to the out. It's a career long for him. TCU goes on to score 41 unanswered points dominating North Carolina in Belichick's debut 48-14.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SONNY DYKES, TCU HEAD COACH: We all felt a little disrespected maybe coming in by, there was a lot of conversation and none of it was about us. And so, you know, I think we all were highly motivated. Our players were certainly excited to play.

BILL BELICHICK, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH: We're better than what we were tonight, but we have to go out there and show that and prove it. So, nobody's going to do it for us. We'll have to do it ourselves, and that's what we're going to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. Let's go to the hard courts of Flushing Meadows. A colossal fourth round clash at the U.S. Open, four-time Grand Slam Champ Naomi Osaka and world number three Coco Gauff. Arthur Ashe Stadium was popping, both pushing each other to their limits, but it was Osaka shocking the crowd, taking Coco down in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. She returns to the quarters for the first time since 2020, facing Karolina Muchova next with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAOMI OSAKA, CHASING THIRD U.S. OPEN TITLE (2018, 2020): She's one of the best players in the world. And for me, honestly, I have the most fun when I play against the best players. I love when, you know, they hit amazing shots or they hit aces because, you know, that's how they won the tournaments that they won. So, I always see it as a challenge and, yes, I like challenges.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. I want to bring Berman in to Fenway Park with me. Trevor Story of the Red Sox is the story here. He hit the shortest home run of the season. It's a little league launch. It caused some confusion. Cleveland's Jhonkensy Noel got glove on ball. Ball popped out, hit the pesky pole. At first, it's ruled a foul. Noel said, I think I hit a kid. It should have been maybe a ground rule double, not a homer. Well, it was a Fenway Park homer, Story's 23rd of his season.

[07:25:03]

306 feet would not have been a home run at any of the other 29 ballparks.

Berman's Sox win 6-4. They're now just two and a half games behind the Blue Jays at the A.L. East. John, how you feeling it?

BERMAN: It's so sweet. It's the shortest home run you can hit in baseball, a pesky pole. Just so people know what -- I don't who decided to put this up there. This is the seat in Fenway, in the bleachers. That's the furthest home run in Fenway history. Ted Williams allegedly hit that. It's like 9,000 feet from home plate, like six times the distance that Trevor Story hit yesterday.

WIRE: Very, very cool, whoever put that stadium seat up for us. John, when's the last time you were at a game?

BERMAN: I haven't been to Fenway in a few years, man. They keep me in New York. They don't let me out of here very much.

WIRE: Let him go people. Let the man go see his team.

BERMAN: Right. Coy Wire, great to see you, thank you very much.

All right, a minivan plows through a crowd at a festival hitting a woman in a wheelchair, a child, then going on for several more blocks.

And a father says asking ChatGPT for help with this child's math homework led to a weeks-long psychosis spiral.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no pre-existing mental health conditions. I have no history of delusion. I have no history of psychosis. I'm not saying that I'm a perfect human, but nothing like this has ever happened to me in my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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