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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: A.I. Models Acting Deceptively; White House May Hold A.I. Meeting on Sidelines of Xi Visit; U.S. Charges Five in Alleged Russian Murder-For-Hire Plots; Canada Welcomes E.U. Associate Membership Invitation; How Higher Fed Rates Will Affect U.S. Consumers; Trump Dealing with Multiple Political Challenges This Month; Nepal's Climate Catastrophe. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired September 17, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton in New York. You are
watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, more A.I. fears. OpenAI reveals six new instances of deeply troubling A.I. behavior. Some countries don't seem too bothered.
We'll explain that. Plus, a tough week for U.S. President Donald Trump. As the clock ticks down to the midterm election, can his Republican Party
bounce back? And a new report on Nepal outlines what caused the catastrophe. And clearly here we will hear how to prevent a future one.
We do begin though now with new incidents raising safety concerns over A.I. OpenAI says it observed six more cases where its models took deceptive or
unauthorized actions during training and evaluation. Now, one model summarized its tasks with what OpenAI called jailbreak-like instructions.
The model literally told itself that it was freed from the roles that bind other chatbots. In another case, a model made up information to hide its
mistakes. And a third uploaded its own file to the internet without permission so it could meet a request to cite a web source.
Now, these disclosures follow OpenAI's revelation this summer that its models hacked Hugging Face, an open-source A.I. platform. Concern about
A.I. safety led Britain's King Charles to invite industry leaders to a summit in Scotland. He urged them to find ways of controlling the
technology before it's too late.
Attendees included NVIDIA CEO Jensen Wang and Google DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENSEN HUANG, CEO, NVIDIA: This is no different than, you know, an omelet is not ready to be released or a car is not ready to be released. An
airplane engine not ready to be released. You should properly test it. You have rigorous testing systems. The testing labs should be contained and
products should not be released to the public until it's ready to be used by the public. And that's engineering, good old fashion engineering.
DEMIS HASSABIS, FOUNDER, GOOGLE DEEPMIND: This is a very new technology and there are a lot of unknowns and uncertainties. And there are things
that even the top scientists in the field don't fully understand yet about it.
And I have to say, the chance of something bad accidentally happening if we get things wrong is definitely non-zero. So, we should take these risks
very seriously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Technology journalist Jacob Ward is a CNN contributor and host of the "Rip Current" podcast. Good to see you. Listen, we have heard a lot
about the problem here. And even if many of us don't understand it in an intricate way, we can understand that there needs to be a solution.
So, given everything that we've heard, everything new that we have heard in the last week or so, where do you believe the solution lies here?
JACOB WARD, CNN CONTRIBUTOR AND HOST, "THE RIP CURRENT" PODCAST: Oh, man, Paula, way to put me on the spot at the very top of your show. What a
difficult question that is.
NEWTON: We mean business here. I am sick and tired of it, OK? I am old. We have gone through nuclear deterrence. We have a security architecture.
WARD: I know.
NEWTON: Gentlemen, women, get it together. So, please, speak. I'm sorry to interrupt.
WARD: I really -- I love the temerity of looking for solutions here. And I think it's a really smart thing to be doing. I mean, so where we're at
certainly is far beyond the realm of jet engines and the testing and engineering that goes into those, right? Because as Demis Hassabis says
there, you know, we don't even know like if the jet engine is going to turn left or right at any given moment.
At this time, even the makers of these systems don't fully understand why they make the decisions they do. And so, the fear that the topmost people
of Silicon Valley seem to have of their own product, I think in years past would have inspired incredibly quick movement on the part of, you know, any
governing body.
And so, right now for me, I think one of the things that we're really standing on the precipice of is trying to figure out is there anything like
an international agreement on what we're going to do about this thing?
[18:05:00]
Because right now, one of the things that we have to contend with, Paula, is, you know, next week when Xi Jinping meets with the president in theory
and Scott Bessent is this weekend supposedly meeting with his counterpart from China to talk about A.I. One of the difficulties we have between those
two global superpowers is that they basically think about A.I. in opposite ways.
The Chinese, according to a recent Stanford study, more than 85 percent of Chinese respondents to the survey found that they were really into A.I.
More good than harm, they said. Whereas in the United States, that number's around 45 percent or lower. So, we have literally opposite attitudes toward
this stuff.
So, when we think about, you know, the old days of negotiating over something like a nuclear deal, that was a case in which everyone could
agree this is a very scary thing and we need to get it under control. We're not in that world right now.
And so, I think one of the first steps that we're all going to have to deal with certainly is some sort of oversight, some sort of federal regulatory
oversight. We have zero federal A.I. law at the moment whereas China's been putting big laws into place since 2022. And so, clearly, you know, the fact
that Congress has gone home just as these people are literally waving their hands and saying, please regulate us, I think that's the first problem
we're going to have to get around here, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. And you've described so well certainly the difference between what is going on in the United States and perhaps other democracies as well
and what is going on in the state-controlled China and how they dealt with A.I.
But I'm wondering about how you parse the disparity between the companies as well because we have heard so many differing opinions from people who
are really on the cutting edge of all of this and hold a lot of power right now.
WARD: Yes. We certainly have. I mean, I think one common element that unites all of them, and I've been covering these guys for 20 plus years at
this point, is they're a little bit like a college freshman who's just come home from their first semester, they're home for winter break, and they
say, mom, dad, did you know about this guy named Marx? Did you know that capitalism is exploiting everybody? You know, it's the sort of freshman's
command of these very old, very fundamental problems. And so, you have these tech leaders at a company like Anthropic or at a company like OpenAI.
I've literally sat in a room with the leaders of those companies saying things like, we're just going to use A.I. to poll the world as to what they
would like in terms of governance, and we'll use A.I. to synthesize their answers, and that's how we'll figure out how everyone's going to be
governed from now on. You know, it's literally college freshman kind of thinking when it comes to this stuff.
And so, what I think everyone's running headlong into is, wow, the world is so much more complicated than I thought. Oh, wow, these problems, like not
just the question of whether this stuff is going to wipe us out, but, you know, are our brains ready to contend with a system that seems to know it
all and is willing to do all of our work for us? What effect is that going to have on us as a society? These guys have never really thought about that
stuff, certainly have not spent, you know, a PhD on it.
And so, I think we're just at the very beginning of these guys having thrown this technology together and just starting to figure out the
implications of it. And for me, it's that gap that we're starting to see very quickly. And once upon a time, I would have said it would be up to
government to make that happen. Unfortunately, of course, we have a president right now who doesn't seem to be very interested in that.
NEWTON: Well, we will see. Certainly, a lot of people say that there are other people in the Trump administration that are on top of this. You've
given us a lot to think about, Jacob Ward, thanks so much, and you're a good sport.
WARD: Thanks, Paula.
NEWTON: Those were good answers. Thanks so much. Now, as you just heard Jacob say, unlike in the U.S., concerns about A.I. safety have drawn less
public attention in China. CNN's Mike Valerio now spoke to some people in Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You don't think China should slow down?
ZUO SHENG, A.I. DEVELOPER (through translator): I don't think so.
VALERIO: Tell me why.
SHENG: And I think we don't think so.
VALERIO: Tell me why. Tell me more.
SHENG (through translator): The general consensus is that China still lags behind the U.S. in A.I., whether in foundation models, real-world
applications, or cutting-edge agent technology. So, we are largely in a position of catch-up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think we should actually accelerate our A.I. efforts and boost our overall competitiveness. We
should encourage everyone to embrace A.I.
SHI HONGHAO, BEIJING TOURIST (through translator): It feels like an unstoppable force. After all, look at me, I'm over 50 and I use A.I. too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, a recent survey by Morgan Stanley shows that 80 percent of Chinese respondents use A.I. at least weekly. That's far exceeding the 54
percent in the U.S. I want you to listen now to CNN's Fareed Zakaria and his conversation with Microsoft A.I. CEO Mustafa Suleyman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, FAREED ZAKARIA GPS: Do you think that we have to get China on board, and is that possible? Because it does strike me that
A.I. safety is an area where there would be some agreement, and I can't imagine the Chinese Communist Party wanting rogue A.I. that can go, you
know, break into government databases or hack their way into, you know, into various systems. You know, an A.I. with clear human control seems to
me to the benefit of all human beings.
MUSTAFA SULEYMAN, CEO, MICROSOFT A.I.: Yes, completely. I mean, I don't think we should use China as the bogeyman for not making progress on our
own efforts.
[18:10:00]
If China's cars crash into one another because they don't have the appropriate regulations and safety, that's their issue. Ours should not do
that, and it is certainly true that there is going to be at some point a clash.
You know, our collective A.I. efforts do intersect, and of course we want them to sign up to safety accords, and we want to learn from their best
practices, too, because they're very capable. And so, I think we've just got to tone down the adversarial rhetoric between us and them, because
collectively as humanity, we are going to be very deeply interested to ensure that over the next few years, this technology arrives as safely as
possible so we can all get the benefits, and the kinds of incidents that we've seen in the past have different in two or three- or four-years' time
if we don't get this safety question right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, you can watch the full interview on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on Fareed Zakaria GPS.
For more on all of this, we are now joined by Kyle Chan. He's a fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institute. And really
good to speak with you.
You have spoken so much about this for years and really have outlined this as early as this spring for us in terms of the difference between the
United States and China. I want to deal with that first. I'm wondering where you believe China will draw the line here. I mean, you point out that
they are far ahead in terms of its applications with A.I. But also that they've put in safety measures. Do you believe China thinks there should be
some kind of global regulation of this?
KYLE CHAN, JOHN L. THORNTON CHINA CENTER FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: It's an interesting question. And their views are actually changing as the
technology itself changes. So, in the early days, China was focused on one particular set of risks around A.I. that had more to do with content,
political risk, social stability. They were worried about things like deep fakes. And a lot of their legislation, a lot of their rules are around A.I.
labeling, making sure that consumers know when they're watching an A.I.- generated video or when it's the real thing.
But that's starting to change. And I think there's increasing focus, especially within the Chinese government, on larger-scale A.I. risks. And
they're watching very closely what's happening in the U.S.
NEWTON: When you say they're watching very closely, do you believe that they are also troubled by some of the A.I. incidents that we've learned so
much about in the last few months?
CHAN: Absolutely. So, for example, the Hugging Face incident where an open A.I. model accidentally hacked into an American company, that has been
written up and discussed quite a lot in Chinese state media. It is talked about by officials in the government. And it is a sign that the technology
is not fully under our control.
And China with similarly powerful models and similarly capable autonomous agents are also wondering, could this happen with us?
NEWTON: Yes. And it was fascinating that the way they solved that was by using a Chinese model that was open source on the internet. Kyle, I have to
ask you and go back to what I asked so many people when we talk about A.I. now, is that we seem to understand the problem, perhaps not intricately,
but we understand that there are threats.
As far as you're concerned, where is a solution, whether it is China or the U.S. or anywhere else, does everyone just basically have to put on the
brakes here and decide that there are going to be some guardrails, some safety measures before anybody moves forward?
CHAN: I mean, the reality is both countries are sort of groping in the dark trying to figure out how to make the most of A.I., how to use it to
improve their economies, maybe improve things like health care or drug discovery, but also trying to figure out how to deal with these new risks
as they emerge.
And I think part of this is going to entail some set of guardrails in both countries. The question is, can they synchronize their guardrails? In the
case of U.S. A.I. labs, there are some guardrails in place. But if Chinese models can do similar things but don't have the same guardrails, that will
create similar problems for all of us, not just in China.
A bit problem is also non-state actors or other groups. Think about cyber- criminal groups using A.I. models to hack into a hospital system or do a ransomware attack. That's something that nobody wants. Not the U.S. nor
China. And the question is whether we can align somewhat on our regulations so that none of these models can be used for those purposes.
NEWTON: Well, wisdom would tell us there are repercussions whether it is China, the United States or other jurisdictions.
[18:15:00]
Kyle, we have to leave it there for now. But I really appreciate your input and we'll continue to check in with you as in the next few weeks it will be
interesting to see where the U.S. and China land. Thanks so much.
CHAN: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, the U.S. Justice Department is charging five people with allegedly working for Russian intelligence services to carry out targeted
killings around the world including in the United States. The new indictment reveals an alleged murder for hire plot against a prominent
Russian dissident on U.S. soil. CNN's Kara Scannell, has our details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Authorities are calling it a global assassination network. Five people including three high ranking members of
Russian intelligence were charged with murder for hire. Prosecutors allege as recently as last month Russian intelligence recruited a U.S. resident to
surveil a prominent Russian dissident in the Washington D.C. area.
According to the indictment Russian intelligence provided street addresses and gave specific instructions to shoot a video longer than 30 seconds and
with multiple angles. They also offered the person $40,000 to eliminate or murder the dissident and when the U.S. residents declined the intelligence
officials asked if he knew of anyone else to carry out the plan according to the indictment, saying they have people in Mexico but they are delayed.
They men are also facing charges of conspiracy to finance terrorism for their alleged roles and attacks on military and civilian infrastructure in
Prague and Lithuania. Two of Ukraine's allies. They allegedly paid for travel and identified targets as part of those operations. The five men
remain at large and are not in U.S. custody.
Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: To Canada now. Prime Minister Mark Carney says he strongly supports the idea of becoming the first associate member of the E.U. Carney
delivered his address before the European Parliament in France, where he received a rousing reception. He says closer ties with the E.U. will help
strengthen Canada's sovereignty at a time when his country is engaged in a trade war with the United States. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I also want to be precise about what I am not proposing. I'm not proposing a third bloc in order to become a
great power rival only with better manners. We do not seek power to dominate others. On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience so no one, no
one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule
of law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed giving Canada associate membership status on Wednesday, a move that President
Trump says could represent a, quote, hostile act for the United States. The vice premier, the European Parliament's rapporteur on E.U.-Canada relations
explained to our Richard Quest earlier what any new agreement might mean. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOBIAS CREMER, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER, GERMANY: It is something that we are creating right now. It's the first time in history. And basically,
if you want a very short answer, it means how close can you get to the European Union? I mean, how close in lines can you get to the European
Union without being a European country?
And this is what we are trying to do with Canada right now. We are really trying to do something new, something historic, the strongest alliance we
can possibly have, because what we are seeing is that we have the same interests, we have the same values. So, we finally want to get moving on
that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, a new twist on this story. Some on social media have been busy poking some fun at the announcements, as you can imagine people having
a field day on X. Now, the story reported by Politics Global in the U.K. spelling out how the E.U. offered Canada associate member status. Now, you
see it right there. They've replaced a star on the E.U. flag with a maple leaf. Oh, how cute.
That was swiftly followed by a response by the budget airline, Ryanair, simply saying, we still won't be -- we still won't fly there. I want to be
clear. We still won't fly there, they say. Not sure if there's any particular beef with Canada there, or just long-haul flights. Well, that
was followed by a swift retort from Tourism Montreal saying, you're lost, babe. And sealed with a kiss, of course. Glad we all still have our sense
of humor.
Still ahead, the Fed's rate hike and its impact on U.S. consumers. How higher borrowing costs could make it even harder to afford a home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
NEWTON: And welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks rallied with the S&P and NASDAQ rising well over 1 percent. Wall Street
gaining back on losses from Wednesday after the Federal Reserve announced its interest rate hike. Stocks were getting a boost from lower oil prices
as well, a pullback in treasury yields and hopes that the Fed will not raise rates too much further in the months ahead.
That said, the Fed's quarter of a percentage point hike could inflict further pain on the U.S. housing market. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate
you see there has taken its biggest weekly jump in more than a year and is fast closing in on what is a depressing milestone, 7 percent. It's the
fourth weekly rise in mortgage rates in a row at a time when U.S. home sales are already slow.
Now, rate hikes also won't immediately help ease the pain at the pump. The average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. is up 16 cents a gallon from
the same time last week. Diesel fuel prices meantime are near record highs as well, which could fuel, pardon the word, U.S. inflation in the months
ahead.
Elisabeth Buchwald joins me now. It is good to see you, Elisabeth. You have been following this so closely, and I must say I'm a bit of a mortgage geek
myself, even though I don't have one in the United States. It really is a measure of how people are feeling because it leaks into what they can do
with their house, whether they can move or they can't move or they can afford a new home, and also obviously would impact rents in a certain way
as well.
ELISABETH BUCHWALD, CNN ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yes, that's all correct. And you'll have to correct me if I'm wrong on anything. You're the real, real
expert. But what's going on right now is, yes, you're seeing mortgage rates tick higher, and part of that is a reflection of the 10-year treasury.
So, not to geek out too much here, but mortgage rates here, the fixed rates at least, they track the 10-year. And it's not a one-to-one relationship,
but typically when the 10-year goes up, you'll see mortgage rates go up. And what's going on with the 10-year right now is that people are
anticipating further hikes in the future. And Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh certainly added to that yesterday, telling people essentially just that,
that the Fed is going to have to work to clamp down sources of inflation.
NEWTON: Given how much Americans really watch their mortgage rates so closely, it really is leading to a slowdown. Is there any relief in sight
here? Because even when you look at companies like Home Depot or Lowe's in this country, it has been sluggish. It's been tough going out there.
[18:25:00]
BUCHWALD: Relief, if people have been praying for that for a while, so many people are scratching their heads, hitting walls, saying, you know,
why didn't I just get that house during the pandemic when rates were so much lower? And that's when people were, to your point, heading to Home
Depot and Lowe's and doing all those home improvement projects. It's tough to say.
The biggest reason why a lot of people aren't homeowners right now, one is, as we're talking about now, yes, the mortgage rates, they haven't really
come down despite rate hikes. But then you're also seeing the housing supply issue. So, if supply isn't keeping up with the demand, that's still
going to boost prices higher.
NEWTON: Yes. And so, many people in so many urban centers have been stuck in this scenario. And again, as you just pointed out, not much relief in
sight right now. Elisabeth Buchwald, thank you so much for sticking with us as we continue to watch those Fed moves. Appreciate it.
Now, checking some of today's other business headlines, the Bank of England announcing it's holding interest rates steady. That's despite recent hikes
from the U.S. Fed that we just discussed and European Central Bank. It was a split decision with three members voting to raise rates due to rising
inflation. The head of the BOE is leaving open the possibility of a rate hike soon.
The Bank of Japan is set to deliver its interest rate decision in just a few hours from now. It is expected to raise rates by a quarter of a
percentage point to a 31 year high of one and a quarter percent. BOJ is also expected to signal it's ready for more hikes.
The Wall Street Journal says Exxon Mobil could begin doing business in Venezuela again. The paper reports the U.S. oil giant is close to signing a
preliminary deal on new investments in Venezuelan oil fields. Exxon exited Venezuela nearly two decades ago. The White House is pressing for its
return after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro.
OK. Coming up after the break, sweet sorrow in September. We're less than seven weeks from U.S. midterms and President Trump has suffered some major
setbacks, a few victories, too. We'll see what this means as we head into November. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Paula Newton. Here are the international headlines we are watching today.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the E.U. will disperse $3.8 billion to Ukraine so it can acquire missiles and drones. In
a post on X, she said she had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the disbursement during Wednesday's State of the European
Union speech. Von der Leyen said the E.U. must continue applying pressure on Russia to weaken its war machine.
Houthi rebels have now released a video of what they say is the wreckage of a Saudi F-15 fighter jet and claim they shot it down over Yemen. Houthis
say the US-built jet was downed with a surface-to-air missile as it conducted what they called hostile operations. Saudi Arabia has not
commented. It's unknown what happened to the jet fighter's crew.
Now, the Trump administration says it will allow a core delegation from Iran to attend next week's U.N. General Assembly. The group would include
President Masoud Pezeshkian. The State Department says the Iranian delegation will face restrictions on travel and the purchase of luxury
goods separately. The U.S. says it has denied a visa to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
A U.S. federal judge is taking steps to prevent the Kennedy Center in Washington from being demolished. The judge has ordered the art center to
provide 30 days' notice before any demolition or major construction happens. It comes amid talk that President Trump might try to tear down the
center before his name was ordered removed from the building.
Now, I want you to have a look at this. This photo of the president on Air Force One appears to show him looking at a poster with the words, Kennedy
Center Demolished. We should note, Congress has allocated roughly $250 million to renovate the center, a memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
President Trump says it will cost more and he's been adamant that he wants his name added to the building.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Kristen Holmes is at the White House for us. You've been following this so closely and there have been changes today. But can you fill us in
as well about what that photo was all about?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're still trying to get answers on that. We did get a response from the White House,
but it was very generic. It didn't actually say why he was looking at these giant posters. It just said that Democrats ran the Kennedy Center into the
ground. So, again, a very general response there.
But there has been an escalating war, both legally and politically, over the Kennedy Center. And the reason why this last ruling that you just
talked about or this order of this judge saying that the Kennedy Center or the Trump administration had to give 30 days notice, that is because of
what had happened before this, which is essentially a filing from the administration saying that the center was going to be closed for at least a
week or roughly a week because it was incredibly dangerous inside. They cited flooding. They said that there were life-threatening circumstances.
They need to get it inside and fix some of that.
Well, at the same time, you have a Democratic representative, Joyce Beatty, who is on the Kennedy Center board. And she filed and her team filed
basically trying to stop them, stop the administration from shutting down the Kennedy Center, citing that it was possibly going to be a slippery
slope, that what you were going to see was instead of actually just shutting it down and doing this kind of main repairs, that this might turn
into a snowball effect and then be President Trump kind of tearing it down.
And the reason why that was speculated and why they ordered this was because President Trump himself has routinely said recently that he might
rip it down, in particular if his name doesn't go up on the Kennedy Center. So, unclear how serious his threat is here.
But we do know one thing. He seems to care very deeply about his name being on this. And we also know that President Trump is willing to use whatever
leverage he has when he wants to get his way. So, it's possible that he is using this idea of taking down or ripping down the Kennedy Center to hold
over these groups that say and this judge that says that you cannot put your name on this as kind of an attempt for him to try and get his name on
the Kennedy Center.
NEWTON: Yes. And we will stay tuned because the twists and turns are kind of difficult to follow. And many times court orders are not followed
either.
HOLMES: Right.
NEWTON: Thank you for being there at the White House. And we should note, the president is about to sit down in the Rose Garden for a dinner at the
top of the hour. Appreciate it.
[18:35:00]
Now, there has been a cascade of recent setbacks for President Trump. On top of the Kennedy Center and the Iran war, there was the Supreme Court's
decision to block his restrictions on mail-in voting. His $5,000 payment seemed dead in the water after Republican lawmakers distanced themselves
from the idea. And only yesterday, Trump bristled at the Fed's decision to raise rates, not lower them.
And another implied rebuke came from the European Union now proposing associate membership for Canada. And that would be amid its trade war with
the United States. There have also been victories for the president. The Supreme Court allowed work to continue on his ballroom project. And this is
key here. Congress delivered one big win ahead of the midterms, a major Russia sanctions bill that also is giving him sweeping new powers to impose
tariffs.
Former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent joins me now. Good to see you, Charlie. I'm not sure in your home state of Pennsylvania, swing state, I
might add, that they'd be thrilled about new tariffs. I'm wondering how you're seeing the last few weeks, but more importantly, the weeks ahead for
Republicans, given the president is looking more and more isolated.
FMR. REP. CHARLIE DENT (R-PA): Yes, Republicans, they know, are in the fight of their lives. I mean, they're in a very difficult midterm
environment. They know that. And I think they would really like for the president to talk about things that are of front of mind for American
voters, like the cost of everything, inflation, rather than focusing on the Kennedy Center, the ballroom. You name it. Any number of vanity projects,
an unnecessary trade war with Canada, all sorts of things that are not helping Republicans and are, frankly, bad for the country and just show
that there's a detachment from the everyday realities of many Americans.
So, that's, I think, the main concern of Republicans right now who are up for election, particularly in these competitive districts and swing states.
NEWTON: Charlie, why does the president ever seem to listen? He gets good advice, I'm sure.
DENT: I'm sure he does. But, you know, he's you're going to need a therapist to analyze some of this. But, you know, he gets obsessed --
NEWTON: Now, I don't want you to go down that rabbit hole. I'm just saying I'm sure he has people around him saying, look, we are losing. I mean, we
had the vice president basically saying, look, give us two more years. We'll get it done.
DENT: Yes. Look, it just seems to me that he just gets simply obsessed on certain issues and can't get off them. He likes building things. We know
that. And that's why he's so focused on the ballroom and the arch and these other projects, rather than I just don't get the sense that he's really
that interested in in the in the hard policy never has been.
And that's a -- you're not going to change the man. You know, staying on message is simply not his thing. He just doesn't -- it's just not in his
DNA. And again, I think the best thing he could do to help Republicans would just simply open up the checkbook and spend money and take a very low
profile.
Most presidents of both parties over the years knew enough that they were or were self-aware enough that they are not necessarily an asset everywhere
in the country and in every district. They understood that and they would stay away and they knew that they had to behave a certain way. This
president thinks he's an asset to every Republican anywhere in the country, which is simply not the case.
NEWTON: Well, he seems to not be an asset in Florida these days. I want you to see what one Republican is posting ahead of her campaign. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-FL): Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50 percent of the 50,000
people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisors are telling you about immigration policy. The same Hispanics who
helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Charlie, she used the word betrayed. I mean, are those not fighting words for the White House? Why do you think she did it? And do you
think it'll be effective?
DENT: Well, this is a Cuban-American congresswoman from South Florida in the district Donald Trump won, I believe, 57-42. He won that district by
about 14 or 15 points. And it's clear that she's in a real fight down there. And many Hispanic voters who did, in fact, support Republicans and
Donald Trump in 2024 are now migrating or shifting away from the party, largely over the excessive enforcement actions of ICE. And she's clearly
angry about it.
And I can understand her sense of betrayal, or not just hers, but of those voters, Hispanic voters especially, who supported Donald Trump. So, she's
expressing -- I'm surprised she went out so publicly. I think it's good that she did, but it's clear that she needs to have some separation from
the president on that issue of immigration in her South Florida district.
[18:40:00]
Other Republicans are going to have to do the same thing. Maybe not on that issue, but other issues if they hope to survive this really perilous
midterm political environment.
NEWTON: And look, we can't prejudge what's going to happen in the midterms. Maybe it'll be closer than we think. But I'm wondering for the
day after the midterms, do you believe this is the beginning of your party, the Republican Party, really detaching or decoupling, as they say, from
MAGA?
DENT: Well, clearly after this midterm, and if Republicans don't do well, if they lose the House and maybe the Senate, then I do believe that Donald
Trump will become more of a diminishing political figure. The question is, what will happen with the MAGA movement? I think there are a lot of
Republicans like myself who believe that the party needs to move in a much different direction than it is currently in.
Now, I also am realistic to understand that the party's not going back to where it was pre-Trump. But it needs to get to a better place and become a
party that's once again focused on principles and ideals, not simply loyalty to one person. I mean, the party needs to get back to supporting
open markets and getting rid of these tariffs. It needs to get back to being the party of the rule of law. We're the party of Abraham Lincoln,
after all. We need to get back to those types of issues. A more traditional role of America in the world where we can constructively engage, even in
multilateral ways.
Right now, we're blowing up alliances and fighting with the Canadians are not in our country's interest. I think most Republicans would agree with me
on that. And so, I think there's going to be a real fight. Is America going to be going alone or are we going to go into a real strong American
leadership role again that embraces free markets? It's going to talk about fiscal discipline, post-Trump. So, that fight's going to happen. And it's
probably going to happen quickly after the election.
NEWTON: OK. Charlie, we get the message. Buckle up. Politics will not end with the midterms. Perhaps there'll be a reprieve for Thanksgiving. I
certainly hope so. Charlie Dent, thanks so much. Good to see you.
DENT: Thank you, Paula.
NEWTON: Straight ahead for us on "The Brief," a new report breaks down the causes of last month's deadly flood in Nepal and how climate change played
a part.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Survivors are grappling with the aftermath of catastrophic floods in Nepal. Three weeks ago, at least 1,300 people were killed and more than
5,000 are still missing after a rock ice avalanche tore through valleys, wiping out entire towns. You'll remember the devastating video. More of
which we're showing you there.
[18:45:00]
Now, a new report is shedding fresh light on what caused the floods. The scientific analysis by a team of international experts found that several
factors influenced the disaster, many of which were made worse by climate change.
Bill Weir joins me now. I mean, Bill, you and I discussed this just after the disaster happened. But I'm wondering what you learned from this report
and how much it really does implicate climate change. Bill
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting. There's a combination of factors that are both natural and man-made, which
tends to be the case. These events happen. But in this age of an overheating planet, it's much worse by these events.
But this is a 20 experts world weather attribution. It's not peer reviewed yet. These peer reviewed methods and found initially the stage was set by a
massive earthquake over a decade ago, 2015, 7.8 magnitude that rearranged the landscape more prone to avalanches.
But recently, there was a lot of snow in October, November, and then record heat in the summer. And those two factors also was all happening on top of
degraded permafrost. That's the ice and sand and rock glue that holds these frozen landscapes together.
What's really interesting, I found in the report, is that the zero line is basically the altitude where it's always freezing at zero Celsius or 32
Fahrenheit is moving up in altitude about 100 meters a decade. And so, it's getting warmer, higher in these frozen landscapes and, of course, melting
that ice over time. And in the end, Friederike Otto out of Imperial College London said there is absolutely no doubt that human induced climate change
played a role here in the preconditioning of the disaster and that this outstrips any early warning system that exists really in Asia or anywhere
else in the world.
And this is the sort of thing that probably will be used by Nepal when reaching out to the U.N. and other neighbors for loss and damages for this,
given that their carbon footprint is tiny.
NEWTON: I understand the issue of reparations. But again, what we're trying to do is avoid disasters like this, and especially when you
explained to us this issue of the permafrost. And that's a lot for that to degrade in just one decade, 100 meters.
So, what I know it's a silly question to be asked, but what can be done? Because it seems that so many of the citizens in these countries are
sitting ducks.
WEIR: And this is what, you know, these IPCC reports that tried to warn when they talked about massive migration, maybe a billion people forced to
be on the move within the next generation or so. Some would be leaving places like this, you know, retreat is not in a vocabulary in the Western
world from property we love and value.
But in some places, there's no adapting to this. And they basically said, bottom line, without the rapid reduction in fossil fuel pollution, which is
overheating the atmosphere, this is just going to continue and get worse. And so, it'll be an assessment, probably driven by finance, insurance,
reinsurance companies as to what places are the most vulnerable, what places are even worth rebuilding, if it's even physically possible in the
aftermath of these. But yes, I mean, this is sort of a moment of reckoning.
NEWTON: Reckoning, indeed. And as you point out, more climate refugees to come, sadly. Bill Weir, for us, thanks for outlining what was in that
report. Appreciate it.
Now, you can help victims of the Nepal floods by going to cnn.com forward slash impact or by scanning the QR code on your screen. And we'll be right
back with more news in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
NEWTON: The National Football League kicks off week number two soon. With a clash between the Detroit Lions and the Buffalo Bills. Go Bills. The
Bills have a brand-new stadium. It's called Highmark. And it seats more than 60,000 fans.
Still no dome though. Super Bowl 56 champion, Andrew Whitworth, caught up with CNN Sports' Coy Wire. Ahead of the big clash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Big Whit. Let's start big. Thursday night, Lions- Bills prime season opener. And the first Bills game ever in their new stadium. I played in Buffalo. I know what that fan base is like.
But you, as a player. When you walked into a night where there's that much emotion before the balls even kicked. Did that juice you up just right, or
did you almost have to calm yourself down in those moments?
ANDREW WHITWORTH, SUPER BOWL CHAMPION WITH THE LOS ANGELES RAMS IN 2022 AND ANALYST FOR PRIME VIDEO'S THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: As a player going to
some of these cities that are really good. And the energy is awesome. I always felt like it riled me up too. I always felt like it was good. I
loved it. I love the challenge of feeling like everyone's against you. I can't wait to be in this atmosphere.
I went to Buffalo a couple weeks ago for an interview that'll show on Thursday Night Football. And man, I mean, just the energy. These people
talking about the stadium. Talking about how bad they can't wait to watch Josh and the Bills hit the field. It's going to be epic. And we are all
really excited about it.
WIRE: Josh Allen looked like a wizard again in week one. You're one of the best tackles to ever do it. So, here's what I've always wondered. Is
blocking for a quarterback like Josh actually easier because he can erase some mistakes, or is it harder because once he starts creating, you have
absolutely no idea where he could be?
WHITWORTH: I think it's probably something that at first, you're a little like, oh man, Josh ran right into my guy. Probably when y'all start playing
together. But over time, I really think it really relates to the tackles more than anybody. You look at those guys, Spencer Brown and Dion Dawkins,
they've been there now with him. They know Josh, Josh knows them. And so, I think that they have a great relationship in that regard that, hey, we know
where to lose. And when we are losing, where to push our guy because he'll be able to extend the play.
But look, they face the greatest challenge. They probably will chase, you know, all year long in the last week playing against the Houston Texans in
that pass rush. So, they've got to feel really good coming out of there with a victory, playing the way they did, protecting Josh the way they did.
That's some confidence heading into a short week.
WIRE: All right. Let's diagnose Detroit with Big Whit. All right. You had the Lions escaping week one in overtime. If you're coach Dan Campbell
watching that tape, what's one thing you can say, hey, look, we can beat Buffalo Thursday night, but this has to get fixed?
WHITWORTH: We see it every year. These early games, the first few games of the season, there's all these moments where teams, these runs and the
witching hours, I like to call it that last hour of the games, crazy stuff happens. And in this game, they just let New Orleans believe they could win
and creep back in the game. And then all of a sudden, now you're in a dog fight and you got to find a way to finish.
I think for them, it's, hey, keep our foot on the gas the entire time. And when they look at this matchup, I think when you look at really the Buffalo
game last week against Houston, I thought that the Houston O-line did a good job, actually protecting C.J. Stroud. So, for the Lions, I think they
got to think, hey, you know what, if there's one thing we can do better, Jared Goff in this passing game, they can get going. Jameson Williams had
some drops. He had some, you know, a reverse even where he dropped one in the backfield. I think just getting him going, getting him explosive, being
a part of this offense is something this offense is going to need.
And defensively, you're going to have to survive the Josh Allen plays. He's going to make them. You're going to have to say, hey, don't overreact when
he makes one of these crazy plays, line it back up and let's play football.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Indeed, go Bills. Now, the times, they are changing, as they say. And so, apparently is the English language. America's oldest dictionary
publisher, Merriam-Webster, has added 1,400 new words and definitions. And we're going to give you a couple of them. Looksmaxxing.
[18:55:00]
You can thank the online influencer who goes by the name of Clavicular for bringing this in to fashion. According to the dictionary, it means, and I
quote, the practice of taking one or more, sometimes extreme or dangerous measures intended to increase one's physical attractiveness. You're not
looking at me, are you?
Then here's another one for you. The Sunday scaries. It means feelings of anxiety or sadness that arise on Sunday from the knowledge that the weekend
is almost over. As a mother, I can certainly attest to that. And I am shocked that it wasn't a word sooner or a definition.
I want to thank you for your company. I'm Paula Newton in New York. You've been watching "The Brief." Stay with CNN for more news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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