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Interview with Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-MD): State Department Watchdog Investigating Kimberly Guilfoyle; Trump Defends Russian Diesel Deal, Points to EU Buying Russian Energy; Seniors Struggle as Inflation Outpaces Social Security Benefits; New White House Press Secretary Hold First Briefing; New Research Suggests GLP-1 Drugs Could be Anti-Aging Medications. Aired 8:30-9:00a ET

Aired October 13, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, President Trump says he's not happy with ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle. He has threatened her job and now sources tell CNN a State Department watchdog is investigating Guilfoyle amid the allegations of misconduct.

It comes in the wake of the allegations from MAGA donor. Eric Deters, who showed text he says Guilfoyle sent him shortly before her confirmation hearing, pleading for him to pay off her $100,000 Amex bill while also complaining that he wasn't doing enough to keep her conversations on the subject secret.

Guilfoyle has denied the allegations. John spoke with Deters last night who is now threatening to sue Guilfoyle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC DETERS, RETIRED LAWYER AND FORMER TRUMP DONOR: Well, I'm going to sue in those lawyers, that law firm and Kimberly Guilfoyle here in Kentucky. It's going to be fun. They're going to have to come to Kentucky.

I'll take their depositions for the following reasons. They first said that the text messages were fake defamation. Then they said I was a known blackmailer, never blackmailing by my life, defamation.

Then now they're claiming that their invoices when she knows that's not true. In all the text messages, she doesn't mention anything about me owing money when she talks about is tapering this. So what she asked me to do was make up that I owed her money and write her a letter and I did that for her.

He knows that is phony and I'm going to be suing them all for defamation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: All right, CNN's Alayna Treene on this story as well has the very latest. What are you learning about all this and how the administration is viewing this at this point? ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, this is an incredibly messy situation. And one, of course, that Kimberly Guilfoyle, I think, did not want to be publicly out here. I should note off the top here that attorneys for Guilfoyle deny what Deters is saying.

They've been arguing. They put out a very lengthy statement yesterday, actually. But they're arguing that basically that this $100,000 that she had asked this Trump donor, Eric Deters, to pay off just days before a confirmation hearing was really contract work.

They said essentially that she had a contract with this donor who has been publishing all these messages and that she was trying to tie up any outstanding payments before going into public service. Now, of course, very different story than what Deters is saying. But that is what her attorneys are arguing.

As for how the president is looking at this, well, we've been reporting for a couple of days now that he's been considering firing her. I know from the conversations I've had, Sara, with allies of the president, some of his advisers, but also allies to Donald Trump Jr., the president's son who was previously engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle, who told me that they were embarrassed by this, that this irks them, that they're pretty livid with this. We're told specifically the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who was just in Greece last week when all of this was unfolding, is pretty frustrated about it, too.

I think one of the considerations, though, of course, is does firing her at this point create more of a distraction? Does that actually draw more attention to this issue just days before what is shaping up to be a very tough midterm election? So all of that into play here.

Now, I do want you to listen, though, because I think this interview that John did with Eric Deters yesterday, he touches on what he believes might happen. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: You heard the president say he is not happy with Guilfoyle. What are the chances that you think that he would fire her?

DETERS: I think she's gone. I think he has to fire. And I think the reason why he has to fire, I think she could have survived all this stuff over in Greece because it's over in Greece.

I think what I've presented, she can't escape from. It's black and white. It's her own words.

And I think she's toast as a result of it. It's grifting on the highest level.

[08:35:00]

And it's just an awful look for the administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So there's Deters saying it's grifting on the highest level. I will say that type of thing where, you know, someone trying to sell access to the president using his name and his likeness, all of that to benefit themselves is something President Trump is very particular about something he hates. And we've seen that play out in the past.

I should note, though, Deters, of course, was working with Kimberly to see if he -- if she could help him gain access to officials. So I'm not sure he actually knows what the president is thinking on this. All to say, though, very messy situation behind the scenes, still playing out and trying to consider what they want to do here.

There is a press briefing with the new press secretary at 9:30 there. And, you know, an hour or so from now, I'm sure she'll be getting questions on this.

SIDNER: And this all exploding as the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, was in Greece. One of the elements here that raised eyebrows as well. Alayna Treene, thank you so much. I do appreciate your reporting from the White House -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, joining us right now is Democratic Congressman Johnny Olszewski of Maryland. It's good to see you, Congressman. Thanks for being here.

So this man, Eric Deters, he says that he's talking to the top Democrats on oversight and judiciary. What's the role for foreign affairs, though, here when it comes to Kimberly Guilfoyle?

REP. JOHNNY OLSZEWSKI (D-MD), FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: Well, I think that all of Congress should have interest in this rot and corruption to the highest levels. Unfortunately, this is a continuation of an administration that is known for the rot and the corruption. And as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I'm deeply interested in how this type of corruption really lessens our status, not just in Greece, but across the world.

And so I think the evidence is pretty plain as day. We have the receipts. There's nothing to think about or investigate.

She should have been fired as soon as this information became public. But again, the Trump administration has made billions of dollars. Donald Trump has lined his pockets.

And so I'm not surprised that there's any delay in taking action here because it's par for the course, this type of corruption, even though it is really disgusting to see.

BOLDUAN: Eric Deters thinks that it's like grifting to the highest order. He thinks that she's gone -- his assessment. If she is on her way out, the president has said he is not happy.

What do you think the lesson is in this, especially from what you just said? What makes this worse or a bridge too far for President Trump, do you think? OLSZEWSKI: I don't think it's any different, unfortunately. And I think that's why the president is struggling so hard to fire her, because the president knows that it's exactly what he's doing. He is promoting stocks that he's then buying.

He is announcing ceasefires and then buying and selling oil stocks. He is literally selling insider information on his social media platform. This is a president who is doing exactly what Guilfoyle is being accused of.

And, you know, I think the question has to be, when are we going to investigate and do something about the grifting of this president and this presidency, where he is giving out no-bid contracts to his friends and family, his sons and daughters, and those associated with him are making deals on the side with these foreign countries. It's really disgusting and disturbing. And it's especially offensive when Americans are struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head.

BOLDUAN: You mentioned ceasefires. The president also has announced that he is lifting oil sanctions in order to buy Russian diesel to try to lower fuel prices here in the United States. The New York Times is reporting kind of about how this came about, which was Witkoff and Kushner, according to the reporting, sprung this announcement on Ukrainian officials that they were meeting with at Witkoff's golf club in Florida on Friday.

And on the ask that they apparently made that Ukraine stop hitting Russian oil refineries, I want to read what the Times has on this.

"One of the Ukrainians asked what they would get in return. The Americans responded that the United States was doing a lot for Ukraine already, according to three people familiar, and should not have to make a trade for Ukraine to stop refinery attacks. The Americans then mentioned U.S. intel assistance considered vital to Ukraine's war effort. Some in the room heard that as a veiled threat. A U.S. official, though, denied that. But the official also said that Mr. Trump had grown so angry with Ukraine that it was hard to say what he might do."

What do you make of that? And do you think this move by the president changes voters opinions 20 days out?

OLSZEWSKI: Yes, Americans are seeing a president affirmatively align with a dictator in Vladimir Putin, who is, to be clear, Russia is the aggressor in this war. And to threaten to withhold that kind of assistance would be extremely detrimental to the Ukrainian effort in this war. It would lead to the loss of thousands, if not more, of lives.

[08:40:00]

And, you know, between that and the illegal release and lifting of sanctions of on the diesel fuel situation, the president is siding with and praising a known dictator, a brutal and repressive regime. And going against a democracy in a country that's just trying to defend themselves.

And so yet again, Americans are seeing a president that is desperate as we head towards these midterms. It's a Hail Mary by the president. And I hope that Americans come out so overwhelmingly that the message is clear and resounding that we're going to turn away from this corruption.

We're going to turn away from this cowboy diplomacy and get back to lowering costs for those hardworking Americans across our country.

BOLDUAN: More in the midterms here. Elon Musk, we now know, is putting something like $276 million into the midterms with his with his PACs and has done so since the summer. Majority of the giving going to boosting Senate Republicans to try to save the Senate majority.

Do you think it will? I mean, what impact do you think Elon Musk is going to have on 2026 here?

OLSZEWSKI: I believe in the power of the American people. And I think that what's happening is people like Elon Musk and mega donors for Republicans are trying to buy their way out of a problem they can't sell. People know that costs are through the roof.

They know that we're mired in a war that has no clear end. They know that we have a president and an administration that is lining their pockets and made billions of dollars in just the last two years alone. And there's no amount of money that Elon Musk or anyone else can spend to spend it differently because Americans can see through it.

And the fact that they're spending so much money, I think, actually reinforces the point. So my prediction is we not only have a Democratic House, you're going to also see a Democratic Senate.

BOLDUAN: We'll see if those predictions bear out. Congressman, thank you for coming in -- John

BERMAN: All right this week, senior citizens will get new information about what the Social Security cost of living adjustment will be for next year. This is so important. Inflation continues to outpace Social Security benefits, and some seniors are struggling to afford basic essentials, including groceries and utilities.

CNN's Tami Luhby is here with us. What are you hearing from seniors on this?

TAMI LUHBY, CNN SENIOR WRITER: Well, John, seniors have long complained that Social Security benefits don't keep up with inflation. But the problem has been getting worse in recent years as prices remain stubbornly high. Seniors are telling me that they have to go into debt, that they're draining their savings.

They're changing what they can afford to buy in the supermarket just to maintain a basic standard of living. One senior in upstate New York, a 75 year old, told me she used to consider herself middle class, but now she's had to go to food banks in order to be able to afford, you know, to eat. And sadly, she told me she's learning to like beans.

And another couple in Florida told me that they're going to have to sell their possessions in order to pay their bills like her husband's tools. Now, there's a recent analysis from the Senior Citizens League that backs this up. It shows that Social Security benefits have lost 13.7 percent of their buying power since 2016. So that would mean that seniors, the average beneficiary, would have to get $296 more a month in order to make up that difference.

BERMAN: That's a really interesting statistic. It's a lot less buying power just over a 10 year period. What is the call?

What is the cost of living adjustment expected to be this week?

LUHBY: Well, we don't know exactly, but it's probably going to be around three point five percent. We'll find out tomorrow morning. It's based on the COLA for next year is based on inflation in July -- yes, July, August and September of this year.

So, you know, we have to wait and see if it's until next year, whether it's accurately going to match up. Now, COLA for this year was 2.8 percent. And as we all know, it fell short.

BERMAN: 2.8 percent less than the 3.4 --

LUHBY: Exactly.

BOLDUAN: -- we're living right now in inflation. Tami Luhby, we thank you very much. We'll stand by for that number this week.

LUHBY: Thank you.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: So Six Flags has now closed down multiple roller coasters across the country, at least for now, after a man died falling from one of their rides. We have the latest coming in on what their investigation into this is now showing.

And cyber hackers in France, they break into the networks of hundreds of supermarkets. They jack up the temperature in the fridges and freezers, even sparking fires and spoiling tons of food. Where the investigation into this now stands this morning.

[08:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: Next hour, President Trump's new Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia, will hold her first briefing from the White House. The president chose Zacharia in part because of what he calls, quote, an unblemished record of the report. A new K-file, CNN K-file review, has uncovered a history of conspiracy-laced social media content by Zacharia and some now-deleted posts she made criticizing the Trump administration. In one now-deleted post from December 2025 she writes, "2026 midterms will be a bloodbath if we don't shift course now." She responded to CNN about her new job and deleted post saying she is grateful to the president and will, quote, diligently and effectively, amplify his successful agenda.

With me now is someone who knows all too well what kind of job she is in for, former White House press secretary for President Bill Clinton, Joe Lockhart. It is good to see you. Thank you for being here this early morning.

Look, this is the first time that we're seeing her at the podium and she's already facing questions about her own credibility from some of these posts. But she did say she got this job because she was loyal to President Trump. What are you watching for today?

JOE LOCKHART, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, first off, I'm glad there wasn't social media when I was there. I'm watching for probably more of the same. I mean, there's a fundamental difference between what the job was 25 years ago when I was there and now.

Then it was about explaining and at times correcting what the president said. Presidents can't get everything perfect.

[08:50:00]

But here it's just about amplifying and doubling down on what Trump says, even when it's an obvious lie, obviously, you know, mistruth. So there's no -- and then there's also the idea that the job back then was being an advocate for the press in the building with the president, with the senior staff. Now it's part of their political strategy just to attack the press, exclude the press.

I mean, CNN knows a lot about that.

SIDNER: We certainly do. Look, she -- I want to go through some of the things that she has posted. And when you look at this, I'm curious what you think the public will take from this.

She posted a far right activist comment saying outrageous things like Democrats want to mask and rape your children, that they're, you know, satanic. That was in 2022, reposting someone's post. She seemed to show some support for Vladimir Putin when Russia invaded Ukraine, reposting a post that the Russian president was fighting a secret network of powerful elites.

She has since deleted some of these posts, which include posts that are critical of the Trump administration for not cracking down, for example, on immigration. She accused the DOJ of covering up for powerful people in the Epstein files. What do her deleted social media posts tell you about who she is and how do the public you think will see her after knowing some of these details?

LOCKHART: I think her posts show that she's perfect for the job. Any of the things she said that, as he said, are outrageous, are nothing worse than what the president has said. And that's what he's looking for.

And I think how the public will respond is how the public is responding to President Trump. He's got record low approval ratings. I think her job is to go out there and try to shore up the far right media, the Fox News, the Newsmax, the ones that are even more extreme than that.

But I don't think you're going to see much -- something much different than what you've seen in the first couple of years.

SIDNER: Look, you were press secretary when President Clinton faced his biggest scandal in office, the impeachment proceeding over an extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky. There is always this tension between the press and the press secretary. Now there are questions with this administration about the war and corruption, gas prices and other things that are dogging this administration.

How does a press secretary maintain credibility with the press and the public?

LOCKHART: Well, I mean, I think what's striking to me is she got the job last week and she's starting today. I was with the president for two years before I became his press secretary. And even then, I went to national security school for two months, eight hours a day, because it was really important on the -- particularly on foreign policy that we said the right things, that we sent the right message.

Honestly, they just don't care. There's no real commitment to telling the truth. There's no real commitment to making sure that that podium is an instrument of America's foreign policy.

It's just saying whatever the president said. And I think we all know after a lot of experience of a decade, he will say almost anything. He will say things that you can prove are untrue.

And in that building, credibility doesn't matter. Backing up the president is the only thing that matters.

SIDNER: Don't you think she, though, may have gotten quite a bit of experience because she is on television? She appears here on CNN. She's appeared many times on other networks debating some of these issues and, you know, learning kind of the talking points of the administration or how she sees things.

Doesn't that give her the ability to kind of deal with the rapid fire questions coming from the press?

LOCKHART: Well, I think she can probably deal with the rapid fire questions because, you know, their mantra is just to attack the questioner rather than answer the question. I think these things are much more difficult, much more complicated than what you see daily, you know, on a debate on Fox News. There are consequences to the words that come from that podium.

At least historically, there have been. If you make a mistake, there are problems created around the world. I think overall, though, particularly around the world, that podium is now ignored.

They don't look at it as a source of what the president is thinking, what's going on in the country, how issues are being addressed. They look at it as, you know, purely propaganda.

SIDNER: It's partly because if that is the case, he is constantly posting his own words. And so you get to see those in real time. Joe Lockhart, thank you so much for walking us through that really interesting conversation, appreciate it -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: And there's more research coming in about GLP-1s, what the medications can do in the near and long term.

[08:55:00]

And now there's early research apparently suggesting that these medications are showing signs of slowing or even reversing aging. CNN's Jacqueline Howard has a new detail on this. Jacqueline, walk us through this research.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, Kate. Well, one of these studies found that semaglutide medications in particular can reduce the biological age of organs in your body. Now, this research hasn't been published yet in a peer review journal, but it's definitely getting a lot of attention because what the researchers did, they looked at data on more than 10,000 people.

This was across five different clinical trials. And they found that those people taking semaglutide medications, they found that the medications reduced the biological age of their hearts by up to four years. And that's compared with their peers.

And then when the researchers looked at other organs like the brain, kidney, pancreas, and lungs, reductions of up to four years were found there as well. So now experts say that this research does suggest maybe these medications could help people live longer. And we've already seen other research showing that GLP-1 medications are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and kidney disease.

So researchers are really taking a closer look into these possible anti-aging effects when it comes to these drugs, Kate.

BOLDUAN: And does the research say anything about who is seeing these benefits? Is it these anti-aging benefits? Is it everyone who's taking these GLP-1s?

HOWARD: Well, the researchers say that's the next question that they want to answer because they really need to figure out are these anti- aging effects a result of the medications themselves or are they simply a result of losing weight or getting healthier just in general? Now, I will say with this early research looking at biological age, those experts found that the effects were not completely explained by the weight loss or by controlling blood sugar levels. So that's a potential signal that scientists should kind of dig deeper into this.

But again, that's still the main question here, Kate. Is this reversal of biological age an impact of the medications themselves or is it a result of people who already have obesity or who already have diabetes just simply getting healthier? That's the question to ask at the moment -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, absolutely. Very interesting, regardless. It's good to see you, Jacqueline, thanks for bringing this to us -- John.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, Six Flags says it is closing several of its rides nationwide after a man died on a roller coaster in Georgia. Witnesses say the man fell from the Goliath ride.

Several other people were injured. Officials have not said how he became dislodged. Six Flags temporarily closed nine similar rides across six of its parks nationwide out of a, quote, abundance of caution. In Georgia, an investigation is underway.

Hundreds of French supermarkets and stores across Europe have been forced to throw out food after hackers raised the temperatures on refrigerators and freezers. The temperatures are controlled through an online network.

It caused fires and spoiled the food there. The software company behind the system says the stores are running on outdated firmware and that they had been offered updates back in August.

Along California's central coast, a sea lion invasion. Hundreds of sea lions basically crossing a road there in Moss Landing. Crews have been trying to clear them out, but they keep coming back. This has been going on for more than a month now.

A brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

SIDNER: 21 days until election day and the president delivering red meat to his base in red state. The final sprint to the midterms in hopes of overcoming what is shaping up to be an enthusiasm gap. Today, he's off to Alaska.

And the scandal with a Trump insider, the president now considering firing his ambassador to Greece after accusations of pay for play.

And new details emerging about the arrest of actress Selma Blair hauled off a flight at JFK after allegedly fighting, even biting, a flight attendant.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: Exactly three weeks until the midterms and we are standing by for President Trump to leave for Alaska, a very red state that's very far away. The fact that he needs to go there to help a Senate incumbent tells you something in itself. This week, he also goes to Arizona, Montana and Georgia.

This morning, new Press Secretary at the White House, Katie Zacharia, is set to give her first briefing. Her social media posts are now coming under scrutiny. You can see live pictures of the briefing room right there.

A CNN K-File review finds that she had a history of conspiracy-laced posts. Neither Zacharia nor the White House have addressed the content of those posts. Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene.

[09:00:00]