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Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) is Interviewed about Mail-In Ballots; August Jobs Report Out; Rick Newman is Interviewed about the August Jobs Numbers; New contractor for Reflecting Pool; U.S. Open Fans Frustrated with Influencers. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 04, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Some breaking news.

Lindsay Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, just got to court moments ago. He took some questions from the press before jurors begin this day seven of deliberations.

Let's take a quick listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just back up a touch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just back up. Give him some space.

REPORTER: Do you think that it's 11 to one not guilty?

KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY'S ATTORNEY: We'll find out, that's for sure.

REPORTER: How is Lindsay feeling this morning?

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) juror has been identified. Was that the original note?

REDDINGTON: We'll see what Judge Sullivan does with the issue.

REPORTER: How do you -- how do you expect this to play out this morning?

REDDINGTON: We'll see what Judge Sullivan does with that issue.

REPORTER: When you say make an inquiry, can you kind of expound on that?

REDDINGTON: Expound -- yes. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, let's go.

REDDINGTON: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up.

REPORTER: Kevin, can you expect a motion to be filed this morning?

REDDINGTON: That's what I'm asking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get out of the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to walk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think he should have to deal with this every morning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then go to the podium then.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He doesn't move. He doesn't do podiums. He told you that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, this is what happens then.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it's not. It's y'all. This is not normal.

REPORTER: Sir, you made it a point yesterday to say that if this goes to a mistrial, that -- that that wouldn't be a victory for you. You don't -- is that true?

REDDINGTON: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're about to break.

REDDINGTON: It's not fair. It's just not right.

REPORTER: And the note did not specify exactly how the split was. That's correct, right?

REDDINGTON: We'll hear what the note said this morning when we're in court. And you know what? Maybe you guys ought to stop trying to (AUDIO GAP) get off the sidelines.

REPORTER: Mr. Reddington, can you tell us what you expect (INAUDIBLE)?

REDDINGTON: I have no idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, all right, we're done.

JIMENEZ: And that is the scene outside court. You can see, it is incredibly crowded there as Lindsay Clancy's attorney makes his way into court, where we expect jurors will continue their deliberations. But at the very least, we might get some answers as court begins not too long from now. So, we'll keep you posted on that.

Meanwhile, the first mail-in ballots for the November midterms are going out today, even as President Trump battles at the Supreme Court to enforce his new voting rules. So, I want to bring in Congressman Joe Morelle of New York. He is the

top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal elections. He's also been leading House Democrats' push on election security and voting rights ahead of the midterms, now just two months away, folks, for those keeping track.

So, as I mentioned, your committee has jurisdiction over federal elections. Based on what you've seen, do you believe the USPS is ready to implement the changes that would be asked of it?

REP. JOE MORELLE (D-NY): Well, clearly they're not. This is not a serious proposal by the president or by the Postal Service. The courts have continued to weigh in. The lower court enjoined them from implementing the rule. But, look, we're, to your point, we are just a little over eight weeks away from Election Day, and mail ballots will start to be sent out to voters in just days. And so, this is just another failed attempt by the president to impede the ability of Americans to get to the ballot box, but it will not be successful. And we continue to win in the courts, and we continue to win in the arena of public opinion.

So, I wish the president would stop trying to subvert the 2026 elections. I know he's afraid of the verdict of the American people. But look, at the end of the day, 250 years, Americans get to run their government. That's the way it's supposed to be. And it's the way it's going to continue to be.

JIMENEZ: And just to give you an idea -- people an idea of what we're talking about here, it's essentially that the agency would not deliver ballots for states if there are any discrepancies between the voter information and the USPS system and what's picked up by agency scanners and the system information would come from what officials are sending from these states.

And just for your perspective, is it that you believe that these changes are wrong on their own or that you believe it's more the timing here and that it's still too untested?

MORELLE: I think it's both. First of all, there is no system and there is no database of names for the Postal system to compare against.

[08:35:02]

There is no database of American citizens anywhere in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security has a very faulty database, which they acknowledge doesn't work and is not comprehensive. The Postal Service doesn't have one.

So, this is what we ought to do. We ought to continue to rely on the states, as we have for 239 years under our Constitution, to run the time, manner and place of elections. Congress can intervene if it sees fit. But, generally, these are run by states. They run them very well. Local election administrators are highly competent, Democrats and Republicans. There are rules. There are procedures. There are precedents. Let's let them do it because, ultimately, the point here is to make sure the American people have a say in who governs them. And the president would like to stop that. He would like to stop mail-

in balloting, despite the fact that the president votes by mail himself, which is sort of an irony lost on many people, apparently, in America. But the Postal system just isn't the place to do this. They don't have the authority to do it. They don't have the systems to do it. So, they shouldn't do it. And, by the way, they're not prepared in any way to conduct this. And what this will mean, and this is what the courts have said so far, it means the disenfranchisement of millions of people who vote by mail.

JIMENEZ: You know, and we've been following allegations from an unnamed whistleblower as part of this as well, who alleges in part that some of the procedures USPS is planning have been hidden from the public, including some of what we're talking about, comparing the voter information in a portal with manifests from election officials that they submit for each batch of ballots they intend to drop off. But the information in those manifests has to match perfectly with the information in the portals. Are there legitimate reasons where there might be discrepancies?

MORELLE: Oh, there are so many discrepancies, which is typically why we leave this to state officials to work out. But if -- apparently, if one of the lines in the bar code, which we are now, as Americans, you know, everybody's familiar with bar codes. If there's one line that's off, it won't only stop that ballot. Apparently it stops the whole batch of ballots that are sent together in a grouping.

But look, this is, to the point you made about them being completely unprepared, even if you accepted the fact that this is the way to do it, which I absolutely do not. This is not something the Postal Service ever ought to be involved in. And I want to underscore that. This -- the fact is, with eight weeks to go to the election, to put together a massive database of 240 million American voters is beyond absurd. This is -- it's unserious. It's a joke by the president.

But the president really doesn't care, in my view, about that. What he wants to continue to do is sow doubt in the hearts and the minds of Americans about whether their systems work, whether they should have confidence in elections. It's the real dark side of Donald Trump that he's literally trying to destroy the foundations of self-government and the American democracy that we have come to enjoy for the last 250 years.

JIMENEZ: You know, we were talking about it to start this segment that mail-in voting in these elections is officially beginning in North Carolina already, even as the rules governing those votes remains a little up in the air with this ongoing legal fight. Now, the state opted against submitting its voter information while the legal proceedings are pending. But where would you place your confidence in the mail-in voting system right now amid that uncertainty?

MORELLE: Well, I'm not going to lie, this is the first time -- it's hard for me to believe I'm even saying this. If I were a voter in a state that relies pretty much on mail-in voting or early voting, I would do early voting. I would drop my ballot in a -- in a voter box that they have in many states. But look, I believe, ultimately, the Postal Service will do the right

thing. They will follow the law. They have said as much. But, frankly, I'm very concerned. And, by the way, if they do anything to impede this election or stop ballots, they will face federal crimes, federal investigations, and they will be held accountable. Americans cannot live in a system where they can't be certain that the Postal Service isn't going to impact their ability to cast a ballot in American elections, which are safe and legal and secure.

And, by the way, we're winning in the courts every single day. We're pushing -- it's true the Trump administration is trying to subvert the election, but we are winning every single day in the courts and in the, as I said, in the hearts and minds of Americans who see right in front of them what's happening.

So, people should have confidence. People should vote early. People should do everything they can to get ahead of this and be mindful of the registration status. But we're not going to allow the president or his minions to disrupt an American election.

JIMENEZ: All right, Congressman Joe Morelle, ranking member of the House Administration Committee, which again has jurisdiction over federal elections, really appreciate you being here.

[08:40:00]

Thank you for taking the time.

All right, also breaking moments ago, new data on the labor market shows 162,000 jobs were added last month, which is a rebound from July's weak report.

But I want to bring in CNN's Matt Egan to break down this report and what exactly we're seeing here.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Omar, we're seeing that this roller coaster job market, it bounced back and raced back to life in a big way last month. And this should ease some of those concerns about the labor market.

So, the U.S. economy adding 162,000 jobs last month. That more than doubled the consensus forecast, which was for a gain of just 65,000. In fact, this is the most jobs that the economy has added in a month since March. The unemployment rate was expected to rise to 4.2 percent. It didn't. It stayed at 4.1 percent.

Now, when we look at the trend for the job market, what's notable is just how volatile it's been, right? There's been down months. There's been up months.

What also is notable is that the last two months, June and July, they were revised higher. And that is a good sign. So, July was originally reported as a small loss of jobs, but now it has been revised to a small gain. So, that's encouraging.

Why is this happening? Where are the jobs? Well, when we look at the various industries out there, leisure and hospitality adding 62,000 jobs. That's bars and restaurants. That is significant because in July this sector lost jobs and economists were blaming that in part on a World Cup hangover. So, it's encouraging to see that go back to job growth.

Manufacturing adding 16,000 jobs. Health care adding 13,000. However, there's been some job loss. Finance, that's been exposed to artificial intelligence, losing 11,000. And I do want to call attention to government, in particular local education government jobs. Those are -- those are school teacher jobs and other school jobs. That was a decline in July. Economists had said that was likely some seasonal quirks. And, indeed, it does appear to be that case, because in August, all of those jobs really raced back. So that's good news.

When we look, though, at wages, what's notable is that wages are still going up, 3.1 percent. That's not a terrible number in a vacuum. In fact, pre-Covid, that's kind of in line with trends. However, we're obviously not in a vacuum.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

EGAN: We're in this elevated inflation environment. And we don't know what the August inflation number is going to be. But the Cleveland Fed is projecting 3.4 percent. So that means that you have another situation where prices are going up faster than paychecks. And, in fact, this 3.1 percent wage number, that is a fresh five-year low. So, when you think about how people feel about this economy, that's why they feel like they can't keep up because often their paychecks are just not keeping up with inflation.

So, look, bottom line, Omar, I think this is going to ease some of the concerns about the job market and it's going to allow the Fed to refocus the attention on inflation.

JIMENEZ: All right, Matt Egan, a double header this morning.

EGAN: Yes.

JIMENEZ: Appreciate you being here on a wide range of topics. Good to see you.

EGAN: Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right, Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you gentlemen.

Joining me now is Rick Newman to continue the conversation. He's the founder, editor and publisher of "The Pinpoint Press."

Good to see you.

Look, I just want to get your reaction. How would you describe the economy in light of what is more than double the number of jobs added than expected? RICK NEWMAN, FOUNDER, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, "THE PINPOINT PRESS":

Well, I think that's two different questions. It's great news about the job market. Way better job growth than expected. But I don't think this is going to change many people's perception of an economy that is sputtering along. And in terms of ordinary people and especially voters, as we get close to the midterm elections, I think people are focused on gasoline prices, which are still above $4 per gallon. And I think Matt made a really important point at the end there, which is real wage growth, which is our paychecks getting ahead of inflation, and they are not. They're falling behind inflation.

So, we still have negative real wage growth. And that means family budgets are still under pressure. And people might hear, oh, something about there was a pretty good jobs report for August. I don't think that's going to change the way they look at their personal finances when they're going to the grocery store or filling their tank with gas.

SIDNER: Yes, I do want to ask you about that because you talked about gas prices. And today we have record high diesel prices. What is the trickle-down effect of that, where the average American isn't necessarily driving a car that is diesel, but businesses and trucking uses diesel.

NEWMAN: Yes, for sure. And this is the highest diesel price we've ever had in the United States, that's very important, even though most people don't fuel their cars with diesel. Diesel affects farming. It's a big input in farming costs. So, that means higher food prices. And we have a harvest coming up, fall harvest. Most of those machines harvesting food run on diesel. So, that is going to push prices up. Anything transported generally by truck, that is -- that means diesel is a cost input there.

[08:45:04]

And this just fuels inflation. We're not going to get runaway inflation, but it's going to keep inflation higher than it would otherwise be. And that means it is going to continue being a problem that the Federal Reserve has to think about when it figures out what to do with interest rates. And that decision is coming up in a couple of weeks.

SIDNER: I just wanted to quickly ask you about the bond market. It's been very jittery and there's been a sell-off. What does this mean for the American consumer?

NEWMAN: Yes, this is confusing because people think the Federal Reserve sets interest rates. The Federal Reserve only sets short term interest rates that mostly affect banks. The market sets long-term interest rates. That's -- those are the rates that affect car loans, mortgages, business loans, everything. And basically, what's happening is after about a 20-year period of relatively low interest rates, those long-term interest rates are just resetting higher. And that is for a couple of reasons. But one is, we have -- we have inflation concerns. And when inflation goes up, investors who buy bonds need a higher return on their -- on their investment. And we have too much debt starting with the U.S. government. And what

the bond market is really telling us is, now is the time to start doing something about that $40 trillion national debt. If you want to get interest rates down over the longer term, start doing something to deal with deficits that are $2 trillion a year in the $40 trillion national debt. It's not a crisis, but the market is saying, now's the time to deal with it.

SIDNER: Yes, it's a record high debt. Something we've never seen before at more than $40 trillion and counting.

Rick Newman, it is a pleasure to have you. Thank you for explaining all that. Appreciate it.

Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right, meanwhile, sources tell CNN an ICE agent has been federally charged with lying about the events leading up to his shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in the leg earlier this year. Cristian Castro is expected to appear in federal court today. Castro also faces separate state charges in Minnesota. He was released from a Texas jail last week after the governor there declined to immediately approve his extradition to Minnesota. This marks the first time, by the way, President Trump's Justice Department has charged an officer over conduct that took place while on duty during a highly publicized immigration operations.

Meanwhile, the White House hires another contractor to come in and try to clean up the Reflecting Pool. The costs are piling up for the renovation. We'll bring you those details.

And robots want to do everything we can. Well, that includes creating traffic jams. We'll tell you how this group of delivery bots jammed up a sidewalk. What are we doing?

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[08:51:32]

SIDNER: The month's long saga over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool will cost even more money. The Trump administration has hired another contractor to now clean and maintain the pool with so many problems from the first one. That contractor will be paid $2.7 million for the work. With the newest contract factored in, paying for work on the pool has surpassed $14 million. And there's even more drama behind the scenes.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty joins me now live.

Sunlen, what are you learning about this new contractor after all these problems with the Reflecting Pool and the work that was done before?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara, so many problems over the summer with the Reflecting Pool. And the government just added a brand-new contract, only in the last week, to take care of the maintenance and the water purification, really indicating that they still essentially do not have this problem solved.

Now, this is a brand-new government contract for a Massachusetts based company. They specialize in renewable energy technology. The company is called American Ag Energy. This new contract is for $2.7 million. It's a one-year contract. It also has the option to potentially expand to five years, totaling over $8.8 million. It just gives you a sense about how the cost could keep on ballooning in the years going forward.

And it's notable here that the overall cost of the Reflecting Pool repairs has just grown in size. It first started at the initial estimate, the president said, oh, this will only be about a $2 to $3 million project. Then we learned, he said, probably less than $20 million projects. And if you add all the contracts that we learned about over the summer, that has ballooned to now $14 million, potentially over $16 million. So, the costs keep going up.

And, Sara, we did learn more about the CEO of this company that has recently been contracted. The CEO of the company, his name's Richard Rosen. Notably, he was convicted of voter fraud. He -- for casting two ballots in the 2016 election. One in New Hampshire. One in Massachusetts. Now, that was overturned by the state supreme court. But certainly, Sara, adding one more layer in this very multifaceted story of the Reflecting Pool.

Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, it's a heck of a lot of money to try to just change the color there with all the problems even a person being charged in the case, and then finding out that that is not what happened, it's been a lot for this one project. Thank you so much, Sunlen. Appreciate it.

Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right, let's talk some football. At least the legal battle in football that is heating up between Louisiana State University and the Southeastern Football Conference. So Thursday, the SEC filed a lawsuit against LSU accusing the school of violating conference rules by recruiting former NFL players. Now, the suit comes after a Louisiana judge cleared the way for two former players who took part in NFL training camps to return to college football at LSU. Just two of a handful of players who petitioned state courts in Texas and Louisiana for permission to play in college after signing pro contracts and spending most of August in the NFL training camps. Now, the judge also ruled that the SEC can't punish the school for paying -- for playing those athletes. The SEC says it plans to appeal that. A new era in college sports, folks.

[08:55:00]

Now in Florida, sheriff's deputies helped a homeowner after he reported an intruder. A deer. Yes, a deer. Armed with a pool brush, deputies got the buck safely out of the home, but it promptly ran into the backyard pool twice. Eventually, the deer got out of the pool and broke through a fence and headed back into the woods. So, one way or another, it got the buck out of the house. There was a different kind of traffic jam in Chicago on Monday. Take a

look at all these delivery robots crowding together on the sidewalk here on a street with their lights flashing, blocking where we are supposed to be walking, the humans. Coco, the company that operates the robots, apologized for the inconvenience, but the company says a deployment error rerouted all of the robots simultaneously, causing the temporary backup. If you weren't frustrated walking on sidewalks enough.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Oh.

SIDNER: Hi, I'm over here. You were just distracted by the robots. I get it. They've done it again without even being in your way.

All right, unforced error. Influencers are invading the U.S. Open and other tennis fans are fed up with them. Impromptu photo shoots have actually interrupted the tennis tournament, even forcing an umpire to pause a match featuring a world -- a number one player, a former world number one player.

CNN's Jason Carroll has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Antics off the court temporarily stopping play at the U.S. Open. This after a group of influencers were so disruptive while taking selfies in the stands, a chair umpire paused play during Naomi Osaka's match on Monday and told them to take their seats. Some tennis fans are frankly fed up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's taking over everywhere, the influencers. Why shouldn't they take over this?

WENDAY MARKS, TENNIS FAN: You should have the courtesy to the people who are competing and their families and guests.

CARROLL (voice over): Point taken says this content creator who is offering up her humble apology.

MRIGANKA CHAWLA, SOCIAL INFLUENCER: And I had the influencer light on me. I was the perfect stereotypical dumb influencer. So, I get it.

CARROLL (voice over): Mriganka Chawla says all she wanted to do was have her picture taken during the Osaka match.

CHAWLA: This lovely usher or guard, I don't know what they're called. And she was like, she took the photo. I thought I was OK. And then I woke up to a storm. A well-deserved storm, but a storm regardless.

CARROLL (voice over): Her moment went viral, landing her in newspapers and on the receiving end of some hate. CHAWLA: Listen, I deserved it. What do you want me to say? I deserve

to get called out for what I did. I messed up. I can't do nothing. Are you (INAUDIBLE) in 4k (ph)?

CARROLL (voice over): It turns out not all tennis fans here think influencers like her are out of bounds.

IVAN ABRAMS, TENNIS FAN: I think it's great.

CARROLL: Oh, you do?

ABRAMS: Oh, totally.

CARROLL: Tell me why.

ABRAMS: Just because it gives more publicity to the event.

ELLEN CALLAMARI, TENNIS FAN: I find it tiresome.

ABRAMS: We're married.

CALLAMARI: For me, it's part of the problem because you can't quite get away from it.

CARROLL: Got it. So, you'll have to agree to disagree.

CALLAMARI: Yes, we do.

CARROLL: It sounds like the two --

ABRAMS: (INAUDIBLE).

CARROLL: Can I get your --

CALLAMARI: Like a lot of things in our marriage.

CARROLL (voice over): Jokes aside, former pro player Patrick McEnroe says, folks are being just a little too hard on all these influencers.

PATRICK MCENROE, TENNIS COMMENTATOR: I consider myself a tennis purist, OK. So, I love tennis. I love the competition. But let's be serious here, we're supposed to be upset that the U.S. Open in tennis is getting bigger, getting more popular? I say it's much ado about nothing. Of course, the influencer has got to learn to turn off their lights if they're on the stadium court if it's during the match.

CARROLL (voice over): A point echoed by the former number one player in the world, Andy Roddick.

ANDY RODDICK: Stop (EXPLETIVE DELETED) ring lights!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just stop the ring lights.

RODDICK: Stop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) ring lights.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly. CARROLL (voice over): Critics of content creators worry the selfie culture has gone too far, that it may be cluttering artistic spaces as well. So, here's this advice from a self-described sports influencer.

ALIYAH FUNSCHELLE, PODCAST HOST, "THE MATCH UP WITH ALIYAH ON IHEART RADIO": I think the biggest piece of advice would be to learn the culture of the sport that you're getting to go to. Whether it's the U.S. Open or the World Cup.

CARROLL (voice over): And while a picture may be worth a thousand words, this influencer says it should also be kept in perspective.

CHAWLA: I hope people are like, I'm -- like, they see that I messed up by taking a photo.

CARROLL: Yes.

CHAWLA: But like, I didn't kill their cat. You know, like, I'm still a person.

CARROLL: Yes.

CHAWLA: Like, I'm sorry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right, folks, court is about to get back going in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial as the verdict could come down to a single holdout juror.

Now, moments ago, Clancy's defense attorney filed an emergency motion. We are going to take you there live, coming up.

Plus, mail-in ballots for the November midterms are being sent out in North Carolina already, starting today, as a battle between the states and the Trump White House over mail-in voting heats up.

And if you are hitting the road today for Labor Day weekend, you might want to get in the car soon because travelers are in for a busy day on the roads.

[09:00:03]

Maybe an expensive one too. And in the skies as well.

John and Kate are out today. I'm Omar Jimenez, with Sara Sidner. This