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Cat 3 Isaias Hours From Landfall, Not Expected To Weaken; Sources: Trump Selecting Katie Zacharia As WH Press Secretary; Trump Says He's Reached Deal with Putin to Supply Russian Diesel; 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Panama. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 09, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

DAVID CHANG, CNN HOST, "THE DETOUR WITH DAVID CHANG": So, we met these Penguins fans. They said, hey, you're going to Primanti's. Then, they go and was like, hey, you've got to get the -- the hot sausage and peppers or something like that. And I was like, hey, whatever. I'm not going to see this guy again.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR & SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And then, he shows up.

CHANG: He shows up, and I was like ...

SIDNER: You have the wrong sandwich. He would not let you off the hook.

CHANG: And I loved it because you're talking to people. You know, what's great about Pittsburgh, you have football, baseball, hockey right in the scene. And a Penguins game just got out. And what I realized in -- in Pittsburgh is even when there's not a game, everyone's wearing Pittsburgh ...

SIDNER: Yes.

CHANG: ... Steelers, Penguins, Pirates jerseys. It's an amazing thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Our thanks to Sara Sidner. Don't forget to tune in. "The Detour" airs Saturday at 10 P.M. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN, streaming the next day on the CNN App with an all- access subscription.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

Bracing for Impact: Isaias expected to make landfall tonight as a major hurricane. Multiple Gulf Coast states could see dangerous storm surge, flooding, and wind damage as the Category 3 storm hits.

Plus, replacing Karoline Leavitt: President Trump picking his next White House press secretary. The details in just moments.

And later, the Pentagon's plan to live stream the firing squad execution of the man who killed 13 people in a mass shooting at Fort Hood in 2009. He have the latest on these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

SANCHEZ: Breaking news, we are bracing for Isaias. Right now, millions of Americans are in the Category 3 hurricane's path, with landfall just hours away. Let's take a live look at the Gulf Coast. That is Gulf Shores, Alabama, where the storm's outer bands have been lashing the coast there for several hours.

Check out this video captured by a NOAA sail drone moments ago in the Gulf. The surf extremely choppy as the hurricane moves closer and closer to shore. By tonight, forecasters say Isaias will still be packing 120-mile-an-hour winds as it comes on shore. And they are anticipating life-threatening surge.

We're joined now by storm chaser Jonathan Petramala, who is driving along the Gulf Coast right now.

Jonathan, what are you seeing?

JONATHAN PETRAMALA, STORM CHASER: You mentioned that heavy rain coming in from the outer bands of Hurricane Isaias as it continues to creep closer here to the western panhandle of Florida. And of course, as it gets closer, the winds will start to pick up. The rain will continue to be heavy. And the biggest concern usually, especially with hurricanes here on the Gulf Coast, storm surge. Here in Fort Walton Beach, where I am, they're predicting six to nine feet of storm surge. So, if viewers at home can close their eyes, imagine a basketball hoop, essentially, of water coming on shore.

The good thing is, though, in this part of Florida, many parts here in the Panhandle, they have a very mature dune system. And that dune system is going to be an important barrier from the infrastructure here, like Gulf Boulevard, that you might be able to see from our camera facing forward. That infrastructure, the homes, the businesses, the hotels, the condos, all of that is protected by those dunes. And it's going to really take a beating by these waves and that surge that Isaias is going to be pushing in.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we're sharing with our viewers a view from your front- facing camera right now. Can you give us an idea of how much conditions have changed in just the last hour?

PETRAMALA: Yes, and it's going to be changing hour by hour again as the storm gets closer to where the rain -- the rain is -- is getting heavier, the wind is starting to pick up as well. It's been fairly calm. Beautiful day yesterday, beautiful sunset. People really taking advantage of the last real day of preparation. Everybody around here thought they might be able to escape a hurricane season without a hurricane.

Of course, Isaias, the latest first forming hurricane in over a century. And unfortunately, it's targeting this part of the Gulf Coast, but it's an area that has seen many hurricanes in the past. Most recently, Hurricane Sally back in 2020. And so people went back to that muscle memory to -- to, you know, board up, get the sandbags that they need, pack up and leave as well.

Many hotels here, condos, mandatory evacuations, so a lot of people heading inland away from the coast, they're not taking any chance with Isaias.

SANCHEZ: Jonathan Petramala, thank you so much for being with us. Be safe out there.

PETRAMALA: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Let's go now to the CNN Weather Center where Melissa Nord is tracking the latest on Hurricane Isaias.

Melissa, what are you seeing?

MELISSA NORD, CNN WEATHER CENTER: I've seen that the wind speed, that the forward movement rather has actually increased over the last hour. We're now getting hourly updates. The hurricane hunters are continuously flying into Isaias to gather as much information as possible on this storm.

And the wind speed, the -- the forward movement rather has picked up. So, it's now moving at 17 miles per hour, situated 125 miles from making landfall.

[15:05:06]

So, that would be about seven hours from now or so around 10 o'clock this evening Eastern, 9 Central Time right there.

And we're seeing the feeder bands of this storm moving on shore, moving on shore along the Big Bend, along Apalachicola and the Emerald Coast as well. And I actually want to zoom in on the radar because I put a measurement tracker on here so you can see the eye wall, which is where the core of those hurricane winds are. That's this bright red color right in there. That's about 70 miles off the coast.

So, that'll start to move on shore after about four hours from now. That'll really be the core of the winds. The hurricane force winds right now extend 35 miles outside the center. That's basically into the eye wall. And then the tropical storm force winds are extending over 200 miles outside the center.

And there's also the tornado threat. So, tornado watch in effect right now until 9 P.M. We will likely see new tornado watches issued this evening and overnight and even into tomorrow as this multifaceted storm moves on shore. So again, landfall probably this evening after 8 P.M., between 8 and midnight.

As a major hurricane, the threat of storm surge has increased. That wind threat will spread far inland. It's one we'll be tracking through the night. Boris?

SANCHEZ: And you -- you can stay on top of all the latest developments and -- and track Isaias with the CNN Weather App. That QR code on your screen is there right now. Melissa Nord, thank you so much for the update.

Still to come, we're learning President Trump has picked a new press secretary. What we know about Katie Zacharia.

Plus, bipartisan backlash after the Pentagon signaled it plans to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter.

And later, legendary football coach and player Mike Ditka passing away at the age of 86. A closer look at the legacy of a quintessential Chicago Bear.

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[15:11:18]

SANCHEZ: Multiple sources tell CNN President Trump is picking Katie Zacharia to be his new White House Press Secretary, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in late August. She's a conservative commentator who briefly worked at the Department of Homeland Security. And according to her LinkedIn, she's been a senior communications advisor at the Trump Media & Technology Group and Truth Social since June.

We're joined now by someone who knows this job very well. Joe Lockhart is with us. He served as press secretary during the Clinton administration.

Let's talk about this pick and how important it is, Joe, for the person behind the press podium to represent the President in the final weeks before midterms.

JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think it's hard to see a big impact in the next couple of weeks. I think this will be more of a longer term thing. But I think the pick represents what the President wants. He's had a series of people like this. When I had the job, the rule of thumb was, don't go out there and -- you know, tell the truth, don't tell a lie.

The rule of thumb here is, reflect what the President's saying, which very often is a lie. So, it's a much different job. And I -- I just don't see a lot of change impacted by this move.

SANCHEZ: Speaker Mike Johnson recently said that Democrats are raring to go on impeachment if they take back the House of Representatives in November. You were in the Clinton White House during his impeachment proceedings. What are the challenges that -- that come with that, especially from the perspective of a press secretary?

LOCKHART: Well, I think you're -- you're -- you're under siege. You know, every day, it's, you know, it's like you're in a trial and that will happen. And I think, I don't know that they'll get to impeachment, they're certainly going to get to investigation and get to accountability.

You know, I think, again, it's just a very different time. And I think one of the things that's really interesting is, when I had the job, you were trying to speak to all Americans. What Trump and his people are trying to do is to speak to their own supporters. They have their own networks, they have their own true social, Fox, Newsmax, someone that -- this woman's got a lot of experience with.

So, it's a very different challenge. And I think what -- he looks for is someone who reflects himself, someone who is outspoken, can be obnoxious, can be on the attack. And my guess is he knows what he's getting.

SANCHEZ: So in that sense, isn't President Trump his own best press secretary?

LOCKHART: Absolutely. I just -- I -- I tell people that I used to spend hour and hour and hour studying and trying to get, you know, the issues, the nuances, the latest. All they have to do is watch the President because what he wants is someone to just back up what he says. Now, it could be the truth. More often than not, it's not the truth, but you're exactly right. He is the press secretary. You're just kind of serving to come in and, you know, finish up some days.

SANCHEZ: Pew just came out with their review of President Trump's approval rating. It is marked as his lowest in his second term thus far. Obviously, as presidents in their second term start to get past the midterms and wind down their presidency, the job gets tougher as a lame duck, right? What is it like to be a spokesperson for the final two years of a presidency?

LOCKHART: Well, I can -- I can tell you that after the midterms, or probably about a year after the midterms, as the presidential campaign ramped up, the briefing room got emptier and emptier because people were out covering the presidential campaign. So, it can get a little bit lonely.

You know, but Trump is a wild card. He's -- he's consistently shown that the rule of law doesn't really apply to him. So, I think it'll be -- that'll be a room that will be pretty packed until the day he leaves.

SANCHEZ: Joe Lockhart, appreciate the perspective. Thanks for joining us.

LOCKHART: Thank you.

[15:15:03]

SANCHEZ: Some breaking news, President Trump says that he's reached a deal with Vladimir Putin for Russia to supply the market with more than 300,000 tons of diesel. This is an attempt to bring down diesel prices, which have obviously surged amid the war with Iran and with the midterm election just 25 days away. CNN's Kevin Liptak is live for us at the White House.

Kevin, this is shocking for a number of reasons. President Trump said a few days ago that he was getting ready for a call with Vladimir Putin in part to talk about the controversy and the questions swirling regarding the death of that plague lab scientist that died and the sort of unclear reasons for her death.

Now, we have this announcement from the President on Truth Social talking about this agreement with the Kremlin. Walk us through the details and the context.

LIPTAK: Right, and the President didn't mention that still unexplained death of the researcher at all. In his readout, he seems exclusively focused on this agreement that he says he's secured from Putin to supply the global marketplace with diesel. Obviously, the President very focused on bringing diesel prices down now three weeks ahead of the midterm elections. Those prices had been soaring amid the war with Iran at one point above $6 a gallon here in the United States. And the President saying that Russia had agreed to supply 300,000 tons of diesel this month, 500,000 tons of diesel next month, extending into the millions of tons over the coming months.

But I think in a lot of ways, this will be seen as a slap in the face to the Ukrainians. The Ukrainians have been targeting with their drones, the refineries in Russia, that had been producing some of this diesel. That is why Putin had put into place a ban on diesel exports back in July.

And what Putin had said as recently as last week was that that ban wouldn't be lifted unless the U.S. lifted some of its sanctions. And what we have now heard after the President made this announcement from the U.S. Treasury is that they will allow this general license to allow Russian diesel to be sold on the international marketplace. And I think the timing here is notable.

It's -- just this weekend that American envoys, the -- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, planned to meet with the Ukrainians down in Miami to try and come up with a way to end the Ukraine war. And the President now announcing that it will allow Russia to sell its diesel to profit from the sales of its diesel on the global marketplace, I think, will be seen as something of an affront to the Ukrainians, even as the President clearly trying to bring down prices here in the U.S.

The other reason I think this is somewhat shocking is that Russia is known, according to American intelligence, to be supplying information to the Iranians amid that war, which is still ongoing. The President saying this week that operations wouldn't resume on that war until after the midterms. But clearly, I think a major step by the President here trying to bring down prices, but at the same time allowing Russia to profit from the sales of its oil on the global marketplace.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we'll keep an eye out for the response from Kyiv to this. Kevin Liptak at the White House, thank you so much.

Ahead, more on that powerful 7.7 earthquake that just hit Panama. The country has been hit by three aftershocks. We're now getting some pictures, the first ones we're seeing from the area. We'll bring that story to you next.

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[15:23:11] SANCHEZ: We want to get back to our breaking news. A powerful earthquake hitting Panama just a short time ago. This new video, just in to our newsroom, shows buildings partially collapsed. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was a magnitude 7.7. We're told the U.S. is now monitoring for potential tsunami waves along some of Panama's coastline.

Joining us now on the phone, CNN Photojournalist Carlos Martinelli. He's based in Miami, but was visiting his home country when the quake struck.

Carlos, tell us about when you first felt this earthquake, when you first realized something was going on.

CARLOS MARTINELLI, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: Yes. Hi, Boris. How you doing? Yes, my dad and I were actually doing a little sightseeing in an area that used to be a U.S.-owned base in an area called felt. And pretty much the car started moving from side to side. I actually thought I had a flat tire. And my dad's in a wheelchair, so the first thought to me was, you know, I have to change a flat tire on this, you know, with my dad in a -- in a wheelchair.

And then suddenly you see people running out of some of the businesses. And my dad's first thought is like, oh my, it's a shooting. And, you know, we pull off to the side of the road because, you know, I'm thinking to myself of the -- the flat tire. And then, we kind of hear earthquake, earthquake.

And that sort of explained the -- the reason why the car was, I mean, it was pretty moving, very forcibly from side to side. And I was like, okay, that makes a lot of sense. We got out, or I got out, and my dad, who also got out, I was like, don't get out of the car.

But yes, it's -- it's not something that I -- I've lived here for roughly about, what, 40 years or so. I've come on and off, and this is the first time I've ever experienced an earthquake here.

[15:25:06]

And I -- I have been looking online, and I had not really noticed in the actual city much damage, but the area that was affected was an area, the city -- a small city called Tonosi, which is roughly about 130 miles away from the capital. Another area called -- another town called Penonome, which is an area that I used to call a -- a lot when I was younger.

It's also, you can -- the road, which is the Pan-American Highway, has been hit, Penonome, which is where some of the buildings that -- that I'm sure that you're probably showing have been damaged. And Tonosi, which is, again, where the actual epicenter of this earthquake was, has also been hit. And I'm sure a lot of images start rolling in from that area.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we're actually -- we're just showing images from Penonome and -- and now from Santiago of crowds gathered together, clearly people very frightened by this. Carlos, I'm -- I'm glad that you and your dad are okay. I wonder if you could give us an idea, as you were describing how far away this is from the capital, what the infrastructure there is like and -- and whether it's a heavily residential area.

MARTINELLI: Well, in Panama City -- well, Penonome, for instance, where the actual damage is, is it's a small town. It's not a big, big city. As far as like the infrastructure, there may or may not be any services currently right now. If you're referring to the actual capital city, there are tons of buildings there. I mean, the -- the city -- the capital city has -- when I left in '97, there were pretty much no buildings. Now it's tons of buildings. There are just skyscrapers pretty much everywhere.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MARTINELLI: My plan is to essentially start driving towards that area later on during the day and start seeing if there was any actual damage. My entire family lives down here. So, I have been able to talk to them over the phone. My mom, my dad, pretty much everybody. So, I don't think the essential like electricity, water and things like that, I believe everything is still intact. So, I can actually give you a little bit more information after I've gone around the city.

SANCHEZ: I'm glad to hear that.

MARTINELLI: ... (INAUDIBLE) myself.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MARTINELLI: But currently I -- I don't know too much about the infrastructure ...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MARTINELLI: ... in the -- in the city.

SANCHEZ: Carlos, I'm -- I'm glad to hear you and your family are well. Please keep us updated with -- with any information that you get. These are actually live images coming in right now from Panama. Carlos Martinelli, thank you so much and -- and please stay safe.

Still ahead, reports of tension inside the Democratic Party over funding for long shot candidates in red states. Why some inside the party believe they are reaching too far in their push to gain control of Congress.

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