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Women's Rights Trailblazer Gloria Steinman Dies at 92; "Washington Post" Reporter Dan Lamothe is Interviewed about Pentagon Cuts; Anthropic Upgrades Models. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired September 03, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

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[09:32:11]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, women's rights trailblazer and feminist icon, really, Gloria Steinem has died. Steinem's storied career spanned decades. She fought for women in the workplace, access to abortion and sex education. She became the face of feminism, and her impact will be felt forever.

I want to bring in CNN's Randi Kaye because, Randi, reactions are already pouring in. What are you seeing?

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Oh, yes, absolutely. I mean she was an organizer. She was an activist, Omar. She really gave life to the feminist movement. And I think she sort of found her calling early on. I mean after college, she had moved to New York City, and she was working as a young journalist where she said she experienced sexism and often being dismissed by what was then at least a male dominated industry. And she actually said that an editor at "Life" magazine told her once that we need a reporter, not a pretty girl.

And then in 1962, she went on to publish this article that really launched her writing career. She had been posing as a cocktail waitress at the New York Playboy Club, and she wrote about, you know, low pay, she exposed that, and lousy working conditions. And it went on from there.

But her foundation, after she passed, released a statement that we want to share with everybody, just -- they wrote, "Gloria's greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and examples gave people permission to be the truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor."

And she -- perhaps, Omar, she's most well-known for her 1972 finding of "Ms." magazine. She explained why she actually -- why she started that magazine during an HBO documentary. She said that she realized as a journalist that there really was nothing for women to read that was controlled by women. So, that's why she started that. And she used that magazine to highlight a lot of her causes, access to abortion, reproductive care. She was open about having an abortion at age 22. And she spoke at the women's march in Washington, D.C., after President Donald Trump was elected.

And it wasn't just feminist causes, but she also did a lot of work for civil rights causes. She was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, and others as well. And then we should note, she was 92 years old, and no cause of death has been given.

JIMENEZ: Yes. It's one of those people where you just felt like every time you looked up, you would see her somewhere different and setting the standard and pushing for one cause after another.

KAYE: Yes.

JIMENEZ: But here, today, we report the news, Gloria Steinem has died at 92 years old.

Randi Kaye, really appreciate you taking the time. We'll have more coverage on this throughout the day as well.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you so much, Omar.

A move inside the Pentagon raising serious questions this morning. "The Washington Post" is reporting classified documents detailing military orders and planning have been pulled from an internal computer web portal routinely used by top military personnel.

[09:35:07]

This comes just days after "The Post" published a story about senior military leader's concerns over how the war in Iraq was being -- Iran, excuse me, was being done. So, at this point, the documents being kept from senior leaders detail everything, according to "The Post," from the location of U.S. warships and military units, to the availability of weapons systems. And they give senior commanders a formal way to raise objections to orders without refusing to carry them out.

The Pentagon responding today, saying, "as we have previously stated, the Department of War does not publicly discuss internal operational deliberative processes, including the management, handling or access protocols for the secretary of war's orders book. The success of our service members is Secretary Hegseth's top priority, and for that reason, decisions regarding operational processes, force posture and deliberative staffing are managed through appropriate security channels to ensure mission security and operational integrity."

All right, joining me now is the reporter who broke the story for "The Washington Post," Dan Lamothe.

Thank you for being here.

Can you just give us a sense of why access to this kind of classified information is so important to military leaders at this time that we are at war with Iran.

DAN LAMOTHE, PENTAGON REPORTER "WASHINGTON POST": This is a foundational document in terms of how the military plans and prepares. It's classified at the secret level, or at least it had been, which leaves it open to hundreds of thousands of service members, defense contractors, others who actually have a clearance at that level.

So, we were very specific about what we reported over the weekend. A couple of my colleagues had that story. What -- you know, in terms of the concerns raised without, you know, laying out, hey, here's, you know, a specific missile unit here, here's a specific warship there, we focused on the concerns that generals and admirals have, which is that as this war has gone on, six months and counting, the sustainability of it long term is increasingly an issue they have. So, some of the top generals and admirals in Europe, in the Pacific, running the Navy and just, you know, very senior leaders in the military did something called non-concurring, where they, you know, they will carry out the orders they get. But they're basically -- this is a formal way where they can register their concerns about those orders being a good idea.

SIDNER: Are you getting a sense of why this is happening right now? Of what led up to this? Are you hearing from some of these members of the military who, you know, really need and want access to this information?

LAMOTHE: Yes. So, "The Post's" story on that non concurrence was published Sunday. And Tuesday evening we started hearing from numerous sources saying, hey, I'm trying to get access to the SDOB, the secretary of defense orders book, and it's been pulled from the usual place that it is. Yesterday we went to the Pentagon seeking comment on that. They didn't deny anything. You know, they basically read out the same statement that you just did to me.

SIDNER: Yes.

LAMOTHE: But, yes, it's going to change how people access and who can access this information quickly.

SIDNER: What kind of impact might this have, for example, on the war that the United States is now in with Iran?

LAMOTHE: I mean, I think that the short answer is that it's going to complicate planning, slow down the discussion process internally, you know, and I think the question people have raised on one hand, you know, the publication of the non-concurrent Sunday, you know, that concerns some people. We thought it was important to have out there just given that, you know, that cut so significantly against the narrative the administration is pushing out. But the other concern is that this is going to make it difficult to -- for people to do their jobs quickly and effectively.

SIDNER: Dan Lamothe, there is also the situation with Pete Hegseth right now sort of under fire from not just one Republican, but several concerned about the moves that are being made. For example, the resignation of the Army secretary. All of this happening, does not happen outside of a bubble. So, we will have to see going forward. But great reporting from you. Thank you so much for that reporting there in "The Washington Post." Coming up, the last major holiday of the summer, folks. Labor Day

weekend is coming so close. It's almost here. The high prices at the pump that travelers can expect, ahead.

And first they switched to assigned seats. And now Southwest Airlines is announcing another major change for fliers.

[09:39:59]

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JIMENEZ: As the war with Iran drags on, gas and oil prices keep climbing. U.S. oil, for example, just over $91 a barrel. The national average for a gallon of gas ticking up again this morning to $4.14 a gallon, which is the highest since June 10th and over a dollar higher than before the war began.

And the rise in prices, I don't have to tell you, comes ahead of the busy Labor Day holiday weekend, where GasBuddy estimates that drivers could actually face the most expensive Labor Day at the pump on record.

Speaking of GasBuddy, joining me now, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, joining us from -- out at a gas station in Michigan.

[09:45:06]

And I just -- let's just start there. How would you contextualize the prices we are seeing right now at gas stations, and what do you assess as driving these prices right now?

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Yes, well, at least for now, this station below $4 a gallon, but that's getting harder to find this holiday weekend as millions of Americans hit the road for Labor Day. The national average at $4.12 a gallon. That is the most expensive Labor Day that we're going to see is this year.

So, a lot of Americans hitting the road, seeing rising prices. As you mentioned, oil prices have gone up rather dramatically this week on new escalations between the U.S. and Iran and continued Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia have continued to push gas and diesel prices higher. In fact, diesel prices this morning now just four cents from a new all-time record. A lot of this being driven by those two geopolitical tensions.

JIMENEZ: You know, President Trump met with oil executives recently and is pushing them to increase refining capacity to help bring prices down. Is that something that would have that effect? I mean do you have faith that that will result in lower prices if that was executed?

DE HAAN: Well, if refineries suddenly boosted capacity in a meaningful way, that certainly would help. Refining is certainly one of the biggest chokepoints that's causing this bit of a disconnect between oil, which is modest right now, it's not record setting, but diesel, as I mentioned, is close to records, and gasoline, this Labor Day, is the most expensive Labor Day.

So, it's all about refining capacity right now. And that is what's crucial. If refineries could add meaningful capacity, that certainly would help alleviate part of this problem. The problem with doing that and adding capacity is it doesn't happen overnight. It would take years to build new refining capacity.

JIMENEZ: So, to that point, you know, the administration has also pointing to its new Venezuela oil deal as a way to increase supply as well. But when it comes from -- you just talked about it taking years if it was domestic increase in oil refineries. If you're bringing another country into that, how quickly could that actually translate into lower prices at the pump? It doesn't sound like that's immediate either.

DE HAAN: Well, it's not.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

DE HAAN: It likely is a huge deal, but it would take many years to build up infrastructure to get that oil pumping into the market. And then Venezuelan oil tends to be very heavy. So, things like crude oil upgraders would have to be built as well to get that oil into the market.

So, a lot of this is simply years away. Really the only thing in the here and now that can be done is partially or completely resolving these geopolitical tensions. We do see a little bit of a tailwind for motorists. Gas prices normally decline as we get into the fall because demand goes down and we switch to cheaper winter gasoline. But even that could be partially offset by any new escalations in these geopolitical tensions.

JIMENEZ: So, let's talk about this holiday weekend and driving, because there will be a lot of people on the road here. You have found a gas station that is under the national average right now. But again, as you mentioned, harder and harder to find.

If folks are getting in the car, heading out, going to wherever they're going, what is your advice to folks who are doing that? And how did you strategize maybe going about finding a station that's just a little lower than what they might see on the average?

DE HAAN: You know, it's always about being aware of what prices are, where you are.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

DE HAAN: I took a road trip. I came up from Chicago last night here to Michigan. And Indiana, right now one of the states that has suspended its gasoline taxes. So, the station behind me, just under $4. But in Indiana, with the GasBuddy app, I paid the equivalent of $2.99.

JIMENEZ: Wow.

DE HAAN: So, all over the map, every state has dramatically different prices. Shopping around and how you drive, also setting your cruise control, lowering your speed slightly can actually greatly increase your fuel efficiency. But I think it's that old adage, I mean, Americans spend thousands of dollars filling their tank every year. A few cents here and there does add up.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Patrick De Haan, really appreciate you being here, from Norton Shores, Michigan. So, hopefully after this, you get some good time out there this weekend. Good to see you.

All right, coming up for us, the Los Angeles Clippers hit with the largest punishment in NBA history. We're going to tell you what rules the league says they broke and what the team is saying this morning.

And an intense standoff between police and a man firing a gun at their drone. We've got new video of the moment a SWAT team arrived at his house. We'll show you that, coming up.

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[09:54:03]

JIMENEZ: Police in Oregon have released video showing a man shooting at one of their drones. It is what you're seeing here. This happened after a woman called 911 reporting her neighbor was shooting at people. Now investigators say he shot off more than 200 rounds and then used a tractor to make a barricade, that's what you're seeing here, when the SWAT team rammed him and the tractor against the house, leading to his arrest. He faces several charges, including attempted murder. But using that tractor, a SWAT team came in.

Meanwhile, the NBA has slapped the L.A. Clippers with massive penalties after finding they improperly funneled off court endorsement deals and payments to forward Kawhi Leonard. They will lose five consecutive first round draft picks starting in 2029. They will pay a fine of $30 million and undergo five years of strict league monitoring. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has also been suspended for a year, and the Clippers say the investigation was, quote, "heavily biased" and have rejected its findings.

[09:55:05]

Meanwhile, though, airport lounges on the horizon for Southwest Airlines. This is another move to keep up with competitors. The airline unveiled plans to open four lounges next year in Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu and Nashville. If you remember, earlier this year, Southwest announced it was switching to assigned seating for their flights for the first time instead of its longtime open seating policy that the airline was famous for.

So, Sara, you have to plan to sit next to me now. Sorry. Can't run from me.

SIDNER: I'll let you know.

All right, thank you so much, Omar. Anthropic is rolling out what could be a new blueprint for product launches in A.I. -- in the A.I. space. The tech giant addressed some of its biggest customer concerns by releasing upgraded versions of its flagship Claude models, with improved privacy safeguards. It also cut prices for some customers by as much as 75 percent. Anthropic is looking to edge out the competition as the battle for A.I. supremacy heats up.

Madison Mills is with me to discuss the company's latest move. She's a senior A.I. reporter at "Axios."

Cutting it by 75 percent. I mean, can they afford that?

MADISON MILLS, SENIOR A.I. REPORTER, "AXIOS": Well, that is a great question, especially as Anthropic is gearing up to go public.

SIDNER: Yes.

MILLS: And once it's a public company, public market investors are going to be asking some big questions about what the profit margins on their token costs start to look like.

But for now, it's been really interesting to see these companies, you know, six months ago when I started covering these model releases, that was enough just to come out and say, hey, we've got this great, brand-new model.

SIDNER: Yes.

MILLS: Now they have to go ten steps further to make a splash and say, it's not just that the model is great, it's also going to be cheaper. And that's why you guys should all go redo your enterprise processes to be able to use this new model, and why you should embrace it, even if, in some cases, there are concerns about things like safety, enterprise I.P., but the company trying to address all of those concerns with one big sweeping update here.

SIDNER: Give us a sense of what that sweeping update is.

MILLS: So, new models that customers can use, Fable 5.1 and Claude 5.1. Just updates to models that people have already been using. But it comes with all this other additional news. Things like cost cuts for some of their partners and customers, enterprise safeguards. This has been the hot new buzzword is like A.I. sovereignty. You don't want to be a customer that's using an A.I. model and then you leak all of your enterprise I.P. to that model company, because then what if they decide to replace you someday? So, that's been the hot new buzzword of the moment is this A.I. sovereignty thing. All of those things part of this release.

SIDNER: Do you expect other companies to start doing the same thing because as they are competing against one another, it's not just one company anymore, it's not just, you know what I mean, there's not just one that you go, oh, ChatGPT, OK, I know that one. There's a lot of them. MILLS: There's a lot of them. And we've already started to see this

trend because, again, there's this idea of diminishing model returns. After a while, it feels like I'm just speaking like A.I. spaghetti when I tell you, Claude 5.1, Opus 5.1.

SIDNER: Right.

MILLS: Like, what are we actually even talking about?

SIDNER: Yes.

MILLS: So, we've continued to see these news updates, which is great for us A.I. reporters, just getting more and more complex, and we have less and less time to be able to actually unpack all of these changes.

SIDNER: Maybe you should be using A -- nope. Never mind. I'm not going to tell you to use A.I. I'm not going to do it.

I want to talk to you a little bit about something that has happened with Anthropic in particular. They got into this big battle with the Pentagon at one point. A federal judge now in California has ruled that the Pentagon's efforts to blacklist Anthropic, which is how the judge put it, earlier this year was illegal. And this was after the DOD designated Anthropic, a supply chain, as a risk at one point. I think that was back in March. And that was after Anthropic said, look, we don't -- we want to be assured that you're not going to use this technology for fully autonomous weapons or to use it as a huge way to surveil people in the country. Domestic surveillance. And that they could not agree upon.

Where does all of this stand now, Anthropic and its relationship with the government, because I am assuming that that is a huge client, if you will.

MILLS: Yes, it is a huge client, a huge potential revenue driver for Anthropic. Again, they want as much revenue as they can, especially as they prep to go public.

My colleague, Maria Curi, is at G20 right now talking to members of the Trump administration about how they feel about Anthropic. And they've gotten a lot rosier. President Trump telling "Axios" a few months ago that suddenly they're not feeling like the company is maybe a massive supply chain risk. The question is whether or not D.C. actually comes forward with a ruling on whether or not it was constitutional to try and label Anthropic a supply chain risk after they pushed back on how the government was using these models.

SIDNER: Madison Mills, it is good to see you, and I think good -- have a good weekend. We're not at Friday yet, but we're almost there.

MILLS: We're almost there. Yes.

SIDNER: Thank you so much.

MILLS: Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: And thank you for joining us. You too, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

SIDNER: We'll see you tomorrow.

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes, I know.

SIDNER: You're back here working.

JIMENEZ: You got me on the early schedule. I'm locked in now.

SIDNER: You got to -- you got to be here.

This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "SIT ROOM" is up next.

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