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White House Denies CNN Access This Morning After Trump Ban; Dems Call For Investigation Into Faulty A.I.-Assisted Intel Report; Vulnerable Republicans Are Increasingly Defying Trump. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 19, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

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Another hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

[18:00:42]

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday. I am Pamela Brown in Washington, and we start with the breaking news.

President Donald Trump has denied three major news outlets from The White House, including CNN. He is also threatening to ban other news outlets and this comes after a week of losses for the President's agenda.

On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected Trump's controversial plan to significantly restrict mail ballots ahead of the midterms. He lost a different court battle over getting his name on The Kennedy Center, a living memorial to assassinated President John F Kennedy.

Plus, the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates for the first time in three years, even after Trump repeatedly called for the opposite for lower rates.

The rate hike is a tool to fight inflation, as Americans struggle with higher prices for food, homes and gas. Still, the President is focused on renewing threats against the press.

CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO were all denied access to The White House this morning. CNN said in a statement, "Early today, CNN journalists were denied access to The White House grounds. CNN's mission to report on the U.S. government will continue, regardless of any attempts to restrict physical access to The White House and other government buildings or any other attempts to impede our journalism. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right. We will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account, and we will continue to report on the actions and processes of this administration without fear or favor. CNN stands fully behind our White House team."

But Trump's attacks on the media, as you well know, are nothing new. Here is a look back at some of his past remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It is only bad because of the fake news, because the news is really fake. That's the one we really have to straighten out. We have to straighten out our press because we have a corrupt press.

I haven't been transparent? Really?

MASON: That some of your critics feel it should have gone through a review.

TRUMP: I've shown -- I've shown this to everybody that would listen. Third-rate reporters didn't see it because they didn't look. You're a third rate reporter. Always have been.

It is fake news. You know, it is just so -- it is so fake. That's why the media has so little credibility.

But the fake news guys like you write incorrectly. You're a fake guy. I actually think it is sort of treasonous. What you write.

The fake news, and that's why they have no credibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So for more on this, CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook joins us from the outside The White House.

Julia, tell us what happened today.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the day looks a little bit different, but we are still doing our jobs. We are still here reporting on this administration.

One of the most recent developments is coming from The White House Correspondents' Association, which really serves as a go-between for nearly 900 members of the press and the administration and they put out a statement calling for the immediate reinstatement of access for these groups. I want to pull up this statement for you now. This comes from Fox News White House Correspondent and current President of the WHCA, Jacqui Heinrich and she said in part, "The implications extend beyond these organizations: A standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future. The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably."

All of this, of course, coming after Trump said that he was going to ban CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from The White House. He did not point to a specific story, a specific piece of reporting for this. Instead, he said it was cumulative. We know that he has repeatedly called all of these organizations, but also many others, fake news.

Now, he was pressed on what could be next and how this would actually look. He said that this is a simple ban, but didn't really go into detail on what that means. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: A very simple ban. I don't want them in my office. I don't want them here. I would say the ban would go as far as you can. And if they could straighten themselves out --

[18:05:10]

You know, if they could get themselves out, I'd love it. Look, they are very dishonest people.

BENBROOK: Now, according to a source familiar with the matter, even some of The White House staff was a little bit caught off guard when he made this announcement on his social media site and had questions about what exactly this was going to look like.

Here is what we do know.

A member of our team tried to go in and work her shift to report for our morning shows on The White House grounds, like we normally do. She was denied that access, was told that her pass was disabled, and then Secret Service did end up keeping that press badge.

There are a lot of questions, though, still, and that comes from this point that, of course, we do report for our viewers as CNN, but there is also a T.V. press pool. It includes five major networks who are making sure that visuals, key moments with the President are getting out to other outlets and to the American people worldwide, I should say. But that's the groups, the reporters, that you see on Air Force One, in the Oval Office. CNN is actually scheduled to be pool on Monday, and it is not clear how that will be handled.

BROWN: Yes, we will all be watching to see what happens Monday.

Julia Benbrook outside The White House, thank you for helping us better understand how this has all played out. And now to get some more perspective, we have constitutional and First Amendment attorney, Floyd Abrams. He has represented CNN and other media outlets in the past.

Floyd, what is the legal precedent here? Can Trump do this bottom line?

FLOYD ABRAMS, CONSTITUTIONAL AND FIRST AMENDMENT ATTORNEY: Well, the legal precedent is built into the First Amendment. I mean, the whole notion of the first amendment is that the government can't tell the press what to print, can't keep the press from printing something it doesn't like. It can't bar the press from doing this or doing that.

Obviously, the press cant violate the law in one way or another, but what we are talking about here is just a sort of generalized attack on the press for being negative and moving from that to the proposition, so therefore, I don't want you around me anymore. That's not the spirit or the meaning of the First Amendment.

BROWN: Tell us about the difference for a press organization that hadn't already been granted access versus a press organization like CNN and the others that are now banned and how the fact that they already had access plays into all of this.

ABRAMS: Well, the fact that they already have access makes it clearer still that they are being stripped of something they had, the right to be there, the right to be in a place where they could cover the news, let alone in The White House itself.

I mean, The White House doesn't have to fill itself with 500 journalists every time the President makes a statement, and sure, some decisions have to be made about which entities come and which entities are not allowed there. But it can't be on the basis that that the President thinks he just doesn't like this group, or they haven't been fair to him, or they haven't been whatever his problem is now.

I mean, the First Amendment is a protection against presidents, against governments. The core purpose of the First Amendment is to free the press and free all of us as, speakers, to have our say without being punished for it.

BROWN: And just tell us why this isn't just about the press, but why it is about the American people. I mean, the First Amendment really is about the press being a vehicle for Americans, right? So that they know what is happening in their country.

ABRAMS: No, that's absolutely right. I mean, the function though, the role of the press is to inform the public, and if they are barred from going here or going there, they can't do it or at least do it as well or as clearly as if not now, they can't -- you know, you can't have a thousand people in The White House all the time.

But the one thing the President can't do, the one thing, the First Amendment protects us from the President and the government from doing, is saying, I don't like your thoughts.

[18:10:10]

You're wrong. You're not fair and on that basis, saying, so, go home! We will not allow you to be here anymore. That's what he is doing and that is not allowed under the First Amendment.

BROWN: How does this move compare to how past presidents have handled the press?

ABRAMS: I think this -- on a topic like this, it is rather unique. I mean, we've had lots of presidents who had problems with the press, anger at the press, sometimes justified, sometimes not. But you know, Richard Nixon, who really didn't get along with the press, never tried anything like trying to shut them up, except in the one case the Pentagon Papers case, which I happened to work on in which he lost.

But as a general proposition, the core of the First Amendment is a protection from government, from punishing or limiting speech because the people that run the government at that time don't agree with the speech.

BROWN: Floyd Abrams, thank you so much. Really important to have you on to hear your expertise on this.

And we have a lot more on this straight ahead. We are going to speak to a "Washington Post" journalist who was wrongly jailed in Iran about why press freedom is important and why it should matter to you.

Plus, we are learning new details about a faulty intelligence report generated by A.I. that sources say could have led to a war with China.

And the President is announcing a new deal with Denmark, giving the U.S. permanent control over Greenland's security. The message America is hoping to send to Russia and China with this latest move. Up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:16:45]

BROWN: Well, today, CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO were denied access to The White House as President Trump prepares to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, one of the most anticipated foreign visits so far of his second term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: President Xi coming here --

TRUMP: Yes, it is a great honor.

REPORTER: China is one of the most repressive countries for journalists in the world. What signal does it send?

TRUMP: Well, I don't know about that. I think we are repressive also. We get fake news. We don't -- we don't repress. But they write fake news. He will be here next week. I can tell you this. It is too bad we don't have the ballroom open, because if we did, we could have -- we would have thousands, we could have 2,000 people having dinner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: We are joined now by journalist, Jason Rezaian. He spent 544 days unjustly imprisoned by Iranian authorities until his release in January 2016.

He is now the Director of Press Freedom Initiatives at "The Washington Post."

I am wondering, Jason, what your view is of all of this. Do you see this as a significant curtailing of press freedoms?

JASON REZAIAN, DIRECTOR OF FREEDOM INITIATIVES, "THE WASHINGTON POST": I certainly do, Pam. Thanks for having me on.

I want to remind viewers that when you hear a leader say the word fake news, right, accuse journalist of presenting fake news. That's just authoritarian shorthand for coverage that they don't like, coverage that exposes either a weakness or shortcoming or some kind of indiscretion that they have committed that's being exposed to the public.

And in this moment, we have so many of those: The war in Iran, the price of gas, really tough numbers for the Republicans coming up in the midterms. So it is natural that a leader would want to suppress that kind of information or divert it.

But as your last guest pointed out, this is not in the tradition of the First Amendment or what it means to have a free press. You don't get to select who says, what about you.

BROWN: And as we discussed, you know, the First Amendment, it is about serving the people, right? I mean, that's really at the heart of it. So tell us more about why something you think this is something that you think Americans should be paying attention to, why the freedom of the press and the First Amendment matters, and why this could be an infringement on that.

REZAIAN: An informed public, an informed electorate is better equipped to make decisions for itself than one that doesn't have access to a free flow of information. So anytime you have journalists on the scene, right, you're able to tell the stories of a community, tell the stories of what is happening in the halls of power. We've seen what we call news deserts popping up all over this country and throughout the world, places where there were once flourishing bureaus from the wire services or local newspapers that have contracted.

And what you see time and time again is that corruption starts to flourish in places like that. Crimes go unattended to unprosecuted, and that's not the kind of America that I think anybody really wants to have.

[18:20:10]

You know, we have had a 250-year run as a country, by and large, based in law and order. And one of the key pieces of that is our ability to express, to criticize, to question our authorities. This is an attempt to take some of that away.

And I want to say to people who are watching that this is not on par with what happens in China or Russia or Iran, but it is an attempt to move in that direction, and it is very, very important that not only we call it out, but that we continue to do our work.

BROWN: So do you see it as a slippery slope to that?

REZAIAN: Yes, I mean, look, I think the situation here in the United States is still much better than many countries around the world, but if you look at all of the indices, all of the press freedom watchdogs, our ranking has declined. I think the Reporters Without Borders annual ranking that came out earlier this year put the United States at 60th in the press freedom ranking out of 180 countries. That I think should be a wake-up call for all Americans, that something is amiss and we are moving in the wrong direction.

And over the past decade, we've declined in those rankings and in others. The access to The White House has always been a challenge, right? But there has been this traditional respecting until today that news organizations are a part of the pool, will have access and have their ability to cover the President and to cover briefings.

When you take that away, it is much easier for a President to divert attention to other matters.

BROWN: All right, Jason Rezaian, really important to have you on and hear your perspective. Thank you so much.

Still ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, a faulty A.I.-assisted intelligence report is raising major red flags among defense and security experts. Sources say the report nearly led U.S. soldiers to board a Chinese ship. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:26:44]

BROWN: Well, new tonight, a group of top Democrats are calling for an investigation into a series of mistakes caused by A.I. in U.S. Military targeting plans.

Exclusive CNN reporting revealed this incident. Multiple sources say an Intelligence report prompted plans to intercept a Chinese ship in the Middle East, believed to be transporting components of a nuclear weapons program.

Armed members of the military were preparing, planes were in the air, and it wasn't until just before this planned operation that officials dug a little deeper and found the report had been generated with the help of A.I. and it incorrectly identified what the ship was actually carrying.

So we are joined now by CNN military analyst, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

colonel, one source said this almost started a war. How significant is this?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, anytime there is even the possibility, Pamela, of getting into a conflict with a country like China, that's a big deal and even if it didn't, you know, escalate into a full blown war, it could have still destroyed a lot of the relationships that we've built up over the years even though there is tension, obviously, between the U.S. and China, you don't want to get to a point where all of a sudden, you know, you're impounding boats, you're impounding cargos, you're doing things like that if you don't need to do it.

Now, if you need to do it, that's a different story. But if your actions are based on false information, then you've got a real problem and you know, your Intelligence is faulty, and if the Intelligence is faulty, then your actions, of course, are going to be not only suspect, but also not justified.

BROWN: And in this case, according to the reporting, the A.I. was giving, faulty information, it was hallucinating.

LEIGHTON: Right.

BROWN: I mean, how can a report like this get so far?

LEIGHTON: Well, it all depends on what the safeguards are, and this is, you know, A.I. is a new thing, obviously, you know, both in the civilian side and in the military, and because A.I. is such a new tool to work with, it becomes really important for us to look at how we are using it and to test things out before we actually use them for real world events.

And I think what we are entering into, the phase that we are entering into is a phase where we are using A.I. in the real world without having practiced it and how to use it in an exercise situation, for example. And that, of course, could present some difficulties.

Now, I know the people in the military are under a lot of pressure to try to get A.I. out there, to use A.I. in various scenarios, and that's great if you know what you're doing and if basically the old adage, garbage in, garbage out -- in terms of data, if you don't want to have corrupted data, you have to make sure that the data that you input into any system like this is data that is accurate, that is usable, that is actionable. And that's the kind of thing that they really have to watch out for.

BROWN: Yes, that's an important point, especially when it comes to open source information that A.I. can use just from, you know, what is publicly out there, right?

And on that note, just about how you put guardrails into place. President Trump is now saying he will create an A.I. Force similar to the Space Force. It is not clear yet whether he intends this to be a military branch. But help us understand how the military is currently using A.I. and how humans play a role so far.

LEIGHTON: Yes, so A.I. can be used in a variety of different ways. I mean, one of the things that they do is they use it for budgetary purposes, for programming different weapon systems in terms of, you know, when are they going to build the system? You know, how are they going to create the system?

[18:30:09]

When does it actually show up in terms of its initial operational capability? A.I. is being used for those kinds of things, but it is also being used in intelligence scenarios like we saw in this particular case where this Chinese -- alleged Chinese ship was carrying an alleged cargo of nuclear weapons components. And this is where it gets to be a little bit dangerous, because the A.I. system was actually having access to classified information, as well as open source information, but it was merging the information in a way that resulted in a false picture and a false understanding of what was actually going on.

So the military is using A.I. in many, many different ways, very similar to private industry, but it is also having, of course, to look at what kinds of safeguards it needs to put in place, and this is one of those things where humans luckily caught this particular situation at the right time, but they also had a moment, you know, where they could potentially have gone down the wrong path. And that, of course, would have some major consequences in a geopolitical sense.

BROWN: Yes, and lately, there has been a lot of these doomsday warnings around A.I., but as it stands now, when it comes to the military and A.I., my understanding is humans are still in the loop.

LEIGHTON: Yes.

BROWN: But I know that there are concerns that we could get to a place where maybe that won't be the case.

LEIGHTON: Yes, and I mean, look at what is happening in Ukraine right now. There are weapons systems that both the Ukrainians and the Russians are using, but particularly the Ukrainians, where there is no human in the loop when it comes to targeting specific tactical targets.

So the system will be programmed, you know, for certain general things, but then it will move based on what it sees and actually act on what it sees based on inputs from the people that are programming it.

So this is a critical thing because, you know, you look at the Ukraine war, you look at what the Iranians are doing. There are instances where A.I. is being used without humans in the loop, Right now, the U.S. rule is that you have humans make the final decision as to whether something can be targeted or not, but stakes can still be made, and this is where a lot of training has to take place, a lot of familiarity. And, you know, with new tools -- and all of that has to really be put into place in a fairly coherent package.

And it also needs a set of policy guidelines that need to be followed by people, whether in the special operations community, like in this particular case, or in the normal military branches that are of the more standard variety.

BROWN: Before we let you go, I want to ask you about this agreement that President Trump announced between -- with Denmark and Greenland and the United States and he says it gives the U.S. permanent control over Greenland security.

Details are scarce, but what do you think about this?

LEIGHTON: Well, it sounds to me a lot like what we had with the 1951 Agreement, which is basically still in force. So under the 1951 agreement, the U.S. had the right to put bases in Greenland. In fact, we had more bases in Greenland in those days than we do now. We basically only have one Space Force base in Greenland at the moment.

Now, that can be expanded and there were plans, you know, basically to expand that a while back. And, you know, with climate change and with the Arctic being a scene of geopolitical competition, it does make sense for the U.S. to have a good, robust presence in Greenland, but it also is something where it is pretty clear that Denmark, under this new agreement, if what we see is correct, that Denmark can maintain control of Greenland and that the Greenlanders themselves can actually say, you know, this is what our national destiny is and that is what this agreement apparently calls for.

BROWN: All right, Colonel Cedric Leighton, always great to have you on. Thank you so much.

LEIGHTON: Thank you, Pamela.

BROWN: And still to come, vulnerable Republicans trying out a different strategy ahead of the midterms, keeping President Trump at arms' length as new polling shows voters increasingly frustrated with the President. We will be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:38:43]

BROWN: Forty-five days out from Election Day and vulnerable Republicans are finding ways to distance themselves from President Trump, including two Iowa lawmakers who voted this week for the first time to rein in Trump's Iran War powers.

Also, Florida Congresswoman Maria Salazar released the following ad directly addressing the President about his immigration policies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-FL): Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50 percent of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. The same Hispanics who helped you get to The White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: CNN reporter, Patrick Svitek joins us now with his new reporting. So Patrick, could Trump's own party become a threat to his presidency essentially?

PATRICK SVITEK, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: I think what is going on here is actually the inverse of that dynamic that his party is worried that he is becoming a threat to their chances in the midterms and that is why you're starting to see more and more of these examples of vulnerable House Republicans, Senate Republicans, you know, trying to create real daylight between themselves and the administration.

You pointed out the two Iowa Republicans. We have the video that you played from Congresswoman Salazar. And what is really interesting, we point out in the story is, is Trump actually seems to be kind of taking this in stride.

[18:40:02]

You know, we spoke with Republican candidates and strategists, and they feel that The White House is giving them a little more room than usual to run, maybe a little more independent-minded campaigns.

Of course, we know this is a president who has been very vocal before in how he criticized his fellow Republicans who cross him.

Even, you know, just yesterday he was asked about that ad from Congresswoman Salazar, and he said he still supports her for reelection. He said he understood where she was coming from, but they have a difference of opinion on this. He is -- you know, he said he is stronger on the border than her, and so he certainly jabbed at her a little bit, but we know what it sounds like when this President goes all out against one of his fellow Republicans and I thought it was a little short of that, another illustration of how The White House seems to be giving these vulnerable candidates some room to maneuver politically.

BROWN: And this new polling out this week from Fox News, shows that voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on a number of issues, including tackling inflation. How are Republicans trying to talk to voters about that on the campaign trail, when the President himself has called the issue of affordability a hoax.

SVITEK: Yes. These Republicans in tough races are speaking with much more sincerity about affordability concerns. They are certainly not calling it a hoax or trying to downplay concerns, which you tend to see in these races, is that they do try to level with voters and say, hey, look, I know things are tough right now, but give us a little more time to try to turn the economy around further or they also explain why they believe that, you know, effectively, this economic pain for the time being is worth it because of the end goal in Iran of preventing the country from getting a nuclear weapon.

And so you do see Republican candidates not adopting the dismissive tone that you've seen the President take toward these concerns. They are trying to sympathize a little more with voters.

BROWN: I want to talk about Vice President J.D. Vance. He will be in North Carolina next week. What do we expect to see from the administration as he hits the campaign trail?

SVITEK: Yes. J.D. Vance will be in Greensboro, North Carolina on Monday. We expect him to be there to campaign for the state's Republican Senate candidate, Michael Whatley. President Trump was just in the state last week campaigning for Whatley. I mean, this is an important seat for Republicans to hold on to.

Whatley has been trailing in many public polls that I've seen, and so this is a really important race for the party. And it is, I think, telling that as both President Trump and J.D. Vance start to get out on the campaign trail more, this has been a very early priority for them.

BROWN: All right, Patrick Svitek, thank you so much.

And coming up, Canada's Prime Minister mocking President Trump amid the trade war between the two countries. Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:47:20]

BROWN: With President Trump having escalated his trade war with Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney appeared to have a little fun while talking about a massive clean energy project.

As he described its size, he seemed to mimic some of President Trump's well-known hand gestures. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: The functional equivalent of 18 Hoover dams -- 18 Hoover dams -- enough!

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So funny at that moment, but many people living along the U.S.- Canada border aren't laughing as the trade war heats up.

CNN's Omar Jimenez spoke with the residents on both sides of the border about how they're feeling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: So Lake Ontario, that's gone! Lake America. OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The U.S. and Canada relationship hitting some new lows.

TRUMP: I can tell you this, you know, Canada has been ripping off the United States for many, many years, for decades.

JIMENEZ (voice over): Online, the U.S. president posted this image, beating up the Canadian prime minister in hockey. While offline, the two countries are locked in an escalating trade war as President Trump now threatens outright bans on Canadian products on top of the 50 percent tariffs on more than $20 billion of Canadian goods, which Canada is now matching dollar for dollar, and these Americans aren't upset about.

SHARON CAMPBELL, DERBY LINE, VERMONT RESIDENT: I don't know what else is going to work with that man, but --

JIMENEZ: So, you're glad that Canada is fighting back with retaliatory tariffs?

S. CAMPBELL: I kind of -- yes, absolutely.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Yes.

S. CAMPBELL: I don't blame them at all.

JIMENEZ (voice over): The U.S.-Canada border runs right through Wayne and Sharon Campbell's Vermont house.

WAYNE CAMPBELL, DERBY LINE, VERMONT RESIDENT: This part of the border will be in Canada. The pond, the Border Patrol has three cameras on the property. I could walk out there, but I can't leave my property into Canada. I have to go through a border.

JIMENEZ (voice over): In the small border town of Derby Line, Vermont, you can't separate the United States and Canada, regardless of politics. Even their library is split in half by the U.S.-Canada border.

JIMENEZ (on camera): Driving this town, the one thing you cannot miss is the U.S.-Canada border checkpoint. I mean, it basically funnels you right into that middle of town.

The town on the other side of the border is Stanstead.

JIMENEZ (voice over): Karin Cantin owns the Auberge Le Sunshine Bakery there.

KARIN CANTIN, OWNER, AUBERGE LE SUNSHINE CAFE BISTRO: It's almost 50 percent of our customers come from U.S.

JIMENEZ (voice over): She says she's been seeing more lately, like these women on a group biking trip.

MARIANNE EATON, VERMONT RESIDENT VISITING CANADA: We thought, okay, we got to pull together and support our Canadian friends, and we could have chosen any place.

JIMENEZ: Do you find yourself apologizing to Canadians?

[18:50:06]

AIMEE MOTTA, VERMONT RESIDENT VISITING CANADA: It's true. And when I do meet someone who's Canadian who's come to Vermont to visit, I thank them.

But the sadness is heavy.

JIMENEZ (voice over): But the cross-border visits haven't been reciprocal.

CANTIN: It's like our way to tell to the politics say we are not agreeing with that.

JIMENEZ (voice over): Starting in February 2025, U. S. Customs data shows arrivals to the U.S. from Canada at this Derby Line port of entry declined every month for 13 months straight compared to monthly arrivals in the previous year.

JANICE BEADLE, DERBY LINE, VERMONT RESIDENT: I've lived on this border for 72 years.

JIMENEZ: Why are you also flying the Canadian flag here?

BEADLE: Why?

JIMENEZ: Yes.

BEADLE: I feel just as loyal to the Canadian side growing up here my whole life.

JIMENEZ: Yes, where Canada is quite literally just across the street.

BEADLE: It's just across the street, right there.

JIMENEZ: How would you say business here has changed over the past year?

LORALEE TESTER, DIRECTOR, NORTHEAST KINGDOM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: It's been stressful because it's unpredictable. The tariffs have been really challenging to navigate. Where I see the greatest hit is in all of our businesses related to tourism and then that manufacturing piece because that is, again, like I said, the consistent backbone of our economy.

CANTIN: It's sad for everybody. We hope that it's just a few years.

JIMENEZ (voice over): Back with the Campbells.

W. CAMPBELL: So, if I sit here to do any kind of work at all, I'm in Canada.

JIMENEZ (voice over): They're a house divided by border, but they still believe in unity.

W. CAMPBELL: They're our closest ally, and it's become a mockery.

S. CAMPBELL: We're just, we're loving and honoring. It's those guys in Washington that are screwing everything up. I almost said --

JIMENEZ (voice over): Omar Jimenez, CNN, Derby Line, Vermont.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Omar Jimenez, thank you for that report.

And tomorrow night on CNN, acclaimed Chef David Chang follows 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."

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CHANG, "THE DETOUR" HOST: And now we have to stop.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is going to be good! My rule, you have to stop for it and when you stop for it, you have to buy something.

We also need to make a grab bag. We need to fill it with random things so that when we get bored on the road, we just agree it is grab bag time. We are going to have the best time.

Dave! Dave! Okay, this! This is -- okay, don't look. Don't forget to think about grab bag stuff.

Pace yourself. There are a lot of stuff here. Look at this old stuff.

CHANG: This is scary.

Let's see if they've got anything good. Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at the head.

CHANG: No, no, no! Don't get -- don't get the head. This is scary. It is scary.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We could put it in the --

CHANG: No! No! We are going to pulled over for sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the person died right here.

CHANG: For sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that the energy you're getting?

CHANG: This is not -- I don't like this at all. No! No!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will pack this one for your house. CHANG: No, no, no, no, no! I don't want anything that's going to scare me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dave! Rap Beginnings Volume one.

CHANG: No!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We probably need that. I am getting no energy from you right now.

Yes! Oh, yes Oh, yes!

CHANG: Somebody help us! She's locked in. Good luck.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am going to put it under his pillow tonight. Because he has been away from home for a while. So I think he is going to be --

Yes! Yes!

CHANG: I am going to make sure that when I die, someone burns down my house!

Ay-yay-yay!

I can't believe we just rummaged through some dead dude's stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How long do you think we were in there?

CHANG: Too long.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we've got to wash our hands when we get to the hardware store.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And be sure to tune in to the all-new CNN Original Series, "The Detour" with David Chang premieres tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific on CNN and streaming Monday with an all-access subscription.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:59:12]

BROWN: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I am Pamela Brown in Washington.

And tonight, with just 45 days until the midterm elections, President Trump is blocking access to The White House for three major news outlets, including CNN. Here is what Trump said about the ban yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What does that mean in practice? Are you taking away their badges? Are you banning them from the pool? Are you banning them from the Oval Office? What does that mean?

TRUMP: Well, I still don't know.

REPORTER: What do you envision the ban for media outlets?

TRUMP: Oh, the ban on the free press, right? A very simple ban. I don't want them in my office. I don't want them here. I would say the ban would go as far as you can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Trump is threatening to ban other news outlets as well and this comes after a week of losses for the Trump agenda.

On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected the President's controversial plan to significantly restrict mail ballots ahead of the midterms. He lost a different court battle over getting his name on The Kennedy Center, a living memorial to assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

Plus, the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates for the first time in three years. Even after Trump repeatedly called for the opposite or lower rates.

[19:00:19]