Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Americans Disapproval on Inflation; Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) is Interviewed about Voter Concerns; Trump Urged to Reconsider Diesel Export Ban; Marc Short is Interviewed about Diesel Export Ban and the Midterms. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 24, 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]

DEAN LOGAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY CLERK: That is destructive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: He and other officials said, yes, we know this is legal, but we just wish that it wasn't. And, John, by the way, for full disclosure, CNN has a partnership with Kalshi. We use their data to cover major events, including elections, but they don't influence our coverage and we don't trade on prediction platforms.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: What are the prediction markets saying about this reporting?

COHEN: They're pushing back. They're pushing back pretty hard against the idea that they are harmful. They have described themselves as a public service. They think that this is a net positive for the country. They think this is more accurate than the polls. It allows people to financially hedge based off of the outcomes of elections. And they think that this is going to increase engagement in the political process.

Let me read for you what Benjamin Freeman, the head of politics growth at Kalshi, told me. He said, quote, "polls are backwards-looking. They're expensive to run. They can be biased. Markets are always live. They're 24/7, and they can price-in new information."

We also heard from a spokesman from Polymarket, and they said this, quote, "we provide transparent, accurate, real-time information." They called it "an antidote to the disinformation poisoning public dialog."

And not only that, John, but there are a lot of traders who love this too, especially gen z. They are really into this. And people are making big money as well.

John.

BERMAN: Marshall Cohen, thank you for sharing your reporting on this.

Kate. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead, why calls to now ban diesel exports

amongst Republicans are facing backlash. Who's saying it could now backfire on the United States if the president goes down this road.

And a semitruck carrying live chickens crashes on a freeway ramp and blocks traffic for hours. Oui (ph). The scramble to clean it all up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:56]

BERMAN: All right, live pictures of the White House. As of now, our Betsy Klein -- CNN's Betsy Klein and other CNN staff have not been allowed back inside the grounds, even though overnight, a judge ordered the administration to let CNN, MS Now and "Politico" back inside, saying that the order to ban them was done without due process. The judge also had a lot of other problems with what the administration did.

But for 14 days, CNN, "Politico" and MS Now are supposed to be allowed back in while the judge considers the case more carefully. But as of now, at least Betsy, and a cameraman of ours, not allowed back on the grounds yet. We are tracking this minute by minute if we can, because it's interesting and notable so far that they haven't made it through. We will bring you up to speed when we get more information on that.

Of course, one thing that may be upsetting the president, maybe it spurred him to ban journalists from the White House, is all the reporting about how Americans disapprove of him on inflation. His numbers on the economy and inflation have been awful 40 days before the midterms. The question is, is this just about him or is it spreading?

With us now, chief data analyst Harry Enten.

You are not banned from the CNN NEWS CENTRAL set.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: No. Thank God. I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

BERMAN: Ok, so we've been looking at the president's numbers on inflation.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: They're awful.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: Is it contagious?

ENTEN: Yes, it is absolutely contagious. It is spreading like a big plague that is going to bring down the Republican Party if it holds through the midterm elections. We have spoken about how historically awful President Trump's ratings are on inflation. The worst ever. If Republicans think that they can escape it, well, the polling data suggests something entirely different.

You can see it right here. OK, party trusted more on inflation. This is a Fox News poll that came out this month. Democrats trusted more by 15 points. I went back through all the spreadsheets that I could possibly find. This is a historically large lead for Democrats. It appears to be to me, through the data that is the largest lead in over 50 years. You have to go all the way back to the mid 1970s to find a bigger lead than this 15-point advantage that Democrats have right now on inflation.

So, what's happening up at the White House is definitely funneling its way down to these congressional races. Republicans in a whole lot of trouble.

BERMAN: Inflation hasn't been a Democratic issue in the past.

ENTEN: No.

BERMAN: Now it very much is.

ENTEN: Correct.

BERMAN: OK. And it's happened really quickly.

ENTEN: It has happened extremely quickly. Just look. OK, this is a Fox News poll. But it's not just a Fox News poll. Look at the Marquette University Law School poll. OK, look at this, trust which party more on inflation? Back in January, look at that, Republicans actually had a one point advantage. But since the Iran War started, since gas prices went through the roof, look at this, the Republicans' advantage went down into the ocean. Now we have Democrats ahead by 12 points. So that Republican lead from one, a big switcheroo to Democrats ahead by 12 points. There was another poll that I saw that had Democrats ahead by 14 points, 12 points, 14 points, 15 points. These are the types of leads on which Democrats can get on top of, and they can ride that wave to not just a House, but a Senate majority as well if these numbers do, in fact, hold.

BERMAN: This is a this year thing. A now thing.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: These are changes that we've seen over a relatively short period of time. What about gas prices?

ENTEN: Yes. OK. We spoke about gas prices. We spoke about -- we're speaking about gas prices. We spoke about how inflation (INAUDIBLE) changed in a New York minute. What's driving it? It is, in my opinion, those gas prices, because look at the party trust on gas prices. Trust which party more on gas prices.

You know, you go back to last midterm election, back when Joe Biden was president. Look at that, a Republican 17-point lead. That is now a Democratic 13-point lead. That is a 30-point switcheroo in the Democrats' direction. Gas prices leading to higher inflation in the minds of the American public, leading potentially to a big Democratic night come election night 2026.

BERMAN: And it is contagious. This is the Republican Party, not just the president.

ENTEN: Correct. It is contagious like a plague that could very well bring down the Republican Party.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.

[08:40:00]

ENTEN: Thank you, my friend.

BERMAN: Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, gentlemen.

Joining me now, Democratic Congressman Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island.

You just heard Harry talking about this poll here -- or these predictions here. Look, they show -- they show a clear shift as to who Americans think they can trust to help them with, for example, gas prices. What is the plan to lower them if Democrats manage to take the majority? It's complicated because the war is still ongoing.

REP. SETH MAGAZINER (D-RI): Well, people know that this inflation has not happened for no reason. It has happened because of bad policy decisions by the president and congressional Republicans that need to be reversed. So, the plan is to end the tariff, the trade war with Canada and our other allies that are driving up costs on the American people. The plan is to end the war in Iran that's driving up gas prices. And importantly, to restore funding for the Affordable Care Act tax credits for Medicaid and for other programs that the Republicans gutted in order to give tax cuts to their billionaire donors.

The American people know what's going on here. They know that the tariffs, the war, and the health care cuts are making their lives more expensive, and they are running away from Donald Trump and the Republicans in droves because of those bad policies, which Democrats will reverse.

SIDNER: All right. President Trump is laying out the red carpet literally for Chinese President Xi. At the same time, this is the headline this morning in "The Wall Street Journal." "The Journal" saying, "Iran has a secret weapon in its war with America: Help from China."

Do you trust that the flattery that Trump is heaping on Xi will be used as a way to actually get China to stop some of this behavior?

MAGAZINER: Donald Trump has always been drawn to dictators, authoritarian bullies, because that's what he sees himself as. And it is true, you know, China is actively helping Iran, actively helping Russia in the war on Ukraine and continues to launch cyber-attacks, including A.I.-powered cyberattacks at our own country, at the United States.

I serve on the Homeland Security Committee in the House, and I can tell you that the Chinese cyber threat is real and present and ongoing.

So, listen, you know, we want the relationship with China to be productive, but we have to be clear-eyed about the fact that they are an adversary, and they are acting like one. And we need our president to stand up for America's interests instead of just his own interests. Time and time again, the Trump family has sold out the American people in exchange for riches from foreign leaders. And the American people are sick of it.

SIDNER: Look, you mentioned A.I. The president says he -- this just this morning, posting, he's basically in lockstep with Xi when it comes to how to deal with A.I., posting this, where he talks about wanting to leave A.I. exactly where it is.

MAGAZINER: Well --

SIDNER: So, I guess the question to you is, is that the right thing to do?

MAGAZINER: No. The American people are right to be concerned about the risks of superintelligent A.I. The risks that A.I. can be used to create weapons, to create bioweapons, to launch cyberattacks. The risks that A.I. superintelligence turns on humanity. These are risks that the industry leaders themselves are warning us about. The American people are worried about it. The American people are also worried about the job loss that may come from A.I.

So, listen, we need a president who takes these risks seriously. Yes, there are potential upsides to A.I. technology, the ability to cure diseases potentially, and the like, but we need strong guardrails in place. We need strong safety standards for this incredibly powerful technology, just like we have safety standards for any other product that goes to market. The problem, once again, the reason that this hasn't happened, the reason that Congress hasn't acted, and the reason that the president doesn't want to act, is once again, because his family is making money off of all of this.

Don Jr.'s venture capital firm has invested millions and millions of dollars in A.I. companies. The president's own A.I. czar, David Sachs, is profiting off of these A.I. companies. And, of course, the A.I. companies, many of them are flooding the congressional races with campaign cash. And so, this is yet another example of the corruption of Washington, D.C., causing its leaders to fail to protect the American people from a very real threat. That is yet another reason why we desperately need change in November. I hope to be part of a new majority after the November elections that takes the risks of A.I. seriously.

SIDNER: I do want to talk to you about a new CNN poll, because you're talking about how the American public feel about A.I. And this is pretty stark. It reveals that 75 percent of Americans fear -- are fearful and concerned about artificial intelligence.

[08:45:05]

That's an overwhelming majority. I mean are you fearful, more than hopeful, about A.I. at this point?

MAGAZINER: I think it's both. I think that people's fears are well- founded. Again, the real fear of jobs being displaced, the fear that A.I., in the wrong hands, can be used to create terrible weapons, the fear of superintelligence, these are all well-founded fears. The upsides potentially could also be very real. You know, anyone who's lost a family member to cancer or another disease is very hopeful that A.I. can be used to find new cures and to, you know, to improve our lives in other ways.

But listen, just like any other product, A.I. needs to be regulated and there need to be safety standards. We have safety standards for cars. We have safety standards for food on the shelves at grocery stores. Why wouldn't we have safety standards for this incredibly powerful technology?

And again, the only reason that Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are refusing to work with Democrats to pass real A.I. safety legislation is because the Trump family is profiting off of these A.I. companies.

SIDNER: Congressman Seth Magaziner, it is good to have you on this morning there from Providence, Rhode Island. Appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Also new this morning, dozens of business groups are urging the president now to reject calls from fellow Republicans to ban U.S. exports of diesel. The president has said he was considering it in order to try to bring down what is now record high diesel prices. But the group, which includes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that, "an export ban would force reductions in refining utilization, increase prices and lead to retaliatory actions from other countries." The price of diesel this morning, it is $6.51 right now.

CNN's Matt Egan has much more on this.

What are you hearing? I mean it's definitely something you're hearing from Republicans right now, that in order to bring down prices, we need to ban exports of diesel. We banned exports of chips. Why can't we ban exports of diesel?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. That's the argument that Chuck Grassley and others have made.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: Grassley says that record diesel, it's just killing farmers. And look, if they ban exports, this would be an emergency move designed to drive down these sky-high prices.

I mean, this has been just truly historic. It's literally off the charts. That top line is where we are right now.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: That's not where you want to be. It shows just how dramatically higher diesel is. And look, if this isn't inflationary, I don't know what is, because even though we don't use diesel in our cars, for the most part, this is the workhorse fuel that really powers the modern economy, right?

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: It's in the trucks, trains and the tractors. And the fact that the president is even entertaining this shows how much pressure he's under from his own party and on this issue of the cost of living.

But experts have been almost universal in their pushback here. I talked to Dan Brouillette, the president's own former energy secretary at the end of his first term, and he did not mince words. He told me that an export ban would backfire.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN BROUILLETTE, FORMER SECRETARY OF ENERGY: Well, it's one of those ideas that sounds good on the surface, but when you dig into it, it makes very little economic sense. You're sending a really poor investment signal to those who would invest in the United States to develop this infrastructure.

It is a bad idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

EGAN: So, a bad idea from the president's own former energy secretary.

Now, like other experts, Brouillette, he said, yes, initially, if you ban diesel exports, you could see a localized drop in diesel prices in the Midwest and in the gulf coast, because that's where the refineries are. And they'd suddenly have a glut of diesel. But not so much on the East Coast and the West Coast, because those areas rely on imports, and imports will skyrocket because the U.S. is no longer sending that diesel overseas.

So, look, bottom line here, we're going to see this debate continue. The fact that the White House is entertaining this is significant. And it's also telling to me that business groups are really starting to speak out more vocally than in the past when they see a policy that's being considered that they strongly disagree with.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean it seems like there's less of a debate. It's more of a choice. Either quick political expediency or long term impact, like where the focus and the priority is going to be.

I heard one farmer say that he's spending $75,000 more a month on fuel. EGAN: A month. Wow.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Than he was previously.

EGAN: Right.

BOLDUAN: Because of all that is needed when it comes to diesel.

EGAN: And, ultimately, that's something that we're all going to experience at the grocery store.

BOLDUAN: Yes. It's great to see you. Thank you so much, Matt.

EGAN: Thank you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now is Marc Short, former chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence.

Marc, always great to see you.

I want to read you two statements from inside the administration on the idea of a diesel ban. One of them comes from the top official in the administration, President Trump. He says, "I've said let's not send out the diesel.

[08:50:00]

We make a lot of diesel. I've called for it within my people. I've been talking about it."

Now, the secretary of energy, Chris Wright, seems to be on a different page. He says, "the president didn't say he was going to ban diesel exports. President Trump is focused on lowering energy costs for Americans across the board. He's open to any ideas, creative ideas."

So, they may not agree on it, but how do you feel about a diesel export ban?

MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: Well, John, it's a terrible idea. Not only has Chris Wright said that, but also secretary of interior, Doug Burgum, has also expressed reservations that it wouldn't have the right effect.

I think as Matt was just explaining to your audience a minute ago, the reality is that because of the Russia-Ukraine war and because of the war in the Middle East, America now produces 20 percent of the global diesel product on the market. If we were to ban exports, then basically what you would cause is globally refineries would need to produce more diesel. And the cost of that would be jet fuel and gasoline.

So, gas prices and jet fuel prices globally would go up. Here in America, there's nowhere to store the diesel if you begin to ban it. We're at -- we're at excess capacity right now. There's nowhere to store it. And so, what would then happen is, out of every barrel of oil, it's that same barrel that produces diesel, jet fuel, gasoline. And so, what's going to happen in America is you begin having nowhere to store it. It means you're going to have less gasoline and less jet fuel also. So, all these other prices will go skyrocketing up further than they already are if you put in place such a ban.

BERMAN: And, of course, people are calling for this because diesel prices are so sky high right now, which is a reaction to the war in Iran, which is something that is affecting Republicans on the campaign trail. Texas Senator John Cornyn was asked about how the president and his policies are affecting the race for control of the Senate. I want to listen -- you to listen to how Cornyn responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Has Trump made the job of winning the Senate for Thune easier or harder?

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Harder.

REPORTER: Thanks.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How much harder? I mean, the poll -- you saw the polls today.

CORNYN: On a scale of what?

RAJU: One to 10.

REPORTER: To 10.

CORNYN: Ten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, Senator John Cornyn says, on a scale of one to 10, the president is making it a ten, harder, to win the Senate or remain -- sustain control of the Senate. What do you think about that, Marc?

SHORT: Look, I think that it is getting a lot harder right now. There's a lot of headwinds. I think typically when you have one party in power in a midterm cycle, it's always going to be -- or I shouldn't say always, but it's usually going to be difficult, particularly in a second term, similar to 2006 when Democrats had a huge year when Bush was president, or 2014 when Republicans had a big year when Obama was president. So, the environment's already tough.

But, you know, I don't think that the president's really been on the right message of saying how he's really going to lower costs, what he's going to do for affordability. And, you know, even this week, I do think that one of the most effective messages Republicans candidly have, John, is I think the Democrats have nominated so many candidates outside the mainstream and many that proudly wear the Democrat socialist banner. But just this week, the president's been at Gracie Mansion, hanging out with Mamdani, soaking him in praise. He's hosting Xi at the White House, and just yesterday announced they're inviting Putin to the G-20 Summit at the end of this year.

So, it certainly is mixed messaging that's coming out of the White House for what I think Republicans nationwide are looking to run on.

BERMAN: And you're seeing Republicans start to split very publicly from the president. We saw Maria Salazar in Florida on immigration. We saw Republicans Ashley Hinson, we saw, you know, Mike Rogers in Michigan, and others on Iran.

And there was an interesting tweet from Roger Marshall, a senator in deep red Kansas, who seems to be in a tighter race, who was talking about ICE operations in Kansas. He said, "when ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement. Our sheriffs and police know these communities better than anyone, and working together keeps officers and residents safe."

When you see these senators in tough races now, tough races in Kansas, going public with things like this, what does it tell you?

SHORT: Well, look, I think, as you said, it's not just deep red, but it's really deep red across the Midwest. And I think that there's a lot of factors there. I think one of the reasons that farmers are upset is, of course, the diesel prices are really high, but also they don't have as many markets to export because of the trade war. And so you have a lot of Republican senators that have supported the president's positions thus far. And there's a lot of anxiety in the states.

And so, as you say, and when you see this in deep red states, then I think it's a reflection that some of the polling that's out there is actually being seen by the members who are running in these races.

BERMAN: Yes, they can read it too.

Marc Short, great to see you this morning. Thank you very much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, ahead, this is breaking news. Our CNN reporter tried more than once to get into the White House this morning. And our Betsy Klein is still trying despite a judge ruling overnight that White House access should be immediately restored for our journalists and the journalists of "Politico" and MS Now.

[08:55:01]

A live report, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: Celebrity Chef David Chang has a new episode of "The Detour." This week he takes a road trip from Dallas to San Antonio with actress and comedian Cristela Alonzo.

I sat down with Chang to talk about his favorite moments in Texas and how his upbringing has impacted his career as a chef. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: We're moving on to another one of your trips. But in the meantime, shouldn't we be eating?

DAVID CHANG, HOST, "THE DETOUR": Yes. Yes.

SIDNER: This is like your specialties. Let's go.

CHANG: This is our vegetarian noodle. This is ginger scallion with ramen (ph). And we have some kimbap (ph). And this is a Korean, like, mostly school lunch dish for kids.

SIDNER: It's really good.

All right, you go to Texas, three or four cities. You're with a buddy. Who'd you go with?

CHANG: Cristela Alonzo. Listen, I'm friends with a lot of comedians. And they're not funny in real life. But Cristela is hilarious. Unfortunately, a lot of our conversation was inappropriate for CNN to air. I have never laughed so hard. And that's what a road trip is too. I think it's about laughing and just talking about random stuff.

[09:00:02]

SIDNER: What did you discover in Texas about barbecue? It seemed like you found all kinds of versions that a lot of people might not know exist.