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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump Rallies In Deep-Red Alabama With 32 Days To Midterms; FlyDubai Suspect New Details; Texas Senate Race Intensifies Amid Dueling Ads, War Of Words; Erin Burnett OutFront Marks 15 Years On The Air. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired October 02, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:21]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Trump's red state roadshow weeks before the election. Why is Trump in Alabama at this very moment, amid record low approval ratings and a disappointing new jobs report?
Also breaking, CNN learning troubling new details about the pilot who stabbed his copilot on the FlyDubai Jet. Why was he removed prior to that job from the national airline of Oman?
And surprise. As we celebrate 15 years in the air, my team is surprising me. They're surprising me with some guests live and I can't wait to find out. I did not go in the rundown so we can all find out together who they are.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
(MUSIC)
BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
And OUTFRONT tonight, sweet home Alabama. That is where Trump is tonight with just 32 days before the crucial midterms. Now just stating the obvious, Alabama is not a swing state. Trump won Alabama by 31 points and there are no real competitive races there even right now.
In fact, until tonight, Trump has not held a major political rally there as president since 2017. So why is he there now a month before the midterms? I mean, Trump is looking at his lowest approval numbers at any point in office, and polls do show voters do not approve of the Iran war, Trump's pet projects, the economy.
In fact, his net approval rating on inflation is a negative 65 points. That is -- that is stunning. That is the lowest for any president ever, any president at any point ever.
So, is this red state roadshow a way for Trump to surround himself, right, with diehard supporters? As I said, Alabama went from 31 points. It's a safe place. Or is the White House in panic mode when it comes to the midterms?
Republican groups just pulled out of the North Carolina Senate race to save money. And yesterday, Trump was in Texas. That's where his handpicked Senate candidate Ken Paxton is trailing Democrat James Talarico among registered voters in the most recent polling.
Fox News, in fact, when it came to that particular race, look at the disbelief at their own poll.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AINSLEY EARHARDT, FOX NEWS HOST: If you look at that Fox News poll, he's ahead by seven points in the state of Texas. How is that possible?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And by the way, they're spending. Republicans are now spending $131 million for Ken Paxton money that obviously could be very well used in swing state close races, which you would not think Texas is, but it is.
And right now, the White House appears to be throwing everything at the wall in order to convince Republicans that Trump is on the ballot to try to spur turnout. CNN reporting tonight that the administration has created at least 13 taxpayer funded campaign style ads, 13. So you remember the brouhaha when there was one, OK?
Well, there has been no consequence, and now they're up to 13, some of which have aired on television networks, by the way, including this one. Trump using taxpayer dollars to talk about himself like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, God made 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 a serpents. The poison of vipers is on their lips and yet stop. So, God made Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, pause for a moment. Whatever your politics are in America to have an ad again and again by a political candidate, God made Trump. It's -- it -- it makes you stop and it should make you stop. And members of Trump's party don't like these ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: You like the message, but it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars.
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): I don't think any public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy should spend public money on private ads for themselves.
REPORTER: What are your thoughts on that? Is it appropriate? SEN. JOHN CORYN (R-TX): No. It's not even a closed question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Our legal analyst Ryan Goodman tells us that the ads are most likely illegal and most people -- you heard what those Republicans say. A lot of people agree with that and you know it's in the context of the economic pain people are feeling.
Today, we got the last jobs report before the election and what it showed was not great. The economy added 29,000 jobs, which is a fraction of the 90,000 that economists had predicted. The unemployment rate also went up.
And the response to that disappointment on both fronts from the administration was this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: If you look at the data from this week, it's proving that Trumponomics is really working. So, we're very, very happy.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, so you're --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:05:00]
BURNETT: Well, they may be happy, but a lot of Americans aren't. And today's numbers are a clear sign that the job market is not as strong as even economists had expected, and certainly not as strong as this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have more jobs than anybody.
Tremendous jobs.
The jobs are going to be fantastic.
We have right now so many jobs.
We have record jobs. Well, we're doing very well with the Black jobs, African-American jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now, by the way, just to take that where he ended there, the Black jobs, he said the African American jobs. Now that was in June. So, let's just look at the latest economic report for the unemployment rate for Black Americans. It rose from six percent to seven percent.
Now, that's a really big jump when it comes to something like jobs data outside of COVID. In fact, it is the largest one-month spike in the past 14 years on that measure.
So, if you're in a tough race, not necessarily numbers you want to campaign on. And I didn't even touch the negative 65 on the inflation problem, which may be why Trump is playing it safe by campaigning in Alabama.
Arlette Saenz is there in Mobile where the president is tonight.
And Arlette, what are you learning about what Trump is trying to do where you are, right? To go and put this time and effort and money in Alabama?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erin, President Trump is expected to take the stage any minute now as he is trying to put himself front and center in this final month of the campaign to try to address what he thinks is a messaging problem for the GOP. That is why you are seeing the Trump administration pushing out those taxpayer- funded ads to try to promote the president and his policy and why he is turning out in a ruby red state like Alabama.
This is the state that he won by more than 30 points back in 2024 and Mobile himself is very nostalgic for the president because it was here where he really had that first MAGA rally of his 2016 campaign. They're really legitimate -- legitimized much of his candidacy, and he ultimately went on to win.
And turning out those types of voters that supported the president back in 2016 and 2024 are key for Republicans in this midterm cycle. The White House believes that they really need to turn out those base low propensity voters who aren't always voting when Trump's name is not on the ballot. And it comes as there is very real anxiety within the Republican Party about their chances of maintaining not just the House, but also the Senate.
Today, the one of the biggest Republican super PACs said that they were pausing money in North Carolina and shifting some resources to Kansas, a state that people really did not think would be on the map here are, really signs of some of the issues facing Republicans in this very tough midterm cycle.
BURNETT: Kansas, so where even J.D. Vance has had to go.
All right, thank you so much, Arlette, in Mobile.
Everyone is here with me.
So, Jamal, it's interesting what Arlette's saying, that the nostalgia of it, you know, because everything for Trump is personal and for what he wants, that for him, this is a place that launched his -- you know, his presidential career, that has this amazing nostalgia.
Is that really why Alabama?
JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, Trump is just goosing the chicken. This is Trump going around. This is Trump going around.
BURNETT: To use a technical term.
SIMMONS: Yeah, a technical term. He needs to get GOTV up in these ruby-red places because they're trying to hold the bottom up and keep it from falling out from underneath Republicans.
But let me just say this about that earlier piece you did, Erin, talking about the Trump ad and the God imagery. This isn't just about the federal government spending the money. This is literally anti- democratic. The entire point of the country was that no longer the power flow from God to the king, and then from the king over the people.
BURNETT: Separation of church and state, the most fundamental rock of --
SIMMONS: Separation of church and state. And it was also that we believe that the king was a representative of God on earth. And so, that -- this is the problem. In America, power flows from the people to the leaders, not from God down to the --
BURNETT: Yeah, I mean, the God anointing him, a God creating him. It is jarring. As I said, it should be jarring what your religion is, what your politics are. It should be jarring to Americans.
Paul, is there a benefit to Republicans, though, in having Trump in a place like Alabama? As I pointed out, Alabama specifically, no, because there's no known competitive races in Alabama. But I mean, generally, does this help turn out anywhere else?
PAUL RIECKHOFF, HOST OF THE INDEPENDENT AMERICANS PODCAST: No, I mean, it helps perpetuate the image. I mean, he's in Alabama because he wants to be in Alabama. And Donald Trump does whatever he wants.
He doesn't care about the repercussions. Sometimes it's strategic, sometimes it's not. Sometimes he's undisciplined, but he's there because he wants a home field advantage.
It is a big crowd. Tommy Tuberville loves him and is one of his most loyal advocates. And he's setting the stage what can be for -- what can be used for a content grab.
This is important. He's doing it. Hegseth's doing it. They're setting the stage because then they're running it into the propaganda machine, which is literally state funded now.
[19:10:03]
It goes back to the earlier point. They now have the vehicles of power to run whatever they want through state funded, you know, government funded propaganda and that's really what this is it becomes a self- perpetuating propaganda machine or in the military they would call it a self-licking ice cream cone it just keeps itself going for its own purpose.
BURNETT: I'm liking all these technical terms here, self-licking ice cream cone. RIECKHOFF: Yeah, yeah.
SIMMONS: Be careful.
So, listen, there's -- there is a race in Alabama, the Shomari Figures congressional race which is happening there was they tried to redistrict Congressman Figures out of that seat. It was a 46 percent African-American seat, now it's about 40 percent African-American. That's still close enough.
Figures could win that race if he can steal a few points. So the president is trying to help out.
BURNETT: Okay.
RIECKHOFF: And most of America doesn't like Trump, but Alabama still does. I mean, Alabama is home field for him, and I think that's really important.
And other states, especially swing states, they don't want him, but they want his money. And the dark money is still the variable that we're not calculating for in all these polls, and that's what they're going to start to drop in the next couple --
BURNETT: Which raises a question, what really -- can we trust in polls?
Now, Gretchen, to that end, Republican Senator Steve Daines says he sees similarity between this election and some of the things we were ticking through economically with the war and 2006. OK?
Here's how he put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. STEVE DAINES (R-MT): There arguably could be some similarities between the '06 cycle and the 2026 cycle. Think about the condition of the country back in '06, an unpopular war. Six in 10 Americans opposed the Iraq war at that point. Gas prices had doubled.
Does this sound familiar? And we ended up losing six seats. That was a night, by the way, we lost some redder states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Okay. So, Gretchen is that what we're looking at right now or are you skeptical about what some of the polls are showing?
GRETCHEN CARLSON, FORMER FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Well, who knows with the polls, but I think the general sentiment is that the polls that are being done internally are worse than those that are external. So, I would tend to believe them, but who knows.
But 20 years later, you could run that same soundbite, Erin, today, and people would think you were talking about the Iran war, high gas prices, high grocery prices today. And I think it's also unbelievable because you could be running that in 2024 with the state in which Biden found himself in, with inflation and high gas prices and high grocery prices.
It's unbelievable, I think, for Americans to try to comprehend that in just two short years, Trump took a silver platter that the American people gave him to run with this economy, and many people would believe that he has run it into the ground instead in a short two-year time period.
And why he's in Alabama? Because he's welcome in Alabama. There's a ton of red states where he might face boos right now, so that's why he's not going there.
BURNETT: You know, it -- it's also interesting though, when you look at, Paul, the people are going to determine this race. Okay? So when I say -- what do you believe in these polls when you look at people in the middle, okay? What are they going to do?
I know you've just filed a lawsuit on behalf of independents. So, what's the argument there?
RIECKHOFF: I think it's really important because independents haven't voted in a lot of these states because primaries are closed.
BURNETT: Right, you can't vote in the primaries. Your vote doesn't count until the general.
RIECKHOFF: I've led a lawsuit this week on behalf of independents in New York to challenge the constitutionality of closed primaries publicly funded closed primaries that require people like me to join a private party in order to exercise our right.
And I think we're kind of the sleeping giant.
BURNETT: Essentially in New York state.
RIECKHOFF: Yes.
BURNETT: We'll see what happens in the governor's race.
RIECKHOFF: And we're going to do this in other states, too.
BURNETT: You have to register as Democratic if you want to have a voice because your voice matters in the primary.
RIECKHOFF: Right, right. And we're going to do this in other states as well. And I think the bigger story is that independents are the sleeping giant. Sixty percent of young people are unaffiliated, not just middle, they're none of the above. And they're not happy with the Republicans, but they're also not happy with the Democrats.
BURNETT: They hate them all.
RIECKHOFF: They do, they do. And they're traditionally jump balls, but Trump's numbers with independents are astronomically low. I mean, he's below 10 percent approval with independents, and that's the real challenge for everybody right now.
BURNETT: You're seeing a number like that, below 10 percent?
SIMMONS: It is really unprecedented to see a president. I mean, I saw a poll today. I mean, really, really low numbers.
Listen, there's no question why this is happening. The president has it upside down and backwards on so many points.
I mean, the jobs numbers are going down, and we know that the inflation is up and credit cards are up and personal savings accounts are down. Consumer confidence is down. All these things are trending in the wrong direction.
So, if I'm a Democrat, I go out there and I say, listen, Donald Trump has messed the entire thing up. You elect us, we're going to fix the economy, we're going to hold the crooks accountable, and we're going to start putting legislation on the books that will help fix these problems.
But the president, if he doesn't go along with us, two years, we're going to get a new president, too. But you got to have an argument, and I think the argument is, things are screwed up, we can fix it, vote for us.
BURNETT: Interesting, you mentioned something we didn't get to, and we're going to keep talking about this over the next weeks.
[19:15:02]
But when you said the word crooks, that corruption is resonating.
SIMMONS: It is.
BURNETT: And people are seeing it, and the ads are just a teeny little part of that.
Thank you all very much.
And next, the breaking news, we're learning some new details, troubling ones about the suspected attacker on the FlyDubai flight and his past, that he was removed from the national airline of Oman but then hired in Dubai.
Plus, New York's attorney general says there is now a criminal investigation into the gang rape allegations at a Cornell University frat party.
And this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Hello, everyone. I'm Erin Burnett. First night out of the gates, great to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: That was 15 years ago when we first started on this show and we have some special guests coming up to mark the special occasion. Who are they? We will all find out together.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:12]
BURNETT: Breaking news, the suspected attacker on the FlyDubai plane was dismissed from his role last year by Oman's national airline, Oman Air, following concerns about his extremist views. That's from multiple sources to CNN, which is pretty incredible because then, of course, he got hired by FlyDubai to be a pilot.
It comes as a top official in the UAE, where the suspect is currently being held, described the mid-air stabbing attack as a, quote, "dangerous terrorist act".
Jeremy Diamond is OUTFRONT.
And, Jeremy, this is a pretty stunning detail, right? He gets let go by the national airline of Oman for extremist views, ends up working in Dubai, and Omani nationals aren't even supposed to fly to Israel. And there he is as a pilot flying in and out of Israel.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely, Erin. Listen, we still don't know the details about what exactly these radical views were, but clearly, it was enough of a red flag for the Omani national airline to remove him from his position at the time and reassign him, according to a regional source, to another role at the airline. And yet it seems that within the last year he was hired as a pilot by FlyDubai.
Now, we don't know whether or not FlyDubai was aware of this information of his, you know, previous employment history at Oman's airline but -- you know, if they knew it, then that's concerning and if they didn't know it, then that raises questions about the background check process for him to get hired as a pilot and ultimately end up in the cockpit of this plane flying directly towards Israel.
Now, FlyDubai, we've asked them for comments. They said that they could not provide any comment while this investigation is still ongoing. The other details that we've learned so far is that he is an Omani citizen who was born in the United Emirates to an Omani father and a Syrian mother.
As you mentioned, Erin, one of the unanswered questions here is how was someone with an Omani passport allowed to be in the cockpit of a plane flying to Israel? Oman and Israel don't have formal diplomatic relations, and any pilots flying from the Emirates to Israel would typically get a security review by both Israeli and Emirati authorities.
As of now, this suspect is in Emirati custody and the investigation very much still ongoing -- Erin. BURNETT: Yeah. All right, Jeremy Diamond from Tel Aviv tonight, thank you.
OUTFRONT now, former CIA director and defense secretary, Leon Panetta.
And Secretary Panetta, you know, we've learned that the suspected attacker was removed from a prior job by Oman Air, the national carrier for the country of Oman, just last year after expressing extremist views. So, they removed him from the -- dismissed him. Now they did give him another role eventually at that airline, but he found a job as a pilot at Fly Dubai, even with that history.
How big of a security failure is this?
LEON PANETTA, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR AND DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, I think it's a huge security failure, particularly on the part of obviously, FlyDubai. which should be doing background checks on all of their pilots to make sure that there aren't any terrorists who are in the cockpit.
And let's not kid anybody. This was a terrorist act. Anytime somebody with a knife in a plane is trying to bring down an airliner, 174 innocent people, that is the very definition of terrorism. So, whoever -- whoever failed to do that check have some responsibility for what happened.
BURNETT: And you know, President Trump said yesterday that the suspected attacker had ties to Iran now no one else you know in a position of authority or you know in intelligence has made that connection and obviously, we don't know everything yet but do you think we would know by now if Iran in a more organized government way right as opposed to this guy sympathize with Iran or reported Iran, but I mean directed by Iran. Would we -- would we know more if that was the case at this point?
PANETTA: Erin, I think what needs to be found out at this point -- look, as I said, there's no question there was this guy was a terrorist.
BURNETT: Yeah.
PANETTA: The real question is what it planned? Was it a planned terrorist act? Was it directed by Iran or Al Qaeda or some other terrorist group or was this a lone wolf operation in which this guy for some reason became motivated to try to do a terrorist act?
I don't know that this could take some time to really determine whether or not it was a planned terrorist act. You'd have to obviously this could take some time to really determine whether or not it was a planned terrorist act. You'd have to obviously determine whether or not there's a background here that shows him not just only being radicalized, but being in touch with others who would have ties to Iran.
[19:25:12]
That's the kind of evidence that I haven't seen yet.
BURNETT: The Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said shared some details. Obviously, we know the person's an Omani national. But he added that this man underwent Islamist radicalization. And Netanyahu described the plan, right, as, quote, "a disaster on the scale of 9/11".
Now, obviously, involving taking an airliner down, it does bring to mind 9/11. 9/11, of course, though, was multiple planes, a group of people, a plot, a plan, and flying into buildings and killing thousands.
Is it clear at this point that that's what this was?
PANETTA: No, I don't think it is. You obviously in 9/11 had a planned terrorist attack that was well-coordinated to go after the United States. In this case, right now, based on the facts that are out there, it appears that this copilot, who may have been radicalized, was intent on trying to attack the pilot and bring down that airliner and kill 174 people at, you know, as I said, is by definition a terrorist act.
But whether it is part of a larger plan, we just don't know the answer to that right now. It's -- it smells to me like this guy was operating as a lone wolf, but who knows? I think that's what needs to be investigated.
BURNETT: You know, when you say this, Secretary Panetta and of course as former director of the CIA, I remember conversations we've had over the years. One really has stood with me when you said your concern about lone wolves in the United States and that you thought that was one of the biggest threats, and now here we are.
It's 15 years since you and I have been on this show together. You were a guest on our first show. You and I met in Washington when we taped that, and we've had, as I said, many memorable conversations. We traveled to Afghanistan and toured American base in Kandahar as well together.
And 15 years ago, we had this exchange, which, well, it's very relevant right now. Let me play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I just wanted to ask you about Congress. You've been a Republican. You've served in Republican administrations, Democratic administrations. Is this the worst it's ever been in Washington?
PANETTA: In my over 40 years in Washington, I've never seen it as bad as it is today on the partisanship and the divisions within the leadership, within the both parties, and the inability to kind of confront the challenges that are out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Secretary, I'm interested because, you know, at the time you said, yeah, this was the worst it had been, and it makes, you know, we think about that time, but now here we are, right, here we are. You could not imagine either one of us or anyone watching that interview could not imagine that we would be where we are now in so many different ways.
Is it possible to reverse what's happened at this point?
PANETTA: First of all, let me congratulate you on 15 years of having the show. I remember well the different interviews we had, but I remember in particular a very young reporter who was following me around as secretary of defense in Afghanistan and Kandahar and you are doing a great job going after the news and you continue to do a great job going after the news. So let me congratulate you on your -- on your show.
Look, what -- what we see now is a is a dysfunctional democracy in Washington, and it began when you first interviewed me, but it's gotten worse. And the real concern that I have, you know, when people ask me, what -- what's the greatest national security threat we have? I think the greatest national security threat is the dysfunction in Washington.
If both parties are unable to govern, if they're unable to deal with issues that involve our national security, then, frankly, our democracy is not working, and we pay a very heavy price when that's the case.
[19:30:00]
BURNETT: And what an interesting way to conclude this conversation. Of course, we'll have many more, but when you talk about that as the biggest threat, and again, I think back to when it was things like lone wolf attacks and to think of the significance of what you just said there.
Secretary Panetta, Director Panetta, thank you so much. It's wonderful to see you, and I look forward to next time.
PANETTA: It's great to be with you, and again, a hearty congratulations on a great career.
BURNETT: Thank you.
And next, Karl Rove tonight with a surprising prediction about the Texas Senate race. What he says could ultimately sink Trump's handpicked candidate, Ken Paxton, and he's very specific about it.
And New York's attorney general now saying that there is an active criminal investigation into the alleged gang rape allegations at Cornell University.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Tonight, dueling new ads between James Talarico and Ken Paxton in the neck-and-neck Texas Senate race, a race that could decide which party controls the Senate and see Texas elect its first Democrat to the Senate in 38 years.
Ken Paxton releasing this ad featuring his daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Groceries, rent, insurance, it all keeps climbing. And liberal politicians are making it worse. When they come after you, my dad goes after them to bring down prices and stand up for families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And Talarico calling out the A.I.-generated ads that are being used against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES TALARICO (D), TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: Ken Paxton is lying about my record, even making fake A.I. videos of me. I don't have to use A.I. because the truth about Ken Paxton is bad enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now all of this comes as Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, whom Talarico beat in the primary, has still not explicitly endorsed him. She's -- she did congratulate him on his win and said she'd help Democrats up and down the ballot. But no endorsement.
And former Democratic Congresswoman Susan Wild reacted with something that stood out this week, "F her, that's all I can say, and that statement has nothing to do with blind loyalty to Dems. It has everything to do with her being a narcissistic drama queen who has used her platform such as it is only to advance herself."
As you can see when I saw that if you saw it, you said wow.
OUTFRONT now, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
And, Leader Jeffries. I have a lot I want to ask you about, but I want to start with the year with the midterms. Susan Wild, I don't know when you saw that -- that post, but I'm sure you saw it this week and I don't know if your jaw went to the floor.
But do you think she is right that Jasmine Crockett should be doing more to help James Talarico beat Ken Paxton since that race is really neck and neck?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Actually hadn't seen the post, but listen, I think James Talarico has got to win. And we've got to do everything possible as Democrats in Texas and across the country to make sure we can end this era of MAGA extremism, that we take back control of the House and hopefully the Senate as well, and that we fight for an affordable America because the cost of living is way too high. And Republican policies are directly responsible for the affordability crisis that we're dealing with right now. BURNETT: Are you going to talk to Congresswoman Crockett about this and what she could do to help Talarico or what she isn't doing in the context of all of this?
JEFFRIES: Well, I haven't followed that Senate race closely because we're all in on making sure we do what's necessary to take back control of the House of Representatives. I'm appreciative certainly of Jasmine's efforts in helping out many of her colleagues in the House who are on the battlefield out there all across the country.
But, you know, listen, my view is it's all hands-on-deck for all of us, because failure is not an option. MAGA extremism has made life worse for the American people. These folks have tried to break America, but the American people on November 3rd are getting ready to break MAGA extremism.
BURNETT: So gas and oil, obviously major factor in the midterms. When you saw Ken Paxton's ad, right, saying, I want to bring down prices, right? That's now everybody an acknowledgement, okay?
An average gallon of diesel, AAA currently has, Leader Jeffries, at $6.37, which is -- it was $3.70 a year ago. OK, so almost doubling. President Trump today took credit for the announcement, though, by G7 countries to release about 100 million barrels of oil and diesel fuel from its stockpiles, which could help prices.
OK, here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have a very good relationship with Europe. And they wanted to do it because they have a lot of diesel. They use diesel and they had a lot of diesel. I said it would be great if you put it out to the market. They did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: OK, so does this take a talking point away from Democrats now that Europe has released this diesel or does it not?
JEFFRIES: It's not a talking point from our standpoint in terms of the affordability crisis, it's reality. Everyday Americans are struggling. Life is way too expensive.
You got millions of folks working hard, playing by the rules, can't thrive, can barely survive. People are drowning in this failed Trump economy, and we've got to do something about it across the board. We have to lower the price of groceries, lower the price of gas, lower the price of housing.
We're fighting to make healthcare affordable for every single American, and Republicans clearly have done damage to the economy. The Trump tariffs have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year, and this reckless war of choice in the Middle East has skyrocketed gas prices. So, no, it's too little, too late. The damage has been done. There's
going to be one way to reverse it, and that's to make sure that we retire these Republican majorities in the House and in the Senate.
BURNETT: So, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani is doubling down on his call for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be arrested over the war in Gaza. You mentioned the war in Iran, but this is -- his call for him to be arrested, urging the United States to join the International Criminal Court, the ICC, to help make it happen.
And he said this during Theo Von's podcast. I'll play it for you, Leader.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK: I believe that the U.S. government should join the ICC. It should enforce its warrants for everyone that has been issued. And when it comes to the prime minister, it's been issued for crimes, alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes.
When you asked me about the prime minister, we're talking about the architect of a horrific genocide.
THEO VON, HOST: But if you had your say, we would have arrested the guy, you think?
MAMDANI: If I had my say, the U.S. government would have joined the ICC, honored every single warrant that they've issued.
[19:40:02]
VON: (EXPLETIVE DELETED), yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Do you agree with Mayor Mamdani?
JEFFRIES: Well, what I can say, I haven't talked to him about this particular foreign policy issue or, for that matter, any foreign policy issue. He's done a great job. He's gotten off to a great start as mayor of New York City, keeping the city safe and fighting for a more affordable New York.
When it comes to the issue in the Middle East, I think what's clear to me is that, one, we can never allow another October 7th to happen, and we can never allow the type of death, devastation, and destruction that has occurred in Gaza over the last three years to happen. We need to figure out a path toward a just and lasting peace with a safe and secure Israel, a Jewish democratic state, living side by side with a Palestinian state with dignity and self-determination for the Palestinian people.
BURNETT: Leader Hakeem Jeffries, I appreciate your time and thank you very much for being with us tonight.
And next Pope Leo urging the world to fight back, a fight that he says is necessary in order to safeguard our humanity.
Plus, OUTFRONT celebrating 15 years tonight and the team is surprising me on set, Jamie. I don't think Jamie knows who it is either. Surprising us with special guests who are waiting where we cannot see them and we'll find out together who they are live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Breaking news, major developments in the Cornell University alleged gang rape case. The New York attorney general, Letitia James, the newly named special prosecutor in the case, is now saying there is an active criminal investigation into the allegations at a Cornell University fraternity house in October 2024.
Keep in mind, up until then, what we've been talking about in recent days has been civil, and this comes as Jane Doe's attorney is speaking out.
Jason Carroll is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: What we learned yesterday raised even more troubling questions about what was done and not done after this young woman came forward.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New York's governor visibly angry and focusing her ire on the Tompkins County district attorney and the Cornell Police Department.
HOCHUL: In what world would the police learn from a victim that she'd been literally gang raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney?
CARROLL (voice-over): Governor Hochul referred to crucial statements Jane Doe allegedly made to Cornell police in 2024. A "New York Times" report showed, according to a university internal investigation, Jane Doe allegedly told campus police, I can say with 100 percent confidence I was raped. That allegation was not included in what university police handed over to the district attorney.
HOCHUL: Them sending a partial record is a -- in my judgment -- a failure.
CARROLL (voice-over): Announcing she had lost faith in the D.A.
The governor also appointed Attorney General Letitia James to lead the investigation.
LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: Every New Yorker deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly that they will be seen and heard.
CARROLL (voice-over): According to "The New York Times" report, there were about 120 pages of Jane Doe's interviews with Cornell police and the school's Title IX office.
But the Tompkins County District Attorney telling CNN earlier this week he only received a six-page statement, which did not include her explicit rape allegation. The D.A. says he supports the governor's decision, saying, "It has become clear that we were not provided the full picture by the university."
THOMAS GIUFFRA, JANE DOE'S ATTORNEY: I think there a lot of protection of the university and its reputation. And I don't like the word cover- up, but it feels like a cover-up was going on.
CARROLL: Some students here telling us they welcome the attorney general taking over the investigation, many still critical of the university's response, saying there has not been enough transparency, accusing the university's president of not publicly addressing the issue enough.
EMELY GUTIERREZ, CORNELL STUDENT: I think the administration needs to talk to our students, not just handle it and let our students have to do it.
CARROLL (voice-over): On Tuesday, Cornell put out an FAQ page and said campus police investigated the matter in 2024 and shared all investigatory information with the Tompkins County district attorney's office.
But today, they changed it to say Cornell police shared much less than that. Only the victim sworn statement and the Snapchat with the D.A.'s office.
We visited the university president's office today but were unable to meet him, and he did not respond to our multiple calls requesting for an interview.
Now, the investigation in the hands of the state.
HOCHUL: Every parent who sends their child off to college expects them to be safe. And if something terrible happens, the student deserves to know that the people they turn to will listen to them, protect them, and fight for them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And, Erin, we're learning more information about what was going on at the Chi Phi house before Jane Doe ended up there that night. According to Cornell police and according to Title IX investigation, in the days leading up to just before Jane Doe ended up there, one person apparently had overdosed on ketamine at the house, and on another day, someone was arrested, a drug-related arrest at the house.
So that just gives some more insight into the type of behavior that was going on just before Jane Doe ended up there that night -- Erin.
BURNETT: Yes, some pretty important insight.
All right, thank you very much, Jason.
And also tonight, Pope Leo taking on A.I. with a call to action posting, "In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgent to distinguish human art from what machines produce. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."
Safeguard our humanity -- I mean, that is a crucial context, as the pope's comments come after "The New York Times" reported that in a series of private meetings, Anthropic consulted religious scholars to help instill morality into its A.I. models and make the case to them that Claude could be conscious -- that Claude was capable of morality and suffering. Pope Leo making it clear that only humans possess humanity.
Next, OUTFRONT celebrating 15 years and I am told that we have some special guests, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:53:03]
BURNETT: So tonight, we're celebrating 15 years on the air. It was October 3, 2011 that we set OUTFRONT tonight for the very first time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Hello, everyone. I'm Erin Burnett. First night out of the gates. Great to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And we were -- we were a new show, a new team. But you know, it's amazing when you look at that. I mean, so many of those faces are still with us today.
Over the past 15 years, we've done a whole lot of fun things and we've gone to places where news is breaking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Live in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Good evening from Seoul, South Korea.
Live from Paris.
Live from Cuba.
I'm live in Rwanda.
Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett live in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: So to celebrate our anniversary, our team, as I mentioned, is surprising me with this next segment. We had agreed because, you know, surprises can make you a little leery on air. You know what's going to happen on live TV.
But I am reading this script for the first time on air. I did not go in the rundown. I did not look. So, it just literally says, so let's get to it, guys. Surprise me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, Erin, let's walk in our first guest, bring him in, punch camera four of the box.
BURNETT: Oh, I knew. I had a feeling.
JOHN AVLON, FORMER CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: You knew that one? All right. Well, you know, we got more surprises coming, but congratulations.
BURNETT: Day one, day one, John Avlon was here.
AVLON: Yeah, 100 percent, 100 percent.
And we've got two other special guests for you as well who were also here on day one, talking about Kevin Madden and Bill Burton.
BURNETT: Kevin Madden. Oh, my God.
Hi, guys.
AVLON: Check it out.
BURNETT: Oh, my gosh. And you all look better. You all look better.
AVLON: We all have aged like fine wine.
BURNETT: Like fine wine.
KEVIN MADDEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: You guys haven't aged a day. I mean, Avalon, you got to share your skin routine or something with everybody.
AVLON: The Greek genes.
(LAUGHTER)
MADDEN: And me and Burton, it's like a cautionary tale.
[19:55:01]
It's like don't ever work on campaigns, kids.
AVLON: That's good advice. That's good advice.
BILL BURTON, FORMER DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY UNDER PRES. OBAMA: Honestly --
MADDEN: Look at that. Look at that split screen.
AVLON: Oh man, check that out.
BURNETT: I know. And I remember, Kevin, I remember that moment. Oh my gosh.
AVLON: So, so, the team, you know, the OUTFRONT team has went to the Wayback Machine to pull some clips. You know, because we were with you the first night, 15 years ago tonight, but this was from a debate, a presidential debate back when politics seemed comparatively sane.
And you're going to see Bill and Kevin going at it. Let's roll it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADDEN: Well, I think oftentimes these debates are a contest of who can be the most presidential. And they're oftentimes when you are doing an introduction to the American electorate about your foreign policy ideas, your vision, your credentials. This is the time to show a command and control of the issues and to make sure that people know that they could envision seeing you in the presidency, but they can envision seeing you getting that 3:00 a.m. call in the Oval Office as president.
BURTON: Which one of these candidates could actually sit in the Oval Office? Who could be in that iconic photo from the Situation Room when the president put in the order to kill Osama bin Laden? And, you know, I think that the question that people are going to have is, who's got the guts to make the tough calls?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: How times have changed, right? By the way, Kevin, your hair is better now.
MADDEN: I want my dark hair back.
BURNETT: No, I actually think you look better. It kind of makes me better to say that, but it is true. I think you do. I think you do look better.
By the way, it is amazing, John, just, you know, sitting there watching this and watching them, how -- how quaint, you know, I mean, how innocent, you know, with the time, the way the tone is now.
AVLON: Well, that's kind of an amazing thing, right?
I mean, Kevin, you're talking about who has the sense of command and character to be president. You think things have changed a little bit?
MADDEN: Yeah, I mean, it's sometimes it's like looking back at the silent era of film when you think about these debates. And, yeah, it's changed, though, right? Like, voters now, they're much less interested in the old threshold questions of commander-in-chief, and presence in the Oval Office. Now it's like more about relatability. It's more about is a candidate
going to fight for me? And that has really changed the full landscape of how we wage our politics today.
AVLON: Your belt, I mean, you know --
BURTON: I also will say, oh, sorry, John, go ahead.
AVLON: Go ahead. I want to get your take on how not your hair has changed, but how American politics has changed.
BURTON: I just -- to your credit, Erin, I think When you look at that conversation, it's two people just making arguments and debating who's right and wrong, not just who's good and evil. And, you know, in a business that rewards people who yell the loudest, you've been able to have the longest running show on CNN's evening lineup doing exactly the opposite. And I think you're to be commended for that. And it's a great place to come and just debate ideas.
BURNETT: Wow.
AVLON: Remember when politics was that? I mean, but you honestly, you have kept faith with that. You have made people smarter.
BURNETT: As we've done along with you, John, from the very beginning. I mean, I think about it all these years, right? I think that's when we met.
AVLON: Yeah.
BURNETT: I mean, as we were getting ready for the show, right? Pretty much. But then friendship and families and all the things that have happened.
AVLON: No kids at the time. It was a different lifetime.
But there's another clip the team pulled that I think speaks just to that. Let's roll it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: That could mean more downgrades and more downgrades. Maybe not now people, but soon will mean much higher interest rates.
John Avlon, do you think they get it?
AVLON: They apparently don't because they're playing chicken again. They're coming up to the cliff and this is pathetic. This is a self- inflicted crisis.
They had the mandate to do something and do it big. Here's the added urgency they need, the world sole superpower cannot be the world's largest debtor nation indefinitely. This is a chance to turn it all around.
If they fail, it will be a black mark on our nation, and we will be back at this negotiation again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: The debt ceiling.
AVLON: That was 2011. The debt was $15 trillion. Now it's 40.
MADDEN: Forty trillion.
BURNETT: Wow. And you know what? But what we were saying there is true, right? The piper will be paid. We're seeing it now when you, I mean, you all, right? We see it with interest rates. We see it with the dollar.
Maybe it took longer than some people would have thought. But --
AVLON: The Piper's going to get paid, and now the bond market seems like it's the only guardrail left in Washington.
MADDEN: And John, the generation that we warned would bear the burdens of this are now coming into power more. And that's why you see a lot of these folks on the left and right becoming much more animated about taking on the establishments in their party.
So, we don't know if a solution's on the -- we're on the verge of a solution yet, but maybe that's -- that's where we're headed.
AVLON: Well, Erin, congratulations to you, to the whole OUTFRONT team for making us smarter for 15 years and we love you.
BURNETT: Well, and thanks to you all, all three of you. And just, you know, like I said, the friendships and partnership with John Avlon over these years. Have a day like this where you can just appreciate everyone. So, thank you.
Thanks so much to all of you, the three of you, and all of you for being part of this with us. It means so much, right? It's not just our careers, it's part of our lives. So thanks for being with us for all of it.
"AC360" starts now.
