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CNN This Morning
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) is Interviewed about Data Centers; Latino Voters Sour on Trump; Taxpayer-Funded Ad of Trump. Aired 6:30- 7a ET
Aired October 05, 2026 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:33:00]
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: So, A.I. data centers have taken center stage as a hot button issue this season, especially when it comes to political fights in the Senate, like the Senate seat in Ohio. A "New York Times" poll over the weekend of likely voters there found that 63 percent generally oppose the construction of A.I. data centers. And voters in the state trust the challenger, Democratic Sherrod Brown, to handle the issue better than the incumbent Republican, Jon Husted, by about ten points.
Trump has a different message for those voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Data centers benefit local communities. We want them. Look, there's so much money to be made for Ohio. You can't just turn them off. They'll go to China.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Joining me now to discuss is Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Democrat from Michigan.
Thank you for being here this morning.
And can I get your response to this argument that we hear frequently that we'd be ceding ground to China if the U.S. does not go all in on A.I. data centers?
REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): So, good morning, Audie. It's good to be with you.
Look, I'm going to say that the president is showing, which is not unusual, that he is living in a bubble and does not understand how upset communities are. And one of the biggest ways is that the way that these are even being handled, is they're being located in communities that nondisclosure deals are being signed. He says communities are going to benefit. They have no idea how they're going to benefit. They're worried about increased rates in residential utility rates, what's going to happen to the water, are they going to be charged for infrastructure roads into it?
CORNISH: Yes.
DINGELL: What is fire and police going to cost? So, look, I don't -- I am a fierce, as you know, protector of the United States against China. But we need a data center bill of rights. And I am working on one very hard. I released a framework last week for my district because I have a number of the large ones.
[06:35:04]
CORNISH: You know, Ohio Senator Jon Husted actually said he has some legislation or he had something that would handle one of the biggest issues around data centers. And it's something that's similar to the legislation you've drafted that deals with power costs. So, he said this to "News Nation" over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON HUSTED (R-OH): We had a -- we have a piece of legislation, it's called the Ratepayer Protection Act. It passed the House. My bill, 417 to 3. Two hundred and six Democrats voted for it in the House. But Chuck Schumer blocked it in the Senate. He didn't want it to pass before the midterms because he didn't want me to get a win. He didn't want Republicans to get a win.
And so, here's the bottom line. Democrats talk about affordability, but they don't want to actually do anything about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Was it a mistake for Senate Democrats to block that legislation?
DINGELL: Well, first of all, I want to say that the -- the legislation itself is not comprehensive. It does not protect people from many of the concerns. Could it potentially -- you know, and it's even -- the way that these are being written, you really have to dig into this. And I have dug into it. So, you've got to make sure in these, you know, tax credits aren't the answer to many -- to many of these. I mean you have to have contracts which ensure that over the operation of the data center, those resident -- that rate increases because of that are never passed on to residential rate users.
But you've also got to make sure they're not paying the cost of infrastructure that is created towards it. It's a very comprehensive issue. And water rates and water infrastructure is as complicated. And how do you measure the water being used equal to the utility rates, and how do you protect the community to ensure that if something happens they are protected and the infrastructure is going to support them, not the data center?
CORNISH: Can you name a Democrat who is a leader on the issue of big tech, and who could capture this anger? Because we see a White House that is dealing with China, that is having the tech CEOs stand beside the president. But I don't actually know what Democrats believe in this area. I know they're frustrated because voters are frustrated. But who's a leader?
DINGELL: Look, I'm going to tell you there are a lot of leaders. I mean, Ted Lieu has been a champion on -- and been talking to us about A.I. forever. One of my colleagues, Lori Trahan, has been working with Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee and has drafted A.I. legislation that would do guardrails. I am, with other -- I mean, I have drafted a framework, as you've seen, probably because I had very large ones. I have A.I. and Oracle coming into my district. I have Michigan and Los Alamos, which, by the way, pay no taxes. So, the community gets no benefits. I have Google. I have other ones. I'm dealing with the big people coming in here. I have sat through some of the ugliest town halls that you can possibly imagine. The anger. I have talked to all of the tech people.
So, you know, I -- if you had seen the last meeting of the Energy and Commerce Committee and had seen the number of members that clearly have understanding of the substance, talked about the need for guardrails and putting people together and what the ideas are, you would see it. You're covering, you know, oh, yes, these big tech guys are sexy and the president meeting with them are sexy. There are Democrats that are doing the real work.
CORNISH: That's Congresswoman Debbie Dingell speaking to us from Ann Arbor. Thank you.
And next on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to talk about the Latino voters who helped Trump win back the White House and whether or not they are turning away from him, and whether it's definitely immigration that's pushing them away.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've just never done anything like this before. Like, what if my dad finds out?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Republican Steve Hilton has a new ad telling voters to just try it. Will the innuendo turn off some conservatives, the ones he needs to win the California governor's race?
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[06:43:36]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, COMEDIAN, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": Hello and hola! Midterm elections are almost upon us. I have a message for my fellow Spanish speakers about President Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Oh my God! He tricked us!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: "Saturday Night Live" poking fun at Latino voters souring on Trump and the Republican Party. Turns out there might be something to that. Obviously, new polling from NBC and Telemundo showing the majority of Latino voters want Democrats to take control of Congress after the midterms. Looking at immigration, cost of living, those seem to be the driving factors. The group overwhelmingly does not approve of how Trump is handling those issues
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX): The other day I was talking to somebody that I'd known as an acquaintance for years, and he kind of quietly confessed to me that he voted for Donald Trump. But he said, you know, as we were kind of parting, he said, you know, that guy fooled me last time, but he's not going to fool me this time.
So, people feel like they were lied to. They were told that he was going to deport only criminals. And then what happens? He starts going after grandmothers and kids and men and women who are working hard every day. And so, people think that he's a liar.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK, group chat is back.
One of the reasons why people care about Trump and the Latino vote is because in 2024 he didn't beat Kamala Harris in that share, but it was very high, 46 percent.
[06:45:03]
A lot of that was attributed to young men. And we've got a columnist from "The L.A. Times" with this headline, "heads up, Latino men, the future of Democracy hangs on your vote." And he writes, "helping to flip the House and Senate to the Democrats wouldn't end his influence, but it sure would help. Plus, it would be a perfect rebuke to a pendejo who fooled too many good Latino men."
Am I allowed to say that, Maria.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: In Spanish, you are.
CORNISH: So, the men, do you have them? Because they also can just stay home. And that's far more likely.
CARDONA: And that's the challenge for Democrats. But I have to say that -- and I've been working on the issue of the Latino vote for decades. And it has been great to see Democratic candidates and Democratic campaigns really focus on the Latino vote in a very constructive, authentic way going in early on --
CORNISH: Compared to? What was it like in the past?
CADONA: Well, compared to the past, where they would go in a month before and start buying ads in Spanish. That was never enough, which is why '24 happened, by the way.
But now I think a lot of candidates have understood the importance of the Latino vote, that you have to meet them where they are, that you have to talk about their issues, that you have to educate them on where candidates stand. And this year was specifically, and I think very clearly a huge opportunity because that "Saturday Night Live" skit is absolutely right on. What Latinos feel is the deep-seeded betrayal on issues of cost of living.
CORNISH: Yes.
CARDONA: They promised to bring down the cost of groceries, gas and rent. The tariffs, the immigration raids, all of it has gone to skyrocket costs. And then this issue of ICE as well.
CORNISH: And this has come to a head when Rep. Maria Salazar of Florida, a Republican, put out this political ad a few weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARIA SALAZAR (R-FL): Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far.
Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policies. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: I keep seeing this word "betrayed."
TIANA LOWE DOESCHER, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, "WASHINGTON EXAMINER": I mean, it's a big tent. And I think the president understands that Salazar is a unique figure in that community, right? She was already famous as an on-air reporter. She's very keyed into -- to that Cuban diaspora, which is not necessarily like the rest of the diaspora.
But again, I just want to point out, if we look at those Telemundo numbers, Latinos are more mad about the economy than they are about immigration, right? I think --
CORNISH: Either way, is he solving it? Either way, does he have anything to offer them?
DOESCHER: Well, he's solved the immigration thing.
CARDONA: Either way it's a betrayal.
DOESCHER: So, the issue with immigration -- you have two issues here. Immigration. Trump was almost a victim of his own success, right? He was able to seal the southern border where you had 10 million illegal aliens coming under Biden. It was closed on day one.
So then, what do you do? Then you have the Stephen Miller camp that says, we need to do raids if the sanctuary cities won't let you into the jails, which is why sanctuary cities should let ICE into the jails that way then they could focus on the actual criminals and not abuela, who is peacefully here and overstayed a visa.
CORNISH: Tiana, one of the things I'm trying to get at over the course of this hour is, we started in the rural communities.
DOESCHER: Yes.
CORNISH: They really liked Trump. They feel betrayed by these (INAUDIBLE).
DOESCHER: It's all cost of living. It's all cost of living.
CARDONA: Yes.
CORNISH: Now we're talking about Latino voters who also are upset because they also trusted him with the economy and trusted him with the border. And they feel upset. Hearing the word "betrayal." Again, I might go to another, maybe young men in a minute, but like, we're working our way through the constituencies here.
SARA FISCHER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST: One shift since 2024 is that the Democrats have invested a lot more in Latino media. I covered this thing called the Latino Media Consortium. They've raised tens of millions of dollars, Audie. They spent $60 million buying Univision's radio stations from Univision in order to target Latino voters, and specifically in places where they were starting to lose ground. I think about taking over I think it's called radio mambo, Radio Mambi in Miami, where there was a very huge -- there was a huge --
CARDONA: Yes, Radio Mambi.
DOESCHER: We'll also stop using the word Latina (ph), right? Like, doesn't that help woke one proceeding or whatever?
CORNISH: Have you heard that recently?
FISCHER: I think the terminology definitely matters. But I think just thinking about the strategy of going after one of the most important legacy Republican radio stations and turning it Democrat in Miami, there has been a ground game here from a media perspective targeting Latinos that I've been covering for a long time, and that has made a huge difference, I think, in the past two years.
CARDONA: Right.
CORNISH: OK, let's talk about the voters who are religious, what they're feeling right now. So, the White House put out another ad. Yes, you paid for it. And it is drawing criticism. It is titled "God Made Trump," portraying the president as a messiah-like figure sent to rustle the deep state.
Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then on June 14, 1946, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, I need a caretaker. So, God gave us Trump. God had to have somebody willing to go into the den of vipers, call out the fake news for their tongues as sharp as serpents, the poison of vipers is on their lips and yet stop. So, God made Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[06:50:02]
FISCHER: Can I just say, this goes back to another issue talking about the Latino community. So, one of the reasons that analysts pointed to his huge win with Latino voters in Florida in particular is because of deep catholic roots there. And he was leaning into family values, into religious values.
Take a look at the president now. The recent situation with the pope, right? He does not seem like he is the president who is leaning into family and faith the same way that he was in Trump one. I think that has a huge impact on some of these Latino voters who are deeply catholic and deeply religious.
CORNISH: Yes. We're all God's children. Is it OK to campaign on it?
DOESCHER: Yes. I mean, OK, look, the anti-Trump takes on the side of being insufficiently trad (ph) or Christian or whatever, would have a little bit more resonance if you weren't running candidates like James Talarico, who wants to run in Texas based on federally legalizing abortion up until the point of birth, right? That is what the women --
FISCHER: But he's not a Republican. He's not trying to lean into religion.
CARDONA: Yes.
DOESCHER: So, it's --
FISCHER: That's never been the point of --
DOESCHER: James Talarico is absolutely trying to. He invokes Jesus more than my late grandmother did, right? James Talarico --
CARDONA: And it's working for him. It's working for him. He's ahead.
DOESCHER: And, I mean, sure, because he's running against --
(CROSS TALK)
DOESCHER: And he's running against a deeply flawed candidate.
FISCHER: I just think that the Republican Party has always leaned into this idea of family, faith and values. That's always been the thing of the Republican Party. And you're going to have one off candidates on the Democratic side who will lean into it in different ways. But I think that was a core, core thing for President Trump in 2024.
CORNISH: Yes.
FISCHER: And I just think that now, especially going back to this administration's relationship with the pope, it has shifted.
CARDONA: But it's also a focus on that there's no credibility there when it comes to faith, family and values for President Trump today.
DOESCHER: There's no --
CARDONA: Given his --
DOESCHER: There's no novel information.
CARDONA: Given his behavior, though, you see an ad like this, and I think this actually backfires. It reminds people just how much they have had it with this president. Just how much they have understood his betrayal. I keep going to the word betrayal, because that is exactly what Latino voters feel. But, Audie, it is what voters across the board are feeling right now, including a lot of Republican voters.
CORNISH: I think mostly what I notice is, it's not an ad that says, did you get your Trump account, new parents?
CARDONA: Exactly.
DOESCHER: That's -- that's the whole issue --
CORNISH: Did you get --
CARDONA: That's exactly right.
CORNISH: Did you get that housing bill that I didn't bother to show up for the signing for?
DOESCHER: Yes.
CARDONA: It focuses on his ego.
CORNISH: Did I -- like -- is it --
CARDONA: And that's what people are sick about.
DOESCHER: Focus on what has actually been done. And real things have been done.
CARDONA: If he goes --
DOESCHER: We see the largest productivity gains in 40 years under the Trump administration.
CARDONA: It shows that he doesn't give a crap about American voters.
CORNISH: Well, I want to add one more thing on the religious front. This one is baffling, so I need help. We're going to be talking about this new ad in California. It's coming from Steve Hilton. And it's sort of suggestive. Like, the vibes are strange. I'm going to play it for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've just never done anything like this before. Like, what if my dad finds out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just try it. Look, give me your hand. Close your eyes. And I'll do all the work. See.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think -- I think I liked it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK. So, a conservative Christian nationalist pastor said he got hundreds of calls and texts about this ad, and here's how he is responding to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK HIBBS, PASTOR, CALVARY CHAPELL CHINO HILLS: Whose decision was that? To make that grotesque, insensitive, and maybe it's unknown to them, but an issue regarding lesbianism among college girls, and some high school girls, that is an absolute -- right now is an actual pandemic of social ill.
Do you guys believe that this is a battle between good and evil? Because I do.
And I'm not going to hold it against Steve regarding who put out this video.
Yes, I'm voting for Steve Hilton. I am not going to judge him with this stupid ad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FISCHER: What a win. What a win.
CARDONA: What a miss, right?
FISCHER: You have a Republican saying, this is terrible, but I'm still voting for the guy.
CARDONA: But I'm still, yes, voting for you.
FISCHER: We are on national television talking about the ad. Nailed it, Steve Hilton. Sometimes provocative works.
CORNISH: OK. But --
CARDONA: Yes.
CORNISH: It does. Although I love the conservative commitment to the bit of liberal girls having blue hair.
DOESCHER: Right. Yes.
FISCHER: A hundred percent.
CORNISH: I have yet to see a non-blue-haired liberal in a conservative piece of media.
DOESCHER: Also, the woke Gaza trans ad, you know.
CORNISH: Yes, everything is in there.
Here is -- it did remind me of this, though, the Harris ad for wives. It's less sexy, but I feel like the message was the same. Put on your way back machine hats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the one place in America where women still have a right to choose. You can vote any way you want. And no one will ever know.
[06:55:02]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you make the right choice?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure did, honey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: They're both sexist in their own way.
DOESCHER: No. Wait, how are they sexist?
CORNISH: Just depending on the age group.
DOESCHER: Wait. OK. No. No. The Kamala one was sexist because the implication is --
CARDONA: OK.
DOESCHER: Because the implication was that women who voted for Donald Trump, like I did, were controlled by our husbands.
CORNISH: Yes.
DOESCHER: As opposed to the fact that we have equal marriages, right? The Steve Hilton ad, it's great, because we're all talking about it, and it wasn't built on the premise that you -- that a woman does not have the right or the agency to choose her own vote.
CARDONA: I think --
CORNISH: No, I just meant more the OnlyFans sex play vibe. I thought that was a bit sexist.
CARDONA: I think the --
DOESCHER: Was it?
CORNISH: Yes.
CARDONA: I think the Kamala -- I think the Steve Hilton ad will be just as effective for him as Kamala Harris' ad was.
CORNISH: Exactly.
FISCHER: Yes, I agree.
CORNISH: I'd say that.
In the meantime, Xavier Becerra says, Steve, just try it.
CARDONA: That's right.
CORNISH: And I've had enough of men for the morning.
Why don't we start with our group chats.
Tiana, what do you got for us?
DOESCHER: So, this Cornell rape allegation has obviously exploded. And look, I don't have a hot take on it.
CORNISH: One thing, the university president did put out a statement, which you guys are going to be seeing later today.
DOESCHER: And I don't have a hot take about the allegation itself. I think it's complicated. I think terrible decisions were made. I think the -- look, again, I'm a conservative Christian. I can say, don't do these things to both the men and the women.
What I don't love is the naming and doxing of both the accuser and the accused. Let this play out. Let's see if there are any criminal charges. I don't love Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Kathy Hochul, Letitia James, taking this over. That's not great. But let's see if in a court of justice what happens. Are there charges? Until then, don't dox her. Don't dox them.
CORNISH: Yes.
CARDONA: So, you asked if you can say pendejo on the air. I just said a.
CORNISH: A little late. Yes.
CARDONA: "The New York Times" quoted a Latina voter that is going to vote for Gina Hinojosa, who is the surging campaign and now is ahead of Abbott in the Texas gubernatorial race.
CORNISH: Texas governor.
CARDONA: Right. But she talked about her as being a chingona. Chingona in Spanish is a f-ing badass. And so, the fact that "The New York Times" used that quote and used the word chingona is historic.
And I have a chat of all of my Latina friends, and it's called our chingona chat. So, we were hailing it all weekend.
CORNISH: Now that is a group chat. CARDONA: That's right.
CORNISH: And you would think, we've spent so much time on Talarico, is Hinojosa a very good campaigner --
CARDONA: Yes.
CORNISH: Or like Talarico, is she facing a Republican who is struggling?
CARDONA: I think it's both. But because of Abbott's history, his money, he was going to be impossible to beat. Gina's surge is because she is running a brilliant campaign focused on the issues. She has a lot of MAGA moms who are supporting her. She has a huge support among Latino voters. Rural voters are supporting her. A lot of Republican voters are supporting her. So, across the board, she is doing it right. And I --
CORNISH: Well, we'll see.
CARDONA: I urge people to support her.
CORNISH: Every few years I have Democrats wildly enthusiastic about their chances in Texas, and then I have an awkward day after.
CARDONA: Agree. Texas is Texas. But I think it's looking good for both of them.
CORNISH: OK. What's in your group chat?
FISCHER: This will come as a surprise to nobody who covers the media industry, but this very tortured, long process to get Paramount to finally be able to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, which is the parent company to CNN. It's --
CORNISH: Which has a new name.
FISCHER: It has a new name. It's going to be called Skydance, which is an ode to the media company that the chairman and CEO, David Ellison, started 20 years ago, Skydance Media. Skydance acquired Paramount. Now Paramount's buying Warner Bros. Discovery.
But really it is a big, I think, sigh of relief for everybody who's been covering this deal because there's been so many ups and downs.
CORNISH: Because you want to sleep. Yes.
FISCHER: Yes. There have been so many ups and downs. And that for the -- you know, it feels like this is actually going to really get across the finish line tomorrow. And I think it's going to be the start of a new era in Hollywood, right? Two of the biggest movie studios coming together, dozens of cable companies coming together, two huge TV studios. This is going to be a very different time. And I'm very curious to see how it goes. I'm excited to cover it.
CORNISH: Do all of these A.G.'s go and lick their wounds, or are they completely done legally?
FISCHER: You know what's going to happen now? And it's not just this case, but it's also the Nexstar Tegna merger. It was also what you saw with Live Nation. We're seeing this big trend where anti-trust policy, basically the government saying, you can do a merger, you can't do a merger, shifting to states. Problem is, Audie, a lot of these states don't have the same resources. This is part of why Bonta was able to fix the other --
CORNISH: The California A.G. Yes.
FISCHER: Yes, the California A.G. was able to convince the other A.G.'s to buckle. And so the new trend I'm watching for is not only is anti-trust policy moving to the states, but also, who are the corporate entities that are going to help back the states? That's the thing now (ph).
DOESCHER: Well, and this is something Donald Trump needs to be bringing up. M&A is back, baby, under -- deal making ended under Biden and --
CORNISH: But he wants -- I thought he wants mergers and acquisitions.
DOESCHER: Yes. Yes. And that's a good thing.
CORNISH: Oh, OK. This is his time.
DOESCHER: I -- look, I'm here to say, deal making is good. It is good for the stock market. And that's, you know, the best thing about the economy right now.
[07:00:00]
FISCHER: Yes, but these state attorneys general are bringing some real friction to it. And that's new, Audie. In all my time covering anti- trust policy, I've never seen this many lawsuits waged to break up the companies or end deals passed by the federal government. It's a new era for them.
CORNISH: Yes, plus, we're in a new mode with the voters --
CARDONA: Yes.
CORNISH: Who I think you hear much more talk publicly about corporations and billionaires and things like that.
FISCHER: Yes.
CARDONA: Right.
FISCHER: Big money.
CORNISH: All right, I want to thank you guys for kicking off the week with us. Thanks for being in our group chat. I'm Audie Cornish. And "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" is next.
