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Nor'easter Gains Strength as It Takes Aim at East Coast; 167,000+ Pounds of Meat With False Inspect Labels Recalled; Elizabeth Holmes Approved to Move to Halfway House; Xi Leaves White House After Summit Meeting With Trump; Study Finds 450,000+ Heat Deaths Possible by February; CNN, MS NOW, Politico Back at White House as Media Ban Lawsuit Proceeds; YouTube Dismisses Child Safety Settlement. Aired 2- 2:30p ET

Aired September 24, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": -- rain and powerful winds starting as early as tomorrow night. Some areas have already seen strong gusts and flooding, so a lot to stay on top of there.

The USDA says that more than 167,000 pounds of meat are being recalled across the U.S. after being produced without proper federal inspection. Star Meat Delivery Inc., based in North Carolina, is recalling raw pork, beef, and goat products that were distributed to restaurants and retailers. The products bear the number S1363, which does not have a federal grant of inspection. That should be considered misbranded and unsafe to eat. The recall is being classified as Class 1, that is the highest health risk.

And the disgraced founder of a failed startup, Elizabeth Holmes, can be moved to a halfway house next year. This is according to ABC News. Holmes was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison in 2022 for defrauding investors while running her now defunct blood testing company, Theranos.

A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Lavish fanfare, President Trump pulling out all the stops for China's leader, Xi Jinping. But where do their talks stand when it comes to trade, A.I., and the war with Iran?

Fear and loathing for A.I. A new poll shows that a majority of Americans have concerns about artificial intelligence and they want the government to do something about it.

And a disturbing new study on El Nino, how this supersized weather trend could cause nearly half a million more deaths by February.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

First to our Breaking News, moments ago Chinese leader, Xi Jinping left the White House after wrapping up his bilateral meeting with President Trump. The two sitting down for their second summit of the year. Trade, the war in Iran, and the rapid development of A.I., all expected to be discussed here. But there's still a lot of questions about what these face-to-face talks actually accomplish.

CNN's David Goldman is tracking the latest economic lines emerging from this important summit. Expectations kind of low, David, but these are the leaders of the world's two largest economies. Does either have the upper hand in these talks?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, it's really hard to say because both have leverage in this situation. I mean, we've known for a long time that China's economy is booming. And when you compare it to the United States, it always looks better. Just in the last quarter, China had 4.3 percent growth and America had 1.5 percent. Pretty good for the United States, but obviously China is just on fire.

Or is it? And actually, Xi has a lot to be concerned about because, yes, Chinese exports are doing quite well. And despite tariffs, they continue to sell stuff to the rest of the world. But at home, there are some significant problems. Chinese consumer spending is falling in the last couple months; the United States, it's booming. It's really, really strong in the United States.

And a lot of that is buoyed by A.I. and the booming stock market. So certainly, it paints a different kind of picture when you look at the backbone of each economy. But tariffs is another key issue here because they just came out yesterday with another extension of a tariff truce.

Now, tariffs are pretty significant. They're 30 percent on Chinese imports. Had they not come to that truce, they would have been 54 percent. We all remember, a year ago, when they were 145 percent, you basically couldn't get anything from China here in the United States. This is a much better situation, but the Trump administration is using this as leverage because the Chinese continue to hold out on rare earths.

After promise after promise after promise, the United States is still not getting as many rare earth minerals, which are critical for weapons and it's critical for electronics and A.I. The United States needs this from China, which produces more than 90 percent of these. But what does China want in this situation? A.I. chips, those powerful A.I. chips. They don't get the same kind of A.I. chips that the U.S. gets. That is a point of contention.

KEILAR: Yeah, it certainly is. David Goldman, thank you.

The Trump-Xi summit is happening as some top American A.I. firms are calling for their industry to be regulated. A new CNN poll today finds more than seven in 10 Americans say the federal government is not doing enough to regulate A.I. and 75 percent say their feelings about A.I. are closer to fear and concern than hope and excitement.

SANCHEZ: And with just 40 days left until the midterm elections, the question is how this is going to impact the vote. Nearly two-thirds of registered voters say that data centers and A.I. will be extremely important or very important as a factor.

[14:05:00]

That includes a majority of Republicans and a super majority of Democrats.

Let's discuss with Ashley Davis, a former White House official during the George W. Bush administration, and Kendra Barkoff, a former Press Secretary for then Vice President Joe Biden and current Managing Director at the political consulting firm, SKDK.

Ladies, thank you so much for being with us. So Ashley, first to you. Americans are clearly concerned about A.I. How do you think voters are absorbing President Trump's anti-regulation approach where he says that the chief guardrail is DOJ on what A.I. does?

ASHLEY DAVIS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL: I actually think -- I'm very involved in the data center world part of A.I. and I actually think from that perspective, that is falling into the governor's and local officials. You can see all the Republican governors, especially really reacting to some of the blowback that's been happening whether, it's in Texas, whether it's in Ohio. I mean we can go through Tennessee actually and actually, that's impacting Senate races, for example, like in Ohio where you have Senator Husted who's like begging to get the Electricity Bill across the floor in the Senate because of the data centers taking electricity off the grid.

I don't know how much it's going to be an impact on the president, I mean, he's got a lot of other issues in regards to the economy and gas prices and everything else that I'm not sure if this is going to be as much impacting him as it is the local governors. I think this is really why you see all this these governor's races as close as they are in states that they really shouldn't be, Republican wise.

KEILAR: Yeah. You know, it's interesting -- it is so interesting to see how people feel about A.I. and what's driving it.

48 percent, Kendra, of Americans think A.I. will have a negative effect on their finances. And what's really interesting is, once you dig into this, that number jumps significantly among Americans who make less than $50,000 per year. So lower earners have a much bigger concern about this affecting them financially. How much are their concerns about A.I. and data centers all just tied back to that economic anxiety that so many people are feeling about just getting through their lives?

KENDRA BARKOFF, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY FOR THEN-VP JOE BIDEN: I think it's the cumulative effect, right? You're seeing one thing on top of the other. When gas prices are really high and grocery prices continue to be really high and people are scared that whatever jobs they have can be taken away by A.I., it is sort of all of these factors coming together to create fear.

You also have whistleblowers out there who are saying this is doomsday. This is the end of the potential, you know, world, we people should be frightened to buy what these A.I. companies can do and what can happen. And so I think it is all of these pieces put together that I am sure are going to make people go to vote come November.

DAVIS: The other comment that I think to add to that is, and I just looked this up today, 80 percent of small businesses are not using A.I. So if you think about when you said the $50,000 range of income, the small business aspect doesn't understand or it doesn't want to understand or nervous to understand that. So you have the big companies moving forward with the technology, good or bad that's not my point, the small point is the small businesses are not and the other thing is 20 percent less women are using A.I. than men.

And so there is a big discrepancy.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: (Inaudible) they aren't benefiting?

DAVIS: As much, I don't. Not yet, but I think that's education. Education by the companies, not education by people. They need to be educated why the small business, why you should have a spreadsheet made from A.I. instead of making it yourself. I mean, that's the stuff that needs to happen, but safely.

SANCHEZ: Kendra, when it comes to Democrats and legislative priorities, there seem to be some competing visions within the party. You have Bernie Sanders and others proposing a permanent ban on superintelligence -- permanent -- semi-permanent ban on superintelligence and then you have others that want to work alongside some of these A.I. companies and expanding transparency and an oversight as well. Do you think Democrats would be sharper in getting on the same page from a policy perspective on this and pose a bigger threat to Republicans, specifically on an issue that obviously matters so much?

BARKOFF: Look, I don't think Democrats have some sort of loyalty test about how they can be in or out. I think all of these ideas together are great. But at the end of the day, it's the Republicans who bring things to the floor. So Democrats can continue to make changes to make the world a better place, but it's John Thune, Senator John Thune who's going to make the decision on what is voted on and what's not.

And look, the House isn't even in session. They have dismissed until the midterms. So, you know, if something is not going to pass in the Senate, obviously nothing's going to happen in the House until after the midterms and the lame-duck session comes back into -- comes back.

KEILAR: Ashley, you mentioned data centers impacting Republicans in these races, but so too is immigration, right?

[14:10:00]

You have Kansas Senator, Roger Marshall, who's facing this tougher- than-expected re-election campaign. He's now urging ICE to coordinate with our local law enforcement to keep officers and residents safe. We've seen other members of Congress break with the president on his immigration policies quite directly, right?

Congressional candidate Maine is crying foul over what he said was the wrongful deportation of a family member. Are you expecting even more Republicans to go this route, breaking with the president?

DAVIS: I think you'll see many people start making sure that they're voting or they're talking about their districts or their states and what's important to them. So it is --

KEILAR: Is it too late though?

DAVID: I mean, probably. I mean, we'll see. I think we'll see -- what we're -- in two weeks, kind of some of this onslaught of money that's being spent identifying candidates, it helps or not. Otherwise, it's going to be a very tough year for us, and I think that everyone recognizes that.

However, there is a point where, when you say in Florida, when you're talking -- when you have a district for Maria that's, you know, 52 percent, either from Cuba or Venezuela, that she believes that ICE has gone too far. And yes, closing our borders or making sure that our borders are safe is one thing, but some of the ICE rhetoric is another thing. The data centers, you see -- Iran, I mean, there's going to be a vote today, you know, on the resolution in the Senate.

Are more Senate Republicans going to join in with the Democrats and a handful of Republicans, with Susan Collins, Murkowski, others, that have already voted against the Iran War, do you see more today because of it not being popular? Because everyone is realizing that that's why the gas prices are up. I mean, that -- we can point to one issue.

Listen, I think our country needs to be safe. I think Iran are bad people. But if you want to say why the Republicans are losing the election right now, put the Trump stuff aside. It's because gas prices are higher, and that's because of Iran.

And he is getting the blame for that. I mean, this is very obvious, right?

SANCHEZ: Ashley and Kendra, appreciate the conversation.

(LAUGH)

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much for --

DAVIS: Did I just divulge (ph) your talking points for you?

(LAUGH)

DAVIS: I was like, you guys are lucky this time around.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much for being with us. CNN and other media outlets are finally being allowed back on White House grounds after a judge orders access be restored. The fight, though, is far from over. We're going to break down the next steps after a quick break. Plus, a new study warns that nearly half a million people around the world could lose their lives in the next few months because of extreme heat.

And later, the CEO of YouTube says the video platform will not be joining a settlement that claims social media has a negative impact on children's mental health. His reasoning for this move when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:16:57]

SANCHEZ: For the first time in five days, CNN teams are back at the White House. A major turn in the fight over President Trump's restrictions on some news organizations. The renewed access is due to an overnight court order from a Trump-appointed judge. Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the administration must allow CNN, MS NOW, and Politico back onto White House premises as their lawsuit over the ban proceeds.

KEILAR: But before full access got restored around lunchtime, there was a lot of confusion. Despite Judge Kelly issuing his order just before 1 a.m., multiple journalists were repeatedly denied entry hours later, including our own Betsy Klein, who was rejected at least four times before security ultimately let her in. There were even press passes that were revoked from some journalists who had not had them previously revoked yesterday.

Joining us now, CNN Senior Justice Correspondent, Evan Perez and CNN Media Analyst, Sara Fischer. Evan, to you first, just talk to us about the timing here, what you're learning about what happened this morning, why it took so long and the White House was still turning away journalists.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, some of that is still a bit of a mystery, to be honest, because the news organizations this morning had to go to court to ask for an emergency hearing because the White House was essentially defying the judge's order.

The order came just before 1 a.m. and the judge said that he was granting this temporary restraining order that prevents the White House from enforcing its ban on these news organizations because of the lack of due process, which was the main issue that was addressed at the court hearing yesterday.

Now, just before 12:30, which is when the judge had ordered the Justice Department to respond, we got this declaration from the White House. The White House press operation essentially described how they were notified around 7 a.m. that they needed to restore access and then they laid out claiming that they had restored that access by 9:55 a.m. That is not true because Betsy Klein went to the front gate again her last time before she was finally allowed.

At 11 a.m., she went and she was denied, along with MS NOW and other journalists who had been denied previously. So clearly, this declaration is not aligning with what we know happened this morning. But now, you know, obviously the fact is that the journalists are now back inside the White House and one of the things we're still waiting for clarity on, the White House pool situation is not clear because CNN is the pool cameras, they're the pool journalists to cover the events this evening with the Chinese premier visiting the White House, and we don't know yet whether CNN will be allowed to do its work later today.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, the television pool is still in a holding pattern, Sara. The five major networks are awaiting word from the White House to find out if in the future, CNN will be allowed to carry out its duties. Obviously, the significance is that we don't get to see President Trump and Xi side-by-side in the manner that we normally would.

[14:20:00]

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, and the other thing I'm watching for is outlets that weren't a part of that video pool but were still standing in solidarity with CNN, MS NOW and Politico such as Getty, The AP, Reuters, The New York Times, Washington Post, they said that they would temporarily suspend photography and distributing it because they wanted to stand in solidarity until these reporters got reinstated access.

And so, it's unclear to me to what extent the broader White House pool will continue its boycott until we have clarity on the pool, and that's an important thing to know. In terms of the pool itself, not having access to this critical meeting is obviously a detriment to the American people, but it's also a detriment to Donald Trump. You know, he's invested a lot of time and energy in getting President Xi here and trying to negotiate in front of the American people and showcase his negotiation skills.

So the fact that he's not going to be on camera is a problem for him, and it reminds me of what happened on Monday night when he tried to hold a, you know, a moment at the U.N., and he couldn't get even the audio to work because the press pool couldn't cover it.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, he was sort of speaking into the void. He couldn't make out what he was saying. And Evan, it's important to remember that this is part of a legal process. This is only a temporary restraining order that has allowed these journalists back into the White House. It is set to last for 14 days.

Do we know when the next hearing is going to be? What is the next step in this process?

PEREZ: Yeah, the judge, Tim Kelly, has already laid out a schedule over the next few weeks for briefings and for, again, anticipating further litigation because the White House, or rather the president, the president has made clear even before he lost in court that he was planning to appeal, sort of anticipating what he was going to get from this judge, right?

So now, we wait to see whether the Justice Department will give notice of appeal, which is the first step that they have to take. And then also we have to see whether, you know, the news organizations are going to ask for this to go beyond the 14 days, waiting to see what the White House is going to do. But certainly, what the news organizations want is that this not be just a temporary fix, but a permanent restoration of full access that was before the president made this decision last week.

So, again, this is not over because, for now, we have access and the president now, I guess the cards are in his hands. He's got to figure out what he wants to do next.

KEILAR: Yeah, and Sara, during a photo spree with Chinese photographers this morning, Trump actually sort of joked around about how China had the friendliest press corps, which was an interesting moment considering this is, I mean, it's state-run media. China imprisons journalists.

FISCHER: Yes, this is such an embarrassing moment for the United States. We're supposed to be meeting with one of our biggest global adversaries, a communist country, and representing democracy on the global stage. And democracy stands for freedom of the press, freedom of speech. And the fact that we have reporters who are not being allowed in the White House, the fact that we have no press pool covering it, and a president who is sort of, you know, acknowledging the fact that another world leader, in his view, gets the opportunity to have less of a free press. It is everything that we don't stand for here in America.

And I think that the White House press corps has done an excellent job of remaining professional during this moment and putting out clear, sober, and unbiased coverage during this moment of what's happening to them, because it's a reminder not just to the people here in the U.S., but everywhere around the world, that regardless of what this White House is doing, like, the rest of the country really believes in what we stand for.

SANCHEZ: Sara Fischer, Evan Perez, thank you both.

KEILAR: So there could be hundreds of thousands of heat-related deaths in the next six months because of a supersized El Nino. We'll have the latest on the new warning after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:28:12]

KEILAR: Breaking News from the U.N. General Assembly where just moments ago a significant number of delegates were seen walking out as Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage to speak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN Chief National Security Analyst, Jim Sciutto is with us. Jim, not really a surprise that that's the reaction he got. JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: You know, it appears the Israeli prime minister was prepared for it because he called them moral cowards as they left the room and then went on to deliver -- and he's still delivering it, I believe. I don't think he's quite done yet -- a very defiant speech. He is not backing off from any of his hardest positions. Very defiant on the Iran War.

And it was interesting to me that he echoes what Donald Trump says about the Iran War, that if U.S. and Iran had not attacked -- U.S.- Israel had not attacked Iran, that we would all be dead. You know, this thing you've heard Trump say that they would have already had a nuclear weapon. They would have already used it. I mean, there's no intelligence that we're aware of that, that's true. But using that same kind of language.

And then he went through sort of a kind of hit list of all the various military operations Israel has carried out against Hezbollah. He bragged about the Pager attack against Hamas and so on. And he even, you know, played down these accusations of a land grab in the West Bank which, of course, CNN has reported extensively on Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians, et cetera.

He says those that's just a minor group -- and by the way, it's our land. He said today, it is our land. So I think you could put it in the category, which is not unusual for the Israeli prime minister to be defiant even in the face of criticism. But that walkout does show that a large portion of the world is not on Israel's side in this war.

KEILAR: Yeah, certainly demonstrated there. And these are live pictures that we are watching. Jim, thank you so much for monitoring this for us. We appreciate it.

The super El Nino is already making its presence felt around --