Return to Transcripts main page
The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Russia Holds Elections; Overnight Russian Attacks Kill At Least Two in Ukraine; Far-Right AfD Party Eyes Another State Election Victory; Close Call After A.I. Used for False Intel Report; Protests Across the Globe as Energy Prices Soar; Trump Says He's Banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the WH; Trump Says U.S. Reached Greenland Security Deal. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired September 18, 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. Jim
Sciutto is off. You are watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour a source tells CNN an intelligence report containing false A.I. information about a Chinese ship almost started a war. Russia
holds its first elections for parliament since the full invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv calls the polls in its occupied territories a farce. And our
John King travels to Alaska to find out if the reliably red state could turn blue in November.
But first we go to Russia that is holding its first parliamentary elections since the full invasion of Ukraine. Now, you can see here Russian President
Vladimir Putin casting his vote online during the elections. The three-day elections are taking place in Russian occupied areas of Ukraine as well and
that includes Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.
Kyiv strongly rejects the elections in those areas calling them a farce. This comes after overnight Russian attacks that reportedly killed two
people and wounded many others. French President Emmanuel Macron's warning to Russia is that it is a threat to Europe and that that threat is
expanding beyond the battlefield in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I want to emphasize that the nature of Russian aggression and its threats in Europe is
changing. The drone attack on a passenger train from Kyiv a few days ago. The attack, the attempted attack at Leipzig Airport which failed. But it is
precisely because it failed that there were so few consequences attributed by the German services to the GRU.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, all of this comes a day after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Russia plans to launch hybrid drone and missile attacks against
countries supporting Ukraine.
Joining me now is Michael Kimmage. He is the director of the Kenan Institute. Good to see you. Thank you so much. As we try and parse exactly
what is going on in Russia. I do want to turn first to the situation with the elections.
You and your colleague, Marcia Lipman, had a very clear-eyed view about what is going on right now. We have seen this play out and the 25 years
more now that Putin has been in power. This will really give him the veneer of legitimacy. But you say what comes next could be in fact quite
dangerous. What do you believe he will do after these elections?
MICHAEL KIMMAGE, DIRECTOR, KENNAN INSTITUTE: Well, it's a ritual of continuity these elections. So, there's no surprise. There are no political
parties in Russia none that are allowed and there's no antiwar movement whatsoever.
So, Putin is, in his own eyes and probably in reality in a very strong position, and he's fanatical about waging the war and bringing it forward
as best he can. So, you know, I doubt that they'll be a full-scale mobilization after the election but the war will be pushing forward with
intensity. And I think Putin feels the self-confidence to do that at the present moment.
NEWTON: Yes. Which is surprising perhaps to some people given the fact that we have seen just extraordinary things happen to the Russian economy which
was quite solid in the first two to three years after the invasion. And in fact, you and Marcia right that this war will escalate you say, it is not
forcing Putin into a dead end either politically or militarily.
You believe there is no chance that Putin comes to the negotiating table. So, I'm wondering what role you believe these new sanctions package that is
now passed in Congress. President Trump is expected to sign it soon. Do you believe it will have any effect?
KIMMAGE: I think sanctions have to be looked at as something that's very long-term that squeezes the Russian economy and that breaks down the
Russian war machine and makes it more difficult for Russia to prosecute the war. So, there's a perfectly good logic for the sanctions. It's just that
they can't operate overnight, and they're not going to have any short to medium-term effect.
So, it's a reasonable policy choice. But one has to acknowledge that Russia has the means to fight the war for a long time to come and Putin has the
will to fight the war for a long time to come. So, that's the reality that we have to face front and center. It's not to say that the sanctions are a
sideshow but a very slow-moving tool.
NEWTON: Yes. And crucially you also point out that there even if there is dissension within Russia it is unlikely to force any kind of an overthrow
of government or for that many any kind of a change in the direction of the war.
[18:05:00]
KIMMAGE: Indeed. Yes. No, there's not any sign of a change of course on the horizon. It is true that the war is coming to Russia more than it had in
the past and that Ukraine has been making deep strikes into Russia and it's harder for Russians to isolate themselves from the war.
But unfortunately, Russians don't get that much of a vote or any at all whether there's a parliament election or not. They don't have a vote on the
course of Russian foreign policy, that's set in the Kremlin, that is set by Putin. And I think his motives and ambitions are crystal clear. He wants to
win if he can. He's very far from doing that but that's what he wants to do.
NEWTON: And do you believe his motives and his next actions are also crystal clear when it comes to NATO members and those close to Ukraine
right now that are helping whether it is Poland or Romania or in the Baltics? Do you believe he will escalate?
KIMMAGE: Yes. And I think here one has to be very careful about the framing. I think he will escalate. He is escalating. Europe is registering
more and more attacks of a sabotage indefinite nature. Hard to attribute to Russia but everybody more or less knows those are happening more and more
on a weekly and daily basis.
But the goal here is not a conventional military invasion of Europe. That's something that Russia is not in the position to do. The goal is to sow fear
and to intimidate Europeans and to push them in a political direction that would make them less supportive of Ukraine. I think it's a very open
question whether that's going to work but that's what Putin is aiming at. He wants to break the transatlantic alliance, grind down European unity and
diminish support for Ukraine. And so, these sabotage techniques are instruments for doing that.
NEWTON: And, Michael, I don't have a lot of time left but do you believe NATO if not individual European countries should fight back a little bit
harder when these incursions happen?
KIMMAGE: I think that that's a fair point to make. It's not easy to know exactly what fighting back means but I think that every time Russia
attempts to exact a cost from Europe and from NATO member states, they have to exact a cost from Russia. That doesn't mean necessarily sabotage attacks
on Russia if at all. But making it clear that this will not be tolerated and that Russia will pay a high price is absolutely the right policy.
NEWTON: And some have suggested that those actions would have to be covert and perhaps if they are that is the way they'll be most effective for
Vladimir Putin. Michael, really, thank you for your perspective as we continue to watch these elections. Appreciate it.
KIMMAGE: Thank you so much for having me.
NEWTON: Now, another important vote takes place this weekend in Germany. Voters will head to the polls in two regional elections on Sunday. Now,
current polling suggests pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz as the far- right AfD, again a party that does not support Ukraine, that party looks to make some big gains again. The party is capitalizing on economic anxiety
and growing anger towards the governing coalition. Fred Pleitgen is going to some of those campaign events for us, and here is his report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Germany's right-wing AfD looking to race to another state election victory
in the former communist east of the country, doing 25 miles an hour on old socialist-era motorbikes, like at this campaign event.
Their most potent fuel voter anger at Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a participant who would only give his first name Chris, tells me. He's the
wrong guy, Chris says. He had his chance. He will never be able to recover. Many people just feel this man is incapable.
The AfD is leading the polls here in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, capitalizing not just on Germany's economic turmoil, but also propagating mass
deportations of undocumented foreigners, as well as ending all military aid to Ukraine and renewing ties with Russia. A position the AfD's candidate
for governor tells me aligns them with the Trump Administration.
Like America First, we want Germany first, he says. That's our core value, and it's also good for international stability if Germany is stable in the
middle of Europe, with good relations with the U.S. and towards the east.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern could be the AfD's second big win in only a matter of weeks. In early September, they beat Merz's CDU in the State of Saxony-
Anhalt by a landslide. A desperate Friedrich Merz then attacked the AfD's mass deportation policy, which they themselves call remigration in German
Parliament.
If what you demand became true, remigration, which is nothing more than ethnic cleansing by skin color and country of origin, he says.
But so far, Merz's political counterpunches don't seem to be landing. His popularity has fallen off a cliff, and there's a discussion even among some
in his own party about him possibly being replaced as chancellor soon.
[18:10:00]
Merz himself says he will not step down, but back at the AfD's communist era scooter rally, Chris explains how Merz lost his vote. Many voters feel
they're just not interesting for the chancellor, he says that's why I think maybe it's not just a protest vote, but you have to try something new if
the old doesn't work.
A sentiment that appears to be growing in parts of Germany, jeopardizing the current government and turbocharging the far-right.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Schwerin, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, to a CNN exclusive. Sources say the U.S. military almost intercepted a Chinese vessel based on false intelligence reportedly
assisted by A.I. Now, the report claimed the Chinese ship in the Middle East was transporting components of a nuclear weapons program but the A.I.
chatbot an analyst used had not accurately identified the cargo. It's unclear in fact to this day what it actually was.
Katie Bo Lilis, joins us now and I want to thank you for this exclusive reporting. It is chilling though and again to quote one of your sources it
almost started a war. Can you take us through the nuts and bolts of exactly what happened here?
KATIE BO LILIS, CNN REPORTER: Yes. So, you have this analyst who was an analyst with a military special operations command who feeds a mix of
signals intelligence of sort of classified information in government holdings and some open-source intelligence to include information about the
ships met these Chinese ships manifest as it was operating in the Middle East into a chatbot.
Now, I should be clear that it's not clear to us we were not able to determine whether that was a commercial chatbot or whether that was the
kind of internal A.I. government system now deployed across the military and the Intelligence Community here in the states. But the system
ultimately identifies the cargo that this ship is carrying as a component of a nuclear weapons program.
Well, this is obviously hugely alarming to the U.S. military and as a result after this report is disseminated the military starts spinning up to
try to intercept the ship. So, at this point there are literally American military planes in the air and you have armed members of the military who
are preparing to board this Chinese vessel.
And really only just at the last moment did you have more seasoned analysts who were subject matter experts in this area take a look at the underlying
information behind this intelligence report that this one analyst sort of disseminated through the system and realize, no, wait a minute. This is
wrong. The information -- the diagnosis essentially or the identification that this A.I. chatbot reached about the cargo on this ship is a
hallucination. It isn't correct.
And that really has -- and at that point, were able to call off the operation. But it was incredibly narrow and close call. And it's exactly
the kind of potential strategic miscalculation that opponents of using A.I. wide -- in a widespread way across the military and across the Intelligence
Community have been warning of, right, that this could potentially, if you have human operators relying on corrupted or poor data on potentially
hallucinations coming out of A.I. chatbots that they're going to make bad decisions.
NEWTON: It is still extraordinary as you spell it out, and I am wondering Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, has spoken about the fact that he
actually wants to disseminate A.I. much more quickly throughout the military especially military intelligence. Is there any indication that
after this happened that anything did slow down within the department?
BO LILIS: Well, look, there are reasons that the military there's a rationale behind the military's desire to want to deploy this technology in
a widespread way. And the main one is that the hope is that it is going to enable the military to make battle better battlefield decisions faster and
particularly if they are coming up against an adversary who has automated their systems in this way. And so, this is where you kind of get into this
debate over whether or not the United States is in effectively an arms race with nations like China, right?
But what has happened in practical terms inside the military under Pete Hegseth is that the military, and this is true in the Intelligence
Community also, are -- there's a very decentralized approach according to officials that we spoke to for deploying this technology, right. You have
different offices doing different things using different slightly different tools in different ways with slightly different standards, right. And that
creates kind of a lab environment for testing this kind of tech.
Now, that creates opportunities for innovation. It also creates potential risks like this, right, for miscalculation and for mistakes to be made. And
so, I do think one of the big questions that certainly you're going to hear I think lawmakers start to ask after this episode is, OK, what have you
learned from the mistake that was made here?
[18:15:00]
NEWTON: Yes. Certainly, congressional oversight and there has been a lot of scrutiny on Pete Hegseth especially given all the commanders that he's
dispatched in the last few months. Katie Bo Lilis, as I said, very good reporting even though it was to be frank terrifying.
Coming up for us crude crunch a major financial firm says it's becoming impossible to predict where oil prices go from here as the Iran war drags
on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks closed mostly higher Friday to close out a volatile week on Wall Street. The S&P
and the NASDAQ posted gains. The Dow put pulled back pressured by rising U.S. Treasury yield. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury is again
above 5 percent.
Now, oil finished lower with U.S. crude dropping more than one and a half percent crude pulled back on a report that China has asked Iran to use its
influence and help limit the attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure. Bloomberg News also reporting that Saudi Aramco has told at least two European
refiners they will get no crude oil deliveries next month after an attack on one of its pipelines.
Now, the uncertainty has led to a stunning admission from the commodities team at JPMorgan. They say they're unable to forecast where oil prices
ultimately go from here given the unpredictability of the Iran conflict. The JPMorgan analysts saying, quote, "We simply don't know how to model the
end game," citing the lack of a U.S. exit strategy in the Persian Gulf.
Economist Mohamed El-Erian spoke to Richard Quest a short time ago about the energy disruption. He said one segment of the market has him
particularly concerned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMED EL-ERIAN, PROFESSOR, WHARTON SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: Not only is crude -- are crude price is higher but even more importantly
and it's the number I look at every morning now is what's happening to refine product diesel in particular.
So, we've seen diesel today reach $6.46 a gallon. Richard, as you know that goes into transportation of everything we buy in stores. So, that is going
to be a problem going forward that compounds the problem of people having to pay a lot more at the gas pumps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, protests over the rising cost of fuel have already broken out worldwide. Police pardon me people have taken to the streets in Bolivia
Portugal France and Syria and other countries.
[18:20:00]
Jaime Brito joins me now, he's the Executive Director of Refining and Oil Products at Dow Jones Energy. It is good to see you. I mean, listen, I
always talk to people and say the price is one thing, but supply is what everyone needs to look at. How worried are you now about supply?
JAIME BRITO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF REFINING AND OIL PRODUCTS, DOW JONES ENERGY: Well, in the last couple of minutes -- thanks for having me, by the
way. In the last couple of minutes, you mentioned a word that is key, compound. What we are seeing right now on diesel prices is precisely the
aggregated effect of these six months of disrupted markets, disrupted crude processing, limited refining capacity. This is what it means in fuel prices
in the supply chain. That is not going to be solved in a few weeks. Even if we announce a ceasefire tomorrow.
And the other problem of crude supply, crude markets have been more creative, they have found ways throughout these six months, alternative
routes, milk runs throughout the remotes and all that, but what you can see is that you can never neglect the overall disruption into fuel prices, and
that's what concerns everybody, the impacts on the economy, and how realistic is that that fuel price or fuel shortages can be resolved in just
a few weeks.
NEWTON: Now, we had heard that at the beginning of this conflict, but I do note that actually the market until the last few weeks had fared much
better, especially when it came to supply, but even price. We were at one point down to $70 a barrel.
I want to point out, though, that the IEA has now recently put out a commentary saying that with inventory buffers rapidly depleting, the
urgency of fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and bypass routes is increasing. How worried are you? And can you put a timeline on it? Do you
believe there needs to be a solution here in what, four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks? Because most people do not see a solution until at least
December.
BRITO: That is right. It's important to remind everybody that the solution of strategic stocks was used so far only once throughout the six months in
March. And after that $400 million barrel announcement from the IEA, we didn't hear anything additional. In my opinion, the IEA should have
released already an additional announcement already of additional barrels into the market from the overall commercial and strategic stocks in Europe
and in Asia. That would have provided some relief.
So, let's say you don't relieve additional stocks from the IEA, strategic stocks, and you just wait until the conflict is solved. This can last at
least three to four months for normalization of the entire maritime fleet and supply chains to come back to pre-war conflicts. If you don't resolve
the conflict in Hormuz in the next six months, countries that have significant stocks, like China, like Japan, like Korea, may start having
issues. And you will see prices definitely going even further in that frame. In between three to six months, you will have significantly higher
disruptive markets.
NEWTON: Now, we have discussed the Middle East. I've been banging on about the issue with Ukraine and Russia. And I note that there are certainly fuel
shortages in Russia. It obviously was a net exporter of not just oil, but byproducts as well. How critical will it be if those attacks on the Russian
infrastructure continue?
BRITO: They are extremely critical for the entire European market and the Atlantic Basin. Russia was exporting these around 800,000 bars per day of
diesel to the Atlantic Basin. Maybe the Western European countries were not buying it anymore, but countries like Brazil, like Turkey, the entire
Atlantic Basin was buying them. And since you don't have these barrels anymore, then all of these countries need to enter the Atlantic Basin spot
market to compete with the traditional buyers.
So, the U.S. is doing their best in exporting as much diesel as they can. But now everybody's bidding up more prices. That's why you have this
extremely expensive diesel price in the Atlantic. And that is going to take months to come back to normal after we have a chance to see Hormuz opening
back again.
NEWTON: Yes, Jaime, I get the message. It will likely be 2027 before there was any relief here. And of course, we all hope that the supply stays at
least somewhat stable, even if the price is not. Jaime Brito, thanks so much. Really appreciate your insights.
BRITO: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, checking some of today's other business headlines, it's the end of an era at financial giant Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett has
announced that he's stepping down as chairman of the firm to be replaced by his son, Howie. The 96-year-old will hold the honorary title of chairman
emeritus and will remain a member of the Berkshire board.
Now, the Bank of Japan raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, as expected. The head of the BOJ says more hikes may be on the way
to help deal with rising inflation. The Japanese yen, however, fell to a two-week low against the dollar, as traders doubt the central bank's
commitment to hike further.
[18:25:00]
California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order to better regulate artificial intelligence, at least in his state. Newsom's order
will create a group of experts to discuss A.I safety, including the possibility of a kill switch to shut down rogue agents. Newsom, who is a
potential 2028 presidential Democratic candidate, said he's making the move because of the lack of action on A.I regulation in Washington.
So, amid a chorus of warnings about A.I, even from some of the tech leaders themselves, there are also large concerns about what it means for children.
Two of the largest school districts in the U.S., Los Angeles Unified and New York City Schools, have announced measures to limit student access to
A.I during the school day. And researchers are worried that using chat bots can change children's brain activity. You'll want to listen to this. Here's
CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, with more on all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think the metaphor that a lot of people have used in some way is they're sort of likening this
to ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods do provide energy, but they taste really good, they're addictive to some extent, and oftentimes they
crowd out other good food choices. If you start to think about A.I chat bots in the same way, they can be endlessly engaging, addictive to some
extent.
But more importantly, I think what a lot of people kept telling us was, what are you not getting instead as a result of that A.I chat bot
conversation? You're not getting that human connection, you're not getting eye contact, you're not getting shared laughter, you're not getting sort of
the rupture and repair that come with normal human relationships. Those A.I chat bots are designed to basically please you in any way possible. All
those things they say are important. But especially during the early childhood years, 90 percent of your brain's architecture is being built.
And so, much of that is coming from human-to-human connection.
These A.I chat bots, they threaten to basically sort of crowd out a lot of that human connection. I think that's where a lot of the concerns sort of
revolve. Way before A.I, way before social media or even devices, there were these studies looking at what happens to humans who don't have contact
with other humans and looking what happens to their brains, especially at a very young age. And again, so much of that brain architecture is developed
during those early childhood years, and so much of that is driven by human- to-human contact.
It was interesting, when I asked my daughter, I said, what are you doing? What is this, this thing you're having with ChatGPT? And she said, you
know, look, Dad, I'm just sitting here rotting, is what she said, which was interesting. And I asked Dr. Suskind about this idea of brain rotting, and
she made an interesting point about brain rotting versus brain stunting. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DANA SUSKIND, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: So, you can't rot something that hasn't been built. So, I think about that in the early years
as brain stunting. You are stunting, you haven't even built the skills that you can de-skill, like the ability to connect and have critical thinking
and all those other skills that you want to have, you're going to stunt. So, brain rot, you know, brain stunting, it's not a good thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GUPTA: Stunting the brain, so maybe more brain rot as you get into your late teens, early 20s, but younger children, they don't ever get the chance
to sort of build those skills because of these conversations with chatbots. You know, Dana gave me a few rules, which I'll just share with you quickly
because I think they're really relevant here.
The red flags. If the chatbot is acting too sycophantic, too agreeable with everything, red flag. If it's starting to anthropomorphize, refer to itself
as a human in some ways, that is a red flag. If it is starting to steal your time, you're like, hey, I got to go, no, why can't you stay a little
bit longer, that's a red flag. And one thing she also said is that every time you interact the chatbot, start a new search as opposed to sort of
continuing an old one. That sort of resets the platform at least and sort of reduces at least some of those red flags.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Our thanks to Sanjay there. Now, coming up on The Brief, President Trump says that he's banning three prominent U.S. news organizations,
including CNN, from the White House. We'll have more details on that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Paula Newton. Here are the international headlines we're watching today.
Sources exclusively tell CNN that the U.S. military almost intercepted a Chinese vessel based on a false intelligence report made with the help of
A.I. The report claimed the Chinese ship in the Middle East was transporting components of a nuclear weapons program just before the
planned operation. Officials realized the A.I. chatbot an analyst used had not accurately identified the cargo.
Authorities say a terrorist attack in northwest Pakistan has killed at least 21 people and injured more than 100. They say the suicide attack
targeted a mosque inside a police facility. Most of those injured are police officers. The region has seen a spike in attacks by Islamist
militants trying to overthrow Pakistan's government.
A U.S. military fighter jet crashed in Michigan on Thursday in the middle of a training exercise. The pilot ejected safely. The F-16 belonged to the
Texas Air National Guard. The cause of the crash hasn't been determined, though air traffic audio suggests a possible bird strike.
President Trump announcing he's banning CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House, accusing the media outlets of reporting fake news. Listen to
what he said just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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. And if they
could straighten themselves out, you know, if they could straighten themselves out, I'd love it. Look, they're very dishonest people. They
write in a very dishonest way. The ban is because they are fake news. They cannot write the truth.
And Politico is very bad. And Politico, frankly, I think what they did was illegal. They accepted the world's largest subscription. They got $8
million or something like that for a subscription to their stupid, you know, lightweight paper. But I will say Politico and MS NOW, which nobody
ever heard of, and CNN, which is doing very poorly, the reason they do so poorly is because they have no credibility. And if they had credibility, I
wouldn't be sitting here right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: So, a breaking update for us. CNN's team remains, thankfully, at the White House. Kristen Holmes joins us now. And, Kristen, we will get to
the issue about the ban.
[18:35:00]
But something else that made news just in the last hour was that the president says that there is now a deal with Greenland. Have they put any
details on this announcement?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No real details yet as to what this is going to look like. But President Trump put this on
Truth Social, saying that the U.S. and Denmark and Greenland had all reached what he is calling an infinite life agreement that puts the U.S. in
what he used permanent control over Greenland's security. He also said that this was going to stop any U.S. adversaries from ever having a military
presence in Greenland.
Of course, this comes after President Trump had spoken at length about how it was important for the U.S. to obtain Greenland for national security.
But we have not heard mention of this for several months. It was something that Denmark had pushed back on pretty extensively, saying would never
happen.
We have reached out to the State Department to see if they have any details, to the Danish embassy. And, of course, we'll be bringing those
details as we get them.
NEWTON: And, Kristen, getting back to the supposed media ban, I mean, look, you're there at the White House. We can all see that. What was the
president getting at? And, you know, does he mean he wants to ban you from the Oval Office? I mean, have you heard anything from the spokespeople
there at the White House? What more are you learning?\
HOLMES: No, we don't have any information. And that is why we remain here as long as we are allowed to remain here. It is unclear what President
Trump meant by this ban. The clip that you played at the top was actually him being asked very specifically, what do you mean? Do you mean you are
taking away their badges? Do you mean that they will not be part of the pool, which is all of the network, TV networks, rotate daily to go into
various Oval Office events, and then they share that material?
So, that's why you see some days a CNN reporter asking him questions, some days another outlet reporter asking him questions. He was asked
specifically about that. And all he said was that he was going to push it as far as he could go and that he didn't want people in his office and in
the White House. And we have no details yet what it means beyond the president's own direct words, which seem to not be very detailed there.
And he was also asked questions about how he can justify this, how is this constitutional. And he just repeatedly said that he doesn't believe people
should come in and be able to write fake news. He also really expanded upon what he considers fake news and spent a lot of the time lamenting, at one
point even saying he doesn't get fair press, that all of his press is negative. He complained that Biden got better press than he did. So,
clearly what he meant there was that he thinks he's getting negative press.
NEWTON: Indeed, he is getting accurate press, especially from our White House team. You guys work such long hours to get the stories out, always
accurately and fairly told. Kristen Holmes, we'll wait to see what this is all about. But for now, you remain at your post reporting, and we are
thankful. Thanks so much.
HOLMES: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter joins me now on the phone. I mean, Brian, look, we've kind of been down this road before, and I
want to remind viewers about the fact that Pete Hegseth tried to kick all the reporters out of the Pentagon unless they signed a document with
conditions. They refused to sign that document, and the media continues to report, including CNN with a very chilling exclusive that we just reported
on about an A.I. chatbot.
So, where do you think the president's going with all of this? Can he be stopped by either the courts or Congress?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: We've heard from many press freedom groups in the past two hours that have said yes, if the president does
follow through, he will be stopped by the courts, that this would be found to be unconstitutional. But as Kristen mentioned, we don't know if he's
actually going to follow through. And implement this.
Here's a statement from CNN, really emphasizing the seriousness of this threat. It says, 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 that Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally protected right.
Again, press freedom groups all saying the same thing today, saying that this would not hold up in court. And we've heard something similar from
Politico as well. Here's the statement from the news publication Politico, saying, it will continue to fairly report on this White House and future
ones. I like that part of the statement. It says we will make rights against any attempt to restrict them. That's the statement from Politico.
So, certainly a united front from the news media about this. In the past few minutes, the White House Correspondents Association has also responded
and said it stands in solidarity with the news outlets that are being targeted. Because, look, today is Friday. Who knows what outlet it might be
on Saturday or another day.
NEWTON: Yes. And I don't think it serves, at the end of the day, Americans to have any media ban from the White House.
[18:40:00]
And in fact, you know, the White House has gone to great lengths to try and make it more inclusive with new-age podcasters and everything. Anyway,
Brian Stelter, glad to have you. Thank you so much, as we continue to wait to see what, if anything, this means.
OK. Still ahead for us tonight on "The Brief," Alaska is one of the least populated states in the United States, but a race there could help
determine which political party actually controls the Senate. Stay tuned for this brilliant, beautiful story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Now, the largest state in the U.S., which has less than a million residents, could end up having an oversized impact on Washington and the
control of the Senate. The big question is, will reliably red Alaska turn blue? In November's midterm election, the race pits Republican incumbent
Dan Sullivan against Democrat Mary Peltola. CNN's John King looks at how affordability is driving votes in Alaska.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A raw, rainy morning makes no difference. It's September now. Snow not that far off.
Training is on a schedule. Weather is weather.
ALYSSA BUSER, Alaska Voter: It is a part of Alaskan culture. There's evidence of sled dogs that dates back 8,000 years.
KING (voice-over): Alyssa Buser and her husband, Roan, pick the team, then harnesses for 10. Just four miles or so, this run.
BUSER: And then we'll slowly continue to build, and by December, they'll be worked up to 50-mile runs.
KING (voice-over): Gee is right. Haw is left. There is no sled dog command for Flip Washington on its head.
BUSER: It's crazy the amount of money that you spend on groceries. Especially within the last year and a half, food has just gone up so much.
So, I think it's really important to vote and make sure that we have affordable food, affordable housing, that we have jobs, that we have health
care.
Thank you, Ash.
KING (voice-over): Buser is a registered independent, but she wants change in Washington. Democrat Mary Peltola is her choice in a Senate race that
could determine which party controls Congress.
BUSER: Mary is from Alaska. Maybe she'll actually look out for what's the best for Alaskans.
KING (voice-over): The state fair has a spectacular snowy backdrop. Rides. Games. And, yes, a little politics if you wish.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
[18:45:00]
KING (voice-over): Daily celebrations of Native Alaskans and traditions many in the lower 48 might not understand. They're about 15 percent of the
population now, many living in the most remote corners of this giant state. Lisa Lynch lives in the Anchorage suburbs now, but her mother is from Nome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are salmon strips.
KING (voice-over): And much of their family is still there.
LISA LYNCH, ALASKA VOTER: It is crazy to think that you could go to a grocery store here in America and there's no fresh meat, there's no fresh
fruit, there's no fresh vegetables. And it gets so bad in some of the villages.
KING (voice-over): A visitor gets VIP Inupiat treatment. The curved ulu used to chop slices of dried salmon in muktuk. Whale blubber.
Yes, some policy disagreements with Senator Sullivan, but Lynch says her vote for Peltola is mostly because of her rural Alaska roots.
LYNCH: He has lived here for a long time, but it's not quite the same because he never had to rely on the fish runs to feed his family. He never
had to worry about if they could have a moose in their freezer or go caribou hunting.
KING (voice-over): If elected, Peltola would be the first Native Alaskan to serve in the Senate. Senator Sullivan was born in Ohio, but has lived in
Alaska for more than 20 years, served as the state attorney general, and has held the Senate seat since 2015. Palmer is home to the state
fairgrounds, and Mary Grubbs stopped at a local restaurant for lunch during a visit from Fairbanks.
MARY GRUBBS, ALASKA VOTER: I don't ever miss a vote. And I will definitely be out there and I will vote for Sullivan.
KING (voice-over): Nothing bad to say about Peltola, though Grubbs is worried about Democrats gaining power in Washington.
GRUBBS: You've got all these communities that are electing socialists or really far left leaning ideologies. So, to me, I just, I don't really want
far like those, but I also don't really want really far to the right either.
KING (voice-over): Everywhere you go, reminders of the big choice. And don't make the mistake of thinking these warnings are just for show.
KING: Affordability, of course, is the biggest midterm issue everywhere. But Alaskans pay even more for most things, because being so remote comes
at a price. Groceries in Juneau, for example, 29 percent more than the national average. In Anchorage, it's 26 percent higher. In Fairbanks, 25
percent. Health care is another giant affordability challenge. Americans on average pay $9,700 a year for health care.
In Alaska, it's $14,000. That's 44 percent above the national average. And those living in rural communities that are hard to reach face even higher,
sometimes eye-popping costs. A gallon of milk as high as $16 in Bethel. A dozen of eggs, $8.69 in Skagway. Gas hit $11.50 a gallon recently in
Alatna, and nearly $27 in Chugiak.
KING (voice-over): Rick Brown moved to Alaska three decades ago, the day he retired from the fire department back home in Kentucky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Michael just wrote logistics.
RICK BROWN, ALASKA VOTER: Apparently so.
KING (voice-over): Started his own adventure company 20 years ago. Fishing, hiking, kayaking, panning for gold.
BROWN: Oh, let me ride shotgun.
KING (voice-over): He just turned 75.
KING: Happy birthday.
BROWN: So, anyway, you know, if I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it.
KING (voice-over): Business this summer was OK. He expected better.
BROWN: I think the war had a little bit to do with it, and people were unsure of what was going to happen. We get a lot of campers that come up,
they drive up, and I see that changing as the years go on, as the price of fuel gets up.
KING (voice-over): Brown likes Senator Sullivan and says he helped the company get access to federal land for some of its tours. Before Sullivan,
twice before. Leaning Sullivan this time, but some hesitation because of campaign support the senator receives from larger fishing operations.
BROWN: Seward, it used to be a little village with a fishing problem. Now, it's a tourism town. But I still have a lot of friends that are commercial
fishermen. And I want to see what's going to happen to support some of the issues they got with the draggers, you know, the --
KING: The big trawlers.
BROWN: The trawlers.
KING (voice-over): Again, nothing negative to say about Peltola. But again, worries about the Democrats' direction.
BROWN: You know, the socialism -- the socialist side of it, I don't, I can't wrap my arms around that.
KING (voice-over): You see the change at the Seward waterfront. Still a fair share of small commercial fishing boats, but also a cruise ship stop
now and a harbor more and more tailored to tourists. 41 years in the charter business for Andy Mezirow. 31 years of finding the right spot.
ANDY MEZIROW, ALASKA VOTER: How are you doing, buddy? Beautiful silver salmon. We're going to let him go, John, so he can live to spawn another
day.
[18:50:00]
KING (voice-over): This year, a faraway war hurt.
MEZIROW: We came into the season and fuel was $3.25 and then overnight it turned into $5.25 and there's no way we can really back charge people that
have already paid for their trips for the cost of fuel, so we kind of had to eat it this year.
KING (voice-over): Mezirow is on the water just about every day and he served in fisheries management roles here for years.
MEZIROW: And they have a unique smell to them.
KING (voice-over): He thinks Peltola's talk of banning the big trawlers is over the top.
MEZIROW: I don't think we should ban trawling. I think we should hold their feet to the fire and make them do a better job.
KING (voice-over): Mezirow knows and likes both Senate candidates and he says Alaska is lucky.
MEZIROW: I don't think this is like a communist versus a Nazi or a devil versus an angel. This is two good people that are trying to do their best.
KING (voice-over): But choice time soon. Likely Peltola, again because of her roots.
MEZIROW: She's like a real Alaskan that lives out in rural areas and has been a fisherman. She knows what it's like to have a sore back at this time
of year and sore hands. I think the decision point is do you want to change in the way things are going in D.C. or do you like it the way it is? And if
you frame it that way, it's hard to like it the way it is.
KING (voice-over): A change in course by reliably red Alaska would be beyond a big deal. But the last frontier just may get the last word on
whether the Senate and Washington change tracks from red to blue.
John King, CNN, Moose Pass, Alaska.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: So, Buffalo Bills fans are hoping Josh Allen will take them to their very first Super Bowl championship. The star quarterback accounted
for five touchdowns as the Bills beat the Detroit Lions on Thursday. Andy Scholes has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: You know the Bills offense is always going to be good as long as Josh Allen is their quarterback, but I'm not sure anyone
expected them to be this good to start this season. You know on Sunday they torched the Texans who were supposed to be one of the best defenses in the
league. Then on Thursday they opened up their brand-new stadium in style with just another offensive explosion.
Now, the new digs are right next to the old stadium cost 2.1 billion dollars and the Bills offense just putting on a show on opening night.
First quarter Allen reads the perfectly, finds Joshua Palmer wide open for the 43-yard touchdown. That made it 14 to nothing. In the second quarter
Allen a strike right over the middle to Dalton Kincaid. That made it 27 to 7.
Third quarter the Lions started showing signs of life. Jared Goff to Amon- Ra St. Brown for the touchdown. That made it 27-17. Goff actually threw for four touchdowns, but the Lions defense basically just a matador all night
long. Bills march right down the field and Allen punches it in for a two- yard touchdown. Allen finished with three passing TDs, two more rushing. He now has 10 clear games with at least two passing and rushing touchdowns. No
other player has more than four in league history.
[18:55:00]
Bills win big 41-31 to open Highmark Stadium.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH ALLEN, BUFFALO BILLS QUARTERBACK: Yes, it was awesome. Got really loud. You kind of black out in that moment and you don't really know what's
going on, but it was a cool night game. Obviously, you see the flashing lights everywhere. Pretty special moment.
DEONE WALKER, BUFFALO BILLS DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: It was crazy, like it was a few times. I don't really get starstruck, but it was a few times I looked
up and I'm like, oh, like this is crazy, you know, so it's great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes, it's only two wins, but I mean, boy, does that Bill's offense look good. And Buffalo, it's used to just so much heartbreak. They've never
won a Super Bowl. Josh Allen's never even been to a Super Bowl, but maybe, maybe this is finally going to be their year in their brand-new stadium.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, for the first time in more than a century, scientists have discovered a new type of wildcat. The small feline that inhabits Bolivia's
cloud forest has been identified, has been identified as a previously unknown species. It's called a Tilcayo, adorable, and it's smaller than
most house cats. Just as cute though, don't you think?
I want to thank you for your company. I'm Paula Newton in New York. You have been watching "The Brief." Stay with CNN for more news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
