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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Is Interviewed About Senators Question Patel On Midterms, FBI's 2020 Election Probe, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris; New Data Shows Prediction Market Trading Hit Record High; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Is Interviewed About Him And Steve Bannon Speaking Out On Regulating A.I.; Alaska Senate Race Could Be Key To Balance Of Power. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired September 15, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: Thanks for watching. "The Lead with Jake Tapper" starts right now.

[17:00:45]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. A lot going on this evening. In just a few moments, Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont will be here. He's fresh off new comments about artificial intelligence and the need for government regulation.

He's teaming up with Republicans, including Steve Bannon. A lot to discuss with him. We're also going to have new details rolling out from my conversation with California Governor Gavin Newsom. The scene we were fly fishing in Montana, part of a new Out of Office digital series. It's on CNN All Access.

But we're going to start in our Law and Justice Lead. And assertions by two top Trump officials dealing with election security, we're just 49 days out from midterm elections, and obviously the president and the Trump administration have tried to alter those elections. So first today, Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department would indeed comply with yesterday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling, a decision blocking President Donald Trump's efforts to restrict mail-in voting, which Donald Trump has used several times. But Blanche said that the administration would not stop pursuing investigations and policy proposals to deal with alleged voter fraud.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ATTORNEY GENERAL: President Trump's efforts to make sure that we have free and fair elections are not going to stop just in November or after or thereafter. So I expect you're going to see that work continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Blanche left open the possibility that the Trump administration could continue pursuing changes to voting by mail ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Blanche also defended Trump's intense critique of the Supreme Court. This morning, the president blasting the court on Truth Social quote, "The Supreme Court has really let our country down. Certain justices are petrified of these crazed and depraved Democrats and are totally unable to show the courage necessary to save our America," unquote. Blanche defended Trump's statement that the three justices he appointed have changed since he interviewed them in his first term, the president alleged.

It's a reminder, of course, that giving the president everything he wants is not actually the job of a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Blanche also dismissed some very real concerns being voiced about artificial intelligence, concerns shared by individuals, including Trump ally Elon Musk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLANCHE: There's a lot of great work that AI does, and it's also something that conveniently has become a flashpoint this week, and the president spoke about that, and I very much agree with him. Every Democrat senator suddenly races to a microphone to talk about AI after being eerily silent for months and months and months. So to talk about the timing of this as being nothing but an effort to influence the midterms, I shouldn't have to say that out loud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: It is unusual for an attorney general to talk that way so intensely, partisan, especially so close to the midterms. To be clear, there are global fears about AI voiced on the Capitol Hill by Democrats and Republicans and across the country by independents alike. It is striking to hear the attorney general dismiss those concerns that way.

Now, up the road on Capitol Hill, senators questioned FBI Director Kash Patel today about election integrity, among other issues. Some of Patel's answers on election integrity were not exactly reassuring. Democratic Senator Peter Welch of Vermont asked Patel what should be a relatively straightforward question about this upcoming midterm election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PETER WELCH (D-VT): Do you pledge that you will not in any way interfere in the will of the American people when they go to the polls in November?

KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies.

WELCH: Then why are you being such a panderer to President Trump, who's still claiming that he won the 2020 election and who has said the only way Democrats can win in 2026 is if they cheat? Do you believe that?

PATEL: What I believe in is the rule of law.

(END VIDEO CLIP) TAPPER: Patel, who has promoted baseless election conspiracy theories, refused to say whether FBI agents would or would not be at polling sites for the upcoming midterm elections. Patel also declined to discuss his bureau's probe into the 2020 election results in Georgia, citing an ongoing investigation. CNN has previously reported that the FBI had assigned 260 staffers to investigate the 2020 results in Georgia, where President Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed he won. The FBI raided the elections office in Fulton County, Georgia. That's the Atlanta area back in January as part of that probe.

[17:05:10]

Let's discuss all of this with Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California. He's on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held today's hearing with FBI Director Patel.

So, Senator, you got FBI Director Patel to commit on the record that the FBI would not use personnel to seize ballots or voting machines or other election related material, although they have seized voting machines from Fulton County and --

SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Right. And it says a lot that we even have to ask that --

TAPPER: Yes.

PADILLA: -- question, right, so.

TAPPER: Were you satisfied with what he said, given what he said to Peter Welch or wouldn't say to Peter Welch, the senator from Vermont?

PADILLA: Well, the distinction. But the bottom line is he made that commitment today. But what's that old adage, trust but verify? We're going to have to follow it up and stay vigilant to make sure that they honored that commitment. Part of it was reminding him that even the Department of Defense, General Caine, has made such a pledge to not interfere with the elections because it is a law. It is current FBI policy not to try to tamper with ballots or seize ballots until the vote count is complete and the election is certified.

But what happened in Fulton County, Georgia, is part of the reason for the concern. In that case, they went and seized prior election ballots, right, from the 2020 election, and it inspired copycat activity. The sheriff of Riverside County seized 650,000 ballots there from prior elections with --

TAPPER: In California. Yes.

PADILLA: In California. So let's make it clear that they're not preparing to do that in this midterm election.

TAPPER: It is not impossible to imagine Democrats doing well in the midterms and President Trump baselessly alleging fraud and trying to use the means of government to seize voting machines in cities or counties or states where Democrats won and refusing to see at a Democratic Congress in January 2027. PADILLA: Right. He cries foul every time he loses. He has said, we know that he has said that in 2020 he regrets not deploying the guard to seize voting equipment. So we have to be prepared for anything and everything, and we will. I do have a lot of confidence in state and local elections --

TAPPER: But do you have confidence in Kash Patel?

PADILLA: I have confidence in state and local elections officials across the country, both Republicans and Democrats. And it's the job of all of us to hold this administration to account, to make sure they're abiding by court orders, including the Supreme Court. Like Attorney General Blanche acknowledged today, when it comes to the vote by mail decision that they just released.

TAPPER: But how much do you trust Blanche and how much do you trust Patel when it comes to a possible potential moment? A hypothetical here, but it's not baseless speculation that the president tells them to do something to try to undermine the election results?

PADILLA: Yes, no, we anticipated that when they were each coming through for their respective confirmation hearings. What would you do if the president asked you to do something unlawful? Can't believe what they said, even though it was under oath. And so we'll have to make sure that again, not just members of Congress convicting oversight, but still state and local elections officials are prepared to handle those circumstances as part of the planning and preparation and tabletop and security exercises that we're conducting every day for the next 49 days and beyond.

TAPPER: Your --

PADILLA: It's not just about what happens between now and Election Day or on Election Day itself.

TAPPER: Right.

PADILLA: But clearly post-Election Day --

TAPPER: Right.

PADILLA: -- until the election is certified.

TAPPER: I interviewed your governor, Gavin Newsom, who is obviously thinking about running for president in 2028. He said that if former Vice President Kamala Harris runs, he will not run. Do you understand that decision? Do you agree with it?

PADILLA: Well, I take him at his word. I believe what he has to say. And look, I know both of them. I consider them both friends. I'm focused on this midterm election.

We have 49 days to make sure every eligible person is registered and gets out and votes.

TAPPER: You think one of them would be a better presidential candidate than the other?

PADILLA: Like I said, I know them both. I consider them both friends. Let's focus on the midterms and set the stage for turning the White House blue in (inaudible).

TAPPER: That's not a denial that you have an opinion, though.

Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California, thanks so much.

Breaking news on the Kennedy Center, President Trump says the performing arts center will close immediately. Ahead, inside the meeting described as chaotic, complete with President Trump himself calling in and yelling at a Democrat on the board at issue, they want his name on the side of the building.

[17:09:22]

Plus, we're going out of office for the new digital series. New details from my conversation with Governor Newsom. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: We're back with the Politics Lead and another clip from our new experimental digital series. It's called Out of Office, in which we talk with both Republicans and Democrats, maybe even independents, in some of their favorite places about their life experiences, childhoods, parents, struggles, successes. Here's another part of our exclusive conversation with California Governor Gavin Newsom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: I visited this place, Jake, probably 19 years ago. Jen invited me to meet her parents and nervously came out here onto the ranch and picked up the fly rod. And then 20 years later, she's still wondering where I am. And we come back here every summer.

TAPPER (voice-over): The first lady of California, Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, was not Newsom's first wife. That was Kim Guilfoyle, who would go on to become a close ally of President Trump, even engaged to Donald Trump Jr. at one point. Newsom and Guilfoyle took a photograph for a 2004 profile in Harper's Bazaar, a photograph that the Internet cannot seem to forget.

TAPPER: Were you mayor when you met Kim Guilfoyle?

NEWSOM: No. We were -- we campaigned. I was supervisor. Yes, I was a district supervisor, District 2. And she was a district attorney and was down in LA when we first met.

TAPPER: Do you still talk to her.

NEWSOM: Kimberly? Not in a long time, no. But you know, over the years, periodically it's been totally amicable, which has been great.

TAPPER: I think she's ambassador to Greece now, right? NEWSOM: She is ambassador.

TAPPER: Ambassador Guilfoyle.

[17:15:00]

NEWSOM: Amazing. I don't know that I can call her that.

TAPPER: You have to by law. You know what I thought was funny in your book was you explained that stupid photo.

NEWSOM: Oh, my God, man.

TAPPER: I'm glad you explained it.

NEWSOM: Oh, God, what an idiot. That was not supposed to happen. It happened at a lazy moment. And then the mock -- the mocking began, and it was 100 percent legit, cringeworthy.

TAPPER (voice-over): That photo is hardly the only regret Newsom has from that era. In 2005, he had a relationship with a married city hall staffer. He was single at the time.

NEWSOM: I am deeply sorry and am accountable for what has occurred.

TAPPER (voice-over): In his memoir, he describes it as "the stupidest and briefest of affairs." She has since offered a different account in Vanity Fair, saying the relationship continued on and off for months.

TAPPER: She wrote something for Vanity Fair.

NEWSOM: Oh, yes. Yes. I didn't -- I didn't see that. But --

TAPPER: You didn't read it, but you saw it.

NEWSOM: That is -- no, I -- no, I was actually at it. I was literally with the kids on vacation last week, so I did not see it.

TAPPER: Her story is like she was taking a lot of drugs and drinking a lot.

NEWSOM: Yes. No, look, I mean, I got nothing more to stay on it. I wrote about in the book briefly, and the whole thing was brief and, you know, and it -- and certainly has defined a lot of those years as mayor because I, you know, had to confront the voters on that. You know, I got -- I had an election right after all that came out, and -- but that wasn't important. It was confronting myself.

And that was what --

TAPPER: And what was that? What was the thing about yourself that you're confronting?

NEWSOM: No, just get your shit together, you know, you're divorced, your mom dies, you're mayor, you're relatively young. I was growing up in public, you know, and that's the thing. You start so young in this racket, and mistakes that you make -- may make in private, you're not. You don't have that luxury.

I didn't appreciate that I was mayor, and you have to act like the mayor. And, you know, you can't just be out late. You know, if you're dating someone, you know, you're going to be judged on that. I didn't -- I was growing up. I just didn't understand all that.

TAPPER: I don't think there's anything that grows you up more than having a kid.

NEWSOM: Amen. I mean, the great thing is, you know, we -- I met Jen years after all that stuff happened or a good year after all that stuff. So when we, you know, got engaged, this was going to be it. This was the right decision. And I made sure.

And so when we had the kid, it reinforced what you just said. I mean, it was like magic.

Come on. This is nice and muddy. It's fantastic.

TAPPER: Wait, it's not heated?

NEWSOM: Oh, really? Really? Jesus Christ.

Thank you all very, very much for being here tonight.

TAPPER (voice-over): Newsom ran for governor for many reasons, but the biggest challenge he faced was the COVID epidemic.

TAPPER: There needs to be like a 9/11 commission on COVID.

NEWSOM: Yes.

TAPPER: You know, what we did right, what we did wrong.

NEWSOM: Yes. And look, everyone's a genius in hindsight, so, you know, coulda woulda.

TAPPER: Well, what would you do differently?

NEWSOM: I had a whole chapter just about Purell. We were running around doing price gouging legislation against Purell. And everyone was thinking it was a Purell based crisis. I mean, you know, we --

TAPPER: People were scrubbing their groceries.

NEWSOM: Yes. I mean, DeSantis was closing down his beaches before we closed ours. I mean, the idea that we closed beaches was insane in hindsight. Obviously, the schools taking too long. A lot of districts were open, but the big ones weren't. L.A. refused and I regret that, obviously.

TAPPER: I remember just like pushing people, experts like, when can we open the schools? Why are restaurants open but schools aren't?

NEWSOM: Yes, yes. TAPPER: And this is in a much smaller version, what you were no doubt going through, which is teachers were like going online and accusing me of wanting to kill them.

NEWSOM: Everybody was fearful. I remember it was, you're about to reopen them and then there's a new wave.

TAPPER: Right.

NEWSOM: All of a sudden there's a new variant that comes out.

TAPPER: You infamously attended that dinner all while you were telling Californians that they should be staying at home. What on earth were you thinking?

I already gave you shit for French Laundry. That was a long time ago.

NEWSOM: Gave myself shit.

TAPPER: I wasn't even going to bring up French Laundry. But like you, you know --

NEWSOM: Just boneheaded decision. Just stupid decision. I just dialing it in. We were exhausted. Friend's birthday.

It was a restaurant that was open the night before, as a restaurant was open the night after. And it was just against the spirit of the rules that I was promoting. And you know, I went there, I had a mask on when I walked in, walked out, but not when I was eating. And you know, I was sitting there, which in and of itself is curious, promoting masks on between bites, come on. But I -- there was a bunch of people at the table and more than what I was promoting.

[17:20:05]

And so it was completely legit condemnation.

TAPPER: You're facing a recall effort in part because of your handling of the pandemic.

NEWSOM: I got recalled. I mean, I almost lost. You know, talk about humility. Come on. You know -

TAPPER: What was the vote?

NEWSOM: We won by a good margin. But you know, the time, I didn't know what was going to happen. There was -- there was some public polls that had it within a margin of error. My politics changed after that, back to this sort of incumbency insurrectionist mindset. You're just not the same after that.

TAPPER: You're still standing.

NEWSOM: I'm still standing. All the -- all the shit they keep throwing and still standing. And, you know, now I got Trump on the criminal stuff and, you know, they can't take you out the other way. They'll try to take you out that way.

In recent days, federal agents have knocked on the doors of family friends, and former employees, not because they found a crime, because they're simply trying to find one. Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt president in American history.

TAPPER (voice-over): This summer, the Justice Department launched an investigation into Newsom and his wife that Newsom says is a political witch hunt.

TAPPER: Well, that's what Trump thinks about him.

NEWSOM: Well, exactly. Yes.

TAPPER: Trump thinks that --

NEWSOM: That's what they've been doing him for years.

TAPPER: Yes.

NEWSOM: Yes. And true in many respects.

TAPPER: What you think the -- some of those attorney general case or the New York, Manhattan case or --

NEWSOM: I thought some of it -- you know, I wasn't watching MS every night cheering that stuff on. I was like, this seems to me like this is getting a little too much.

TAPPER: I went to the court one of the days that Stormy Daniels testified. I was in Manhattan and I went to the -- I went there. And I mean, I know -- I'm not saying that he didn't --

NEWSOM: Yes.

TAPPER: -- commit crimes, I mean, obviously, it was a novel way to prosecute by saying he committed a misdemeanor in service of another misdemeanor, and that makes it a felony. I'm not saying he's innocent, but --

NEWSOM: No, no. Right.

TAPPER: -- it felt very small.

NEWSOM: Look, I understand from his perspective how he views all this and giving everybody a taste of their own medicine. And I say this again, and you're saying it one respect. I'm saying it's one of his fiercest opponents. I mean, I'm, you know, take no quarter with Trump and in terms of my opposition and calling them out, but, you know, you got to own those excesses. But it's been the whole -- my whole book is about owning mistakes in the past and owning up to them and, you know, just constantly trying to be better and do better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: And you can watch the entire conversation with Governor Newsom and hopefully many more conversations to come with all sorts of people from all sorts -- all sides of the aisle on the CNN All Access app. Or you can go online to CNN.com/watch. CNN.com/watch.

Senator Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon talk about an odd couple. But today both had similar warnings about AI and the need for some sort of watchdog or regulation. Senator Sanders coming up on The Lead.

Plus, prediction markets like Kalshi in brand new territory now that NFL and college football are back. What regulation for this industry might also look like? That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:27:33]

TAPPER: In our Tech Lead, a new record for prediction markets trading on platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi hit more than $5.7 billion. That's billion with a B last weekend alone. They could thank the return of NFL and college football, of course. Let's bring in folks tracking the prediction market industry, CNN Senior Reporter Marshall Cohen, along with Christy Goldsmith Romero, who served as a commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC under President Biden, and Brian Quintenz, who served as CFTC commissioner during President Trump's first term and is now on the board at Kalshi. And this disclaimer before we jump in, CNN has a partnership with Kalshi and uses its data for analysis. But Kalshi does not influence our coverage and CNN editorial employees are not allowed to trade on prediction markets.

OK, Marshall, let me start with you, because the idea of regulating prediction markets for sports is a hot debate. Here is what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: We think that there needs to be stronger regulations into the predictive markets. We want to see that to protect the integrity of our game. We want to make sure we're protecting the consumers that are on those platforms for, for the -- for the NFL.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So where is the debate over prediction markets and regulating trading when it comes to sports?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, you heard right there that the NFL does want to reign some of this in.

TAPPER: Or so they claim.

COHEN: Well, they have sent letters to the CFTC asking for things to be changed. They don't want markets on injuries or who's going to start a game, whether a kicker is going to miss a field goal, things that are easy to manipulate, things you can know ahead of time. And the companies have taken down some of those markets and the agency is in the process of banning some of them. But the leagues are saying it's really just not enough.

The NCAA, for instance, asked for a pause on all college markets. That's not happening. And then the NFL also wants the minimum age to be raised from 18 to 21. That's not happening either. So they want more to be done.

And also so do the states, Jake, 44 state attorneys general, Democrats and Republicans, some very conservative states and very liberal states, all agree. Forty-four states, they say that this is gambling. They say these are unlicensed sports books. They want it to be regulated as such.

TAPPER: Christy, is that how you see it? I mean, what's the difference between trading on prediction markets and betting on a sportsbook app?

CHRISTY GOLDSMITH ROMERO, FORMER CFTC COMMISSIONER: Well, to the normal person who's just making a trade or a bet, probably not much, right? I mean, and ultimately, Ninth Circuit just held in this case related to Nevada, because Nevada sued, which they have a big interest in their own gambling laws. And they said, it looks sort of the same if you're a consumer, if you're looking at this. So ultimately, it really comes down to this tricky legal situation, this legal question that I think is going to end up before the Supreme Court.

[17:30:25]

TAPPER: Brian, so I'm an Eagles fan. The Eagles are, and so is Marshall, by the way, full disclosure. So we play Tennessee on Sunday. How is trading on Kalshi on the game different from betting on the game?

BRIAN QUINTENZ, FORMER CFTC COMMISSIONER: So again, while the products may be similar between, you know, a casino and an exchange, the risk to the customer from the business is very, very different. In a casino, or if you're going to a sportsbook, you are trading against the house. The house is setting the odds. The house sets the odds to ensure that it wins.

TAPPER: Yes, the house always wins.

QUINTENZ: Its winnings equal its customer losses. They have a massive conflict of interest. They limit how much people can win, and they try to hook the losers. On an exchange, you're participating in an open marketplace. You are trading against other people, other businesses, and the exchange's job is to provide a market with integrity.

And so, you know, that may be a subtle difference to some people, but when it comes to regulation, you regulate businesses for the harm that they could pose to their customers, and these models are very, very different.

TAPPER: So obviously the big fear, Marshall, is insider trading, and that's why the NCAA is crying out for a ban on college sports, at least for now, in terms of these trading markets, because the temptation might be too much for a college kicker to not throw a game or throw a kick for a $50,000 payoff. MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: And it's so much bigger than sports. We've seen scandals across multiple industries throughout the year. Obviously, you remember at the beginning of this year the raid in Venezuela that captured Nicolas Maduro.

TAPPER: Right.

COHEN: A special forces soldier has been charged, indicted, with the -- accused of insider trading on Polymarket about that raid. A few weeks later, the State of the Union, George Santos, the disgraced former congressman, was caught by Kalshi, betting on whether or not he was going to attend the State of the Union.

TAPPER: Right.

COHEN: He settled with the CFTC. Also, there was a scandal just a few weeks ago with the GOP nominee in a battleground district in North Carolina betting on her own race. They call that political insider trading. And then probably the most important of them all, in the White House --

TAPPER: Right.

COHEN: -- the teleprompter operator, you've reported on this. It was international news. He was caught by Kalshi. They reported to the CFTC he settled a few weeks ago for $65,000. But the agency said that he breached his duty to the U.S. government. And it looks like that's going to be the whole settlement.

TAPPER: Well, so, Brian, the CFTC said the White House teleprompter operator traded unlawfully at Kalshi for some three months. He made $107,000 from 43 separate trades, even if he had to pay a $65,000 fine. How did he get away with it for so long?

QUINTENZ: Well, I think that the surveillance systems that are set up, and first of all, as a regulated exchange, Kalshi has very, very robust know-your-customer standards that it has to follow so that you can understand who someone is, where they live, how old they are. And if they do suspicious trades, if they are flagged by a surveillance system, then the exchange will go in and they'll say, show me a pay stub. Where do you work? Why do these things look so suspicious? Sometimes it's just well-timed trades. And sometimes, unfortunately, it's people trying to get away with something. The important thing is that these people are being caught and they're being held accountable.

TAPPER: What do you make of the $65,000 fine for the White House teleprompter operator?

ROMERO: Yes, I think it's quite small. I mean, we're talking about someone in the White House, and this is what he did, right? He traded in what's called mentioned markets. Will Trump say a certain word? Well, he would get the speech an hour before, and he would look at it. If it had the word in it, he'd trade yes. If it didn't, he'd trade no.

Midway through one speech, the President skipped one part and he changed his trade. So he makes like almost 40 trades, and this goes on until he gets caught. And ultimately, you think, well, how was he allowed to keep going? Why wasn't he on a list of insiders who would be banned from making those trades in the beginning? And what this does is it brings down trust.

It brings down this idea of like, these markets have really great data that people want, and they want to use, but not if it's tainted. And so ultimately, getting the integrity up in these markets is going to be really important.

QUINTENZ: There's a lot that is going on there. And Kalshi is working very, very hard to identify all of these people to the extent they can, but ensuring that they're held accountable if they do things wrong for that market integrity purpose.

TAPPER: All right. Thanks, one and all. Appreciate it.

[17:34:51]

Senator Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon, back-to-back guests today at a conference on A.I., both of them sounding the alarm, calling for restrictions now on the fast-moving technology. Senator Sanders joins me next year on The Lead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Time for the latest in our series A.I.: Friend or Foe. The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence or A.I. brought together people from across the political spectrum today in Washington, D.C. to call for more guardrails on the industry. Independent Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont appeared on stage just ahead of former Trump advisor and alt-right figure Steve Bannon, just to paint the picture. Bannon even pointed out the dichotomy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:39:59]

STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP CHIEF STRATEGIST: I think Senator Sanders did a very good job of summarizing the risk. Obviously he and I have a quite different opinion of the President of the United States, but we're trying to raise above partisanship, and we have to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Joining us now, Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. What is it about this issue that brings together folks from across the spectrum? I can't imagine that you and Steve Bannon agree on much.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): That's true. Look, I think, as you just indicated, A.I. is moving at an exponential rate. It is in the process of transforming the lives of every man, woman, and child. It will have a profound impact on the economy with the possible loss of millions of jobs. It's going to eviscerate privacy rights. Parents are very worried about the impact of A.I. on the mental health of their kids, on the reading ability of their kids. Reading levels are in decline. Writing levels are in decline.

Then in the last few weeks, I think what people are seeing is that the leaders of the A.I. industry themselves and the scientists who work on the technology are saying, you know what, we are losing control over a dangerous technology. It's only a question of time when A.I. becomes smarter than human beings and likely then becomes independent of human control.

And what we, the industry, are saying is that could be extremely dangerous, an independent A.I. smarter than humanity. I think all over this country, whether people are conservatives, progressives, moderates, are saying, where the hell is the United States government? Where are our elected officials? We are worried. What are you doing? The answer, Jake, is nowhere, nowhere near enough.

TAPPER: Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked about this today. He gave a press conference in the Rose Garden. He dismissed the need to regulate A.I. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ATTORNEY GENERAL: The way this has come around today and not three months ago, I mean, I was watching the news today. Every Democrat senator suddenly races to a microphone to talk about A.I. To talk about the timing of this as being nothing but an effort to influence the midterms, I shouldn't have to say that out loud. Of course, that's what it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Now, in your remarks earlier today, you called out the A.I. CEOs. They're asking to be regulated, but they're also donating to Super PACs that work hard against candidates who support guardrails for A.I.

SANDERS: That's right.

TAPPER: So do you think this call to be regulated federally is 100 percent genuine? Is it political? Is it economic? What do you make of Todd Blanche's comments?

SANDERS: Well, I think it's, you know, look, everybody knows where I stand on Donald Trump's, but it is really embarrassing how little the President of the United States understands about the danger of this technology. And, you know, maybe Democrats are speaking about it now. Well, it's better late than ever. I will tell you, I've been speaking about it for a very long time.

So bottom line here, I think, is you asked me about the integrity, in a sense, or the honesty of the CEOs. I think they are legitimately nervous. On the other hand, one of the points that I made this afternoon is we have a industry of extraordinary importance, the A.I. industry, which is controlled by a handful of the richest people in the world, Ellison, Bezos, Musk, and others, who really do not stay up nights worrying about the implications of what they are doing until very recently. And as you point out, they are contributing hundreds of millions of dollars through their Super PACs to prevent, I think, Congress from doing the right thing. So they, if they're going to be honest about it, and if they're telling the American people that this is a real danger, then you should not be spending money trying to defeat candidates or members of Congress who want to do something about it.

TAPPER: The president rattled off a series of social media posts about A.I., dismissing the warnings it could lead to disaster. He repeatedly calls the fears a hoax, saying not to kill the golden goose. That's a quote. This is A.I. and data centers. He says the only guardrails needed is a strong and smart, high I.Q. president. That's a quote. He's obviously referring to himself. How concerned are you about his attitude about all this?

SANDERS: Jake, that is an understatement. I think we have a mentally unstable President who is a narcissist, who could -- who just apparently refuses to even grapple with this issue. And it is very, very dangerous, I think, for the country. I would hope, because I know this is true, that there are a number of Republicans in the House and Senate who understand that this is a significant issue. And I would hope they have the courage to stand up for their constituents and for the American people, despite what this out of touch president says.

[17:45:11]

TAPPER: House Speaker Johnson was asked his thoughts on the President's response to the A.I. warnings. Here is how he characterized what President Trump had to say in his dismissal of these concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: You remember when AOC said, was it climate change? What was her stupid thing? She said, we're all going to be dead in 10 years. You know, this is -- what the President is saying is you're not all going to be dead in 10 years. OK, that's a hoax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So that's not what Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said. She was speaking hyperbolically, and she made that clear immediately thereafter.

SANDERS: And of course, climate change today is ravaging the entire planet.

TAPPER: Right.

SANDERS: But above and beyond that, for the administration to dismiss some of the leading scientists in the world, I've been working with Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, who was a Nobel Prize winner in physics.

TAPPER: Sure. The godfather of A.I. We've had him on the show several times. SANDERS: The godfather of A.I.

TAPPER: Yes.

SANDERS: Right. And what he is telling us is we should be very, very nervous. And of course, he's not alone. So that you have an administration which is so dismissive of dozens and dozens of people who have studied this issue, who understand the implications of what it means if A.I. becomes independent of human control to suddenly dismiss that and call it a hoax is so irresponsible that is almost, you know, hard to understand.

TAPPER: Stanford University's 2026 A.I. Index argues that the U.S. and China's A.I. performance gap is effectively closed. Is there a path forward to force the Chinese towards negotiations for any sort of global A.I. safeguards right now?

SANDERS: Look, the Chinese are in strong competition with the U.S. in A.I. But like American scientists, the Chinese scientists and leaders are not crazy. And Jake, what I would remind you of is the 1980s in the midst of the Cold War, where you had the Soviet Union and the United States disagreeing on everything. Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan came together to understand that a nuclear war would not be good for America or the Soviet Union or the world. And they reached a nuclear arms agreement.

I would hope very much that the President of the United States and President Xi of China, when they meet in the very near future, can sit down and negotiate an agreement banning, for example, superintelligence.

TAPPER: Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont. Thank you, sir. Good to see you as always.

SANDERS: Good. Thank you, Jake.

TAPPER: Still ahead, CNN's All Over the Map series heads to Alaska, where scenic views and major policy differences are showing up for the race for U.S. Senate. Hear from the voters themselves, Alaskans, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:52:20]

TAPPER: In politics, we're heading to Alaska, where a key midterm race could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. The frontrunners are a two-term Republican senator and a Democrat, a House Democrat, who used to represent the entire state in the U.S. House. CNN's John King heads west in his All Over the Map series to see whether this could be the final frontier for the incumbent Republican.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The state fair has a spectacular snowy backdrop, rides, games, and, yes, little politics if you wish. Alaskan Republicans put the President front and center as they try to promote Senator Dan Sullivan and other GOP candidates.

The Democrats also feature Trump, hoping anger at the President helps their ticket. Daily celebrations of Native Alaskans and traditions many in the lower 48 might not understand. There are 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: This are standard trips.

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 is no fresh meat, there is no fresh fruit, there is no fresh vegetables. And it gets so bad in some of the villages.

KING (voice-over): A visitor gets VIP Inupiaq treatment, the curved ulu used to chop slices of dried salmon and 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): Everywhere you go, reminders of the big choice. And don't make the mistake of thinking these warnings are just for show. 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, ALASKAN VOTER: Apparently so.

KING (voice-over): Started his own adventure company 20 years ago, fishing, hiking, kayaking, panning for gold. 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.

[17:55:11]

KING (voice-over): Brown likes Senator Sullivan and says he helped the company get access to federal land for some of its tours, for Sullivan twice before, leaning Sullivan this time. But some hesitation because of campaign support the senator receives from larger fishing operations.

BROWN: Seward used to be a little village with a fishing problem, you know. Now it's a tourism town. But it's -- 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Not often, Jake, you think of Alaska as the state that could decide control of Congress. If the Senate is flipping blue, that means the House has already flipped blue. So this Alaska race could be huge in that calculation. It's a fascinating race. Senator Sullivan has been there for two terms. He's asking for a third term. Mary Peltola, you mentioned, was in the House. She is a native Alaskan. She would be the first native Alaskan senator. And because costs are so high there, it comes up a lot that she understands us maybe a little better than him. It's not so much that they criticize him. It's not a very partisan state. But, you know, she's been a fisherman. She's worked with her hands.

But I will say Rick Brown at the end there has voted for Sullivan in the past. I think Sullivan is too in favor of the big trawlers. But as he starts to lean into Sullivan, he says, but if Peltola gets to Washington, will all the Democrats have a majority? It will be too many socialists. So it's a lot of local issues up there. But the national debate is creeping in.

TAPPER: Fascinating stuff. John King, thanks so much.

Breaking news tonight, President Trump says the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will close immediately. That after a judge said Trump's name cannot go back on that building. There was also a Kennedy Center board meeting today described as effing chaotic by a source. New details on all of it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:01]

TAPPER: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, "It was effing crazy." The R rated version of those words, or how one source described the Kennedy Center --