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Trump Dismisses AI Concerns As CEOs Call For Slowdown; Interview With Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA); Voters In Colorado's 8th District Split On Trump, Economy, Tone; Gas Prices Jump 45 Percent Since Iran Conflict Started; AAA: Diesel Prices Hit $6.20 A Gallon For First Time Ever; Rep. Tifany Survives Emergency Plane Landing In Lake; First Sunday Of NFL Season Kicks Off. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired September 13, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): -- from batteries. Blackouts now last more than 24 hours in this neighborhood, they tell us.

"Every day we are too tired," she says, "to go to work, to take kids to school. We're all exhausted."

Life feels like it has ground to a halt. Increasingly unlivable. But there's nothing left for people to do other than fan themselves as they face another long night in the dark.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: All right, another hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Welcome in to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York tonight.

The race is on to keep artificial intelligence from growing so quickly that it escapes human control. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and three other AI leaders, normally fierce rivals, are all warning in unison this weekend that AI development must slow down. This is after several incidents when the technology escaped its guardrails and President Trump saying this just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you heard directly from any of these AI tech leaders? And you seem to downplay some of the concerns that we've heard.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I'm not downplaying. But it's -- you know, it's going to be more good than bad, but by a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But have you heard directly from any of them?

TRUMP: And I've said -- I've said from the very beginning. Whoever wins AI, and we're leading by a lot. Whoever wins AI wins.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you ever used it yourself or have you been --

TRUMP: Yes, I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, former president Barack Obama told Democrats to make AI regulation a central part of their agenda at a private fundraiser Thursday, warning that the technology could be dangerous, quote, "if we don't get on top of it," end quote. Meanwhile, Congress is coming back this week, but lawmakers also disagree on what to do.

Here's what Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had to say this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try to regulate AI, we will lose the race to China. And that is a threat to every single American. It is a top priority. But we don't need everybody to panic right now.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Well, we certainly need to begin to act urgently to address the challenges that exist. We should take decisive action now so that we can slow down, as the CEOs have recently acknowledged, slow down the pace of development in order to protect the American people and ensure that AI is proceeding safely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Julia Benbrook joins us now live with reaction from the White House.

So, Julia, what else is the president saying on this?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you heard him say there even on his flight back, he spent his weekend here in Dublin. This was a quick trip, but he was even asked about it on the plane, just showing what there is going to be to deal with when he returns. So while he was here, he had some official meetings and then there was also a bit of a more personal endeavor as he was at the Irish Open that is taking place at one of his properties, and he actually gave out the trophy there.

But on this topic specifically, he has said again that more good than bad he believes is going to come out of artificial intelligence. But there are a lot of concerns about the lack of regulations right now. Those are coming from a number of lawmakers, former AI employees, and even AI executives. In fact, as leading in the -- there are other leading companies, there are some specific leading tech companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, who are even asking Congress to put some federal safety regulations into place to slow the rapid growth of this industry.

And Trump was asked about all of this as he was on his golf course earlier today. And I want you to listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're leading China in AI. We're the most sophisticated country in the world. And frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins. And we can put guardrails, we can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up, that shouldn't be bringing it up, and they're bringing up things that won't happen. But whoever wins with AI wins. You know? It's an expression that I came up with. And it's true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So you hear him say there not once, but twice, whoever wins AI wins. He is making it clear that he wants the United States to be a leader on this. While speaking with CNN earlier today, House Speaker Mike Johnson did acknowledge that there needs to be a balance between national security and the immediate security of making models safe.

He did say that he would be willing to meet with some tech leaders in Washington to discuss some of this, noting that he believes that they're going to have different opinions on what types of regulations need to be put into place. He did at the same time, though, reject a proposal from Democrats to cancel an upcoming break. House Democrats specifically are asking for this in order to address this immediately.

[19:05:04]

Now, the House is expected to be back in session tomorrow, but only for a few days. And then they're going on quite a long break, only coming back after the midterms. And this topic will no doubt be top of mind on the campaign trail -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Julia Benbrook, really appreciate the reporting.

We're joined now by Democratic Representative Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia. He's also served as a White House technology policy adviser under President Barack Obama.

So, Congressman, really appreciate you taking the time. You say you were talking about these issues back in the Obama administration. And as you know, you know, Congress has long struggled to keep up with policy especially when it comes down to tech and tech that's advancing so quickly like this. Do you see this Congress falling into that same trap now?

REP. SUHAS SUBRAMANYAM (D-VA): Well, we've been talking about this for a long time, and there are a lot of ideas that have consensus. And so it's shocking to me that Mike Johnson would say that we shouldn't do anything because we're not sure what to do or we don't agree on what to do. In fact, we even have legislation that's been introduced, the Frontier Act, where Democrats and Republicans have come together on at least this issue of containment of frontier AI models and what they could do if they are not tested and if they are not vetted.

So we have actually put together a lot of legislation that just needs a vote on the House floor that would get consensus. And Mike Johnson is completely -- I don't understand what he's trying to do at this point because all we -- what we need to do is assure that AI will not wreak havoc on our economy, on the safety of the American people. And we can do that while still being a leader in AI.

JIMENEZ: You know, we mentioned you were White House tech policy adviser under President Obama. If you were a tech policy adviser to this administration, what would be your message?

SUBRAMANYAM: We need to make sure that we have guardrails around AI development. Third parties that are completely separated from the AI developers themselves need to be a part of the development process to ensure safety at every level and make sure there's containment of these AI models to make sure they're safe before they're released as well.

There's a lot we need to do, and there's a lot we have done, but the reality is that this administration wants to make everything voluntary. They want to just let AI loose and see what happens. And that's how innovation is going to happen.

I will tell you that if an AI model wreaks havoc like they already have, but in a wider scale, that AI development will stop. People will not want AI products anymore, and there will be much harsher consequences for these companies because of that. So what we really need to do is have commonsense regulations, the ones that we at least agree on, and then we can expand from there in a future Congress.

But the time to act was a long time ago. I mean, I sat down with AI leaders in 2016 at an entrepreneurship summit, and we were talking about the exact same things we're talking about now with the same dire warnings that we have now. And so we cannot wait another 10 years or another 10 days. We need to have a vote on these things in the next couple of weeks.

JIMENEZ: Do you trust these AI CEOs who run these companies to be asked to regulate themselves?

SUBRAMANYAM: Well, look, everything is voluntary, right? And I believe that they want to produce safe products. There's an incentive for them to produce safe products because if their products aren't safe, these AI models are not safe, that's bad for the company, but they'll only do just enough to make sure that they get through the minimum level of safety. And what they also don't realize -- they're starting to realize is that they may not even know what's safe or not safe.

Sometimes you need a third party involved from the very beginning. Sometimes you need some commonsense regulations in place because they are under pressure when it comes to investors. When it comes to shareholders, and to get their models out as soon as possible. And they have competition. So it's OK to hear them say that, yes, you know, we have to be careful. We should slow down the pace of regulation -- the pace of development. But we also need some commonsense regulation in place to make sure that these models don't wreak havoc.

JIMENEZ: Sure. You know, in a separate but related issue, the district you represent includes what's known as Data Center Alley. It's one of the densest data center hubs in the world. And just to set the scene that the infrastructure behind this rapid growing technology, AI, is an issue and data centers is an issue you've been balancing for some time.

Where do you see the balance between federal and state regulation? And I ask that because we have some governors who have paused or have been looking to pause data center development in places like New York to Texas as they try to study more the effects of what this can have in many of their communities. How are you finding that balance?

SUBRAMANYAM: Yes. You know, data center development has been ad hoc.

[19:10:03]

It's been piecemeal and it's varied county by county, state by state, and it's not working the way it's been rolled out for a lot of communities. And that's why you're seeing 70 percent of Americans not wanting data centers anywhere near them anymore. What I think it would be a better approach is have the federal government put together a plan on where to put these data centers, making sure that data centers and their related entities pay for the power, not the citizens and not the communities around them.

And making sure that these entities are -- these data centers are safe and that they are, you know, the communities around them are not targets, too. And so there's a lot of things we need to consider. But right now, the approach has not been an approach that's going to be sustainable. You're going to end up with a situation where every community doesn't want them. That's essentially a nationwide moratorium at that point.

JIMENEZ: Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

SUBRAMANYAM: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: And be sure to tune in to "ANDERSON COOPER 360" tomorrow night for Anderson's exclusive interview with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. That is at 8:00 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night here on CNN.

Now, look, this is normally a time when gas prices should be falling. So why are they up? And by a lot. Plus, is there any relief on the horizon? We're going to talk about all of that in a few minutes here. And a sure sign that summer is over NFL is back.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll talk about the season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:16:16]

JIMENEZ: It's a midterm battleground with a 40 percent Latino population primed to be a bellwether in the fight to control Congress. We are talking voters in Colorado's 8th District that are going to be choosing between Republican incumbent Congressman Gabe Evans and progressive former state representative Manny Rutinel. So will President Trump's 2024 gains with Latino voters stick?

John King is "All Over the Map" in Colorado.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Platteville, Colorado, population 3,000, a frontier outpost back when the railroad spread west, now a quiet ranching town with a giant say in the country's direction.

Miko Rios took charge of the Silver Spur when his mother died last year. He is a registered Democrat and a 2024 Trump voter.

MIKO RIOS, COLORADO VOTER: But the charisma caught my attention. I felt like we were a little stagnant for a while, and I wanted something -- some change.

KING: Secret recipe, just like the colonel?

RIOS: Secret recipe. Exactly.

KING: OK, got it.

RIOS: It gives our family our signature flavor.

KING (Voice-over): But margins are down and costs keep going up for everything, including flour for the homemade bread. Keep going up despite Trump's 2024 promise they would come down quickly.

RIOS: I don't believe it has changed. The economy I feel like right now is hard for small businesses, and that's what our supplies, our insurance, our cost of living has gone up so much.

KING (voice-over): Platteville is in Colorado's 8th Congressional District. Republican Gabe Evans is the first-term incumbent, and the race is a tossup.

Has Congress done anything in his first term to help you?

RIOS: Not that I can feel. Nothing comes to mind.

KING (voice-over): And yet registered Democrat Rios is undecided.

Would you prefer a more moderate candidate, personally?

RIOS: I would.

KING (voice-over): Manny Rutinel is the Democratic candidate, a progressive who beat a moderate in the Democratic primary.

When he was in college he criticized beef and cattle and that kind of farming, ranching. That could hurt him? RIOS: I think so.

KING: Does that come up around here?

RIOS: It does. Our community is strong on their cattle, their ranches, their livestock and their crops. It's something -- they take it as a foundation of this country.

KING (voice-over): Rutinel says his views have evolved, and he believes ranchers in the district use appropriate and sustainable methods.

This is a complicated district stretching from the fast-growing Denver suburbs to more rural farming and ranching communities like this. It is 40 percent Hispanic, by far Colorado's most diverse congressional district, and Colorado Eight is among the nation's most competitive districts. A Democrat won here in 2022 by 1600 votes, then Colorado Eight flipped red in 2024 by 2400 votes.

(Voice-over): Greeley is the district's conservative northern edge. Energy and food processing drive the economy here. Esmeralda Ramirez Ray is a big fan of the president and of Congressman Evans. But beyond that, she's beyond frustrated with Washington.

ESMERALDA RAMIREZ RAY, COLORADO VOTER: The rest of them just sit there and they grow stagnant and they do absolutely nothing.

KING: What do you feel? What's the right word? Help me. Is it forgotten, ignored?

RAMIREZ RAY: They get in there and they forget all of their promises. They don't keep their promises. And they get very arrogant and just forget that they're there to represent the people. It seems to be that they get there and it's all self-serving.

KING: But you don't believe Congressman Evans has been caught by that spell yet?

RAMIREZ RAY: No, no, I don't.

KING (voice-over): Ramirez Reyes, a court translator now, but she came to the United States as a migrant farm worker. All for a secure border and all for deporting criminals. But sometimes troubled the president doesn't seem to distinguish between the bad and the hardworking.

RAMIREZ RAY: Nobody is perfect. And, I mean, he comes from an ivory tower in New York. He's not going to understand what the common people go through on a day-to-day basis.

[19:20:01]

KING: But should he understand that? Should he try to do a better job to understand that?

RAMIREZ RAY: He should, but it isn't just the president. It's all of the elected officials. They are -- they have lost their way. KING (voice-over): Adams County is the blue southern end of Colorado

8th, suburban neighborhoods within sight of the Denver skyline.

If you're a Democrat in Colorado 8th, which is Manny Rutinel this year, this is where you need to win and you need to win by a healthy margin.

(Voice-over): Trump ran stronger among Latinos here in 2024, and that helped Congressman Evans.

In 2026, a defining question, and then in 2028 and beyond, do Latino voters continue to trend Republican or do they swing back? The answer to that question will decide this congressional district this year, and will have a huge role in what happens in 2028 and beyond because of the growing power of the Hispanic vote.

(Voice-over): You see a lot of this here, new homes, which means construction jobs.

ALEJANDRA SPRAY, CEO, HISPANIC CONTRACTORS OF COLORADO: Gas is another thing for construction. The impact of gas and oil prices, not only in the fleets that we have, but also the materials we have. So I don't know if people feel like it's not what I voted. It's not what I was promised.

KING (voice-over): Alejandra Spray is CEO of the Hispanic Contractors of Colorado. She describes Congressman Evans as pro-business and accessible, and noted his support of legislation that would have helped undocumented workers get legal status.

The House Republicans are not for that. The president of the United States is not for that. Does that put him kind of in a bind back home?

SPRAY: I believe it does.

KING (voice-over): And this is a remarkable sign of the times. Fight back is what challengers say. Gabe Evans is the incumbent and red is usually the Republican color, not blue.

MANNY TEJADA, COLORADO VOTER: There's like not that many Hispanic sign businesses catering to the Hispanic market.

KING (voice-over): Manny Tejada and his wife, Alexandra, are active in Hispanic community organizations. He is a Republican but knows a lot of longtime Democrats who voted for Trump in 2024 because of inflation and because of Biden immigration policies.

TEJADA: When they opened the borders, that inflated, you know, like millions of migrants that you will see, you know, on the streets. So Hispanics have been here for decades. They saw that and they didn't like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, so the cost of the aluminum, I want to say three, four years, it's double or more.

KING (voice-over): Now costs are still going up, and Tejada says it is Trump's immigration policy and tone driving the conversation.

You think it's going to swing back to the Democrats this time?

TEJADA: I think so. I think so.

KING: And the reasons why? People disappointed in Trump or disappointed in Evans?

TEJADA: You know what, Trump -- mainly Trump. We're hardworking people, we're people of faith. So when you start attacking, you know, our community, then everybody, you know, comes together and says, hey, this is not right.

SCOTT BUSIOS, COLORADO VOTER: You would always put an east facing because you had consistent sunrise to midday, year round.

KING (voice-over): Scott Busios is a Democrat who's pushed for change. It's personal.

So you've been laid off three times in how long?

BUSIOS: Three times in -- three times in eight years but two times in less than a year and a half.

KING (voice-over): This is Thornton, just outside Denver. It grew 20 percent between 2010 and 2020. But Busios sees signs of a slowdown.

BUSIOS: Several houses are for sale right now. People have had to lower their asking price. They're staying on market a little bit longer. Gas prices are higher, food costs are higher, insurance rates are higher. A viable industry like the renewables is downsizing. The job sector is struggling.

KING (voice-over): He voted for Rutinel in the primary. Yet Busios is a little worried.

BUSIOS: Manny Rutinel, he needs to get volunteers to go out. They need to do grassroots.

KING: You don't feel a blue wave right now?

BUSIOS: Uh, here in Thornton? No. This one's a fight. And Manny Rutinel and his team, they -- I haven't had someone knock on my door yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right, John King, appreciate that reporting.

Meanwhile, a big topic of discussion for voters, as we approach the fall gas prices usually fall, but not this year. We're going to get into all the reasons why and what to expect coming up.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:28:32]

JIMENEZ: Across America, gas is averaging $4.31 a gallon today. That is up about 30 -- $0.30, excuse me, in the past month, which means it's now costing you about $20 more to fill up the average tank. But I don't have to tell you that. We're all experiencing it.

Oil prices, though, are surging even higher tonight, past the $100 a barrel mark, with tensions running high in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia shut down a key oil pipeline after a drone attack, and Iran says a ship was struck in the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing battle with the U.S.. Diesel, though, now at $6.20 a gallon for the first time ever, so high that some California pumps hit their display limit $9.99 a gallon.

Patrick De Haan joins us now. He's been tracking these prices for decades as head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

So, Patrick, you said seeing this situation with California diesel pumps in particular gave you the chills. Why is this such a moment?

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Well, I mean, from the historical perspective, I mean, you look at all the issues that are ongoing, the ways that these issues are delving amongst each other, and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better. Back in 2022, it was a short burst of record-setting prices that made the way for plenty of price decreases.

But this time around, we continue six months in to see fresh escalations back and forth, fresh refinery attacks on Russian oil facilities over the weekend, now pushing up diesel prices even more on the futures market and as you mentioned, oil continues to go up.

[19:30:05]

So, I don't know when the story is going to end, but certainly, it gives me chills that after six months, we are still here in the same boat, a boat that continues to slowly sink.

JIMENEZ: You know, today in Ireland, President Trump told Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to stop knocking out diesel fuel and Russia essentially blaming Ukraine in that context for causing a world shortage.

I mean, how do you factor in some of those strikes into the total picture? Is that actually causing a significant impact here?

DE HAAN: Well, it certainly is having a significant impact. That's in part why they are so effective, but Ukraine has now struck a nerve. They've figured out what is going to impact Russia in a more meaningful way after four years of this war. It is turning out this is very much impactful to Russia.

Gas lines, rationing amongst Russians is really bringing the fight back over to Russia's territory. So Ukraine has found an incredibly successful way of sticking it to Russia. The unfortunate downside is that global refining capacity is hard to come by, and each time we see a refinery attack, it has more impacts on diesel, more than gasoline, because Russia is certainly a major producer of diesel and that's kind of behind the big disconnect there.

So it is accurate to say that Ukraine's attacks are having an impact. The unfortunate downside of what they are doing.

JIMENEZ: You know, when you look at diesel in particular, I mean, one, the gas price, the high gas prices themselves is what a lot of people pay attention to because, you know, that's what you're paying for when you're at the pump. But when you see the diesel costs, they are the ones that are that are at record levels right now, surging more than 50 percent since the start of the war with Iran and that's essentially getting to the cost of moving things, every package delivery, things that many of these trucks are using, groceries included in that as well.

How do you expect diesel to ripple out and affect other parts of the economy? How are you analyzing that aspect?

DE HAAN: Well, it is certainly very challenging, Omar, because there are a lot of end uses from transportation, logistics, farming, construction. There are a lot of different ways to look at it, and a lot of these ways impact things differently and different timing, the trickle down. However, this is kind of the second hurrah of high diesel prices that we've seen this year.

So businesses saw a big spike in April and May, that kind of faded in June and July, but the playbooks are going to have to rise to the front again and even airlines may still have to make some plans. They are getting a little bit out of this because peak summer travel is now over. But even airlines may have to further consolidate or improve efficiencies.

And for diesel, it certainly could be very problematic, and by the way, as we get closer to winter, it is not just the businesses that are going to feel this, but those, especially in the northeastern area and rural areas that use home heating oil, could see their highest winter heating expenses ever.

JIMENEZ: Yes, and to your earlier point, it doesn't seem as though there is an end date in sight to the current dynamic overseas right now. You know, we talk a lot about Americans that have been struggling with higher energy prices.

As I understand you've actually done the math here. What is the bottom line economic impact?

DE HAAN: Well, when you look at gasoline, it is amounting to over $350 million a day, actually, now closer to $400 million with the big jolt we've seen, if you add diesel on top of that, the total economic toll on a daily basis is over $735 million today alone.

Since March 1st, it now adds up to over $100 billion that Americans and businesses have collectively paid on gasoline and diesel combined. JIMENEZ: Wow. It is an important perspective. I am glad you did that

math, because I was probably going to end up with something way off the accurate result.

Patrick De Haan, really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

DE HAAN: Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Meanwhile, we are following a lot of different headlines today, including some scary moments for Wisconsin Congressman and Republican candidate for governor, Tom Tiffany when the plane he was on made an emergency landing in a lake. We are going to bring you some of those details coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:38:59]

JIMENEZ: Wisconsin Congressman and the Republican candidate for governor, Tom Tiffany, says he is home recovering after some minor injuries when his plane made an emergency landing on a lake last night.

Tiffany said he was coming home when the aircraft lost power approaching Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau, and they called 911. And then as the plane began to sink, the pilot and Tiffany swam to safety.

First responders found them and took them to the hospital, and Tiffany got emotional as he talked about all of this earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM TIFFANY (R-WI): The gravity, this is probably just hitting me at this point because we were making jokes every step of the way last night, though, we knew it was a serious situation and -- but we tried to keep it light through the whole thing and we are just really fortunate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:40:10]

JIMENEZ: Meanwhile, authorities confirmed the plane had a mechanical issue on its approach, and they are continuing to investigate there.

Also this weekend, Celine Dion made a triumphant return to the concert stage after six years. She has been battling a rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome, which put a pause on her career. The singer behind "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" teared up as she kicked off her sold out Paris residency.

The concert, as you might imagine, drew fans from all over the world who couldn't be happier to see one of the best-selling artists of all time, two women who traveled from Britain described the show this way. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it was just so emotional. She had tears in her eyes when she first came on. The whole concert, she gave it her all and we were all behind her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And she didn't shy away from what she had suffered, and she shared it with her audience and her fans. And not only that, she wanted to inspire the whole audience and encourage us all --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To dream, dream big.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Celine Dion is set to perform a series of 26 shows over the next eight months in Paris. Just incredible!

All right, coming up next weekend on CNN, acclaimed chef, David Chang is following local leads and word of mouth tips to find culinary gems across the country. Hit the road for the new CNN original series, "The Detour."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CHANG, CHEF: Let's define a road trip. How long does it have to be? I am going to suggest the road trip has to be longer than a really long movie. It has got to be longer than like "Godfather II.|

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I agree with that.

CHANG: Anything less is a day excursion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. How much caffeine does this have in it versus a Red Bull?

CHANG: Don't worry about it. Let your heart guide you and get in a flow state. Trust your surroundings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Incredible. I am just taking whatever is given to me. I think added to road trip rules is like saying yes. Just trying new things. Like just going down unexplored paths, following some poor advice from some stranger that you meet.

CHANG: And the reason I go to Las Vegas, it just is a whole different world that follows its own rules and there is a little known fact: They're handing out free money there. You've just got to be willing -- you've got to be brave enough to take it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

CHANG: Sometimes that free money only happens when you lose some money.

(END VIDEO CLIP) JIMENEZ: The new CNN Original Series, "The Detour," premieres next

Sunday, September 20th on CNN and streaming the next day with an all- access subscription. It is going to be fun.

All right, folks, from now until Valentine's Day, Sundays are going to look a lot like this. Football is back. We are going to talk about what's ahead this season. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:31]

JIMENEZ: Starting today and for the next 22 Sundays. If you've got a football fan and your family, say goodbye or at least stay vigilant because this is the opening weekend for the NFL. The Buffalo Bills pick up an impressive win over the Houston Texans. Baltimore sailed over Indy and the Bears scored 59 points in Charlotte. I did not think I would be saying that when I started the day today.

We have two major division matches left coming up on Monday night football. It's the Broncos and Chiefs, but tonight , it is the Cowboys versus the Giants and CNN Sports anchor, Andy Scholes is inside MetLife Stadium in New Jersey with more.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Omar, the excitement is certainly building here inside MetLife Stadium for John Harbaugh's Giants coaching debut, after 18 years and one Super Bowl title with the Baltimore Ravens, the Giants have now hired Harbaugh at a huge, staggering five-year $100 million contract with the hopes that he will turn this team around.

The Giants have only won seven games over the last two seasons. They haven't made the playoffs since 2023, and Harbaugh says he is certainly pumped to be making his debut tonight in a huge NFC East divisional matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HARBAUGH, NEW YORK GIANTS HEAD COACH: It is the first time for me personally in this rivalry. You know, it is going to be the first time -- you know, like some of the other guys on the team, too and some of the other coaches to be in that Stadium for a regular season game, that's going to be exciting. I can't wait to see it. I can't wait to be a part of it.

I am really fired up about it and I am looking forward to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: It is going to be a special night here at MetLife Stadium, as they pay tribute to those who lost their lives 25 years ago on 9/11. The fans who come here to MetLife Stadium tonight are going to be welcomed by Ladder 343. It is a ceremonial FDNY Fire Truck named to honor the 343 members of the New York Fire Department who lost their lives on September 11th, a steel beam from the world trade center is also displayed outside the Stadium tonight and there are going to be tributes throughout the game between the Giants and the Cowboys.

And many of the players out here warming up before the game, Omar, are also wearing shirts that read "Never Forget."

Now like the Giants, the Cowboys, they enter this season with a renewed optimism. They didn't have a great year last year, mainly because of their defense. But they've got eight new starters on that defensive side, Omar and the Cowboys, they actually have the longest conference championship drought in the entire NFC. They haven't made a conference championship game since 1996.

So you know what, Omar, like the new York Knicks at some point, you've got to think, the ball is just going to bounce your way.

JIMENEZ: The optimist in Andy Scholes, we will see. I want to talk about it all though, with former NFL wide receiver, Donte Stallworth.

[19:50:17]

So look, we got the start of the NFL season right now. Let's go big picture. What is the state of the NFL in your eyes? What storylines are you looking for as the season gets going?

DONTE STALLWORTH, FORMER NFL WIDE RECEIVER: Yes, I think I am looking for a couple of things. Number one is to see can the Rams actually do what everyone expects them to do and win the Super Bowl this year? They didn't have a great showing in week one because mainly because they decided to travel all the way to Australia 17 hours -- on a 17- hour trip, less than 24 hours before the game and someone thought that was a good idea.

Obviously, it didn't work out. The 49ers were the better team that day, and they ended up winning that match. So I think the Rams have to bounce back next week and then you look at a couple of other teams. You look at the Texans. There are a lot of questions surrounding their quarterback, C.J. Stroud. They have to answer the bell because they have a championship defense.

And I think that if the quarterback can play well enough for that defense, they have a great chance to go really far in this postseason.

JIMENEZ: Yes, on the Rams, look the games are already hard enough. You don't want to add jet lag to it if you're trying to win and come out strong on week one.

You know, I am looking at the Seattle Seahawks because they are coming in as Super Bowl champs here. They beat the Patriots again on Wednesday night. How are you -- how are you analyzing them? Do you see them as having a good chance to get back to that big stage? Or is someone else kind of who you're looking for this year?

STALLWORTH: You know, it is always hard to win back-to-back championships in the NFL. It is extremely hard. But if any team can do it, the Seahawks can do it. They've got a really good defense that can shut down pretty much any offense in the NFL when it is playing their best ball. Their coach, Mike Macdonald, is a really, really good defensive coordinator and a schemer that can really confuse offenses when they are not at their best.

They have some questions to answer with their backup quarterback, Drew Lock now, because their starting quarterback, Sam Darnold got hurt and he will be out, I am not exactly sure, but he will be out for a few games. Sometimes that can mess up the synchronicity of the team, of the offense. So we will have to see how they perform moving forward.

But it is going to be difficult because Drew Lock probably hasn't taken many snaps with the first team offense, but he will be taking all the first team snaps with this offense now. So we will see how they move or how they do moving forward.

JIMENEZ: Yes. On the MVP front, individual player front, any favorites that we should be looking out for in the MVP race this year?

STALLWORTH: You know, we look at the ageless wonder. I mean, God, man, this guy, Derrick Henry, he scored three touchdowns today. He ran for over a hundred yards, 24 carries, I believe this guy is in his 30s and he is still moving around like he is a 20 -year-old young man and you know, he is a freak of nature.

He is, I believe six-three, six-four, 250 or 260 pounds and can run like the wind. And, you know, he has got a really good offensive line.

They have a new coaching staff this year. I think they are going to try to ride his coattails, you know, all the way to the postseason. He and Lamar Jackson are going to do great things in that backfield. It is really hard to say, now you know, Matt Stafford didn't have a great showing who won the MVP last year, he didn't have a great showing in his first week, but it is a long season and you know, injuries can pile up.

But you know, Derrick Henry showed us what he could do when he is fed the ball and he got 24 carries and I think they are going to try to ride his coattail for the rest of the season. So, right now, it looks like Derrick Henry is going to be the favorite for now.

JIMENEZ: Derrick Henry is one of those players that reminds me why I was glad to stick with basketball growing up. I am not trying to be anywhere near where he is on the field.

Look, one of the things I am also looking at as we sort of go through this season is some of those perennial names, Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs, they were on top of the division, really top of the AFC for a while. You could expect them in that AFC championship, sometimes matching up with the Ravens.

But do you think the clock has run out for Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs' core at this point.

STALLWORTH: You know, there is no light switch to turn the game on when it is not on and I think the window is closed. I mean I hate to say it. I love their team. I love what they do. I love watching them. Andy Reid was one of my favorite coaches to play for when I was in Philly. But you know, windows don't stay open very long in the NFL and I think that their window is probably closed right now. JIMENEZ: All right, rapid fire, two questions for you before we go.

Can the New York Giants win the NFC East this year?

STALLWORTH: Yes, I think they can. I mean you know, Harbaugh, I love Harbaugh. He is a great coach. He is bringing a renewed energy there. I think they have a shot to do it for sure.

[19:55:05]

JIMENEZ: Bears put up a ton of points today. Is this the breakout year -- the breakout year for Caleb Williams?

STALLWORTH: You know, I believe last year was his breakout year. I've watched this kid since he was in high school and college at USC and Oklahoma.

He just continues to get better and better every year and their play caller over there in Chicago is really, really good at what he does and I think that they are in sync. And once an offensive coordinator or play caller and a quarterback are in sync, you better watch out.

JIMENEZ: It is scary times ahead, but good showing. Bears putting up more than 50. I didn't think I was going to start the season with saying that. Donte Stallworth, appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

STALLWORTH: Thanks for having me.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

And thank you all for joining me tonight. I am Omar Jimenez, but stay with CNN because we've got Anthony Bourdain "Parts Unknown," up next. Have a great Sunday.

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