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Ed Davis is Interviewed about the Michigan Church Attack; Record Stock Ownership; Eric Adams Leaves Race; Louis Partridge is Interviewed about "House of Guinness." Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired September 29, 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]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: You know, this scene has been there for -- for, you know, about 24 hours. I mean how long would you expect for it to take to try and find missing people in a scene like this?

ED DAVIS, FORMER BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER: Well, good morning.

That was a terrible fire. And frankly, it can take a couple of days to work through all of the area. You have problems with the potential for collapse, both of existing walls, as little as they are right now, and also possibly with the foundation and cellar. So, the importance -- the important part is not to get anybody else hurt. So, they're going to very slowly and methodically work through it, possibly reinforce areas. So, sometimes that can take a couple of days.

And in a fire this bad, sometimes you can never find the cause of the fire. It sounds like there was an accelerant used here, and they've already made that determination. But, you know, the idea or the possibility of finding every single body is possibly questionable. It's going to be hard to come up, especially with seven more people, you know. It's terrible to hear that this morning.

SIDNER: It is. It's a lot of people missing. And as this scene unfolded, it was -- it was shockingly bad to see what happened here.

When an attacker crashes a car, or a truck in this case, into a church, then opens fire, then sets the place on fire, according to authorities, I mean how would you go about assessing the potential motives? The White House is already coming out with something, but we haven't heard from law enforcement.

DAVIS: Right. And it's important that we stay calm and measured in our response here. So, we have to get all of the information on the table. And sometimes it takes a few days to get through interviews that you have to do and a review of the online presence of this individual and what he's saying in his private communication.

So, I would -- I would counsel being very slow and methodical in finding out the whole story here. But once you find it out, it -- it's not going to result in a prosecution of the shooter, but it is going to provide insight into what he was thinking, this anti -- possible anti-religious motive and possibly other things, including the fact that he was a veteran, may have been suffering from PTSD. All of those things will be looked at in this particular review. It's going to take time.

SIDNER: Yes, you're talking about the -- sort of the caution of jumping to what people would think of an obvious motive, because we don't know all of the details from behind the scenes and what investigators are gathering at this hour.

How difficult is it, though, to process a scene like this? And I am wondering, from your perspective, how officers deal with these families who are still waiting to -- to find out what happened to their loved ones and what that -- how difficult that communication is.

DAVIS: Well, Sara, the victims and victims' families have to be central to everything that we do in policing. And so, you know, hopefully they'll have special teams set up just to deal with the multiple people that have been affected by this directly, and then indirectly looking at the community.

But the crime scene where there's been a major fire is dangerous and difficult and dirty and you really have, you know, the potential for PTSD from the people that are just processing the scene is large. So, you have to take care of the community, you have to take care of the victims who are directly affected, and you have to take care of the first responders who are processing the scene. There's a lot of moving parts to this situation, and it's going to take time to get to the bottom of everything.

SIDNER: Ed Davis, we do appreciate you taking the time to be on with me this morning. Appreciate you.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this morning, Americans have more money in stocks than ever before. Why this has economists saying, uh- oh.

And breaking news. President Trump threatening a 100 percent tariff on any movie made outside the United States. That means a lot of your favorite movies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:38:50]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right some breaking news coming in. President Trump is now taking on the film industry in a new way. In a social media post just moments ago he wrote that he will be imposing a 100 percent tariff on, as he put it, any and all movies made outside of the U.S. He also said California's been hit hard by movie productions moving outside the United States. And this may sound familiar, he did start threatening this back in May. It seems that he's now moving towards it. And for years filmmakers have been leaving Hollywood for destinations outside the U.S., including the U.K. and Canada in order to lower costs. Several big movies of recent were produced by U.S. studios shot outside of America, including "Deadpool" and "Wolverine," "Wicked," "Gladiator II," The thing about it is, the president did not say when or how the tariffs would happen. So, stand by to stand by on that.

Also new this morning, the stock market has been rising. Americans have more money in stocks than ever before. Economists are warning that could be a problem and that a market downturn could hit Americans harder than ever before.

CNN's Matt Egan, looking into this one for us this morning.

What are you seeing, Matt?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Kate, this is a double-edged sword, right? When markets are booming, like they have been, market rallies can really be a very good thing for the economy, right? Each record high can inspire confidence, get people to spend more money, right, go out to dinner, buy a car, take a vacation.

[09:40:06]

Of course, the problem is that it really does cut both ways --

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: Because they're also exposed to potential market meltdowns that have happened in the past. And these really are historic levels of exposure. If you look at stock holdings, direct and indirect, like through 401(k)s and retirement plans, stocks make up 45 percent of household finances, right? Almost half. That's the most on record that goes back to the 1950s.

And when you look at the trend here, you can see how this is really, really increased in terms of how much of --

BOLDUAN: Oh, yes.

EGAN: Peoples' portfolios the stocks take up. Look at this, go back to 1980, it was just 13 percent. Today, it's 45 percent.

Now, one thing I would note, though, is that this doesn't cut equally, right? The top 10 percent of households actually own 87 percent of the stocks. But still, the higher income households, those are the ones that are really keeping this economy afloat. And if there's a market reversal, a downturn, well, they could stop spending.

And I think that this really does underscore why it was so critical that that market meltdown that we saw in March and April over the president's tariffs stopped. Right, if it didn't, it could have caused a self-fulfilling prophecy and actually causing a recession. Of course, the president blinked on those tariffs. He paused them for a period of time. And the market's really been off like a rocket ship ever since then. The S&P 500 has gained $15 trillion in value just since April 8th. A stunning figure. I think the bottom line is, Kate, you and I often talk about how the market is not the real economy.

BOLDUAN: Right. EGAN: But I do think that this record high exposure shows that the market does have a significant influence on the economy, for better or worse.

BOLDUAN: It's a really good point. Thank you, Matt.

EGAN: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right, ahead, a big name has fallen out of the race to run the big apple. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams pulling out of the race. We run the numbers on where his support could end up.

Plus, family drama brewing stronger than an Irish stout. We talk with one of the stars of the new Netflix series, "House of Guinness." There's a lot of history in this. It's really good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:46:44]

BERMAN: All right, this morning, upheaval in the race to lead the country's most populous city. This guy, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, he has dropped his re-election bid. So, what happens now here? With us, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.

All kinds of people have been calling for Eric Adams to drop out. Why? Because they want to consolidate the race against the Democratic nominee. Zohran Mamdani. How is it looking?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, this move is not a thump, it is a dud of a move. What am I talking about here? Well, take a look here. Mamdani leads regardless or -- whether or not Adams stayed in the race or whether he got out, just as he did. With Adams in the race, Mamdani was ahead by 19 points. With no Adams, look at this, Mamdani is still ahead and still ahead substantially by 15 points. I guess you can argue the margin got a little bit smaller. But either way you're looking at it, Mr. Berman, it's still a double digit lead for the Democratic nominee.

BERMAN: Yes, a 15-point win. Pretty good.

ENTEN: Pretty good.

BERMAN: Not as good as 19 points, but pretty good.

So -- so why is it that Mamdani is still ahead?

ENTEN: Yes, OK, the reason why is pretty simple, and that is that the opposition is divided. Mamdani with 45 percent. And, of course, there's all this idea, hey, you know, Adams' support is going to go to Cuomo. He's at 30 percent. But there's still a Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, getting 17 percent of the vote. So, regardless of whether or not Eric Adams left or stayed in the race, you still have an opposition that is divided, Mr. Berman. BERMAN: Everyone looking at this right now, and every time you look at

a three-way race, we go, OK, well, what if someone dropped out? What if he dropped out? If you add these two numbers together, it's actually bigger than this number.

ENTEN: Forty-seven percent. Higher than 45 percent. But what happens if Curtis Sliwa drops out? Well, Andrew Cuomo gets the 42 percent, but Mamdani still leads with 49 percent. No matter which way you slice the New York pizza pie, Mamdani is still the favorite. And I should note, even if Andrew Cuomo got out, that Curtis Sliwa would, in fact, be an underdog to Mamdani as well.

BERMAN: Yes, again, this is closer, but something would have to fundamentally change in the race.

ENTEN: Mamdani is the clear favorite going forward.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: Okey-dokey. New this morning, 58 million pounds of corn dogs and other sausage on a stick products have been recalled because there may be pieces of wood in the batter. That is according to the USDA. Hillshire Brands discovered the issue after getting complaints. The USDA says at least five people reported injuries. Ouch. The recalled products had been sold online and in stores around the country. The company says, quote, "no other State Fair or Jimmy Dean brand products are impacted." There you go.

Dolly Parton is postponing her upcoming residency in Las Vegas due to, as she announced it, health challenges. The 79-year-old says that she's undergoing a few medical procedures, and in classic Dolly Parton fashion, she's taking everything in stride, keeping her humor intact and telling fans in this announcement, quote, it must be time for my 100,000 mile checkup, although it's not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon. Part -- Dolly Parton was scheduled to perform at Caesars Palace in December. It is unclear when she may be rescheduling those shows.

Now, maybe the most exciting announcement of the entire football season, and it has nothing to do with football. Music superstar Bad Bunny just announced as the performer for the next Super Bowl halftime show.

(VIDEO CLIP)

[09:50:10]

BOLDUAN: Bad Bunny just wrapped up a two month residency on his home island of Puerto Rico. In a statement, Bad Bunny said the Super Bowl performance is, quote, "for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown. This is for my people, my culture, and our history." SIDNER: Power, rebellion, family and Guinness. The new Netflix original series, "House of Guinness," pours all four into one really rich new drama, uncovering the secrets and success of the legendary brewing dynasty. The series follows the fallout after the death of Benjamin Guinness, the man who built the empire, and the fierce fight for control among his four children.

Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was told that you wanted to meet me. Can you get to the point?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my point. These two half poured glasses of Guinness represent the state of Ireland at this moment. Excited by your dream of independence, but in need of a little time to reflect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you reduce our struggles to beer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's what I know, Miss Cochran. I also know that when you complete the pour to fill the glass, it is important that you do it slowly, carefully, evenly. And as with your political struggle, you will only be successful if you keep your head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: And joining us now, Louis Partridge.

By the way, he was mouthing the words. He knows the script so well. You were mouthing the words to every inch of that.

LOUIS PARTRIDGE, PLAYS EDWARD GUINNESS IN "HOUSE OF GUINNESS": I was.

SIDNER: Every second.

Thank you so much for being here.

PARTRIDGE: Thank you.

SIDNER: You play Edward Guinness, the youngest brother of this empire.

PARTRIDGE: Right.

SIDNER: And you're sort of put in this position of taking it over. Your older brother is -- is not at the forefront, but helping you.

PARTRIDGE: Yes.

SIDNER: Where were you when you learned that you had gotten this role? And what were you doing?

PARTRIDGE: Well, I -- I often find that I get rather superstitious when I'm sort of waiting to find out about a role. And I thought for this, you know, I thought I could be drinking Guinness and that that would be a good way to ensure that I got the part. And so I was, in fact, at a pub, I was at a pub in Noting Hill, and my agent called me and said, you got the part. I downed the rest of it and said, I'll take it.

SIDNER: OK. So, you're drinking Guinness. You get the part.

PARTRIDGE: Yes, it's --

SIDNER: Give me some sense of what you love about the story and if you found any surprises, things that you may not have known about Guinness and this empire.

PARTRIDGE: Yes, I -- I've always loved Guinness. I've been around it my whole life, but only consumed it when I was 18.

SIDNER: I was going to ask.

PARTRIDGE: (INAUDIBLE) to mention. But I didn't know there was a family behind it. There's all sorts of stories and lore. I suppose it might be akin to a kind of Kennedy family in the way that we think about them. Maybe not quite as known and beloved, but there's something called the Guinness curse, which I didn't know about, which is a thing that supposedly affects men of the family. There's been a few stories. So, it's kind of -- yes, they're a fabled family, you could say.

SIDNER: Yes.

PARTRIDGE: And I didn't know that my character invented the first pension in England, you know, in Britain. And I thought that was -- that was rather wonderful to play somebody who -- who does good and -- and, yes, turns to sort of social matters like that. I was --

SIDNER: I have to tell you, I love a good period piece. I think I've watched "Upstairs, Downstairs" about, well, every version of it that has come out, I've watched it and I've watched it more than once. So, telling you a little bit about my math (ph).

PARTRIDGE: Yes.

SIDNER: But they are tricky. This takes place in, what, 19th century Ireland?

PARTRIDGE: Yes, 1860, Dublin, that's right.

SIDNER: So, 1860. So, how difficult or how many panes were made to try and really place people right in that world?

PARTRIDGE: Yes, it's a real team effort. And it goes right from the writing to obviously the costumes and the sets we choose. We shot in Manchester and Liverpool, which have a load of old brick buildings that are reminiscent of that kind of industrial era, factories, and they're all kitted out really, really detailed with all these kind of markers of the 1860s. And the costumes, I'm wearing a stiff collar, which basically means I can't look at my toes and (INAUDIBLE).

SIDNER: Is it uncomfortable? PARTRIDGE: It is. But, weirdly, it does wonders for your -- for your

posture. I find that it kind of gives you that poise that you need.

SIDNER: Yes.

PARTRIDGE: So, it's really, really informative.

SIDNER: Keeps you properly upright, correct?

PARTRIDGE: That's right. It does.

SIDNER: Yes.

But it is not your ordinary period drama because Stephen Knight is putting this forward and he was the mind behind "Peaky Blinders."

PARTRIDGE: Right.

SIDNER: And some people have called this kind of a combination of "Succession" and "Peaky Blinders" all mixed into one. How do you see it?

PARTRIDGE: Oh, that's a -- that's a great description. I love both of those. And "Succession" I'm sure is popular over here in this city. I see a lot of sort of the buildings and I, yes, there's a -- there's a vibe of New York that I enjoy.

SIDNER: Yes.

[09:55:04]

PARTRIDGE: I -- yes, we -- we have "The Crown" in England. I don't know if that -- if you guys saw that.

SIDNER: Absolutely.

PARTRIDGE: But that is kind of --

SIDNER: Watched it. Been there, done that, yes.

PARTRIDGE: Was described by Stephen, the writer, when I first met him. He said, this is like "The Crown" with beer, which I thought was another nice way of putting it.

SIDNER: Thank you so much for being here.

PARTRIDGE: Thank you.

SIDNER: This looks really, really good. A little dark, a little drama.

PARTRIDGE: Yes.

SIDNER: But really good. And people will learn a lot about Guinness.

PARTRIDGE: I'm sure. I hope so, yes. On Netflix.

SIDNER: And may people drink it while they're watching.

PARTRIDGE: Yes, they will too.

SIDNER: You recommend that?

PARTRIDGE: Yes, it's intoxicating as it is. But if you're drinking while you're watching, even more so.

SIDNER: Dun, dun, dun.

Louis Partridge, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

PARTRIDGE: Thank you. Thank you.

SIDNER: You can stream "House of Guinness" on Netflix right now.

BERMAN: I mean, no samples?

SIDNER: Here's the thing, I can't -- it's like eating a steak. I can't -- I can't deal with Guinness at all. Do you -- are you a (INAUDIBLE)?

BOLDUAN: What?

BERMAN: I mean, yes.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

SIDNER: Oh.

BOLDUAN: Just like a milkshake. It's like --

BERMAN: You're thinking of only yourself there.

SIDNER: It's like meat in a cup.

BERMAN: It's -- well, exactly. Meat in a cup. Which is why it's so good.

SIDNER: Delish.

BOLDUAN: Sara. I didn't know anyone could turn me off of alcohol, but that just did.

SIDNER: Did that work?

BERMAN: The worst advertising campaign ever.

Thank you so much for joining us. This has been CNN NEW CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM" up next.

BOLDUAN: Oh, man.

BERMAN: Cheers.

BOLDUAN: Meat in a cup.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)