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Trump to Speak at U.N.; Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) is Interviewed about Trump's U.N. Speech; GOP Senator Calls for Probes into Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden; Republican Candidates Call to End Iran War. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 22, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Right? We know you're basing it, grand jurors, on the positioning of the body, the timing that you found it, the surrounding circumstances. But in the evaluating the GPS data, the boating data, the other information, they found what they found. They couldn't find anything.

Last point, John. You know, in law, it's always gray. This is not math. You have to evaluate the evidence you have. The grand jury's evaluation concluded there's nothing here.

Again, if other information comes forward later on and it is kept open, let's see whether or not that sticks. But for now, no criminal prosecution.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joey Jackson, thank you very much.

JACKSON: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Got a lot going on this hour. A brand-new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, President Trump with his worst numbers yet on foreign policy. The polling data just out just as the president is headed to the U.N. to address world leaders.

Plus, a Republican senator is now asking to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. over the reports that a Russian oligarch helped to fund parts of his wedding.

And trapped with no way out. Tourists spelling out SOS in the sand after the tide cuts off their only way off this beach.

Sara's working the night shift tonight. I'm Kate Bolduan, with John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: Americans have never thought the president was doing worse on foreign affairs than they do this morning. A brand new CNN poll shows that just 29 percent of Americans approve of how the president is handling foreign affairs. That's a new low across both of his terms. Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the United States is not winning the war in Iran. Nearly two-thirds. And that's what the president faces when he addresses the United Nations this morning. Later, he will meet with the leaders of gulf nations to talk about next steps with Iran.

Now, we should note, there is an Iranian delegation, including their president, that is also attending the U.N. General Assembly. There has been the question, might the president meet with some of them? Secretary of State Marco Rubio says nothing is scheduled, but he did leave the door open.

With us now, CNN's Kaitlan Collins, anchor of "THE SOURCE," chief White House correspondent, at the United Nations this morning.

Bring us up to speed, Kaitlan.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, we're standing right here where all of the world leaders are coming in to the United Nations General Assembly ahead of President Trump's speech and several other world leaders who are going to be in here shortly. So, we're waiting for President Trump to actually walk right behind where I was last year.

If this spot looks familiar, that's because this is where the president came through last year when he went up the escalator and it suddenly stopped working as he was entering the United Nations. Something that he later complained about in his speech as the prompter was also having several technical issues. I am told by a U.N. official that they have checked the escalator, they have checked the prompter ahead of President Trump's arrival here this morning.

But, of course, John, it's what's in that speech that everyone is going to be listening to closely because this is the first time that the president has addressed these other fellow world leaders since he started the war in Iran earlier this year and as it has gone on now, almost seven months, much longer than the president had initially publicly anticipated and told Americans they should be prepared for that war to last. So, paired with that new polling from CNN today showing how much Americans are hardening against this war in Iran, everyone will be looking to see what he says in this speech, what his message is to the other gulf leaders that are here meeting with President Trump as they are slated to do when it comes to the war.

We just saw Secretary Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, enter the room and go up the escalator himself. He did not preview what's going to be in the president's speech. But, obviously, it's going to be focused on Trump on the world stage as there's not only questions about what is next for the future of this conflict, but also this major debate that's now playing out, not just in the United States, but among world leaders about what to do about artificial intelligence and how the president is going to handle that when he holds that state meeting with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, later this week in Washington. So, all of those are key issues, of course, that are facing the president, as he is slated to be here at the United Nations.

I will note, John, one other person that we saw coming in just a few moments ago was Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who is also set to meet with President Trump while he's here. I asked him for his response to those calls coming from U.S. officials for Ukraine to stop hitting Russian energy facilities, something Zelenskyy had said he'll do if Russia stops hitting Ukrainian energy facilities. He said later he would answer questions from reporters that are standing here, as we wait for President Trump himself to arrive.

John.

BERMAN: And quickly, the Iranian delegation is in town, including the Iranian president. And Marco Rubio not shutting the door completely to the possibility the president could maybe meet with some of them on the sidelines. What are you hearing on that front?

[09:05:00]

COLLINS: Yes. And I asked the ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, that same question last night, whether or not that is something that the president wants to do, because the Iranian president is here. Obviously, it's rare that they are both in the same area. So is the foreign minister, who has been deeply involved in those negotiations when they were happening. They've only said that the president is open to doing so.

But, John, there is nothing concrete on the schedule, and it remains to be seen if the Iranians want to meet with the president and his top officials that are here. So, that's still a big, open question.

I will note, one other world leader that we did just see come in was Delcy Rodriguez, who, of course, one year ago was not leading Venezuela, but now is here and is expected to meet with President Trump on the sidelines of this summit. Though I should note, John, typically these meetings that the president is having with world leaders, there would be a camera from the five major networks in the room to show you what's going on in those meetings. But because the president has banned CNN from the television pool, and the other networks are standing in solidarity, there's not one of those five major cameras that will be in there today to showcase the president's meeting with these world leaders.

BERMAN: So there is that.

Kaitlan Collins, great to have you there, though, with all the action behind you. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now is Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Thank you for being here, Senator.

What do you -- what are you hearing in conversations you're having? What do you want to hear from the president or think you're going to get from the president today? SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Well, there's a gap between what I would like

to hear from President Trump and what I expect to hear from President Trump.

Look, a year ago he put the whole world back on their heels with his address here at the U.N. I hope he'll focus on the challenges right in front of us, A.I. and the risks that A.I. poses to world safety, the urgency of our working together to support Ukraine in their ongoing fight against Russian aggression, and the importance of U.N. reforms. There are things he could be talking about.

As the introduction just mentioned, he may well be meeting with Delcy Rodriguez. The conditions in Venezuela have sent a terrible message to the world. We used military force to remove Maduro, and we have made no progress towards democracy, towards reforming an abusive, authoritarian government. And instead, Trump has focused on seizing the assets of Venezuelan oil and trying to use that in very opaque ways, potentially to enrich himself and his buddies.

And on Thursday, he'll be hosting Xi Jinping, literally rolling out a red carpet for him. He comes to the U.N. this morning and to that meeting with Xi on Thursday significantly weakened because of his war of choice against Iran that nearly eight months into it is going badly.

BOLDUAN: You mentioned A.I., and that gets to the war in Iran because you and a group of Democratic senators wrote to Pete Hegseth and the director of national intelligence calling for government watchdogs, the I.G.s, to investigate a series of mistakes in U.S. military targeting plans caused by A.I. Have you heard a response? Anything?

COONS: No. And I'll remind you, I'm the senior Democrat on Defense Appropriations.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

COONS: We have had remarkably few responses substantively from this Pentagon. And Secretary Hegseth and other leaders in the Pentagon have been slow to engage with Congress from the very beginning of the war on Iran, to update us on actual casualties and losses, to update us on the actual damage to American facilities.

In meeting with a number of gulf partners and allies earlier this week, I hear real concern about the drift, the lack of a clear plan or path forward, and the ongoing, dramatic costs for the region now that the Houthis, an Iranian allied proxy group, seems to be very close to fully controlling the Red Sea. Lots of global transit goes in and out of the Red Sea to Europe and to Asia, and this is giving Iran more leverage, not less. And there is a less clear path forward than there's been at any point in eight months.

BOLDUAN: At any point?

COONS: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Well, one of the incidents that you are asking for transparency and investigation into happened on the first day of the Iran War, the attack that killed nearly 200 children and adults at an Iranian school, a strike that CNN and many others have reported that this came after senior U.S. military commanders bypassed warnings in critical systems, including one powered by A.I., that the intel was way outdated.

COONS: Right.

BOLDUAN: Yet the U.S. government still, from Trump to Hegseth, have not acknowledged responsibility, just continued to say it's under investigation. Which then leads me to wonder, why do you trust that what you are asking for you will get from a report by government watchdogs?

COONS: I don't trust that I'll get what I'm asking for, but I have to keep pressing and asking for accountability. And I think the American people are paying attention.

This war with Iran is dramatically unpopular. It is weighing down Trump and his prospects for the upcoming election. And I think a change in control in Congress is the best way for us to deliver accountability in terms of how our money is being spent and what risk we're facing.

[09:10:06]

There was also a report recently that the U.S. military nearly took action against a Chinese ship --

BOLDUAN: Yes.

COONS: That they mistakenly thought was carrying critical nuclear components because of an A.I. enhancement of intelligence. Look, we have the world's best intelligence services and military, but with A.I. being incorporated into everything they're doing, the American people are right to have concerns about the growing risk to our safety and security, and to expect that their members of Congress will keep pushing for transparency and accountability.

BOLDUAN: You mentioned you have questions about the president and his dealings in Venezuela and the opacity with which the whatever's going on there is. There's also a new report out from a Republican senator now requesting the Judiciary Committee investigate these reports we've been talking about of a Russian oligarch somehow helping to pay for and fund parts of Donald Trump Junior's wedding. And John Curtis wants to see subpoenas happen.

Here is -- I just, for everyone, just to read one of what John Curtis is saying on Twitter. "A toaster is a wedding gift. A private island party paid for by a Putin-connected oligarch is something else. Republicans nearly wore out the subpoena machine investigating Hunter Biden's foreign relationships. We should not unplug it now. Trust us was not enough then, and it is not enough now."

What do you think? COONS: That's a good, clear and strong statement from Senator Curtis

of Utah, and I respect that he's applying the same standards of transparency now. I think you're going to see more and more of this as it becomes clearer that Trump is a lame duck, that the American people do not support blatant corruption at the highest levels of our government with Trump and his family and are going to demand more accountability, whether it's about how the billions that have been taken from Venezuela are being spent, or the personal benefits received by Trump's family and close friends.

Look, the state dinner that he's going to be hosting this Thursday, the whole process of him building this new ballroom and who's paying for it, frankly, his attacks on the press, all combined to give the American people real concern, alarm, about whether or not Trump is serving his own interests or our nation's.

What I want to see from him today at the U.N., in all of his meetings here and this Thursday, is that he puts our national interests first, not his own.

BOLDUAN: Well, stand by to stand by together to see what comes from it.

Senator, thank you so much for coming in. And thank you for fitting us in between a lot of meetings. I appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, former Vice President Kamala Harris on the trail today, ostensibly for a Senate candidate. But what does the map tell us about what else might be going on here.

And operations running again after five major airports forced to a ground stop causing a travel meltdown. What led to the airport chaos?

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[09:17:29]

BOLDUAN: More now on the new call for investigation into the Trump family by a Republican senator. A Republican senator calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee to subpoena both Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden, arguing both should be investigated for their family business dealings. But this comes after ProPublica reported that a Russian oligarch helped pay for Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding party, including renting a private island and a fireworks display. President Trump has called it a wedding gift, and also said that Don Jr. would be repaying it.

Now, Utah Senator John Curtis is the man behind this new push for this investigation, posting about it quite a -- quite a message on Twitter. "A toaster is a wedding gift," he writes. "Renting a private island is not."

CNN's Lauren Fox joins us right now with more on this.

Lauren, what are you hearing about this?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, this is a really unusual step for a sitting member of the Republican Party, the president's own party, just months ahead of the midterms.

What you have here is Utah Republican Senator John Curtis sending this letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, urging them to begin an investigation. And he says this is about restoring public trust. He said, according to polling that he used, that 27 percent of the public doesn't have support of Congress, thinks that they are corrupt. And he argues that this is the kind of thing that can be done in order to try to restore that, in order to try to broker some kind of shift in public opinion. And he said, it doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat, you should be calling this out no matter who the president is and no matter whose children may be benefiting from the presidency.

Here is what he wrote. He said, quote, "these reports raise legitimate questions about foreign access to members of the sitting president's family and whether such relationships can create actual or perceived expectations of favorable treatment. The country should not have to accept one standard for the family of a Republican president and another for a family of a Democratic president. Nor should congressional oversight begin and end when control of the White House changes hands."

Now, of course, there's only a couple of months left in this congressional period, and it's not clear what's going to happen after the midterms. Democrats could take control of the Senate. And perhaps this is the kind of investigation that they would want to pursue. Right now we have not heard from the Judiciary Committee chairman, Chuck Grassley, as to whether or not this is an investigation that he would pursue.

But notably, Curtis argues that they should subpoena both Don Jr. and Hunter Biden for these investigations.

[09:20:04]

He said they should be straightforward. He said this isn't that complicated. But they need to get to the bottom of whether or not the president's families are benefiting financially from the presidency itself.

So, really interesting here. And, obviously, we'll see if in the next couple of months this is an actual investigation that goes forward. Right now that's not clear, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, that's not clear. But what is clear from all of the great reporting that's been done by various outlets is there is plenty of things to investigate, even beyond a wedding party when it comes to the Trump family and business dealings right now.

It's good to see you, Lauren. I really appreciate it.

John. BERMAN: All right, this morning, key Senate Republican candidates

sending a clear and honestly very similar message to the president on Iran. Iowa Senate Candidate Ashley Hinson wrote, quote, "Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn't have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran. The war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end."

OK, so look at that language and pay really close attention to how similar that is to what Mike Rogers in Michigan is saying in an ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE ROGERS (R), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Michigan families are struggling with the price of everyday life. Groceries cost too much. We have to bring prices down. The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: With us now, CNN anchor, chief political correspondent and soon to be best-selling author again, Dana Bash. She is the author of the new book, "The Elections that Changed the World: Fifteen Pivotal Moments that Shaped How We Live."

We're going to get to this wonderful, entertaining book in just a second, Dana.

But first, I was just struck by how incredibly similar the language was.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's really remarkable. What a -- what a good catch.

BERMAN: And these are -- these are big races, too.

BASH: Yes, what a good catch. This is why you -- you're, you know, one of the best in the biz, John Berman, because it's exactly right. And it is so clearly, so painfully written to make sure that they have language that will send a signal to the voters that they need, but also perhaps try not to go so far that they're going to anger the president.

But on the latter, I do feel like that ship is sailing. And that's what these two statements really do show. And it comes on the heels, especially for Ashley Hinson, of what we've already seen in Iowa, because two Republicans in the House on the ballot, they didn't -- they didn't just put out a statement. They actually made a statement with their vote, voting against the president and the war last week.

So, it really does speak to where the electorate is, especially in these states where they are hit so hard in so many areas because of the war.

BERMAN: I'll suspect both of them would say it's not a break from the president, but this is as much of a break as you're going to get.

BASH: Yes.

BERMAN: All right, this election, very key. But you've got this wonderful book about 15 other elections, not just here but like around the world in all of history that have really shifted things.

BASH: And it really does -- the reason David Fisher, my wonderful co- author and I wanted to do this is because we say every year, this is a very important election. Maybe it's the most important election of our lifetime.

BERMAN: Yes, yes, yes.

BASH: And in some cases, it is the most important election of our lifetimes. But there are also elections that have impacts and ripple effects for generations, sometimes for centuries. And it's not just elections for president or prime minister or things of that nature. It's also smaller elections, like the election of Martin Luther King Jr., for example, to run the Montgomery Improvement Association. And he became a leader. He was picked from nowhere. Or a pope. OK. So, that is the reason we wanted to do this, to show, when you are thinking about voting, you want to go vote, not just because of how it will affect you and your family, but how it could affect future generations. And you don't know until it's over.

John Berman, because you are a trivia maven, we -- I created, with some team members, the quiz of a lifetime for you.

BERMAN: OK.

BASH: And it's based on this book. Can I ask you some questions?

BERMAN: Yes. I did not cover all of these elections, including Julius Caesar, but I -- but go ahead.

BASH: Well, yes, but, you know what? I think you might get some of these.

BERMAN: OK. OK.

BASH: OK, so let's start with number one.

BERMAN: OK.

BASH: You're going to get it because you just said the answer, which democratically elected leader led an army to cross the Rubicon River?

BERMAN: Yes, that is Julius Caesar.

BASH: And did you know that's where cross the Rubicon comes from?

BERMAN: I did. I -- that's one of the very few things I knew because when I was looking at this book, first of all, I'm like, oh, this isn't just U.S. elections.

BASH: Yes.

BERMAN: Oh, this is Julius Caesar. That was the first chapter I read. I skipped to the Julius Caesar chapter right away.

BASH: I love that. I love that. And, you know, we wanted to start with an election that was a part of the birth of the democratic process. And Julius Caesar certainly is. He's also a cautionary tale because he, like others that we highlight in this book, were democratically elected. And then they took the power and said, never mind on elections.

BERMAN: Yes, and it didn't end well for him either.

BASH: It didn't end -- it didn't end well.

OK, number two, what democratically approved document laid the foundation for judicial review and due process?

[09:25:05]

BERMAN: This -- I feel like I'm cheating only because I actually did my homework and I read the book because I was excited to see you.

BASH: OK.

BERMAN: But this is the magna carta.

BASH: Yes.

BERMAN: In which I love to make fun of because it's not a constitution, but the Brits, they claim it's something.

BASH: They claim it's something. And it is. It's the first time in a sense that the foundation for so many things that led to the democratic process were laid out and voted on. It's a blueprint is probably the better way to say it.

OK, number three, what democratic election led to Mao and the Chinese Communist Party taking over China?

BERMAN: I just made a joke on this because, again, that was another chapter I was fascinated by. I believe that's Sun Yat-sen.

BASH: Yes.

BERMAN: Right?

BASH: Yes.

BERMAN: And in China.

BASH: And this is another example of elections and the desire for democratic elections to be so understandable and important. But sometimes it doesn't go the way you want it. So, Sun Yat-sen, in 1911, became the first democratically elected president of China after centuries of imperial rule. He led a revolution, won and got in there.

It didn't go so well. Democracy didn't take very well in China. So, he made a deal with the Soviets. And then that laid the groundwork for the CCP and Mao. And the result of that is where we are today.

BERMAN: The result of that's at the United Nations today.

BASH: Correct.

BERMAN: That election led indirectly off, you know, to where we are now. I -- Dana, I want to make clear, I actually -- I got the book this weekend. And I was so excited. And I cherry picked it, read different stuff. People are going to think I actually knew this stuff before.

BASH: You do know this stuff.

BERMAN: Not all of it.

BASH: OK.

BERMAN: So, if people go read this book, they're going to learn so, so much.

BASH: I did. I learned a lot. And again, the key is, go vote because you never know the consequences far beyond the immediate aftermath of that election.

BERMAN: I also learned you ran for your sixth grade student council.

BASH: I did. And I won.

BERMAN: Congratulations.

BASH: Only time I've ever been on the ballot.

BERMAN: Well, quit while you're ahead.

BASH: And that -- and that was enough.

BERMAN: Quit while you're ahead.

All right, the new book is "Elections That Changed the World." It is out now. And if you have any questions about what it's like to read Dana's book or the midterm elections, or what it's like to do the morning show, join us for "OFFICE HOURS." That's Wednesday night at 7:00 Eastern Time. And go to the site that's on that screen right now, cnn.com/officehours, or slash office hours, which is what it's like after the show, and post your questions there. Thank you, Dana, very much.

BASH: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: A grand jury decision in the death of a Mississippi teenager who went missing in a boating trip with friends, the panel finds no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

And a group of tourists trapped on a secluded beach with no cell service spells out an SOS message to find help.

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