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Trump's String of Defeats: Rates, Mail-in Voting, Kennedy Center; House Lawmakers Recess Early, Avoid Hegseth Impeachment Vote; U.S. Charges 5 in Alleged Russian Murder-for-Hire Plots; Trump to Add Signs at Smithsonian to Correct Alleged Inaccuracies. Aired 8:00-8:30a ET

Aired September 17, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And A.I. models, a new example of these models going rogue, this developing overnight, the models doing things without human permission and really seeming trying to make an end run around humans.

Sara is out this morning. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump is frustrated and sounding off after a week's worth of perceived setbacks. The Supreme Court rejected his mail-in ballot overall for the midterms. Another federal judge ruled for a second time that he cannot put his name on the Kennedy Center.

His handpicked Fed chair just went against his public pressure and raised interest rates as inflation remains stubborn still. That's just this week. There are also, of course, the ongoing trade war with Canada that isn't really forcing Canada to bend right now, and the war with Iran.

Gas prices overnight jumped 7 cents a gallon. Overnight also, in North Carolina, the president is not trying to shift message or strategy, despite all of that. Instead, doubling down on his midterm message, promising again to give every American adult $5,000 if Republicans keep control of the House and the Senate, and insisting the war with Iran will end soon, and touting his economic record.

But then enters Vice President J.D. Vance, saying something slightly different to voters now. Quote, give us another chance. CNN's Alayna Treene is live this morning at the White House.

How is the President responding really to this week of setbacks?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What's been so fascinating, Kay, because I've been talking at length over the past couple weeks and months with the members of the president's political operation, and a lot of the messaging that is coming from President Trump's mouth is not what they want him to be focusing on. And your answer about how is he responding to all this, he is responding, and that's something I don't think a lot of people who are allies of him, some of his advisors, want him to be doing. We've heard him vent his frustrations on everything from the Kennedy Center, the setbacks he's been seeing with the courts there, to the Fed really defying him in hiking interest rates yesterday.

Obviously, he's been talking a lot about the Iran war, something many people who are close to the president, including many people in the West Wing, recognize is dragging down a lot of the enthusiasm ahead of the midterms, while also promising things like this $5,000 check that American adults will get if Republicans can hold on to Congress, the majorities in Congress, something that you hear a lot of people arguing, I don't think that's going to fly. It's something Congress is actually going to need to do and not sure that's something that they will actually be able to move forward with. And it is very different, I should note, from the vice president's messaging here, which really has been telling Republicans to level with Democrats and Republicans and Americans across the country to say, look, we recognize that things, particularly when it comes to the economy, are not where they need to be.

And you could hear that in what he said yesterday. Listen to him versus what we've heard from the president over the last couple hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a lot of good that's been done, but there's a lot of work left to do. Don't give power to the people who cause the problems that we're fixing. Give us another chance or give us another couple of years to continue to work on the amazing things that we've been doing for the past two years.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I'm at the ticket, Republicans have always done really well. They go out, they vote, everybody gets elected. Everybody gets elected when I'm on.

But I just want you to go out and pretend I'm on the ticket because essentially, I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So quite different tones there, Kate. And it does really remind me, I was at that midterm convention in Dallas last week, listening to the difference between the vice president's speech when he took the stage versus what we heard from President Trump. You know, Vance had all the trappings of what Republicans want their leaders to be talking about, about affordability, about recognizing the pain that Americans are feeling, talking about how they believe Democrats are anti-family, going after some of the progressive candidates to really try to draw a contrast between them and Republicans on the ballot.

Not mentioning the things that we heard the president talk about, the presidential ballroom, Iran, things like that, these $5,000 checks. So quite different. I should note as well, we did hear Vance meet with the House GOP conference on Tuesday, Kate, where he did give them similar advice about, look, you need to recognize that Americans are frustrated, particularly when it comes to the economy. But try to have them remember that they should blame Democrats for this. Not something, you know, many people might argue might work, given that we're almost two years into Trump's administration. But still, that has been his message.

[08:05:00]

Quite different from what we've heard from the president, whose real strategy at this point is to make it like he is on the ballot. And that has been the message I know a lot of people in his political operation are pushing as well -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, I mean, at this point, that messaging is going to stick. He's on the ballot. And that is the way the president would like it right now.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much -- J.B.

BERMAN: All right, happening today at the U.S. House of Representatives. Nothing. They've gone home until after the midterm elections.

With us now, Scott MacFarlane, chief Washington correspondent for the MeidasTouch Network. So, the House is gone. You know, mission accomplished before the midterms here?

Scott, how should we read this?

SCOTT MACFARLANE, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, MEIDASTOUCH NETWORK: They're real close, John, to wanting one of those Marty McFly DeLorean time machines, because they are squandering what remains of time before November 3rd. Fewer than 50 days until the election, they have a House majority, Republicans do, to drive a message for Trump, to jam up Democrats on bad votes, and they are walking away unilaterally disarming. All of this comes from Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky's move to have an impeachment vote for Pete Hegseth.

By leaving town, they don't have the vote, but they also don't have the platform to try to drive the message you heard J.D. Vance talk about and the president talk about. This is a decision Thomas Massie says is foolish. You have a majority, you use the majority, but it's clear, John, they are concerned about jamming up some of their own members on a tough vote politically on Pete Hegseth.

BERMAN: If you're going to use the back-to-the-future metaphor here, do Republicans have a flux capacitor? Do they have some piece of magic that will help them deliver votes for the midterms at this point, or what do they think it is?

MACFARLANE: Really strong flux capacitor reference. Want to give you a shout-out for that, John. Republicans have a war chest that transcends what Democrats have.

Trump's political action committee is flooding some really competitive U.S. House races with money. But you've got to look below the surface. Some of the House races he's flooding with money were races that we didn't think were on the radar just a few weeks ago.

In West Michigan, in parts of Florida, which was gerrymandered to the president's benefit. They're putting money there anyhow. And in Texas, of course that Senate race is getting headlines, but now it's getting Trump's money.

That's an advantage for Republicans, but these are places they didn't expect to have to spend money, which means front-line districts might be quite endangered.

BERMAN: Yes, I'm going to do one of these lazy political reporter things and say, I was in -- I was up in Vermont -- on the border, though. With a competitive House race in New York last week, and also not far from New Hampshire, I saw so many political ads. There is so much money being spent, and we're still about two months before, a little less than two months before the election.

Now, I was actually blown away by the ads I was seeing on both sides, but lack of money won't be the reason that Republicans lose if they lose. One thing that might be the reason is gas prices, right? Up 7 cents a gallon again overnight, up now 40 cents a gallon in just a month.

Our Harry Enten, Scott, did this analysis. You know, during a midterm election, we've never seen an increase in gas prices between August and September like we've seen this year, at least not this century. What impact do you think these numbers that Americans absolutely see might have?

MACFARLANE: Democratic campaign operatives are pointing to three states in particular with that, John, where gas prices are even distinctively higher than the national average. Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania. There are multiple Republican-held U.S. congressional seats in those three states that Democrats think they have a shot at. As gas prices soar even higher in those three states, there, right there, can be the balance of power. This is a liability, if not an albatross, for the president, and there's no quick fix.

BERMAN: Finally, you know, I was just talking to the guys from Axios, and Alex Thompson of Axios had the interview with Hasan Piker, where he said that the United States has killed more people than Al-Qaeda. And you just knew, Scott, as that interview was happening, we were learning about it, that people were going to ask Abdul Al-Sayed about it in Michigan. It creates another day where Abdul Al-Sayed is asked questions about Hasan Piker.

I mean, how do you think they feel in the Al-Sayed campaign, that Piker's even doing interviews with Axios?

MACFARLANE: I think there's got to be fatigue about these questions they're getting about Hasan Piker. That focuses their message in the wrong place, doesn't it? But it's not just going to be Abdul Al-Sayed.

Republican operatives tell me they're going to try to tie Piker to other frontline Democrats, wherever they can put any connective tissue. It's a message before the election. Let's see if they can get the electorate to care about that and not care about the $6 diesel going on $7 diesel and all the downriver effects of those costs.

BERMAN: Scott MacFarlane, great to see you this morning. Appreciate you being with us -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: The Justice Department charges five men for allegedly plotting to kill a critic of the Kremlin living in the United States. The latest on this alleged murder-for-hire plot that's coming out now.

[08:10:00]

Also, new revelations this morning coming from the catastrophic, just the horrific Nepal floods. A group of scientists looking at the research now believe it was a disaster just waiting to happen.

The police race to evacuate people from a burning motel. We have new video in of this today. We'll be right back.

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[08:15:00]

BOLDUAN: So the Justice Department is charging five men now with allegedly working for Russian intelligence to carry out targeted killings around the world, including in the United States. It's a new indictment. It was unsealed this week, and it reveals an alleged murder-for-hire plot against a prominent Russian dissident on U.S. soil.

CNN's Kara Scannell has the details on this one for us. What are you learning, Kara?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, authorities are calling this a global assassination network, and they have charged five individuals, including three that were high-ranking members of Russian intelligence, with targeting U.S. citizens, in particular in this one instance that occurred just last month. And according to the indictment, these individuals were trying to recruit people on U.S. soil. They were in discussions with a U.S. resident and trying to get this person to surveil a couple of locations, including the home of this prominent Russian dissident in the Washington, D.C. area. And according to the indictment, they were having these communications. They were instructing this person on take videos that are longer than 30 seconds, make sure you start filming the house as you enter the neighborhood, and then slow down and focus in on the home, really providing these instructions. And then they asked the person to make this person disappear, in other words, murder them, and offered $40,000.

Now, this person had declined that offer, but then the Russian intelligence officers were asking, do you know of anyone else who would do this? And they said they had some people in Mexico, but they were delayed in getting there. Anyway, the plot was disrupted before anything had happened.

But authorities are saying this is part of this operation. They're charging them with conspiracy to commit murder for hire, that they had also tried to contact a U.S. citizen in Lithuania, and then also charging them with conspiracy to finance terrorism, saying that the same group of Russian intelligence individuals were involved with identifying targets overseas in NATO member countries or countries that are friendly to Ukraine, and targeting them, helping to finance the travel for people to get into those countries to conduct these kind of small-scale attacks on military installations. And all these men remain at large, so they're not in U.S. custody, but it certainly is a sign that the U.S. authorities are focusing in on this area.

BOLDUAN: Well, I wanted to ask you about that, because it seems really labor-intensive, what they've pieced together at this point. Is this a focus and priority of the Justice Department right now?

SCANNELL: I mean, this area, this whole topic of looking at foreign nationals and foreign intelligence agencies trying to go after dissidents in their countries on U.S. soil is something that the Justice Department has been doing for a while. There was the plot to attack the Iranian journalist who was here. That was also disrupted.

And the Chinese have been trying to get their dissidents here, either bring them back to China, but they even, in this one allegation, set up a fake police station here in Chinatown, in order to monitor people that they feel are threats to their country. So it is an area that DOJ has focused on for some time. This one is certainly targeting the Russians.

They're calling it, you know, this global assassination network. So shining a spotlight on there and something that they just disrupted just last month.

BOLDUAN: That's pretty wild. Great to see you, Kara. Thank you so much. All the detail that's coming out is pretty amazing.

Also, this is coming up for us, why the White House is moving forward with a plan to install warning signs outside of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

And just another day in Florida. Deputies forced to call in backup as they take on an eight-foot alligator in someone's backyard.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: This morning, the president is moving forward with adding temporary signs outside the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. The administration says the signs are supposed to correct what they say is inaccurate information inside the exhibits. There will be 12 signs.

It will cost an estimated $84,000 in taxpayer money. Let's get right to CNN's Rene Marsh about what these signs will say and what exhibits they have issues with.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, good morning, John. I mean, this directive stems from the executive order from the president -- from the executive order from the president in July, which essentially, as you said, pointed out, according to the president, that these signs will display that they have inaccurate information presented inside of the museum.

But this is drawn bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill. Democrat Senator Jeff Merkley and Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski wrote to the interior secretary, Doug Burgum, requesting information about the effort. And in his three page response, Burgum details that these 12 temporary signs will go up outside the Smithsonian National Museum of American History at an estimated cost to taxpayers of $84,000.

And this letter to lawmakers, Burgum really does admit that this is an unprecedented effort. A federal agency installing warning signs outside of another institution, essentially pitting one against each other, when historically the Smithsonian and the Interior Department have worked together to tell America's story. But Burgum defends the move, writing, and I'm quoting, "We are not aware of a prior instance in which the leaders of a taxpayer funded museum located on or near federal property have sought to use the museum and public funds to advance ideologies, to distract from a coherent and accurate presentation of America's story."

So that is his defense. And in the most detailed defense to date, really, is in this this letter. Burgum points out problems that the administration has with exhibits like Many Voices One Nation at the Museum of American History.

He says that it instructs high school teachers to avoid the terms illegal alien and illegal immigrant.

[08:25:00]

And another exhibit, he says, presents ideological viewpoints inconsistent with biology, including that biological men can be women and that biological men should be allowed in women's sports. But it's not just the exhibits.

Burgum is also pointing out public statements and initiatives of Smithsonian leaders, including outgoing Smithsonian head Lonnie Bunch and the National Museum of American History director Anthea Hartig, pointing out comments that they've made about social justice and race, as well as Bunch's involvement in DEI initiative. But the administration is not framing this as censorship. They are framing this as transparency for any visitor who attempts to go to the Smithsonian.

One note, there's no clear timeline for when these signs will go up or exactly what the language will be on these signs -- John.

BERMAN: Eighty four thousand dollars. Rene Marsh, thank you so much for sharing this new reporting.

Going rogue. developing overnight, OpenAI says it's models try to find ways to get around human controls, trying to deceive the humans.

A suspect breaks loose from his handcuffs. How does that happen? Attacks police deputies and then makes a run for it.

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