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DOJ Charges Five Men in Alleged Russian-backed Murder Plots; Stocks Recover Some Ground a Day After Rate-hike Selling; Trump Says High Gas Prices Very Inexpensive Price to Pay for Iran War; Harris to Campaign With Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Next Week; GOP Candidate Says Trump Hispanic Voters Feel Betrayed in New Ad; Trump Administration's Endangered Species Habitat Rule Repeal Takes Effect. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired September 17, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

KARA SCANNELL, CNN REPORTER: -- disappear, meaning murder. This dissident in exchange would receive about $40,000. But the person turned it down. But even after the person turned it down, the Russians allegedly then asked them if they knew of anyone else who would be able to carry out this task, because they said they had some people in Mexico, but they would be delayed getting here. Ultimately, that did not happen. But authorities say that this is one of the tactics that this group was involved in, in this conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

They actually refer to it as a global assassination network. But in addition, these individuals were also charged with conspiracy to engage in terrorist financing. And specifically, they said that they had helped pay for the travel in 2024 to two locations, one in Prague, one in Lithuania, where terrorist attacks were taken out. And in addition, had helped look for sites where these attacks should take place, specifically looking at nations that are sympathetic and in favor of Ukraine.

Now, all of these five men, though, are at large and are not in U.S. custody, Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Do you think, based on some of their comments, DOJ is said to bring more cases like this to the forefront?

SCANNELL: Well, Boris, they announced this at the Rose Garden, which was very unusual, wanting to bring a lot of attention to this potential threat, as well as the alleged attempt that was taking place just in the Washington, D.C. area.

But this is something that DOJ has brought cases on. You'll remember that they disrupted a plot to assassinate an Iranian journalist in New York, who speaks out against the regime. They've also brought a number of cases involving people associated with the Chinese Communist Party and for trying to surveil and watch dissidents in the United States.

So, certainly an area that they are wanting to send a message on, that they will not tolerate this sort of behavior on the U.S. shores, although we'll see if they ultimately bring anyone to U.S. soil for justice, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Kara Scannell, thanks so much for that reporting. Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": A quick check of the markets right now. Stocks recovering some ground after yesterday's losses. The Dow now up a little over 300 points. And world markets are still considering the possibilities after the Fed's first rate hike in three years.

And fears of a drastic spike in energy prices are calming, with oil prices settling down back towards $100 a barrel today. That's being seen as a sign of optimism that rate hikes can help keep inflation in check in the future. Right now, though, you're seeing it at the gas pump. AAA says the price of a gallon of gas is up to $4.44 a gallon. We'll have more on that at the top of the next hour.

Still ahead, turning on President Trump. A Republican lawmaker from Florida criticizes the president's immigration policies in a new ad. We'll show it to you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:36:56]

KEILAR: President Trump hitting the campaign trail after a string of losses this week. The Supreme Court blocking his plans to limit mail- in voting. The Federal Reserve raising interest rates. The House voting for a third time to limit his war powers. And it's all happening as gas prices soar. That last issue ballooning into a major problem for Republicans this November.

Here's how President Trump framed it in North Carolina last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You have a little high, or you have high again. It's a very inexpensive price to pay for what we've done, remember that. It's a little more. It's even if it was, frankly, even if it was a lot more.

(APPLAUSE)

But that's going to come tumbling down. That's going to be like a rocket ship in reverse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Meantime, we're learning that former Vice President Kamala Harris is hitting the campaign trail herself. Joining Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a roundtable event in Detroit as questions swirl over whether she plans to run for president again in 2028. Let's discuss with our political panel, former Communications Director for the DNC and CNN Political Commentator Xochitl Hinojosa is with us, as is CNN Political Commentator and Republican Strategist and Pollster, Kristen Soltis Anderson. Thank you both for being with us.

First to you, Xochitl, is Kamala Harris going to help Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan? And I think she's also planning to go to Georgia as well.

XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, well, they've obviously seen the numbers in the state and they believe that she has something to add. And she has said that she'll campaign in places where she thinks that she can potentially help. I think in a place like Michigan, they have had a problem within the Democratic Party more broadly to unify the Democratic base.

And I think when you -- when that is the case, someone like Kamala Harris actually does help in the sense that like she can potentially bring out voters that wouldn't typically -- would state (ph) Democratic voters that were thinking about staying home and did not want to vote for El-Sayed because of the primary, because they haven't liked the way that he has campaigned, et cetera.

So I do think it is helpful in that sense. In Georgia, Georgia is a very different electorate. There are black voters that are critical. They need to turn out. This is a turnout game in Georgia. Jon Ossoff is doing fantastic in the polls. Democrats are not worried about that race whatsoever.

But at the same time, they actually need to make sure that their voters turn out. And that is the reason why she is coming in here so late, is to make sure to remind voters, hey, this isn't locked up for Jon Ossoff. You still have to go out and vote.

KEILAR: Polling is showing that it's just a really tough environment for Republicans on issues that you would think would be a strength to them. For instance, this New York Times-Siena polling this week shows Democrats with an advantage on several top issues, including immigration.

KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah.

KEILAR: 52 percent to 45 percent, and perhaps it's no surprise then why Republican Congresswoman, Maria Elvira Salazar just released an ad on immigration. So let's take a look at part of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR, (R-FL): Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50 percent of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:40:00]

KEILAR: She's coming right at the president with that ad. What do you think about what that says about the pressures here?

ANDERSON: Right. Well, I mean, this is a Republican message. I mean, that's what to me is so striking is this is an issue where Republicans for the last number of years, during the Biden administration, really had an advantage because voters felt like the border was open. This was not an issue that was being handled well. And so Donald Trump had wide advantages.

You know, when he first took office for the second term, his job approval on immigration was many, many, many, many points higher than his job approval overall. There were some subset of voters that said, I don't like the tweets. I don't like the way he carries himself, but he's a good guy when it comes to business. And I think he's going to secure the border.

And so for Republicans to be losing on issues like the economy and immigration is really striking. I doubt that you will see very many Republicans trying to distance themselves as aggressively from Trump because frankly, in many cases, they're running in red states. They're running in places that Donald Trump won two years ago. And their hope of winning this time is just to have as many Republicans turn out as they can, not to depress those Trump voters and have them stay home.

But there are going to be cases in certain districts where finding ways to sort of distinguish yourself and say, I want to do something different will have to be key.

KEILAR: What do you --

HINOJOSA: Well, and also with Latino voters right now, they -- many of them went to Trump -- or to Trump last cycle in 2024 and Democrats lost a lot of ground with them.

And Democrats have spent the last two years really trying to invest back and gain them back and gain back their trust. And a lot of the reasons why they lost them were trans issues, social issues, issues -- ads that ran where Catholic Latinos felt like they didn't have a place in the Democratic Party anymore. Those gains have now switched back to Democrats, or at least they're coming back to Democrats.

And a lot of it has to do with the issue of immigration and the economy. The reality is, is that many Latinos know someone who's undocumented or who, you know, has a family member who's undocumented and they have not committed other crimes or anything like that. And it is harder.

People are losing their status who are here legally in the United States. And that message right there was a direct message, essentially saying all of those Latinos that voted for Donald Trump here, I'm with you. I hear you.

This is unacceptable. Make sure you're coming back to me and voting for me.

SANCHEZ: Kristen, affordability also a major concern. There was 19 percent of Trump voters in that -- excuse me, New York Times poll saying that the economy is actually worse than it was a year ago. We've heard what President Trump has said about gas prices, how they're going to go down after the midterm elections because he thinks that Iran is suddenly going to change course after the midterms. Here is what Speaker Mike Johnson has been saying about this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA) HOUSE SPEAKER: What our candidates are doing is they're on the ground in their districts, talking to the people with authenticity and frankness. Of course, gas prices are too high. When we get that thing resolved in the Strait of Hormuz, that will have a direct effect on that, and it will help to bring down grocery costs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That question of frankness, it's interesting that he chooses that word in describing the situation, when President Trump is sort of saying that there really isn't a serious problem here.

ANDERSON: So there is -- this is not the first election where the economy has been bad and the party in power has had a tough needle to thread. On the one hand, you want to tell voters things that you've done that you think have had a positive impact on the economy. Republicans in their districts wanting to talk about things like, hey, working families, tax cut, et cetera, but how do you balance that with the fact that what people are feeling, they don't want to be told everything is wonderful.

They don't want to be told everything is great. It's the exact problem the Biden administration ran into, trying to thread that needle between, we know it's bad, and yes, we were in charge, but we promise if you send us back, it won't stay as bad. That's a very, very, very tough message to deliver.

It didn't work for Democrats in 2024, and it's a tough ask for Republicans in 2026.

KEILAR: Doesn't mesh with the anxiety so many people are feeling. Kristen Soltis Anderson, Xochitl Hinojosa, thank you so much to both of you.

HINOJOSA: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead, the Trump administration facing bipartisan pushback after repealing a rule that critics say could lead to the extinction of endangered species. The details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:48:34]

SANCHEZ: A new move by the Trump administration is sparking rare bipartisan pushback. It repealed the long-standing rule that treated the destruction of certain habitats as harm under the Endangered Species Act.

Critics say the change, which just took effect this week, could leave some protected wildlife at risk. Lawmakers in both parties are now looking for ways to block it. CNN Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir joins us now. Bill, walk us through the impact of this change.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a seismic new development to the Trump administration, rolling back protection for endangered species, which most will attest has kept creatures like grizzly bear, condor alive in this country. They repealed and changed the definition of this 50-year-old rule, which took effect this week.

And what the new language around this, New York Times saw an internal memo, really wants to change, redefine what harm is and what taking an endangered animal means. Basically saying if it's accidental, no harm, no foul. From now on, only people who intentionally go after and hunt an endangered species will be prosecuted under this.

But most endangered species are killed by habitat destruction. If an oil company has a big spill that endangers a waterway, or a logging mining company takes down forests that wipe out endangered species, they're on the hook. But going forward, they could say, hey, we didn't mean for those things to happen. So, you know, whatever.

[13:50:00]

Among the endangered species on the list now, the Florida panther, the red wolf, black-footed ferret, Hawaiian monk seal, orcas in the Pacific Northwest, some species of salmon. Some say the monarch butterfly should be listed as endangered because it's right on the brink there, but the politics around this right now, making it that much harder for these creatures trying to survive.

SANCHEZ: And on that point about politics, what are you hearing from lawmakers about this?

WEIR: Well, there's actually some bipartisan pushback to this, including Republican Rep. from Pennsylvania, Brian Fitzpatrick, along with Democrat Mike Quigley, introduced a bill and they say -- and the Republican here says, quote, "For more than 50 years, our nation's protections have reflected a basic legal, scientific, and common sense truth that when habitat destruction actually kills or injures protected wildlife, that destruction is harm. The administration's rule would erase that longstanding safeguard through regulatory action and leave vulnerable species exposed, the precise moment the law is intended to protect them."

This will end up in court like so many other Trump environmental movements.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, no doubt. We'll see what comes next. Bill Weir, thank you so much.

Still ahead, a bombshell book, Princess Diana's brother writing in a new memoir that King Charles hissed that she would be forgotten, quote, "soon enough," just days after her death. Buckingham Palace now responding. That story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:56:00]

KEILAR: Buckingham Palace is offering a rare response after revelations from a new memoir by Princess Diana's brother. In the book, Charles Spencer claims that days after Diana's tragic death, then Prince Charles said, rest assured we'll forget her soon enough. CNN's Anna Stewart is with us now.

Anna, some new excerpts have been released. What more does Spencer claim here?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, more revelations and allegations from Earl Spencer from this tell-all book which will go on sale next week and CNN has not been able to read it. This is all from excerpts from The Daily Mail.

Now in the latest excerpt, which is lengthy, one moment stands out where Spencer recalls a phone conversation he had with then Prince Charles soon after he found out his sister had died. He writes, the phone rang constantly. Prince Charles caught me as I crossed the landing upstairs.

Unlike my other callers who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time. There are also some tragic moments drawing on issues that we were aware of. Princess Diana's eating disorder. On this, Spencer alleges that Prince Charles called her chubby soon after news of their engagement.

He also goes into her struggles with mental health, again something we were aware of, but with more details saying or writing it is a sad fact that in her later years, Diana drove herself more than once to Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in England, while contemplating ending it all. Her love for her son stopped her from going further.

Now, we knew Princess Diana struggled with mental health, we knew she had suicidal thoughts, but it adds more detail. Of course, all detail and allegations that are impossible to verify given Princess Diana has died and plenty more to come as this is serialized and the book goes on sale next week.

KEILAR: What's the royal family saying about this, Anna?

STEWART: So we had the initial excerpt last night which you read out when Spencer alleges the King launched into a stream of anger in a phone call about the funeral arrangements and hissed, we'll forget her soon enough. To that, we had a statement from the palace saying, while we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.

Now that may remind you, of course, of a similar statement we had from the late Queen following the Oprah Winfrey interview with Harry and Meghan where she said recollections may vary, it's not a flat denial, and that's what we're being pointed to again today, this statement from last night.

I think that's all we're going to get from the palace even as we get more and more of these revelations and allegations coming out. I think we're not going to get a he said, she said denial on each allegation. I think the palace are just going to leave it there that they believe that clearly memory is rather different here.

KEILAR: And Anna, this happens at a really interesting time for the royal family, a really dynamic time because of Harry and Meghan's return to the U.K.

STEWART: There's so much going on. The King also hosted a massive A.I. summit in Scotland today and he wanted the attention to be on that. The attention unfortunately has been on this. Plus, Prince Harry right now is having his first public engagement at the Invictus Spirit Awards. It's an inaugural event. That's his first time being seen in public since arriving back in the U.K.

So yes, for the King, there is a lot overshadowing the work he wants us all to focus on. But of course, the press are going wild with this book and now, of course, seeing Harry in there keeps being constant news flow about Harry and Meghan and security and concerns about that here in the U.K.

KEILAR: Yeah, these excerpts, they are sensational. So no surprise they're getting so much attention. Anna Stewart, thank you so much for the report. We really appreciate it.

And a new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

SANCHEZ: Stocks are up but gas prices are way up, and our 30-year mortgage, brace yourself. We're going to talk about the problems facing the economy with the midterm election just 47 days away. --