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NYC Releases 170K Documents On Ground Zero Air Quality Post 9/11; Canada's Retaliatory Tariffs On $20B in U.S. Goods Now In Effect; Clancy Atty: Upset That Juror Wouldn't Apply "Law Of Reasonable Doubt"; Thieves Steal Renoir Paintings From French Museum. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired September 08, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: In fact, here's a flashback of the morning that Princess Diana dropped off Prince William 31 years ago. King Charles was also there. We should mention him. You know, he's -- he's a big deal, Boris. Prince George turning 13 in July. If he follows in his dad's footsteps, he'll spend the next five years at the elite school.

And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

A Hidden Hazard: New York's mayor releasing 9/11 records and exposing how officials misled the city's residents about the air quality around Ground Zero after the attacks.

Renoir Robbery: How thieves made off with two priceless paintings. And why some are asking how a French museum could be targeted again less than a year after a heist at the Louvre.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Like College Football's Southeastern Conference trying to kick out one of its founding universities. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: We do begin in New York City, where officials are releasing more than 170,000 previously undisclosed documents that reveal just how hazardous the air quality around Ground Zero was in the aftermath of 9/11. Nearly 25 years later, those records show city authorities knew that the air was unsafe to breathe, despite public reassurances to the contrary.

SANCHEZ: Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks that day. But as New York's mayor said this morning, even more lost their lives to 9/11-related illnesses in the years since.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NEW YORK): It would be one thing if government had stood alongside survivors and provided them with everything they needed at every step of the way. And yet we know that could not be further from what actually happened. People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air. JON STEWART, ADVOCATE FOR 9/11 FIRST RESPONDERS: Everyone knew. And now it's very clear that the city knew as well. And rather than take the steps to ameliorate the damage that that would cause to its citizens and to the people that were down there, they instead covered it up to get back to business as usual.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: We're joined now by Kevin Gormley. His father was a New York City firefighter who lost his life to a 9/11 related cancer.

Kevin, thank you so much for being with us.

Just to start, what was your reaction to the announcement today?

KEVIN GORMLEY, LOST FDNY FATHER TO 9/11-RELATED CANCER: Good afternoon, Boris, Brianna. Thank you so much for having me on today.

You know, it's about time. You know, I mean, 25 years, too late. You know, this information was known for a while in that community. We do a lot of work with that 9/11 community. And we've witnessed firsthand a lot of these individuals getting sick since then. And it's -- it's about time that this information was released because so many people are still unaware of it. And, you know, I think it's a great stepping stone for us to get that word out there and, you know, have these individuals take advantage of those benefits that they might be entitled to.

KEILAR: Yes, because the need is far from over. And we heard more about that today. Kevin, the mayor was asked if this was a cover-up. And what he said was that multiple mayoral administrations refused to release documents that New Yorkers were owed. How do you see it? I mean, where do you look for accountability here?

GORMLEY: Yes, I mean, it's a tale as old as time. You know, a lot of city officials and, you know, these higher-ups keep withholding this information to protect their back, you know, from the information that's out there. And, you know, again, to keep politics out of it, you know, I think it's just great that it was finally released.

And again, I -- I think we can really take advantage of having this knowledge and, you know, getting the word out there to the benefits that are available to -- to this community.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Kevin, on the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation website, it says about your dad, quote, "The devastation of the attacks left him, as well as his fellow first responders, with physical and emotional scars that never healed." Talk to us about the impact that that day, 9/11, had on your father, Billy, and -- and your whole family, and also the aspect that he and his colleagues were heroes on that day and then had to bear part of the legacy of it in a way that, to this moment, hadn't fully been acknowledged.

GORMLEY: Yes. So, I mean, it wasn't really touched on growing up as a kid. I think it's something that my father wanted to hide, both me and my brothers and my older sister, Bridget. You know, growing up in that community, these guys aren't very vocal when it comes to those, you know, mental scars that they were dealing with since then.

[15:05:04]

And even physically, as my father got sick, as -- as we got older, he made light of situation and, you know, made it so we didn't have to worry so much. You know, growing up with this -- this community, we're still very close with a lot of his family and friends, will be a great outlet for us to reach out to for, you know, people that might know that what you're going through, that not everyone does.

KEILAR: Yes. We're seeing pictures of your dad, of you and you guys, and -- I mean, you're the spitting image of him, I will say.

GORMLEY: Oh, thank you.

KEILAR: You -- you really are. Tell us how, you know, you're reflecting on this anniversary, what you want people to be thinking about this week and what you want people to know about your dad.

GORMLEY: Absolutely. You know, I think it's just never forget, you know, we say it every year, and, you know, as someone who has grew up around it, you know, as time goes on, it seems like less and less people want to talk about it. But, you know, we're coming up to a huge milestone here with the 25th anniversary. And I think it's just a great reminder for people never to forget what those first responders did, the men and women who went down there shortly thereafter. And, you know, did that work down at the Ground Zero site up until they wrapped up the cleanup in May of '02.

Be mindful of it, you know, it still has its impact on the community. You know, like Jon Stewart had mentioned in his interview, we're past the amount of people that, you know, were deceased on 9/11. So, you know, just be mindful, get the word out there. If you know anyone that was working down there, encourage them to look into the benefits that they might be entitled to and reach out.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And Kevin, before we go, I just want to let our viewers know, you're planning to join the FDNY once you get through -- through the classes. Hopefully by -- by next month, you'll do it. And -- and you're one of three brothers. One of them is already part of the fire department. I mean, it is -- I imagine that seeing your dad and the effort that he put into helping people, that's what inspired you to pursue this, to help others yourself.

GORMLEY: It's inspiring, you know? You want to go out of your way to help others. And, you know, with the knowledge that it was just released, you know, these guys would have responded with or without it. You know, I have my two older brothers, we're triplets, so they're the same age, but my brother Raymond is on the fire department at my father's old house in East Flatbush, battery 174. And my brother Billy is currently working FDNY EMS, working to get on fire as well. God willing, I -- I start the process here soon, but time will tell.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we hope the best for you. We appreciate you sharing your story and thanks to your dad for his work. We appreciate what he leaves behind. GORMLEY: Thank you guys.

SANCHEZ: Of course, Kevin Gormley, thanks so much.

We turn now to America's neighbor to the North, Canada slapping $20 billion worth of tariffs on U.S. goods in response to tariffs levied by the Trump administration.

KEILAR: Just hours ago, hundreds of Canadian countermeasures kicked in and now several American businesses are facing an economic bruising. CNN's Matt Egan is with us now with more on what all of this means.

Matt, what does it mean?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Boris and Brianna, Canada is punching back in this trade war with the United States. As you mentioned last month, it was the Trump administration slapping steep tariffs on Canadian goods. Now, Canada is following through on its threat to slap tariffs on U.S. goods.

So, we're talking about 15- to 50 percent tariffs from Canada on U.S. goods. This is impacting about $20 billion of US goods. This is a large amount, but remember this is a massive trading relationship. So, this represents less than 10 percent of what Canada imported from the U.S. last year. Still though, we're looking at a potential impact for a range of U.S. industries, including aluminum, steel, dairy, agricultural equipment, electronics, paper, and appliances as well.

Now, the risk here is not necessarily on the inflation front. Normally when we talk about tariffs, we talk about the price impact. Here, because this is retaliatory tariffs, the risk to the U.S. is that this could hurt the job market because Canada is a major buyer of U.S.-made goods. And so, if Canada decides to buy less stuff, then some companies, they could face a loss of demand that forces them to cut worker hours or even lay off some workers.

And look, this is significant because Canada is the top foreign buyer of goods in most U.S. states, including some states that are going to play a key role in the upcoming midterm elections, such as Ohio, Maine, and Michigan as well. I mean, this is not lost on officials in Ottawa, right? They know that A, the midterms are looming, and that B, American voters in polling, they're expressing a lot of frustration about the state of the U.S. economy.

[15:10:05]

In fact, Canadian officials said that they calibrated these retaliatory tariffs with an aim of trying to put political pressure on the Trump Administration.

Now, President Trump, he has also, of course, tried to pile even more pressure on Canada by taking a range of actions himself in addition to those steep tariffs, right? He has said that he'll impose a 50 percent auto tariff starting on January 1, renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America. And then, over the weekend, he threatened to ban jet sales from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, and that is a significant move. The President complaining that Bombardier relies on U.S. services and that Canadian officials, they have restricted access to their market to some U.S. companies, including the business jet manufacturer, Gulfstream. Now, for its part, Bombardier says that, look, they employ a lot of Americans, roughly 3,000, and they call themselves a significant part of the U.S. aerospace industry.

I think the implicit message there is that, yes, U.S. workers could be hurt if the President falls through on this threat. But look, there's a lot of debate over who's going to win this trade war. Economists say no one really wins in a trade war. There's just varying degrees of losers, and it's hard to see how any of this is going to help lower the cost of living or bolster the job market. I think it's a lot easier to see the opposite happening on both sides of the border. Boris and Brianna, back to you.

KEILAR: Who's the winningest loser? Maybe that's not a great place to be. Matt Egan ...

EGAN: Not -- not a great bumper sticker, right?

KEILAR: Not a great bumper sticker, no.

EGAN: No.

KEILAR: Matt Egan, thank you. Still to come ...

EGAN: Thanks.

KEILAR: ... could Lindsay Clancy, the mother accused of murdering her three children, get a plea deal? What her defense attorney is now signaling after a mistrial was declared last week. Plus, we're learning some new information about the five people who were killed after that Amazon cargo jet barreled off a runway in Miami and struck two vehicles.

SANCHEZ: And later, will the SEC actually kick LSU out of the conference if this former school, or rather, if the school allows former NFL players on its football team? SEC officials holding a critical meeting to discuss their next move. We'll get into the details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:41]

KEILAR: New today, Lindsay Clancy's attorney making a direct appeal to President Trump to consider a pardon for his client despite the case being in a state court. Kevin Reddington made the request during an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." And he also expressed a willingness to work out a plea deal after her murder trial ended in a mistrial.

One juror prevented the panel from reaching a unanimous verdict. Reddington explains his frustration with that juror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: What I was upset about was after that lengthy trial and the work that everyone put into this case, including these jurors that spent literally almost two months away from their home, their job, their family, where a gentleman had an opinion, not that he was sticking like, you know, the -- the movie "12 Angry Men," but in fact, he had agreed, according to the note from the forelady, that he had doubt, but he would not apply the law of reasonable doubt as presented by the judge. That's not right, and that's why I was upset.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Jean Casarez is with us now on this story. Jean, what did you make of his comments?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, those comments right there, that was what he argued in court. We haven't heard what the juror has to say, though. The -- the deliberating juror that seemed to hold firm and not concede to 11 others. So, if that juror speaks out at one point or another, then we might hear his side of the story, and then we can assess both sides.

But what is interesting here is the fact that he also in that interview really implicated that possibly he would be interested in a plea deal. Now, Lindsay Clancy pleaded guilty, not guilty from the very beginning, and that not guilty was accompanied by an affirmative defense, not guilty for lack of criminal responsibility, that she was in the middle of a psychosis, and there was a voice that was calling to her, telling her, commanding her to kill her children and kill herself, and that was the theory. And 11 jurors, it appears, believed that she was in the middle of a psychosis.

So, a plea negotiation is where you compromise, and the prosecutors are not going to want to compromise for a not guilty. They would compromise for some sort of a conviction. That would be interesting because that's accepting responsibility right there that you knew right from wrong. But let's listen to Kevin Reddington this morning in his own words saying, yes, I'm interested in talking with the prosecutor. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REDDINGTON: I hope, however, after sitting through this trial and seeing the evidence that was presented from the government as well as from the defense that he would revisit that issue and hopefully would be able to work something out that would be acceptable to both sides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: On another note, Patrick Clancy, the father of those three children. He hasn't spoken out, but he was the brunt of so much on social media as this trial ensued, really pointing the fingers at -- at Patrick Clancy. Well, his legal team has responded today to all of that, and they have said in part, quote, "Patrick Clancy and his family have been subjected to a relentless escalating and destructive defamation campaign. Enough is enough.

[15:20:03]

This spread of blatant and baseless falsehoods must stop. Those responsible should understand that there will be consequences, and every appropriate measure will be pursued to hold them accountable, including legally. Law enforcement has been notified. Brianna?

KEILAR: Wow. So, is there a sense that this is realistic, a plea deal, and is it possible we could see some movement on that before this status hearing later this month?

CASAREZ: It's a good question. I guess anything could come at any time, but there is a status hearing, just as you're saying. It is the 29th of September. All parties will meet in court. The judge will be on the bench. So, that would be an opportune time to give an update in that courtroom of any talks that are ongoing or have happened or are not possible at all to happen.

KEILAR: All right, we'll be waiting. Jean, thank you so much for that.

Still to come, another major heist hitting the art world. Thieves getting away with two Renoirs in the South of France in less than five minutes. They tried for four, but they actually dropped two of them. So, how did this happen? We have more next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:49]

SANCHEZ: France is yet again reeling after a stunning heist. Thieves making off with four Renoir paintings from a small museum on the French Riviera and then dropped two of them, apparently, as they fled.

KEILAR: Yes, this is the second shocking theft from a French museum in less than a year. Last October, you may recall thieves disguised as construction workers stole invaluable French crown jewels from the Louvre in Paris. Robert Wittman is joining us now to talk about this. He's a retired FBI agent who founded the Bureau's art crime team. He's also the author of "Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures."

Bob, what stands out to you about this heist?

ROBERT WITTMAN, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, you know, I think that -- well, first of all, it's great to be here with you guys. It's good to see you again, but not under these circumstances as usual.

I think -- I think it's a -- a situation where these guys were probably not very professional. The way they did it, the way they went in, the way they panicked when the sirens started to respond, because it only took five minutes for the police to get there. And then, the fact that they -- when they ran out, of course, they dropped two of the paintings, broke some of the frames, and were trying to get the paintings out of the frame. Not a professional job. I would say that the Louvre heists back in October had a little more daring to it, had more of a professional bent, although those individuals were all caught within a week, and they were all just locals. I think these guys are probably locals as well.

SANCHEZ: Do you have any observations about security vulnerabilities at this particular museum?

WITTMAN: Well, this is typical a -- this is typical. A lot of museums, regional, small museums throughout the -- throughout South of France. There's many of them. And this particular one is a jewel for the -- for the local, you know, population, because this is where basically Renoir lived towards the end of his life. He spent his last few years there, as well as Matisse had been there as well, and Picasso. So, this was almost like a -- a family jewel, so to speak, in the area.

And when I see things like that, it looks to me like these individuals probably had gone there many times, knew what the schedule was, because the actual event occurred when the -- during a -- a period where there was a changing of the guard, so to speak. So, I think that the -- you know, that's probably how these guys had seen this happening, and tried to make their getaway there. They're locals who decided to, as a result of the high prices of art today, decided to try to cash in.

KEILAR: So, are these happening more often, or are they just getting more attention, these heists?

WITTMAN: Yes, this is an issue throughout Europe. Just last week, there was a -- a heist at a museum in Vienna where a $4 million diamond necklace was stolen very quickly. It was -- it was actually owned by one of the queens of Egypt, a recent queen, not an ancient queen, but a recent queen of Egypt. And so that was taken. There was also a big heist in Messina, Italy, in Sicily, about three weeks ago, where four paintings were taken. They were Renaissance -- I'm sorry, old master paintings. This is not unusual.

And what we're seeing, because of the high price of art, the high price of gold, silver, and diamonds right now that's really going through the roof, the criminals are following that -- that -- that's -- you know, that pricing, and they're going after these things.

Museums are basically soft targets. They're not like banks or jewelry stores. They're soft targets.

SANCHEZ: So, who's buying this stuff? What -- what is the market for this like?

WITTMAN: Yes, that's -- that's the thing. You know, there really isn't a market for this type of stolen art. And the reason for that is because it's so identifiable. You know, you can take a car and people will chop them up, take the parts, and they can actually get more money for the parts than they can for the car itself. In this situation, if you steal a piece of art, you can't do anything to it. You can't chop it up. You can't pop it apart like you could with jewelry and diamonds. You have to keep it in good condition. And so, it's so recognizable that people are not going to be buying this art. You know, the idea of a quote, "Dr. No" type of villain sitting in his basement, staring at the walls, looking at stolen art, I've never seen that in almost 35 years of investigations.

[15:30:06]

It just doesn't exist.