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Members of GOP Calling for Removal of Hegseth; Minneapolis Shooting Leaves 2 Dead, 3 Police Officers Injured; Mayor Mamdani Bans A.I. in the Classroom Until 8th Grade. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired September 03, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:10]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Today in the group chat, a Republican senator who voted to confirm Pete Hegseth now wants him fired for, quote, "inept management" of the military. Could the president throw Hegseth under the bus?

And the Senate gets ready to return to D.C. But will Mitch McConnell? Some of his closest confidants are now skeptical.

And the president promises to hit the road to get Republicans elected. But wouldn't they rather have some of that campaign cash instead?

And Mayor Mamdani bans A.I. in New York's elementary and middle schools. Is he standing in the way of progress?

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish, and here is where we begin. Questions about the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and his leadership, and whether the president will stand by his side.

Now, this morning, in the wake of the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, one Republican senator says the secretary of defense should be fired over his inept management. So, this was in a post on social media. You had Senator Thom Tillis writing, "I urge the president to find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it."

Other Republicans appear to agree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): I hate to tell the president who we should hire and fire. I don't know if it's really my role. But I would say this: I would not -- he would not be on my team. I think he is -- he has not been a very good leader in many -- in many ways.

I felt like he was trouble from the beginning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Now, since Hegseth took the helm, a number of top brass have been pushed out of the military or fired. Military leaders have been warning that it could leave a void of leadership in the ranks. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK KENDALL, FORMER AIR FORCE SECRETARY: I've worked with and had a chance to work for maybe a dozen secretaries of defense. He's doing active harm to the Department of Defense. It's not passive. It's active harm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's remarkable.

KENDALL: We may have two and a half more years of this. That's a long time. Four years of this type of management is incredibly debilitating and destructive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Today in the group chat, we've got Alex Thompson, CNN political analyst and national political correspondent at Axios; Mike Dubke, former Trump White House communications director; and Meghan Hayes, former Biden White House director of message planning.

This administration, this time around, is not known for having the revolving door that Trump one did. So, for the people who are holding their breath for him to somehow bail on Pete Hegseth, how long should they be worried?

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: They'd be doing a lot of breath training --

CORNISH: Yes, exactly.

THOMPSON: -- is what's happening.

You know, Thom Tillis can say what he wants, but he no longer has leverage in this situation. He had leverage when he was a key vote in confirming Pete Hegseth. You know, it was known at the time that Pete Hegseth did not have management experience.

CORNISH: It was also a hard road to sell him, right?

THOMPSON: Yes, absolutely.

CORNISH: The White House worked really hard to get senators on board.

THOMPSON: Exactly. And very much, including Thom Tillis.

And Thom Tillis also decided not to run for re-election. He is out of the Senate next year.

So, you know, I think the White House basically views some of these senators -- people like Thom Tillis or Bill Cassidy, as much ado about nothing.

CORNISH: They also do represent constituencies that have big military communities and things like that.

What do you guys make of this being very specific, right? The management is bad; saying that he is inept.

MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, you know, again, Thom Tillis was the deciding vote here, really. He's the one that got him to 50 percent -- or to 50 votes. That allowed the vice president to come in and break the tie.

So, it's a little -- it's a little late for -- for Thom Tillis to be coming here.

But I think what we're seeing is what, you know, folks have been talking about for a while now with the -- the consistent drumbeat of drumming out military talent for -- under the leadership of this secretary.

But the question of whether or not -- or what it will take, I think it's going to -- it's going to take, unfortunately, some mess-up by the U.S. military for the president to turn around and say, You know what, Pete? It's time to go.

Because all the other things that he is doing, all of the -- the -- in terms of being lethal, in terms of the videos, in terms of the recruitment. I mean, the White House is going to talk about how great the recruitment is, and they're absolutely right.

CORNISH: Yes.

[06:05:00]

DUBKE: But it's going to take some fiasco, I think, unfortunately, for this White House to decide that Pete Hegseth is not the leader that we need.

And the unfortunate part of that, and I'll be just -- I'll end here -- is that I don't know how long it will take to then bring back the military to what -- to a -- to an operational force, given how much talent has been eroded.

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING: That's I think that's exactly right. And just like with everything else Trump does, he's never going to see the -- what the -- the problems that he has created. He's never going to have to pay the consequences for that. But the American people will.

Our military and getting rid of all of these admirals and generals will take decades to build back that institutional knowledge. You don't just turn around and make someone a general. They -- it takes 20 years for those folks to be there.

CORNISH: When he came in, he said, I'm going to get rid of 20 percent of admirals and general. I mean, this was always on the --

HAYS: And then he called them all fat. And he did all these other things that were so disrespectful to our military.

And also, we are not doing our military any services here. We are running out of munitions. We are depleting our human capital here. We have lost lives in a war that no one wanted.

Pete Hegseth has a lot to answer for, but again, no one's going to hold them accountable. No one. There's nothing that's going to happen for two and a half years.

DUBKE: So -- consider --

CORNISH: Do you think there's a difference when you have, like, that Navy boat coming in to dock, and it's, like, rusted out and bad? And they had been telling the whole world that everything was fine.

Like, do some of these things undermine the claims, when you go out there so hard in the paint (ph), telling everyone that they're making it up?

THOMPSON: Absolutely. And you have to remember that that happened after Trump said, no, they should actually stay longer. And -- but in their actions, they have shown that, actually, it was -- it was a problem.

I also think it shows how strong -- you know, Pete Hegseth feels strong in his relationship with the president.

CORNISH: Yes.

THOMPSON: The fact that he drove out Driscoll, who is very, very close with J.D. Vance, shows how -- how much confidence he has.

I sort of agree with -- with Mike that, you know, in a similar way with DHS and Kristi Noem, the -- you know, there were a lot of problems for that first year. But it only -- once it became a debacle, and like, American citizens were killed in the streets of Minnesota, did it actually become, you know, a forcing mechanism to push her out.

CORNISH: Well, I do want to add one more thing. He very much has completely made good on his promises to focus on culture war issues in the military. I just want to play a couple examples.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses.

Frankly, it's tiring to look out at combat formations or, really, any formation and see fat troops.

No more beardos.

I'm authorizing a new screening program for testosterone deficiency.

And we're restoring the warrior ethos inside our department, because that matters. At the Department of War, we do training, not trannies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUBKE: Here -- well, here's my take on all of that. That, we can set that aside. I have -- I don't think the president has any issue with what Hegseth said in any of that.

My concern is that Hegseth has consolidated his power within the Pentagon to such a degree that that you don't have the generals giving the president the candor and the assessments that they used to, at least in the first Trump administration.

My experience was that the generals could come in under -- in Trump 1.0 and come into the Oval Office and give an honest assessment.

Right now, I think they have to screen through, you know, the layers of Hegseth's office before they do that. And so my concern is that that's what the president sees, and he may agree with that. But what he's not getting is the honest intel from our military leaders.

HAYS: He got it when Driscoll retired or when he stepped down.

DUBKE: He did.

HAYS: He said, this isn't -- we are not capable of keeping this war up at this degree, and I'm out. Because you guys aren't listening to us. And I'm not going to take the fall. And I'm not going to put soldiers at risk that he oversees.

So, they are telling him.

DUBKE: So, it took a resignation --

HAYS: Yes. That's -- yes.

DUBKE: -- for that -- for him to make his way into the Oval Office.

CORNISH: Also, the legacy of the U.S. military in this country is one that ended up leading on integration in some ways, right? That ended up -- there's something about calling it a meritocracy and then going around saying, based on your looks, vibes, your identity, you're out.

And I think that's been very disturbing to see, certainly, as a black American watching the history of your -- the military being whitewashed, when so many people in the community actually were educated, mobilized, and came up through the U.S. military.

I don't think I would look at this military today and be able to say the same thing. I don't think a Colin Powell rises in this military and that that list gets even longer.

I know that's beside the point, because it's about war.

DUBKE: No, it's not -- it's not besides the point.

CORNISH: But to me, like the -- the generations that have been set back on this is really fundamental.

[06:10:02]

DUBKE: We're going to talk in a -- in a minute, I think, if we get to it, about the way the American people view our institutions. And it is telling that one of the institutions that actually scores above almost all the others when it comes to the government is the military. And there's probably some reason behind what you're saying for that.

But there's also -- that doesn't mean that you can't have, you know, you can't over emphasize on one thing and create a -- you know, a non- lethal force.

CORNISH: Well, we certainly swung back, because now there are no beardos.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, nearly 90 percent of Americans believe government corruption -- corruption is widespread. So, we're going to talk about what Mike just said. Is that a reflection of this administration or their distrust in institutions?

Plus, we're going to talk about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got to ducking. Everybody got hit. That's why there's so many victims.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: At least two people, have been confirmed dead after a shooting in downtown Minneapolis. Next, I'm going to talk to a former deputy director of the FBI. What we know about the shooter, and I'll tell you if there's any possible known motive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:15:47]

CORNISH: We're going to turn now to Minneapolis. We are hearing news two people are dead. Three police officers have been injured, because there was a shooting at an apartment building.

Now, police confirmed that the alleged gunman is also dead. It's not clear, however, how he died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because there were a lot of shots at once. And then it stopped for a second. Then it started going again. I think he stopped, reloaded, and started shooting again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Like, "Brrrrup! Brrrup!"

I'm like, dang, that was a switch. Yes. And then you seen the girl. She hit the floor automatically. Right. Right when I'm talking about, right when he let off, she hit the floor automatically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, so I'm bringing in Andrew McCabe, CNN senior law enforcement analyst. He's also a former deputy director of the FBI.

As we're learning more, Andy, one of the things I found interesting was that the police apparently visited the suspect earlier that morning, which is not the usual thing I can say, right, when I'm talking about a mass shooting event. What have we been learning about it?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes. Audie, this one is a little different than most of the mass shootings that we typically cover.

This one really seems to have spurred out of what the police are calling some sort of a domestic incident.

People, I think, reflexively interpret that to mean a fight between two people that are living in the same residence, but that's not always the case. It can be any sort of an incident that draws a police response, essentially, to a residence, rather than to a business or someplace else.

And any police officer will tell you that these can be the most volatile and dangerous situations that they encounter, and they encounter them every day, many, many times across the scope of one shift.

So, this individual supposedly was the recipient of a service call earlier in the day. He also had a history of interacting negatively with his neighbors, brandishing a firearm, things of that nature.

And then of course, they're called again at 4:30 yesterday afternoon. And that provoked a massive, very quick response by the Minneapolis Police Department that you see on the video here.

And, you know, I would point out, though, one thing that this really is very typical for is domestic responses typically happen at the same places over and over again. These simmering conflicts tend to -- tend to stretch out over more than one interaction with the police.

CORNISH: I'm sure the people of Minneapolis, however, are exhausted. There's been three major shooting incidents in three weeks.

Obviously, at the start of the year, we talked about the street protests that culminated in the death of two people at the hands of ICE officers.

What do you think when you see what law enforcement has had to deal with the last few months?

MCCABE: Yes, it's really incredible. If you layer on top of that, the just -- it was just a year ago that we had another mass shooting in Minneapolis at a Catholic church. And that church, I'm told, is not that far from the site of yesterday's response.

So, you've got a police department there that is really under incredible stress. They find themselves responding to incredibly dangerous events. And -- and really events that have a long tail; events that impose that same sort of stress and hostility on the entire community.

And those -- you know, repeat incidents like that can really have the effect of really ratcheting up tensions between the population and the police officers that serve them.

So, we -- we've got to hope that they get a break at some point in the future here, from everything that's been happening in Minneapolis.

CORNISH: OK. That's Andrew McCabe talking to us about that shooting in Minneapolis. At this point, we know the confirmation is just two dead and three police officers who are injured.

Thank you, Andy.

After the break on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to talk about the mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani. He wants to ban A.I. in New York City elementary schools. But is that going to leave some students behind the curve?

Plus, Clippers controversy. The NBA drops the hammer on the team. They've stripped them of draft picks, banned the owner for a year. He's saying it's too harsh.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:24:11]

CORNISH: I want to bring you up to date on this breaking news right now. Feminist activist Gloria Steinem has passed away. This is according to her Instagram page.

In a post on Instagram, we read this: "Gloria's greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves."

Steinem, widely known as the leader of the second wave of the feminist movement in the '60s and '70s, helped launch New York magazine, co- founded "Ms." magazine, and in 2013 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Gloria Steinem was 92.

I want to turn to this in New York. Zohran Mamdani, the mayor, banning generative A.I. tools in New York City elementary and middle schools.

And the ban is just going to last for a year. It's going to impact nearly 600,000 students. And, of course, this is the nation's largest school district.

Mamdani says they're going to reevaluate something like 38 A.I. programs before allowing any to return.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY: Children need their teachers and human connection in order to learn and in order to grow. And they need to develop skills alongside their peers, build relationships with their teachers, and wrestle with tough problems on their own.

The tech industry wants us to believe that A.I. in early education is not only inevitable, but that it is necessary. We do not see it that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Group chat is back. So, the teachers' union says, "If we're going to be serious, let's start at the source, rather than expect school committee -- communities or individual educators to figure out, after the fact, if what their school uses fits the new policy."

I found this interesting because again, it's a pause. Well, you look --

DUBKE: Look, I am, because on this, I think -- well, first of all, my knee-jerk reaction is whatever a teachers' union representative says I usually am on the opposite side of this.

But I think in this particular case, it's warranted. Because instead of focusing on making sure that students and teachers live and grow and utilize this technology, that -- that this group of students are going to be the first native I -- A.I. generation. Instead of training teachers, what they're saying is, look, we're just going to have a moratorium. We're not going to do anything.

I did not hear one thing out of the mayor or any of the teachers' unions about what happens a year from now, when this pause is over.

Did they train the teachers to help the students? Did they take a piece of technology that could help some underprivileged students leapfrog and be as aware of A.I. as some of their individuals that are in private schools?

CORNISH: Do you have thoughts on this?

DUBKE: I -- I find this gross and disgusting.

HAYS: I mean, I -- I don't disagree that we should have some more education on what A.I. is and how it's going to help students. Because I don't think that we want to get in the same situation that we are with the social media now, with kids and the -- and leave it to the tech companies to regulate.

DUBKE: Totally agree with that.

HAYS: And so, I think -- but I also agree with you that A.I. two years ago, nobody was using. And now everybody uses it multiple times a day. So, you can't put students -- you can't set students back because all of their -- their classmates across the country are going to be learning how to use A.I.

So, I think they're smart in trying to put a pause to figure out what the best way to do it is, but the technology is going to change so much in that year. The pause doesn't really make a lot of sense.

So, I'm not sure that this is the best action. I appreciate that they're at least trying to do something to protect children. But you have to be --

CORNISH: Let me let Alex jump in. What do you see here?

THOMPSON: I mean, this is part of a larger political backlash to just big tech in general, but in particular to A.I., whether or not it's data centers, whether or not it's the technology. Now --

CORNISH: Yes, I'm going to put up on the screen some laws at the state level, while you're talking, of how states are pushing back.

THOMPSON: Now, people on, you know, I think on the center-left and on the right, you know, they say a moratorium is fine and good, but what is actually your plan --

HAYS: That's right.

THOMPSON: -- to do in that time?

Like, if we come back to the next school year, do they actually have, you know, a much more updated plan?

CORNISH: Yes.

THOMPSON: And that's also the critique of the Bernie Sanders moratorium or the AOC moratorium.

CORNISH: Hold on, you guys. I'm going to be the devil's advocate --

DUBKE: Did we hear? We didn't hear.

CORNISH: -- since you all agree. Because what I think is interesting, as a parent of elementary kids, is that Silicon Valley executives have a different standard for their own children. OK?

The Waldorf School near Google headquarters has no screens or devices. The head of YouTube -- YouTube media was talking about how he doesn't let his kids use it.

And when "The New York Times" asked Sam Altman about his own kids and what he does in his family, here's what -- no, sorry, this is iHeart podcast. This is Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, what he does for his kids.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM ALTMAN, CEO, OPENAI: A thing that has changed hugely is how I feel about algorithmic feeds and iPads in small children's hands and stuff like that.

And when I watch kids just a little bit older than mine, that you cannot take the iPad away from, watching this sort of like short -- you know, watching like whatever they're watching, that I feel very strongly about. So, I don't know when I would let him talk to A.I., but I'd rather be

on the late end of what's reasonable there, not the early end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, why should the --

DUBKE: This is --

CORNISH: Wait.

DUBKE: This is apples and oranges.

CORNISH: Why should the guy who founded A.I. say he'd rather wait? But Mamdani in the school's [SIC] largest school system is supposed to be at the forefront?

DUBKE: Because he's talking about algorithms and he is talking about social media.

CORNISH: At the very -- no, let me read --

DUBKE: He said algorithms on this.

CORNISH: Let me read exactly what he said.

DUBKE: I just listened to it.

CORNISH: I know, but I -- you might have missed the last sentence, because it was a 30-second-long clip and I totally understand.

DUBKE: And my attention span is only 20 seconds.

CORNISH: And it says that "I don't know when I would let him talk to A.I., but I'd rather be at the late end of what's reasonable."

[06:30:00]