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Protests at Cornell University; Interview With Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL); Interview With Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM); Diesel Gas Prices Soaring; Trump Stirs Outrage With Iran Comments. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired October 06, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Cornell's president is now speaking out again after thousands of people protest the school's handling of a gang rape allegation.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And we begin with the growing outrage over President Trump's comments about the war with Iran.

Last night, at a rally in Nebraska, he was defending the reason for the war and the higher prices here at home that have come with it. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let them take -- let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: That's -- this is a very small price to pay, and it's going to be over very soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House for us.

So, Alayna, both Democrats and Republicans say the president went too far with those comments. How is the White House responding?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, I would argue that the White House responding that this is faux outrage.

And if you do listen to more of his comments, he is talking about gas prices at one point. He does often say that high gas prices, something that many Americans -- and I apologize. The lawn mower behind me on the lawn is very loud right now.

But he has said in the past that high gas prices is a small price to pay for ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon. That is essentially what the White House is arguing the president was trying to say, even though it was very confusing what he had commented on at the rally last night.

I want to read for you a statement from the White House communications director, Steven Cheung, defending the president. He said -- quote -- "The media freak-out over President Trump's comments is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear wrong hadn't been stopped." He goes on to say America is safer because of the president.

Look, this, I think, shows the dangers, Pamela and Wolf, of the president just going off the cuff, going off-script at these type of rallies and not staying on message. And it has sparked a lot of backlash, as you mentioned, not just from Democrats, but some Republicans as well.

I want to read for you what Jim Desmond said. He is a Republican Navy veteran who was running for Congress in a district that includes parts of San Diego. He said -- quote -- "I vehemently disagree with President Trump's comments. America must stand up to Iran and defend our interests. But the first responsibility of our commander in chief is to protect the American people and our homeland."

Look, I also would point out that part of the reason the president is even out there right now making some of these comments is because he's trying to defend Republicans in some very red places at the midterm elections.

Just last night, he was in Nebraska, a state he won three times. He is out there playing defense, trying to boost up turnout for Republicans ahead of November. These kinds of comments and creating this kind of controversy is exactly the opposite of what a lot of Republicans want him to be doing at this time as they look ahead to the midterms in less than 30 days now, Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Alayna Treene, thank you so much. Way to get through that with the lawn mowers there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: They're cutting the grass.

Also new this morning, President Trump has taken action to address near-record high diesel prices. Last night at that same rally in Nebraska, he signed an executive order to waive restrictions on a cheaper type of diesel used in industrial equipment. He claims this will bring down the price of all goods. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: For many years, farm vehicles, construction equipment, and other off-road vehicles have used what is known as red-dye diesel. Do you know what that is? I don't know what the hell it is, but whatever it is, it's supposed to be very good. So tonight I'm going to sign a historic executive order to officially

waive the off-road requirement and allow anyone to purchase tax-free red-dye diesel for any reason.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Diesel prices have soared since the war with Iran began. This morning, the national average is $6.32 per gallon.

Let's go to CNN senior reporter Matt Egan.

Matt, first of all, tell us more about this executive order and its potential, potential impact on prices.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Wolf, this executive order, it should help truckers who are hurting from near-record diesel prices. But it's not going to be a game changer. And this help, it's arriving pretty late.

So this executive order amounts to a pre-election tax holiday. The order instructs the IRS to waive penalties on the use of dyed diesel in vehicles that are on highways. Now, dyed diesel, it's the same as regular diesel. It's just tax-free, and they dye it red so that they it's obvious if it's being used on highways when it's not supposed to be.

[11:05:08]

Now, the catch here is that the tax obligations, they're not going away completely. However, the order does instruct officials to explore ways to do some tax forgiveness here. Now, state average taxes are 35.5 cents per gallon on diesel. The federal is 24 cents. So if you combine that, you're looking at about 60 cents a gallon of tax relief in states that are following in the federal government's footsteps here.

That amounts to about a 10 percent discount off the national average price for diesel. Now, keep in mind though, it's very expensive to fill up a truck right now with diesel because of how high prices are. The cost of an 18-wheeler with a 250-gallon tank, it's about $1,575 right now.

If you were to waive the federal tax and the state tax, it goes down to about $1,425. So you're looking at about $150 in savings per fill- up. That's not nothing, but it's not really a game changer either. And it's not clear how much of that savings is going to get passed along to all of us consumers.

I spoke to a New Jersey trucking company owner who also owns a fuel supplier, and he told me that this is pretty much just a Band-Aid. And he said it's a Band-Aid that's arriving pretty late because prices have been high for so long now.

Before the war, the national average for diesel was well below $4 a gallon. As you mentioned, now it's above $6.30 a gallon. And keep in mind, we're looking at a historic year for diesel. So far this year, diesel prices have skyrocketed almost 80 percent. That is easily the biggest annual percentage increase since AAA started tracking back in 2000.

And what gets lost in the conversation here is this executive order from the president, it doesn't do anything to solve the underlying problem here, which is a global refining shortage. Back-to-back wars in the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine have destroyed refineries.

China is holding back its exports as well. And, Wolf, allowing truckers to use dyed diesel, it doesn't solve any of those problems -- back to you.

BLITZER: Important information. Matt Egan, reporting for us, thank you very, very much.

And still ahead: new audio. What we're now learning from a recorded phone call obtained by ABC News between Jane Doe and a fraternity member at Cornell University.

BROWN: Plus: bipartisan push. Two congresswomen join us to discuss their fight against sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM, and we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:12:28]

BLITZER: Happening now: growing outrage in Ithaca, New York. Students and faculty members are protesting Cornell University's handling of an alleged gang rape on campus two years ago.

The university president acknowledged the frustration in a meeting with students yesterday. And according to "The Cornell Daily Sun," he said -- and I'm quoting him now -- "We're all angry. I understand that anger. People want easy answers to this" -- end quote.

He also promised transparency and change. Today, there is new reporting on a conversation between the alleged victim known as Jane Doe and a member of the fraternity where she claims seven members, seven fraternity members, sexually assaulted her.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is joining us right now.

Brynn, first of all, what can you tell us about this latest phone call to surface?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, so ABC News is the one to report about this phone call, saying they have some of it in their possession and saying that it dates back to November 7. That would be about three weeks after this alleged incident happened on the Chi Phi fraternity grounds back in 2024.

And according to ABC News, like you said, Wolf, it's between Jane Doe and one of the members of the fraternity house and one -- the same member that is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit that she recently filed. So let's hear what he had to say on the audio recording.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so sorry about all, like, the backlash you're getting from this, by the way. Oh, dude, I'm so sorry. No, I'm very -- like, I feel so bad for you, dude.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

GINGRAS: And that -- we're understanding that, after that was said, Jane Doe basically responds to him. Now we don't have audio of that recording, but I do want to read for you what she said and bring it up for me right now, actually, because I don't have it in front of me.

She says: "I was completely and totally intoxicated and then given multiple sedatives, and then I was surrounded by upwards of eight to 10 men." And it goes on to say "This is classified as a gang rape."

And according to ABC News Wolf, then the conversation sort of shifted between Jane Doe and this fraternity member. Here's his response to when -- what he said after she said that.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait. What's -- can I ask, like, what's -- what's the purpose for why you decided to call me?

(END AUDIO CLIP)

GINGRAS: So, again, you can see that this conversation has shifted. We're getting these sort of drips and drabs, Wolf, of exactly what happened on that day and what followed before this investigation sort of kind of fell through is what people are arguing.

[11:15:04]

And certainly, hopefully, this will all come out once the A.G. finishes its criminal investigation, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Brynn Gingras reporting for us, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, well, the controversy at Cornell and the way that the school handled the rape allegations is fueling a bipartisan push for sexual harassment reforms in Congress.

Here now are the two House leaders, members leading that effort, Florida Republican Kat Cammack New Mexico Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez. They are the chairs of the Women's Caucus in their respective parties.

Thank you both for coming on. We appreciate it. Congresswoman Cammack, to start with you, before we discuss your

proposed legislation in Congress, I want to ask you about New York state law that says a person is only considered incapacitated if they were unable to control their actions due to the influence of an intoxicating substance administered to them without their consent.

Now, Jane Doe in this case admits she drank alcohol and accepted drugs offered to her before and during her alleged sex assault. She later said in the civil suit she was pressured into taking the drugs. New York Governor Kathy Hochul says -- quote -- "Choosing to have a drink is not consent and it's never a license for sexual assault. New York law should reflect that."

Do you agree?

REP. KAT CAMMACK (R-FL): Well, I think that's really for the state legislature of New York to decide what their law is going to look like.

But I think there's one thing that all of us as women right now can agree on. Sexual assault is never acceptable, and we have to take it very seriously. In this case, this young woman, she deserves to have a thorough and serious and real investigation.

And I think that's really what this is getting to, is that the university has had a broken system. They are not police departments, and she deserves to have all the facts brought to light.

And so I think, as we're talking about strengthening systems certainly on Capitol Hill, where it's needed tremendously, I think every state should be looking to their legislature on how they are going to protect women, how they are going to reinforce due process, and how we enforce accountability. Those are all things that, regardless of party, we can get behind.

BROWN: Yes.

And Cornell does have a police department that's integrated, and there's a lot of reporting out there about miscommunication between the police department and the DA and so forth.

I'm wondering, Congresswoman Fernandez, where do you see the biggest issues in this case where the system failed? And what do you think could be learned from this for the work you're doing on Capitol Hill?

REP. TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ (D-NM): Thank you.

I think it is important to tie the rise in sexual violence and then the public outrage about it, whether it be at a college campus, in the military, or in Congress. It is, in essence, the same thing, where you have men abusing their power over women.

And that is something that needs to change, and we need to be able to change both the rules and the laws and then the culture that allows this to take place. Listen, four men from Congress are not coming back next year because the public outrage over their sexual abuse forced them from power.

I brought the resolution to expel Gonzales together with a Republican to expel Swalwell. But it should not depend on a political moment. We should have the rules and laws in place to hold people accountable. And that is the work that Kat and I are doing.

Representative Cammack and I, as the leaders of our respective Women's Caucuses, are saying we need to change the rules to make sure that women feel safe reporting abuse, that there are consequences, that it is a timely investigation. And that is how you start changing the culture that allows sexual violence and misconduct to go forward.

BROWN: Just to be clear, I know that California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzales resigned following sexual misconduct allegations from former staffers earlier this year. Swalwell denied any sexual assault allegations.

But can you just clarify who the other two are, if you would, Congresswoman Fernandez?

LEGER FERNANDEZ: So, Edwards is not coming back, and Mills is not coming back, representatives. As you know, Representative Edwards had a Ethics investigation, and he has chosen not to run for reelection. He was censured by the House following the Ethics investigation regarding what the Ethics investigation pointed out was sexual harassment over a two-year period.

BROWN: How many referrals, Congresswoman Cammack, have you made to the Ethics Committee since you started this work in the last several months?

CAMMACK: Well, I would say on behalf of our working group that Teresa and I are co-leading together, we haven't made referrals, per se, out of the working group because our work is focused on fixing a broken system.

We have said repeatedly that accountability cannot begin and end with expulsions or resignations, because, once someone resigns, the investigation stops. And we have seen where people have then gone on to use their campaign resources to hire lawyers.

[11:20:15]

And, candidly, so many of these allegations are very serious and criminal in nature. And that's why we're really working to take a hard look at the system that really protects staff, creates a system where people can come forward without fear of retribution or retaliation, but also chalks the field effectively.

You have multiple generations serving on Capitol Hill, and some people think some behavior is OK. We know that, if people are focused on their love lives and pursuing young staffers, they're not there for the best of intentions. And so we're looking to really upend the system to make sure that creeps need not apply first, but that those protections and resources are there for people who work and serve on Capitol Hill.

BROWN: Just to follow up with you, what do you do, though, when you hear stories from staffers who are currently working on Capitol Hill or previously worked there who believe that they were taken advantage of by their boss?

I mean, what do you do in that case? I imagine you were coming across stories like that in your work that you're doing.

CAMMACK: Absolutely.

Teresa and I have both had members of staff currently serving, as well as people who have left the Hill and perhaps are working in a different capacity. They have -- they have shared their stories, and it's horrifying. They have said that they had to make the choice between coming forward and reporting instances of assault or keeping their career.

And that is a decision that no one should ever have to make. And so when we look at, candidly, where Congress has a double set of standards, it's because what we put into law that every other industry is forced to comply with, Congress does not.

A good example is, in the '60s, we implemented, Congress implemented a anti-harassment workplace rights law that Congress itself didn't adopt until 31 years after the fact. Then you fast-forward to 2017, 2018, and you have a MeToo movement, and still not enough adoption has taken place. There's not a one-stop shop for staff who have been assaulted or victims themselves.

And so there's a tremendous culture shift that needs to happen, in addition to reforms to the system.

BROWN: Congresswoman Fernandez, House Speaker Mike Johnson said this about your effort -- quote -- "To state the obvious, all women should feel comfortable and safe working in the halls of Congress. As a father who has two daughters working on Capitol Hill, this is as personal to me as it is to anyone."

Does the speaker agree with the bipartisan reforms you're proposing?

LEGER FERNANDEZ: I have heard directly from the speaker, but -- and more importantly, on my side, because I'm the Democratic Women's Caucus chair, from Leader Hakeem Jeffries, that they are very supportive of what we are doing.

On the Democratic side, Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Clark, the -- Aguilar, Representative Aguilar, our chair, everybody has been very supportive of what we're doing. We have been keeping them informed. People want to address this issue. They recognize that the public outrage is real, and we need to change the underlying law and structure.

So I feel I have great support from the Democratic side on this, and that's the work that Kat's been doing with regards to the Republican side. BROWN: Just very quickly, Congresswoman Cammack, what role do you

think Congress has in addressing sexual misconduct on college campuses? I know your focus right now is changing the way it works on Capitol Hill in terms of reporting and investigating and the system overall, but what about on college campuses in the wake of Cornell?

CAMMACK: Well, and certainly Cornell has highlighted a real deficiency that we have long seen on college campuses.

And I know that there has been some discussions about Title IX, but the thing that I think we all can agree upon is that it is not an opposing value to want transparent and effective and serious due process, along with protections for survivors.

Those two issues, those are things that can coexist, along with equal opportunity for women on college campuses. So, while this has sparked a debate about Title IX, I do think, at its core, we need to recognize that sexual assault is a criminal act. It needs to be investigated and treated as such, and it needs to have a victim-centered approach while respecting due process.

Everyone should know that these investigations are very real, that there is true accountability, and there's no retaliation, because what we have seen on these institutions, like university campuses, is that many times they seem more intent on protecting the reputation of the university than protecting the victims themselves.

So that is something that needs to be addressed, and we as Congress should be looking into this very, very seriously.

[11:25:00]

BROWN: All right, Congresswomen Cammack and Fernandez, thank you both.

And if you or someone that you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, there is help. Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 1-800-656-HOPE or by texting hope to 64673 -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Up next: Russia under pressure to divulge what officials know after a researcher died at a plague laboratory in Siberia.

We will bring you the latest information just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)