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Hurricane Isaias Barrels Toward Gulf Coast as Dangerous Category 2; Personal Insults, Attacks on Family in Heated Debates; Interview with Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE): Michigan Senate Candidates Spar Over Trump, Tariffs, Iran War; Pentagon to Livestream Execution of Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan; DOJ Seek Indictment of Former White House Aide Cassidy Hutchinson. Aired 8-8:30a ET
Aired October 09, 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]
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Not clinched a series at home since 1906 and well, the wait to celebrate for their fans in Chicago, it continues. The Guardians, they're on the brink of elimination. They were down 2-0 in the 5th and Patrick Bailey and Jose Ramirez would homer to give Cleveland the lead.
Then in the 6th inning, the Guardians just exploded for six runs. They'd go on to win the game nine to five. Of course, the winner take all game five tomorrow night in Cleveland. That game is going to be on TBS. The road team has won every single game of that series thus far.
And finally, LeBron James making his Sixers debut last night in Brooklyn. He even stopped to sign some autographs after warm-ups. That's a rare scene.
This was our first look at Philly's star-studded lineup of LeBron, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and V.J. Edgecombe. LeBron was doing it all. Look there, the no-look pass to V.J. for the slam. LeBron finished 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, in 18 minutes in the loss. And Berman, it's going to take me a while to get used to seeing LeBron in that Philly blue, as I'm sure it's going to take a while for you to get used to seeing Jaylen Brown in that uniform as well.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: No, No. I was going to say, LeBron's the least of my issues with the Phillies with the Sixers uniform. Andy Scholes, thank you very much for that.
Brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: The breaking news at this hour. Concerns growing overnight as Hurricane Isaias gained strength, expecting to become a major hurricane before making landfall tonight somewhere on the Gulf Coast with major winds and potential widespread flooding. Federal forecasters about to give a new update on the storms track. We'll bring that to you.
And widespread bipartisan outrage this morning to Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan to live stream the firing squad execution of the Fort Hood shooter. Is this kind of legal theater even legal?
And things get very personal and heated at the Michigan Senate debate stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED, (D) MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: You go after my mom?
MIKE ROGERS, (R) MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm not going after your mom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: I'm Sara Sidon with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so the breaking news right now is there is a new forecast and track that's coming in from the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Isaias remains a strong category two storm at this hour. Winds are topping 110 miles per hour, which is right on the edge of becoming a Category 3.
Landfall is expected late tonight, early tomorrow. Along the Gulf Coast, time is running out to prepare. States of emergency have been declared in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Thousands are clearly evacuating. There are mandatory orders for parts of the Florida Panhandle.
At gas stations, the lines long. In stores, the shelves are clearly becoming bare. The big concern going right now about this storm is the possible 9 feet of storm surge that could be seen along parts of the Florida coast. That prediction has actually increased the storm surge prediction in this latest forecast.
Plus, as much as of rain in some places. Let's get back to CNN's Rafael Romo. He's live this morning in Pensacola, Florida. Sun is coming up. You're already feeling some of the conditions.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh yes, that's for sure Kate. We have felt significant wind gusts for the last couple of hours, and it makes sense because already, Kate, a storm force gust of 69 miles an hour has been recorded about 70 miles off the coast. Here we're talking about conditions that are being -- that are already impact impacting states like Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and it's only going to get worse in the next 4 hours.
Four counties already under mandatory evacuations, including this county where we are Escambia that includes Perdido Key and Pensacola Beach now. Now talking about impacts, last night I met a couple, Kate. Imagine this. They were scheduled to get married Saturday night.
Their rehearsal dinner was scheduled for tonight. As you can imagine that has been cancelled already. I spoke with them. They told me hurricane or not, what matters is their love, their decision to get married and whether they managed to do it at the beach or not, the parking lot, anywhere, they are determined to make it happen this week. And this is what they have to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASSY COOPER, GETTING MARRIED IN PENSACOLA, FLORIDA: He's reminded me several times that all it matters is that we're getting married. It doesn't matter who's there or what happens. And so I do think that's the most important thing.
JEFF ACKERMAN, GETTING MARRIED IN PENSACOLA, FLORIDA: I figured we were just -- we were going to hold it together no matter what. And you know what?
[08:05:00]
We're going to get married tomorrow or Saturday on the 10th, and we're going to make it happen. so that you know, it is what it is.
COOPER: It could be a backdoor.
ACKERMAN: It could be a backdoor. It could be a parking lot, but we're going to get it done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: We're going to make it happen, they said, and yes, they're completely determined to do that in spite of the conditions here. Now we got to remember that there are states of emergency for three states, Georgia, Alabama, and here in Florida where I am. Governor Ron DeSantis had already issued states of emergency for 25 counties in Florida. He's suspected to make an announcement here in Pensacola in the next couple of hours.
But yes, this couple says we're getting married no matter what. Now back to you.
BOLDUAN: All right, Rafael, thank you so much. A lot to watch in the coming hours with this storm. Appreciate it -- John.
BERMAN: Overnight, Senate debates in some of the most closely watched races in the country, they got heated in Georgia. Democratic Senator John Ossoff tried to tie Republican Congressman Mike Collins to white nationalism, pointing to Collins' son-in-law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON OSSOFF, (D) GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: Imagine running for the U.S. Senate while neo-Nazi propaganda is disseminated to an audience of millions from your home. That's Mike Collins. And it's not just those around him.
Mike Collins himself has amplified neo-Nazi propaganda online.
REP. MIKE COLLINS, (R) GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: I've condemned racism, anti-Semitism, hate. I don't care where the source is. And I tell him that too.
It's wrong. We have no, no place in this world for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: In Michigan, it was a brawl. Republican Mike Rogers brought up Abdul Al-Sayed's mother.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE ROGERS, (R) MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Those programs were really, really important in catching people who were suspected of terrorists and being terrorists -- committing a terrorist act. That's really, really important. And why would that bother you?
Well, if you have someone in your family that might be on the side of the watch list --
ABDUL EL-SAYED, (D) MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Are you going to go ahead and say that I'm a -- go ahead and say it.
ROGERS: No, I haven't been saying -- did you not have family --
EL-SAYED: You've been tip-toning around the whole time. Just say it. Say it.
ROGERS: No, I haven't been tiptoeing it.
EL-SAYED: Go ahead and say it.
ROGERS: Do you know why? Do you know why? It's because of your policies.
Because of your policies.
EL-SAYED: That's so wrong.
ROGERS: That literally used, used surveillance
EL-SAYED: You go after my Mom?
ROGERS: I'm not going after your mom.
EL-SAYED: That's exactly what you do.
ROGERS: What your mom was working at, I was going after that organization that was indicted for funneling money to Al-Qaeda. that's your mom. My mom worked at a local Chamber of Commerce. I'll put my mom up any day for that.
All right, we'll give you a rebuttal, and we're moving away from this subject.
EL-SAYED: He wants this to be about anything but his own record. He's OK if the federal government --
(CROSSTALK)
ROGERS: Because he can't talk about his record.
EL-SAYED: He's OK if the federal government spies on you, but he wants to make this about anybody else. Going after my mom, my sister. Got nothing to actually say about me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: With us now is Democratic Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, who was in Michigan with Abdul Al-Sayed campaigning yesterday. I know you were at a debate watch party during that exchange and others last night. What was your takeaway?
What was the takeaway from the people of Michigan watching an exchange like that about Abdul Al-Sayed's mother?
SEN. LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER (D-DE): Well, first of all, thank you for having me, John. And yes, I am here in Michigan. And I can tell you, the feeling in the room was electric, because you really could see a strong contrast between the two candidates.
As Abdul said, his focus was on Michigan, on Michiganders and their families. And his opponent, all he could do was try to use fear, try to distort. And it didn't really resonate with people because he wasn't, you know, really focused on the issues that matter to people here.
And what I heard on the ground is that people are concerned, hurt, mad, sad, because of the cost of goods, everything from gas to groceries. The fact that Canada is now not our best friend, but a trading, you know, it is palpable here on the ground that people just don't get what this administration is trying to do. And they feel that Mike will be an actual rubber stamp to what is existing.
And so, again, the contrast was really clear. Somebody who cares about people here in Michigan versus someone who was just trying to get personal, who was trying to find ways to really not talk to the needs of people here in Michigan.
BERMAN: One of the issues that Abdul Al-Sayed had in the primaries was underperforming with the African-American vote, particularly in Detroit, where you are this morning. Ron Brownstein, a friend of ours who writes for CNN and The Atlantic, he recently was in Detroit. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Look, I was in I was in Michigan the weekend before the primary, and I was in a Black church in Detroit where they were having a meeting of the statewide Al Sharpton's National Action Network. And the minister excoriated Al- Sayed, said he was more concerned about Gaza than about Detroit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: More concerned about Gaza than Detroit. What does Abdul Al- Sayed need to do to reach Black voters in Detroit? ROCHESTER: Well, I can tell you yesterday, leading up to the debate, we visited Black small businesses. We talked to voters. And the feeling and the energy on the ground here again is very focused.
People want somebody who's going to fight for them. And so his focus on taking money out of politics and putting money into people's pocketbooks that are Michiganders, as well as focusing on health care, really resonated. We actually had small business owners talk to us about the attacks on small businesses that they're feeling.
We had folks talk to us about health care reform. And the Black voters here, what Abdul has said is that he's not taking one vote for granted. He's working for them.
And that's what he needs to do. He needs to listen, which is what he's doing. He needs to hear.
And he needs to demonstrate based on all of the past work that he's done, everything from work on infant mortality to work on getting clean drinking water and helping small businesses. That's what he's done. That's what he's doing.
I have to tell you one quick story that like because when you're here, you can really see and feel on the ground. We went into a beauty salon, and one woman was actually getting her hair done in another room. And she ran out to take video with him while she had a relaxer, a perm in her hair.
She said, my hair is burning, but I had to take some video of you. People here, the excitement is palpable. And it's because they recognize that he is the candidate who's going to stand up for them in Washington, D.C. And it's happening all across the country while Republicans are trying to moonwalk their way away from Donald Trump.
BERMAN: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced yesterday that the execution of the man who carried out the Fort Hood massacre in 2009 would be livestreamed, that they were going to livestream that execution, which will take place by firing squad. What's your reaction to that?
ROCHESTER: You know, I think that it is one of the reasons why voters here are turned off by this administration. The chaos, the chaos that we're seeing, whether it is the what we just saw in New York with the shooting. And, you know, even Mike Rogers yesterday during the debate, when asked about Minneapolis, he said that probably wasn't handled well.
Probably, you know, even the thought of doing something this inhumane is characteristic of what this administration has done. And one of the reasons why across the country. I'm a vice chair of the DSCC, the organization that's charged with getting us the majority back, Across the country we're seeing in the South, in places like Texas and Florida and South Carolina, North Carolina, candidates that are ready to win.
We're seeing in the heartland like Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa, places we didn't expect to win. These races are close. And it's because people are seeing an administration that basically doesn't care about them.
They care about their own pockets and their friends pockets. They have a golden age for them, but they're not worrying about the American people. And that's why I believe in this election, Senate Democrats will prevail because we want America to prevail.
BERMAN: Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware in Detroit this morning. Thank you for being with us -- Sara.
SIDNER: And we're going to have more reaction that's been flooding in this morning after the Pentagon announced they plan to livestream a firing squad execution.
Plus, she was a White House aide to President Trump, who later became a key witness in a January 6 investigation. Now, the Justice Department is going after her seeking a federal indictment.
And quote, "He wants me to lose." Brand new audio from Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton complaining about a lack of support from a fellow Republican Senator John Cornyn, who he defeated in the primary.
Those stories and more ahead.
[08:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIDNER: The Pentagon is now saying it's going to live stream the military's first firing squad execution since World War II. In an interview, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he wants people to see the execution of Nidal Hasan, the man who killed 13 people in a mass shooting at Fort Hood in 2009.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: He's going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be. And we'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public, because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: CNN senior national security reporter Haley Britsky is joining us now. There are a lot of questions about this and a lot of people asking, why is this needed? What can you tell us about this plan and any reaction that you're getting this morning?
HALEY BRITZKY, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Sara, certainly this has shocked a lot of people. The idea of live streaming a firing squad execution, and as you mentioned, the first such execution since World War II. What we know right now is a little limited. A Pentagon official saying yesterday only that the secretary was correct and, quote, it will be live streamed. We don't know where it will be live streamed, on what platforms. Certainly there are questions of what platforms would allow that sort of content. So that is still something that we are asking questions about.
[08:20:00]
Also, what soldiers will be carrying it out and how they will go about live streaming that. But there are a lot of reactions coming in now and reactions from Republicans as well. Senator Thom Tillis, who we know has become an outspoken critic of Hegseth, calling it beyond disgusting, linking it to likening what happens in Iran and under the Taliban in Afghanistan. Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center under the Trump administration, who resigned just months ago, saying that it is beneath the dignity and decency of our nation, saying that it gives terrorists free propaganda that they will use to radicalize and recruit more terrorists.
And we heard from Senator Chris Murphy last night as well. Let's take a listen to what he has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): I mean, that's disgusting. What is he mimicking ISIS executions? I mean, I understand that in this country we have the death penalty, but public executions is medieval.
It's frankly one of the things that we abhor about terrorist groups and the fact that the United States is doing it. I just learned this. That is just absolutely extraordinary galling.
No matter whether you support or oppose the death penalty, public hangings and executions, that's what America has become. That's pretty extraordinary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRITZKY: So that is the primary concern here. It's not necessarily that the death sentence is being carried out, but it's, of course, the manner in which the Pentagon says it will be handled. And I want to raise one thing that army regulation specifies, Sara, that who can witness a military execution?
It says people like a chaplain, the Prisoner's Council, have requested a minimum of two media representatives. But it also specifically says that minors cannot witness the execution, which is something you can't enforce when you're live streaming it. So how that will be handled is a big question that has yet to be answered -- Sara.
SIDNER: I mean, many questions. Can children watch this? I mean, there are so many questions here and a lot of concern about this.
Haley Britsky, thank you so much for your reporting -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: There's new reporting of President Trump and the hundreds of trades that in his investments that he made in August and why the White House is now defending those moves.
Plus, the emotional reunions after months and months at sea. Sailors finally back home.
[08:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: The Justice Department is reportedly seeking a federal criminal indictment against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. That's according to new reporting from Punchbowl News. And also that they are seeking to bring charges against her for allegedly lying to Congress in her testimony before the January 6th committee -- you're seeing video from that day.
Punchbowl News saying that prosecutors presented evidence to a federal grand jury just this week. Hutchinson, you'll remember, was the top aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows at the end of Trump's first term. She testified in 2022 that she had heard a secondhand account. The president was so angry with Secret Service on January 6th for stopping him from going to the Capitol that he lunged and tried to grab the steering wheel in his car.
Here's Hutchinson's testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER ASSISTANT TO TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF: The president said something to the effect of, I'm the effing president. Take me up to the Capitol now. To which Bobby responded, sir, we have to go back to the West Wing.
The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We're going back to the West Wing.
We're not going to the Capitol. Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel. And when Mr. Ornato had recounted this story to me, he had motioned towards his clavicles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Joining us now is CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig for more on this. Elie, if Cassidy Hutchinson is now, these many years later, indicted on charges of lying to Congress during that testimony, what do you think the likelihood -- what do you think of the charge and how likely is it to stick?
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Very low, Kate. I think if Cassidy Hutchinson is charged with perjury, prosecutors are going to have an extraordinarily hard time making it stick. Now, you said in the intro the key phrase, which is secondhand account.
This is really important. Cassidy Hutchinson did not testify that she eye witnessed that incident in the limo. Rather, she testified that some other guy, this Secret Service agent named Tony Ornato, told her a story about what had happened in the limo.
And so the question for a perjury case is simply, did Tony Ornato tell that story to Cassidy Hutchinson or not? Hutchinson says yes, as we've seen. Ornato reportedly has said, no, I didn't tell her that.
Now, here's the thing. It's not a question of who's more believable as between those two. Prosecutors are going to have to show that Tony Ornato is telling the truth beyond a reasonable doubt in order to make a perjury charge stick against Cassidy Hutchinson.
Ornato's a guy with some credibility issues. He's a Trump loyalist. He has had other incidents where other White House officials have said, Tony Ornato told me this thing.
And then he has said, no, I didn't. So he's sort of a repeat player when it comes to this type of thing. I think prosecutors look, you never know if a grand jury is going to indict.
But I don't see any realistic way they prove Cassidy Hutchinson committed criminal perjury beyond a reasonable doubt.
BOLDUAN: I was also reading in The Washington Post, Elie, that this investigation is being led by the Civil Rights Division and the Justice Department from Justice Headquarters. And that Justice Department regulation dictates that prosecutors in that division has to have to base investigations on civil rights violations. And the way that The Washington Post is looking at it is like it's unclear then what charges that might actually include that they would be exploring here, maybe separate from like a classic perjury charge.
What do you think of this?
HONIG: Yes, very curious development. So there's no formal requirement that any particular division of DOJ investigate any particular type of crime. But you're right.
