Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Interview with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): Trump's Promise to Voters of $5,000 if Republicans Maintain Control of Congress in the Midterms; AI Safety Fears Fuel Growing Political Debate; ProPublica: Russian Oligarch Bankrolled Donald Trump Jr's Wedding; Ex-CIA Director was at Ukrainian Train Station When Russian Drone Hit; French Winemakers Feel Impact from Severe Drought. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 14, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, President Trump brushing off growing concerns over the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. Instead saying the U.S. must maintain its lead over China. Adding quote, whoever wins AI wins.

But as warnings of major consequences get louder from leaders in the tech industry. How are Americans feeling about all this? CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten looking into all that.

All right, so first of all, how do Americans feel about how President Trump is handling AI in general?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, I would just say that President Trump is in one galaxy. And the American people are in a completely other galaxy. They're just simply put not anywhere close together in this one.

The American people despise President Trump when it comes to his handling of artificial intelligence. You could see it right here. Trump's net approval rating of AI.

That's approval minus disapproval. Look at this overall. He's 34 points underwater.

My goodness gracious. And somehow that's become worse over the course of the year. Because back in March he was closer around 25 points underwater.

But you think this 34 points underwater result. How about among independents? You ain't seen nothing yet.

Sara's off on the side shaking her head. 61 points underwater. You'd have to combine Jacques Cousteau with the Little Mermaid to get as far underwater as Donald Trump is with independents on AI.

As I said, the American people and independents especially absolutely despise President Trump when it comes to this issue. That is becoming even more key as we lead up to the midterm elections. SIDNER: OK, we're going to go from the galaxy back to here on Earth.

ENTEN: We're back on planet Earth.

SIDNER: Look, at one point on social media, Trump chided voters to support data centers. So how are voters feeling about data centers in general? And did that make any difference?

ENTEN: Yes, yes, yes, yes. You know, you see these low numbers for Trump on AI. I'm going to highlight it right there.

There we go. Low numbers on AI. Therefore, it shouldn't be so much of a surprise that the American people do not want those folks who are running for Congress to support the establishment of data centers in their local communities.

I mean, just look here. OK, Local data centers prefer candidates for Congress oppose or support. Look at this opposition.

54 percent say they want those candidates running for Congress to oppose data centers. How about the support? Just 15 percent.

When I can easily do it like this, get up to the support level, 10, and then the additional 5. If I can do it on two hands, you know it's low. Just 15 percent.

But, again, you think that 15 percent is low? How about we come over to this side of the screen with independents? Now we're just talking about 8 percent prefer candidates who will, in fact, support the establishment of data centers.

The 8, you can literally do it on two hands. The opposition, look at that. Among independents through the roof, 62 percent.

[08:35:00]

It is sky high in terms of what they prefer.

The American people prefer their candidates doing, running for local office, running for Congress when it comes to data centers. They want to oppose, oppose, oppose.

SIDNER: And it's no surprise that we've seen some Republicans come out very strongly and say, hey, we've got to rethink all of this.

ENTEN: That's exactly right. They've done a 180 because of numbers like this.

SIDNER: Yes. What are voters thinking about whether AI is going to increase the number of jobs? Because President Trump has argued that it will.

ENTEN: Yes, President Trump has said that the establishment of data centers, AI, will, in fact, increase the number of jobs. The American people, no, no. They do not buy it, uh-uh.

This is what they say. Just take a look here. What will AI do to jobs in America?

Reduce 64 percent, increase just 19 percent. But again, look at this side of the screen. Among independents, 72 percent of independents say that, in fact, AI will reduce jobs in America compared to just, what is it, 10?

And then the additional four say increase. President Trump on the wrong side of this issue. I'm a Republican running for Congress.

This fall, I am running away from President Trump when it comes on AI and data centers because, simply put, he's on the wrong side of the issue as far as voters are concerned.

SIDNER: But I am running near President Trump, who always has great numbers.

ENTEN: There we go.

SIDNER: OK -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, guys. President Trump is doubling down now on his promise to send $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans maintain control of Congress in the midterms. Here's what he said while in Ireland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If the Republicans win, as I said, it's $5,000 to all adults in the country. And we can easily handle that because we're taking in so much money. We've never done better.

We're the strongest we've ever been. We have trillions of dollars coming into the country. And the $5,000 is going to everybody.

I made that pledge. I always keep my pledge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I always keep my pledge, he says, despite pledges that have not been kept in the past when it comes to checks like this. But then the House Speaker was asked about the president's pledge. And here's what he said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: And that's a creative idea. He launched it at our convention and got a lot of people excited. Of course, the devil's in the details.

We have to figure all that out. But I think what he was articulating there, Jake, is that he's saying that if you want more money in your pocket, you have to keep Republicans in charge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining us now, Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. It's good to see you, Congressman. Thanks for coming in.

$5,000, the president says he always keeps a pledge despite what we've seen in the past when it comes specifically to monetary pledges that he has made to the public. And Johnson there says it's a creative idea. We got to figure all that out.

Could this actually happen, do you think?

REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL), OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: No, absolutely not. I haven't heard a single person who believes the president when he says that. Remember, Congress obviously has to appropriate any money for something like this.

It was clear that he was talking about sending some kind of check or dividend, as he called it. And not only is it the wrong thing to do to add a trillion dollars more to our debt right now, but the president doesn't -- he's not fulfilling any of his other pledges to lower costs. And that's why people are so upset right now at the president and the Republican Party.

BOLDUAN: If it was called a stimulus check, like a COVID stimulus check, which added hundreds of billions of dollars to the federal budget deficit and the national debt, is it something you'd support?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: No, I don't think that that is the right move right now. I think a much better move is to end the blanket tariffs, which are basically taxes on Americans, driving up their costs every day. Ending the illegal and unconstitutional Iran war and the mutual blockades, which are driving up the cost of gasoline to four and five dollars.

And then breaking up these various industry consolidation efforts, whether it's in big tech or whether it's in the food industry, which the Trump administration is doing nothing about, which only drive up costs and profits for large companies at the expense of families.

BOLDUAN: Let's talk about one industry that's getting a lot more focus right now. It really exploded over the weekend, this conversation that has been had around the pace and fears around AI development. But now the warnings coming from AI industry leaders themselves, calling for the need to pump the brakes, or pacing as they call it, and calling on Congress to step in.

And I want to ask it this way, because everyone says, yes, something needs to be done. But is there a single elected official in Washington right now who is expert enough to craft guardrails smartly around AI?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: I don't think there's one individual, but I think a collection of people coming together to put some commonsense measures in place needs to happen.

[08:40:00]

Here are two that have to happen. One is you have to have mandatory government, third party inspection, validation, approval of these frontier models before they go into effect. And we have to embed government employees on site at the frontier model premises and companies as they're developing these models.

The second thing that has to happen is you have to have much stronger export controls than we have right now. The Trump administration has basically eviscerated a lot of the export controls that the Biden administration put in place with regard to the export of high-end chips to China. If Trump is really serious about winning the AI competition and not letting the Chinese win, then we have to absolutely beef up our budgets for enforcement of those controls and put those controls back in place in order to slow down the pace of AI development.

BOLDUAN: What is -- you've been around the halls of Congress for a while -- what is the fastest you think Congress is going to create good regulation on this?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, I think that it's one of those things where there's some legislation that has already been passed by one chamber, but not the other. And so in that case, that can happen in a matter of weeks. On the other hand, with regard to the development of some other measures, it's going to take probably weeks or in some cases months, but we can't lose any time at this point because the pace of development is too fast.

And I think as your pollster pointed out before, Americans are deeply uncomfortable with where this is going. My constituents don't like where this is going. And so we need to act right now.

BOLDUAN: This weekend, diesel fuel hit a new record high. Saudi Arabia took a key pipeline offline after a drone attack launched from inside Iraq. Just read that as there's a lot more disruption that's happening right now when it comes to oil markets.

Yet President Trump is blaming Ukraine for a global diesel shortage. I want to play for you what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Mr. Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia. Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel because he's causing a shortage of diesel.

This isn't done by the Middle East. This is done by what's happening with Russia and Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This isn't being done by the Middle East. It's happening because of what's -- it's being done by what's happening in Russia and Ukraine. What do you say to that?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: That's a total -- that's a total Putin talking point. That's a total talking point that probably Putin gave to Kushner and Witkoff, our awesome negotiators. I put them in air quotes. Who went to Moscow to try to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war.

Look, the Iran war and the mutual blockades are driving up the cost of energy now to more than $108 per barrel of oil. My constituents are paying $4 and $5 gas because of the Iran war. And at the same time, we're not weaning ourselves off that very oil and fossil fuel to reduce Iran's leverage over us with regard to energy supplies.

Until we do that, you know, Donald Trump is absolutely the one who needs to be held accountable for what's happening right now. And I think that's why Americans are going to put a check on his control in the November elections and give Democrats control of Congress again.

BOLDUAN: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, thanks for coming in today -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So kind of on the subject of Vladimir Putin, this morning, a new investigation is shining a light on some of the money allegedly behind Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding. ProPublica reports that a Russian oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly bankrolled much of the event, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses. The report identifies the oligarch as Umar Kremlev, who attended this intimate wedding in the Bahamas.

ProPublica reports a spokesperson for Trump Jr. did not dispute the wedding payments and characterized Kremlev as a personal friend of Trump Jr. and, quote, not someone he has a business relationship with. The article goes on to say, Kremlev's press office said the men have a friendly relationship, adding quote, "Mr. Kremlev has never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances."

Now, CNN has reached out to the White House, the Trump Organization, Donald Trump Jr.'s spokesperson, and the organization that Kremlev leads. With us now is Joshua Kaplan, the reporter for ProPublica, who helped break this story. Josh, it's great to see you.

I read this story and then immediately read it again because it was so incredibly fascinating. Just explain to us exactly who Umar Kremlev is and what exactly he paid for at this wedding.

JOSHUA KAPLAN, REPORTER, PROPUBLICA: Yes, so Umar Kremlev is, as you said, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin.

[08:45:00]

And this was an ultra-luxury affair. This oligarch rented out a private island in the Bahamas for it. He paid for this extravagant 4th of July-esque firework show out over the ocean. So this is hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses.

And what makes this even stranger is that Don Jr. met this guy only very recently. This is not some weird coincidence where his college roommate happens to be a very generous oligarch. In fact, until this story, the fact that there was a relationship there at all was kept a secret.

And so exactly how and why this ended up happening is still very much a mystery. But what we do know is remarkable. This is a member of Putin's circle financially supporting the son of the president. BERMAN: And inside Putin's circle, how close? He's involved in sports but also tied to other organizations that have been sanctioned by Ukraine.

KAPLAN: Yes, I mean, there's a lot there. I mean, right before Don Jr.'s wedding, he was not just making sure his suit still fits. He was reportedly in China with Putin as part of the delegation accompanying Putin on a state visit.

A month before the wedding, Putin gave him a state honor personally. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Ukrainian government sanctioned Kremlev personally. And so this connection with the Russian government is a through line throughout this guy's whole life story.

But what he's best known for now is he is the head of this scandal- plagued sports group called the International Boxing Association. And I said it was a through line. This is a group that has been bankrolled by a state-owned Russian company that is basically an arm of Putin's government.

BERMAN: So no one's denying any aspect of your story. So this reporting is out there. No one's denied it.

They've given you statements saying they're friends. You talk about their relationship. They seem to barely know each other, but sort of know each other.

How big was this wedding, right? I mean, how many people were there that Umar Kremlev was one of the few people who were there? And what are some of the national security concerns that have been raised to you in this?

KAPLAN: I mean, it was very small, about 50 people. Don Jr. himself has repeatedly said that it was just family and, quote, really close friends. And so then you have this guy, Umar Kremlev, who not only just met Jr., but speaks limited English. And he came -- he didn't come alone. He came with a large group of Russian guests who stood out because they were sometimes standing off by themselves speaking Russian. As for the national security implications, I mean, this is a wedding present with very real national security stakes, as strange as that is to say.

I, obviously, Putin's Russia is regarded as a chief adversary of the United States. And oligarchs like Kremlev often act in coordination with the Russian government. We don't know that that happened here.

We don't have evidence. But the fact is, this was a member of Putin's circle. He has spent a lot of money cultivating a relationship with the son of the president, and we don't know what his motive was.

Experts told us that's an urgent question now.

BERMAN: Paying for the fireworks, renting a part of an island there. Unbelievable. Joshua Kaplan, like I said, I read the story twice because it was so fascinating.

Thank you so much for being with us. Congratulations on the work you've done.

KAPLAN: Thank you for having me.

BERMAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you both.

A wild escape attempt. Watch what the suspect does to get out of a police cruiser to try to avoid going to jail. We'll have that all for you in just a bit.

Plus, Prince Harry and Meghan officially back in the U.K. And this morning, we are getting a first glimpse of their life there.

Those stories and more ahead.

[08:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Breaking news overnight, former CIA director David Petraeus was at a Ukrainian train station at the very moment that it was hit by a Russian drone strike. Video shows the fiery aftermath of it. The cell phone video also shows people running away from the station as another boom is heard behind them.

Here it is for you.

CNN's Clare Sebastian has more on this. Clare, what are you learning about all of this?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Kate. It's an extraordinary moment. You know, foreign dignitaries and leaders have traveled in and out of Ukraine throughout this war.

And there have been sort of a few close calls before. But look, Ukrainian railways have come right out and said that at the very moment this attack happened, David Petraeus, the former CIA director, was on a train, on another train in this station area, not the train that was hit. But he then told the Financial Times that he had to evacuate his train.

So he was extremely close by. Not only that, but shortly before the strike, another train had departed that station and crossed over the border into Poland. And that was carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as other European officials.

They had all been attending a major security conference in Kyiv over the weekend. So this could have been very different. It could have been a major international incident if Ukrainian railways are right about this.

And I think, look, in the context of the broader escalation that we're seeing from Russia in terms of air attacks, it's yet more evidence that the target list has broadened with it. European officials, though, coming out today and saying, look, this was a message intended to frighten us, and it will not work. So coming out swinging -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: And, Clare, I was just asking a Democratic member of Congress about this next bit. I wanted to get kind of what you were hearing as well, is President Trump coming out this weekend and blaming a global diesel shortage on not what's happening in the Middle East, but very specifically saying it's not from the Middle East. It's from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and the war in Ukraine if you will.

[08:55:00]

SEBASTIAN: Yes, I mean, look, Ukraine has been striking refineries in Russia. It has led to widespread fuel shortages, which were very bad at the beginning of the summer within Russia and are now worsening again. Russia has also had to ban diesel exports.

But if you talk to analysts, the consensus is that the bigger impact on global diesel supply is coming from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. So I think, look, the reason why we don't hear anything from Ukrainian officials about this at this point, they are not reacting, is because we do see a lot of flip-flopping from Trump on this issue and because they have a lot to lose from this relationship with Trump going sour at this point of escalation that we see from Russia. So silence from Ukraine so far on this -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, we'll see. Clare, thank you very much for your reporting -- John.

BERMAN: So in Northern California, Tracy High School head varsity football coach Jeffrey Pribble is under arrest after students found his phone allegedly recording them changing in the locker room. The 48-year-old had been with the school since 2004 has been placed on leave pending the investigation.

In Texas, a suspect attempted to escape custody by smashing the window of a patrol car with his feet and climbing out. The suspect is apparently 6'7 270. He did not get far. Police took him down with a taser.

He's now back behind bars facing new charges for the attempted getaway -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.

New this morning, climate change having a major impact on French winemakers. French officials are now estimating a 30-year low in production after severe drought and heat hit the country's vineyards. The French Agricultural Ministry estimates production of nearly 900 million gallons, which sounds high, but then that's actually a 6 percent drop from 2025 and a 17 percent drop of an average between 2021 and 2025.

Joining me now is French winemaker Laurent Delaunay. Thank you so much for being here. Look, the French government is forecasting the smallest wine harvest in about three decades.

What are you experiencing? Does it feel like this is going to be one of the worst years going forward?

LAURENT DELAUNAY, WINEMAKER: As far as volume and output is concerned, you're absolutely right. I think the most the main phenomenon is the drought and the heat that we had since the beginning of the season, which led us to harvest the earliest in the record. We started, I am from Burgundy and we started to harvest in Burgundy on the 15th of August, which is really the earliest on the record.

SIDNER: Give us some sense of what happened with these fires, because we saw these incredibly terrible fires hitting parts of France. And of course, that brings tons of acrid smoke to the region. What does that do to the vines?

DELAUNAY: So actually, it doesn't really affect the yield itself, it affects the quality of the wines, and you cannot make especially red wines with vineyards which have been under the smoke because you have some risk of having some smoke taint in the wines. Actually, that happened mostly in the southwest of France, in the region of Bordeaux, a little bit in the south of France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon, very little in Burgundy. And in Burgundy, I have no information of vineyards which have been affected by a risk of smoke taint.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about the tariffs. In the U.S. market, wine's facing some serious tariffs and the Trump administration has threatened more. How is this affecting your business and the ability to get wine to the United States consumer?

DELAUNAY: So actually, it increases our prices, the prices of our wines when they land in the U.S. of 15 percent. So that's a huge price increase which affects directly the consumers and it also, of course, by consequence, affects the volumes that the consumers are ready to buy. It comes on a market which is not very dynamic for everybody, for the whole global wine producers.

The consumption of wines all over the world, including in the U.S., has dropped dramatically. And so actually, it's true that for us French producers, it's another risk, another bad consequence on our sales to the export to the U.S. The U.S. market is our first export market. So it's very important for us.

For my region, for Burgundy, it's about 20 percent of our sales.