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NFL Kicks Off Tonight With Super Bowl Rematch in Seattle; Firefighters Want Answers After Records Show Toxic Post-9/11 Air; Trump Heads to Texas for First-ever GOP Midterm Convention; New Colon Cancer Prevention Breakthrough; NTSB Says Amazon Plane Throttles Set to Full Power Moments Before Crash; Yields Rise After Treasury Says It Will Buy Up to $6 Billion in Bonds. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired September 09, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:20]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Are you ready for some football? CNN Sports Anchor, Coy Wire is here. Coy, kickoff tonight, finally.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, NFL football is back. All of our teams are undefeated. All fan bases have hope, unless you're Boris, and you have to cheer for the Dolphins.

(LAUGH)

WIRE: Great to see you, Boris. Listen, what a way to start this season. I have played on this field. I've felt this place shake.

Tonight, the defending Super Bowl champion, Seahawks, they're going to raise the banner against the same Patriots team they beat to win it. Seven months later, here we go with a rematch. In Seattle, they're not sneaking up on anyone anymore.

Last February, the Seahawks beat New England 29-13 behind a defense that's just swarming. They sacked Drake Maye six times, keeping the Patriots scoreless through three quarters. Now Head Coach, Mike Macdonald's crew goes from hunter to hunted.

Sam Darnold is back, Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba is back, and much of that championship defense also back. So, on the Patriots side, think about what they're up against here, right? I mean, you're walking into this stadium, and you have to watch Seattle raise the banner that they won by beating you.

Their quarterback, Drake Maye, had an MVP caliber season. He's back. He's got a shiny new weapon in A.J. Brown. The big question, can New England protect him? Maye took 21 sacks during last year's postseason, six in the Super Bowl alone. Now they get an opportunity to show what has changed. Their quarterback, Drake Maye, said they're on to something new. So, you have them on to something new.

You have the Seahawks dropping a brand new banner, but, Boris, that banner can't make a tackle. The Lombardi can't score a touchdown, but one thing's for sure, when these 12s get rocking, you don't just hear them, you can feel it rattling your ribcage. Brand new season, Seahawks-Patriots. It's about to be on.

SANCHEZ: No doubt the 12th man is going to be felt tonight. You had me at Dolphins are undefeated, Coy. Just like '72, baby.

(LAUGH)

SANCHEZ: It's going to be a rough year, isn't it?

WIRE: That's right.

SANCHEZ: Coy Wire, thank you so much from Seattle. A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Hype man in chief, the president setting to rev up voters at tonight's Republican Midterm Convention, but with shrinking approval numbers, is he still the best messenger? And what did they know? The union for the FDNY demanding answers about the toxic air at ground zero after the 9/11 attacks and why more wasn't done to warn them of the dangers.

And questions for the crew. NTSB investigators dig into decisions by the pilots in those seconds before an Amazon cargo jet skidded off the runway in Miami. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

We are standing by for President Trump to leave Joint Base Andrews for Dallas, where just a few hours from now, he's going to headline the first-ever Republican Midterm Convention. So we're taking a live look here at Marine One. You can see the crew waiting on the president to arrive.

But within Republican circles, concerns about his convention are building because President Trump's unpopular war with Iran is a drag, as is his trade war with Canada because it's driving up costs for Americans. CNN's Kristen Holmes is live at the White House.

Kristen, what's the latest that you're hearing?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the big question tonight is, do Republicans want to be seen with President Trump or not? Two things are true. One is that generally speaking, when President Trump is not on the ballot, there is less voter turnout, particularly among the base. He does energize a certain sect of the Republican Party.

But at the exact same time, although that is historically true, President Trump's poll numbers are very low. He is increasingly unpopular. He is involved in a war with Iran that is never ending and also very deeply unpopular. And people blame a lot of the costs associated with living, people feel that it's unaffordable to live in the United States, on that war and on this administration.

So Republicans now have to make a decision. Do they stand next to President Trump or do they forego this convention altogether? Now, President Trump seems to be very aware that Republicans are making this choice. He has been touting this convention on social media. He posted that everybody wants to be there. It's sold out.

But he says everyone wants to be there, but we're really asking only those candidates that are in tight races, a little up, a little down, or even to speak.

[14:05:00]

We want to save the stage for them, acknowledging that there are some candidates who have already told them they're not going to that convention. They say they have other things to do, whether it's in their districts, fundraisers, events that they are going to, or they've just determined that this political climate is too toxic to appear at an event with President Trump.

The big question here is, does President Trump still have that ability to draw out the Republican Party, to energize the base in a way that other Republicans simply do not? And we'll know after we see him tonight.

He's also taking the stage tomorrow night as well, though the official headliner will be J.D. Vance. And it's not without competition. It is also, as we just heard Boris talking about, the opening night, which I'm not actually sure that's a term you use in football, the start of the season for the NFL, happening at the exact same time that President Trump is going to be talking.

So there's a competition just in that. We'll see how this all plays out.

KEILAR: All right. He says it's -- what is it, Boris? What are you calling it?

SANCHEZ: Kickoff.

KEILAR: Oh, kickoff?

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

KEILAR: Kristen, it's the kickoff.

HOLMES: Kickoff is for the whole thing. I thought kickoff was just for the game itself. It's not for the whole season.

SANCHEZ: It's a kickoff weekend.

KEILAR: Kickoff weekend?

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

HOLMES: OK.

KEILAR: Kristen, yeah.

HOLMES: Well, I know for next time. We're good. OK.

KEILAR: Listen.

HOLMES: Got it.

KEILAR: Me and you, same. It's OK. That's why we have Boris. All right, Boris?

(LAUGH)

SANCHEZ: So they sacrificed during one of America's darkest moments, but now firefighters are demanding the truth about the dangers they faced without their knowledge. On Tuesday, New York state officials and city officials released thousands of documents revealing first responders were misled about the toxic air that lingered in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Today, representatives from New York firefighters unions blasted past officials for repeatedly hiding the reality facing everyone exposed to Ground Zero. Toxic dust from the fallen World Trade Center towers had been linked to heightened risks of heart disease, respiratory disease, even cancer. Documents show that officials knew about the toxicity just weeks after the attacks, but buried that information throughout the recovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB EUSTACE, PRESIDENT, FDNY UNIFORMED FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION: Many of our members spent years fighting to prove what they already knew was in their lungs and in their bodies, that the air was not safe, that the dust was not harmless, and that the consequences would not disappear when lower Manhattan reopened.

We have to ask the hard question, what could have been done different if we had this information sooner? Could members have been diagnosed earlier? Could illnesses have been treated earlier? Could families have been spared years of fighting for health care, compensation and recognition? Could we have spared years of dragging sick members down to Washington, begging for information that maybe we've known?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN's Randi Kaye was at that press conference earlier today. So, Randi, what steps do these unions want to take now?

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right now, Boris, they're not looking for a class action lawsuit yet, at least. What they're trying to do right now is encourage officials to help them identify more toxins because as people get sick with other cancers and other illnesses, they want to be able to trace it back to those toxins at Ground Zero, because right now people are getting sick and they might not be relating it to Ground Zero.

I'm talking about people who were recruits at that time in the FDNY who then weren't at Ground Zero but may have used contaminated equipment later at the academy or first responders who brought their equipment home and their clothing home and then their children or their families got sick. So they want to be able to help identify these others and relate it back to Ground Zero, so then they can get coverage to get care for those illnesses.

And this all, of course, goes back to this 170,000 documents or so that were released yesterday and officials have repeatedly, according to those documents, misled residents and these first responders about the toxic air quality levels at Ground Zero.

If you just look at the numbers, Boris, thousands of FDNY members have been diagnosed with at least one World Trade Center-related illness since 9/11. And just yesterday, they buried the 453rd FDNY member who had died from a World Trade Center-related illness. 200 of them have died, we learned at this press conference today, since the 20th anniversary.

So just in the last five years, since the 20th anniversary of 9/11. We heard that they believe that people deserve to know the truth about the air quality. One of the first -- one of the Fire Department members said that the earlier the truth would have helped with earlier screening and earlier treatment.

And here's a little bit more from what they said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. JAMES BROSI, PRESIDENT, FDNY UNIFORMED FIRE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: At the earliest time of October, the city was making a fiduciary choice to prioritize the economic stability of lower Manhattan over the health and safety of the firefighters, the police officers, the construction workers, and the children that went back to school down there.

What we learned was the air was as toxic as we said it was. What we learned is that we were dying with every breath we took down there. What we learned is that the city knew it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:10:00]

KAYE: And those are really strong words, Boris, and just being in that room, you really did -- we really did have a sense of just how angry, how disappointment and how discouraged this group is after all they did on 9/11 and after that.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Randi Kaye, thank you so much for that reporting.

Still to come, we have a new report from that fatal Amazon plane incident revealing the shocking move the pilots made just moments before it came crashing down. Plus, a breakthrough in the medical world. Routine blood testing may hold hidden clues to how likely you are to develop colon cancer at a young age. And later, OpenAI claims to have cracked a 90-year-old math mystery in a matter of days. We'll discuss when we come back.

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[14:15:22]

KEILAR: Stunning new details are emerging from the investigation into that deadly Amazon plane crash on Sunday. Seconds before the cargo plane overshot the runway and plowed into cars, the pilots set the throttles to full power.

Tom Foreman is here. Tom, what does that tell us?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It tells us this mystery is getting worse. I mean, look, this plane is a 737-300. This is almost a quarter million pounds. And what we have now is a sequence of oddities happening as it came in. First, it overshot the start of the landing zone when it was coming in.

Second, the left rear set of landing gear was not touching down when the front one and the right one had touched down. That's also strange. And now that they've recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recording, and now they're talking to the crew as well, this other question has come up.

This plane was doing 180 miles an hour 30 seconds before the recording ends. At 15 seconds before the recording ends, it's still at 140 miles per hour. The brakes are on, the wheel brakes, and all of a sudden they take the brakes off and they hit full power as if they're going to try to do a go around.

And then four seconds later, the brakes are back on and the engines are back at idle. And you never see the speed brakes or the thruster reversers applied. And the plane then goes off the end of the runway, travels, based on the math here, more than four football fields plowing through dirt and vehicles.

It hits an SUV and then the van where five people were killed. So Brianna, the simple truth is there are a lot of things here that add to the confusion over what was going on in that cockpit. We're hoping this afternoon to hear from NTSB after talking to the crew, to hear some of the insights of what they were thinking, what they were doing, what they were saying before this terrible crash.

KEILAR: That is so strange. Really a mystery to unravel here. Tom, thank you so much for those details.

Still ahead, an unusual move by the Treasury Department intervening in one of the world's most important markets. We'll have that next.

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[14:22:07]

SANCHEZ: New research shows routine blood testing could hold some unexpected clues to help identify people at risk of developing colorectal cancer at a young age. It's a report you're seeing first on CNN about what's now the deadliest cancer among young adults. For details on the new research, let's go to CNN Health Reporter, Jacqueline Howard. Jacqueline?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: This new research suggests that certain liver enzymes in your blood, known as AST and ALT, may be associated with colorectal cancer risk. Now, this is something that researchers say scientists should look into. What they found in this analysis is that among adults younger than 45, those who had AST levels below a lab measurement which is 14 units per liter -- so if they had lower levels below that unit, they were associated with a 65 percent higher likelihood of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 45.

And if their ALT levels were below 14, they were associated with a 68 percent higher likelihood. Now, the reason why this really stands out is because, typically, when you have your AST and ALT levels checked, higher levels are concerning because that can suggest an unhealthy liver or other issues going on.

So seeing lower levels being associated with colorectal cancer risk was really attention grabbing for these researchers. And they say this doesn't mean if you have lower levels, you need to rush to get an early colonoscopy or you should be panicked about your risk. This just means that this could be a signal indicating something else that may drive colorectal cancer risk.

Lower levels may be associated with lower muscle mass or a nutritional deficiency. So this is an area where scientists are really taking a closer look into simply what is going on here. The researchers again say this is something to look into scientifically, but it doesn't change clinical guidance.

It's still recommended to start regular screening if you're at average risk at age 45. Now, you may be recommended to get a colonoscopy at a younger age than 45 if you have a family history, if you have a personal history, or if you yourself are showing symptoms of colorectal cancer. Symptoms to look out for, if you see blood in your stool, if you have rectal bleeding, if you experience sudden changes in your bowel habits that persist over days, if you have unintended weight loss, those are some symptoms to look out for.

But when it comes to answering that question, why are we seeing more colorectal cancer at younger ages? That's where scientists say they want to continue this research looking into your blood work and maybe other factors that can help answer some of these questions.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much to Jacqueline Howard for that.

[14:25:00]

Just into CNN, the Treasury Department announcing a major intervention in the bond market. The government buying back up to $6 billion worth of government bonds. But instead of helping calm the market and guide bond yields lower, yields are actually rising. As we've talked about before, the bond market may be the most important part of the financial world that a lot of us don't understand, but fortunately for that, we have CNN's David Goldman here to explain this to us.

David, what is the Treasury Department doing? Why does it matter to everyday Americans?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, it matters to everyday Americans because this yield right here, the 10-year yield, that's the benchmark for things like your mortgage rate, your auto loans. So this really does matter, and when it goes up, it means that you are paying more. And 4.83, well, it's a little bit lower than it was. It was 4.85 just a few minutes ago. That was the highest since 2023. So clearly, the bond market is sending a message here.

What is it reacting to? Well, we just had, as you mentioned, this big buyback from Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, who said that we could have a buyback as big as $6 billion. It was $6 billion, but investors are not a kind bunch. They wanted more. They wanted something that was maybe closer to $8 billion.

And so the fact that it was as high as it was, but not even higher, suggested that, well, maybe this wasn't the sufficient reaction that they were looking for. But then their nerves started to calm just a little bit because, simultaneously, we had an auction. And when we auction off bonds, we look for demand and we look for the yield.

This yield was lower than we had expected, and there was much more demand for these bonds than we had expected, despite more than $30 billion of them being sold. And so that calmed some nerves. But remember, the bond market is kind of like this old tiny (ph) scale, right? On one side, you have the price, and the other side, you have the yield.

If the price goes down, investors are going to demand more yield. And weighing down the price right now, we have the war in Iran. We have oil prices that are very high, causing inflation. And you have all of this demand from A.I. that is certainly sending those yields higher and higher, despite any intervention from the Treasury Department.

SANCHEZ: David Goldman, thank you so much. Let's go straight to Joint Base Andrews where President Trump is approaching the press to speak. Let's listen.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: -- over here and I think it is going to take 15 minutes. They were doing a check on the slide, you know? The emergency. So I think it takes about 15 minutes.

So heading over to Dallas. I think we are going to have a tremendous crowd tonight, sold out. Looks very big, looks very exciting and we're going to explain what we've done. We've done things that have never been done in the first term or the second term, frankly, of a president.

The economy is very strong. The investments in our country is the biggest in the history of any country, not just our country. We have factories being built all over the world right now. And it's very exciting to see.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, do you know why they're checking the slide? Is there a security concern with the plane? TRUMP: Well, they were checking it before, and they just wanted to make sure, so they've -- I guess they've already put it up. They want to make everything works perfectly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Mr. President, you've been saying for weeks that oil and gas prices are going to come down. Oil is now back above $100 a barrel.

TRUMP: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you explain to Americans who are wondering when prices are going to come down?

TRUMP: Well, I think it's very easy to explain to America. All you have to do is say, will you let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and the answer is no. And they're doing very poorly. Their country is in shambles right now. They are, as you probably have seen the numbers, 300 percent inflation. Their money is valueless. They're not paying their soldiers.

We control the Strait and lots of other things. So, for a little while, I would say this, shortly, but right after the election, because they'd like to have it that way, but right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward. They're going to be tumbling down, and we'll get them down. I think, for gasoline, we'll get them below $2 a gallon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But not until after the midterm?

TRUMP: I think it's going to take a little bit longer than the midterm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Mr. President, several Republicans in competitive races are not coming to the convention. Do you understand why they're deciding not to come?

TRUMP: Everybody is coming to the convention. Everybody wants to come, but we only want -- and the people that are coming -- by the way, we're going to be sold out tonight, just so you understand. Who are you with?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ABC News, sir.

TRUMP: ABC Fake News. You are the worst -- you are the worst of all, in my opinion.

The reason that some people are not coming is because we don't have room for 500 politicians. We have room for the ones that have a close race, if they're slightly behind or slightly ahead or tied. But we don't have rooms for people that are 35 points up and don't need to be there. We said stay back and campaign.

Every politician that we've wanted to be there is there. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, are you sure this plane is safe to fly? TRUMP: Yeah, I am. Or I wouldn't be on it. What do you want? --