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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump's Handpicked Fed Chair Defies Him, Hikes Interest Rates; House Adjourns Early, Staves Off Hegseth Impeachment Vote; Trump: My Admin "Should Be Recognized" For Kennedy Center Fix. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired September 16, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: --our thoughts are with everybody involved.
That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight. The President's handpicked Federal Reserve chair just did the exact opposite of what the President wanted him to do.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
And as we come on the air tonight, President Trump's public demands for the, quote, lowest interest rates in the world, are now colliding head-on with his own handpicked Fed chair. Sound familiar? Only this time, Jerome Powell, whom the President appointed and later excoriated, wasn't the one running the show. Instead, the second Chairman that the President has selected, Kevin Warsh, was.
The vote to raise interest rates today was unanimous from a board that is primarily made up of Trump's own nominees. And Kevin Warsh says this move is necessary to fight inflation.
But the President has spent several months aggressively calling for the opposite strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'd like to see lower interest rates.
Low interest rates will solve everything.
We should have the lowest interest rate of any country anywhere in the world because we make them all sing.
We should have the lowest interest rate in the world.
I know I'd love to see lower interest rates.
The United States should pay the lowest interest rate in the entire world.
We have interest rates that are artificially -- they're actually artificially high.
When we do well, they shouldn't have to raise interest rates.
We should be paying the lowest interest rate in the world, regardless of their formulas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, today's quarter of a point hike comes as the economy has been feeling the strain, largely because of decisions that the President has made, according to economists. That includes launching the war with Iran and also imposing a wide range of tariffs on U.S. trading partners.
Though the President used to personally attack Jay Powell for his moves, running the Federal Reserve. Tonight, as he was asked by reporters on the tarmac, he praised Kevin Warsh while largely blaming the rest of the board.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I mean, I'm relying on Kevin, but he's got, you know, a very tough board. He's got a board that was put there by a lot of other people. And the interest rates are too high. They're not appropriate. And I told, I talked to Kevin, and I said, You might as well vote with the board because it's not going to matter.
The board is very hostile. They're very political. They're doing the wrong thing. They're a bunch of politicians or people put on by politicians, and it's a shame because it's too high an interest rate.
I spoke -- no, I didn't convince him at all. I said, Do what you want. I said, Do what you want. Because it doesn't matter because he doesn't have the votes. No matter how good a job -- he's a good man, Kevin Warsh. But no matter how good a job, he's got a hostile board.
They're raising the rates to -- they're raising the rates to make Trump do as bad as they can possibly do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, Kevin Warsh undercut that argument today, as he made clear that today's rate hike was about one thing: inflation.
What's also clear is that the President and Warsh are not in agreement on the state of the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN WARSH, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: The plain fact is that inflation is too high, and has been for too long.
TRUMP: Inflation has been defeated. WARSH: Uncertainty remains elevated, owing in part to geopolitical developments.
TRUMP: I don't like to say this. We've won this. This war has been won.
WARSH: We made this decision today based on our assessment of the situation, based on our assessment of the trajectory for employment, based on our judgment on the strength of the economy.
TRUMP: This is the golden age of America. This is the golden age.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now the disconnect that we're seeing comes, as the President tonight was on the campaign trail in North Carolina, trying to help Republicans maintain their control of Congress, here in Washington, in midterm elections this November.
But after more than 600 days in office, and with less than 50 days to go until the midterms, this was the Vice President's midterm message today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JD VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There's a lot of good that's been done, but there's a lot of work left to do. Don't give power to the people who cause the problems that we're fixing. Give us another chance, or give us another couple of years, to continue to work on the amazing things that we've been doing for the past two years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And my first source tonight is the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, who is running for re-election, Josh Shapiro.
And thank you, sir, for being here.
On that message from the Vice President, asking voters to give them more time, maybe a few more years, how do you think that will resonate with voters?
[21:05:00]
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): I mean, I'm reminded of what Maya Angelou said, right? When someone tells you who they are, believe them.
We've got two years' worth of proof points. Remember, they said they were going to lower costs. They've dramatically increased costs. They said they were going to end wars. They've started a new one that the President and Vice President have no earthly idea how to get out of. They said they were going to drain the swamp. Meanwhile, the corruption reigns.
I mean, I think this administration can largely be defined by three words: chaos, cruelty, and corruption. And the idea that JD Vance is saying, No, no, no, just trust us, give us another two years.
The problems that we're dealing with in this country have been caused by Donald Trump and JD Vance. And what we need is a check on them. And I think you're going to see a record number of people show up at the polls, in these midterms, to register their displeasure and to reject JD Vance's ridiculous request.
COLLINS: What did you make of the Federal Reserve's move today?
SHAPIRO: Kaitlan, I guess I have two comments on that.
First, it's unfortunate that the American people are going to see their prices, their costs, small businesses are going to see their prices and costs, rise as a result of the rate increase. This is, of course, on top of, as you said, prices rising because of tariffs, and prices rising because of this war of choice in Iran that we should have never gotten into in the first place. So, that's my first comment, that unfortunately American people are going to see higher costs because of Donald Trump and JD Vance's failed policies.
The second point I would make is, notwithstanding all the BS that you played there from Donald Trump, what we saw was an independent Fed chair, and that is something that we should not look past. That's something that I think we should appreciate. I'm not suggesting I'm going to agree with every decision made by the Fed chair, but the fact is he showed independence today. That's the way the system is supposed to work. And so, that is something that I think is an important takeaway from today's events.
COLLINS: Yes, and a lot of Democrats in Washington had said that they did not believe he would show that independence.
Can I ask you because, you mentioned the midterms and what Americans are worried about, when it comes to the economy. AI has been a huge part of that. And you, as governor, recently have seen this issue. You've called for an industry slowdown when it comes to AI development. You want some kind of federal regulations.
This is some of what you've said about artificial intelligence, last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAPIRO: I want you to know that Pennsylvania state government, we are already all-in on AI.
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: Here in Pennsylvania, we have the energy resources to support this technology. We've got the brains to be able to drive innovation forward. We have the workforce ready to build and maintain these critical data centers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: If you were all-in then, where would you say that you are tonight?
SHAPIRO: Kaitlan, tomorrow, I'm going to be giving a major address on AI in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and actually I start by talking about those comments that I made a year ago. What has changed over the last year is really the dramatic, in many ways, out-of-control advancements in AI and the lack of any sort of federal regulation and oversight.
You mentioned in one of those clips there, about the work we're doing in state government, where we actually have deployed AI into the hands of our workforce, but we did so with careful controls, with significant regulations, and with experts from Carnegie Mellon University, Pitt, and the University of Pennsylvania and Penn State and others who are helping us control the use of it. We're not seeing that at the federal level.
What we're seeing is really the wild, wild west, where the President of the United States has said, we're not going to do anything to rein in these companies, when the CEOs of the companies, Kaitlan, are saying, we need regulation, we need controls. In effect, what we have right now is a system that's like a runaway train.
And we actually have precedent for this in this country, where we can have responsible federal oversight. I mean, think about it: pharmaceutical company, Kaitlan, they can go develop a prescription drug, they can go develop a pill, but it still needs to be run through the FDA to be checked by then before someone can ingest it. An airplane manufacturer can build an airplane, but we don't put passengers on it until the FAA inspects it and said it's ready for flight.
We need a similar construct at the federal level to ensure that there are controls. It should not be left up to the CEOs of these companies to self-regulate. We need proper regulation.
[21:10:00]
And the fact that the President of the United States has said, we don't need that, and the fact that the Speaker of the House was too cowardly to take this issue on and just sent his members home, when I heard Democrats and Republicans saying, No, no, no, we got to stay here, and we got to work on this. I think that that speaks to the fact that the federal government under Donald Trump and Republican control simply can't address it. I think this will be another huge issue in the midterms--
COLLINS: Yes.
SHAPIRO: --and I think what we need is responsible regulation.
COLLINS: The Vice President has suggested he's a little suspicious at these CEOs of these companies coming out and calling for self- regulation, all of a sudden. Do you share any of those suspicions that JD Vance has about what these CEOs are now saying?
SHAPIRO: I mean, look, I'm super sus about these CEOs, but the fact is, they're not the regulators. We need real regulation. We need to make sure that we rein them in, we need to make sure that while they're focused on developing systems and making money, that we actually have some folks who are checking their work and who are making sure that their processes that they go through don't corrupt our systems or put people at risk.
Look, I'm not a doomer on this issue, but it is clear that we need regulation, and it is further clear to me that the federal government needs to be pushed and pressed to do this.
I've seen governors of both parties who are dealing with this issue in our home states all issue the same calls. We can regulate things at the state level, and again, I think we're doing a good job on how we use AI in our state government, but we need a real federal response.
And frankly, I think we need an international response. I would hope that if this summit between Trump and Xi actually goes forward, I would hope that this would be a top issue on their agenda, to try and find a way forward where the American ingenuity can win out. We certainly don't want China to win out. But we can do so--
COLLINS: Yes.
SHAPIRO: --in a responsible manner.
COLLINS: Yes, and they're meeting obviously about a week from today.
In your state, just yesterday, Pennsylvania actually reported its fourth measles-related death this year.
SHAPIRO: Yes.
COLLINS: State officials are reporting at least 731 measles cases in 38 different counties this year. When you look at those numbers, who do you hold responsible?
SHAPIRO: Well, the fact is, we've got over 700 cases in more than half of our counties because vaccination rates are down.
Remember, Kaitlan, in 2000, it was declared that measles was eliminated, and the reason why we're seeing measles again is because the incredibly effective vaccine that prevents measles is being used by fewer and fewer people. And so, we've effectively lost herd immunity or community immunity.
I blame RFK and people like him who have spread misinformation and disinformation and tried to break the compact between a patient and a healthcare provider. I mean, listen, RFK and the Trump administration, they won't even acknowledge the four deaths in Pennsylvania, the first deaths since 1991. They won't even acknowledge those deaths on their dashboard, something that should have been an administrative process because it doesn't fit their phony narrative. I think RFK is doing great destruction in this country by stoking this vaccine skepticism.
Now, here's some of the positive things that we're seeing in Pennsylvania, even despite this awful situation we're dealing with, with measles. Typically, in a normal month, Pennsylvania healthcare providers would vaccinate roughly 25,000 people. That number has skyrocketed to 47,000 people.
You see, when we can knock out RFK and the nonsense that he's spewing, and create the opportunity for an actual dialog between a trusted healthcare provider and a parent or an individual, we're seeing a lot of those folks go and show up and get vaccinated.
And our Pennsylvania Department of Health, through their professionalism, is showing up in churches, community centers, people's homes, to make sure that we're there to vaccinate them should they wish. The vaccines is what's going to slow this spread down.
But make no mistake: all across this country, we are seeing a measles outbreak because of RFK, and the nonsense, the phony information, the misinformation, that he is purposely spreading, that is making our country sicker and has claimed the lives of, now, four people in Pennsylvania and has sickened over 700.
COLLINS: Well, I mean--
SHAPIRO: Our public health system in this country is a disaster because of RFK. People can't trust the salad that they eat, the meat that they eat, the food that they're ingesting, they question because, RFK has spread so much misinformation and disinformation, and now we have a situation where folks are not able to be healthy, where we are seeing the spread of diseases that were once eliminated because of the manner in which this administration in Washington is conducting itself.
[21:15:00]
COLLINS: I mean, you just named him four or five times.
And he was responding to you yesterday. He said--
SHAPIRO: You asked me who was -- you asked me who I thought was responsible. I was answering your question. I think he is.
COLLINS: Yes, it's just notable to hear a sitting governor say the Health Secretary is doing this.
And he responded yesterday. He said that he blamed you for, quote, choosing to politicize the outbreak instead of implementing a unified public health response. He says that you continue to point the finger at me and the federal government, and to malign the Amish while refusing the federal assistance that might help in the outbreak. And he says, I have repeatedly stated that the MMR vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles infection.
When you read that, what's your response?
SHAPIRO: Well, a few things.
Number one, he is the one who has chosen to politicize it because RFK is a politician, actually a failed politician. He's not a public health expert, and he is wholly unqualified to be in the position that he is in. And as a result of that, America is worse off. Second, we are engaged in a coordinated health response. In fact, we have three members of the CDC who have been embedded in our team here in Pennsylvania. Earlier today, the Pennsylvania Department of Health took steps to add to that, to bring more federal officials here because we think an all-hands-on-deck approach matters.
Now, I will not allow any other federal officials to come here in Pennsylvania, until RFK stops meddling in the process and acknowledges the four deaths here in Pennsylvania, something that he has directed his subordinates at HHS not to acknowledge on their dashboard.
As for the Amish community, the fact that he is trying to use them as pawns in this process is shameful. We have a very positive, productive working relationship with the wonderful men and women of the Amish community, here in Pennsylvania. And our Department of Health has worked with them in ways that they have found trustworthy. And many of them have been vaccinated. And we appreciate the wonderful contributions that the Amish community makes.
But I'll remind you, it was RFK back in, I think, 2020 or 2021, who stood up in Lancaster, a center of the Amish community in Pennsylvania, and told folks not to worry about measles, just take some chicken soup, and that would make it all go away. That's the kind of misinformation and disinformation he's been spreading for years.
We are now seeing the direct effect of his conduct over many years. And his conduct, as a Health Secretary right now, we are seeing that play out in communities across Pennsylvania and across America, where we are seeing more and more people with measles, a disease that 25 years ago was eliminated in the United States of America, and sadly it is now back.
COLLINS: So, you're saying, Governor, that until the CDC recognizes those four deaths as measles-related deaths on their website, their dashboard, that you don't want any more help from federal officials. Is that right?
SHAPIRO: I don't. I don't.
And look, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, together with our healthcare providers here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as I mentioned before, have nearly doubled the number of people who are getting vaccinated each month. I couldn't be more proud of them.
Now, we will be happy to accept additional support to deal with this crisis. But I'm not going to accept that until RFK does what is right, and stops reaching down into his administration and directing the CDC staff not to acknowledge the pain and suffering of these four families in Pennsylvania and acknowledge those deaths, deaths that have not only been certified as measles-associated by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, but also by three independent coroners here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
RFK has reached down into his agency to take those names off the dashboard because it doesn't meet his phony narrative. And quite frankly, Kaitlan, I'm surprised that the President of the United States is letting him get away with this.
I'm surprised that the President of the United States confronted with the first measles outbreak in over two and a half decades, knowing that RFK is stoking this, knowing that his Health Secretary, tomorrow, is scheduled to speak at a big anti-vax conference, knowing that he's doing all that, and people are getting sick, I'm surprised he's letting him get away with it.
COLLINS: Why do you think they're not including those deaths?
SHAPIRO: RFK has directed them not to include it, and I believe it's because it doesn't meet his phony narrative.
Look, he doesn't believe that measles is an issue. When I spoke to him over the phone, he wanted to lecture me about natural measles, and in many ways, making excuses. He blamed Joe Biden for all of this. I mean, he is someone who is not, I think, connected or grounded in reality.
COLLINS: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, thank you for your time tonight. Thank you for joining us.
SHAPIRO: Thank you, Kaitlan.
[21:20:00]
COLLINS: Up next. You heard the Governor mention that the House Speaker sent members home early today, effectively stalling what we just heard from Congressman Thomas Massie last night. That surprise push to impeach the Defense Secretary.
Well, Congressman Massie is back here, after he did not give leadership a heads-up about that, and what he makes of today's move.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: If you happen to be on Capitol Hill, right now, tonight at 09:24 p.m. Eastern, you might hear just the sound of crickets. Because, on the House side, there is nothing going on, and there won't be anything going on tonight, or tomorrow, or next week, or until after the midterm elections in November.
House Speaker, Mike Johnson, has sent lawmakers home for a seven-week recess early ahead of the midterm campaign. That departure is one day earlier than planned. It staves off a vote to impeach the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, that was brought by a fellow Republican.
[21:25:00]
Thomas Massie made the unprecedented and surprise move yesterday, to force that vote over how the Secretary has handled the Iran war. He had wanted to catch leadership off guard, so they would be forced to call a vote. But by skipping town a day early, that legislative clock on that vote has now been paused.
On the way out the door, Congressman Massie slammed his party's leader for the delay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): We may only be the majority for six more weeks. Why would we be canceling days, when the country is burning, the inflation is rampant? There are things we could do here. Why would we cancel our own majority? I can't figure that out.
But I did figure out why we canceled tomorrow.
Tomorrow would be the vote on impeaching Secretary of Defense, Peter Brian Hegseth.
Where else can you get a job that pays almost $15,000 a month and benefits, and some months you don't even have to come to work?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And Congressman Massie is back as my source tonight.
And thank you, sir, for being here.
Do you believe that it was because of your introduction of those articles of impeachment is the reason lawmakers went home early today?
MASSIE: I know it was. Here's why: it's actually bad politics to leave this impeachment hanging over Pete Hegseth's head for eight weeks.
And if there was any other reason that they canceled tomorrow's day of session, they could have had the Hegseth vote tonight. Because the rules say that he has to have the vote within 48 hours, they don't have to say -- they don't say he has to wait 48 hours. So, he could have had the vote yesterday, as soon as I introduced the articles. He could have done it today before he adjourned Congress. But he called us off tomorrow. I'm calling it the Hegseth holiday because it's just one day.
Now the two weeks he cut off the calendar, I'm calling that the Epstein recess because that's an entire recess, two weeks of our majority he canceled.
COLLINS: Well, what would have happened do you think if they had voted on it tonight?
MASSIE: That's a great question. The fact that they didn't vote on it tells me that they did a whip check, and they probably found that there were some other Republicans, besides me, that were going to vote for this, or at least didn't want to be on the record supporting Hegseth.
COLLINS: One of your colleagues of North -- Congressman from North Carolina, Republican Greg Murphy, said, quote, "Sadly we have Members of Congress who didn't get picked by their 5th Grade Kickball Team and are taking out their frustration on the institution of the House of Representatives. #MoveOn."
He doesn't name you, but do you believe that's directed at you?
MASSIE: I made it to sixth grade kickball. Thank you very much. I washed out in the seventh grade.
(LAUGHTER)
MASSIE: I'm not here to play kickball. Look, I'm here to get stuff done. And he doesn't put his signature on the Epstein discharge petition, but he'll vote for it once he -- once I lead that bill to the floor, he'll vote for it. He's a follower, not a leader.
COLLINS: Yes, in your speech today, you took an hour, I believe, on the floor. You weren't just talking about Republican leadership. You also said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASSIE: We won the elections. Why are we saying the elections were stolen if we won them all?
The Strait isn't just shut down for American farmers who are paying more for fertilize, for American consumers who are paying $7 a gallon for diesel. It's over $6 now. I'm afraid before the election it could hit $8 a gallon. Why would we recess when we can do something about that?
We are -- the Republicans are running against socialism in November. And what are we promising if we win? Socialism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: What do you make of the current state of the Republican Party, in your view?
MASSIE: Well, Donald Trump is not an ideologue. He has no real ideology. He was a populist in his first term, and he ran on a populist platform. He brought together MAHA. He brought together the fiscal hawks. He brought together the people who didn't want any new wars. And so, he grew our coalition.
But one by one, he's splitting them off, and we have no ideological compass now. And so, that's why he can get up at the Republican National Convention and offer more free money than the Democrats are offering, while he's cutting taxes, which means it's going to balloon the debt. There's no free lunch. You're going to pay for it in inflation.
People ask me, Why isn't he giving the $5,000 checks now before the election? Because it would touch off rampant inflation more than we have now.
COLLINS: You don't think that's because of what Senator Bernie Moreno argued last night, which is that it's because you need to do another reconciliation bill to get that passed.
MASSIE: You certainly have to have Congress vote for it. He can't do it on his own. And you could do it through reconciliation. That'd be a great vehicle to do it. But you can't do it now because Mike Johnson just sent us all home, cut two and a half weeks off the calendar.
[21:30:00]
COLLINS: I'm assuming, you don't often agree with Pete Buttigieg. But he posted today and asked, how can Congress justify leaving right now? Diesel costs just hit an all-time high. Our nation is at war. The bond market is quivering. The urgency of AI regulation has come to a critical moment. Congress should be working overtime.
I'm not even sure Congress works regular time.
MASSIE: Right.
COLLINS: But I mean, what would you make of that comment from Pete Buttigieg?
MASSIE: Look, we will have worked between the end of July and the election, about eight full days. That's pretty good work if you can get it. Like, four months of a $15,000 a month salary, and you work eight days? So, he's right on some of those points. We should be there working.
We don't have to work overtime. We just got to quit doing the busy work. We passed bills this week that'll do absolutely nothing, go nowhere in the Senate. We could be doing something about the price of groceries, passing a bill like my PRIME Act that'll make it easier for farmers to get their products to market without going through this oligarchy.
COLLINS: Congressman Thomas Massie, thank you for joining us back here on THE SOURCE tonight.
MASSIE: Thanks, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Appreciate your time.
Up next. There is a new CNN investigation that reveals Russian spy satellites might be helping Iran hit American targets in the Middle East. My source tonight is a top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
[21:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, sources say that Russian spy satellites are likely helping Iran strike U.S. military targets in the Middle East.
A new CNN investigation tracked the movements of 14 different Russian satellites, back in March, that showed the spacecraft moving in at precise sequence over the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Two days later was when Iran launched that devastating attack that injured 12 U.S. personnel and destroyed this U.S. radar aircraft that had been moved from its usual spot. Well, sources tell CNN, a strike of this scale and this accuracy would have been nearly impossible without Russian intelligence. They also suspect that Russian satellites have given Iran targeting data, several other times during this war, including on this CIA facility in -- CIA facility in Riyadh.
My source tonight is the Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.
And Senator, when you see this investigation, I mean, what are your concerns beyond the obvious ones that it looks like Russia is helping Iran target U.S. forces and U.S. personnel and assets.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): Well, I think it's been pretty clear from the beginning that there has been some level of integration between Russian intelligence and the Iranians. That has been publicly reported since the earliest days of the war.
And of course, it stands to reason that Russia wants us bogged down in Iran, that Russia wants us weaker in the region and the world, which is, in fact, what has happened since we have gone to war with Iran. Iran is stronger. We are weaker, and we have depleted so many of our munitions in our response to Iran's attacks on our forces in the region, that we have very few left to transfer to the Ukrainians or even to defend ourselves.
So, this is yet another reason why this war has to end, is that it is giving Iran the ability to hurt us even more deeply in the region by potentially giving really detailed targeting information to the Iranians.
This war has been a disaster from the beginning. Everything bad that has happened for the United States was totally foreseeable. That's why we never went to war with Iran before Donald Trump was president. And of those things that were foreseeable, were the integration of Russian intelligence, which is pretty high-class intelligence, and the Iranian military. We should have seen this coming, and for some reason, Donald Trump chose not to.
COLLINS: Yes, we'll see if it gets brought up with Russian officials next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Can I ask you also, Senator? You gave a speech this week after ProPublica had published this in-depth report about a Russian oligarch who helped fund some of Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding celebrations. It's something they did not deny. Instead, they defended it and said it was a close friend of theirs who was helping pay for -- was gifting them celebrations.
I asked your Republican colleague, Bernie Moreno, about this, here on THE SOURCE last night. This is what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: As a senator, is that something that you personally are comfortable with? And do you know who this Russian oligarch is? SEN. BERNIE MORENO (R-OH): I don't know who the Russian oligarch is.
I know that Don Jr. is a great human being, an amazing American.
Look, you compare Don Jr. to Hunter Biden, and you have one that's a complete drug addicted degenerate compared to a great human being and successful entrepreneur.
COLLINS: Well, I'm glad you bring up Hunter Biden. I mean, if a Russian oligarch had bankrolled some of his celebrations, would you have questions about that?
MORENO: You mean like when he got diamonds dropped off in his hotel room when he visited China, when his dad took him there parading him through China to get gifts and bribes, when he was put on the board of--
COLLINS: So you do think it's inappropriate?
MORENO: --if you're put on the board of Burisma? None -- those are all Hunter Biden stories. It's not--
COLLINS: Right, but if that's inappropriate for him, why would this not be inappropriate?
MORENO: Well, look, do you know the circumstance? I have no idea. It could be a situation where somebody said, Hey, I'm going to throw you a party, then the party becomes a wedding. I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Does that sound plausible to you?
MURPHY: I mean, it's just so sad. It's so sad that he basically told you exactly what he thinks, that it's wrong if Hunter Biden profits off of his relationship with his father, but it's fine if Donald Trump Jr. does it.
[21:40:00]
I mean, this is a national security crisis because we are, right now, dealing with Americans at risk in the Middle East because Russia is sharing intelligence with the Iranians. And because the Trump administration and the Trump family are increasingly dependent on Russia to make themselves rich, they are likely not going to say anything to Russia about it, and that might mean that people get killed in the Middle East.
No, of course it's not plausible. Eric Trump, his brother, said in response to this story, I've never heard of this guy, I've never heard of his name.
Obviously, this was a decision made by the Russians to pay for his wedding as a means of currying favor with the Trump administration. We also know that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff put a peace plan, quote, peace plan, on the table with Russia and Ukraine that would have given Russia everything they wanted in terms of Ukrainian territory, in exchange for Russian business deals for Donald Trump's buddies.
It's also probably true that a lot of the money coming into Trump's cryptocurrency is from Russian sources. So, there is a deep and deepening integration, financial integration, between the Trump family and the Russian government. And now that we know how involved Russia may be in the Iran war, that deeply integrated relationship between Donald Trump's financial future and the Russian government is going to get Americans -- may get Americans killed in the Middle East.
COLLINS: We've been talking about what Congress is or is not doing this week while they are back in session. The House has gone home.
The Senate is going to vote soon, the full Senate, on what is known as the Protect College Sports Act. It's a bipartisan bill. It's being championed by Ted Cruz on the Republican side, Maria Cantwell on the Democratic side.
It's basically a bill that would set standards around NIL, Name, Image, Likeness agreements that governs student athletes, limit the ability to transfer schools for athletes, provide antitrust protections to certain college sports, governing organizations.
Nick Saban has said that he supports this. That the transferring is out of control. It affects graduation rates. He's a big proponent of this. He says it gives it the guardrails that it needs and kind of puts these enforcement mechanisms in place.
25 Democrats voted to advance this bill. That includes Chuck Schumer. You're opposed to it. Why?
MURPHY: Well, I mean, first of all, it's not what we should be doing in the Senate right now. I mean, it's pretty incredible that the Republicans are putting bills to micromanage college sports, bills to legalize cryptocurrency, on the floor of the Senate, at a moment when there is a disastrous war happening overseas, when nobody can afford their rent all throughout this country, when tariffs are resulting in record farm bankruptcies.
It's just pretty wild that Republicans apparently think the biggest problem that exists today is that college athletes are making too much money. And so, it's just another sign of how disconnected Republicans are with the priorities of the country.
COLLINS: But what about the Democrats who voted for it?
MURPHY: And yes, I think that the--
COLLINS: I mean, this is--
MURPHY: Oh yes, I mean, listen, Democrat--
COLLINS: --Democrats are working on this too.
MURPHY: Yes, I disagree, I -- listen, I disagree with Chuck Schumer, and I disagree with the Democrats who voted for it. I just fundamentally don't believe that the NCAA and these coaches have these athletes' best interest in mind.
And what this bill does is essentially artificially restrict the wages and compensation of these athletes. It will continue to make these coaches and these sports industry executives rich, and it will put a lot of these students back into conditions of poverty.
I just fundamentally disagree that we should be preserving a system of exploitation in college athletics that allows these coaches and these sports industry executives to get filthy rich.
But my bigger grievance is that this is what the Senate is debating right now, as a war kills Americans overseas, and people are going bankrupt because of sky-high gas prices. It just tells you how out of touch Republicans are.
No matter how many Democrats support this. If Democrats were in charge of the Senate, I can guarantee you, we wouldn't be spending this September and October debating college sports and cryptocurrency.
COLLINS: I mean, I don't -- is that true though? Because Chuck Schumer, who is the leader of the Democrats, is voting yes on this. And I take your point that there are bigger issues in this world. But I mean, in the world of college football, it is a big issue, and it's actively affecting players' lives, their careers, their trajectory.
You said, it preserves this kind of method of exploitation. I mean, Nick Saban, and I'm biased because I went to Alabama, but he's deeply invested in the players and the athletes that he had on his team. Not just while they were playing for him, but in the long-term. He's one of those coaches who looked into them, not just how they could benefit him, but how he could benefit their lives.
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MURPHY: Well, right, the coaches support this bill because what the bill says is that every athlete's compensation will be restricted. Every athlete will have to go through a big bureaucratic process to be able to do an endorsement deal. But coaches have no restrictions on their compensation. Coaches have no bureaucratic process. So, coaches love this bill. Players don't. In fact, every organization that represents college athletes is opposing this legislation because it is going to result in a massive transfer of wealth from players to coaches.
What happened here is that over the last 10 years, athletes got power, and a lot of those athletes were black athletes, and that power was taken away from coaches and athletic directors and college presidents who were mostly white. And people just got really upset, including coaches, that all of a sudden the players had leverage and the coaches didn't.
I don't think the answer is to reverse all the progress we've made. Yes, we should clean up some of these rules. If you're a pro athlete, you shouldn't get to come back to college. Yes, you can probably say, there should be a limit on the number of transfers. But we don't have to give the colleges an antitrust exemption. We don't have to subject the students to a process to get every endorsement deal approved by their college that coaches aren't subject to.
So, I just think this bill goes way too far, and I frankly don't think the problem is as grave as people say it is. In fact, since players have gotten empowered, since they've been able to make more money, more fans have been showing up to the games and watching on TV.
It's actually true that the fans seem to enjoy this era of player empowerment. They're not walking away from college football or college basketball. They're more interested in it now than ever before. It's just the coaches that are having to, like Nick Saban, in his prior role, are having to go through a little bit more hassle to hang on to their athletes.
COLLINS: It's a major debate playing out. We'll be covering it closely. We look forward to having you back on it, especially with other lawmakers who are working on this.
Senator Chris Murphy, thank you for your time tonight.
MURPHY: Thanks, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Up next for us. What the President just told reporters about that fight to put his name back on the Kennedy Center. He was asked point-blank, Why do you want your name on the Kennedy Center? Here's what he said.
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REPORTER: Why is it so important for you to have your name on the Kennedy Center?
TRUMP: Well, it's a very easy question to answer. Because it's a mess.
So, for the Trump administration, for me, to get involved and to take that on long term and to carry it, or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because, frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down. It's in very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape.
I'd like to be able to save it, but it's going to take a lot of subsidy into the future. And for us as an administration to want to do that, I think the Trump administration should be recognized.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That was President Trump tonight, renewing his threats that the Kennedy Center could be torn down unless his name is put back onto the building. My political sources are here with me.
Marc Short, what do you make of the fact that the President is putting a lot of effort into this.
MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VP MIKE PENCE: I think probably Republicans would prefer his focus be on how you're going to lower prices, how you're going to address inflation, what you're going to do with the war in the Middle East? I think those would be where I think Republicans would rather his focus be, rather than national news covering what he's saying about the Kennedy Center.
KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, SR. ADVISER, 2016 CLINTON CAMPAIGN, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, DNC: That feels like the understatement of the week, but I'm going to let you have that one because I'm sure you're right.
It's so petty. I mean, among all the other things, you know, there -- this is something that has been pervasive about him. He has such a lack of any kind of collective responsibility that, like, as a president, you are a caretaker for a period of time. You are a part of history. You do your part, hand it off to the next. Everything, it's all about him. It's all about, he wanted his name on the building, he can't have his name on the building, so nobody gets to go in the building. I mean, it's just, it's pathetic.
And I think -- I would also say, Republicans probably wish he would rather -- would rather him talk about that. Americans would probably wish that he was that passionate about, Here's what we're doing to lower costs, I'm really worried about gas prices, I feel like our farmers are hurting. I mean, instead, he's like, this is what he's putting his energy towards?
COLLINS: Well, I mean, this comes as the Vice President this week, JD Vance, was telling House Republicans that they should use Abdul El- Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, as basically their fixture on the campaign trail. If they don't have anything else to talk about, he was saying that they should just talk about that if their opponents are not quote, that crazy.
Now, Abdul El-Sayed was on Capitol Hill today. He said they'll talk about anything, not to have to talk about gas or groceries or whether or not they can see a doctor.
Do you think that's a good strategy that the Vice President is giving House Republicans, or how do you see that?
SHORT: Look, I think there's a lot they can talk about. I think we can talk about securing the border in ways that Democrats didn't. I think we can talk about providing historic tax relief to Americans.
I think El-Sayed is a legitimate topic too. I think the reality is that the Democrat Attorney General in Michigan is unwilling and afraid to actually campaign with him because she's concerned about safety in those events. I think that's pretty threatening. And so, yes, I think it's a totally legitimate topic. But I think there's more we can talk about too.
FINNEY: But you know this racist caricature. I mean, we saw, day one, his opponent, said his name in the same type of way that Trump used to talk about Barack Hussein Obama, and it was very deliberate, very clear.
I also think we're in a moment where a lot of Americans, and particularly Michiganders, are saying, OK, I don't care about that. I want to know what you're going to do to solve my problems. And I think that's part of why he's doing so well.
And one of the things I heard from folks who met with him today, who didn't -- I mean, some of us know him from when he was here. He's a very smart, thoughtful guy with a very impressive record of actually eliminating medical debt for people, when he was serving in Michigan.
[21:55:00]
So, this is a guy who has accomplishment. He -- you know, you can caricature him all you want. But when you actually get to sit down and talk to him, you may disagree with him on some of his policy issues, but he's not -- it's so offensive the way people are trying to suggest that he's something other than just a really smart guy with good ideas who you may disagree with on some things.
SHORT: I think it's some ways even worse if he's really put a lot of thought into abolishing the police in positions that he's advocating.
FINNEY: Which is not what he said. That's not--
SHORT: It's totally what he said, Karen.
FINNEY: No. But--
SHORT: He's said it many times. He has said it many times.
FINNEY: Well--
SHORT: And the reality is that he is a dangerous candidate.
FINNEY: He is not.
SHORT: So, the fact that he's thoughtful--
FINNEY: Well, OK, but you and I both know that under -- when we were talking about in the era of George Floyd, about the police, that was really more about -- it was a terrible catchphrase for what people were saying, which was, instead of weapons of war in our streets, instead of so much money going into militarizing our streets, how about more money into crime prevention? Which this administration put.
SHORT: Maybe what you said. That's not what he -- that's not what he said, though.
FINNEY: No, it's on set -- it's on set with him on CNN--
SHORT: And it's not -- it's not racist -- it's not racist to call out his record.
FINNEY: --and had him say it.
SHORT: It's not racist to call out his record, Karen.
FINNEY: It is racist to call out his faith, to call out his -- to suggest that because of his name somehow he's dangerous, and that's what your party is doing.
SHORT: It's his record that's dangerous. No, it's his record that's dangerous.
FINNEY: Well, your party is not saying it that way.
SHORT: We'll see how that lands with voters.
Karen Finney. Marc Short. Great to have you both here tonight.
Thank you all so much for joining us here on THE SOURCE.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts right after a quick break.
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