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Whistleblower: USPS Plans For Mail-In Voting Hidden From Public; WSJ: GOP Convention To Offer $88,600 Picture With Trump. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired September 02, 2026 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:33:36]
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: So, a whistleblower is saying that the U.S. Postal Service is moving ahead with a plan that is hidden from the public, that would carry out the president's orders when it comes to limiting your bail in -- your mail-in voting options. And that's despite a court ruling that says they couldn't
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): The U.S. -- USPS is in the jurisdiction of the Oversight Committee. We need to have immediate hearings. Bring in the postmaster general, bring in folks from the Postal Service leadership there to understand who is giving the direction, who is trying to gain access to vote by mail, and trying to essentially rig the election in the midterms, and in 2028.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: All right. So, this new USPS system is known as the Federal Ballot Mail Portal.
Here's how it works. It's a kind of database for voter information that could be used to reject ballots if they are found invalid.
So, joining me now, Congressman Bennie Thompson. He's the ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.
Thank you so much for being here.
I know you've talked a lot about voting, especially in rural areas, right? Being from Mississippi.
First, this whistleblower report, saying that they're pushing ahead with something, even though they were told by the court not to. What's your response to the plan they have for the postal service?
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): Well, it's indicative of the Trump administration. The law doesn't apply to him in his mind. He can do anything he wants to. He ignores the court.
[06:35:02]
And so, what we have here is part of his confusion leading up to the November 3rd election.
CORNISH: His confusion or you mean he's creating confusion?
THOMPSON: He's creating confusion in the -- in the minds of the public. And it goes beyond that. It talks about guards at the polling places.
CORNISH: Uh-huh.
THOMPSON: They don't have any real authority.
CORNISH: Yeah.
THOMPSON: Why would ICE be at a voting precinct?
CORNISH: Can I play the audience this clip that you're referring to? I believe that it was Markwayne Mullin, right?
THOMPSON: Yes.
CORNISH: Who was asked about -- whether or not there would be a presence, whether or not ICE could be at polling stations. And this is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARKWAYNE MULLIN, DHS SECRETARY: I was being very, very clear when I said, ICE isn't there to patrol the polling places. We're there to enforce specific threats. The only reason why we would be at polling places, if there is a threat to that polling place, or we're serving to -- yes, or we're --or we're serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down.
We're not going to be at -- that ICE's job is Immigration Custom Enforcement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMPSON: So why are you at a polling place?
CORNISH: He said because of threats.
THOMPSON: Well, elections, or the most part, are state functions. So, there are bailiffs at polling places. There are sheriffs and other law enforcement officials if a problem arises. I've never known ICE to ever be called as part of the security protocol for a precinct.
CORNISH: Can you do anything about it? I mean, you're on the Department of Homeland Committee, the Homeland Community Oversight Committee. So --
THOMPSON: Well, we've written several letters of which have gone unanswered by the secretary, questioning his authority to do that. And why would he impede how we select our leaders in this country, other than you want to create chaos so that people won't come to the polls and vote?
And I think that's what it is. Part of confusion and chaos leading up to the November 3rd election, so that people say, well, I just don't want to be bothered. We're a better country than this. This is how we select our leaders.
Why would you want to impede the public's ability to select this leaders?
CORNISH: One of the things that's going on is, well, mail in balloting is very popular. You do have actually questions about its accuracy. And that does go bipartisan.
So even though mail in voting is people love it, they want the option. They also are like, we've got questions. And we're seeing that in Pew. We're seeing that a Fox News poll recently.
And what's your response to people who say, look, why not have a portal, a database, something that can verify?
THOMPSON: Well, I think for the most part, if you talk to local election officials, their portals and other things verify who -- who are legitimate voters. They spend a lot of time.
Look, President Trump and his family votes by mail, and he's a critic of the process. If you -- if you don't like the process, work with Congress and lets fix it. But you don't criticize it on one hand and use it on the other. That's just wrong.
CORNISH: I want to talk about something that's percolating in a bipartisan way, which is the battle over data centers, state and localities are very much passing their own moratoriums and pauses and guardrails. The federal government, not so much.
The president has said this recently, posting online, "The only reason that communities throughout the us a should not want data centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. If we kill the golden goose, you will only have yourself to blame."
THOMPSON: Well, you know that's just him throwing out a Trumpism. My experience with data centers in my district is they are marketed as a panacea for economic development. But when you peel the onion, there are significant costs to local governments and significant loss to consumers.
And what we have to have is a process that's open and transparent.
Our local officials have to sign non-disclosure agreements when they're negotiating data centers. So, they can't even talk to the public about what's about to come until it's done.
CORNISH: Should Democrats be putting forth more legislation? Should they be -- right now, I think there's a bill or two, and it feels as though the states are moving really fast. The constituency is there, and you have someone like Ed Markey, who is just in a campaign where he couldn't even say what A.I. was on his phone. It feels like you guys are not ready to legislate.
THOMPSON: The data centers have moved far beyond the process at the federal level. We have to have federal legislation, just like state and local legislation. It's absolutely important.
[06:40:00]
A.I. is important, but the public participation is absolutely essential for the process to work.
CORNISH: I want to play for you something. This is the House Speaker Mike Johnson. He was asked about the war in Iran, and he was asked about this ahead of the midterms by our Manu Raju.
I'll play it for you and get your response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On Iran, you said repeatedly that this war was going to be over soon. You said that this would be a temporary blip on short term -- on gas prices. It is more than six months. People are getting hurt still at the pump.
Should the American people not also judge you on your projections here that were clearly off base?
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Manu, that is one of the stupidest questions you've ever asked.
RAJU: Why is that stupid?
JOHNSON: I have nothing to do with the prosecution of the war across the globe. I am -- I am --
RAJU: You are responsible. You are -- you are selling this to the American public, are you not?
JOHNSON: So, should the House speaker be held responsible for the duration of a military conflict around the globe? You answer that question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: So should the House speaker be held responsible for the prosecution of a war held across the globe?
THOMPSON: You know, we have a system of government, separate and co- equal branches. One is the legislative process. He could very well allow legislation to come to the floor saying, we have to get out of Iran. It's a bad situation, but he won't do it because President Trump started the war, and he's going to do whatever President Trump wants.
Look, it's their war. You can't ignore it. Affordability has become part of the issue associated with that war. It's still there. Prices of fuel is going up. You go to the grocery store, everything's
going up. The public is up in arms over this war.
The speaker cannot ignore what were involved in. It's just absolutely preposterous that he try to say he doesn't have anything to do. Legislation can't come to the floor without the speaker's approval. So if -- if we have to do a discharge petition, like --
CORNISH: Meaning to force a vote.
THOMPSON: To force a vote, that's how we have to do it. But he opposes any of that effort. So, for him, I think, to try to somehow say, asking a question, about the war is preposterous, says that the speaker needs tutorial on the legislative process.
CORNISH: Okay. Congressman Thompson, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate your time, as Congress returns this week.
And I want to turn to this after. Do you have an extra $88,000 lying around? Because if so, you could get a photo op with the president. We're going to ask whether this is a tone deaf pitch in this economy.
Plus, this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILO YIANNOPOULOS, FAR-RIGHT INFLUENCER: It was physically degrading. It was -- it was frightening
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Frightening and degrading. A new perspective from a far- right influencer who had celebrated the deportations of millions until he was one of them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:47:18]
CORNISH: You may not know this, but were actually weeks out from a convention. The Republican Party midterm convention, because they want to rally voters ahead of November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE GRUTERS, RNC CHAIRMAN: We are so excited. It's going to be a Trumpapalooza. We're going to highlight all these amazing things that the president's doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: All right. So why do we care about this? The price tag for Trumpapalooza in Dallas has some potential attendees wondering if it is the best use of time and money.
So, "The Wall Street Journal" reporting a picture with Trump is going to cost you more than $88,000. Now, if you want to be at a roundtable with the president, that will cost you 250,000 grand.
Republican members of Congress are also being asked to attend. Frankly, some seem to be on the fence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Are you planning to go to the Republican convention next week?
REP. TOM BARRETT (R-MI): I'm planning to be in my district.
RAJU: Congressman, are you one of the Republican convention next week?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thinking about it.
REP. MARIA ELVIRA SANCHEZ (R-FL): I have to be in the district because I have events. I would love to go. I was thinking about it. I'm going to -- I'm going to miss out on something important, but I cannot be in two places at the same time yet.
RAJU: Are you going to go to the midterm convention next week?
REP. RALPH NORMAN (R-SC): No. I'm going to take -- I've been -- I've been campaigning for a year and a half.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Okay. Group chat is back. Trump is sitting on more than $400 million. He has money to burn.
So why is there a convention? You tell me, economics reporter for the -- why is there a convention in which they are even charging more to people? Who is this for?
ELEANOR MUELLER, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMY POLICY REPORTER, SEMAFOR: I think the bigger problem than the charging for the photo and the invitation, which is honestly pretty on par with what they've been charging for the last two years, is the cost to House Republicans to travel and attend the convention. Again, so much of this is about them keeping their majority, and the fact that, as we saw, so many are have decided to not go is, I think, going to really hamper these fundraising efforts that they are so clearly determined to ramp up here.
CORNISH: But the whole point is to say, look at my record. My record is good. All of you are chumps. No one likes you, right?
That's the sort of Trump argument against congressional Republicans. And the best thing I can do for you is be more visible to make it a referendum on me.
Maggie Haberman on Monday, she's obviously written a lot about Trump for "The New York Times". Here's what she had to say about the convention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: The convention is -- yeah, I have not spoken to a single Republican who is not in a deep, red safe district, who is happy about this. They feel put upon by this. It stays off of the trail to have to go do this. It's very confusing what the purpose is beyond just celebrating Donald Trump.
And as you say, they have -- it's very hard for a lot of these folks to run on Trump's -- aspects of Trump's record right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[06:50:08]
ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: The affordability crisis is so bad that even the price of a picture has gone up in America.
Look, the reality is this is how out of touch Donald Trump and Republicans are as they continue to pimp the presidency and the office. Americans in Donald Trump's states that he won are suffering from the high cost of living.
Eighteen-point-two million Americans, my good friend Terry, in places that Donald Trump won are seeing their premiums, co-pays and deductibles rise as much as $1,000 per month. People are dying, literally because of these -- the decisions that this White House and this president has made --
(CROSSTALK)
TERRY SCHILLING, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN PRINCIPLES PROJECT: They're not. In fact, they have enormous tax cuts that Donald Trump made permanent.
SEAWRIGHT: You're saying working class. No, no, you're saying working class people.
SCHILLING: Yes, absolutely working class people --
SEAWRIGHT: Working class people in rural America are benefiting from the largest the largest transfer of wealth in American history to the top 1 percent.
SCHILLING: Yes, it is not -- no, no. That's -- that is a garbage line. It's been debunked left and right.
SEAWRIGHT: It's the fact.
SCHILLING: It is not. President Trump is holding this convention --
(CROSSTALK)
SCHILLING: The American people and working families that had their tax cuts made permanent, which Democrats will repeal and raise their taxes day one, as soon as they get into office.
CORNISH: The question of having the convention, because if there's one thing I've never laid in bed at night and thought is, I hope there's a convention soon. You know what I mean? Like, it's just -- I don't know what it's for.
SCHILLING: No. And I love the opportunity to explain why. So, this whole thing, Trump came out of the gates, guns a blazing in his first term -- in his first year. And he did the tax cuts and reform act. He made those permanent. He did school choice. He got boys out of girls' sports. He had all these great accomplishments.
This convention is going to do two main things real quick, real quick. They're going to do two main things. It's going to remind the American people of what's at stake in the midterm elections. Do you like the tax cuts? Do you want them to go up if you don't want them to go up, vote Republican?
But it's also for fundraising. James Tala -- I mean, were talking about Donald Trump charging $88,000.
CORNISH: He has $400 million.
SCHILLING: We're getting outspent in Texas, $200 to one right now.
CORNISH: Speaking of Texas, here is John Thune, okay? Senator Thune bringing up Texas, specifically yesterday
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: I think all of our allies out there, including the president and his team and their resources, need to be brought to bear on Texas because it's not one that we can lose if we're going to hang on to a Republican majority. We flat have to win there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: So right away, you've got someone in the Senate, a Republican leader, being like, can we spend the money where we need to spend the money? So, I just want to raise that question going into this.
SEAWRIGHT: Terry, Terry --
SCHILLING: Real quick, I just want to say we are getting outspent in Texas, $200 on air to $1.
SEAWRIGHT: Take Texas off the table.
SCHILLING: Talarico has raised $68 million.
SEAWRIGHT: But take that off the table for a second. Let's just deal with the real issue at hand.
SCHILLING: Let's talk about fundraising.
SEAWRIGHT: No, let's deal with the real issue at hand. You're telling me that the do-nothing congress and do-nothing president's agenda is selling to the American people? Are you tone deaf to what every single polling -- SCHILLING: Why are you do that, Antjuan?
SEAWRIGHT: Why are you tone deaf to what every single poll --
(CROSSTALK)
SEAWRIGHT: Let me -- let me finish. Let me finish. Have you seen the polling data for Democrats, Republicans, and everyday Americans and what they feel about this president's agenda? The president and the Congress are underwater on every single major issue they campaigned on, and voters are going to pull the plug in November as a result of their failure.
SCHILLING: Yes. And the Democrats approval is not any higher than Trump's. It might be.
SEAWRIGHT: But you all are in charge.
SCHILLING: Yes.
SEAWRIGHT: People are going to vote against the people who are in charge.
CORNISH: So at this point, this is why Trump and the White House believes this is necessary.
SCHILLING: Yes.
CORNISH: Put the figure up again. Right? They're not going out to party and do a victory lap on a disapproval rating of 63 percent of an approval rating, far more underwater in comparison to other president's at this time. That is the point.
And I'm questioning, do you charge this kind of money while the rest of us are paying $4 at the pump?
SCHILLING: Yes, because James Talarico is hosting these fundraising --
SEAWRIGHT: Why do you keep talking about Talarico? He's not the only thing on the ballot.
SCHILLING: You can't just attack Trump for doing this.
CORNISH: I actually believe Talarico is relevant. I just don't understand why the White House, which has the money, can't just do it themselves.
SCHILLING: No, because we need more money. Look, there's a lot of money in politics. And if you have a problem with money in politics, that's fine, but it's not a Republican thing.
The Democrats are outraising us. It's not good. It's not helpful. James Talarico is hosting these major fundraisers in the Hamptons, at Martha's Vineyard for Texas. What are those people saying?
SEAWRIGHT: Name one thing -- name one thing this white has done to lower costs for the American people they promise on day one.
SCHILLING: Literally, everything they've ever done is meant to lower prices and keep money here at home.
SEAWRIGHT: Point to it. Point to it. Point to one thing that's lower cost for the American people.
SCHILLING: You guys were going to --
SEAWRIGHT: Point to one thing that's --
SCHILLING: You guys were going to let those tax cuts for the American family expire.
SEAWRIGHT: Terry, I love you, you cannot point to one thing that's lower cost for everyday Americans in this country.
SCHILLING: OK. So, you consider -- you consider allowing the largest tax increase in American history to go into effect with the expiration of those tax cuts to not be good. No, you guys --
SEAWRIGHT: We are talking about lowering costs.
CORNISH: You guys hold off on this because I think actually you are the proxy for all the -- like candidates going out and having this argument in real time. Are you going to this conference?
SCHILLING: Absolutely. It's going to be --
CORNISH: Are you to take a photo?
SCHILLING: No.
CORNISH: Let's -- let's pass the hat. Let's pass the hat so Terry can afford to get --
SEAWRIGHT: I'm trying to figure out what have Republicans done to lower costs on day one for everyday Americans.
CORNISH: Wait until Terry cuts his ad because that's what you guys do, okay? You're the people who get elections going.
I want to talk about what's in group chats, and mine is one that as a reporter, I had to follow up. Milo Yiannopoulos goes on Piers Morgan to be like, remember how I said deport everyone? Because we don't care about them? And then he got deported.
And funny thing, he didn't like it. Here's him explaining how it happens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YIANNOPOULOS: The manner in which they arrest you, they put you in manacles, your hands, your feet. Chain it together. I mean, like everybody is arrested is like an MS-13 gang member. And it hurts a lot more than it looks like on television. I mean, I know it's designed to be like that, but it's -- it was --
sure, it was humiliating and it was disorientating. All the rest of it.
It was physically degrading. It was -- it was frightening. It was frightening. I don't think I've ever been frightened like that before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Now, I'm not going to lie. I don't know his constituency, after being canceled by the right and the left. Okay. But it's one of those things where these the stories that come out about immigration enforcement, do they have an effect? So that's been in my group chat.
What about you?
MUELLER: My group has been this Kalshi first time lifetime ban. They banned George Santos for basically --
(CROSSTALK)
CORNISH: George Santos makes history over and over again. So prediction market is like you are banned for life.
MUELLER: For life. And there are investigations ongoing. And so I'm just curious to see which other politicians have been stirring things up online and then making money off of it, thanks to prediction markets.
CORNISH: Wait, so what's the allegation?
MUELLER: He fueled the speculation that he would be attending the State of the Union, bet on the fact that he would not attend the State of the Union, and then didn't go to the State of the Union. I think he made $17,000.
CORNISH: Oh, God. Who did that? Who voted for that? George Santos told you something. Why did you go on to the Internet and put money on that? I just feel like the facts don't bear it out. Okay.
SCHILLING: Well, I'll get to my group chat, but I just want to pile on with Milo. I actually think this says that President Trump is very serious about immigration.
CORNISH: He is.
SCHILLING: Deporting people.
My only gripe with it is that this is another case where they deported him to a third world country.
CORNISH: Are you okay with that happening to everyone else, or you just don't like?
SCHILLING: No, I don't -- they deported him to the U.K.
CORNISH: Yeah, but that's what's happening to everyone, Terry, do you mind --
SCHILLING: You missed the joke, Audie. You missed the joke. You missed the joke.
CORNISH: I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
SCHILLING: It's too early for that.
CORNISH: Yeah, okay.
SCHILLING: But my group chat, we're actually talking about fathers wanted. It's a new documentary we just did about the fatherlessness crisis in America. Not just, dads --
CORNISH: Crisis.
SCHILLING: Crisis.
So, young men -- from the perspective of young men who are choosing to opt out of fatherhood. And we cover how that has a societal cost to it. Fatherhood is about growing up. It's about rising to the occasion. It's about setting the stage --
CORNISH: There's also a marriage problem, right, where marriage has become an upper class institution.
SCHILLING: And that's what we're trying to get at. In fact, marriage is the best way to get out of poverty. Marriage is the thing that when you partner with someone and you live that life together and you really invest in it. Yeah, exactly. And you do better and you have kids and they motivate you. It's beautiful.
CORNISH: On the podcast, we just did a thing where people are like online dating in 2026 is trash. So lets link up our projects. I think that will help.
SEAWRIGHT: My group chat is all trash. It's NFL guy.
CORNISH: Oh, that's not trash.
SEAWRIGHT: No, no, I'm sorry.
CORNISH: That's a breaking news story that I missed today. Go on.
SEAWRIGHT: It's a pretend NFL player who scammed 26 million out of -- out of almost -- 26 women out of almost $2 million. It's the craziest story ever. It's taking me down a rabbit hole.
But I do want to say one thing --
CORNISH: Romance scams.
SEAWRIGHT: I do want to say one thing on immigration front, by the president -- because I think it's important why the president is deporting some, white South Africans are being imported to this country with a $4,500 incentive. It goes to show you what's important --
SCHILLING: Well, their lives are in danger, though. So let's be very clear about the threats -- I don't think it's funny. They will kill them. And there is --
SEAWRIGHT: So, you mean to tell me that people getting deported from this country who never grew up there will not get will not get killed when they go back?
SCHILLING: No, no, no, no, that is bad. Like we need.
SEAWRIGHT: I'm laughing at the fact that how you think it's convenient for white South Africans to be imported with $4,500. But others who've been working in this country and to this economy get deported to a place they do not know, and then they end up dying.
SCHILLING: Those -- the people in South Africa's lives are actually in danger. Kill the Boer, kill --
SEAWRIGHT: Why South Africans are more important than people that's adding to the economy. That's essentially what you're saying.
SCHILLING: It's not the economy. They broke the rules. They write the laws.
CORNISH: All right.
SEAWRIGHT: So Haitians who are here on the T - on the program, let's let these South Africans get --
CORNISH: The funny part is these guys are planning to start a podcast. So, if you have names for it, please hit me up on all platforms @audiecornish.
SEAWRIGHT: Salt and pepper is already in the discussion.
(LAUGHTER)
CORNISH: And on Instagram @audieoffmic where you could get this every morning.
Thank you so much for putting up with us. Thank you for choosing to spend time with us. I know you could be anywhere else and I'm glad you choose to spend your mornings with us.
I'm Audie Cornish, and the headlines are next.
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