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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump Says He's Banning CNN, MS NOW & Politico From White House; Source: False AI Intel Report "Almost Started A War"; Vance Campaigns In Red Iowa But Barely Mentions Senate Race. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired September 18, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE" starts now.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight. We'll go live to the White House, hours after President Trump said he is banning our team from there.
I'm Brianna Keilar in for Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
President Trump took to social media today, to announce that effective immediately he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. CNN reporters and producers remained at the White House, even as the President spoke about the ban from the Oval Office.
Trump, though, did not explain the sudden move with anything more than his typical attacks on the press.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Every president takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, which includes the First Amendment.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Yes, I do too. I do too. Much more so--
REPORTER: How do you justify--
TRUMP: Much more so than you.
REPORTER: Is this--
TRUMP: Because they're fake news. You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news. When you look at CNN, it's just fake.
REPORTER: Why are you doing this ban now? Is there a particular reason?
TRUMP: No -- no reason. No, I just because--
REPORTER: Was there a particular story -- you--
TRUMP: No, no, it's a -- it's really just cumulative stories over the last two years. REPORTER: Are you trying to intimidate the press from doing their job?
TRUMP: No, no, no, no. I dislike dishonest press, like you. I think you're terrible. But I dislike dishonest -- I like to see honest press.
I mean, there's something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories. Now, if they want to write them, that's fine, but I don't have to let them into my -- into the People's House.
Oh, the ban on the -- on the free press. Right? A very simple ban. I don't want them in my office. I don't want them here. I would say the ban would go as far as you can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Both Trump administrations have tried repeatedly to ban reporters from the White House and other government properties, and they have lost several cases that have gone to court. Others are still pending.
In a statement tonight, a spokesperson for CNN said: CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally protected right.
We begin tonight with CNN's Senior White House Correspondent, Kristen Holmes.
Kristen, you're still there at the White House. What's the status of the ban?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, we still don't know what exactly this ban looks like.
And I do want to point out that one of the questions was very specific about the logistics of this ban because there are a lot of different components to covering the White House. One, we all have press badges, we have security clearances. Is that what they're talking about in terms of the ban?
But also, we are part of the larger TV pool, which means all of the different networks take a turn on a rotation, going through and providing coverage for everybody who is a member of the pool. Which is why sometimes I am in there asking questions of the President, and sometimes, like today, there are other networks in there asking questions of the President.
We were not meant to be pooled today, tomorrow, or on Sunday. So, it's unclear if that anything is shifting there. Neither were those other outlets. So again, it seems as though that will remain. But we are still here on the grounds and doing our work. And it was interesting, President Trump seemed to indicate that he didn't really care what happened in terms of this ban legally because, he was pressed on the fact that every time he tried to do something against the press, it has been overturned. And he said whether it survives or it doesn't, and then kind of talked about, again, how he doesn't like the fact that people are giving negative coverage. And that was really what it was about, Brianna, was lamenting the fact that at one point, he said he doesn't get fair press. He said Biden got better press.
But again, we are still waiting for any kind of indication of what this means moving forward.
KEILAR: All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you for that report.
I want to bring in my top White House and legal sources. We have:
Bloomberg's Jeff Mason.
Axios media correspondent, Sara Fischer.
Former federal prosecutor, Shan Wu.
And President Trump's former White House press secretary from his first term, Stephanie Grisham, author of the book, "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in the Trump White House."
Stephanie, you say you called this in your book. Why?
[21:05:00]
STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well because, in Trump one, in the first administration, I was actually, as press secretary, tasked with getting the press corps off the White House grounds. He had me looking at places that they could go that were off the White House grounds because he wanted everybody kicked out, not just the few that you guys are dealing with right now. I'm sure it'll get bigger but.
So, that was my job. And he would remember it randomly, and I would just say, I'm still working on it, there's a lot to go through with legal, and I would just kind of push it off and push it off and stall him, and then obviously I never completed that task.
But that's something that I knew was going to happen, watching him and the way he's just tearing down East Wing, and doing whatever he wants. He clearly feels very, very empowered right now. So, it didn't surprise me at all.
KEILAR: Do you think there's anyone in the White House right now, kind of performing that role or telling him he can't do this?
GRISHAM: It sure doesn't seem like it. I was hopeful that somebody like Susie Wiles or Dan Scavino would be there doing it. And maybe they are, I don't know. But it seems like he has really surrounded himself with sycophants and doesn't have the guardrails that we kind of had in Trump 1.0. And so, I think everybody's laughing and thinking it's a great idea.
But, as always, he's missed it, the point. The economy is terrible. I live in the Midwest, and I can't tell you how many farmers and people who drive water trucks and big equipment are suffering. And people can't afford groceries.
And people don't care that the White House isn't -- or that the press can't be on the White House grounds because they're suffering, and he's not doing anything, but these silly projects and these silly little vanity issues that he's doing.
And so, once again, it's just it's not good. It doesn't look good. He's so out of touch, and he's melting down.
KEILAR: Yes, they care about the price of diesel. It affects them very big.
Jeff, have you learned anything about this, though? How White House officials might approach this? What it would entail? When it might start?
JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, BLOOMBERG: No. I think all those are the right questions to ask.
I think we can look at what he's done before, and look and see what others in the administration have done, at the Pentagon. I mean, he's -- just in the last few weeks, the President or the Treasury Department, I should say, part of the President's administration, banned Bloomberg News, Wall Street Journal, and a reporter from The New York Times from attending a meeting of finance ministers.
So, this is consistent with something that the President and his team have been doing for a while. But it's the first time during this term that he has threatened or said he's going to ban people from the White House complex. And that's just the question: Is it the complex? Is it the Oval Office? Is it Air Force One? Is it all of those things? And he was pressed on that today, and he said, he wants all of them. There is precedents for some of that, that will be easier for him to do legally, and some of it that will be harder.
KEILAR: Shan, talk to us about what he can do legally and how this would hold up in court.
SHAN WU, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, FORMER COUNSEL TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, there is no fake news exception to the First Amendment. So, that's the basic issue.
It's a no-brainer it's a First Amendment violation because he is not saying, I'm going to ban all the press, there's some national security concern, something like that. He is quite specific, saying I want to selectively discriminate on the basis of viewpoint. That's what the problem is constitutionally. That's what makes it illegal.
He can't just say, I don't like these people -- which he actually says -- I don't like their viewpoints. I don't like being criticized. Therefore, they can't exercise their First Amendment rights. KEILAR: Yes, Sara, he knows it's an uphill climb, right? So, what is the message that he's trying to send? Because that is what this is, I guess, really about too.
SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST, MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: That he's not concerned about the law. That he's above the law. That's the broader message.
And then, anytime he's targeting the press, there's an effort to intimidate the press. And anytime you're trying to intimidate the press, you're doing that because you know that they are -- you're hoping that they're not going to press you on as tough of coverage, and this is especially true for smaller outlets.
These are bigger outlets that he's targeting, but there's always a concern that if you're a smaller outlet, you can't, like the AP did, fight back and file a lawsuit. That takes a lot of resources.
I think with the AP lawsuit, which for those that don't remember, that was filed last year. It's a really good example of why Donald Trump thinks he has a lot of wiggle room. That suit was filed early last year. It's still in the legal process. So, he has a lot of time to be able to sort of do as he wishes, while these cases are being litigated, and I think he knows that, and he plays that to his strengths.
KEILAR: Yes, and Stephanie, I wonder if you believe that this ban was not triggered by one particular story, but that it is just cumulative, as Trump indicated.
GRISHAM: I think it's absolutely. I mean, he has had an epically bad couple of weeks, when you consider the Iran war, SCOTUS pushing back on voting, on the Kennedy Center the court's pushing back there, interest rates went up. I mean, I could go on and on. You all know what's going on.
[21:10:00]
So, I think he just saw the last -- it's whatever story he saw was the last one, and he decided to post something on social media. That's how he is. He doesn't really think before he does. He expect -- he does, and then he expects everybody around him to just make it work.
So, I imagine he's going to double down. And Jeff said that you don't know if it's going to be just the Oval or just the grounds. I think he's going to try to kick everybody off the grounds. I imagine that if CNN or MS NOW or any of the outlets that he is targeting right now were to leave those press passes or the -- the security badges are going to be turned off.
So, I imagine it's going to be that, it's going to go into litigation. Your other guest was exactly right. He knows that it gives him time while you're in litigation to be doing what he wants to do and having his friendly press in there that will make him happier.
KEILAR: Yes. Shan, how does his reasoning for this affect what he can do in court -- what he's -- sort of spelled out for why he wants to do this, that it's just cumulative, basically.
WU: Yes, his reasoning really hurts any legal arguments they might try to make because he makes it so plain. It's cumulative. He's really frustrated. He doesn't like the coverage. And that's why he's doing it.
If he had some more lawyered-up analysis or explanation of why he thinks certain people, for example, certain viewpoints, are a problem, for example, in the security of the White House, that would be different.
I mean, another slightly older case now was when Jim Acosta got kicked out, and they used -- and they're all going to use -- there's a D.C. Circuit case from the 1970s, Cheryl versus Wright (ph), and basically the rule is that once you let the press in, you can't -- it's not that you can't ever let them not come in again, but once you let them in, you can't selectively say, only certain people can continue to stay here, and that's the heart of this problem.
KEILAR: Jeff, you've actually -- you've been targeted by the President for asking some tough questions. Let's take a look here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASON: The question, sir, was what did you want President Zelenskyy to do about Vice President Biden and his son Hunter?
TRUMP: Are you talking to me?
MASON: Yes. It was just a follow-up of what I just asked you, sir.
TRUMP: Listen, listen, are you ready? We have the President of Finland. Ask him a question.
MASON: I have one for him. I just wanted to follow up on the one that I asked you, which was what did you want--
TRUMP: Did you hear me? Did you hear me?
MASON: Yes, sir.
TRUMP: Ask him a question, please.
MASON: I will, but--
TRUMP: I've given you a long answer. Ask this gentleman a question. Don't be rude.
MASON: No, sir. I don't want to be rude. I just wanted you to have a chance to answer the question that I asked you.
TRUMP: I've answered everything. It's a whole hoax, and you know who's playing into the hoax? People like you and the fake news media.
MASON: Your response to people who say that you haven't been transparent enough about this? TRUMP: I haven't been transparent? Really? I've shown--
MASON: That some of your critics feel it should have gone through a review.
TRUMP: --I've shown this to everybody that would listen. Third-rate reporters didn't see it because they didn't look. You're a third-rate reporter, always have been.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Tell us how Trump has treated other outlets and how it has affected coverage.
MASON: Well, he picks on a lot of reporters. There's no question about that. I mean, I'm not the only one. And when he does that, I think it's his way of signaling that he doesn't like a question or he doesn't like to be challenged.
It's -- it doesn't affect our standing up for press freedoms. It doesn't affect our diligence and continuing to ask the questions that matter. But you do have to be able to be in the room to ask those questions. And so, when this is a threat to CNN, a threat to MS NOW and Politico.
And also I will add the wires after the AP lawsuit. It wasn't just AP that got kicked out of the pool; it was Reuters and Bloomberg as well. We still get allowed in, occasionally, but we don't have the daily spot that we used to have. And that access, that ability to be in the room and ask the questions that matter, is how we do our jobs.
KEILAR: Yes, we see it right there, right? We see you doing your job right there.
Sara, Trump was asked today about his threat that there are quote, "Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow."
Let's take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: What do you mean by "others to come" and how is this ban going to work?
TRUMP: Others to come in terms of fake news.
REPORTER: Yes--
TRUMP: Well, look, The New York Times is fake news. Washington Post is fake news. They're crummy papers, both doing very poorly, by the way. But we'll see. We're probably not going to display the paper anymore in the White House, those papers, but we haven't taken the step of throwing them out. But they're fake news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Stephanie is talking about everyone going. That she wouldn't be surprised if that happened.
FISCHER: I would. I would be surprised.
KEILAR: You would -- you would be surprised, just--
FISCHER: Donald Trump loves the camera. Like, this is the thing with the AP. He wasn't letting reporters in while this case is being litigated, but he likes the photographers. Same thing with the cable nets. Same thing with the broadcast nets.
He's not going to ban the cameras, Brianna. I'm telling you that. So, I am pretty hopeful that news media will get to stay because he likes the camera attention. Remember that famous AP photo of him when he got shot at in Pennsylvania, him being triumphant? That was an AP photographer. So, he knows the power of wires and broadcasters in having access.
[21:15:00]
I do think he is going to try to broaden this, but he does face some serious legal problem because the law, as stated, is that you can't unilaterally target certain outlets, once you've opened up access.
Now, where things stand now with the AP case is you need to figure out that constitutional line between does the president have the unilateral ability to block you from certain spaces, like Air Force One or the Oval Office, versus the whole thing.
But right now, as it stands, he has a very serious uphill battle, if he were to try to expand this, not just to these three outlets, but to everybody.
KEILAR: Stephanie, what do you think about that? That he would want that attention, so he's not going to expand it.
GRISHAM: Oh, she is absolutely right. I mean, she is absolutely right that he couldn't handle not having a camera around, but -- and I should have been clear. I think -- he'll let the friendlies stay. He's not going to just wipe everyone out, but I believe he will let the friendlies stay.
Perhaps a pool camera, but he won't let any of the reporters in. A pool camera, of course, being the one camera that does everything for all the networks, all the main TVs. And so, he'll maybe let the cameras stay, but he won't let the reporters in because he doesn't want those hard questions. That is my prediction.
He's going to double down. There's no way he's going to back off after he did what he did today.
KEILAR: All right, we'll see where this fight goes.
Stephanie Grisham. Jeff Mason. Sara Fischer. Shan Wu. Thank you so much to all of you.
And up next. An exclusive CNN report: how the military used AI for a false intelligence report that one source says almost started a war.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: In CNN exclusive reporting, an AI-assisted U.S. intelligence report, in the words of one source, Almost started a war.
Multiple sources say the U.S. military had planes in the air and armed service members ready to board a Chinese ship, all based on a false intel report that claimed the ship was in the Middle East, transporting components of a nuclear weapons program. The whole episode playing out this spring in the midst of the war with Iran.
An analyst relied on a chatbot to determine what the ship was carrying. Sources say the analyst then used AI, again, to produce a standard intelligence report, trusted by military officials, and then disseminated it.
At the core of this narrowly-avoided incident are tools the Trump administration has raced to integrate at every level of the military.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: This strategy will unleash experimentation, eliminate bureaucratic barriers, focus on investments, and demonstrate the execution approach needed to ensure we lead in military AI.
I mean, it's AI first with everything that we do, integrating it at every potential echelon, to ensure we can respond faster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: My source on this is CNN Military Analyst, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.
Colonel, great to have you on this.
When I first saw this headline, I thought, well, maybe the silver lining is that this didn't happen. But if you dig into the details, the real case here is that it almost did. Right? You had right before launching the operation, officials realizing that AI was used in creating the report and that it was wrong. This was so close.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): It really was so close, Brianna. And this is what's so dangerous about this because people will always want to use shortcuts to get the job done, and especially if there's a lot of time pressure.
So, you have an intel analyst, probably a junior intel analyst, who is looking at all the different materials and then thinking, OK, I need to make sure I've got information that I can get to the boss and to the entire command that he's working for, he or she. And in this particular case, the inputs seem to have been totally erroneous. And this is a real problem with these AI tools. You still need real analysis, in order to figure out exactly what's happening, to make sure that the data that you're using in these AI tools is actually, first of all, true, and secondly, if it's plausible. And those are the kinds of things that really require a lot of time, as an intel analyst, to figure out. Especially if you're looking at a target for the first time, you really need to learn that target, and you have to do it yourself, and you can't rely on these tools to do it for you.
KEILAR: This could have spiraled into a war?
LEIGHTON: I think it's possible, certainly a type of conflict. And it takes me back to, back in 1999, when we inadvertently bombed the embassy in Belgrade, the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. We didn't intend to do that, but we had wrong targeting information.
And then you go into more recent events. We had several events in Afghanistan, several events in Iraq. But definitely in Iran with the school at Minab, where at least 156 people were killed in that very tragic accident. That's as far as we know, without using AI tools, to handle the targeting for those particular missions.
And if the humans make these mistakes, can you imagine how bad it can get if you use tools, if you rely on these tools too much in order to get the job done? You want to be real careful with that, and that's the real problem.
KEILAR: So, here's what Secretary Hegseth told Congress, back in April, about how the military is using AI.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JACKY ROSEN (D-NV): I want you to confirm that whether or not there will always be a human in the loop when AI is used in a kill chain for lethal targeting decisions. Will there always be a human in a loop or will AI make the decision?
HEGSETH: We follow--
ROSEN: You said this to--
HEGSETH: We follow the law and humans make decisions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:25:00]
KEILAR: OK. Was AI used, as Hegseth said it would be, but to potentially disastrous effects, or was AI used incorrectly? Can you tell here?
LEIGHTON: My judgment, based on what we know so far, is that it was probably used incorrectly. So, that points to several different possibilities, possibly lack of training, lack of familiarity with the tool. The problem that we do have to say would have really resulted in a major catastrophe, as if the tool had been allowed to operate autonomously. That would have been a real problem. Apparently what happened is humans did get involved in this and they stopped this from becoming a real disaster, and we didn't have an incident with China that could have really resulted not only in casualties but also in a potential long-range conflict with them.
KEILAR: OK. So, if someone's always going to take a shortcut, I mean, realistically, what does the Pentagon need to put in place here, for how AI is used. And safeguards. Knowing that humans are humans, they're going to use a tool, maybe in a way they shouldn't. What do they need to put in place?
LEIGHTON: Yes, there are several things that have to be done. First of all, there has to be a lot of supervisory control, especially when these tools are so new. You have to get in there and figure out not only what the tools can do, but how to properly use those tools.
So, training is going to be critical. Supervisory involvement is going to be critical. Command involvement is going to be critical because it is going to be the commander that has to answer for any mistakes that are made, and that is going to be something that they really have to understand and realize that as part of the kill chain, as the Senator was talking about, these are the kinds of things that have to be ironclad before you go and target anything.
KEILAR: Colonel Leighton, thank you so much for being with us.
LEIGHTON: You bet, Brianna.
KEILAR: Up next. First, it was, give us another chance. And now, Vice President JD Vance is unveiling a new pitch to voters ahead of the midterms.
[21:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: While President Trump keeps telling voters that prices are coming down, his own Vice President is taking a noticeably different approach. In recent days, JD Vance asked voters to give Republicans another chance in November.
And today, in Iowa, he acknowledged there's more work to be done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JD VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I always tell you, ladies and gentlemen, whenever you hear me talk during this midterm campaign, I'll say, Rome was not built in a day. Because we know there's a lot of work to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Rome was actually built over many, many centuries. And that is time that voters who are paying more for groceries and gas and car insurance and utilities and rent and child care do not have. It seems Republicans in tough races may be trying to keep a little distance from the Trump White House.
Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson skipped Vance's rally today. She's locked in a tight Senate race. And this was the Vice President's only mention of it to Iowa voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: First, I want to make it a shout-out to an amazing public servant. I know she couldn't be here today. But are we going to elect Ashley Hinson, the next United States Senator for the great state of Iowa?
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: My sources tonight:
Maria Cardona, CNN Political Commentator and Democratic strategist.
And Rina Shah, geopolitical strategist and Senior Adviser at Our Republican Legacy.
So, Rina. Ashley Hinson, her campaign says she couldn't attend because of previously-scheduled events. We should be fair. This happens a lot. I call it the, I'm washing my hair excuse.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Sure.
KEILAR: But if Republican candidates are not giving the Vice President or the President time, why should voters?
RINA SHAH, GEOPOLITICAL ADVISER & STRATEGIST, SENIOR ADVISER, OUR REPUBLICAN LEGACY: Yes, and similarly, why should voters be mixed up about the messages? The messages is what are conflicting here. And Ashley Hinson knows that Independents are everything to her as well. Now, I know what we're talking about, which part of the country. But when we're talking about the midterms, it does become pretty clear. Messaging resonates and translates directly to turnout.
So, what I'm saying here is that you hear Vance talk about, Don't throw the baby out. OK? That's what he's saying. Then you hear Trump saying, Golden age. Those two messages don't match. There's a mismatch, and Independents hear that mismatch.
And so, what Hinson doesn't want to do, she doesn't want to take that step into the unknown, which is embracing those messages and fearing coming out mismatching herself.
KEILAR: She has a message, though, Maria. She has spoken out against Trump's beef policy. And this week, her campaign released a new ad. It highlights her efforts to reach across the aisle. I mean, couldn't that work to sort of talk about her bipartisan bona fides and localize the race?
CARDONA: No--
KEILAR: Isn't that effective?
CARDONA: It could, except for she first started her political career, saying that she was going with her -- when she started this race, that she was going to be a loyal Trump ally in the Senate.
And so, what I am seeing, in a lot of these races, is that these candidates are, all of a sudden, seeing polling, seeing -- listening to voters, and then they're like switching. Right? It's not -- to me, it's not, You know what? Donald Trump is not doing the right thing for my voters from the get-go. It's completely a political calculation. And that's fine. They're politicians.
[21:35:00]
What is so jaw-dropping to me about this -- and let's face it, sometimes when presidents go to travel or even vice presidents, right? It's happened to Democrats. Sometimes, the candidates don't want them there. But normally, that happens in swing districts, right? This should not be a swing district. This should not be a swing state.
SHAH: Exactly.
CARDONA: This is the problem. That's where Republicans are in such trouble.
And it's happening also in Miami, with Elvira Salazar's district, and she did a whole ad, apparently standing up to Trump. Again, voters are going to look at that and say, You know what, lady? You voted for billions for ICE, and now you're complaining about it? It's way too late.
And that's what Republicans are facing.
KEILAR: OK. Let's talk about that one. Because the President responded today to her because of that ad.
In that ad, she is direct to camera, she addresses President Trump, and she says that Hispanic voters feel betrayed by his immigration agenda.
Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: She obviously doesn't have a very strong feeling for the border, but I do.
No, I'm very strong on the borders, and she isn't. And she's a nice person. I got her elected. Without me, she wouldn't have gotten elected.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: To be clear, Rina, he does still back her, but there is some criticism there.
SHAH: Yes.
KEILAR: And I mean, we know his criticism. He could have been a little more harsh, but that's still a little criticism. Could that actually help her?
SHAH: That's hard to tell because this is a district that Trump won by approximately 15 points, right? And so, this is the first general election ad for her on camera that I'm seeing, like, how is it landing with people? We don't have any really good sense yet with what it's doing for the Rs that were solidly with Trump and might be peeling off right now. Again, the name of the game is to make sure you're retaining that 2024 base.
Now, I think when you're -- you're talking about platform, right? She's just not worrying about that. Because right now, what Republican candidates are being told, it's everything -- everything's about prices, gas, the economy. Just keep it there. She's like, No, let me make this local. And I think that's the most beautiful part of all of this. Is because she's saying, I know what my district wants, and my district doesn't want what you want, Mr. President.
So, he can say, She's here because of me, she survives because of me. He's just saying that because he knows the truth is she's talking directly to constituents. That wins every time.
CARDONA: But here's the problem: her constituents aren't buying it because why? She voted, time and time again, for billions of dollars for ICE, which is what she is now complaining about. Right? It is these billions of dollars that she helped pass. The reason why the immigrants and the Latinos in her community are feeling so attacked. It's the reason why Latinos across the country are now saying, Mr. President, we don't like you. He's negative 66 percent with Latinos across the country.
SHAH: I think--
CARDONA: They helped him get elected.
SHAH: Yes.
CARDONA: And in a district, like you said, this is a plus-15 district. The fact that she's now worried about losing it--
SHAH: Yes. Yes.
CARDONA: --that tells you where Republicans are across--
(CROSSTALK)
SHAH: I wonder, though, don't you think she was quite clear in saying that, I'm for safe borders, making sure they're not porous, but I am not for the way your ICE enforced this. I think that is what came across quite clearly, actually.
CARDONA: Yes, but the problem is when she is somebody who said at the beginning, and she is on camera saying this, I support ICE, I support the deportations, I support the deportations of criminals. This is also something that she brought up.
She is now saying, complaining, that Donald Trump also betrayed her because she believed him, when he said that he was going to deport the criminal, undocumented, the most violent. When in fact, 93 percent of the people that have been detained have zero criminal record. She should have known better.
SHAH: Well--
CARDONA: He talked about mass deportations from day one.
KEILAR: He is saying too now she's softer on the border. So, we'll see what voters think. That's a--
CARDONA: Yes. Yes.
SHAH: Yes.
KEILAR: She's making a calculation. We'll see.
CARDONA: Right.
KEILAR: Maria. Rina. Thank you so much to both of you. Appreciate it.
CARDONA: Thank you, Brianna.
KEILAR: Still ahead. Acclaimed chef David Chang hitting the road with his friends in search of his next great meal. He'll join Kaitlan next, to dish on his all-new CNN Original Series, "The Detour."
[21:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: In the new CNN Original Series, "The Detour," the renowned chef, David Chang is hitting the road across America, looking for his next great meal. And on that road trip, he shares incredible food with new friends, and of course, takes a couple of detours along the way.
Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CHANG, CHEF AND HOST, "THE DETOUR": Let's define a road trip. How long does it have to be? I'm going to suggest the road trip has to be longer than a really long movie. It's got to be longer than like "Godfather II." CORD JEFFERSON, AMERICAN WRITER AND DIRECTOR: I agree with that.
CHANG: Anything less is a day excursion.
JEFFERSON: Yes. How much caffeine does this have in it versus a Red Bull?
CHANG: Don't worry about it. Let your heart guide you. Get in a flow state. Trust your surroundings.
JEFFERSON: This is incredible.
I'm just taking whatever is given to me. I think added to road trip rules is like saying, yes. Just trying new things, like just going down unexplored paths, following some poor advice from some stranger that you meet.
CHANG: And the reason I go to Las Vegas, it just is a whole different world that follows its own rules. And there's a little-known fact. They're handing out free money there.
JEFFERSON: You just got to be willing. You got to be brave enough to take it.
CHANG: Exactly. Sometimes that free money only happens when you lose some money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:45:00]
COLLINS: And David Chang joins me now.
Did you really have no set schedule for this trip?
CHANG: Well, I didn't. The crew that produced the show spent a lot of time crafting a schedule, and I told them, when we started filming, I am not going to listen to any of this. So, yes.
COLLINS: And how did they take that?
CHANG: You know, it was weird for them to treat it like a sunk cost, but we got there.
COLLINS: Why was that important for you, though, to just kind of -- I mean because, I guess that is the essence of a road trip that you were just kind of going and stopping when you want and going where it takes you.
CHANG: Yes, of course we had like a general frame, and you can't really do a show unless you have an outline. But I wanted to make sure that we filmed something that was honest, an accurate portrayal of trying to sort of not be off the grid, but just find food and find out things like it was before the smartphone and before all the--
COLLINS: You could map out and see where the next great place was. CHANG: Yes, just talking to people and just sort of following your gut.
COLLINS: And when you had those moments, where you found a great place or a great meal, did that make it sweeter because of how you found it?
CHANG: You know, I don't want this to sound like a platitude, but it wasn't -- it wasn't really about the food, oftentimes. It was like meeting the people along the way. Certainly, the food was fantastic. But we did have quite a few bad meals too. But the bad meals aren't bad meals when you're like exploring--
COLLINS: Yes.
CHANG: --and it's -- it is the journey for sure, yes.
COLLINS: And that is, I guess, kind of how you find great meals, is that you're eating a lot. I mean, not every meal is going to be incredible.
CHANG: Well, it used to be. And I think, right now, I'm guilty of it just as much as anybody else, where you look at a list and you get sort of transfixed on the best of and this hyperbolic sort of thing, and you can get lazy not trying to--
COLLINS: Yes.
CHANG: --sort of discover things on your own.
COLLINS: Yes, letting other people kind of do it for you.
CHANG: Yes.
COLLINS: Was there anything, as you were doing the show, that surprised you?
CHANG: Surprised me is I can't eat as much or travel as much as I used to, but I haven't had a road trip in a long time, probably since college, like a real road trip.
COLLINS: Yes.
CHANG: And to do six different road trips was a lot of fun. And I got two young boys at home, so the prospect of a road trip actually seems like a nightmare most of the time. So, this was a lot of fun. I really enjoy driving around.
COLLINS: How much time did you spend in the car?
CHANG: Oh my gosh, each city was probably about a week, so we drove quite a bit.
COLLINS: And what was it like for you being back in the car? I mean, I actually just did a road trip over the weekend, and it kind of transported me back to my childhood. I was thinking about this. It was also right after Dolly Parton had passed. We used to do a lot of road trips growing up, going to Dollywood. I mean, there is something special about being in the car and just kind of stopping whenever you want.
CHANG: And Cord Jefferson, who was in that clip, saying yes to everything, right?
COLLINS: Yes.
CHANG: Trying out foods that you would never try before, or eating some convenience store snack food that you wanted to try, or going out for some kind of crazy expedition.
So, having the freedom, and I think that's what a road trip means to me: is deciding whatever it is that you want to do, and no one else is going to decide that other than yourself.
COLLINS: Did you have a favorite place that you stopped at?
CHANG: See, this is going to get me in trouble because they were all great. Really. I don't want to sound like a politician saying that.
COLLINS: What stands out a little?
CHANG: The one city that sort of exceeded my expectations, and I think about, was Pittsburgh. I'd been there once many years ago, and it was awesome. It was -- the food was great, the people were great. You have three football -- you have football, hockey, and baseball, right in the city, and really cool architecture, right, culture, and--
COLLINS: The bridges are amazing in Pittsburgh.
CHANG: Lots of bridges, three rivers, and some of the best food I've had in a long time. And it just seemed like a really cool city. And I love San Antonio as well. I love all the cities.
COLLINS: Yes.
CHANG: But Pittsburgh was the one place I had never been before, and that was a lot of fun.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, when you look back on that, had you planned your trip to Pittsburgh out expertly, do you think you would have had the same itinerary that you ended up having for the show?
CHANG: Well, probably not. But you do need a guide. So, sometimes we would go to a city with somebody that had a lot of knowledge.
COLLINS: Yes.
CHANG: And I went with actress Gillian Jacobs, who was born and raised. So, she gave us some good pointers. But it was also just like an incomplete version because you can't know everything about a city, and she moved to L.A. a long time ago. So, it was a -- it was fun getting different perspectives from people that grew up in those places. COLLINS: Yes because, they have such a vested interest in -- I mean, I feel this way when people ask me for recommendations in like, Montgomery, Alabama, or Tuscaloosa. I really put a lot of effort into making sure the places that I went as a kid are still there or what they're -- what they're like. Because you want to make sure that you could give people, what really represents where they're from, and as they could have the best Pittsburgh experience, best Montgomery experience, or what have you.
[21:50:00]
CHANG: And that was important to me, is to sort of see the different sides of what a city could be to people that grew up there. So, that was a lot of fun. And sort of similar when we went down to -- we didn't plan on going to Miami, but the comedian, Eric Andre, sort of like really did say, OK, we're not going to do anything that you guys planned on. We didn't have no intention of going to Miami, and that's what we did. Yes.
COLLINS: Good Cuban food?
CHANG: Great Cuban food. Really great Haitian food.
COLLINS: Yes.
CHANG: Great rum.
COLLINS: Well -- David Chang, I can't wait to watch it. Thank you for joining us tonight.
CHANG: Thanks, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Be sure to tune in to see the all-new CNN Original Series, "The Detour with David Chang." It premieres Sunday, 09:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And coming up. We'll give you a behind-the-scenes look at this week in Washington.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:55:00]
KEILAR: A surprise call to impeach the Secretary of Defense. The President's $5,000 promise. And the future of the Kennedy Center. Here's a behind the scenes look at Kaitlan's week in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: Hopefully, we're toward the end of the war. Iran is very much wanting to make a deal. We'll see how that works out.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Monday, September 14. JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: If Trump's Truth Social posts are any indication, he's really fired up about AI today, and he doesn't want to do anything to regulate it.
COLLINS: This is as we are seeing some elected officials say that there needs to at least be discussions around this. But the highest- ranking elected official certainly doesn't feel that way. He actually feels the exact opposite. If Democrats and Republicans do come together, the person who would be signing that bill is the President.
Thanks, guys. Let's do it again tomorrow.
We start with major breaking news tonight, as the Supreme Court has just rejected President Trump's controversial plan to change how mail ballots are sent to voters across this country.
What's your reaction to what you're hearing from the court tonight?
REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): This is clearly unconstitutional, and would clearly cause complete chaos in the elections.
President Trump's in unprecedented territory. And really undermining the basis of our representative democracy.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Tuesday, September 15.
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth, has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law.
TODD BLANCHE, ATTORNEY GENERAL: We want to make sure that there is safe voting and that there is integrity.
President Trump's efforts to make sure that we have free and fair elections are not going to stop in November or after.
COLLINS: Good evening, on what has been one of the busier days here in Washington of late.
On the checks.
I think people just don't think it's realistic--
SEN. BERNIE MORENO (R-OH): And again, I know that Democrats--
COLLINS: because they keep getting the promise of checks, and they don't get the checks.
MORENO: My top priority: make certain that we keep that promise and we deliver $5,000 to every American citizen.
COLLINS: The Kennedy Center has closed its doors tonight, just a few hours after President Trump called into the Performing Arts Center's board meeting.
A source described the call as effing crazy. REP. JOYCE BEATTY (D-OH): I think it would be unthinkable for someone to hear a president using the language that he used.
He threw a tantrum.
I looked to the board and said, Are we really going to do this? This is very unprofessional.
COLLINS: What do you think happens next here with these articles of impeachment?
MASSIE: They will try to avoid having a vote.
This could become a nuclear war. And in the interim, even if it doesn't, there are civilian casualties.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Wednesday, September 16.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Starting a two-minute countdown now.
TAPPER: Trump has been telling voters to pretend he's on the ballot. I mean, he has like a 38 percent approval rating.
COLLINS: Republicans who don't have a great approval rating either right now might say, Actually, please don't pretend he's on the ballot.
So, the question really is how it's going to work for them this time, given the Iran war, given inflation, given interest rates.
They do realize this is an uphill battle, but they still want to have the President out there fighting it.
TRUMP: Hello, North Carolina.
COLLINS: Pennsylvania actually reported its fourth measles-related death this year.
Who do you hold responsible?
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): I blame RFK and people like him.
I think RFK is doing great destruction in this country by stoking this vaccine skepticism.
COLLINS: House Speaker, Mike Johnson, has sent lawmakers home for a seven-week recess early.
Do you believe that it was because of your introduction of those articles of impeachment?
MASSIE: I know it was.
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. ON SCREEN TEXT: Thursday, September 17.
COLLINS: They say that a picture is worth a 1,000 words, but this one only needed three, to set off a frantic late-night flurry of legal action in the battle that is now playing out over the future of the Kennedy Center.
When you look at what the President's looking at, last night, on Air Force One, do you believe he's laying the groundwork to knock down the Kennedy Center?
[22:00:00]
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): This is all about his ego, and he's obsessing over it.
He's not obsessing over making health care affordable, lowering gas prices. All the issues that the American people are. This is what we are talking about tonight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Thank you so much for joining us.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
