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Elizabeth Renter is Interviewed about the Job Market; White House Doubles Down on Trump Lawsuit; The Gen Z Gender Divide; Israel Orders Palestinians to Leave Gaza City; High School Student Testing Falls in Math and Reading. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 09, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Auto giants like GM, Ford, Stellantis, assembled many of their cars in the United States. But as we have discussed over the course of this trade war, they import a substantial number of parts from Canada and Mexico, cars going back and forth over the border multiple times before they come -- before they're finished. Automakers paid close to $300 million in tariffs on just parts in July.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, and this is maybe connected, right? This morning we're standing by for a major jobs report revision from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists expecting a preliminary downward revision of up to 790,000 jobs between 2024 and March 2025. Again, about 800,000 fewer jobs than we thought added. That's what's expected. This report comes after last week's weak dismal jobs report that showed the economy lost jobs for the first time in nearly four years, a decline of 13,000 jobs in June.

With us now, Elizabeth Renter, senior economist at NerdWallet.

Thanks so much for being with us.

I just threw all that jobs information out there. How would you describe the jobs environment right now?

ELIZABETH RENTER, SENIOR ECONOMIST, NERDWALLET: Well, good morning, John. Thanks for having me.

The labor market is definitely cooling, as you said. We saw it last week in the official BLS data. There are fewer jobs being added. And the jobs that are being added are highly concentrated in a few sectors, primarily the health care industry.

And we recently got some data yesterday that shows that consumers are sort of feeling the pain, right? They're unexcited about the labor market. They're sort of settling in place at their current job because they know the outlook looks bleak for finding a job out there.

BERMAN: Yes, let me give you that data. This from the New York's Fed monthly survey of consumer expectations. It's found basically -- people thought there was about a 45 percent probability of finding another job after losing the current one. That's the lowest since 2013. That's bad. It means people just don't think they're going to get a job if they lose it. What does that tell you?

RENTER: Yes, well, first of all, it's the lowest since 2013 because that's when the survey started. So, it's the lowest since they started this survey.

In addition to that, people put the probability of being laid off or losing their job. That's climbing slightly. And they put the probability of leaving their job voluntarily slightly lower. So, all of that says to me that people not only are hearing the headlines about the official job market data, but in their inner circle, in their network, if they're logging onto LinkedIn, they know the prospects are pretty bleak.

And this negative sentiment is confirmed by other sources, such as the University of Michigan, who has shown that labor market sentiment is deteriorating. You know, recently at NerdWallet, we found that 64 percent of Americans believe a recession is coming in the -- in the next 12 months. So, generally speaking, negative sentiment about the economy is -- is definitely there.

And when it comes to the labor market, these -- these feelings are pretty valid.

BERMAN: You know, I'm old enough now that I have kids who are, you know, college age, so they have friends who are entering the workforce. And all I keep hearing is how hard it is to get a job from college, how hard it is to get a summer internship. You know, I applied for 75, I got one interview they're saying. It seems really tight in a way it hasn't been for a while for people coming out of college.

RENTER: Yes, you're absolutely right. And one thing we did see last week in the jobs report is the unemployment rate among a few populations is increasing notably. And those populations are places where we see the unemployment rate start to rise before it becomes more widespread. So, black Americans are seeing an increase in unemployment, and young adults are seeing an increase in unemployment.

I have a -- a young adult daughter, too, so I've been hearing it firsthand myself. And it's important to keep this in context, you know, the economy has undergone great changes in the past five years. But just in the last few years, we've seen significant changes in the labor market. In late 2022 and early 2023 we were referring to the great reshuffling because people could leave their job and land in a better job really easily. The job market really benefited workers and things have -- have taken quite a turn relative to now when it's difficult to find a job.

BERMAN: Is it easy to pinpoint what the cause is? Is it A.I.? Is it tariffs? Is it cyclical? Or is it, you know, option d, all of the above? RENTER: Yes, I think it's probably option d, all of the above. I mean, there's a small chance that when interest rates begin to come down, that some businesses will be open to hiring again. I do think that that will be a fairly minimal effect, and it will take a while for us to see it. So, even if, for instance, rates come down next week when the Fed meets, as many people expect them to, I wouldn't expect the job market to change substantially in a positive way.

I think one of the bigger contributing factors is general uncertainty about the direction of the economy --

BERMAN: Yes.

RENTER: Which making -- it's making it difficult for employers to make decisions.

BERMAN: Absolutely.

Elizabeth Renter, great talking to you this morning. Thank you very much.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Also this morning, a new reveal in the Jeffrey Epstein saga and in the bipartisan quest to get all documents released and for victims to finally see some accountability.

[08:35:06]

A lot of people are talking about this Epstein birthday book and the note allegedly from Donald Trump included in that book. But the one person who has not said anything about this reveal yet is President Trump himself, though those around him have denied -- continued to say that he is -- did none of it. He was not part of the book, did not sign it, it's not the picture he drew.

But even with this revealed, the White House is saying that it is not backing down with the legal action that it's taking against "The Wall Street Journal" around all of this, the paper owned by Rupert Murdoch, over its first reporting of the existence of the book, this note and Trump's connection to it.

Joining us right now, CNN's senior legal analyst Elie Honig for much more on this.

And a big question, what this -- what this legal action surrounds, which the president and, well, the White House says the president will continue to pursue even after this has come to light, comes around -- is around defamation. What does this note, this image revealed, the House Oversight Committee putting out this report, how does it impact Trump's defamation claim now against "The Wall Street Journal"?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: So, I'm sure the president will continue to pursue his defamation case. But it just got a heck of a lot more difficult for him. Important to keep in mind here, Donald Trump is the plaintiff. He's

the one who's asking the court to award him $10 billion. He's the one who bears the burden of proof. And what he has to prove is two things. One, that "The Wall Street Journal" reporting was false, and, two, that "The Wall Street Journal" knew it was false or was reckless as to the falsity.

Well, Donald Trump's lead claim, if you look back at his complaint, is that this letter did not exist. He says it was nonexistent. Well, now we know it certainly exists. And not only do we know it exists, let's remember how we saw this letter. The House subpoenaed it from the Epstein estate, and that's exactly consistent with "The Wall Street Journal's" reporting that this letter was sent to Jeffrey Epstein. And it turns out it was exactly where one would expect it to be, based on "The Journal's" reporting.

So, now Trump is left to sort of pick at the margins. But that's kind of tough when you bear the burden of proof, as Donald Trump does here.

BOLDUAN: And when you talk about picking at the margins, is that like -- around like it's not my signature, it is my signature --

HONIG: Right.

BOLDUAN: Because he's saying he didn't write -- that he didn't craft the letter, he did not sign it at the bottom. How do you legally sort this out?

HONIG: Yes, I don't think that's actually going to matter, Kate --

BOLDUAN: OK.

HONIG: Because you have to look back at "The Wall Street Journal's" reporting. I promise you, a thousand lawyers looked at that article before it came out. And, by the way, you can tell because "The Journal" is really careful in what they say. They do say the letter exists, but they don't say, definitively, well, Donald Trump himself signed this or wrote the little poem or sent it himself with a postage stamp. They actually say in "The Wall Street Journal" article that the circumstances around the letters creation are unclear. So, I don't know how Donald Trump, a, establishes that that is false. It's not false. They are unclear. And, b, that "The Wall Street Journal" somehow knew that there was falsity.

So, again, I think he's left with very little to work with here. And I think his lawsuit just took a major hit.

BOLDUAN: What's the next move then for "The Wall Street Journal" now that this has been, as you say, this -- the -- the -- this book has been kind of revealed, this image released, the letter put out there and, as you say, seems consistent with what the reporting was?

HONIG: So, we've reached a key point in any defamation case, and that's where the defendant, the party that's being sued, moves to dismiss. "The Wall Street Journal" would have done that anyway, and now they have way more support for that. They're going to say to the judge, he can't make his base showing that he's required to make, he can't show falsity. We know this letter exists, as we reported, and he can't point to another sentence in this reporting that was false and knowingly false.

And that's a crucial moment, Kate, in any one of these cases because if the motion to dismiss is granted, well, then, case is over, defendant wins. But if not, then we get into discovery. Then the parties have to give each other documents. Then we get into under oath depositions. And that could mean, again, if this motion survives a motion to dismiss, then were going to see depositions of "Wall Street Journal" personnel under oath, and certainly we will see depositions of Donald Trump. He's the plaintiff. He absolutely will be put under oath in his own case and examined by lawyers for "The Wall Street Journal." If this motion survives, the motion to dismiss, but I think that just got a lot less likely. I think it's much more likely now that the court throws out this lawsuit.

BOLDUAN: You know what, if the case -- if the case survives, as you -- as you point out, it could -- it sounds like it looks to be far more of a headache than if it is dismissed out of hand.

HONIG: Yes.

BOLDUAN: All right, it's good to see you. Thank you so much, Elie.

John.

HONIG: Thanks, Kate.

BERMAN: All right, if you are between 18 and 29 years old, you are a member of what is known as Gen Z. And you are no doubt all watching this program on your giant big screen linear television, maybe even with rabbit ears.

But be that as it may, we've got new data that shows just how different Gen Z is, this voting bloc is, from everyone else, and also internally.

[08:40:08]

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here.

So, let's talk -- let's talk about the kids, Harry.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, let's talk about the kids.

You know, oftentimes we talk about a gender divide in our politics. But the gender divide with Gen Z is wider than the Grand Canyon. My goodness gracious.

What are we talking about here? Well, let's just first talk about party I.D. margin. Look, there's a gender divide no matter where you look. But among Generation Z it's significantly wider. Look at this, among female Gen Z. Look, Democrats plus 19 points. But look at Republicans among men. They have an 18-point advantage. That is a, get this, 37 point gender gap. Now, among all others, again, you see that Democrats lead among

females, but only by seven. Significantly less than 19. And then, among all others male, again you see Republican lead, but instead of plus 18, it's plus 13. So, what we see is a gender gap of 20 points among all others. And get that, 37 points, nearly double, among Generation Z. As I said, the gender gap is a Grand Canyon wide, baby.

BERMAN: It's like it's magnified. It's trends we see in overall society magnified in Gen Z.

What if you look inside that generation at some of the splits there?

ENTEN: Yes. You know I like to dive deep into that data. So, I think it's just so important, the attributes. It's not just on politics about -- it's about how they see life. So, Generation Z, important in your own view of success. Having children. Look at this. Male Trump voters, 34 percent say that that is important to your own view of success, having children. That ranks number one. Number one on the list of attributes that a recent NBC News poll put out.

Now, compare that to female Harris voters saying having children is important in your own view of success. It's only six percent, six percent. That's 28 points less. And get this, on the list of attributes, it ranks last. So, ranking last for female Harris voters having children in your own view of success, compared to ranking numero uno to male Trump voters. Again, a schism a mile wide.

BERMAN: And again, you have some sort of the mirror image of that in a way, right?

ENTEN: Yes, exactly right. OK, so having kids is one thing. How about this attribute? OK, important to your own view of success, having emotional stability. That ranks three -- three among Harris voters, 39 percent. But get this, among male Trump voters, its just nine percent, a 30 point gap. And it ranks last for Trump voters.

So again, just very different attributes on how the different genders are seeing life in general. And that is, of course, magnified when you look at female Harris voters who say having emotional stability is far more important than male Trump voters. And again, having children, which male Trump voters say is far more important in order of their view of life success than female Harris voters. Again, it's just so much difference between the genders when you look at Generation Z. And it's not just politics, it's about how they view success in life.

BERMAN: Interesting if they carry -- will carry this with them as they get older, or whether, in some ways, they grow out of it and become more like us old people. But we'll see.

ENTEN: Yes, I know. I'm joining your group, especially with some gray in the beard.

BERMAN: Welcome. Welcome aboard.

ENTEN: Oh, thanks, John.

BERMAN: All right, Kate.

BOLDUAN: I'm timeless.

New this morning -- new this morning, test scores hitting new lows for high school students in the United States. What is driving this? What we're learning about it. We have more detail on this for you.

And wild vacation, perhaps. Memorable trip, for sure. A total mix up, absolutely. How a ticket counter miscommunication sent two American tourists to North Africa instead of their intended vacation destination in the south of France.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:47:47]

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, police in Washington state arrested a 13-year-old boy after they received information he was threatening school violence. SWAT teams raided his home and found 23 firearms. Officials say they also found evidence that he was obsessed with past school shooters, and that it appeared he was ready to commit a mass shooting-type of incident. It is not clear who or what the target was going to be. The boy was last enrolled in school in 2021, but is not currently attending any school.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: You have been warned and get out. That is the message today from the Israeli prime minister to civilians in Gaza ahead of a major expanded military offensive set to get underway in Gaza City against Hamas. This is after there is new video in of a tower collapse after an Israeli strike there.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This is part of Israel's planned military takeover of Gaza City. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling all civilians in Gaza City to get out, and warning that this is just the beginning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): All this is only an introduction, the sifter to the powerful main act, which is a ground maneuver of our forces who are now assembling and organizing into Gaza City. And this is why I say to the residents of Gaza, I take this opportunity, listen carefully, you have been warned, leave now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Israel's military is dropping leaflets directing residents across northern Gaza to travel to the coast before going south. Some residents tell CNN, though, that they would rather die in their homes than being displaced again.

Joining me right now is CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier and -- analyst Kim Dozier and Sabrina Singh.

It's good to see you both.

Kim, this is happening just as we also hear that Qatar's prime minister is pressing Hamas to respond positively, as the way it's being described, to the new U.S. ceasefire proposal that's on the table. It's a plan that, according to one Israeli official, calls for the release of all 48 hostages on the first day of the ceasefire. In exchange, Israel will release thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

Is this expanded military push likely to make this any more feasible?

[08:50:06]

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, the expanded military push does give Hamas a sort of last threat to think about. But a Hamas spokesman said in the past 24 hours that what they're being offered is a humiliating surrender because while the deal, as it's been outlined in the press, would give them thousands of Palestinian prisoners being released, including about 250 who are serving life sentences for killing Israelis, it doesn't give them anything more than a U.S. guarantee that Israel wouldn't resume fighting. Hamas has previously asked for a U.N. Security Council statement or some sort of guarantee that Israel would be censured if it starts fighting again. And that isn't in the offing right now.

So, it does look like this might be Israel giving them one last chance ahead of the U.N. General Assembly to make it look like they've offered some sort of negotiation, but they've given something to Hamas that's a poison pill that they won't swallow.

BOLDUAN: And, Sabrina, there is also big developments out of Ukraine and Russia's war in Ukraine I want to ask you guys about as well. An attack overnight that Ukraine's president called brutally savage. It's a Russian aerial bomb attack that killed at least 23 people. Many were said to be elderly, standing in line to receive their pensions at the time.

This all comes just after Russia launched its largest aerial assault in Ukraine of the entire Ukraine war just over the weekend. It leaves me kind of thinking, forget looking for signs that Vladimir Putin is ready to agree to peace. Are these signs that he's ready to escalate?

SABRINA SINGH, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS: Well, I think what you saw over the weekend with that, you know, 800 or so drone attack in and over, you know, ten missiles being shot towards Ukraine in different directions, and then, of course, this attack on innocent civilians lining up, not only does it show that Putin is not serious about peace, but I think you're right, they have been making gains over the summer. And so, Putin is continuing to push and escalate this war.

And so what you saw a few weeks ago at that Alaska summit was really Putin being the master manipulator that he was, and is, and continuing to run down the clock on Donald Trump and this administration. I mean this administration, time and time again, has said severe consequences would be put on Russia if they don't end this war and come to the table. But you're seeing that they're just, you know, that Vladimir Putin is -- is really using that and turning it against this administration because they haven't enacted severe consequences. So, it remains to be seen what this administration does, but certainly Russia and Vladimir Putin are not letting up on this war.

BOLDUAN: I mean, and -- and, Kim, it's been -- it's been deadlines set and blown through by Vladimir Putin some seven times, I believe, is the count that -- of deadlines that President Trump has set. And you also have him, just in the last day, saying he's going to talk to Vladimir Putin very soon, you know, and then you stand -- you have to stand by for that.

I want to play, kind of in the face of all of this, what Republican Congressman Don Bacon has now told our Manu Raju when he was asked about the -- like, essentially the sanctions bill that the Senate is just waiting for Donald Trump to support so they can move forward and try to really cripple the Russian economy. Let me play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): He's been weak on Russia. I think he's been good on Iran. I want to -- I want to give kudos where they -- where they're earned. I think he's been great on Iran, but he has been terrible on Russia.

We've tried to be hoping the president would get to the right spot on Russia and Ukraine, and he's not. And, you know, Biden was weak. And Biden's actions in Afghanistan helped fuel this thing with Ukraine. But what I see with this president is even worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: What I see with this president is even worse, Kim. I mean, Don Bacon has been critical of Donald Trump on national security issues and kind of been candid -- more candid than other Republicans in the past. But at what point do you think that what Don Bacon is voicing really starts to become a broader view, and does it change anything?

DOZIER: Yes, you've had the EU president, in the past 24 hours, also say you've got to stop trying to work with Russia. All Russia understands is force. The one silver lining that Ukrainian and European officials are clinging to right now is that European officials are due in Washington this week to discuss some sort of sanctions package against Russia. So, perhaps Donald Trump is creeping up to the line of implementing those packages because the ones that he's implemented, for instance, the 50 percent tariffs on India to try to get India to stop buying Russian oil, India has been so incensed as a country, so offended by this, that they've actually increased orders of Russian oil. And China, of course, the biggest buyer of Russian oil, has also increased its orders.

BOLDUAN: Kim Dozier, Sabrina Singh, great to see you both. I really appreciate it.

John.

[08:55:01]

BERMAN: All right, Colorado State Patrol arrested a motorcyclist caught flying through a construction zone at more than 140 miles per hour, which you will be shocked to know is higher than the speed limit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My aircraft has you at 142 miles an hour in the express lane. What's the reason for the speed today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No reason.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No reason? What --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just got the bike. I'm sorry. I got a little excited.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got a little excited?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The 27-year-old driver was arrested on charges of reckless driving and failure to present insurance.

A woman participating in a YouTube outdoor survival challenge in Michigan has been found -- has been found after going missing. She reportedly left base camp to search for water and never made it back. A helicopter located the woman 18 hours later. She was found in the middle of thick woods, uninjured. Now, YouTube says it had no involvement or awareness of this event and that it does not produce this type of content.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We told them we needed a new flight to Nice, comma, France, but they accidentally booked us to Tunis, comma, Africa, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, two Americans wanted to go to Nice, which, it turns out, is in France. But they boarded a plane to Tunis, which turns out is in Tunisia. An airline worker misheard them when booking their ticket and they did not realize it until they were already on the plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this going to Nice?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tunis, yes. I thought you said to Nice. Nice, which is in France. That's why you

confused me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait, wait, where is this going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tunis, yes, in Tunisia. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're in Tunisia?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: North Africa. Not in France. You're not going to France, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes, we are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are going to France?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that where this is going?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: To Nice. Sounds like a bad joke from a "Pink Panther" movie. Flight staff told them it was too late to get off the plane because their checked bags were already stowed away. After hours of back and forth with airline workers in Tunisia, the two finally did make it back to Nice.

Kate, the lesson I will teach my family here is, never check a bag.

BOLDUAN: What?

BERMAN: More evidence that you should never check a bag. They couldn't get off the plane because they had checked their bag. You never check a bag.

BOLDUAN: I never wanted to fault anyone because I can be a cray-cray, like, kind of scrambled traveler.

BERMAN: You?

BOLDUAN: But don't they check a few times? Like, where -- like, we -- the plane is departing for.

BERMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: OK.

BERMAN: To Nice.

BOLDUAN: Oh, there you go.

BERMAN: There you go.

BOLDUAN: There you go.

All right, it was an adventure. That's all you can say. Also new this morning, reading and math scores for American high

school students have hit a -- the lowest level in more than 20 years. That is from an exam known as the nation's report card. Experts saying that it is part of a year's long trend of decline.

Here's how one former high school English teacher painted it. He painted it this way, 20 years ago it was common for high school students to read 20 books over the course of a year, and now, look at that, now some English classes are assigning just three books over the entire year.

CNN's Isabel Rosales joins us right now.

Isabel, break down what is coming out of this report and what needs to be done.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, good morning.

This troubling report shows that American students are falling further behind in the classroom. Now, this marks the first assessments for eighth graders in science and 12th graders in reading and math since the pandemic began. And it's really revelatory here, the results. Let's dig into this a little deeper by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, considered a gold standard to track the academic progress of U.S. schools.

It's considered the nation's report card. And here's what it found. That for reading, nearly a third of 12th graders can't perform basic reading tasks, like finding key details in a text to understand its meaning. Those 2024 scores are the lowest, Kate, since the tests began back in 1992.

Now, for math, 45 percent scored below basic. That is the worst since 2005. This exam found that only one in three seniors, 33 percent, were ready for college level math.

And it's not just high schoolers. Some of this data continued -- this trend continued with middle schoolers. Eighth graders also lost significant ground when it came to science.

Now, here's the acting commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics, who said, "scores for our lowest performing students are at historic lows. These results should galvanize all of us to take concerted and focused action to accelerate student learning."

So, a lot of parents out there might be looking at this and wondering, well, how did the pandemic impact these scores? Experts and educators found that the pandemic certainly played a key role, especially when it came to school closures, remote learning and rising absenteeism.

[09:00:02]

But stressed that this slide in academic performance began long before Covid-19.