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Power Bills Surge as AI Data Centers Eat Up Supply; Trump to Host Event for Tech Leaders in Renovated Rose Garden; Texas Moves to Let Private Citizens Sue Abortion Pill Providers; Europe Bans Chemical used in Some Gel Nail Polishes. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 04, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to cut America's electricity and energy prices in half. New data, however, shows prices are actually rising more than twice as fast as inflation. And analysts say there are a few things really driving up the costs here. One of the biggest, though, is AI.

CNN's Matt Egan joining us now to walk us through the numbers. So thank you, AI, I guess. What are we seeing, Matt?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, Erica, well, you're not imagining it. It is getting increasingly expensive just to keep the lights on. If you look at the overall inflation rate, it's 2.7 percent as of July. But look at this, electricity prices are rising twice as fast. And as you mentioned, this is the exact opposite of what President Trump promised on the campaign trail last year.

Now, it's true that gas prices are low, right? Erica, you and I talked about that on Friday. Cheapest gas prices on Labor Day since 2020. but not when it comes to electricity. In fact, if you're living in the state of Maine, you're looking at a 26 percent increase in residential electricity prices. In my home state of New Jersey, 25 percent, double-digit percentage increases in Wyoming, Utah, Illinois, and a number of other states.

I spoke to a woman in Arizona who told me that her electric bills have basically doubled over the past year. She said it's really stressing her out. because she just cannot afford it.

So why is this happening? Well, analysts say there's really been a perfect storm of factors starting on the demand side, including the fact that more people are using electric vehicles. So that's means more demand on the power grid. But the big one is artificial intelligence and the data centers that power the AI boom. They're consuming enormous amounts of energy. And that means that demand, which for the longest time was basically static, is suddenly increasing rapidly.

And then on the supply side, analysts say that the Trump administration's efforts to keep alive some coal power plants that were slated to retire, that's adding to costs. And then, of course, there's all the pressure on wind and solar from this administration. No matter the reason here, government forecasters, they say this trend, Erica, is going to continue. And obviously, if that happens, this is going to be another cost-of-living issue that has major implications, both for the economy and for politics.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. I am seeing it in New York as well, not just you there in New Jersey. So I'm with you, Matt, on this one. There are also questions about health insurance and the costs going up yet again next year. What's happening there, Matt?

EGAN: Yes, there is a new survey out from Mercer of about 1,700 employers, and they're saying that they're projecting next year a 6.5 percent increase in the cost of employer health benefits. That would be very significant, the biggest since 2010. Now some employers are going to try to offset that, but that likely means higher costs for all of us employees out of cost -- out of pocket costs when you think about co-pays and deductibles.

So why is this happening? Well, again, there's a number of different factors. They mostly boil down to pricing pressures and also more people using the health care system, including the fact that there's these popular but expensive GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, expensive cancer treatments, and increased access to mental health services.

[15:35:00]

The bottom line here, Erica, is this is another cost of living issue that is moving in the wrong direction.

HILL: Yes, it really is. Matt, appreciate it. Thank you -- Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: It has been dubbed the Rose Garden Club by the White House, and tonight the president will use the newly renovated and paved over space to host a dinner for some top leaders in the tech industry. An official says the guest list is expected to include Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft co- founder Bill Gates, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes is following this for us. So, Kristen, what are you learning about how this event came together?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, it certainly doesn't look promising that this big Rose Garden debut is going to happen tonight. If you can see behind me, it is raining. And while, according to White House officials, this club has everything, there is one thing that it is notably missing, which is rain cover. And I just can't really imagine Mark Zuckerberg, Donald Trump, and Tim Cook eating outside in the rain.

Now, we do know that this dinner together came quickly. This is all happening the same day that the First Lady, Melania Trump, is holding a rare public event on artificial intelligence. A lot of these leaders were already there. You can see them in front of you, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Bill Gates, Sam Altman, among others who are going to be there for this dinner. That doesn't mean that the dinner is going to get canceled just

because they can't do it outside. We know they hold dinners like this all the time, often in the state dining room or different parts of the White House.

But one thing to remember is that President Trump completely redid the Rose Garden and has been very proud of it. Not only that, they paved it over. They added umbrellas that look like Mar-a-Lago. But for the last several days, we've seen contractors up on the roof trying to adjust the lighting, trying to adjust the speakers. They've been testing out various sounds. This is something he really wanted to show off to visitors. And of course, we know these tech leaders have really tried to ingratiate themselves with President Trump since he was elected. Although again, pretty, pretty, pretty sure it's not going to happen tonight outside.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we'll be watching the forecast. If you had a Stefan reference on your CNN New Central bingo card, thank Kristen Holmes for checking that one out. Kristen Holmes at the White House, thank you so much.

Still to come, Texas is cracking down on the most common abortion method. State lawmakers approved a law that will bring new risks to abortion pill manufacturers, doctors, and anyone who mails the medication. Stay with us.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Texas is now a step closer to letting private citizens sue anyone who provides an abortion pill to a woman, including manufacturers, doctors, and whomever mails that medication. State lawmakers passed the sweeping new bill yesterday. It will now head to Republican Governor Greg Abbott's desk. He's expected to sign it into law, making his state first in the nation to try to crack down on the most common abortion method.

Texas, of course, already has some of the toughest restrictions in the country, including bans on nearly all abortions. The new legislation is nearly certain to spark legal challenges from abortion rights supporters.

Joining me this hour, John Seago. He's president of the anti-abortion group that helped to spearhead the legislation. Thanks for joining us this afternoon. Why was it important, John, that private citizens have the right to sue here?

JOHN SEAGO, PRESIDENT, TEXAS RIGHT TO LIFE: Yes, this Bill -- House Bill 7 is a response to what we've seen in the last couple of years of pro abortion activists mailing abortion pills into Texas. That's already illegal. That is a crime. It's a state jail felony here in Texas. However, those outside of Texas are still doing it and trying to hide behind shield walls in blue states. And so this is really the most substantial kind of effort for a pro-life state to really fully implement and enforce our pro-life laws. HILL: So who do you ultimately see using this?

SEAGO: Yes, so this bill is hopefully unnecessary as far as the lawsuits go. We are hoping that those that are breaking our laws that are dangerously mailing abortion pills into Texas over 19,000 a year that we're hoping that they stop their illegal activity. It's extremely dangerous. It's killing Texas babies. It's hurting Texas moms, and it's empowering abusers who want to hurt women here in Texas. And so we're hoping no laws are lawsuits are necessary.

But if the lawsuits are necessary, women who order the pills were lied to on the website or didn't the, you know, the proper mechanisms, oversight that they needed, they could sue or any individual in Texas who has evidence that the law has been broken could bring these lawsuits.

HILL: So you're saying you're hoping this isn't used, right? You really wanted to serve as a deterrent. But a person with no connection to the pregnant woman or the person seeking this medication could potentially be awarded $10,000. If it's a measure that is rooted in a concern for the life and the future of both women and unborn children, how does pursuing monetary damages for others protect them?

SEAGO: Yes, absolutely. So this is a very common public policy tool that we use and we needed something different than criminal prosecution because we have that and it's not working. And so we needed to do something like we do in Medicaid fraud where we give all citizens standing to protect a public interest. And that's what we're doing in Texas is we're allowing citizens to bring these lawsuits to up, you know, to uphold our pro-life laws to create that deterrent.

As you said right now, it's a state jail felony. And our attorney general has some tools at his disposal. Those are not enough of a deterrent, and we're hoping that private lawsuits will be a deterrent for those that are breaking our laws, killing Texas children, hurting Texas women, and empowering abusers.

[15:45:00]

HILL: Does this current measure, which your organization helped to draft, the bill says if someone provides an abortion drug or if they intend to provide it, that they could be sued. I just want to make sure that I'm clear in my understanding of it. So if a parent, for example, is researching this for her daughter, his or her daughter, or orders it for their daughter, does that then mean that a private citizen, or the state in many ways, would ultimately have more of a say in a family's healthcare decision than the family itself?

SEAGO: So right now abortion is illegal in Texas. That public policy debate has already happened is that we do not think that abortion is good for the woman that is expecting (INAUDIBLE)-- who it kills. And we say that no matter who you are, you are not authorized in Texas to, you know, make that decision to have an abortion that would kill a baby and hurt a woman. And so that's already been decided.

This is really a question of are we actually enforcing our legitimately passed pro-life laws or are we empowering radical activists to mail pills into Texas without any medical oversight and not even verifying that the woman how far in the pregnancy she is, or that it's even a woman. We have cases here in Texas of men who ordered these pills, stuck them into the drinks of a women that were expecting and ended up killing their babies. That's what we're after to create a deterrent for this illegal activity.

HILL: You're saying that this drug, you have evidence that people have ordered. And again, it's important to point out -- you're talking about the safety. It is very important to point out that it is safer than penicillin or Viagra. This is safer than a procedural abortion, and it is safer than childbirth when we're talking about these, especially in this country. But you are saying you have evidence that it has been ordered and slipped into drinks to cause an abortion.

SEAGO: Absolutely, there are three prominent cases There are three prominent cases just in Texas alone right now, where we have evidence in court documents that men have ordered abortion pills and are sneaking them into the drinks of women. And those are just the three cases that are public recently.

This is a problem, and this is actually what is happening whenever the other side is trying to promote the absolute access to abortion without any concern about medical standards. Obviously any concern about the child that it kills or the woman dealing with the aftermath of these drugs. It is not as safe as these other drugs that you're comparing. We actually heard lots and lots of medical experts discussing this. We know the FDA doesn't even collect the (INAUDIBLE) these pills are. And that's why Texas has made the public policy decision years ago to prohibit elective abortion, and now we are fully enforcing that policy.

HILL: John Seago, appreciate your time. I will stand by CNN's reporting on the actual scientific data when it does come to safety there, and I would encourage everybody to look that up on our website. John, appreciate it. Thank you.

Still ahead here, a key chemical used in some nail polishes was banned in Europe for health safety concerns. So why then, would the very same product still be available here in the United States.

[15:50:00]

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SANCHEZ: The European Union has now banned a chemical used in some gel nail polish. The chemical TPO helps make gel manicures dry faster and last longer, but there are concerns that it might affect fertility. CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: We haven't heard back yet from the FDA on whether we could see similar actions here in the United States when it comes to banning this certain chemical in gel nail polishes. But experts I've talked to told me they think it's unlikely. What could happen, though, is we could see manufacturers start to phase out this chemical as an ingredient in gel nail polishes and reformulate their products.

The ingredient we're talking about here is called TPO. It's a chemical that is a photo initiator. That means responds to light. So it's the ingredient in gel nail polish that helps the polish to set and cure and harden under the UV light lamp. And just to be clear, Europe has not banned all gel nail polishes, just those containing TPO as an ingredient. And that's because European regulators have classified this chemical as a type of reproductive toxicant.

They say the concern here is that animal studies show an association between TPO and reproductive productive health risks, even including impacts on fertility. So this ban in Europe, it went into effect on Monday, September 1st. It means nail products containing TPO can no longer be sold, they can no longer be used, and all products remaining in stock should be taken off the market.

Now gel manicures, they are very popular. I asked some scientists what people should do if they enjoy getting gel manicures. The scientists told me not to panic. Don't stress yourself out, but there are two things you can do if you're concerned. I'm even someone who enjoys getting manicures. So number one, ask for products that don't contain TPO. There are nail polish brands out there that have phased out this ingredient. So you can get some on your own and take that polish to the nail salon with you or ask the salon specifically about the products that they use.

You can even seek out a nail salon that markets itself as specializing in using less toxic products.

Number 2 you can always switch to good old fashioned regular polish as a backup plan. I know that it takes longer to dry and it doesn't last as long as gel polish, but regular nail polish has been used for years since the 1920s, so it can be an alternative option.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:55:00]

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Jacqueline Howard for that report.

Ahead, the Philadelphia Eagles signature play getting an official sponsor just in time for the new season. Stay with us.

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HILL: A live shot for you there. Lovely aerial view of the Eagles' home stadium in Philadelphia. This, of course, the official opening day of the NFL season. And it turns out the Tush Push has a new partner to go cheek to cheek with. Stand by for puns. They've been activated. The Philadelphia Eagles just posting this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole organization has confidence in this play.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Yes, Dude Wipes. There you go, Dude Wipes. Now the official sponsor of the Tush Push.

The Eagles say they're thrilled. As for Dude Wipes, they added, quote, love a clean tush push. Match made in heaven.

SANCHEZ: Yes, the play, which is used in short yardage situations, in which a player shoves a teammate from behind, survived a proposed ban during the offseason. Now the Eagles, who've mastered the move, hope to tout this deal in the season ahead with social media collaborations and more.

HILL: Shocking.

SANCHEZ: I hope it fails. I hope they don't repeat. I'm cheering for the Miami Dolphins all the way, even though I know it's not going to happen.

HILL: Well, you know, season's young. You can always dream.

SANCHEZ: Yes, dreams. Hey, thanks for joining us. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END