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Erin Burnett Outfront
MAGA Erupts After Hegseth Announces Qatar Air Force Site In U.S.; Nobel Chair Responds To White House Criticism After Trump Does Not Win; Sources: A.G. Bondi Caught Off Guard By Letitia James Indictment. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired October 10, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:22]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, quote, "What the hell is going on?" That from one of the most influential MAGA voices over the Trump administration's announcement of a Qatari air force facility in Idaho.
Plus, the White House going after the Nobel Peace Prize Committee for not giving Trump the big prize. Moments ago, Trump said that the actual winner, Maria Machado, told him he should have won. OUTFRONT speaks to the chair of the Nobel committee.
And the Dow tanks after Trump announces 130 percent tariffs on China.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
(MUSIC)
BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, quote, betrayed. Fierce backlash tonight from the MAGA base after this surprising announcement with great fanfare from the Trump administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I'm also proud that today, we're announcing that we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri air force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho. The location will be host to a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: He's sitting next to a member of the Qatari royal family there, just to be clear.
It's an announcement that caught everyone off guard. The administration greenlighting a plan for Qatar to build an air force facility in Idaho.
And Trump's base is livid about it. Far right activist Laura Loomer, who has Trump's ear, highly influential in MAGA world, lashing out one of her posts, she says, what the hell is going on? Why are we trying to train more Muslims how to fly planes on U.S. soil? Didn't we already learn our lesson? Why are we encouraging more Islamic infiltration of our country by the founders of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood? This is very bad for our national security.
And by the way, she had a lot more where that came from. Laura Loomer, in fact, has fired off about 40 more posts on X, slamming the decision, 40 posts on this today. Watch them populate the screen. They're mad. At one point, writing, "This is where I draw the line. I am not voting in 2026."
And then Steve Bannon came out and told "Newsweek" there should never be a military base of a foreign power on the sacred soil of America.
Now, to clarify, Qatar is building a facility to house a squadron of F-15 pilots and teams. I mean, that's a lot of Qatari military personnel on an existing U.S. base. And maybe there are serious security concerns with that. But there are concerns, there are, when it comes to corruption.
For one, this is the same country that gifted Trump the luxury jet. Remember the jet reported price tag on it was $400 million. The jet that Trump wants to use is Air Force One, right? That was Qatar.
And by the way when it comes to money because it always does, Trump's family and the Qataris are business partners. Now, Eric Trump recently unveiled plans for a new golf course in a beachside resort in Qatar. And Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner, has raised billions of dollars from several Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar.
Qatar is also central to the Trump's Middle East crypto strategy, which is now the bulk of his net worth. Help make his children billionaires. Most recently, Qatar also made sure to stay in Trump's good graces by rolling out the red carpet for the president during his visit as president. Fighter jets escorted air force one into the airspace of Qatar on the ground. The spectacle had Cybertrucks, horses and camels, a welcome for a royal.
But on top of all of that, there is this: Trump just signed an executive order defending Qatar's security, giving NATO level security guarantees to Qatar, which, by the way, just to be clear about what that could mean. I mean, it should be obvious, but I guess I should also note that Qatar has been hit with missiles from Iran and Israel, both in the past three months.
It's an incredible series of events. I mean, by the way, in any case, it's an incredible series of events to lay all that out. I can't even believe I'm saying it. And this is real. But it is.
But then there's also this, what Trump actually said in the past on the record about the Qataris before they showered him with gifts and money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And that right there is a big part of why MAGA is breaking with Trump over this Qatari air force facility in the state of Idaho.
But by the way, this is not the only crack splitting the MAGA world. This was today. But Joe Rogan has spoken out, tearing into Trump's immigration policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE ROGAN, PODCAST HOST: Let's just talk about the immigration thing.
[19:05:01]
The way it looks is horrific. It looks -- it -- when you're just arresting people in front of their kids and just normal, regular people that have been here for 20 years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
ROGAN: That -- everybody who has a heart can't get along with that.
UNIDENTIIFED MALE: No.
ROGAN: Everybody who has a heart, sees that and goes, that can't be right. That can't be right. That can't be the only way to do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Tucker Carlson, going after the administration for using Charlie Kirk's assassination to try to silence critics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: Because they can tell you what to say. They're telling you what to think. There is nothing they can't do to you because they don't consider you human. They don't believe you have a soul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, Marjorie Taylor Greene slamming a statement by the White House that labeled any support for the release of the Epstein files as a, quote, hostile act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): A hostile act has been against these women for so many years now for -- the hostile act is covering up for Jeffrey Epstein and everyone else that's been involved in this. And that's the real hostile act. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT live outside the White House.
And, you know, Kristen, obviously, we're putting in the context of so many issues where there are fault lines, but tonight, real, real anger in MAGA world about this latest announcement. What are you learning?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, there is real anger about that. And I do want to talk about the cracks overall because I actually think what we just learned moments ago, which is not about the Air Force Base, but actually about these federal worker layoffs, is going to cause real strain on the relationship between the administration and a lot of Republicans on Capitol Hill, because we've just learned in a court filing that more than 4,000 federal workers were laid off today. And just to give you an idea of what that looks like, it's about 315 workers at the Department of Commerce, 466 workers at the Department of Education, 187 at the Department of Energy. That list goes on and on.
A couple of things to point out here, there were already reservations among Republicans as to how this shutdown was being handled. We've heard them speak out about it. The fact that the House has not been called into session, the fact that these workers pay was being threatened. We heard President Trump saying some workers didn't deserve to get paid, and at one point saying they were going to look at the law differently. The law he signed in 2019 to say that they wouldn't have to pay those furloughed workers.
But now, you have a complete restructuring of the federal workforce. Of course, we know that the president has extended powers during a government shutdown, but it's really unprecedented to use this, use them in this way to restructure the government. Essentially in your image, because what we know from Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, and from President Trump, is that they want to cut Democratic programs, they want to cut programs that don't align with President Trump.
And now we're learning how many people lost their jobs just today. And that was a real point of contention for a lot of Republicans. They didn't like the threats about money. They didn't like the threats of layoffs. And now you're seeing the actual layoffs and how this impacts the framing of this shutdown is really going to be what's interesting to watch, because it does not seem as though any side is backing down, even though you've got this real uneasiness among Republicans when it comes to these kind of behavior.
BURNETT: All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you very much.
Max Rose, Adam Kinzinger, Evelyn Farkas with me.
And I want to ask about all of this, Max, and including, you know, we've got veterans here tonight to talk about what's happening with the Qatar issue. But what the president said a moment ago about the shutdown, which she just talked about, the breaking news of the 4,000 layoffs. He said it will be a lot of people, quote, "I must tell you," a lot of them happen to be Democrat-oriented.
Is that something that that Republicans will take issue with? Perhaps, if even only because they all can see that one day the shoe could be on the other foot?
MAX ROSE (D), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: No, the Republicans won't go after anything Donald Trump does. He could come out criticizing motherhood and apple pie, and they'll get right behind him. But there is absolutely no doubt here that Donald Trump is enjoying this shutdown. He feels like it gives him an opportunity to exact further destruction and cruel harm upon federal workers.
You know, I'm thinking back to the legislative packages that Adam and I used to have to vote on all the time, right? There are thousands of pages long. So many things in them. A shutdown, though, whittles the conversation down to very specific things, health care or not, pay workers or not, pay soldiers or not.
Every issue, Donald Trump and MAGA are on the wrong side. And that's why this shutdown is such a political loser for them.
BURNETT: So, Adam, you know, as a former congressman, military veteran, you and Max both are you served in Iraq and Afghanistan. This -- what he is facing from Laura Loomer, from Steve Bannon on the issue of Qatar is very interesting, right? And Trump's criticism of Qatar is in line with what they believe, right. His former criticism.
Now, you know, he's gotten these unprecedented security guarantees for Qatar. He's got the jet gift going on, all of these things.
[19:10:02]
What's changed, Adam?
ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, something's going on because Qatar is a small country. It's -- you know, it's really small. Is it important? Sure. I guess in the area.
But we have UAE, Saudi Arabia, other allies there. But it's like we're showering all of this on Qatar.
Well, again, it started with a free $400 million jet that the taxpayers will now pay upwards of $1 billion to turn into Air Force One, that Donald Trump gets to take with him and keep it goes to his library. But that doesn't mean, like hangs up in the library. He can fly that as part of his library.
And then you look at what his kids are doing. I mean, remember the whole Hunter Biden thing was because he sat on an energy board and made whatever it was, $30,000 a month, trading on his dad's name.
Look at what the Trump kids are doing while Donald Trump is president. Billion dollar deals.
So, what do I think has changed? Look, Donald Trump doesn't do things because he cares about the people in that country or anything. It's because it benefits him personally. Thats why you would give Qatar a security guarantee equivalent to NATO, by the way, out of nowhere.
So, something's going on, and Democrats need to make it very clear that when they take the majority, this will be investigated. You know, the money spent on upgrading Air Force One that he gets to keep will be blocked and things like that.
BURNETT: All right. So, Evelyn, you know, when it comes to Qatar and really what's at stake here. The national security issues that Steven Bannon's raising and that that Laura Loomer's raising come down to Qatar's funding of terror. We've done some reporting on this. And part of the reason is, right, Hamas, the Taliban, they all are present in Qatar.
Let me just play part of a report we did actually, all the way back in 2014.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: This is the Taliban office in Doha behind me now. Now, it just opened last year and no one responded to our many attempts to reach them. So, it may just be a storefront, but the fact is this, Qatar is the only country in the region with a diplomatic Taliban presence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And, Evelyn, there were brothers of Midal Al-Assam (ph) over there at the time. It was a fundraising campaign. We featured one of their major fundraisers in our report, and the treasury department after that actually designated him as a global terrorist. And the reason they did that, after our report was because he had provided financial support to the al Qaeda -- an al Qaeda affiliate in Syria.
So, the question, Evelyn, is, when you look at jet gifts and squadrons on air bases in Idaho and crypto deals and all of these things, has Qatar really changed?
EVELYN FARKAS, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Erin, I don't think so. I think, yes, we have to acknowledge that Qatar has played a constructive role behind the scenes, certainly in trying to bring the horrible war in Gaza to an end and maybe to bring a resolution between Israel and the Palestinian people. And they also have helped free hostages and other places like Venezuela, which I know you'll feature in another part of tonight's show.
But the reality is that they haven't changed. I mean, they do still provide assistance and a place where the political leadership of these terrorist organizations can go and find refuge. And we are -- they're not a democracy. they're not an ally. they're a partner for us on certain things.
So, if I were to pick a country that I would provide this special access to, you know, some kind of facility or a building on our base in Idaho, it would not be Qatar.
BURNETT: I mean, it is -- it is pretty incredible when you think about it. Idaho, the heart, you know, we're not -- we're not near -- which is the Idaho, right? You're in the middle of everything.
Max, Trump did not win the Nobel prize today. And I want to bring this up because Evelyn just mentioned Venezuela. But in the context of Qatar and its role in negotiating with Gaza. This evening, he talked about it. He lamented about the eight wars that he says he has solved and not winning it. And then he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The person who actually got the Nobel prize called today called me and said, I'm accepting this in honor of you because you really deserved it. A very nice thing to do. I didn't -- I didn't say, then give it to me, though. I could have said, I think she might have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: He said she called him and said, I'm accepting this in honor of you because you really deserved it.
We haven't confirmed whether they call. They talked or anything or anything like that. Yeah. So, we spoke with the chairman of the committee and he, you know, the response to the criticism that, you know, what's happening here with the Nobel Prize. And we spoke to the head of the Nobel Prize Committee today, actually. Okay, I'll play that for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERGEN WATNE FRYDNES, CHAIRMAN, NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE: All public or non-public, we only address the testament of Alfred Nobel. The criteria set out in the will, written in 1895. And of course, we interpreted it how that means -- how it -- how we can understand that in present day. But that's the only thing we focus on. We are completely independent committee. And our only mandate is to hand out the peace prize according to the will of Alfred Nobel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: In a very polite Norwegian way.
ROSE: Yes, yes, very much.
BURNETT: According to the will of Alfred Nobel. Not the will of Donald Trump.
ROSE: Right, right. Look, the ceasefire is a good thing. And it shouldn't -- I don't believe it's something that should be criticized. But the notion that Donald Trump is a worthy recipient of the Peace Prize when it seems that so much of what he's doing is actually extending forever wars.
This is a guy that is currently engaging in extrajudicial killings in Latin America, bombing whoever the hell he wants with no legal authorization. He wants to send to build a new base in Afghanistan. Everything he's doing is perpetuating the war in Ukraine.
The idea that he is an agent of peace is absolutely ludicrous.
BURNETT: Adam, Adam, I just have to ask you, though, you, though, when he said you know, that that that she called and we don't know whether she did or didn't, so maybe she did. Maybe all this happened and he said that. She said, I'm accepting this in honor of you because you really deserved it.
KINZINGER: So, Donald Trump though. Like, seriously, just so obsessed with it. He's like, she called me and said, basically, I won and I should have won. So, you can declare me the winner.
I mean, it's nuts. And, yeah, I don't know if they had a conversation, if they did, great. You know, congratulations, Donald. You're the runner up.
But like, you know, at the same time that Donald Trump -- Max was kind of touched on this, but at the same time, Trump is talking about the enemy within the United States and deploying active duty troops for the first time since the civil war in the United States. Like, that doesn't seem very peaceful to me.
So, good, again, Gaza. Good. That's a good thing. He gets credit for that. And the eight other wars he solved, I really don't think he had much of a play and all that.
By the way, I've never seen anybody openly campaign for the Nobel prize like this. You're supposed to be humble and get it, and be surprised when you get it. It's amazing.
ROSE: And there are no eight countries.
BURNETT: She was surprised. Yeah. And I should say we do know they spoke. We don't know what they spoke about. I mean, you know, this is -- this is his -- this is what he's saying was, was said.
Evelyn, has -- how do you respond when you hear that?
FARKAS: Well, first of all, the -- at the McCain Institute, we gave Maria Corina Machado the Courage Award and this -- and the Nobel Prize, I think that same gentleman said something about all these people on the wall. They all had courage.
I think it's important to remember that she is in hiding, and she is every day in fear of her life, but she is the person who will bring regime change to Venezuela peacefully. You know what we're hearing this bombing of the -- of the ships and this threatening language vis- a-vis, you know, the current and yes, very corrupt regime ruling Venezuela illegally, Nicolas Maduro being that leader from our president is not really a peaceful regime change process where she represents that peaceful alternative.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you all very much. I appreciate it.
And next, growing questions about what Pam Bondi really knew about the indictment of New York's attorney general. Was Bondi really in the dark or is there more to this story? Plus, breaking news of the horrific scene in Tennessee, 19 people dead
or missing. There was a massive explosion that leveled an explosive facility making explosive bombs. What happened there? I mean, it's horrible.
And Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire are fired up. Hear what they're saying tonight after A.I. images appeared to suggest Dolly Parton was dying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:23:18]
BURNETT: Tonight, growing questions about what Pam Bondi knew about the New York attorney general's indictment. Two sources say Bondi was caught off guard when a Virginia grand jury indicted Letitia James. The sources say that Lindsey Halligan, Trump's hand-picked U.S. attorney and former personal attorney, did not coordinate with Bondi or other DOJ leaders before presenting the case to the grand jury or even inform them about the timing.
This after CNN previously reported that both Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche considered the mortgage fraud case against James as weak, but it also raises questions about whether Bondi is looking to distance herself from the case. After Trump's social media posts last month to Bondi, which he thought was just going to her but got published to everybody, which read: Pam, I've reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that essentially the same old story as last time. All talk, no action, nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam shifty Schiff, Letitia? They're all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.
And of course, two of those three names have now been indicted, Comey and James. They deny wrongdoing. They are vowing to fight the charges.
OUTFRONT now, Kris Mayes Democratic attorney general of the state of Arizona.
And I appreciate your time, Attorney General.
I know that you have worked closely with Letitia James as attorney general on a number of cases, and that you've actually had a chance to speak with her since the indictment brought by the DOJ and Lindsey Halligan.
What did she say to you?
KRIS MAYES (D), ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL: You know, Erin, what I would say is, you know, Tish James is a fighter and she is in really good spirits. She's obviously prepared to fight this spurious indictment. And, you know, all of the Democratic A.G.s who have been fighting so hard to uphold our democracy and to hold Donald Trump accountable for his many violations of the Constitution and the rule of law, stand with her. And so, she's doing fine.
But I think, you know you know, this information that's coming in that Pam Bondi might not have known about this indictment is --
BURNETT: Yeah. Do you buy that?
MAYES: I mean, it's -- I don't buy it. Look, I mean, Donald Trump sent a either a D.M. or an open tweet to her demanding that she prosecute Comey, Tish James, Adam Schiff.
This is -- this is an outrageous abuse of power. It has never been seen before in the history of this country where a president orders an attorney general to prosecute, people on his enemies list. And so, and then what happens? The career conservative U.S. attorney in Virginia is pushed aside because he won't prosecute Tish James. He knows there's no evidence for that.
And then a second, U.S. attorney, assistant U.S. attorney also says there's no charges here. So, the president's personal lawyer, whose only background in the law is in in insurance law, takes his case into a grand jury herself and signs the indictment. That is insane. And everybody knows it.
BURNETT: Now, Letitia James did run for attorney general on a platform of holding Trump accountable, right? That was a core part of her platform. Trump has criticized her for running on a, quote/unquote, get Trump agenda. And here are some of the things that she did say during the campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LETITIA JAMES (D), NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm running for attorney general because I will never be afraid to challenge this illegitimate president.
I believe that the president of these United States can be indicted for criminal offenses, and we would join with law enforcement and other attorneys general across this nation in removing this president from office. The days of Donald Trump are coming to an end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Is he essentially doing to her what she did to him?
MAYES: N, because I think when you look at what Tish James did as attorney general is that she built a case that was run by career prosecutors that was exhaustively researched and ultimately came to a conclusion where Donald Trump was held accountable.
So, look, you know, this is a completely different situation where there are -- there appears to be no evidence. And we know what happened, which is you had a career prosecutor who essentially quit because he knew that this prosecution was so absolutely inappropriate that he had to preserve his own sense of ethics before carrying out the president's wishes. And maybe Pam Bondis wishes, even though now she's apparently trying to distance herself from this terrible, terrible act.
BURNETT: Attorney General Mayes, I appreciate your time, and thank you so much.
MAYES: Thanks, Erin.
BURNETT: And next, we have breaking news. These devastating images just coming out after a blast leveled a bomb factory. As many as 19 people right now are missing or feared dead in Tennessee. We have new details coming in to OUTFRONT. We're going to go there live.
And also breaking tonight, a terrible day on Wall Street. Just the worst, in fact, since April and Trump's tariff liberation day. The Dow plunging almost 1,000 points as Trump threatens massive tariffs on China. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:33:10]
BURNETT: Breaking news, 19 people are dead or missing after a massive blast leveled an explosives facility in Tennessee about an hour southwest of Nashville. We'll show you what it looked like before, and now what it looks like, just terrible. Really horrific. As we said, a series of explosions. It's now completely destroyed.
The local sheriff calling it, quote, the most devastating scene that he has ever seen.
Isabel Rosales is OUTFRONT in Tennessee on scene at the blast site.
And, Isabel, as you're there, actually seeing this with your own eyes, what more can you tell us about what happened?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. That's a big question, Erin. What happened to these workers? The sheriff of Humphreys County is urging patience. He says that the cause is not known and that they're going to be out here for several days working to piece this together to figure out what exactly happened here. Right now, authorities are blocking anyone from entering this facility, telling folks that, hey, they need their space to put this together.
And what we saw from this Sheriff Chris Davis, was visibly emotional -- emotion, excuse me. Heartbreak for his community and that staggering number 19 people that are dead or missing, those images that you spoke to there at the beginning, Erin, just incredibly stark. You see on one side, buildings there on this campus with multiple buildings and then on the other side, what looks to be a mound of dirt, debris scattered all over the place, the sheriff said. Going as far as a half square mile.
Speaking to the power of these explosives, explosives that are military grade things like TNT, RDX, C-4. Here's what else the sheriff had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS DAVIS, HUMPHREY COUNTY SHERIFF: It's hell. It's hell on us. It's hell on everybody involved. We don't know what caused the explosion. I can tell you when I say debris, I'm talking about a very large building that an explosion happened and the debris has went basically across a square -- a half a square mile of location.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:35:14]
ROSALES: And there are three people who were taken to nearby medical facilities. They received medical care. Two of them have been released. Minor injuries related to the explosives. One is still getting medical care. It's not clear, Erin, exactly how close this person these people were to the origin of the explosions.
And then a piece of history. I want to leave you with here this same property back in 2014 had another explosion that killed a worker and injured four other people. That's according to our CNN affiliate WSMV -- Erin.
BURNETT: Isabel, thank you very much, on the ground there in Tennessee.
And also breaking now, President Trump threatening a 100 percent tariff on China over and above any tariff that they are currently paying starting November 1st. Now, you may be confused about what the tariff rates are, and if you are, then you're certainly not alone.
But all of it causing mayhem on wall street, causing it to have its worst day since April, which of course, was when Trump announced his reciprocal tariffs for the first time, right, liberation day. The Dow alone today plunged nearly 900 points when Trump first threatened to reignite that trade war.
Trump says that it's because of China. He says that China is cutting back on exporting crucial minerals needed to make modern technologies like iPhones. So all kinds of minerals, they're not -- they're called rare earths. And he says because of that, this is what's going to happen. He said, for every element that they have been able to monopolize, we have two. I never thought it would come to this, but perhaps with, as with all things, the time has come -- quite an ominous line.
OUTFRONT now, Adam Kobeissi, financial analyst and founder and editor in chief of "The Kobeissi Letter", and of course, Dan Ives.
It's great to see both of you again.
Dan, 130 percent on top of what's already there, which, I don't know that anybody really knows the answer to what's already there. I guess it depends on what you're looking at and where. And it's all very confusing, but nonetheless, this is what it took for the market to give another big reaction, like we haven't seen on this for a long time. Nearly 900 points, Dan.
DAN IVES, GLOBAL HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH, WEDBUSH SECURITIES: Here we go again. I mean, obviously, we've talked so much on the show. You know, Einstein and I because look, this is the ultimate -- this is the fear of the market. You know, if you look at U.S.-China, it was starting to calm down in terms of the war of words. Obviously, President Trump and Xi supposed to meet in the next few weeks.
And look, it was a shot across the bow. It was a gut punch in the market. The last thing you want to see right now is tensions when it comes to China and U.S., especially when it comes to tech stocks, the A.I. revolution. This continues to be the heart and lung. And I think that's why you saw the reaction this weekend. It feels like it's going to be a bit of a soap opera. You know, as we continue to see it play out in social.
BURNETT: Adam, you know, just the context here, though, because you've been following a lot about this, that the markets been going up and up and up and maybe going up in the face of some pretty scary economic stuff to come, nobody knows. But it's been going up and it's been going up because retail investors right. Not big sophisticated investors, retail investors have been buying.
So, a lot of people have just bought in the past few weeks, right? Those people just got crushed today. That's pretty scary. So, what do they do? I mean, do you think Trump follows through with this and this? This plunge actually lasts or not?
ADAM KOBEISSI, FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE KOBEISSI LETTER: Yeah, I mean, look, retail inflows have been very strong as you suggested, but I think this is really the textbook Trump playbook that we saw back in April where he starts with these very big threats, these things that kind of cause these sharp reactions. And then he slowly starts to use it as a bargaining chip to reach a deal in what he's looking for or what he views is a sustainable trade deal.
And I think we already saw the first hint of that. Literally an hour ago, after the market had closed. President Trump said he actually hasn't canceled his meeting with China's President Xi yet. So, I think this was the first sign of that. I think this weekend we see more happening.
And ultimately, I think this dip is going to be bought. I think the factors that have been driving the market higher for the last few months are incredibly strong. I think earnings growth is strong, A.I. is strong, the Fed is cutting rates and we have deregulation in the background and simultaneously you know, the market was up almost 40 percent in six months.
I think we really just needed a reason to sell off today. Kind of caught everybody off guard. And the market fell sharply. But I don't think this is something that's going to derail us and send us back to the lows. If anything, we're looking to kind of capitalize on this and buy the dip.
BURNETT: So -- so, Dan, you know, what -- Adam just mentioned about Trump's threat today, right? He had this threat earlier in the day that he's got no reason to attend. Obviously, an important meeting, a scheduled meeting with Xi Jinping, right? It's going to be in South Korea. They're going to be the guy that Trump says, I got no reason to go to that. [19:40:01]
Then later on, as Adam says, he's asked, okay, about canceling the meeting and, you know, did he cancel it? What happened? And he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I have it cancelled, but I don't know that we're going to have it, but I'm going to be there regardless. So, I would assume we might have it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I mean, even in that line, it was you know, kind of went from no reason to have it to I assume we might have it, right? He --
IVES: Yeah.
BURNETT: He wants to meet with him.
IVES: Yeah. Look, I think Adam brings up great points. I mean, ultimately, look, our view is in this A.I. arms race and that's what this is about. U.S. and China, when it comes to this battle. In terms of tech, A.I. revolution, obviously rare earth raw materials, but also Trump knows what's at stake, right? It's the game of high stakes poker that continues to play out.
First shot across the bow arguably, is China. Now Trump goes. Now you see, do they ultimately get a deal. Look, there's too much at stake right now to actually go down that path that we did back in April and May. So, you hope cooler heads prevail. But I'll tell you this, from an investor perspective, a lot of nervousness over the weekend waiting for some step back. Cooler heads prevail. Otherwise, you know, Monday, you'll see more and more pressure on the market.
BURNETT: Adam, there is a great irony, though, in that -- you know, all the stuff about the market calling the taco trade, right? The Trump will chicken out and then, you know, he announces this. And if they -- they still sold off, right? Even though I would bet if you asked most people, they would say exactly what you said, which is he says this all the time, and then it doesn't actually happen, but nonetheless, there was still that knee jerk reaction today.
KOBEISSI: Yeah, I think -- I think, look, if you had to ask me on November 1st, will this 100 percent tariff go live? I would say no. I think some sort of deal will be reached before then, just as we've seen twice now with the U.S.-China trade deal.
And like I said, I think the market has been incredibly hot. It just needed a reason to sell off. We hadn't had a 2 percent plus down day in six months, and we got that down day. I think markets will continue to look forward, and I really think that we're heading to S&P 7,000. And the A.I. revolution is still in full swing.
BURNETT: All right. We'll see. A.I. revolution, A.I. arms race, all -- (CROSSTALK)
IVES: The whiteboard is going to have to come back.
BURNETT: The what? The whiteboard. It is -- it is. You know neither of you are here. So, I felt lonely. I don't have it out, but we will next time. Thank you both.
All right. Great to see you.
And next. Trump's second trip to Walter Reed this year for a physical is raising some eyebrows. The White House physician for three presidents is OUTFRONT next.
Plus, Dolly Parton for president? Remember that? People talking about that? Well, here's what she once said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOLLY PARTON, SINGER: I think we've had enough boobs in the White House. So -- and they don't need mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, Harry Enten is going to tell us something we don't know about Dolly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:47:01]
BURNETT: Tonight, President Trump, spending roughly three hours at what he calls a semiannual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It came six months after his last physical at Walter Reed. The president also met with U.S. troops during the visit, though the White House hasn't said how much time he spent with them versus the doctor's appointment.
OUTFRONT now, Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served at White House, physician for three presidents, Obama, Bush and Clinton and he's also author of the book "Transforming Presidential Healthcare".
Dr. Kuhlman, I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
You know, look, people want to know it's the president of the United States having two physicals in six months. I know you have some important questions about the checkup and the timing here. What are they?
DR. JEFFREY KUHLMAN, WH PHYSICIAN TO PRESIDENTS OBAMA, BUSH AND CLINTON: So, I think it's actually very appropriate for a 79-year-old man with a full-time job to be seen every six months. We have had a 225-years of presidents, physicians at the White House with evaluations.
At the White House, you can do medical specialty evaluation. You can do immunizations. You can do blood tests, and you can do some minor type movable equipment evaluation.
To go to the hospital, to a fixed facility, there needs to be a reason. And that reason is often advanced imaging, an MRI, a CAT scan, a PET scan or it could be a procedure, that's in evaluation to look into the condition that's going on.
So, I think it's actually very appropriate for a 79-year-old to have a more comprehensive exam every six months.
BURNETT: Which makes sense, but pointing out, as you just said, obviously a lot can be done at the White House. So, to do it at Walter Reed, as you are saying, would suggest advance imaging, right? Whether that's an MRI or PET scan or CAT scan, things like that.
So, when Americans hear that in the context of what they see in the president now, things that we all can see with our own eyes, obviously 79, he'll be the oldest president ever by the end of his -- this term, we've seen, you the photos that have gotten a lot of attention about covering the bruise on his hands with makeup. Right. Weve seen the swollen ankles that he had. Obviously, we know he's overweight.
Does any of that spark concern? I mean, obviously you look at the ankles and I know, you know, that doesn't look good, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's something bad.
But I guess, do any of those things stand out to you as to why he would need perhaps some advanced imaging?
KUHLMAN: Well, I think when they released the report this weekend, we'll find out more. They actually said it's an extension of the annual physical. And so, with the annual physical, the top three things that we worry about are cardiovascular disease, cancer, the screening for that, and then neurodegenerative changes.
[19:50:11]
If it is a further evaluation of the -- what they've called, you know, chronic venous insufficiency, that's usually a diagnosis of rule out, the appropriate evaluation for this swollen ankles. You need to make sure that their heart is functioning properly. And so, sometimes, there's testing that you do for that.
You also make sure that they don't have blood clots in their legs. So, there's some like CAT scan, or MRI assisted venography. Looking at the venous system. And so, if they're pursuing the cause of that diagnosis, that's where advanced imaging comes into play.
BURNETT: All right, Dr. Kuhlman, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. Obviously, no one knows more about all of this than you having served three presidents. So, thank you.
And next, Dolly Parton with a message for those behind some pretty crass A.I. images. Quote, "I ain't dead yet." Harry Enten tells us something we don't know about those images.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:55:54]
BURNETT: Tonight, Reba's message to Dolly, the two iconic country music legends, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, exchanging messages after A.I. generated images of both of them went viral. And it also comes as questions about Dolly Parton's health have been swirling all week after her sister asked fans to pray for her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REBA MCENTIRE, SINGER: You tell them, Dolly, that A.I. mess has got us doing all kinds of crazy things. You're out there dying. I'm out here having a baby. Well, both of us know you're too young, and I'm too old for any of that kind of nonsense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Sorry. Okay, so to set the record straight, Reba McEntire is not pregnant. That's a hoax. And McEntire never visited Dolly Parton's fictional A.I. generated deathbed.
Dolly breaking her silence earlier this week, saying, quote, "I ain't dead yet".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOLLY PARTON, SINGER: Did you see that -- those -- that A.I. picture of Reba and me. Oh, Lordy. I mean, they had Reba at my deathbed and we both looked like we need to be buried but I thought, oh, my Lord. But if I was really dying, I don't think Reba would be the one at my deathbed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I mean, great friends and all, but a deathbed is a deathbed.
Harry Enten OUTFRONT to tell us something we don't know.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Some honesty there.
BURNETT: I mean, it's just so nice to smile. Okay, a lot of interest this week in these A.I. images, right? And Dolly Parton said, oh, my -- my gosh, is that real? You know, there's been a lot of focus on that.
ENTEN: Yeah. I mean, folks are working 9:00 to 5:00 to figure out whether or not that was a real image. And, you know, we can see it through the Google searches, right? You pair up Dolly Parton with A.I., searches for that up 900 percent versus a week ago. More folks searching for Dolly Parton A.I. this week than any other week on record.
Of course, there have been previous A.I. images of all sorts of celebrities, but this one really got people interested, wondering what the heck is going on out there? BURNETT: All right. So, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire are beloved,
right? That's why everyone can smile at this. But they have also accomplished something that very few people in the world actually have ever done.
ENTEN: Yeah. Exactly right. You know, we live in such a hyper- polarized era, so it is nice to see two folks out there who are beloved on both the left and the right. And what we can see is the net likability scores for both of them. You can see it right there on your screen.
For Dolly, it's plus 92 among Democrats. Look at that. Plus 88 among Republicans. Universally beloved.
And Reba, not too far behind, at plus 72 among Democrats and plus 80 among Republicans. Very small partisan gaps were talking about. And of course, I loved watching Reba on her show that was on the CW or the WB back in the day.
BURNETT: Yes, I love that.
ENTEN: It's a great show.
BURNETT: Yes.
ENTEN: Unbelievable, right?
BURNETT: That's amazing to see numbers like that.
ENTEN: You never see numbers.
BURNETT: This is people last, last election people, they would say --
ENTEN: Yes.
BURNETT: -- I want Dolly Parton to run for president. They meant it.
ENTEN: Yes.
BURNETT: I think I know people who voted for her.
All right. Given her popularity, she actually has been asked about this. Would she ever run? Because her popularity is not a new thing, right? This is her legacy. Whether she would run for president. And here is how she answered it once to Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, FORMER CNN HOST: Would you serve in Washington if asked?
PARTON: Me? No. I'm not a politician of -- and I don't want to be. I make jokes about it all the time. And in fact, I think they're showing some clips I did today where I was talking about me not running for president because they asked me if I would. I told them, I think we've had enough boobs in the White House. So. And they don't need mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I kind of like how Larry, who's never thrown kind of was a little bit there in an endearing way.
Tell me something I don't know.
ENTEN: I'll tell you something you don't know.
You know, there was a poll taken a few years ago that asked amongst all the musicians out there, who would you most want to be president? You know who number one was, Erin Burnett? It was Dolly Parton.
More Americans said that they wanted her to be president than any other musician out there. Dolly Parton, number one. I know I'd vote for her.
BURNETT: I mean, it's really amazing because most musicians, people, they like them fine. Nothing to do with them as president. There's something unique about her.
All right. Thank you, Harry Enten.
ENTEN: Thank you.
BURNETT: And before we go, we do have some wonderful news to share on a Friday. Our OUTFRONT family growing. Congratulations to our booking producer, Emily Boushey (ph) and her husband, Hharry, on the early arrival of Baby Russell. I mean, look at that little thing. Look at all those hands and feet.
Mom, dad, Russell are doing great. And we are so, so happy for all of you and for our dear Emily.
Thanks for joining us.
"AC360" starts now.
