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New White House Press Secretary to Hold First Briefing; Early Voting Begins in Georgia Amid Tightening Races; Interview with Sen. Angus King (I-ME): Trump Says He's Considering Firing Guilfoyle and is Not Happy; Trump Defends Diesel Deal, Points to EU Buying Russian Energy; Six Flags Closes Multiple Rides After Death on Georgia Roler Coaster; Actress Selma Blair Charges with Assault for Kicking Officer, Nurse. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired October 13, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: 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 live at the White House.

Kind of a new day there for White House staff.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, I mean that briefing room, John, is already packed. People very eager for this first briefing with the new White House Press Secretary, who I should note is jumping in and hitting the ground running. She is joining the staff with just three weeks exactly to go until the midterm election.

So the White House really getting a new messenger just days away, weeks away I should say, from what is shaping up to be a tough midterm election race. So a lot of people interested in what she's going to have to say this morning. But she will as well I'm told -- I was speaking with some advisors here at the White House who told me that she is expected to travel with the president to Alaska following this briefing, riding with him of course on Air Force One.

So again, really jumping into this new role. I do want to get into though where the president is heading because it's another week of a ton of travel as he's really trying to hit this aggressive campaign schedule in the lead up to November 3rd. Alaska, another very red state, a state that he won in 2024 just two years ago by 13 points.

That is where the president is really playing defense today. He's going to be there stomping for the Senate incumbent, Dan Sullivan, as well as other Republicans in the state. Tomorrow he's going to be hitting another two states, Montana, deeply red, Arizona.

Later this week he'll be in Georgia. Over the weekend I'm told more travel as well. He is really trying to do what he can to try and bridge what I'm told a lot of Republicans behind the scene are worried about, this enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats.

This idea that Democrats really edging out Republicans, particularly when you look at early voting of course. Voting has started in a lot of states already seeing more registered Democrats in some of these states coming out. We'll see if that actually makes a difference.

I should note Republicans tend to vote on Election Day in recent years. But really the strategy of this White House and the president's political operation has continued to be turnout. That is the one thing they believe that the president can do to help boost Republicans at this point.

Will it work? We'll see. I mean he was in Ohio yesterday, a state, another state that he won by double digits in 2024.

He's now currently very underwater in Ohio. We're seeing similar polling in a lot of these other states which is why I think you're seeing him spend some of his most precious resources, his time and energy in these red states trying to convince his base voters to come out.

Now back to the press secretary. We'll see what she can say in this press briefing and in the next few weeks what her message will be to try and make a difference as well to see if they can give Republican candidates the edge that they need. So stay tuned for that.

She'll be briefing in roughly 30 minutes, John, around 9:30.

BERMAN: No doubt a lot of questions for this new official in her new position. Alayna Treene at the White House this morning. Thank you very much -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Speaking of midterms, polls are open in Georgia where early voting begins today. The state, a critical battleground, is in the fight for control of the Senate for sure this time around. There is also a closely watched governor's race unfolding.

CNN's Ryan Young is at a polling location in Decatur, Georgia for us this morning. Ryan, what are you hearing from voters who've been showing up today?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Kate. So far, it's been really electric in terms of people showing up and they have been energized to get out and vote. In fact, when we arrived here early, we'll show you the video of this, people were standing in line.

It was more than 15 people deep here and it's been consistent since we've arrived here with people showing up to vote. Over and over again there are things that people have been complaining about. The economy, they've been talking about gas prices and the fact because a lot of people standing in line here are seniors, they're worried about the concerns of being able to pay for medicine.

So you understand they really feel like they want to show up to vote and have their voices heard. Take a listen to some of the voters that we talked to early this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENDA LITMON, GEORGIA VOTER: Because of the different issues that are going on in our country, so I feel like every vote counts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every vote does count for sure.

BONITA GWYNN, GEORGIA VOTER: Because of the economy, the prices of the food and everything and this needs to stop. We can't, there's a lot of people that's actually struggling to even make it.

RICKY STEELE, GEORGIA VOTER: I want to see change in our country in all categories. So to me some of the ballot issues are important in Georgia this time, but the candidates, I want to make sure that the right guys get my vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, in the Senate race you have Jon Ossoff versus Mike Collins. A lot of energy behind that race as well. Last night you talk about Keisha Lance Bottoms who's going up against Rick Jackson, a billionaire who spent more than a hundred million of his own money to put political ads all over the television.

[09:05:00]

There was actually a debate last night where she basically debated herself because he did not show up. They say that's a scheduling reason. In the next 20 minutes or so we're expecting Senator Warnock to show up here to cast his vote.

So there's just a lot of energy here, but people keep talking about the fact that they are tired of seeing these ads. I wrote this down, Kate, because this woman just said this to me. She said, "This is all like a catfight. Everyone's scratching each other for one or two votes, but no one's telling us exactly what they plan to do once they get in office. Enough is enough."

So again, a lot of energy here in Georgia.

BOLDUAN: Good question on all of it. It's good to see you, Ryan, thank you so much -- John.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, President Trump is not happy with his son's former fiance and ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle. He is reportedly considering firing her after alleged text to MAGA donor Eric Deter's ahead of her confirmation hearing, asking him to cover her Amex bill of about $100,000 and to do it quietly, not leave a paper trail.

I spoke about this with Deter's overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: You heard the president say he is not happy with Guilfoyle. What are the chances that you think that he would fire her? ERIC DETERS, RETIRED LAWYER AND FORMER TRUMP DONOR: 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, and it's just an awful look for the administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN (on camera): With us now is Senator Angus King, an independent from Maine. Senator King, good to see you this morning. How much longer do you think Kimberly Guilfoyle should be ambassador to Greece?

SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): An hour or so. I give her a couple of hours until the president looks at the data and says enough is enough. The real problem, John, is that she's the tip of the corruption iceberg in this administration, but she's got to go.

BERMAN: The president has announced sales that he's buying. The U.S. will buy Russian diesel fuel. A lot of people think this will give money to Vladimir Putin in his war effort against Ukraine.

You have an op-ed in The New York Times this morning talking about what you think U.S. foreign policy should be. How does the purchase of Russian diesel align with what you see as U.S. foreign policy interests?

KING: Well, unfortunately, it's just one more nail in the coffin of our foreign policy for the past 80 years, which has been deterrence, particularly against aggressors. The only beneficiary of this so- called deal that the president has announced is Vladimir Putin. It's not going to do a damn thing about the price of diesel.

It's going to undermine Ukraine, where they're trying to save their country from an aggressive and murderous dictator. And it's basically going to give Putin more money to bomb hospitals and the electric grid and the civilians in Ukraine. By the way, John, it's totally illegal.

Congress passed a law in 2022, no trading of energy with Russia. It passed the Senate 100 to 0. And I think in the House, it was 325 to 9 or something like that.

You don't get that kind of majorities on most legislation. So it's illegal. It's wrong.

It's immoral. And the only real beneficiary is Vladimir Putin.

BERMAN: You say it's illegal. There are a few Senate Republicans who've joined you to say that they are against this position. But do you have faith that between now and January, that the Senate will try to take action to stop this diesel purchase?

KING: Well, yes, I think it's highly likely. But, John, it shouldn't be necessary. The law is already in place.

And what really stinks about this is we passed a new law three weeks ago in honor of our colleague Lindsey Graham to impose additional sanctions on Russia. And the president turns around, though ink is not very dry on that law that he signed and eases sanctions on Russia in a way that specifically countered to the law that was passed in 2022. It makes no sense, John.

He thinks it's going to be a political help. It's going to help him with diesel prices in the next three weeks. All the experts I've looked at have said it ain't going to happen.

The deal he's got is, I think, 300,000 tons of diesel in the next month. That's about an hour and a half of global diesel consumption. It's just not going to move the needle on diesel prices.

It's a political stunt, but it also is a political stunt that benefits Vladimir Putin. All threads lead to Putin.

BERMAN: You're up in Bangor this morning in Maine.

[09:10:00]

I know that home heating oil, as we head into the colder months in New England, is a big deal. What are some of the concerns you're hearing from voters up there?

KING: It's horrendous, John. Home heating oil, Maine is the most heavily used of home heating oil in the country, about 50 percent of our homes. The price has almost doubled in the last six or eight months.

And by the way, usually when fuel prices, gasoline prices, inflation, when those things increase, politicians get blamed or get credit. But there are usually a whole lot of complicated factors that contribute. In this case, it's simple.

It's Donald Trump's decisions. The war in Iran is now costing -- there's an analysis out by Moody's Analytics this morning -- it's costing every household in America $2,000. That's money that could go for Christmas, it could go for travel, it could go for vacations, it could go for paying the rent, $2,000.

And that doesn't count the cost of the tariffs, which are particularly harmful to us here in Maine because of our close relationship to Canada. The Wall Street Journal called the trade war with Canada the dumbest trade war in history. And so between home heating oil, the tariffs, the effects on the state of Maine of all of these policies, which are policies of choice.

These aren't big global forces at work here. This is Donald Trump making individual, I believe, unthoughtful, unthought out decisions like starting this war. They're having this tremendous impact on the individuals here in the state of Maine and across the country.

BERMAN: There is a debate tonight in that heated Senate race in Maine. I think this is the third or fourth Senate debate over just the last two weeks. And by the way, good on Maine for having so many debates so people can hear from the candidates.

But there's a quirky story out of this campaign, and I think the New York Times had it first. And it says a Republican super PAC trying to influence a crucial Senate race in Maine -- this is a super PAC supporting Susan Collins -- spent thousands of dollars running an attack ad in the wrong Portland, targeting voters thousands of miles away in Oregon.

What do you think about that, Senator?

KING: Well, it's incompetence at a high level. That's all I can say. I suspect there aren't too many people in Portland, Oregon, who are very much engaged in our election here in Maine.

BERMAN: Senator Angus King, independent from Maine. We appreciate you being with us today. Thank you very much.

And obviously, we're watching all the races around the country. One of those big races in Texas, CNN hosting a town hall with James Talarico tomorrow night. In advance of that, ask that guy in the right Harriet Enten. Ask me anything you want about Texas or the midterms.

Join us for a very special "OFFICE HOURS" tomorrow at 7:00pm, streaming live on CNN All Access. And you can send us your questions starting now at cnn.com/OfficeHours.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: I've got one, will drinks be served? Because with that music, it feels like they should be.

BERMAN: High balls.

SIDNER: A little dance. All right, thank you, John.

All right, just ahead, a terrifying scenario playing out at Six Flags over Georgia man falls to his death while riding a roller coaster. How Six Flags is responding this morning. We are live on the scene.

And actress Selma Blair facing charges after being accused of kicking and injuring an officer and nurse after being hauled off of a flight where she allegedly bid a flight attendant. Her attorney now saying there is an explanation for all of it.

Also, we are standing by for the first press briefing from the White House from Press Secretary Katie Zacharia. We will bring it to you live.

The stories and more ahead.

[09:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: This morning Six Flags says it is closing several of its rides nationwide after a horrifying incident where witnesses say a rider fell from a 200-foot tall Goliath rollercoaster at Six Flags over Georgia. Several other people were injured and this morning an investigation is underway.

CNN's Isabel Rosales is at the amusement park in Georgia. What are the details that you were learning after people witnessed this awful incident?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, just a horrific incident, Sara. And it comes at a time where rollercoaster safety is under scrutiny. You'll remember that nearly two weeks ago Six Flags Magic Mountain over in California announced that it will be permanently closing its world-famous X2 rollercoaster following a CNN investigation that revealed documented reports of serious injuries, even deaths associated with that ride.

And now we have this. I want to push in the camera a little bit closer here so you can see in that incline over there you can still see a car that's up on the incline. Now, to be specific, that is not the car involved where this man lost his life, but the car that was following up behind it and understandably an employee saw that there was an emergency situation happening and likely hit the pause button on that.

This is the car where people were being evacuated down the service stairs. So what happened here? Well, witnesses say that a man fell from the rollercoaster.

[09:20:00]

One witness telling our CNN affiliate WXIA that she witnessed this man hitting the car three different times before falling down into the roof of a haunted house attraction down below. Police have not said -- have not given out this man's identity, how he died or how many people have been injured, but detectives are looking into the circumstances surrounding this incident.

Now, this rollercoaster behind me, Goliath, according to the Six Flags website, is what's known as a hyper coaster made of steel going up to speeds of 70 miles per hour and that incline up to 200 feet. I want you to listen now to a mom who saw the aftermath of all this chaos. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two of my children had just been on that ride maybe 20 minutes before. Whenever you go to amusement parks, whenever you get in a car, whenever you live your life, it's always subject to risk, so you just never know when something's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And I do want to share this new statement we have now from the Swiss rollercoaster manufacturer behind Goliath. This is Bolliger and Mabillard.

They said the following, "We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the family and those affected. We are actively investigating the incident and have no further comment until we have a better understanding of what transpired."

We also heard back from Six Flags who told us that there's nine rollercoasters across six different Six Flag parks that are now temporarily closed. They say, Sara, out of, quote, an abundance of caution.

SIDNER: Yes, I'm sure they're looking at things like the restraints, was everything in place? And just simply how this happened as we watch as people had to come down all linked to the railing to try to get down from that high height. Isabel Rosales, a terrible, terrible incident there at Six Flags.

I do appreciate your reporting this morning -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Actress Selma Blair is facing charges this morning, accused of biting a flight attendant on a flight yesterday, accused of attacking a responding Port Authority officer on the ground once it arrived. This all started with an incident aboard Delta Flight from LAX to JFK. And Blair is now facing two assault charges.

And she may also face federal charges for what happened. CNN's Pete Muntean has much more on what we know now. He's joining us now.

Pete, what can you tell us?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, one of the things that stands out about this case is how much we know about what happened on board that Delta Flight because of what the pilots told air traffic control. They say they asked for medical personnel to meet the plane describing a bloody nose and bite marks. Two flight attendants reported injuries.

One went to the hospital, and CNN has learned that Blair had to be restrained with plastic restraints on board that flight. The pilots also reported that Blair may have hit her head against a bulkhead. That became part of her attorney's explanation in court.

And her attorney said the actress, who is a well-publicized battle of multiple sclerosis, has been exhausted from working long hours, had missed a critical medication. And I want you to listen now to what he said in court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAWN BARNES, ATTORNEY FOR SELMA BLAIR: Prior to the flight initially, Ms. Blair missed several doses of Nuedexta, a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms. And Ms. Blair boarded this flight after being on set and working extensive hours and exhaustive hours in the days leading up to this flight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Now, Blair's attorney argued this was not a medical emergency -- or was a medical emergency, rather, not intentional violence. The judge rejected an appeal to consider Blair's celebrity and her advocacy work. She's now out on $20,000 bail. One more interesting point here, Kate, the two state assault charges involve a police officer and a nurse allegedly attacked after landing, but the incident aboard the plane, that's a totally separate federal matter. The FAA has received about 1,300 reports of unruly passengers this year alone, far below the 6,000 reported during the COVID mask mandates. But the problem clearly still has not gone away for flight crews -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: No, absolutely not. Pete, thank you so much for your reporting on this --John.

BERMAN: All right, we are standing by for the first press conference from the new White House press secretary. CNN's K-file has found all kinds of social media posts trafficking in conspiracy theories.

And then Pope Leo arriving at the hospital in Rome admitted to undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule.

[09:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: We're standing by for a White House debut. The first press briefing by the President's new Press Secretary Katie Zacharia. Ahead of that joining us right now from inside the briefing room is CNN Chief White House Correspondent and anchor of The Source Kaitlan Collins and also seen as Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter, for more.

Kaitlan, what are we going to hear today?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's a good question, Kate. It's been quite a few months, weeks since we've seen use of the White House Press Briefing Room. Of course, ever since Karoline Leavitt left her job over the summer, we've seen senior administration officials filling in and taking the spot at the podium ranging from the Attorney General Todd Blanche when he held that briefing in the Rose Garden to the Vice President himself, J.D. Vance. This is now the first time of course with the new Press Secretary that the President announced pretty abruptly last week and even caught some White House officials off guard when the President announced that she would be taking this job and filling in after Karoline Leavitt left over the summer.

And of course, she's coming in at a very critical time for the administration for politics.