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The Situation Room

College Football Bids Farewell to Lee Corso; Interview With Chef Dominick Lee; Americans' Opinions of Trump Administration?. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired August 29, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

DOMINICK LEE, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Continue our lives and our culture and bring it with us. And I feel like that's, like, kind of what it means to be New Orleanian is that, like, we understand that bad things are going to happen.

It's not the easiest place to grow up. It's not the easiest place to live, especially before Katrina. We have this kind of landmark language that we use, before Katrina and after Katrina, which really is a stamp in our lives, where things changed.

And I think that, even after Hurricane Katrina, now it's -- New Orleans is a better place to me. It's been rebuilt. It's nicer. You have still have tons of tourism, and the city accentuates itself in so many ways.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: So, and one of the big ways it accentuates itself is, of course, with the food, right? Tell us more about how cooking, specifically food from your hometown, has been part of your journey.

LEE: Well, for me, cooking is the art that you share with everyone. It's so accessible. Everyone has to eat every day. New Orleans food is a food that no matter where you are, people know it, one of the only American regional cuisines that's sold in every store that you can buy in a box.

And, to me, I feel, though, that in traveling and being other places, it's one of those things that people can relate to so well and they connect with our food. I find that everyone in the world is like, oh, I know what gumbo is, or I know what a jambalaya is, or I have had it at a different point in time, or a po' boy.

And our foods are the thing that kind of tell the story, right? It tells the story of what it means to be from a place no matter where you migrate from. And New Orleans is no different. All of the different immigrant people that have made up our cuisine, whether it was through their own migration or through forced migration through slavery, all of these cultures brought their food with them to make up our food.

And I find that, when I go places, even after Hurricane Katrina, when I wanted to make it feel home, we would cook our food and we would listen to the music of the city, whether it be jazz or blues or bounce music, whatever it is, and that really makes you feel at home.

BROWN: Yes, beautifully said.

Chef Dominick Lee, thank you.

LEE: Yes, no, totally. I mean, and, honestly, even in Houston, which for me is our sister city, because it's so close, it was a place where so many of our migrants went, you see the development of New Orleans cuisine inside of the city.

BROWN: Yes.

LEE: What we're doing now, even in Houston's Third Ward with our new project, is, we're accentuating the cuisine and showing people the story of New Orleans and how we reached a very specific point in our food.

BROWN: Wow. Thank you so much, Chef Lee. We appreciate all of your time. Best of luck with that project.

And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:37:44]

BROWN: Turning now to "Your Voice."

On Fridays, we ask radio and podcast hosts across the country what their listeners are saying about what's going on in the world and right here in Washington.

With us today, Jeremy Hobson, host of "The Middle with Jeremy Hobson" on SiriusXM and NPR, and Clay Cane, who hosts "The Clay Cane Show" on Sirius. And he also has a book, "Burn Down Master's House," that comes out in January.

Thank you so much for coming on.

Let's get started with just this terrible tragedy in Minneapolis this week. Two children are dead, 18 others are injured after a shooter opened fire during mass at a Catholic school.

Clay, what have you been hearing from your listeners as they process yet another horrific attack?

CLAY CANE, HOST, "THE CLAY CANE SHOW": It feels like another day in America.

We had a really sad show this week talking about those two children being shot and killed. But they want to see something done. They want to see some significant policy. What is it going to take? What is it going to take to expand mental health in schools, which Republicans blocked? What is it going to take to have some serious gun legislation?

My audience is heartbroken. To be honest with you, Pam, every other week, this story just kind of continues. So I'm hearing they want change now, but the fear is that that's never going to happen.

BROWN: Over to you, Jeremy.

I find it interesting that this week FOX News host and former Republican representative Trey Gowdy suggested it may be time for a national gun reckoning. Are you hearing anything similar from your listeners?

JEREMY HOBSON, HOST, "THE MIDDLE WITH JEREMY HOBSON": You know, we're not at this moment.

And I will say after spending the last, what, 25 years of my life covering the news on a regular basis, we have been through so many of these terrible tragedies. You have a conversation after a moment like this, and you think maybe this will be the time, maybe after Newtown, maybe after the Las Vegas shooting, that this will be the time when something gets done.

But it is just so difficult in this country on this issue of guns to make progress, because people are really stuck in their positions about what should be done.

BROWN: Yes.

So, on that note, Jeremy, what should be done, you mentioned that bill for mental health services in schools. It is true that a majority of Republicans -- I believe there was only one Republican in the House voted for it. It did end up passing.

[11:40:06]

What specifically do your listeners actually want to be done, for example, at schools to prevent further shootings?

HOBSON: You know, my listeners come from across the political spectrum. We take on a different topic every single week.

And when we have talked about these issues in the past, there are people who believe that more mental health is the answer to this. There are people who believe that guns should be taken away, that if you look at what happens in other countries, you don't see the kind of gun violence that we do.

But, again, people get so stuck in their positions on this particular topic that it is very difficult to make progress. We saw in the Biden administration, what, the biggest gun legislation that's happened in a long time. And even that didn't go very far when you talk to people who really want to see an assault weapons ban or other things like that make its way through Congress.

BROWN: All right, I want to turn now to Trump's expressed intention to deploy the military to other cities right outside of Washington, D.C., where you're already seeing the National Guard.

The president has thrown out Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and Baltimore, among others, as places he wants to make similar moves to what we're seeing in the nation's capital.

Clay, what are you hearing from people who live in those places about their thoughts on this?

CANE: Yes, I was just in Chicago on Saturday for a show with my colleague Reecie Colbert.

Anger, outrage, and this idea that Trump appears to want to take over everything. This is big government Trump-style, which I thought Republicans were against big government. And my audience is, to be quite frank, pissed off about that, whether it is trying to take over the Federal Reserve, whether it is the CDC, whether it is D.C., Chicago, whether it is his lawyers, maybe walking through museums and see if slavery is talked about too much, and his enablers, his followers who support him.

So what we're seeing right now is that Trumpism appears to be a mix of Jim Crow meets Jim Jones. And that's the kind of anger that I'm hearing from my audience.

BROWN: Jeremy, what about your audience? Trump ran on immigration as a top issue. He's now making crime a centerpiece of his political agenda. The two, of course, have been intertwined in this military takeover of D.C. law enforcement.

But you have said that some of your listeners have expressed feelings safer under these Trump policies. Tell us more about that.

HOBSON: You know, it's interesting.

When you think about immigration and crime and Trump's promise to bring manufacturing jobs back to America, there are many listeners who say, this is exactly what I wanted. I voted for this because I want these goals to be achieved. They don't necessarily agree with how he's going about it.

I will take manufacturing, for example. We had a show about that, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States. They say, but I don't think tariffs are the way to do this, even though I do believe we should bring manufacturing jobs back.

Crime, yes, we heard from listeners all across the country that say crime is an issue where they live, which, by the way, sometimes doesn't match up with the statistics people sometimes feel, that crime is a bigger issue than the statistics show.

But even if that's the case, they don't necessarily want the National Guard to come in to deal with it because National Guard troops are not trained to bring down crime around the country. And with immigration, we just had a big show on immigration and asked people what they thought about some of the ICE tactics that are being used, people wearing masks, unmarked vehicles, sending potential deportees to places like Alligator Alcatraz.

They say, yes, I wanted illegal immigration to be brought down. I do think that's a problem, but maybe this is a step too far, especially when he's going not just after violent criminals, but after ordinary people that have been in this country for many years.

BROWN: Interesting perspective there from your listeners.

CANE: Can I just add really quickly?

BROWN: Go ahead.

CANE: You know, I keep hearing this from on listeners as well on SiriusXM that here's the thing. It isn't about the crime. It appears to be about Trump trying to bend the law, bend the Constitution as much as possible to see how far he can go.

And so, whether it is the immigration, whether it is crime, whether it is whether it's trans people, it is this attempt to bend the law. And that really scares people. And if he does care about crime in certain areas, why doesn't he bring the National Guard to these red areas that voted for him?

But why is it Chicago? Why is it D.C.? Why is it L.A.? Now there's talk about Philadelphia, where I'm from. So it doesn't appear to be about the crime at all. It appears to be about the power and bending the law.

BROWN: All right, Clay Cane, Jeremy Hobson, thank you both. Appreciate your time.

HOBSON: Thank you.

BROWN: Coming up: You have heard of house cats and alley cats, right, but what about locker room cats? We have something truly special ahead.

Pudge and his owner, George Carlson, will join us live ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:49:11]

BROWN: While the college football season is kicking off, one of the most legendary figures in the game is stepping down.

Lee Corso, a campus fixture for decades, using mascot headgear to make his big game picks, will host his final "College GameDay" this weekend on ESPN. And his co-host Kirk Herbstreit sending him off with a heartfelt tribute. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRK HERBSTREIT, ESPN: It's been an incredible -- an incredible honor and privilege to be with you, to be your partner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:50:01]

BROWN: Wow.

Let's go live now to CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes in Atlanta.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes.

BROWN: Andy, this really is the end of an era in college football. Tell us more about his legacy.

SCHOLES: I mean, Pam, good luck not crying watching "GameDay" tomorrow, because that whole tribute is more than six minutes' long. I watched it. It's just amazing. You're going to be full of tears, because every Saturday morning, I like, so many others, you tune in at least to the end of "College GameDay" to see who Lee Corso was going to pick.

It's been one of the best things on TV for decades. And Corso, he started on "College GameDay" in 1987. Since '93, they have been doing the show for the big game of the week. Corso, his legendary mascot head picks, they started in 1996 when he put Brutus the Buckeye, that head on for the first time.

So it's fitting his final show is going to be at the Horseshoe in Columbus tomorrow for Texas and Ohio State. Now, Corso, he's 90 years old now, but just so -- as you see, so many fun moments over the years from him, just putting on so many mascot heads. He wore so many costumes. He was always the entertainer.

Every show while making the picks, he'd also say his phrase, "Not so fast, my friend." You're always going to remember that and his relationship with Kirk Herbstreit. It's just always been TV gold. My favorite pick personally was when he went to my school, Houston. He accidentally dropped an F-bomb while picking the Cougars.

That was a moment, like I mentioned, I will never forget. And in a really cool moment yesterday at the Orlando Airport, Southwest gate agent working the flight Corso was taking to Columbus, he honored him. And look at this. Everyone in the gate area gave Corso a standing ovation before they boarded the plane.

How cool is that. "GameDay," it's ahead of the huge game between Texas and Ohio State. It's number one versus number three. That's a noon game tomorrow on FOX, big day of college football. You also got Alabama versus Florida in the afternoon, LSU at Clemson tomorrow night. Arguably, this is the best college football Saturday in August we have ever had.

And, Pam, I want to show you one more thing very. Early in my career, I actually interviewed Corso after a "GameDay" in Lubbock, Texas, and I can tell you, he is as nice and charismatic in person as you see him on TV.

BROWN: Not surprised. Look at the young Andy, just a cub reporter out there. And now look at you, Andy.

But, listen, it looks it sounds like we're going to have to get our tissue boxes ready for tomorrow night, yes.

SCHOLES: You will. Definitely have it nearby for tomorrow morning, yes, tomorrow morning.

BROWN: Morning, I should say.

SCHOLES: Yes.

BROWN: All right, Andy, thanks so much.

SCHOLES: Yes.

BROWN: Well, staying on the field, while Oregon has a duck and Texas has a longhorn steer. Don't sleep on Bowling Green's feline power.

Yes, Bowling Green State University has the perfect weapon. This is Pudge the cat, the newest member of the Falcons and perhaps the team's MVP following a big season opening win against Lafayette. And he is becoming an Internet sensation hanging out in the team locker room and capturing hearts around campus, even has his own method of transportation. Look at that.

For more, Pudge and his owner, George Carlson, who's also a player for the team, joins us now.

My whole team has been obsessed with this story, George, and sweet Pudge. Tell us, how exactly did Pudge first find his way into the locker room?

GEORGE CARLSON, BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PLAYER: So we had a practice in fall camp. It was a scrimmage practice.

And early on we had a player go down with a serious injury. And everyone was pretty down from that, and morale was a little low. And the next day, we had an off day. And I said, I might as well bring my little cat in. And I brought him in. Everybody loved it. And it's taken off from there.

BROWN: Well, tell me more about how you found Pudge.

CARLSON: So, Pudge, we got him from a breeder. My mom and my dad went to pick him up. And they got him. And I remember they sent me this picture of him, and he was just the funniest-looking little cat.

I was so excited to see him and bring him home.

BROWN: I love his face.

So, listen, I'm an animal lover through and through. I am allergic to cats, sadly, and so it makes me wonder, what about players on the team that are allergic? Has that presented any challenges?

CARLSON: You know, I haven't really heard from anybody who's been super allergic to cats in the locker room.

Everyone has kind of supported him. And the good thing about Persians and exotic shorthairs is they're actually hypoallergenic. So if you have cat allergies, you probably won't get sick towards them, unless you are allergic to the same dander that's in Persians.

BROWN: Hopefully -- yes.

CARLSON: So, he's a pretty good cat to have around.

BROWN: Don't tell my daughter that. She's dying for a cat. And I tell her, mom has cat allergies. So, if she hears that, she might really make a sell for it.

Is he always this cuddly, by the way? He looks very cuddly and comfortable.

CARLSON: Yes, the exotic shorthair, they're not a working cat at all.

[11:55:01]

BROWN: Yes.

CARLSON: That's what people say. They kind of just sit around.

BROWN: Aw, so sweet.

CARLSON: They're very leisurely. He just sits here and hangs out with me.

BROWN: Look at that.

CARLSON: And that's really about it.

BROWN: All right, so last question to you.

What will Pudge be tasked with this season?

CARLSON: Pudge, I think, will be tasked with being an entertainer. It seems that everybody really loves him. And I'm so happy that I'm bringing that joy to everybody. He brings me significant amount of joy.

And he brought everyone in the locker room a lot of joy. And I think just being a morale booster and an entertainer for the season would be the best role for him.

BROWN: And he doesn't even have to do anything. He can just be Pudge, Pudge the cat. Love that name, by the way.

George, thank you so much. Good luck this season.

CARLSON: Thank you.

BROWN: And thank you all for joining us this morning. We will see you back here Monday morning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" is next after a short break. Have a great weekend.