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Madison Mills is Interviewed about Interest Rates; Americans and the Ideal Family Size; Robert Anthony "Coach Rac" Cruz is Interviewed about the Savannah Bananas. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired September 17, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: The estate. And then we have this procession going through Windsor Great Park without any members of the public, but still lined by the military. So, he's being protected from all of that. They don't want him to be embarrassed whatsoever. A big demo in London. He's not seeing that either.

So, I think that's interesting.

And then it's all been going like clockwork, really. I think the palace are very pleased with everything, and the British military. They've just had lunch with the royal family in the castle and they're currently going through the royal collection, which is interesting. These are items from royal history which speak to the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K., and they go back right -- documents going right back to early colonialism, how Britain colonized the United States, through to items from independence as well. Interesting to see a map to show where the -- where the Brits were beaten in that independence campaign and on into the modern relationship, which is really what they're trying to celebrate here, how this is a true partnership on the global stage.

Also, John, just to mention a few gifts that were shared between the couples. So, we had a Union flag that flew above Buckingham Palace on the day that President Trump was inaugurated. That was given by the king to President Trump. An enamel ball given by the queen to the first lady and a handbag. Also gifts to the royal couple from the Trumps as well, including a Tiffany vintage gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch to the queen and a replica of President Eisenhower's sword to the king.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Some gifts there. I also love the fact that they went over artifacts from the American Revolution there. You know, the moment very close to my heart I know here and I know could be very contentious over there.

Max Foster, great to see you to cover this historic moment. Thank you.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Why, again, did we fight that, John?

BERMAN: I'm just saying. I'm just saying. Who won? BOLDUAN: Just kidding. You guys -- you should -- you should hear John on this topic later.

Let's talk about this, moments ago, the opening bell on Wall Street ahead of a big day for the economy and the Federal Reserve. The Fed is expected to cut rates for the first time since December, aka the first rate cut of President Trump's second term.

It comes at a pivotal moment for the economy in terms of inflation and job growth. It also is the first meeting of the Fed for newly appointed Fed Governor Stephen Miran. He was President Trump's top economic adviser, sworn in hours before the start of this two day meeting. Miran also is merely taking a leave of absence from his White House job advising the president, rather than resigning.

And there's also then Fed Governor Lisa Cook. Trump tried to fire her last month. He tried, but a federal appeals court has blocked that move, at least for now. She will also -- she will also be casting a vote at this meeting.

So, a lot going on.

Joining me right now is Madison Mills, senior markets reporter at "Axios."

Let's start with kind of the outcome beyond the expected interest rate cut today. What are you watching for?

MADISON MILLS, SENIOR MARKETS REPORTER, "AXIOS": Well, the market is largely expecting 25 basis points of rate cuts. And the Federal Reserve doesn't like to surprise the market. So, it would be a shock if we didn't get that.

The decision itself is not really what people are interested in. They're interested in hearing from Fed Chair Jerome Powell and what he says in the press conference after about the path forward for rate cuts and some of the messiness that you mentioned as well.

BOLDUAN: Right. But, like, let's talk about that. I mean, this is the kind of the behind the scenes stuff that I think typically is not of interest to most.

MILLS: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I mean, you ask, you know, a lot of people, they wouldn't even -- couldn't even tell you who the Fed governors are, right? But one Fed governor trying -- attempting to be fired, another one who's a top lieutenant of Trump's now moving in. How messy does this make this potentially? Does this make this messier than usual?

MILLS: To be a fly on the wall in that room over the last two days, right?

BOLDUAN: No kidding.

MILLS: What's really interesting is that Stephen Miran got confirmed late earlier this week. You're supposed to submit your vote for rate cuts the Friday before, so we don't even know yet if his vote is going to be included in what's called the dot plot, where you see the dots of where each governor has voted.

BOLDUAN: Oh, interesting.

MILLS: And so, that will be interesting for us all to kind of suss out, is Miran in one of those dots there?

And then, of course, you have Lisa Cook, who we do expect to be more on the side of a hawkish Fed, keeping rates higher for longer. And there's going to be more of that division between the camp that thinks, you know, the labor market's slowing, concerns about that, versus the others who think the economy is accelerating, let's cut rates.

BOLDUAN: So, consumer sentiment, the survey out of the University of Michigan that came out this week fell -- consumer sentiment fell unexpectedly this month as inflation is on the rise, job prospects are becoming tougher to come by.

Looking there rather than how Wall Street will respond to the Fed's decision here, what is -- how is today's decision likely to impact the American consumer?

MILLS: And I'm so glad you brought that up because we continue to see sentiment fall while consumers keep spending.

BOLDUAN: Right.

MILLS: We got retail sales data this week and people are still swiping their credit cards. And it's really difficult for the Fed to focus on the vibes of consumers in the economy.

BOLDUAN: It's all -- it's all confusing, to me at least.

[09:35:00]

MILLS: Exactly. No, it really is confusing. And that's why, you know, I'm happy that I'm not a Fed governor right now because it's a very difficult decision to make.

To your point, though, the Fed's decision today on rate cuts, there's this idea that that's going to, you know, drop mortgage rates immediately, for example.

BOLDUAN: A lot of people think will happen.

MILLS: And that's not necessarily the case. It really depends on what the bond market does and what the bond investors I talked to all day on Wall Street do, because they really determine the path forward for the ten year yield, and that's what's tied to your mortgage rates.

BOLDUAN: Yes. So, while, you know, you -- you -- you want it to happen, everyone would like to see their mortgage rate go -- mortgage rates go down. It's not necessarily going to happen with this rate cut right away for sure.

MILLS: Yes.

BOLDUAN: So, it's great to see you, Madison. Thank you so much for coming in.

MILLS: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: All right, such an incredibly close call. Look at that. The moment a car narrowly avoids a horrible crash at a gas station.

And new video shows the moments police rescued a dog from a house fire. But the dog made sure officers grabbed one other thing from the house before leaving.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:28]

BERMAN: So, this morning, one of the founders of the Ben and Jerry's ice cream brand has called it quits after 47 years. Jerry Greenfield claims that Unilever, the company's parent owner, has restricted him from speaking out on social issues. That is according to a post by the brand's other co-founder. Jerry Greenfield said it was more important to stand up for justice, equity and shared humanity. A spokesperson for the company's subsidiary disagrees with Greenfield's point of view, and says the company has saw, quote, "constructive conversation."

New video shows first responders kicking down the door of a house on fire in Illinois. They then go room to room looking for a dog they are told is inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's this dog at?

Got him.

Hey, buddy, come on. Come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, once they find Oakley, the American Staffordshire Terrier leads them to his leash. This is technically the second rescue after owners rescued him from a local shelter. Thankfully, no one injured in this fire. And now his family says Oakley will be back to snoring loudly and eating peanut butter. I'm sure that will end very well.

All right, an extremely close call for a man in Nebraska. He was pumping gas when, oh, he just narrowly escapes an out of control car. The sheriff's office says the driver was going at least 65 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone. Thankfully, the man pumping the gas is OK. Man, was he lucky there. The driver will be cited for reckless driving. It also turns out, we're told, he doesn't have a license, which I suppose could have contributed to the reckless driving.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Also note whether that man still held on to the squeegee the whole time.

BERMAN: Well, it is important, right, because you've got to clean the window.

BOLDUAN: Just -- just saying.

BERMAN: Right.

BOLDUAN: He's got a lot more cleaning to do after this.

BERMAN: A lot more.

BOLDUAN: I have no idea why I was fixated on that.

OK, let's go to this.

Americans are rethinking the American dream. And that means rethinking the ideal family size. A new Gallup poll showing kind of wildly different opinions now about what is the right fit. And CNN's Harry Enten joining us right now.

You're seeing kind of an interesting trend here.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, I --

BOLDUAN: What's right? What's perfect?

ENTEN: What's right? What's perfect? I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for a little Sister Sledge. We are family.

OK. Well, three children -- three or more children is ideal for a family. I think it's so interesting to note because the trend line, since the 1960s, had been generally downward for thinking that you want at least three -- three children or more in a family.

BOLDUAN: Three or more, OK.

ENTEN: Right. It was 67 percent in the 1960s. From 1980 to 2011, when we're averaging 34 percent. But look what's happened in the 2020s. We've actually seen an upward trend. We've seen a ten-point rise from 34 percent to 44 percent. And then there's 46 percent who say one or two kids would make the ideal family.

But I think it's just so interesting that we had this downward trend, and then all of a sudden it turns out Americans think, you know what, having a little more -- a few more kids, actually a pretty good idea.

BOLDUAN: Just rack them up is how you kind of talk about it.

ENTEN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Yes, there's a little bit more to it than that, Harry.

How does this --

ENTEN: I wouldn't know.

BOLDUAN: How does this break down by party?

ENTEN: Yes, OK. So, you know, one of the things, you know, we spoke about earlier this week when we were saying, you know, college education, all of a sudden the idea that it wasn't worth your time.

BOLDUAN: Oh, yes.

ENTEN: That there wasn't a party gap there. But here we see an expanding party gap. Three children plus is ideal for a family.

You know, there was a -- there was a party gap back in 2011, 39 percent of Republicans, 29 percent of Democrats. But look at this. The party gap has absolutely exploded on this. Now, 50 percent of Republicans say three or more children is the ideal size for a family, compared to just 31 percent of Democrats who are basically the same from where they were back in 2011. So, all of a sudden Republicans are starting to think that a bigger family is better, especially compared to where we were 14 years ago.

BOLDUAN: So, I'm very curious what the split is then again between men and women.

ENTEN: Yes, OK. Well, I don't know -- I don't know that much about children, but I do know it takes two to tango. And so this might be a little bit of an issue.

BOLDUAN: I mean, not really.

ENTEN: Yes, maybe not. Three -- three or more children is ideal for a family. Back in 2011, there was no gender gap, 34 percent male, 34 percent female. Look at where we are now. There's a gender gap emerging on this issue, now 48 percent of men, that's a 14 point jump from where we were 14 years ago who say three or more children is ideal for a family, compared to just 37 percent of women.

And I will note, there's an even wider gap when we look at males and females under the age of 50.

[09:45:01]

Of course, those who are most likely to have kids at this particular point.

So, what we're seeing in society right now is all of a sudden men and women are having different ideas of what the ideal size for a family is. And, of course, we've been dealing with declining birth rates in this country. It's going to be interesting to see if those go up. But, of course, if women don't want them to go up and men do, well, that ain't going to work too well I don't think.

BOLDUAN: That is correct. But it is interesting all that would go into why you're seeing the increase. Just, this is a very interesting kind of exploration of society right now.

ENTEN: It is. And I do think, again, this -- this is a little bit part of it. I think if you look at a lot of conservative media, the idea of bigger family is getting a lot more play than we're seeing on the left side of the equation.

BOLDUAN: I gave the choice to my daughters and they said, no thanks, we don't want another. So, it was up to them.

ENTEN: Ah, you know what, up to them.

BOLDUAN: Up to them.

Coming up for us -- thanks, Harry.

ENTEN: Thanks.

BOLDUAN: Minutes from now, the fired CDC director is speaking out on Capitol Hill, taking center stage at a Senate hearing about what exactly led to her being pushed out of this critical public health role less than a month into the job.

And it is definitely not your average ball club, but they are selling out stadiums in a big way across the country. What's behind the success of America's new favorite baseball team, the Savannah Bananas? Coach Rac's triumphant return to our studio is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:50:47]

BERMAN: All right, America's pastime like you have never seen it before, taking the world by storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT ANTHONY "COACH RAC" CRUZ, LEFT FIELDER, SAVANNAH BANANAS: Welcome to banana ball. For the next two hours, you are going to be entertained like never before. I'm talking a whole lot of singing, a whole lot of dancing, high jinks and stuff you have never seen before on a live broadcast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know, oh, backflip catch. Unbelievable.

CRUZ: And I will be with you through it all. You will be seeing this game from my perspective, from my moments out in left field, to hanging with teammates in the dugout, and even a suitcase promotion. It's going to be a lot of fun.

The limits will be tested. You are not going to want to miss it. Welcome to banana land and welcome to the Rac takeover.

Let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Very low energy.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

BERMAN: Very, very low energy.

BOLDUAN: They could really pick it up a little bit more.

BERMAN: The Savannah Bananas selling out stadiums across the country with entertainment focused spin on baseball. Now, a little bit of the differences here. Banana ball has a two-hour limit, which comes as a relief.

BOLDUAN: What? No, John, what is the difference here? Please, tell me.

BERMAN: That's a big relief. There are tricks. These dance breaks. You know, you don't see the Yankees dancing like this. Frankly, because --

BOLDUAN: I don't want to.

BERMAN: They can't. They can't. There's a waitlist of millions trying to get in on the fun.

BOLDUAN: We've got something just even better for you.

BERMAN: Much better.

With us now is Robert Anthony Cruz, also known as Coach Rac. You saw him in that video. He's a left fielder for the Savannah Bananas.

BOLDUAN: How are you doing? You're -- you're out for the next couple games. You fractured your wrist.

ROBERT ANTHONY "COACH RAC" CRUZ, LEFT FIELDER, SAVANNAH BANANAS: Yes. Yes. A fractured wrist. I didn't actually realize it was fractured. I thought I just hurt it a little bit before the game.

BOLDUAN: Oh, should I show the video of your amazing flip catch that you made with a broken wrist?

CRUZ: Feel free. Yes. Yes.

BOLDUAN: Because you guys have to watch this.

Coach, keep talking. How -- what happened here?

CRUZ: Yes. At the time I didn't know my wrist was broken. I played the whole game. It hurt. It was my left wrist, actually. So, my glove hand.

BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE) crazy.

CRUZ: But got x-rays the next morning. It's fractured. Probably out for a couple weeks, I'd imagine.

BERMAN: You stuck the landing. You got a ten from even the Russian judge.

CRUZ: I'm glad to hear that.

BERMAN: On that one.

Let's talk about how -- honestly, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this, what we're seeing with the Savannah Bananas. And I'm a huge baseball fan. So, I like baseball anyway.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BERMAN: But for the last, like, I feel like year, year plus, I've been hearing from people, we took our kids. It was sold out. How can we get tickets? What's going on here and why?

CRUZ: People see the stuff that happens on social media and assumes that it's the TikTok dances that get people to keep showing up. But I think that it's so much deeper than that.

What Jesse Cole has created is an entire culture of players and staff that is all about the fans. How can we make their experience as good as possible? So, you'll see players up in the third deck, in the middle of the game, signing autographs for fans. And it's very interactive.

Even in these giant stadiums, you still see these personal interactions. It is a very once in a lifetime experience that is created every single game that we play. And I suspect that that's what's going to continue to build and grow this new sport of banana ball.

BOLDUAN: It really -- and it's just pure joy. I mean this was like the first time my nephew thought I was cool, the fact that I had met you. And -- but it -- I mean it was like, unbelievable.

And along with kind of striking a chord and it being so fan-focused, it also is really inspiring how you've taken the fame and you've really focused it on trying to cultivate, like, the next generation of leaders and -- and players. It's very cool. Why is that such a drive for you?

CRUZ: Youth sports is such a valuable tool, and that was the way that I connected with my dad most. I think the very first time I ever -- went viral, it actually wasn't me falling on my face, it was when I was telling my dad that I got signed by the Nationals. And that moment was so special because my dad and I shared so many moments, taking batting practice on the field. I think that youth sports is such a unique opportunity for parents to connect with their kids. But I think that the culture of youth sports needs a bit of a change. And so that's -- that's the goal for me.

BERMAN: One of the -- one of the things that's so remarkable watching the Bananas is how many smiles there are, right? I mean, you're all smiling all the time, which is so different than when you watch a pro sporting event right now. I mean we just -- did we see anyone smile at the U.S. Open? I don't think so. You know, you watch a Major League game, no one smiles. It's supposed to be fun, right?

CRUZ: Absolutely. Yes. It's getting back to -- to what it should be. It's a game. And so, banana ball really brings the fun back into baseball. And if I can also do that with my -- with my content, you know, both on and off the field, then -- then I think it's a win.

BOLDUAN: It seems like it's just only going to expand and get bigger and bring more smiles. But it's also -- it is further proof if you don't see the sold out stadiums.

I saw that you also -- and I see it on your shirt -- you got signed by Under Armor.

[09:55:03]

CRUZ: Yes. Yes, oh, that was --

BOLDUAN: This is like a whole -- you've got a whole situation going on now.

CRUZ: Yes, we've had quite the crazy year over here. But, yes, banana ball, as a sport, continues to grow. I think there's a couple more teams that are going to be added next year. So --

BOLDUAN: Breaking news, people.

CRUZ: Yes. Yes, you heard it here first. But there's just some fun things on the horizon. And I'm just happy to be a part of it.

BERMAN: Listen Coach Rac, we can't tell you how happy we are to see you. See you here.

BOLDUAN: Really. Thanks for coming in.

BERMAN: See you well. Thank you for coming back. Appreciate it.

CRUZ: Thanks, guys.

BOLDUAN: And can we have tickets? Just kidding.

CRUZ: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Still waiting for the tickets.

BERMAN: The tickets are really hard to get.

BOLDUAN: That's why I was joking about it.

BERMAN: It's a big deal. And you go -- people are having so much fun. That's the thing.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Joy when you can find it is a good thing.

BERMAN: Absolutely. It was great to have him back.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Coach Rac. Thanks for coming back in.

BERMAN: Thank you all for joining us.

BOLDUAN: Thanks for coming back in.

BERMAN: This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM" Is up next.

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