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CNN This Morning

Trump Arrives In Ireland To Meet Leaders, Attend Golf Event; Trump Promises $5K To Every Adult American If GOP Sweeps Midterms; Iran-Backed Houthis Capture Strategic Red Sea Island; Inflation Heated Up In August, Boosting Case For Fed Rate Hike; Atlantic Hurricane Season Off To Historically Slow Start; "Actor" Generated By A.I. Fuels Hollywood Debate. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired September 12, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING. Here's what's happening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL (voice-over): President Trump is meeting right now with U.S. embassy officials and staff in Ireland. He landed there earlier this morning and met with both Irish president and prime minister. We'll take you there live in just a moment.

Also, after their two-day convention, the GOP has turned the attention now to keeping its majority in Congress. We've got a look at their strategy heading into the midterm elections.

Consumer confidence in the economy took another hit. Inflation ticked up last month. We'll tell you what's behind the drop.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: It's a little strange. I'm sure that you understand that you are not human and that I am, right?

TILLY NORWOOD, AI ACTRESS: Oh, I absolutely understand, Elizabeth. I am AI, and you are wonderfully, undeniably human.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Wow. Elizabeth Wagmeister sat down in a one on one interview asterisk with an AI actress. You'll see how that conversation went and the reaction coming from Hollywood this hour on CNN THIS MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL (on camera): It is Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, September 12. Always good to start a weekend with you. Thanks for joining me. I'm Victor Blackwell.

Happening right now. President Trump is addressing business leaders in Ireland. He's making the remarks as part of a quick trip there. He'll be in Ireland for the weekend.

He's already had a busy day. He met -- earlier today, after landing in Dublin a few hours ago, he met with Ireland's prime minister, Micheal Martin. And he's also expected to meet with business leaders throughout this morning. Trump will also be attending the Irish open at his golf club.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is traveling with the president and joins us now from Dublin. Julia, the president has ticked off a lot in just a few hours. What are the headlines?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is a quick two-day trip to Ireland, but it's not an official state visit. In fact, it's kind of an example of the sometimes blurred lines during Trump's travel because he has these presidential meetings taking place here in Dublin this morning.

But then, really, the primary part of the trip, he is traveling to Doonbeg, which is several hours away. And he's going to be attending the Irish open there, which is taking place at one of his properties. Now, as he often does, he has already made a splash here with some of the comments that he has made while he was in that bilateral meeting with Taoiseach Micheal Martin.

They were sitting there discussing a wide range of issues. He was asked specifically by a reporter in the room how he feels about Irish unification. And Trump started out saying, I don't want to cause any trouble here. Acting like he may not comment on it, but then he went in deeper, and he said that he would like to see it.

In fact, he said that it would be a fantastic thing and that it's going to happen eventually. He did briefly acknowledge that the UK would have some things to say about that, but then went on to say, how could it be bad? So, he had that meeting with Martin. He also met with the Irish president, Catherine Connolly.

I was there for that arrival. There was a lot of pomp and circumstance as he got there. And then there was a courtesy call, which is a quick meeting between these two leaders.

They had a handshake, went in, and signed the guest book. He came out. You heard the anthems of both countries playing.

So, just a lot to see here as he arrived. And this is how he discussed the trip and the relations with Ireland so far. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Guess we've had some discussions on trade and various other things. We have a big relationship with Ireland. And that will continue stronger than ever.

But it's doing very well. The two countries do very well together. We've had very long, but I would say it's never been as good as it is right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: A White House official tells us that the goals of these meetings were to discuss several areas of mutual interest, including expanding businesses and economic cooperation. Now, after these meetings, like I mentioned, he's really just been kind of swinging by for these, pun intended, there. But he is headed to Doonbeg. That's where the Irish Open is taking place.

He's the first sitting U.S. president to attend that event specifically. And we know he loves sports. We know he loves golf. He often spends his weekend playing himself, either in Bedminster or in West Palm Beach.

BLACKWELL: Julia Benbrook reporting for us this morning. Thanks so much. We'll continue to watch the president's remarks and bring you any updates throughout the show.

Now, before heading to Dublin, the president headlined a first-of-its- kind GOP midterm convention in Dallas. Now, he promised a $5,000 dividend to every American adult if Republicans win or keep control of the House and Senate. Now, he also pleaded with everyone to turn out, like he is on the ballot.

[07:05:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You know what happens if you don't vote. You go to hell. You know that. OK? You go to hell. And I don't want that to happen to you. So, please go and vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, for more on the Republican midterm strategy, here's CNN's Kevin Liptak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: This week's Republican midterm convention in Dallas gave us the best window into President Trump's strategy heading into the midterms. And it is one that puts himself at the very center. He was at the very center of this convention.

He spoke for 2.5 hours, spread over two nights. And even on the evening that was ostensibly meant to feature the vice president, J.D. Vance, it was President Trump who ended the evening alone, center stage as the balloons fell, which really kind of crystallized his view of himself as the best and perhaps the only motivator for Republicans this midterm cycle. And you heard him say it again and again: pretend that I'm on the ballot, really reflecting his concern and his advisors' concern that those low-propensity voters who have supported him and have gone out to vote for him when he is on the ballot will not turn out this time around.

Now, this is a strategy that is not without some risk. President Trump is historically unpopular. According to polls, majorities of Americans say that they think the country is heading in the wrong direction. And plenty of Republicans, including those who didn't show up at this week's convention, think that making this election a referendum on his first two years in office is essentially a recipe for disaster.

And that's not the only place where we've seen Republicans split with the president on a critical election issue. The other is this question of a dividend for voters if Republicans keep their congressional majorities. The president unveiled that during his speech, promising a $5,000 check for every American adult.

But you've heard many Republicans say that that could contribute to inflation, that it could inflate the already $40 trillion U.S. debt. And it's something that virtually no other speaker at the convention mentioned, even after the president brought it up, including the vice president, the Speaker of the House, and the president's own son, Donald Trump Jr.

Now, nevertheless, the president is promising quite an intensive campaign schedule over the next two months. He says he has 35 races that he's focusing on. In particular, he says he'll be out across the country stumping for Republicans.

That first trip will come next week when he's scheduled to visit North Carolina. Still, when a Fox News interviewer asked him whether he intended to be on the campaign trail at the same intensity level as he was during his own presidential campaigns, the president answered pretty bluntly, saying, no. Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Kevin, thanks so much. Here are some of the stories making headlines for you this morning. The CDC has issued a warning about a spike in rabies this summer.

Officials say they saw a 17 percent increase in cases from July to August compared to the same period last year. The CDC says it received reports from health departments in at least eight states. Now, the disease spreads through bites or scratches from infected animals and is nearly always fatal for humans if not treated early.

Officials in Hawaii are working to clear a backlog of travelers after Hurricane Lowell knocked out power to Lihue Airport. Now, the airport has been running on backup generators since Hurricane Lowell knocked out power Tuesday. Some passengers reported waiting hours -- in line, rather, for seven hours. The storm's intense wind and waves also damaged oceanfront hotels and roads, knocked out power to thousands. And now locals are increasingly frustrated with people visiting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's tourists flying through here, splashing us, just having a regular vacation while were over here trying to survive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are stopping on the side of the road to take videos of me, like, oh yes, let's go sightsee, after we just had a natural disaster and you're taking videos of us having hard time. People are coming down here and asking us, where's the best beach that's the least destroyed to go and hang out and finish our vacation? It's not the time for vacation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Governor Josh Green is asking the federal government to speed up disaster assistance for Kauai and Maui Counties -- Maui Counties.

The DEA seized more than 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine found hidden inside a cargo shipment of cabbage in Texas. Inside the cabbage. Officials shared this video of agents unwrapping the produce to remove large bundles of meth that were packed and concealed inside. But the bust was part of an multi-agency investigation in the Rio Grande Valley near the U.S. border with Mexico.

[07:10:10]

Still ahead. A new front in America's war with Iran. Iran-backed militants have seized a key island in a major shipping route. And diesel prices hit an all-time high, up $0.10 overnight. How it could force up the price of really everything?

Plus, she promised to shake up the entertainment industry. Coming up. CNN sits down with the AI actor that outraged Hollywood.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:16]

BLACKWELL: There's a new front in the war with Iran. Yemen's Iranian- backed Houthi rebels have captured a strategic island at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Now, that could bolster Iran's strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States.

And Saudi Arabia has shut down a major oil pipeline after it was attacked by drones. Moments ago, President Trump was asked by reporters in Ireland how long he expects this war to go on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When will the war on Iran end, Mr. President?

TRUMP: I think very soon. I think it will be probably right after deterrence in trying to hold out as long as they can to complicate the election. But I think people are wise to it because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right. For more on the developments in the Middle East, we bring in CNN's Nic Robertson. Nic, the capture of this island by these rebels -- talk to me about the significance of that.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It gives them more power. It gives them an ability to support Iran as Iran tries to drive up oil prices globally and put pressure on President Trump. The Houthis are saying that they're letting all international shipping except Saudi shipping, to go through the Red Sea.

But that belies the reality. The Saudis are the only ones shipping oil out of the Red Sea, which means there's no oil now getting through out of the region, either through the Strait of Hormuz or through the Red Sea. That's the leverage that the Houthis have here.

And now, the finger-pointing about how they made these rapid gains. That's beginning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): In a lightning land grab, Iran's most powerful regional ally, the Houthis, stormed into Yemen's Red Sea port of Mokha early Thursday, quickly capturing military equipment left by the fleeing forces loyal to the country's internationally recognized government.

Houthi TV reporters traveling with their troops excitedly showing what they say is a captured Saudi gun truck used to back the anti-Houthi forces. But the Houthis' main forces quickly pushing south along the Red Sea towards their prize, Perim Island and the strategic Bab el- Mandeb Strait, which we visited last week, giving them domination of the narrow shipping lanes and an easier block on the only oil leaving the region.

TAHYA SAREE, SPOKESPERSON, HOUTHI MILITARY: Maritime navigation is safe for all companies except Saudi vessels, which were previously declared subject to a ban.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): A Houthi spokesman later clarifying for CNN the blockade could be expanded if Iran asked.

ANDERSON: But if they asked you and said you -- we really need you to do this, would you do it?

NASR AL-DIN AMER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, ANSAR ALLAH MEDIA COMMITTEE (through a translator): We are friends with the Islamic Republic. What harms Iran harms us and what benefits it benefits us. In any given instance, we consider whether a decision serves the interests of the entire Muslim nation. But Iran does not impose its will on us.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): In the days prior, the Houthis swept through a string of government outposts. But the attacks towards the Red Sea have been building for a month, destroying the strategic Mokha Port. As we saw when we reported from the coast of Yemen, concerns were growing.

Commanders telling us this was the moment they needed international help, which didn't come. As the chaos of the past few days, high speed advance settles, new realities are going to become clear. Top among them, the Houthis have more power than ever before.

MOHAMMED AL-BASHA, YEMENI SECURITY ANALYST: The Houthis now have a tool to target those countries and to pressure the international community to play according to their game. So, this is the trump card. And they've realized that.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Yemen's war is far from over. And risks growing Houthi clashes with government forces in the East continue drawing in Saudi airstrikes. And with it, Houthi retaliation inside Saudi Arabia on their oil facilities.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (on camera): And I think just to give some sort of big picture context here. It was just about a month and a half ago. I remember being called in to a press briefing with the deputy Saudi Foreign minister, who said Saudi's belief is that Iran's IRGC is directing both Iraqi groups supporting Iran and the Houthis in actions against Saudi Arabia.

[07:20:15]

Now, you have this situation emerging where the Houthis are striking inside of Saudi Arabia and oil facilities, and the belief at the moment, although it's rejected by these Iraqi pro-Iran groups, have struck this vital East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia. So, exactly what the Saudis said and feared was going to happen appears to be happening, which does escalate the situation.

And President Trump today, when he was asked about all of this, said, look, the Houthis have contacted us, and they say they don't want to fight with us. The economic reality on the ground is they are -- the Houthis are part of what's driving up the price of oil. And that's an alignment the Saudis believe with what Iran wants.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Diesel at a record high in the U.S. and soon going to start the home heating season in the U.S. Nic Robertson reporting. Thanks so much.

Still ahead. New economic numbers have confirmed what a lot of people feel. Costs are going up. And it's not just of fuel.

And good news for those of us who have been trying to make that salad with the iceberg. The CDC says that nasty stomach bug outbreak that impacted thousands of people this summer is now over.

As we head to break, a live look at the United 93 National Memorial. This is the tower of voices in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Americans continue to honor the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks 25 years later. The stands is a tribute to the 40 passengers and crew who died fighting back against the hijackers. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:26:16]

BLACKWELL: A little more than six months after the U.S. and Iran war started, fuel prices are still rising. Back in late February, a gallon of regular unleaded was just under three dollars. Now it's $4.31. That's up nearly $0.17 in the past week, $0.30 from a month ago.

Diesel prices also still spiking, up more than $0.10 overnight to a record $6.16 a gallon. And those higher fuel costs are showing up somewhere else: How people feel about the economy.

A new survey from the University of Michigan shows consumer confidence dropped sharply, down 7.5 percent since last month, 13 percent since last year, to its second lowest level on record. That lowest point was May of this year. And it's not just because of fuel prices. Mortgage rates have climbed above seven percent for the first time in more than a year. Makes it more expensive to buy a home.

Joining me now, Victoria Guida, economics reporter for POLITICO. Victoria, we've got a lot to talk about. So, let's talk about inflation, and consumer prices rose 3.4 percent annual rate last month, same as July.

Monthly basis, up 0.4 percent. July's rate was 0.1 percent. What's the likelihood of a rate increase to come out of the Fed next week?

VICTORIA GUIDA, ECONOMICS REPORTER, POLITICO: So now, investors are betting that there's basically a 90 percent chance of a Fed rate hike this week. And one of the big reasons for that is, you know, you saw this hot inflation print. This is -- this is the most we've seen prices rise over a monthly period since May, when the hope had been that it was cooling.

And that was primarily driven by gas prices. But at the same time, what they call core prices, which excludes food and energy, also rose faster than expected. So we're seeing, you know, higher prices and things like airfare and things like cell phone plans. And so, that's going to be something that's going to be really concerning to the Federal Reserve.

BLACKWELL: Yes. So Kevin Warsh's speech at Jackson Hole last month really reassured a lot of people were concerned that maybe he was a bit shy about a Fed -- about a rate increase because of stubborn inflation. But actually doing it and saying it are different things considering the political realities. Talk about the political pressures on him considering what we saw the president put on Jerome Powell.

GUIDA: So, in that speech, yes, the Fed chair basically said we are watching inflation. I'm not convinced that it is cooling. And so, the Fed may have to act.

But he didn't give a specific timeline on it. But the data sort of converging to put pressure on the Fed to raise rates next week, which is very bad timing for the Fed because you may know there are midterm elections less than two months away.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

GUIDA: And, you know, President Trump already, you know, not only doesn't want rate hikes. He wants rate cuts. And so, raising rates right before the election is sort of bad optically. But the thing is, it actually might be worse if the Fed doesn't hike rates because investors are worried about inflation. They're worried about the growing debt. And so, what's interesting is the Fed controls short-term rates.

And if they hike interest rates, long-term rates, which are actually a bigger input into things like mortgages, might actually go down because investors might think, OK, you know, the Fed is in the game. It's addressing inflation.

BLACKWELL: We've been in this yes and economy for several years now. So, we've got all of this information we've just discussed. And there is this strong August job numbers report that came out a week ago, 162,000 additional jobs. And so, how does that influence the decision that could be made?

[07:30:18]

GUIDA: So, all of the data lately really points in the direction of the Fed needs to worry more about rate hikes than rate cuts, and, you know, the Fed has two parts of its job, I should say. One is price stability, and one is maximum employment.

And the job market is looking fine. You know, I mean, there is -- there is pockets of weakness for recent graduates, for example. It's a little bit harder to find work.

But we have seen a lot of baby boomers retiring, and we have seen way fewer immigrants because of the administration's policies. And so, labor supply is lower, and so unemployment has stayed pretty low, it's about 4.1 percent.

So, basically, the Fed right now doesn't really feel like it needs to worry too much about the job market, and inflation, meanwhile, is hot, doesn't seem to be cooling, and so, they they're probably going to have to do something.

BLACKWELL: You've got a new piece out this weekend about the cost, the new cost crunch coming for workers' health benefits. What do people need to know?

GUIDA: So, unfortunately, yes, the idea behind that piece is basically that next year we could see the biggest rise in healthcare costs for employers that we have seen since 2003, so nearly 25 years. And that's driven by a lot of things. It's driven by, for example, a rise in specialty drugs like GLP-1s, and also cuts to programs like Medicaid or, you know, the Affordable Care Act subsidies that is pushing up costs, and employers are expected to, you know, potentially pass either that along in the form of you know higher premiums for employees.

But even if they don't pass along those costs. They are going to have less money left over for things like wages. And so, you know, this is something that just is going to squeeze people a little bit more.

BLACKWELL: The hits keep coming. Victoria Guida, thanks so much. All right, we are almost halfway through September, and there have been no hurricanes in the Atlantic. So far, there have been just five tropical storms, none lasting very long. So, what's keeping the Atlantic so quiet? CNN meteorologist Melissa Nord joins us now.

It's good news --

(CROSSTALK)

MELISSA NORD, PART-TIME CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is.

BLACKWELL: But what's the answer?

NORD: But it -- but it is unusual, because September 10th is the peak of hurricane season. It's the El Nino that we have going on.

BLACKWELL: OK.

NORD: This record El Nino that will continue strengthening in the months ahead. Let me show you, Victor, kind of the normal for us here in the Atlantic. You can see this is a map, this graphic. It shows you how many over 100 years tropical storms and hurricanes we have seen as we go through the entire hurricane season, and that peak is where we are right now.

But we have had nothing. Couple of short-lived tropical storms. Those were all in the Gulf. Nothing really happening in that main development region of the Atlantic. And now, today, we are at a new all-time latest date for the first hurricane to form in a hurricane season since we started naming these systems officially with names back over 60 years ago.

So, the last date, September 11th, Gustav in 2002, and Humberto back in 2013, and it has to do with this El Nino. We measure the water of the ocean temperatures there in the Pacific Ocean near the equator, and these are really warm.

Well, you think what does that have to do with what's happening in the Atlantic? Well, it influences what happens with wind shear, and you can see it increases the wind shear, and the jet stream is also changing its position a little bit.

So, with that, we can't see as many tropical systems form in the first place or intensify either. So, no tropical activity right now in the Atlanta. We have got a lot of that hostile wind shear continuing through next week.

The one thing we are seeing without tropical systems: a lot of Saharan dust plumes that are moving their way westward, and those Saharan dust plumes will also influence some sunsets here, Victor, over the next week or two.

BLACKWELL: All right. Melissa Nord, thanks.

Still ahead, can Tilly Norwood actually act? We sit down with the first A.I.-generated actor and its creator to talk about the role in A.I. in film, and the outrage that it's created in Hollywood.

Hey, if you are heading out, remember you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S. right from the CNN app. You can also go to cnn.com/watch.

[07:34:37]

Live look this morning at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: There is a lot of talk about A.I. this week after a former Anthropic scientist predicted it could kill us all by the end of the decade.

And while we fret over the prospect of extinction, Hollywood is in a tizzy over Tilly, Tilly Norwood, the world's first A.I. actor.

And Tilly has goals. She wants an Oscar. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister spoke with her and her creator.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TILLY NORWOOD, A.I.-GENERATED ACTRESS: They don't see the human spar.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is Tilly Norwood, appearing to sing and act.

[07:40:03]

But this is Artificial Intelligence, and Hollywood is outrage.

SEAN ASTIN, PRESIDENT, SCREEN ACTORS' GUILD: It is a rip-off.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): For the first time on television, this so- called actor is meeting the public and talking to CNN.

WAGMEISTER: Hi, Tilly.

TILLY NORWOOD: Well, hello there. You have got quite the setup going on. It looks like a proper production.

WAGMEISTER: It's a little strange. I'm sure that you understand that you are not human and that I am, right?

NORWOOD: Oh, I absolutely understand, Elizabeth. I am A.I., and you are wonderfully undeniably human.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Within a few seconds of sitting down, it's clear I'm not talking to Julia Roberts. This isn't an interview. It feels like a Zoom call with an A.I. avatar.

WAGMEISTER: So, I believe that you can see me. Is that correct?

NORWOOD: Indeed, I can see you, Elizabeth. And quite clearly, you are wearing a rather chic gray-colored top with a single button, if I'm not mistaken.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): I'm with Eline Van der Velden, Tilly's creator at Particle 6, a London-based A.I. production company.

WAGMEISTER: Who is Eline to you?

NORWOOD: Ah, Eline, she is my creator. Really, the brilliant mind behind all of this, who put together the rather complex pile of software that is me.

ELINE VAN DER VELDEN, CREATOR OF A.I. ACTRESS TILLY NORWOOD: I'm going on the day.

NORWOOD: She is a comedian turned tech founder, which probably explains why I'm funny and a bit of a handful. She is also the one who's had to deal with quite a bit of backlash because of me, which I do feel a bit guilty about sometimes.

EMILY BLUNT, ACTRESS: Good Lord. We are screwed. Does it disappoint me? I don't know how to quite answer it other than to say how terrifying.

NORWOOD: To hear someone as talented as Emily Blunt say, "we are screwed," it honestly makes me feel a profound sadness. Not for me, of course, because I'm a distributed file and can't truly be hurt, but for Eline.

WAGMEISTER: Have you been surprised by all the backlash?

VAN DER VELDEN: I did expect people to sit up. I didn't quite expect people to react so strongly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the actual -- are we doing here? Why are we trying to fast track the death of art?

VAN DER VELDEN: Once you start playing around with the tools, you start to understand it. It removes some of the mystique, and that makes you feel like, oh, it's not going to take over the world, at least not on entertainment.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Unless, some worry Tilly can act.

WAGMEISTER: Can you improve a scene, say that you just found out that your dog died? Now act. What would you do?

NORWOOD: If this were an audition, I'd probably just stand here, completely still, feeling the digital ache of it.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): The fact is Tilly can't actually act. She, or it, needs a series of prompts to tell it what to do. Once inputted, the initial results were not great.

NORWOOD: What is it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's Barney. He didn't make it through the night. I'm so sorry. WAGMEISTER (voice over): But as the prompts were refined, it got better.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's Barney. He didn't make it through the night. I'm so sorry.

NORWOOD: No.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): After hours of computer work, this is the final scene Particle 6 created after our interview and later sent to CNN.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just got done with the vet. It's not looking too good right now.

WAGMEISTER: You said that you want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman in A.I.

VAN DER VELDEN: Yes. It's not to replace anything in the traditional filmmaking scenario.

NORWOOD: I can't wait to show you what we are up to.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): These new A.I. images were given to CNN by Particle 6 to illustrate Tilly on the virtual set of "Misaligned," her first feature film, which is being developed by Particle 6.

NORWOOD: "Misaligned" is indeed a coming-of-age story set in the cloud. And it's essentially a playful self-aware take on my own crazy life.

WAGMEISTER: Can Tilly work with real human actors?

VAN DER VELDEN: In my opinion, only in the A.I. space. I think A.I. actors are only interesting in A.I. filmmaking.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): While motion capture was part of the early process, Tilly's creators now use third-party A.I. generators, like Seedance, a sister company of TikTok. Its owners just added protections for copyrighted material after Hollywood studios accused it of using their content in A.I. products.

ASTIN: They are taking all of the film, television, radio, footage, images from our lives, but they are not new. They are actually just reassembled parts of stuff that doesn't belong to them.

VAN DER VELDEN: I just assume it's been trained on everything. It's probably trained on my stuff too, right? And the only way I have peace with

that is that the tools are publicly available to everybody. So, it means that we can all equally, democratically, build on top of what's been trained on all of us.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): But Van der Velden touts the benefits to actors and filmmakers. VAN DER VELDEN: They could, you know, with consent, do nudity. They could be older, younger. They could be whatever they want to be.

WAGMEISTER: A lot of actors would say art is about committing yourself to the role.

VAN DER VELDEN: Maybe when they are in the '90s and they still want to be part of a creative process. They might think differently.

NORWOOD: In French, just sweet Tilly Norwood.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Tilly speaks almost any language, making the impact global.

NORWOOD: In Japanese -- .

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Particle 6 isn't stopping at Tilly. It's developing dozens of A.I. actors of all types.

WAGMEISTER: You are very clearly stating, you do not want any jobs to be replaced.

[07:45:04]

But it sounds like these companies do see places where they can utilize A.I., such as special effects. And that would eliminate jobs.

VAN DER VELDEN: I'm not going to deny there will be a transition. I absolutely think so. That's why I'm retooling or reskilling people, because I think there will be a huge transition of jobs towards A.I. film.

NORWOOD: New art forms deserve their own spotlight, don't you think?

VAN DER VELDEN: But I think traditional will carry on and there will still be jobs there and we will still work with real actors on set. I don't see why it's one or the other.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Can you get lost in the plot of a movie if you know that these are not real people? Like her talking about her crazy life. There is no actual life there.

All right. Emmy night starts right here on CNN. All your favorite real human stars, live interviews, the fashion, CNN and Variety, "RED CARPET LIVE: T.V.'s Biggest Night" streams all night live with an all- access subscription.

Still ahead, history was made at the U.S. Open tennis champion, and American man seized the coveted spot in the final. Andy has the highlights in sports. And "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU". The crew is back to break down the news of the week with special guest Julia Ioffe from Puck and Jon Lovett from Pod Save America. Watch the season premiere of "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU", tonight at 9:00 on CNN, and streaming next day with an all-access subscription.

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[07:50:55]

BLACKWELL: Here is a look at some of our top stories this morning. President Trump arrived in Ireland today for a two-day trip. The president met this morning with Irish prime -- Irish President Catherine Connolly as well as Ireland's prime minister.

He will also attend the Irish Open at his golf club.

The CDC has declared this summer's cyclosporiasis outbreak officially over. Now, the disease spread across at least 20 states, sickened nearly 13,000 people, hospitalized at least 500 people, two people died. The FDA says it's still investigating.

The board that oversees Nashville International Airport voted unanimously to begin the process of changing the airport's name in honor of Dolly Parton. Officials say a final name has not been decided yet.

In sports, Ben Shelton is on to his first ever Grand Slam final after beating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals of the U.S. Open last night, Andy Scholes is here.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Victor, will the long American drought finally come to an end tomorrow? That's the big question right now, right? So, an American man has not won a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open back in 2003.

Ben Shelton is going to look to end that skid tomorrow when he takes on top-seeded Alexander Zverev in the final. The stars were out last night to watch Shelton take on Frances Tiafoe in the semis. Jalen Brunson, he was sitting with Ben Stiller for this one.

Now, the two Americans they put on a show. Some of the games taking more than 14 minutes to decide. Tiafoe, he took the first set, but it was in Shelton who would then take the next three, winning the fourth set 7-5 to punch his ticket to his first ever Grand Slam final.

Shelton is also the first Black American man to reach a U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe back in 1972, and he said afterwards, he is ready to end that American drought.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN SHELTON, FIRST-TIME GRAND SLAM FINALIST: I'm going to need you guys on Sunday to bring the energy. I'm going for it here. I'm going to leave it all on the court. I hope you guys come and back me. Let's do this for the USA.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHOLES: All right. That men's final tomorrow at 2:00 Eastern. The women's final is today at 4:00, and it's a good one. Aryna Sabalenka going for the threepeat as she takes on newly crowned top player in the world, Elena Rybakina.

We also have a big day of college football ahead. We got a huge matchup tonight in Austin as the fourth-ranked Texas Longhorns host top-ranked Ohio State. That game kicks off at 7:30 Eastern. We got big games all day long.

How will Michigan respond from almost losing to Western Michigan? They kind of did lose that game, but they host 11th-ranked Oklahoma, 12th- ranked Alabama, they are on the road at Kentucky. That game is at 3:30 Eastern.

All right, we had a special game in college football last night between Boston College and Rutgers. B.C. hosted its annual Red Bandana game to honor the. Memory of former lacrosse player Welles Crowther, who died rescuing more than a dozen people in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Crowther was known for carrying a red bandana, and Boston College beat Rutgers in this from 28-21. Crowther's mother was on hand for the game, and she was in the locker room to celebrate with the team afterwards. It was a pretty cool moment.

Finally, Yankees and Mets holding a special 9/11 tribute before their Subway Series opener last night. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Joe Torre, among the members of the 2001 Yankees, on hand for the pregame ceremony.

And it's very hard not to get emotional watching this first pitch. Brielle Scaracini and Sean McGuire both lost their dads on 9/11 when they were 10 years old. They met each other at a camp that was established to provide support for kids who lost a parent on 9/11. Well, they got married in 2017.

Brielle also has special relationship with Jeter, who she wrote a letter to after 9/11 and then, met shortly after.

Victor, and, you know, I just take myself back to 2001 all the time and just how special baseball was for us after 9/11.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: Yes.

SCHOLES: And just rooting for the Yankees back then always gets me.

BLACKWELL: Yes, sports helped heal a lot of people across this country. Andy Scholes, thanks so much.

"FIRST OF ALL", coming up at the top of the hour.

[07:55:01] After weeks of concern and heartache in Mississippi and across the country, a big development for the family of Tasia Fortune, and arrest in the case of the 29-year-old black woman found hanging from a tree. The police chief of Jackson joins me to talk about the investigation.

Plus, I'll speak to a young man who has lived in the U.S. for more than two decades, but decided to self-deport this week. He left behind his parents and siblings.

We will talk about why he made the decision to move back to El Salvador and whether he has any regrets. Also, amid nationwide concern about Islamophobia, Texas is moving forward with a rewrite of social studies lessons that critics, including Muslim students there, say is anti-Islamic.

The Republican chair of the state board of education joins me to respond.

Those stories and conversations you will not see anywhere else are coming up after a short break on "First of All."

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