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Reporters From CNN, MS NOW And Politico Denied White House Access After Trump Ban; Stubborn Inflation, High Gas Prices Figure Into U.S. Midterms; Some GOP Candidates Keep Trump At Arm's Length Before Midterms; Trump Admin OK's Sale Of F-35 Fighter Jets To Saudi Arabia; Ed Sheeran Back For First Time Since Macklemore Cut, Others Quit; Gas Prices Rise To $4.48 A Gallon Says AAA; Former "American Idol" Contestant On Trial For Wife's Murder. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired September 19, 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]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: 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 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. Rate hikes are a way for the Fed to fight inflation as Americans struggle with higher prices for food, homes and gas.

And all of this with the midterms less than two months away. And new polling suggests voters would prefer candidates who say they're going to put a check on the president, not just support him by a roughly 2 to 1 margin. Still, the president's focus is on renewing threats against the press. CNN, MS NOW and Politico were all denied access to the White House this morning.

And joining us now to talk about it is White House correspondent Julia Benbrook.

Julia, what is the latest and how did we get here? To note, you are reporting outside the White House right now.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Things look quite a bit different today. Normally I am on the White House grounds as I bring you the latest news on the Trump administration. We are continuing to do our jobs, continuing to report, but we are not physically there.

Now, the White House Correspondents Association, it is a group that really serves as a go between for nearly 900 members of the press and the Trump administration, and they are calling for the administration to reinstate access for those badges. They have called this ban a violation of the First Amendment. This came in a statement from the current WHCA president and a White House correspondent for FOX News, Jacqui Heinrich.

I want to pull up part of that statement for you now, because she went on to say this, quote, "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."

Now, President Donald Trump, when he announced this ban yesterday afternoon, a lot was unclear. He said that it was effective immediately. It's important to note, though, that our team that was already there on the grounds, they continued to stay there and report well into the evening.

A member of our team, senior White House reporter Betsy Klein, was headed to do her job this morning, to report for our morning shows there. She went through multiple checkpoints, as we always do, went to scan that White House hard pass, her press badge. And when she did that, it was denied.

She was informed by the Secret Service that it had been disabled. She did ask a few questions about next steps and asked if she could keep that hard pass. The Secret Service did end up keeping that badge. But to all of that point, there are questions about if this could expand even further. This ban applies to CNN, MS NOW and Politico, but Trump himself has suggested that there may be others in the future. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)=

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a lot of news, and there may be others to join them. "The New York Times" is fake news. "Washington Post" is fake news. They're crummy papers. Both doing very poorly, by the way. But we'll see. We're probably not going to display the paper anymore in the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And just to provide some context, of course, there is this portion where I report as CNN for our viewers, but CNN is also a part of the TV press pool, which it's a part of a five network rotation that allows access to a lot of outlets, to people around the world when it comes to traveling with the president and getting those key moments on camera. Those are typically the groups that you see on Air Force One, in the Oval Office, and it alternates.

CNN is on deck to be serving as pool on Monday, and it is not clear how that will be handled.

BROWN: All right. We shall see. Julia Benbrook, thank you very much.

And joining us now is CNN senior political analyst and opinion columnist for Bloomberg, Ron Brownstein.

Ron, great to see you.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Pam.

BROWN: So as Julia pointed out, Trump is now threatening, you know, Trump threatening the press is of course nothing new, right? I mean, we've seen that for years. Going back to his first term. He has attacked the press many times before. Why this ban now, though, do you think?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I think what we saw at the convention in Dallas was that between now and November, Republicans are looking for any opportunity they can find to ignite a culture war, to kind of shift the argument, a kind of cultural divides rather than the economic pain that most Americans say they are feeling. It's really hard to do, to shift voters' attention that way when they are as expressing as much discontent about the economy.

[19:05:06]

But whatever Trump's motivation, I mean, this is a real moment of test for the American media. I mean, this is, you know, apart from maybe the height of wartime Woodrow Wilson and World War I, this is probably the most serious attack on the First Amendment and freedom of the press as John Adams and the Federalists passed the Sedition Act in 1798 and used it to prosecute not only members of the media, but the opposition party who criticized the president.

So I think it's going to be an extremely important test. What do other media organizations do in the next few days? Do they band together to protest this in various ways, beyond a strongly worded statement, or do what we see -- do we see what we have seen with so many law firms and universities and even hospitals, a kind of divide and conquer that works pretty well for the administration?

I think this is an enormous test for the media and for the institutions that own the media.

BROWN: How do you think voters are going to view this ban?

BROWNSTEIN: I think they're going to view it like a lot of other things that Trump has done in his second term as him focusing on his own pet obsessions rather than their problems. You know, that kind of frame encompasses so many of the things that have happened in the second term, from tearing down the East Wing to trying to put his name on the Kennedy Center, to these trade wars, to the, you know, the various efforts to assault, you know, assault the freedom of the press and the media.

You know, voters overwhelmingly elected him above all to solve one problem, their cost of living problem. And they feel that not only has he failed to make enough progress on that, he's been more focused on so many other things, including, you know, enriching his family and himself. So I think, you know, people probably will view this as an overreach. But I think even more importantly, they will view it as, again, him taking his eye off the ball of what they elected him to do.

BROWN: And it all comes as new polling shows, and this one was from FOX News, that the president's disapproval, you see it on the screen, is 61 percent among registered voters. And in that same survey, voters say they trust Democrats more than Republicans in virtually every issue with Democrats holding a 15-point edge on inflation and prices. So, I mean, what can Republicans in the White House do at this point

to change voters' perceptions with 45 days to go until the elections?

BROWNSTEIN: I mean, that's a really good question. You know, I've asked -- first of all, the important point is that attitudes toward the incumbent president have become the single most important factor in shaping the outcome of midterm elections, full stop. That's been true since at least the 1990s and maybe the 1980s. And currently that kind of approval rating for President Trump that you put up is significantly weaker than not only his own approval rating in 2018, when Democrats, you know, won over 40 House seats.

But it's also weaker than Joe Biden in '22, George W. Bush in 2006, Barack Obama in 2010, and Bill Clinton in '94. All elections when the president's party lost control of the House and the two of them, they lost control of the Senate as well. So if he stays where he is, history suggests that is a clear and present danger to a broad range of Republicans. Again, his approval now is significantly lower than other president whose parties face a significant midterm.

Now Republicans are trying to build a wall against this wave. They've raised a lot of money, and they are beginning to deploy that money into Senate and House races. I think 140 million or so in the last few days alone from the president's MAGA Inc. But as long as the president stays where he is, the history is that that is very hard for candidates in the president's own party to escape that kind of undertow.

BROWN: And I want to note before we let you go, you have a new piece set to publish tomorrow on tariffs. Tell us more about the impact that tariffs have had on voters' perception of how Trump is handling the economy.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. You know, really since the 1970s, there have been hardliners on trade in both parties who argue that the clear -- a sure path to winning support among working class voters is a tough on trade, anti-free trade agreement, pro-tariff agenda. But what we are finding in practice is that it is kind of flopping on the campaign trail.

I mean, you know, against the backdrop of the high prices that we talked about, that people above all elected Trump to deal with, most voters are interpreting the tariffs as something that is driving up costs, not creating jobs. And what you are seeing is they are facing three to two, sometimes two to one opposition in polls, including among those working class white voters, that they were, you know, presumably intended to attract and have been viewed as a way to attract literally for decades by protectionist candidates in both parties.

I think that it is part of the overall sense among so many of the voters who elected Trump that he has, again, failed to solve the principal problem they elected him to solve.

[19:10:02] If anything, he has compounded it with the tariffs, with the war in Iran that's raised gas prices, with the cuts in federal support for health care. And that's what's giving the Democrats the opportunity, not a guarantee, but the opportunity to contest heavily blue-collar, Republican-leaning terrain that has seemed out of reach for years, including states like Alaska, Ohio, Iowa and Texas.

BROWN: All right, Ron Brownstein, breaking it down for us. And you can read Ron's piece tomorrow morning on CNN.com. Great to see you. Thanks so much.

And as we keep tabs on the upcoming midterms, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten runs the numbers on President Trump's approval ratings. They may explain why some GOP candidates are keeping the president at arm's length out on the campaign trail.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey there, Pam. Happy Saturday to you. I feel like it's a reunion of sorts. You and me on the weekends. Boy, I feel like it's yesteryear, but I guess the past is sometimes prologue.

Anyway. Look, when it comes to Latinos and Donald Trump, Congresswoman Maria Salazar from southeast Florida came out this week saying that Trump's immigration efforts went, quote-unquote, "have gone too far." And you know what? A lot of Latinos agree.

What are we talking about when we look at the numbers? Well, you can see it right here. OK. Latinos on Trump and immigration. You know, you go back to the fall of 2024 when Donald Trump was reelected to a second term. You can see that Donald Trump was more trusted on the issue of immigration than Kamala Harris by five points. He won on this issue with Latinos. But look at where his net approval rating is now.

Down we go into the Gulf of Mexico or Gulf of America if you speak Trump's language. But for the rest of us, the Gulf of Mexico. Look at his net approval rating now, 39 points underwater. That is a shift, Pam. That is a shift, Pam Brown, of get this, 44 points in the wrong direction, the wrong direction. Latinos who like Donald Trump on immigration, no longer do. And this to me is part of a larger problem that Donald Trump has with Latinos.

You can see it in terms of how they view him favorably or unfavorably. And, you know, beginning -- right at the beginning or just before the beginning of his second term, back in January of 2025, Latino voters were more likely to have a favorable view than an unfavorable view of Donald Trump. Look at this. He was at plus six points. That is really good for a Republican president.

You really have to go all the way back to George W. Bush right around the time of his inauguration for his second term to find numbers that are about as good as this. Republican candidates for president have been really struggling with Latinos. But Donald Trump really had this breakthrough. But look at where he is now. That plus six feels like it was not less than two years ago.

It might as well feel like it was a decade or two decades ago because now Donald Trump, Latino voters, look at this. His net favorability rating, his favorable minuses his unfavorable, 34 points underwater. That is a shift of 40 points against the president of the United States. And a lot of Democrats have to really be liking these numbers, because, of course, there are a lot of key races that will be fought this midterm cycle in just -- what is this? As I look at my fake watch, it's under two months away.

Under two months away we'll be having key races in the southwest and the southeast, places where there are a lot of Latino voters, places such as Florida, where Maria Salazar is from, and of course, Texas, where James Talarico is aiming to become the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since 1988. And look at these, Trump's net popularity among Latino voters. We mentioned Florida, right?

Donald Trump won big league, big league in Florida back in November of 2024. His net favorability rating, his net popularity rating with Latino voters in Florida, plus 17 points. Look at where it is now. It's minus 25 points. That is a shift away from the president of the United States of 42 points. How about Texas, right? How about Texas? Donald Trump, his net popularity rating, his net favorability rating, plus five points back in November of 2024.

Now look at it. It's 34 points underwater. That is a shift of 39 points away from the president of the United States. When you see numbers like these, you know, you go to yourself. Hey, Texas could definitely elect a Democrat to the United States Senate for the first time in nearly 40 years. And you know what? Florida, which really had been taken off of the map a lot of folks' minds, hey, maybe it could elect a Democratic governor, which it hasn't done since 1994 with Walkin Lawton Chiles.

You know, Dave Jolly, Democratic candidate for governor there, he might have quite a shot. And you know what, looks to me as I look again at my fake watch, Pam, that my time here is up. So I toss it back to you. I really much enjoyed this reunion.

BROWN: It was so nice to be reunited with you, Harry Enten, on a Saturday. Great to see you.

Well, still ahead, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels claims another attack on the Saudi capital targeting energy infrastructure and a major airport. Plus, the show must go on for Ed Sheeran after every supporting act on his tour pulls out. We are live right outside the concert venue ahead of showtime.

[19:15:08]

And then later there is no relief in sight for drivers as gas and diesel prices continue to surge amid the ongoing war with Iran.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, the Trump administration is approving a controversial plan to sell Stealth F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. [19:20:04]

The State Department denies that the $24 billion sale could change the balance of power in the Middle East. So far, the U.S. has sold these powerful planes only to Israel in the region. Congress must approve the sale, and some lawmakers are concerned about Saudi Arabia's ties to China.

CNN's Paula Hancocks has all the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If this deal comes to fruition, it would be a significant upgrade to Saudi Arabia's air force. So the Trump administration has said that it will approve this multibillion dollar deal to sell America's most advanced fighter jet system to its key ally here in the Gulf.

Now, this is a deal that Saudi Arabia has been chasing for years. It would make Saudi Arabia only the second country in the Middle East to be able to have this system alongside Israel. There has been concern inside Israel. We understand back in November, when President Trump first floated the idea of this deal, we heard from one Israeli security source calling it, quote, "very concerning."

Now, of course, it does need to be approved by Congress at this point, but Israel's main concern is that it's going to shift the balance of power in the Middle East. We do have a statement from the State Department clearly addressing that concern. I quote, "The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter military balance in the region."

Originally, this was believed to be tied to the possible normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. That does not appear to be the case anymore. This is just a purely business military deal without that normalization being a requirement or a condition.

Back in the first administration of President Trump, he did try and do a similar deal with the UAE, the United Arab Emirates. But at that point, the deal fell apart during the subsequent Biden administration because there were concerns about the close ties between the UAE and China. Experts say that that is still a concern within this deal because Saudi Arabia also has very close ties to China.

Now it comes as Saudi Arabia is fighting against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. We have seen some remarkable progress from the Houthi rebels trying to take control of a second critical waterway in the Middle East, that Bab Al-Mandeb Strait. And it comes as we see fighting and strikes back and forth between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

Now, of course, it will take many years if this is approved by Congress for the jets to arrive in Saudi Arabia. But it does come at a time when the kingdom is realizing it does need to upgrade its military.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: All right. Our thanks to Paula.

And we're joined now by former State Department Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller.

Aaron, I first want to get your reaction to that statement from the State Department that this won't disrupt the balance of military power in the Middle East. What do you think?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: I mean, I having voted and worked for Republicans and Democrats, I actually rarely agree with this administration's State Department, but I think they're probably right. We're not selling the Saudis the F- 35I, which the Israelis have, which have the advanced avionics and all kinds of fancy bells and whistles.

The Saudis are the eighth largest defense acquirers in the world surpassing both France and Japan. They can't even use the billions of dollars in military equipment that we send them. And right now, Pam, looking at what the real threats are to Saudi Arabia, I guarantee you they would have probably traded the F-35 deal, which for them is a prestige buy for sure. Not only the Saudis and the Israelis have it, with a commitment by the Trump administration to do more to combat what their real security problem is right now.

The Houthis launched attacks on Riyadh. The Saudis really have very limited responses in order to eliminate the Houthi threat. So, again, it's a prestige buy. I think it's important to Mohammed bin Salman. It's $24 billion. It'll cement U.S.-Saudi relations just as the nuclear deal, which the administration has proposed.

One final point. If we are interested in these early Saudi normalization and it's tethered to a galaxy far, far away, there's no way right now this is going to happen. You'd think you would want to save some of the leverage in order to facilitate that deal. That would be maybe a deal on the nuclear issue and F-35s. The administration has clearly decided that they want to move and they want to move now.

BROWN: And as you heard Paula talk about, you know, there is military cooperation between the UAE and China and Saudi Arabia and there are -- the concerns over that prompted the deal to fall out during the Biden administration. Do you see that as a relevant cause for concern now?

[19:25:08]

MILLER: I do, and I think it pertains to the nuclear issue as well, where we're considering actually giving the Saudis to enrich uranium on Saudi soil. No, I think the Emirati-Chinese relationship is a lot closer than the Saudis. But yes, I think we have to be concerned about that. The other issue, and it's in legislation, is to maintain Israel's qualitative military edge, the so-called QME. I think that's one of the concerns that Congress has. But there's no way in my opinion that this deal is not going to go

through. You'd have to have two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate. The president would veto and then you'd need, what, to override the veto? It ain't going to happen with this Congress.

BROWN: I want to ask you about this upcoming state visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House. With all of this going on, what is the significance of this meeting? How critical is it?

MILLER: I think for Trump, it's extremely critical. It's -- he loves dealing with Putin and with Xi. China is a pure competitor to the United States. They have leverage. And I'm sure Trump is going to want to figure out a way to see if they could lean on the Houthis with whom their relationship and maybe even lean on the Iranians to figure out how to get the president out of the box that he has put himself on with respect -- in with respect to Iran.

The Chinese are not going to interpose themselves between the Iranians and the U.S.. Iran is simply too important a partner for them now and going forward.

BROWN: Yes. So how do you think President Trump should approach it then?

MILLER: I mean, I think he has to be careful, right? I mean, you heard Scott Bessent, secretary of Treasury, talk about sanctioning. Secondary sanctions imposed on Iran's key trading partner. Well, guess what? China is critically important in the Iranian equation. And it seems almost impossible to me that the administration is going to impose secondary sanctions on China to cut them off from the U.S. dollar or the U.S. financial system.

I don't think that's going to happen. And I think we have to remember also, the Chinese have leverage. They have leverage on oil now. And they've basically saved their strategic reserves. And they have leverage on rare earths and critical minerals. So I think it will be a good meeting because Trump wants it to be a good meeting. Whether the Chinese are prepared to do his bidding when it comes to pressuring, leaning on the Iranians to open up the straits and end the war, I doubt it.

BROWN: All right. Aaron David Miller, thank you so much.

Well, crowds are filling up Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia right now. But tonight's Ed Sheeran concert is going to be a lot different than what fans expected just a few days ago.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:37:17]

BROWN: Pro-Palestinian protesters in Philadelphia are calling for Ed Sheeran to get out of town before his concert is set to begin at Lincoln Financial Field. It will be his first time back on stage since all of his supporting acts backed out in support of rapper, Macklemore, who was dropped from the Loop Tour after saying "Free Palestine" during a show in New Jersey earlier this month.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino joins us now outside the Stadium.

So what do crowds look like and what have they been telling you?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, that protest that was happening about, you know, five or six blocks from here has now wrapped up? It was pretty small to begin with and there have been no disruptions, and as you can see behind me, we have been watching for the past hour as thousands of fans stream into Lincoln Financial Field, and we spoke with many of them.

They all told us that they are looking forward to a good show tonight, that they wanted to be here, that they are here with their families, their young kids, and that they hope the show is good and just goes on without any disruptions.

But I want to just kind of first tell you about how we got here, right? It was all this controversy that started early this month after the rapper, Macklemore went on stage during an Ed Sheeran show in New Jersey and spoke about Palestine, said "Free Palestine" and highlighted the war in Gaza and used his time on stage to advocate for Palestinian rights, and he said that he wanted to do that across every stage in the United States.

And it was shortly after that that we learned that he was being dropped from the tour. Now, Ed Sheeran has made it very clear that this was not his personal decision. He has said that it was concert promoters who ultimately decided to drop Macklemore from the show.

But as you said, other artists have dropped from the show in solidarity with Macklemore. But I want to come back to what a lot of folks here tonight have told us. They say they understand the issue. They empathize with Macklemore's statement and what he was trying to do, but ultimately, they want tonight to be about the music and about the show.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COURTNEY ROIC, CONCERT ATTENDEE: We love it, Sheeran, and we had tickets for over a year, so we weren't going to miss it.

CARL PETTINATO, CONCERT ATTENDEE: I am not putting my support behind one side or the other. I am more for let's get peace with everybody.

JOHN NECLERIO, CONCERT ATTENDEE: He's got contracts in place between all --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he signed the contract with lawyers, we are the fans.

NECLERIO: He is supporting all of these people. And like, he is kind of caught in a rock and a hard place. So it is like, it is not as simple as just saying he is going to not perform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: That was a sentiment that we heard from a lot of people. They felt that Ed Sheeran was put in an impossible position, and in their view, he handled it as best he could.

The big question going into tonight is whether Sheeran is going to address this in any way from the stage, right?

[19:35:10]

We expect to see an Ed Sheeran solo show. There will be no opening acts because they have dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore, but he is set to take the stage right around 8:00. So we will see how tonight's performance goes -- Pamela.

BROWN: Yes, we will see.

Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

Well, gas prices are nearing their highest levels since the Iran War started. How high could they go? You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:40:00]

BROWN: The war with Iran is keeping pressure on world oil prices, and driving gas prices at the pump even higher. Right now, AAA says the national average is $4.48 for a gallon of regular unleaded. It was just $2.98 before the war with Iran.

Diesel is now at a record $6.49 a gallon, sharply higher than before the war. So let's bring in oil analyst and former White House energy adviser to President George W. Bush, Bob McNally.

Bob, what are you foreseeing for gasoline prices right now?

BOB MCNALLY, OIL ANALYST AND FORMER WHITE HOUSE ENERGY ADVISER TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, careful what you ask, Pamela. I am afraid my firm and I, when we look at supply and demand and the geopolitical events, particularly in the Middle East, and then Russia, unfortunately, I think the trend is going to be up still, even from these already high levels that you mentioned.

We are tight, especially for refined products. The gasoline and diesel that you and I put in our tanks, but also for the crude oil, which is the feedstock that has turned into those products.

Those markets are tight, and the Iran War is not stopping, nor is the Russia-Ukraine War, so the trends, I am afraid, are not favorable in terms of a sharp drop in oil prices soon.

BROWN: And even if the Iran War were to stop tomorrow, right, which I don't think anyone thinks it would. But if it does, or the Strait of Hormuz opens up and everything starts flowing again, how long would it take for prices to start coming down again?

MCNALLY: Well, in that very happy scenario, actually, it would be pretty fast. Markets would adjust pretty fast.

We are also assuming there wouldn't have been permanent damage to refineries or gas pipelines or terminals. So, if we assume no permanent damage or long term damage and what you say, the flows come back and stay back, they stay back. I think you would see a sharp drop in oil prices in a matter of weeks. The consumer would see it pretty fast.

BROWN: Earlier this month, though, you had Energy Secretary Chris Wright say the prices were more likely to go down in the coming months. You know, could that start to happen as we wrap up the summer driving season, or is it all about what is happening in the Middle East and Ukraine-Russia?

MCNALLY: Well, I hope the Secretary is right. My view would be that we are facing higher prices and part of the problem is crude oil.

Again, the feedstock, the input, that was capped this summer, that had some good things going for it. China had stopped importing a lot of crude oil. We had redirects through the Red Sea. And so we had SPR releases, Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases.

So we had some things, Pamela, that were helping contain the cost of that crude oil, which goes into gasoline and diesel. But even that now, as we ended the summer, those things are reversing. China is starting to buy again. The Strategic Reserve Releases are coming to an end and the redirects are being threatened by Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

So unfortunately, some of the things that helped cushion, if you will, the blow on crude oil are rising at the same time the product prices and markets are very tight. Diesel, very tight, low inventories; gasoline, the same thing. So it is a precarious situation.

Really, the only solution is going to be a permanent end, hopefully to this conflict.

BROWN: Why is it that gas prices are higher in other parts of the country, depending on where you live?

MCNALLY: Well, the best way to think about it is this, the further you are from most of our refineries that produce that gasoline and diesel, most of them are in the Gulf Coast -- Texas, Louisiana. If you live around there or the Upper Midwest, you're probably having lower gas prices than the coasts. The coasts, the West Coast, the East Coast, they are far from those refining centers. You have to transport by pipeline, and the pipelines are limited.

So what the coasts have to do is import gasoline and diesel from abroad. And those prices are being affected by especially these disruptions. So we can't really escape it. That is why, plus, regulations, taxes, things like that, when the West Coast, say for California doesn't make it very friendly for a refinery to operate, a lot of refineries have shut down, those consumers are going to have to rely more on costly imports.

So it is a combination of distance from refining centers in the Gulf Coast and then taxes. State taxes can often be much higher in the Northeast and in the West Coast that lead to those higher prices.

BROWN: All right, Bob McNally, thank you so much.

Well, prosecutors dropped a bombshell during opening statements in the trial of a former "American Idol" singer accused of murdering his wife.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, and we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:49:16]

BROWN: Well, the murder trial of former "American Idol" contestant, Caleb Flynn is underway, and prosecutors say Flynn shot and killed his wife, Ashley, at their Ohio home back in February, then staged the scene to cover it up.

In opening statements, they pointed to thousands of text messages sent to his mistress that they say reveal his desire to kill his wife. The defense fired back, arguing the state's case is built on motive, not evidence, and won't be able to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Also Friday, new developments from the Lindsay Clancy triple murder trial. We are finally hearing from that holdout juror whose lone vote to convict the Massachusetts mother of murdering her three children led to a mistrial.

CNN's Jean Casarez has the latest on both cases.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The prosecution wasted no time in their closing arguments on Friday, telling the jury that Caleb Flynn had a mistress.

[19:50:10]

It was a year's long affair. There was over a hundred thousand texts in a year, and that this former music pastor and self-proclaimed man of god was writing texts to his mistress about exactly what he wanted to do with his wife. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATTORNEY I was up until 4:00 A.M. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail. If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat. That is how dark and how hateful I feel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Defense pushed back saying in a lot of those texts, he said that he was going to get a divorce. That's what he wanted to do.

And just because someone has a theory or a mindset, it doesn't mean that they executed on it. It was a shoddy investigation from the beginning. They are making assumptions and they cannot prove this beyond a reasonable doubt.

But the prosecution said, oh yes, because we've got forensics, we've got fingerprints, we've got DNA, we've got ballistics. We have so many electronics, and that will poke holes in what he told law enforcement, show inconsistencies and show that he was not telling the truth.

Also on Friday, a very big revelation, the lone holdout juror in the Clancy trial, which we have not heard from at all, now has legal representation and has now come out with a statement.

And if you remember, the jurors that were for not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility, some had come out saying that he refused to deliberate, that he just sat there in the jury room, that he wouldn't follow the law, wouldn't follow the instructions.

I want you to listen to what this lone juror is now saying in a statement.

"I didn't have any doubts as I tried to explain different possible theories during deliberation. I kept getting cut off as if I had doubts based on the evidence present. Based on all the physical evidence, key witnesses, and what the prosecution presents, I thought it was enough proof that she, Clancy, knew exactly what she was doing and planned."

The next hearing in the Clancy case is set for September 29th. We may find out information if, in fact the defense can get the charges dismissed, or if there could be a plea deal in this case.

As far as the "American Idol," Caleb Flynn case, which is out of Ohio, just starting right now, testimony resumes on Monday in Troy, Ohio.

In New York, I am Jean Casarez for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And our thanks to Jean there.

Also, CBS' "60 Minutes" has released a new clip from its interview with Patrick Clancy and his new wife. It is the first time we are hearing from the couple since the trial of Clancy's ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy, ended in a mistrial. Here is part of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSS DOUTHAT, "60 MINUTES" CORRESPONDENT: Are you angry at yourself? Do you feel like you failed in some way in this period, or do you feel like you did the best you could?

PATRICK CLANCY, LINDSAY CLANCY'S EX-HUSBAND: I think I did the best I could with what I had at the time and I live with the outcome. I live with it every day, but I think I did the best I could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Lindsay Clancy is charged with killing her three children, but argues she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

Since testifying in the trial, Patrick Clancy has faced intense speculation and scrutiny online. His full "60 Minutes" interview airs tomorrow night.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:58:38]

BROWN: All right, listen up to all of you grown up Toys 'R' Us kids, I was one of those myself. The company is announcing the opening of 120 standalone U.S. stores just in time for the holidays. That brings the retailers store count to 160 standalone stores by the holidays, in addition to nearly 400 stores inside Macy's locations.

You may recall the company had filed for bankruptcy back in 2017 and ultimately closed its final two stores in 2021, but the continued revival effort is now hoping to bank on holiday demand with gift givers, as well as collectors that have boosted brands like Legos and Build-A-Bear in recent years.

And tonight, "Have I Got News" for you is back to help you laugh through the headlines. This week's guests are journalist, Kara Swisher and Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger.

Here is a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOODS, JR., HOST: There are a lot of people that are trusting of the autonomous vehicles, but there are stories popping up all over the place where some of these vehicles have some bugs that still need to be worked out. Like this story out of Atlanta.

REPORTER: Waymo after Waymo after Waymo entered this dead end street, usually early in the morning.

When neighbors used this little guy to put him right out here in the street to block the Waymo from getting into the cul de sac, and you can imagine what happened next.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had 1.8 Waymos that were stuck trying to figure out how to turn around.

WOODS: Would you drive in one of these, your excellency, Governor?

GOV. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D-VA): With the state police detail, I don't believe they'd let me. And two, I don't think I can let go of that level of control.

KARA SWISHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: But overall, these things drive much better than people. They save gas. They're much safer. And in a lot of ways, oddly enough, women are safer in them because they don't have -- you know, there are incidents with drivers.

MICHAEL IAN BLACK, COMEDIAN: Wow! That's sexist. Women can't drive. You heard it from Kara.

Wow!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: "Have I Got News For You" airs tonight at 9:00 Eastern.

Well, thank you so much for joining me this evening. I am Pamela Brown. I will be back on Monday at 10:00 A.M. in "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer.

Stay with CNN. "Real-Time" with Bill Maher is up next.

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