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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She Will Resign In January; Interview With Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH); Top U.S. And Ukrainian Officials To Meet In Switzerland Tomorrow; Trump, Mamdani Vow Cooperation After Months Of Trading Insults; Mamdani, Trump Meeting Clips Going Viral Online; Supreme Court Pauses Lower Court Ruling Blocking Texas Maps; Trump Renews Effort To Block States From Regulating A.I.; How Prices Are Impacting Voters In Area Of P.A. Trump Won Twice. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired November 22, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone! I am Jessica Dean here in New York, and tonight, a shocking decision from a former very close ally of President Trump, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican, announcing she is resigning from her House seat in January and the move comes amid a messy and public falling out with the President.

CNN's Camila DeChalus has more on what we know about her decision to step down -- Camila.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: Well, Jessica, Marjorie Taylor Greene's resignation announcement definitely came as a shock to everyone, not just members of Congress, but across entire Republican landscape.

Now, earlier on in her tenure, she made it clear that she was a strong supporter of President Trump and said that she would do whatever she could to push his legislative agenda forward. But in recent months, she has become increasingly critical of the President, often accusing him of focusing too much on foreign policy and not enough on the issues that were impacting Americans here in this country, and she also did not shy away from criticizing her own party, even during the government shutdown, she was openly critical of House Speaker Mike Johnson, saying that he needed to do more to address the growing health care crisis in this country.

And it is also pretty notable that she -- even though she is considered a polarizing figure on Capitol Hill during these last few weeks, she also took part in a big bipartisan push to release all the Jeffrey Epstein files. Now, that did not go over well with President Trump on his end. He did not hold back on criticizing her, and he went as far as calling her a traitor.

And even earlier today, when reporters asked him about her, he called her a nice person, but ultimately said that he was still trying to support another person to challenge her in the primaries.

Now, Jessica, the Republican lawmaker, did not say what she plans to do after leaving office, but her departure does beg an even bigger question. And that is, will we be seeing more Republican lawmakers leave office if they begin to openly criticize Trump or even the Republican Party while he is still in office?

DEAN: All right, Camila DeChalus, thanks so much.

Here to talk more about this with us is Tia Mitchell. She is the Washington Bureau chief for "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution."

Tia, good to see you. Thanks for being here with us on a Saturday night.

You were based in Washington, but obviously you're covering the Georgia delegation all the time, and you're familiar with the dynamics at play here. Walk viewers through what is kind of going on behind- the-scenes that they should know about, as they kind of sort through, and assess this decision by Marjorie Taylor Greene.

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION": Yes, really, what is going on behind the scenes in what Marjorie Taylor Greene's resignation is a symptom of is this divide among Conservative Republicans, MAGA Republicans, America First Republicans, particularly the divide that has been exposed after Trump returned to The White House in January. Because we have MAGA Republicans who felt they had an agenda, they felt President Trump had a mandate to lower costs, really focus domestically that America First agenda, and they have been disappointed by President Trump.

And so they have been having to do some soul searching as to what is more important to them, remaining loyal to President Trump, which means perhaps shifting on some things that they thought they cared about but that aren't aligning with Trump's current priorities, or if they remain committed to their political values, which means they have to say, you know, have to admit that it is not aligned with all the ways what Trump says or does.

And then once they see the misalignment, do they talk about it publicly? Do they dare to publicly disagree with President Trump? Many Republicans are facing these challenges. Marjorie Taylor Greene is the rare Republican to choose to stay kind of consistent on values, but also to publicly say when and where she disagrees with Donald Trump.

And once that happened and she fell out of favor with Donald Trump, I think she made the decision that serving in congress isn't what she wants to continue to do, because really, she came to Congress to be Trump's ally, to support him and carry out his agenda. But again, I think she became disillusioned that she no longer could support that agenda.

DEAN: Yes, it is really remarkable to watch just the arc of this story. I mean, there was no greater supporter on Capitol Hill of the President more aligned with him for many years than Marjorie Taylor Greene.

MITCHELL: And now to see them splitting is really quite something. I am curious to what your sense is of just the broader Republican picture, especially when it comes to Republicans on Capitol Hill. I mean, for years now, we've seen the President really for a decade, have full control over them.

They really let him do and endorse what he wants to do. Don't stop him all of the time. And we are starting to see some cracks in that, starting with these Epstein files.

[18:05:08]

MITCHELL: Yes, and I mean, again, there are what people thought America First meant, what people thought MAGA meant is being challenged because some of those things, again, Donald Trump is not doing when it comes to, you know, focusing domestically, not so much on foreign policy when it comes to ending foreign wars immediately, when it came to releasing the Epstein files. Yes, trump came around after it was clear that Congress was moving forward over his objections, but initially he called it a Democratic hoax.

You know, on some domestic issues, immigration and foreign visas for foreign workers, for example. You know, Trump has said things recently that a lot of his supporters are like, that's not what where we are supposed to be coming from, and there is confusion, there is anger, there is disappointment.

And so for someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who says, I've been putting myself out there, I've been loyal. And now you're threatening a tough primary fight. You're publicly, you know, attacking me in a personal manner. Yet if I return to Congress and you're going to still expect me to defend you and remain loyal, and I want to get off that roller coaster because, quite frankly, it is challenging what I feel to be true.

And so the question for other Republicans in Congress facing this is, you know, where do they go from here? You know, because at the end of the day, as of right now, Trump is still the leader of the party. So it is -- do you -- where do you go? And I think for someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene, her answer was, I am going to go home.

DEAN: Yes, and do you have any sense, any reporting at this moment about what we might see from her next?

MITCHELL: Yes, I think in the short term, she is going to try to stay quiet. I don't think she has any immediate plans to run for office. There is a lot of speculation, she has already ruled out Senate in 2026, Georgia governor in 2026. Yes, we know there will be a presidential election in 2028, but that's a long ways away.

I think in the short term, she is going to try her best to just kind of spend some time with her family, keep it quiet. The question will be, after weeks or months, does she get the itch? And she knows that she has a huge following on social media. She knows that she has kind of caught the attention of people from all sides of the political aisles right now, because she has been so populist in her messaging, particularly during the shutdown when it came to health care costs.

So does she decide to take advantage of her platform and her celebrity quite frankly, to do -- to whether it is to run for office, to launch, you know, a podcast. Quite frankly, her boyfriend is very -- works for a YouTube based network -- a conservative network. Does she do more with him on YouTube, which we know, you know that influencer lifestyle could be very lucrative for someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene.

but I think those are kind of long term questions. I think in the short term, her plan right now, according to people close to her, is really to go radio silent, get away from the spotlight, spend time with her family.

DEAN: All right, Tia Mitchell, great to see you. Thank you for your reporting. We appreciate it.

MITCHELL: Thank you.

DEAN: And threats are escalating against six Democrats in Congress, all veterans who appeared in a video reminding service members of their duty to disobey illegal orders. Five of them say they've now received bomb threats or threats to their lives after President Trump accused them of, in his words, seditious behavior punishable by death, and suggested that they could be investigated by the Defense Department. Here is part of their video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHRISSY HOULAHAN (D-PA): Americans trust their military.

REP. CHRIS DELUZIO (D-PA): But that trust is at risk.

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): This administration is pitting our uniformed military.

SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): And Intelligence Community professionals --

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Against American citizens.

KELLY: Like us, you all swore an oath --

REP. MAGGIE GOODLANDER (D-NH): To protect and defend this constitution.

DELUZIO: Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren't just coming from abroad.

CROW: But from right here at home.

KELLY: Our laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: A spokesperson for Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander says her New Hampshire office received a bomb threat last night. They say law enforcement responded swiftly and determined there was no credible threat.

I spoke earlier with Congresswoman Goodlander about all of this. Here is a little bit of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOODLANDER: Look, here we are. The President of the United States, our commander-in-chief is the most powerful person in the world and when he says something, people listen. And his words have real world consequences for real people.

I am so grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders who confirmed that there is no current credible threat and for responding so swiftly. This is just not who we are as Americans.

[18:10:07]

There is no place for political violence in this country, and I am ready to get to work. I really am -- it is what I came to Congress to do. And this is -- it wasn't to get into a back and forth with the President that ends up causing real harm to real people.

DEAN: And we've heard a lot of Democrats, your Democratic colleagues speaking out, condemning the President's reaction to that video. Have you heard anything from Republican colleagues of yours?

GOODLANDER: You know, I think anyone who seriously takes a look at what the President said, it is just -- it is just not the case that saying what the law says is a crime. It is just not the case that being clear in this moment, especially in a moment when we have a President and a Secretary of Defense who have pushed us across legal boundaries that we've never seen before, reiterating a basic commitment to this Constitution, to federal law.

This is this is our job as lawmakers, and we will not give up the ship. We will continue to do our job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: That was Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander. We thank her for her time tonight.

Still ahead, President Trump has a plan to end the war in Ukraine, but it comes with some major concerns. Ukraine's allies say it looks like a big win for Russia.

Plus, from foes to friends, mixed reaction from both parties after that meeting between President Trump and New York City's Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

Also, safety concerns over A.I. safety risks as President Trump's latest effort to block states from making their own rules to keep people safe from artificial intelligence. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:16:25]

DEAN: President Trump says the U.S. proposal to end Russia's war on Ukraine is not his final offer. His remarks could open a window for negotiations before key talks tomorrow with the U.S., Ukraine and Europe.

A U.S. official telling CNN talks would then happen quickly with Russia. Key European allies meeting on the sidelines of the G20 today, pushing back on several points in the proposal, including the idea Ukraine would need to limit the size of its Army.

We are joined now by CNN global affairs analyst, Kim Dozier.

Kim, good to see you. Thanks for being here.

We have these talks happening tomorrow. European leaders say this plan needs additional work. How would you kind of categorize where we are in this moment in time? What happens now?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, for the phrase needs additional work, read most of this is entirely unworkable and we feel like it got dictated to The White House by Russia. And wow, what happened to the past several months of our efforts to change Trump's mind?

There is real dismay that so much of this deal sounds like it is Moscow's talking points, and European leaders fear would leave Ukraine hobbled if Ukraine said yes to it and leave Russia empowered to use its aggression. To seize territory again in the future.

DEAN: And so what does Europe/Ukraine do now to push back on all of this? What levers do they have to pull?

DOZIER: Yes, you heard Zelenskyy in the public statement say that basically they've got two choices lose a major partner and ally and people are reading that to mean Washington or lose their dignity. So that's how bad that they see this current deal as being, because as written in the draft, it would slice the size of the Ukrainian Army, ban Ukraine from ever joining NATO, cede much of the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine to Russia, part of it would be recognized, all in all, it would in its current form, reward Moscow for declaring war on Ukraine.

But in a sense, you've got to say yes just to get to the table and the hope is that behind closed doors, the Europeans, the Ukrainians, can start talking sense into the Americans who are pushing this deal on them.

DEAN: And you have to think to your original point in our conversation that Putin is thrilled with this proposal.

DOZIER: Absolutely. It requires that Russia become one of the major recognized languages of Ukraine. Russia has already widely spoken. I mean Zelenskyy became famous speaking Russian in a comedy series that was popular in Russia, but it has several diktats in it that would leave Ukraine not with strong security guarantees, but with major weaknesses.

The problem is that Ukraine has said yes to something like this before, when it gave up its nuclear weapons. The deal it signed with Russia was that Russia would never attack, and if Russia did, the West would defend Ukraine.

Russia attacked. The West has only given piecemeal defense of Ukraine, certainly hasn't wanted to risk any of its own forces, lest it triggers some sort of nuclear conflagration with Moscow. What is to say that wouldn't happen again if Russia invaded Ukraine again in the future other parts of Ukraine?

[18:20:10]

DEAN: Yes, and Zelenskyy is facing increasing pressure within his own country over this corruption scandal. Obviously, his country has been at war now for three years. People are very tired, although some people we've spoken to who have been there recently said that they continue to fight and have the will to fight.

But how do those factors play into all of this?

DOZIER: Put simply, it is hard to imagine Kyiv being able to continue this war without U.S. support, if only because major U.S. Weapons systems that Europe is buying and giving to Ukraine are keeping Ukraine in the fight. But they're about to face winter with a number of their energy grid systems taken out by recent Russian attacks. They are having trouble bringing in enough forces to continue the fight.

They only recruit ages 26 and above, and they are having people run away from the front lines. They are also having, as you mentioned, this corruption scandal that has weakened Zelenskyy politically because some of his key allies in government, one of his most senior officials, the Energy Minister, had to step down, being investigated for allegedly stealing hundreds of millions of dollars as part of bringing in energy supplies and other supplies to keep the war going.

So he is at a weak point. Trump seems to sense that is a good time to pressure him. Now it is going to be up to European leaders to somehow get to the table and convince Trump that the Thursday deadline is too soon, that this is more important than just getting something off of his to do list around Thanksgiving.

DEAN: All right, Kim Dozier, good to see you. Thanks for that. We really appreciate it.

DOZIER: Thanks.

DEAN: Still ahead, President Trump says he wants to help, not hurt the city of New York after a successful meeting with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at The White House Friday.

We are going to take you to the streets to hear from New Yorkers about what they are calling kind of a shocking new relationship. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:26:34] DEAN: President Trump is now saying he only plans to send the National

Guard to New York City "if they need it."

This comes after Trump's meeting with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at The White House Friday. The two New Yorkers from opposite ends of the political spectrum, though, appeared to hit it off in their first face-to-face meeting after months of lobbing insults at each other. Let's bring in CNN's Gloria Pazmino.

Gloria, this has been such a fascinating dynamic to watch between these two New Yorkers and to see that Oval Office meeting a lot of people talking about it. What are you hearing from New Yorkers now as this kind of sinks in?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, the first thing I should tell you is that Trump's comment about not sending the National Guard into New York City unless we need it, as he said it there earlier today is being looked at as a major win for Zohran Mamdani, those who support him, those who are allied with him, are looking at that comment alone and suggesting it is essentially a victory for the incoming mayor, considering that is very much a real threat. That was on the table for Zohran Mamdani before he takes office.

Now, during the duration of this campaign, we have talked to so many New Yorkers about the issues that are on their mind about who they were supporting, and that's why we came right here to one of the key intersections of New York City, right near Central Park, behind me is actually the Trump Hotel.

We are not far from Columbus Circle, and we got a range of opinions of people here today who supported Mamdani, those who did not, but everyone was somewhat impressed by the way, that the Oval Office meeting went yesterday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So you saw the clip. What was your reaction?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really don't like the guy, but I am glad that he was able to go in there and do a good job with the President.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am hoping that Mamdani does what he has to do to do what is right for the city. I think it is a lot of theater.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that Trump continues to be the most transactional president we've ever had. And if people are smart then they find a way to give him something, which may be meaningless, but it is important to him and then he loves you and rolls out the red carpet.

PAZMINO: Are you guys supportive of Mamdani at this stage? Do you want to wait and see?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will wait and see. I'd like to give him a chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, Jessica, you know, we could say that both Trump and Zohran Mamdani had interest going into that meeting yesterday. Trump was looking to change the conversation, change the narrative, as so much of the focus has been on the Epstein files, and certainly Zohran Mamdani was looking for this meeting to go well.

He wants to show people here in New York that he can actually kind of stand up to this President, but we will see what happens. It is still very early.

Zohran Mamdani hasn't even taken office yet. That will happen in a few weeks on January 1st. And as you know, political winds and how the world is being viewed through, you know, through the lens of the Trump administration and things happening here in New York, all of that can shift very quickly, and that might affect how this relationship plays out in the future -- Jessica.

DEAN: In a New York minute.

[18:30:10]

Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

CNN Media Analyst Sara Fischer is joining us now.

Sara, it's always great to have you on. Thanks for being here.

I do want to talk about how people kind of consumed the -- the video from the Oval Office meeting because almost immediately those clips were just kind of flying everywhere. What was your kind of take on -- on how, you know, that played with a -- with a wider audience?

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Well, first of all, we actually saw a lot of people tune in live, Jessica, because people were expecting a showdown. They thought this was going to be super dramatic and combative. And so, a lot of people watched it in real time.

And as they were watching it in real time, they held up their phones to their TV screens and started recording. And that's why we got so much traction of this meeting on social media. You're also just seeing a ton of memes coming out of the meeting of people who are comparing what Donald Trump had said and his allies had said about Mamdani on the campaign trail versus what this meeting turned out to be.

And then, of course, there were a few other viral moments, most notably Donald Trump interjecting in a reporter's question to protect Mamdani. People were very shocked about that. And so, all in all, this became a very, very viral meeting online. I think most people, you spoke to a few New Yorkers, but I think most people in America have now heard about this meeting going well. And they see it as, quite frankly, a blueprint for how Democrats should be handling the President moving forward.

DEAN: And what about conservative media? How are they kind of -- what's their read on all of this? FISCHER: It's totally split. You have certain conservative voices,

Laura Loomer, a President's ally, who are very confused, frustrated, and upset about this meeting. You also have certain Republicans that ran, especially in New York, against Mamdani, calling him a jihadist. That would be, you know, Elise Stefanik in New York, who are very frustrated and have vocalized that about the way that this meeting has gone down. Steve Bannon has very much put it bluntly, saying, like, this party has completely turned itself on its head.

And so, I think Republicans are very confused and they're very split. One thing I'll note, there does seem to be a difference overall in how New Yorkers, New York Republicans, view this versus non-New York Republicans. A lot of New Yorkers just didn't want the President and their mayor to have a massive showdown, National Guard troops in the city, delaying progress, interrupting business.

So, I think for them, they have a much more optimistic view of this meeting than somebody outside of the state and the city.

DEAN: Yes. I want to ask you about something else. President Trump recently attacked some ABC personalities. We really saw that ramp up this week. It's, you know, it really started with Jimmy Kimmel, but it has continued. It's now stretching to ABC journalists who are asking him questions. I know you wrote about this for Axios today. Tell us more about these repeated attacks on ABC and what they might mean more broadly for, again, just Trump and the media writ large and what we're continuing to see.

FISCHER: Yes. Well, I think President Trump's attacks are very widespread on the mainstream media. You know, just two weeks ago, he threatened a lawsuit against the BBC. So, it's not necessarily that the ABC talent is being targeted specifically, but there is a pattern here. We saw in September, he went after the head of their Washington bureau, Jonathan Karl. Then, obviously, Mary Bruce in the White House meeting with MbS, he called her out.

Then, most recently, he put on Truth Social that Jimmy Kimmel should be ripped off the air. So, it does feel like there's a lot of attacks on ABC. And that matters, Jessica, because his media regulator at the FCC, Brendan Carr, the chair of that commission, has basically vowed to go after broadcasters. And that matters because in this era, if you need to get a merger done, if you need to get any sort of deal done, you need FCC approval and you need the Trump administration's blessing.

So, there's some big business implications in Donald Trump going after ABC, not just, you know, the media writ large. But for broadcasters, this is a big problem.

DEAN: Yes. And it -- and it continues to be an issue that we're going to have to, you know, see where it goes from here. Sara Fischer, it's great to see you. Thank you so much.

FISCHER: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: Still ahead, the new map or the old one. There is a battle in Texas to figure out if they can use this new GOP-leaning version of their congressional map for the midterms in 2026. We're going to have more on the latest hurdle after break. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:38:52]

DEAN: The Supreme Court is about to review a case which could rattle the upcoming primaries in Texas and, in turn, potentially affect the midterm elections. Yesterday, Justice Samuel Alito signed an order temporarily blocking a lower court ruling that found Texas' new GOP- friendly redistricting plan is likely skewed based on the racial makeup of four districts. The map's boundaries were redrawn as part of President Trump's plan for Republicans to gain more seats and maintain control of the House during the 2026 midterms.

Let's bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook, who's been following this.

So, Julia, set the scene for us and tell us what happens next.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, late last night, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito paused the lower court's order that blocked the new congressional maps in Texas. That pause just came several days after a federal court ruled that the new map is likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

And this eventual outcome could have a big impact on the upcoming election, as you pointed out, as well as just here in Washington going forward. The aim of that map was to help Republicans flip five Democratic-held seats in Texas.

[18:40:05]

And the GOP holds a razor-thin majority right now. So, those five seats in play could make the difference in who holds the majority next term. And then, of course, who holds the majority will have a big impact on President Donald Trump's last two years in office.

In the filing, Texas asked the Supreme Court to move quickly on this. They are hoping to see that lower court's order blocked by December 1st in an expedited review. They also focused in on timeline here with those elections quickly approaching. Writing this: "the chaos caused by such an injunction is obvious: Campaigning had already begun, candidates have already gathered signatures and filed applications to appear on the ballot under the 2025 map. And early voting for the March 3rd, 2026 primary was only 91 days away."

Alito asked the groups that challenged the Texas maps to respond to the emergency appeal by Monday evening, so suggesting that he plans to move quickly on this. The case will likely soon be referred to the full court, and Alito's administrative order will remain in place until the nine justices have reviewed it.

DEAN: And this isn't the only legal battle over these efforts to change congressional maps. You look out in California, also what might be happening there. What are you tracking in terms of what's happening across the country?

BENBROOK: The legal battles over these efforts, led by Republicans and by Democrats, to enact these rare mid-decade congressional maps will continue on. In fact, just last week we saw the Justice Department sue officials in California over a map there designed to give Democrats an edge. We expect to see the court hear arguments in that case next month.

An important difference to point out there is that voters in California did sign off on overriding the previous map.

DEAN: Right. That was a big vote in the -- in the elections we just had.

All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Still to come after the break, some states have regulations in place to manage artificial intelligence, but President Trump would like to block those. We'll explain his reasoning behind that. That's next. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:57]

DEAN: President Trump has drafted a new executive order to block states from creating their own individual rules to regulate artificial intelligence. The proposal has some lawmakers and tech safety advocates worrying about the potential harms of AI if the country waits too long to create any guardrails around it. CNN Tech reporter Clare Duffy has more.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, Jessica. And the Senate already voted almost unanimously earlier this year to remove a 10-year moratorium on enforcing state A.I. regulations from Trump's domestic policy bill before it passed. But the President is once again trying to block states from enforcing A.I. regulations and instead to preempt them with what he calls a more minimally burdensome federal policy that is essentially maintaining the very little oversight that exists at the federal level for this fast-moving technology.

This draft executive order would direct the Attorney General to create a task force to challenge state A.I. laws and could potentially also involve revoking federal funding from states that have A.I. regulations. What's interesting about this is the language in this draft executive order really closely mirrors the arguments that we've heard from some in Silicon Valley, like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who have said that having to navigate a patchwork of state regulations could hinder innovation and impact America's competitiveness in the global A.I. race. But nonetheless, this proposal is receiving really broad pushback from both federal and state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as safety groups. There are labor groups that have opposed this, educational institutions, many of whom are worried about the safety implications for users if A.I. firms are left unchecked.

And just to give people a sense of some of the state laws that could be impacted here if states are not allowed to enforce them, there are laws to prevent algorithmic discrimination in hiring, laws that regulate potentially misleading deepfakes. There is a law that recently passed in California where A.I. companies that make companion chatbots have to remind their users that they're talking to an AI and not a human to try to prevent some of the mental health concerns and risks that we've seen play out over the last few weeks.

So really widespread concern about what it could mean if states aren't allowed to enforce these regulations at a time when there really is no federal alternative in place. Some people also criticizing this as basically a handout from President Trump to his friends in Big Tech, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, made this criticism in an ex- post this week.

He said, "The rise of A.I. is the most significant economic and cultural shift occurring at the moment; denying the people the ability to channel these technologies in a productive way via self-government constitutes federal government overreach and lets technology companies run wild."

Now, of course, this executive order still is just a draft, but this is something that we'll be watching really closely, especially as concerns about the risks of A.I. continue to escalate. Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Clare Duffy, thank you so much for that.

President Trump is trying to dismiss the affordability crisis, but as CNN's John King discovered, voters who live in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, that's in part of a swing district there in Pennsylvania, say they are struggling to make ends meet.

[18:50:10]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Bethlehem is blue collar, full of people living paycheck to paycheck. Full of people who come to Jenique Jones for help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENIQUE JONES, PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: My business assists people in repairing their credit, managing their finances and basically being financially organized.

KING (on camera): So, if you're busy, times are tough.

JONES: Absolutely, completely.

KING: And you're busy right now?

JONES: Super busy.

KING: What kind of stories are you hearing?

JONES: My husband lost all of his overtime. My kid's daycare went up. Can't afford the cost of food. Using credit cards for everyday expenses. No money left after the bills are paid. Pretty much just a whole bunch of financial mess.

KING: We changed presidents at the beginning of the year.

JONES: We did.

KING: And the guy who moved into the White House said that he was going to fix it. Several times he said it would be easy.

JONES: Absolutely.

KING: Has he fixed it?

JONES: Absolutely not. I'm definitely waiting for him to fix it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): Jones is a three-time Trump voter, but she says he has simply failed to keep his promise to lower the cost of living.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: I'm -- I'm very let down by that. Very, very let down because I feel like it's only gotten worse.

KING (on camera): Pennsylvania ranks highest among the states in terms of food inflation. Grocery prices here up more than 8 percent this past year. That is way above the national average.

Housing costs are another piece of the affordability challenge. A one- bedroom apartment here in Bethlehem runs about $1,900 a month on average. That is up nearly 6 percent from last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): This is Gentlemen's Barbershop. Customers gripe a lot about rising costs. Ashley Ruiz tries to help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHLEY RUIZ, PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: I'll tell the client, hey, if you get it cut a little shorter, the haircut will have a longer lifeline. Because I want them to feel like they're getting a service that will last longer so their money goes further.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): She gets it because she does the tough math at home. Rent, food, childcare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING (on camera): All up.

RUIZ: They are a lot higher. So, I try to make wiser decisions and hope that things will get better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): A mix of politics around this table, but everyone agrees costs are up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Insurance is crazy. It's coming on more crazy than next year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): Owner Ronald Corales is another three-time Trump voter. When clients or co-workers grumble about costs, Corales urges patience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD CORALES. PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: Well, hopefully soon. I mean, like ...

KING (on camera): But it hasn't happened yet?

CORALES: Not really. We don't really see it at the moment. Like I said, I think we have to give him some time.

KING: Back in Bethlehem's heyday, this was its economic powerhouse, Bethlehem Steel. But the blast furnace here last fired 30 years ago, November 1995. A lot of change, but Bethlehem still matters politically.

This is Pennsylvania's bellwether, Northampton County, a place known for picking winners. The winner here in Northampton has gone on to win statewide and win the White House in the last five presidential elections. And in 29 of the 32 presidential elections dating back to 1900.

Trump's win here in 2024 also helped flip this congressional district, Pennsylvania's seventh, from blue to red. Now, the margin in that House race was just 4,000 votes. And so, with affordability as issue number one, Democrats have this district high on the target list as they try to retake the House in next year's midterms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): John and Lisa Ronca own Cutters Bike Shop. Their teenage daughter rides competitively. Sometimes gets injured. They get their health insurance through the Obamacare exchange, and their renewal letter just came.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA RONCA, PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: It's going to be triple and ...

JOHN RONCA, PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT 7 VOTER: Triple this year.

L. RONCA: ... which equates to double the cost of what we pay for our mortgage for our house. So, that's so we can't keep that plan, to say the least.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): Health care costs going up, their profit margin already down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Why? Is this a tariff question?

J. RONCA: Every, like, two to three months, we get letters from the companies, you know, we got to increase. We're having a 10 percent increase, another 10 percent increase. And it just keeps, keeps escalating.

(End VT)

KING (voice over): Sales tend to spike around Christmas, but they're worried this year.

L. RONCA: Two-inch single speed kids bike was $250, which is still decent, decently high. $400 just in the last couple of months. So, it's kind of tough. I don't know how many kids bikes we're getting for Christmas. I mean, who want -- who's going to spend ...

KING: From $250 ...

L. RONCA: ... to $400.

KING: ... to $400 in a couple of months ...

L. RONCA: Yes.

KING: ... this year.

L. RONCA: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): The Roncas don't like Trump and tend to vote blue. But they did support moderate Republican Charlie Dent a few years back when he was the congressman here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J. RONCA: And it's like I have no problem voting for either side if the person's good for the area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): But their stress this November shapes their early thoughts about next November. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

L. RONCA: Yes, just this year, it's -- it's a -- it's a big change.

KING: He keeps saying that that's a myth, that prices are down, that, you know, they're gone. Inflation's over.

[18:55:09]

L. RONCA: He doesn't go food shopping. I mean, I don't know. Yes, it's hard.

KING: How do you vote? Local or national?

J. RONCA: I -- I would -- I -- to me, I'm going to vote for a person who puts a check on them. You know what I mean?

L. RONCA: Yes.

J. RONCA: Who's going to -- who's going to reign --

KING: Right.

J. RONCA: -- with the President in it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): Frustration with prices and with the President in one of those places that tends to decide whether the country stays the course or shifts gears.

John King, CNN, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: John, thank you. Still ahead in our next hour, the jam-packed race for the top spot in California just got a little more crowded. A look at the new candidate vying to replace the current governor, Gavin Newsom. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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