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Journalists Turn in Press Passes to Protest Pentagon Rules; Virtually Every Major Media Outlet, Including CNN and Fox, Say They Will Not Sign; Trump to Hold News Conference With FBI Director Patel; Father Accused of Murder Runs for Sheriff in Arkansas. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 15, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: So all the major networks, all the major wire service and newspaper reporters who cover the Pentagon day in, day out are turning in their credentials. And essentially, as of tomorrow, you won't have those journalists able to work out of the Pentagon Complex anymore.

You know, inside the five walls of the Pentagon, it is one of the largest office buildings in the world and it is so much more than a press briefing room. This is a facility where reporters have worked for decades and have been able to better understand and better report on the U.S. military as a result. We're talking about a $1 trillion enterprise where so much taxpayer money is spent and Americans deserve to know what happens in their name.

But that reporting, of course, will continue. Journalists at these major outlets are saying they will continue to investigate and probe the Pentagon, but from the outside, because they will not have press passes to be able to be on the inside anymore. And quite frankly, access has become less valuable in recent months because Pete Hegseth and his aides have stopped holding regular briefings. They have barred reporters from parts of the building already. They've cleared out workspaces.

So we've seen access shriveling up, drying up all year long, and now, this is by far the most dramatic example of Hegseth trying to clamp down on access to information and make it harder to know what's going on at the Pentagon.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": And to the point you just made, Brian, how do these organizations now plan to cover the department from the outside? Have you gotten clarity on what the aspirations are?

STELTER: We can back up the DVR two minutes and hear from Natasha. Reporters like Natasha have those plans. They have those answers. Check out her story on cnn.com today about what's going on inside the Pentagon. We are going to continue to see thorough reporting from dozens of news outlets, all of those beat reporters who have committed to covering the U.S. military, but they're going to do so without physical access to some of the military officials that they've been able to talk to in person in the past.

Frankly, there's some concern, and I've heard this from numerous beat reporters, that this is actually going to hurt and weaken the military because members of the military rely on the American news media to know what's going on, to know what's going on inside the military. So, this is something that could have some unpredictable consequences down the line. But it does remind me in some ways of when Trump White House officials tried to ban the AP earlier this year. They tried to ban the AP for petty reasons, tried to block the AP from some White House events. There's still a legal battle underway as a result, but the AP is still covering the White House, covering Trump day in, day out. And the same is true when it comes to the Pentagon.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": I wonder, Brian, the first thing I thought when I heard about this is, oh, I wonder if they know what they have wrought. Because I remember being a, a very young reporter on a beat --

STELTER: Right.

KEILAR: -- and ticking someone off and getting cut off. And now -- then the reporting that I had to do, well now, it was -- you're kind of -- you're catching everything yourself. I think the reporting in a way when reporters do that is actually can be fantastic. It can be great enterprise reporting, fantastic from the point of what the public may need to know and what journalists would think, not fantastic from the point of view of what say a White House or a Pentagon or people on the Hill might want. Do you think that this could actually backfire when you have so many reporters with this extra time on their hand to go out and do some really fantastic reporting with some new sources?

(LAUGH)

STELTER: Yes, that's exactly what Hegseth is claiming he is trying to do. He is trying to stop people from talking to sources, but in some ways he's going to embolden sources to want get in touch with reporters. We've already seen some examples of beat reporters being more allowed about how you can get in touch with them, how you can send tips to news organizations. And so certainly, there's a very real chance this is going to backfire in the same way that some of the past attempts from the Trump administration to stem or silence news coverage has backfired. This is going to be another one of those examples.

KEILAR: Yeah, reporters, they are, and I say this as a compliment, they can be annoying and persistent.

(LAUGH)

STELTER: In the best ways.

KEILAR: In the very best ways. Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

Coming up, President Trump is scheduled to host a press conference this afternoon with FBI Director Kash Patel. We'll talk about what you can expect next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:38:38]

SANCHEZ: Today, we're standing by for President Trump, just a short time from now to hold a news conference in the Oval Office and we've learned that he's going to be joined by FBI Director, Kash Patel.

KEILAR: CNN's Kristen Holmes is live for us at the White House. So Kristen, what is this event going to be about?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna and Boris, we've been told by a number of sources that this is going to be about crime rates, specifically how the FBI is working to lower national crime statistics, talking about various projects that the FBI has been involved in. And one thing to note here, the FBI is also going to be talking about specific partnerships that have been successful, partnerships with federal, local, state officials that have led to a number of arrests or fentanyl seizures or drug seizures, as well as even indictments.

Now that's really important to note, given the fact that President Trump himself is now at a time where he's trying to increase the federal law enforcement presence in various states, even states that don't want a federal law enforcement presence there. So this is an opportunity for them to showcase some of what they say has been successful by bringing in the federal government to fight crime.

But I will note, Brianna and Boris, some of the most interesting things that could come out of this press conference might not actually come at just the presentation, but also in the question-and-answer period. We know that there will be reporters in the room. It's not actually a press conference, meaning that it's not open to all reporters, it's just the pool of reporters. But there will likely be an opportunity to ask questions.

[13:40:00]

And there are a lot of questions that involve both the White House and the FBI, Department of Justice as well, that people have not gotten a chance to ask yet, one of them being potentially about the Epstein files.

SANCHEZ: Kristen Holmes, live for us at the White House. Thank you so much, Kristen. Ahead, how an Arkansas father facing murder charges for killing his daughter's alleged abuser could become a sheriff. An interesting story we'll discuss in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:00]

KEILAR: Turning now to a controversial campaign in Arkansas where a father has been charged with killing his daughter's accused predator and is now running for sheriff. In fact, in his campaign debut, Aaron Spencer says, his experience in the system helped motivate him to run. And he's going to be up against the current Lonoke County Sheriff who oversaw Spencer's arrest last October. John Staley had no comment regarding Spencer's bid.

SANCHEZ: The defendant and candidate is a 42-year-old farmer, general contractor and army vet. He's running as a Republican while out on a $150,000 bond. Let's turn to CNN's Brynn Gingras for a story with a lot of twists and turns. Brynn, he has admitted to this killing.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean there's a lot to unpack here. He has admitted to it actually called 911, Boris, to say it happened when it did happen. And he's pleaded not guilty. Like you said, he is out on bond. Now let me give you some context to exactly what happened that night, really this time last year. What we're learning from court documents is that this Michael Fosler, 67-years- old, he was out on bond. 43 criminal charges all related to sex crimes against Spencer's daughter, 13 years old at the time of these alleged crimes.

Now, that didn't stop Fosler, according to these court documents, in the middle of the night, the Spencer family says their daughter was kidnapped by Fosler. They went to her room, their dog woke them up, and essentially they thought she was gone. And then he got in his car, Spencer, and eventually found the two of them inside Fosler's car, truck rather. He rammed it off the road and then fired the gun that basically -- that eventually killed Fosler. And again, he called 911 on himself.

He says this whole experience, dealing with the justice system, then being charged with second degree murder, well, it's taught him a lot. And part of that he says wants -- he wants to change the system and that is why he is running for county sheriff in Lonoke County, Arkansas. I want you to hear more -- some from his campaign speech that he posted on Facebook.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON SPENCER, SHERIFF CANDIDATE AND CRIMINAL DEFENDANT: And through my own fight for justice, I have seen firsthand the failures in law enforcement and in our circuit court. And I refuse to stand by while others face these same failures. This campaign isn't about me; it's about every parent, every neighbor, every family who deserves to feel safe in their homes and safe in their community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: Look, his story is resonating with a lot of people, particularly in that county who basically have said, if that was my daughter, I could see myself in the same situation that man was in. And really, he's got more than 350,000 signatures on a change.org petition, guys, basically saying that these charges should be dropped against him. He's also got a GoFundMe page where it's raising money for not only his campaign, but also for therapy for the daughter and for the entire family and his defense fund. So, there's a lot of support as this is very talkable issue. People really taking both sides on this issue. But yes, he is running for sheriff of that county. He's about to go to trial on second degree murder charge in January. That election for the sheriff's office is in November. So we'll have to see how this all plays out. Of course, he can't take that seat if he is convicted of that crime, guys.

SANCHEZ: Wow, a case and a campaign to keep an eye on. Brynn Gingras, thank you so much.

GINGRAS: Yeah.

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour, police in Wichita, Kansas say a woman seen being abducted on a doorbell video has fortunately been found safe. The camera recorded the moment the woman was taken by force by a man over the weekend. Police asked the public to help identify them, which investigators say led the woman to calling them. They were able to confirm her identity as a 35-year-old who lives in the same neighborhood where this doorbell camera is. Officials say that she did not have any significant injuries and that the investigation amid this incident is continuing.

KEILAR: Also in South Carolina, officials have reported five more measles cases, all in people who were exposed to the virus at schools during an ongoing outbreak in Spartanburg County. That makes 16 total cases in the state this year, 12 of those have been directly linked to that outbreak. More than 150 unvaccinated children have been quarantining at home after measles exposures in two schools. And the five new cases were found in people who were quarantining, so it's believed that there may have been no additional exposure.

SANCHEZ: A powerful storm in Alaska battered communities and left at least one person dead. And now, we're learning that a lack of weather data may have left gaps in the forecast.

KEILAR: Experts say Alaska does not have enough weather balloon coverage. CNN's Allison Chinchar is with us now to fill us in on this. OK, Allison, explain the connection between these cuts and a gap in weather coverage.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, so what I want to point out too, that this was not a puny storm. This was a very potent storm that we are talking about, so one that forecasters would be paying very close attention to.

[13:50:00]

And behind me you can see all of the damage that was left behind from this particular storm in Western Alaska. Now, it all started from the remnants of this typhoon and as it began to make its way up into the Bearing Seas about five days ago, so last Friday. You can see the storm, even though it lost its tropical component to it, it still was a very powerful storm. Very similar to say Superstorm Sandy, wasn't necessarily a hurricane or a tropical storm when it hit, but it was still very powerful and so were the impacts. So through the weekend, that storm continued to slide up and eventually hit the western coastline of Alaska. And in doing so, it brought very big impacts in the form of wind gusts. Take a look at these, 93, 81, 100-mile-per-hour wind gusts. There was also a water component to it. Water inundation right around six feet for several of these western communities in Alaska.

Now, here's a map of all of the offices that send out weather balloon launches. The blue dots represent where there are two balloon launches done every day. And that is standard practice across most of the National Weather Service offices in the entire country until earlier this year, when many of them turn to these yellow dots only issuing one balloon launch a day or in some cases, the red dots indicating no balloon launches at all.

Now this particular orange dot here normally does have a balloon launch, but they had communications issues. So the data was never ending up sent to the Weather Service to be able to integrate into the forecasts that they put out for those days. Here's why that's important, OK? Those weather balloons measure all of the weather that's in the upper levels of the atmosphere. You're talking temperature, dew point, humidity, all of these things, winds that we need to make better forecasts and they can also identify wind changes.

Now, the way to see this is it would be like trying to bake a cake without flour. You don't have the basic ingredient necessary to make these valid forecasts. So when we don't have those extra balloon launches, we're missing critical data that gets fed into the forecasts that the National Weather Service actually uses. The better the input, the better the forecast. So in this particular case, the concern is without those balloon launches, how much did it really impact this vital forecast?

KEILAR: All right, Allison, thank you so much for that. Obviously, raising a lot of questions. It used to be "Netflix and chill," all right? Now, could it be ChatGPT and chill? Why the popular A.I. chatbot will soon allow erotica on the platform? I would force a gun.

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[13:57:31]

SANCHEZ: From helping you with your homework in the streets to an A.I. chatbot freak in the sheets and no, ChatGPT did not help us write that. That was Brianna who wrote that for me to say on television. The ChatGPT version was not nearly as good as that. So I --

KEILAR: It wasn't actually --

(LAUGH)

SANCHEZ: -- I applaud you for the creativity. Look, big changes are coming to ChatGPT in the form of erotica.

KEILAR: That's right. OpenAI Chief, Sam Altman, says the move is part of a push to ease certain restrictions and to "treat adult users like adults." CNN Tech Reporter Clare Duffy joins us now for this uncomfortable story. Clare?

(LAUGH)

SANCHEZ: A wide grin on Clare's face.

KEILAR: Yes. I mean, a lot of people are going to be talking about this. Why is the company making this change and when is this going to get rolled out?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yeah, Brianna, Boris, I mean, it's just sort of a bonkers time that we're in that we have the CEO of a major tech company posting publicly that he's excited for users to start creating erotica on his platform. But setting that aside for a moment, this is part of this evolution that OpenAI has been on in trying to figure out how much personality ChatGPT should have and what are the limits in terms of how people should be able to use the platform.

Earlier this year, we saw this string of reports about users of ChatGPT who had formed these really deep relationships with the chatbot that were leading them in sometimes dangerous and problematic places, mental health crises, disconnecting from reality. And so in August, OpenAI announced this update to ChatGPT that pulled back on its personality and restricted its responses to certain controversial topics.

But then you had users saying this isn't as much fun to use anymore. So now, I think OpenAI is trying to strike that balance and the company says it has put new safety measures in place to prevent those worst-case scenarios even as it eases up the reins a little bit in terms of ChatGPT, for example, being able to talk about erotica.

In this post yesterday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said we made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. But he says, in December, as we roll out age gating more fully and as part of our treat users like adults principal, we will allow even more like erotica for verified adults.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, important to make sure that content that's inappropriate for kids not get into the hands of kids. There are some concerns, Clare, about humans becoming too attached to chatbots. Our own Pam Brown did a really fascinating story about someone who had like a spiritual experience with a chatbot. Are there safeguards in place that protect users' mental and emotional health here?

DUFFY: Yeah, it's a really important --