Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

OpenAI Launches Its Own Internet Browser; Trump Says He Could Be Seeking $230 Million in Compensation From DOJ; More Americans Are Falling Behind on Car Payments; Louvre Reopens for First Time Since Brazen Heist; Travis Kelce Joins Six Flags Investment Group; NYPD Officers Save Baby Boy Who Was Choking; Candidate Set to Square Off in Final Debate Tonight on the NYC Mayor's Race; Sources Say UVA May Become First Public University to Accept Trump Deal. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 22, 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]

LANCE ULANOFF, EDITOR AT LARGE, TECHRADAR: -- But here comes -- OpenAI with ChatGPT Atlas, which by the way uses the exact same browser engine as Chrome. It is called Chromium. So, this is in some ways a familiar experience but overlaid on top of it is all these A.I. capabilities. And that's the secret sauce, because here is what's been happening. People have been shifting away from searching through Google and simply asking ChatGPT. So we've gone from the search to the prompt, and Google is very aware of that. And I think OpenAI sees a big opportunity because they're like, well, where do people really live? How do they start their day online?

They start it with a web browser, but a web browser that's supercharged with A.I. and it is infused in it, ChatGPT is all over this thing. The Agentic capabilities, if you pay for them, and so basically say, "Hey, go plan a trip for me." Tell me -- give it the information you want, leave that tab, go elsewhere, do other things, come back and it's got all this information for you. And people are getting very used to working that way. So, it's not like it's going to be easy to get everyone to switch over, but we have seen how quickly people have adopted ChatGPT, so anything is possible.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Well, and it seems like the latest or the next iteration of what we already saw to be a trend was, as you sort of mentioned, more people searching for data through ChatGPT as opposed to just Googling something which had even more of a market share than it does now. According to ChatGPT's website, with this, you can choose what ChatGPT remembers, so it can bring you relevant details when you need them. And in Agent mode, ChatGPT interacts with sites for you always under your control. What do we know about the amount and kind of data this new browser collects here?

ULANOFF: Well, ultimately, it's really going to be up to you. You're sort of opening up your world to them. These A.I.s are better and more powerful when they know more about you, when they have a memory of that, some birthday is coming up or your relationships with other people. So you can allow the system to have that, but you can also turn it all off. You can turn memory completely off. You don't have to share any information. But at some level, you won't get much out of it if you don't.

And to be honest, this is no different than when you've been searching in Google. When you go to Google, how many people type entire sentences for search with all this information and they wait for the result. This is similar except ChatGPT, this system and Atlas, they work with so much more data that they're -- they manage the data and go through it in a way that isn't possible for a sort of flat search engine.

So yes, if you're not comfortable sharing the information and having it go out that way and then come back to you, then you simply don't.

JIMENEZ: But as you mentioned, it makes the experience not optimal, so therein lies the choice for those who work through some of these new products.

ULANOFF: Right.

JIMENEZ: The frontier that is ever moving, Lance Ulanoff, appreciate the insight.

ULANOFF: It's a pleasure.

JIMENEZ: All right, meanwhile, President Trump says, reports he's seeking $230 million from his own Justice Department as compensation for past legal fees could be accurate. But, is the move legal? We'll discuss next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:37:15]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Some big ethical questions about the $230 million that President Trump appears to confirm he is seeking from his own Justice Department. It's money that would come from you, U.S. taxpayers. And The New York Times is reporting that he's pursuing the money as compensation for two federal investigations that he faced, the classified documents case and the Russian election interference probe.

CNN asked the president about the report and he said, "It could be accurate," while also asserting not to know the specifics. But what he does acknowledge is the unprecedented nature.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: With the country, it's interesting because I'm the one that makes a decision, right? And that decision would have to go across my desk and it's awfully strange to make a decision where I'm paying myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We're joined now by former Federal Prosecutor, Brendan Ballou. All right, we heard that from President Trump, Brendan, but who exactly within the DOJ would be in charge of approving this and what would Trump's potential influence be over them?

BRENDAN BALLOU, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It's a great question. So ordinarily, a settlement of this size would need to be approved by the Deputy Attorney General. So the number two official at DOJ or the Associate Attorney General, the number three. Now, the issue here is that the Deputy Attorney General is Todd Blanche who was and claims to still be the president's personal attorney. So, there are enormous conflict of interest issues raised by approving a settlement like this.

Now, ordinarily, the White House would have absolutely no involvement in approving these sorts of settlements. But the sort of firewall that ordinarily stood between DOJ and the White House believe just collapsed in this administration. So it seems likely and the president says as much that he may be involved in the settlement too.

KEILAR: Yeah. So you have Blanche, Deputy AG, also the Head of the Civil Division, Stanley Woodward, who represented Trump's co-defendant in the classified documents case. That's important to note. Should they recuse themselves? How should they handle this?

BALLOU: Well, under the ordinary ethics rules, absolutely. So, D.C. Bar Rule 1.7 prevent -- prohibits exactly these sorts of conflicts where the representation of one client, in this case the president, would conflict with the representation of another client, the Department of Justice or the United States. So I think under ordinary ethics rules, absolutely, they would need to recuse themselves.

The challenge is that if they recuse themselves, the responsibility can simply go to another person in the Department of Justice. And obviously, they know that their careers are tied to pleasing the president. So it seems likely that they would want to approve a settlement like this.

KEILAR: Do you think there's a chance this gets denied?

[13:40:00]

BALLOU: It's a great question. So, perhaps the optics of this are so spectacularly bad for the Department of Justice and the president that they might want to stop this or slow roll it. The challenge that we have is because it's an administrative proceeding right now, rather than litigation, this doesn't necessarily need to go to a court for approval and it doesn't necessarily even need to be made public. So it's possible, absent a whistleblower, that a payment like this could be made without people even finding out about it.

KEILAR: That is something to think of. Brendan Ballou, thank you.

Still ahead, under stress. More Americans are falling behind on their car payments. And up next, we'll show you why this is a big warning sign for the overall economy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:30] JIMENEZ: And yet another sign that the U.S. economy may be forming some serious cracks. More Americans are struggling to make their monthly car payments. I want to bring in CNN's Matt Egan who joins us now. So Matt, can you just tell us what the numbers are showing and why people should be paying attention here?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, Omar, this is striking because historically Americans prioritize car payments over almost every other payment, right? Because people need their cars to get to work, to take care of their family. But unfortunately, yes, some people are falling behind on their car payments and some are even defaulting on their car loans and having their cars repossessed. So, Fitch ratings found that when you're looking at subprime borrowers, people who have weaker credit scores, 6.4 percent of them are 60 days or more late on their car loans.

Now, that is higher than what we saw during COVID, higher than the 2008 financial crisis. In fact, it's the second highest on records going back to the early 1990s. The only time it was higher was in January of this year. Now, thankfully, we are not seeing the same issue with people who have higher credit scores, right? The delinquency rate for prime borrowers is much, much lower. This is not an entirely new problem. Delinquency rates for subprime have been elevated for some time, but this is happening in the wake of that subprime auto lender in Texas that went bankrupt last month and really rattled some investors on Wall Street.

So, why is this happening? Well, part of the problem is that cars are just a lot more expensive, right? The average car price has topped $50,000 for the first time ever. And of course, higher car prices means bigger monthly payments. Experian has found that almost half of the car loans, the monthly payments are $700 or more per month, and some car payments are over $1,000 per month. And there's also the fact that it's just more expensive to have a car now, right? Insurance rates have gone up significantly, by 5 percent over the past year, and the cost of getting your car fixed has really skyrocketed. Look at this, 15 percent more expensive than a year ago.

So, bottom line, I don't see this as a brand new warning sign for the economy. It's actually been staring at us in the face for a bit now. But Omar, it does make you wonder, right, if this many people are falling behind on their car loans now, what would happen if the unemployment rates spiked or the market plunged, or both?

JIMENEZ: Well, and it's not just cars too. I mean, life in general has gotten more expensive. Inflation is still around despite what some may hope, especially we've seen rates go up over the past year. Can you just give us some context over the life expenses that might play into some of the delinquency that you're talking about here?

EGAN: Yeah, Omar. Yeah, no doubt about it, life is a lot more expensive than it was, right? Groceries, car insurance, daycare, rent -- Moody's Analytics has found that the typical family is spending each month almost $200 more than they were a year earlier for the same goods and services, and that's all because of higher prices. The other thing I want to just point out on the car front here is the fact that more people are falling behind on their payments has meant more car repossessions. In fact, last year alone, 1.7 million vehicles were repossessed, the highest since 2009. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Matt Egan, thank you for taking us through that data. Good to see you. Brianna?

EGAN: Thanks.

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour, the Louvre is back open for the first time since thieves made off with more than $100 million in precious jewels. Eight priceless pieces were stolen on Sunday in a brazen heist that only took a few minutes. The gallery housing the artifacts is a crime scene and it remains closed to visitors. French police say they're making progress in the case after recovering one of the getaway scooters and a helmet worn by one of the thieves.

Also Kansas City Chiefs Tight End, Travis Kelce is getting into the theme park business. He's joining an investment group that is acquiring a nine percent ownership stake in Six Flags Entertainment. It's a chain that has struggled with falling attendance in recent years. In a statement, Kelce says he grew up going to Six Flags amusement parks, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to help make them special for the next generation.

[13:50:00]

And body camera video shows two New York police officers jumping into action to save a baby boy who is choking. According to CNN affiliate, WABC, the 10-month-old was taking a nap when he threw up. He started to choke. He stopped breathing and police came to the rescue. They grabbed that baby, they patted his back, they forced what was blocking out of his throat and parents are praising the officers and their training. Look at that little guy. Happy ending there. Thank goodness.

Still ahead, after months of, pressure on public universities, the White House is apparently close to a deal with one of them. New details on the potential settlement between the Trump administration and the University of Virginia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:55:15]

JIMENEZ: The second and final debate in the New York City Mayor's race is tonight. And because it's the last big chance to make an impression with voters, the attacks between the candidates could be taken to a whole new level. Case in point, Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani is bringing some special guests to help him attack his main rival, Andrew Cuomo, and his record as governor.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino has been following this race. So Gloria, what can we expect tonight? I feel like the gloves have already been off at this point, so I don't know how much further you can go, but just what's on your mind as we head into tonight? GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Omar. And it's New York City politics, so honestly, anything could happen. But the reality going into these debates is that there's a lot of people here in New York City who have been following this race very closely, but there are also a lot of voters who are now just starting to tune in. In fact, the beginning of early voting is this upcoming weekend and that's why these debates are so important for all three candidates.

But really it's Andrew Cuomo who's on the stage tonight and under a microscope, particularly after last week's performance by the Republican Curtis Sliwa. He had a lot of attacks on Andrew Cuomo and in the last few days, there's been a ramped up pressure by several figures in New York City politics who are trying to push Sliwa out of the race. The idea being that Cuomo supporters would increase if Curtis supporters switch to Cuomo. Of course, there are a lot of people who are following this, who actually don't believe it would make much of a difference.

Cuomo, for his part, has been trying to appeal directly to Republican voters, telling them that a vote for Curtis Sliwa would essentially be a vote for Zohran Mamdani, who is running ahead in the polls. And Mamdani, for his part, is going to try and remind people of Cuomo's record while he was in office. He is bringing a handful of special guests, including a woman whose mother died in a nursing home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, a reference to the former governor's handling of the crisis.

He'll also bring a family that's being affected by Trump's healthcare cuts. That's in an effort to connect Cuomo to Trump. And he will also bring someone who had to move into a homeless shelter as a result of Cuomo's cuts to the homeless shelter budget when he was governor. So, I think we're going to see a very different and heated type of debate going into this evening, and we'll see how people are thinking and feeling about it when they start casting those votes next weekend. Omar?

JIMENEZ: And despite any calls for Cuomo or Sliwa to back out of the -- back out of the race, no indications anyone is going anywhere at this point. So we'll see what happens tonight.

PAZMINO: Right.

JIMENEZ: Gloria Pazmino, appreciate the reporting as always. Brianna?

KEILAR: The White House is nearing a deal with the University of Virginia, which has been in its sites over the school's DEI policies. UVA is one of seven schools that rejected an offer earlier this month from the Trump administration to get expanded access to federal funding in return for agreeing to a series of demands. Virginia would be the first public university to reach an agreement here. White House Correspondent Betsy Klein joins us on this story. All right, what kind of deal are we talking about?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, Brianna, this is a deal. The White House we have learned is on the cusp with UVA for some sort of settlement. And this is significant, Brianna, because it would be the first public university to do so, as you mentioned. So an administration official tells me that there would not be a financial aspect to this potential settlement. This is not finalized. It still could change. But as of now, no financial piece. That is something that schools like Columbia University, Brown University, both did have some sort of financial piece to this.

Separately, UVA will not have an outside monitor overseeing compliance. That is something where Columbia took a lot of heat because of the level of government oversight concerns about that. And in return, the Trump administration will halt ongoing civil rights investigations into the University of Virginia, both UVA and the White House declining to comment for now. But this is all part of a much broader battle over academic freedom, campus oversight and federal funding that the Trump administration has waged with higher education.

And earlier this year, UVA President, James Ryan was forced to resign under pressure from the Trump Department of Justice that he was not doing enough fast enough to dismantle the school's diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. And as you mentioned, it also comes as the White House had encouraged UVA, along with eight other schools, to sign on to what it described as a compact for academic excellence in higher education. If they signed on to that, the schools would receive expanded access to federal funding.

And those demands included --