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CNN This Morning
Ed Sheeran Holds First Show Since Macklemore Dropped From Tour; Trump Bans CNN, MS NOW And Politico From The White House; Four Killed In U.S. Strike On Alleged Drug Boat In The Caribbean; Moscow Hit By Major Drone Assault, Two People Killed; More Victims Recovered From Capsized Indonesian Passenger Ship; Trump Strikes Greenland Deal With Denmark After Threatening Annexation; U.S. Approves Potential $24 Billion Sale Of F-35 To Saudi Arabia; Hegseth Requiring Annual Testosterone Screening For Male Troops; Trump Vows To Create "AI Force" And Appoint Czar; Trump Focuses On AI Race With China Versus AI Alarms; Trump Featured On Democratic Party Ads, Absent In GOP Versions. Trump Featured In Democratic Party Ads, Absent In GOP Versions; Heavy Rain Brings Flood Threat To The Midwest, Northeast; Airlines Cutting Cheaper Flights Due To Rising Jet Fuel Prices; U.S.- Canada Spat Rocks Residents In Border Towns; Social Media Powers This California Cat Rescue. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired September 20, 2026 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[06:00:32]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. Here's what's new. Singer Ed Sheeran back on stage last night after a week of drama surrounding his tour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED SHEERAN, SINGER: This has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Hear what he had to say about the Israel-Hamas war and his uncertainty about what to expect from fans.
President Trump followed through on his threat to ban reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. We'll tell you what's next in this dispute.
Also, the Trump administration is leaning into AI despite concerns from tech leaders and lawmakers. What we're learning about the president's plan to create AI Force.
Also, the rising cost of jet fuel squeezing the airline industry, why that could make it harder for you to find and afford flight as we come up on this fourth quarter of the year. That's all coming up this hour on CNN THIS MORNING.
Sunday, September 20th, we are starting a brand new week to finish out September. Good to have you. I'm Victor Blackwell.
We're starting with that apology from an emotional Ed Sheeran to his fans. The singer returned to the stage for the first time since controversy over free speech, Israel, and Gaza consumed his concert tour. Sheeran stood alone on the stage in Philadelphia last night. Before he started the show, he told the crowd that he was sorry for mistakes he's made over the last couple of weeks.
The controversy started when his opener, rapper Macklemore, was booted from the tour after making pro-Palestinian remarks during a show in New Jersey. Now, Sheeran's other opening acts and even his backing band then resigned in solidarity with Macklemore.
Last night, Sheeran told fans that he never wanted to comment on politics and wanted his music to speak for itself. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more from Philly.
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, the question going into Saturday night's concert was whether or not Ed Sheeran was going to address the controversy that has been hampering his show for the past several weeks. And Sheeran did exactly that.
Just minutes after taking the stage on Saturday night, directly speaking to his fans about the controversy over the past weeks, saying that he was heartbroken but also emphasizing that he never wanted to be an activist entertainer. He acknowledged the controversy, the conflict. He said that he had made mistakes and he thanked his fans for coming out. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEERAN: I don't want to disappoint fans and I've never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.
I've always been a safe space for everyone, and that matters hugely to me. What happened in Israel at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians' lives, of children's lives. And the systemic injustice we're seeing unfold in the West Bank it cannot be overlooked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAZMINO: Now, although there was a small demonstration earlier in the day, not far from the arena, there were really no disruptions to the event on Saturday. There were thousands of people who streamed into the venue to watch Ed Sheeran's concert. And we spoke to many of those fans who told us that they were looking forward to a good show, to music, to hearing their favorite artist. And we spoke to them about this controversy over the past few days, right, about how they felt that Macklemore had been dropped from the tour. Most of them told us that they felt that they just wanted this to be kept out of the show, that they were here to support Sheeran.
They'd been looking forward to it for a long time. They were here with their families, with their young children, and just looking forward to a night of watching their favorite artist perform.
[06:05:04]
The question now that we know that Sheeran has acknowledged the controversy is how these shows are going to perform over the next several months and weeks as he travels around the country, especially now that we know that it was Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, where Sheeran is scheduled to perform, who encouraged him to drop Macklemore from the tour after Macklemore's remarks at the concert several weeks ago in New Jersey.
So, we'll see how this tour performs over the next several days. And perhaps if any of these artists come back many of them dropped out of the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right. Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much. A major fight over press freedom is escalating now that the White House has barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico. This move raises a fundamental question, can a president decide which news organizations get to cover his administration? It's also putting a spotlight on broader questions about equal access, First Amendment protections, and the public's right to know. Here's CNN's Brian Stelter.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Victor. Good morning. Yes, in many ways, this is now a legal story because President Trump has gone ahead and implemented the ban that he threatened back on Friday. Reporters for CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away on Saturday. So, now lawyers for the affected news organizations are working through next steps. And I'm told we can expect legal action in the days to come.
Numerous First Amendment groups have said that President Trump will almost certainly lose the fight that he is picking here. This is a statement from the National Press Club this weekend saying, quote, "The First Amendment does not permit the government to pick and choose which journalists are allowed to do their jobs."
And that's a helpful summary of what the case law indicates. Basically, courts have ruled in the past that if the White House decides to let some reporters in, then it cannot block others because of a perceived point of view or viewpoint. So, CNN, MS NOW, politico, they all signaled yesterday that they will defend the rights of their reporters. And it's been really striking to see all of the solidarity from other newsrooms, from press freedom groups, civil rights groups, free speech advocates, and so forth.
You know, you think about it, newsroom bosses, media company owners, they love to compete for scoops, and stories, for traffic and talent. But in this case, they are coming together in defense of CNN, MS NOW and Politico, in part, because they know they might be next.
Here's a statement from the Washington Post on Saturday saying, quote, "The ban is a clear form of intimidation to silence coverage, stripping the public of information and threatening our democracy."
Like I said, the concern is obvious other newsrooms might be next. Trump has already said he might expand the ban. As one top editor said to me yesterday, quote, "We all see that a line has been crossed."
So, watch for legal action that tries to right this First Amendment wrong, and that could be coming sooner rather than later. Victor, back to you.
BLACKWELL: All right. Stelter, thanks so much. And other headlines we're following this morning. At least four people are dead after the U.S. military says it carried out a strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean.
U.S. Southern Command says the boat was traveling along a known drug smuggling route and was targeting -- targeted, rather, after intelligence linked it to narcotics trafficking. The military says an anti-drug campaign has destroyed at least 80 vessels and killed at least 234 people.
In Russia, at least two people are dead after Moscow came under a massive drone attack. Russian officials say Ukraine launched more than 450 drones toward the capital. They say it was part of a much larger attack and managed to shoot down more than 1,600 drones.
Some still got through. Authorities say the drones reached a refinery and struck a residential building. This happened as Russians cast their final ballots in the country's parliamentary elections.
In Indonesia, authorities say search crews have recovered more victims from a passenger ship that capsized in the Java Sea a week ago. The ferry was carrying about 240 people. More than 100 were rescued in the days after the disaster. Authorities have not said how many additional victims were recovered today.
Still ahead, the Pentagon is moving forward with plans for mandatory testosterone testing for most U.S. troops. We'll explain the thinking behind that new policy.
Plus, after a barrage of calls to implement limits on AI, President Trump, he's made a big announcement, but it's probably not what you expect. We have details for you.
Plus, TVs across the country are flooded with, you've seen them, political ads. And you might be surprised that President Trump is showing up in more Democratic ads than Republican ads.
[06:10:00]
The message coming from both parties ahead of the midterms. And as we go to break a beautiful shot as the sun is just starting to peek up over Cape Cod Bay. So good morning to Provincetown, Massachusetts. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: This morning, we're waiting to learn more details about the Greenland deal the U.S. struck with Denmark.
[06:15:02]
President Trump said that it gives the U.S. permanent control, his characterization over Greenland security. But the official text has not been released. Trump's earlier threats to seize Greenland, a self- governing territory of Denmark, set off alarms within the NATO alliance.
Joining me now to discuss, CNN military analyst and retired Colonel Cedric Leighton. Colonel, good morning to you. So, it's not clear how this expands the security agreement the U.S. has with Denmark and has had for 75 years now that gives the U.S. broad military presence. What more is even on the table that still preserves sovereignty?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. Good morning, Victor. So as far as we can tell, and as you pointed out, there's -- you know, that we don't have the actual text yet. But as far as we can tell, the sovereignty portion is actually fairly well preserved because, according to Danish officials and Greenland officials, they are saying that sovereignty is preserved because the Greenland -- Greenlandic people are able to determine what course they will take without any interference from anyone else.
So that sounds at least like sovereignty is preserved for Greenland. They will remain associated with Denmark, for now. And if they choose to go independent, they can do that. So, it seems as if this is a matter of self-determination. And that that basically is a continuation of the kinds of agreements that were in place since 1951 and after that as well.
BLACKWELL: Yes. I mean, there's already a U.S. base there. There was likely the expansion possibility already on the table before the president said that he wanted to, you know, either make Greenland a state or U.S. territory. So, we'll see when the text comes out.
Let's talk about this F-35 deal that the administration has approved with Saudi Arabia, $24 billion or so still needs congressional approval. To date, only Israel has those jets in the region.
The U.S. State Department says that the sale will, quote, "not alter the military balance in the region." But Israel seems to think that it will. They have said that they are very concerned.
Are you -- do you think that the sale of these jets to Saudi Arabia shifts the balance in the Middle East?
LEIGHTON: Well, at the very least, it poses a potential challenge to Israel. So, the Israelis are right to be concerned about this. Now, there is a different variant of the F-35 that would be sold to Saudi Arabia. But the capabilities of the stealth aircraft are pretty decent. You know, it's first of all, like I mentioned, a stealth aircraft. But secondly, it has a lot of different things, you know, in terms of how it's able to target specific areas on the ground, how it's able to use and meld intelligence information very quickly.
So this jet is, you know, certainly the top jet in our inventory currently. And it's the top jet in the Israeli inventory. So, it could provide a potential challenge to Israel.
However, Israel and Saudi Arabia are not fighting each other. Doesn't seem to be any move to do that. And at least for the moment it's -- you know, it's basically adding to the arsenal of U.S. allies in the region. Although, those allies don't recognize each other as of yet.
BLACKWELL: Let's discuss the mandatory testosterone testing now. The Pentagon has rolled that out after announcing it a few months ago. This is for male service members over 30 only. I'm going to play a bit of this video. This is from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: This initiative, it's not about artificial enhancement. It's about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: That's from a video titled "The High T Department of War." The test is not required for men 30 and under. Doesn't mention women at all? What do you think about the new protocol?
LEIGHTON: Well, I don't think it's necessary. To be quite frank, Victor, one of the things that, you know, we look at, of course, is the ability of troops to, you know, physically handle the duties that they're assigned. And the kind of physicality that Secretary Hegseth is talking about is the kind of a requirement that you'd have in the infantry for firefighters. You know, for people who are engaged in highly physical tasks like the pararescue, PJs, in the Air Force.
So absolutely those people need to be physically fit, but those standards are set already. They cannot enter those career fields without meeting the basic standards.
[06:20:02]
So, we're talking physical abilities, you know, whether or not the hormone levels of a particular individual necessarily equate to those physical capabilities is actually an open question. And given all of that, I would say these tests are unnecessary.
Certainly for somebody who is experiencing health issues, absolutely. They -- you know, if they need to be tested on an individual basis, that's perfectly fine and perfectly legitimate. But for a force wide situation, you know, it seems as if the secretary is getting into more service specific areas and more tactical areas, and he should really be worried more about strategy.
BLACKWELL: Colonel Cedric Leighton, thanks for joining me. Enjoy this Sunday. Still ahead --
LEIGHTON: You too.
BLACKWELL: Thank you. Still ahead, President Trump says that he'll make reining in AI a priority. We've got more on the calls to regulate the technology. Allison.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And we've got some flood warnings, flood watches, flash flood warnings in effect in several areas. We'll take a look at where those storms are now and where they're expected to go for the rest of the day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:25:28]
BLACKWELL: Well, President Trump created Space Force in his first term. Now he's creating what he's calling AI Force, and he'll name an AI czar to manage the AI industry.
Trump has dismissed warnings of AI as, quote, "hoaxes," and says that he wants to prioritize the US's AI race with China. The U.S. is facing growing calls for guardrails to be put in place to regulate this technology that's evolving quickly. CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This announcement comes as a growing number of lawmakers, former AI employees and even leaders at top AI companies have been warning about the rapid growth of this industry.
Leaders at some top companies like Anthropic and AI (ph) have even called on Congress to put into place national safety regulations to intentionally slow the pace of development. President Donald Trump, though, in a post that he made Saturday, made it clear that he wants to see growth, writing in part, for this purpose, I am forming the AI Force, much like I did with Space Force, which has been a tremendous success in my first term. To that end, I will be announcing, in the near future, the AI czar. Only high I.Q. individuals need apply.
Adding, AI is the next industrial revolution, or internet, but will be even larger and more impactful.
Trump has made it clear in recent weeks that he sees outpacing China and AI driven economic advancements as more of a priority than addressing the public concerns that are front and center right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're leading China in AI. We're the most sophisticated country in the world. And frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins.
And we can put guardrails. We can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up. And they're bringing up things that won't happen.
But whoever wins with AI wins. You know, it's an expression that I came up with. And it's true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BENBROOK: This issue has quickly become a focus area in political debate with the midterms just weeks away and with some leaders calling for that global slowdown. The Trump administration will be participating in a high level event focused on AI on the sidelines of the U.N. general assembly in a matter of days.
Julia Benbrook, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: President Trump wants you to vote like he is on the ballot this November. But if you look at the midterm ads, Republicans are barely mentioning President Trump while Democrats are putting him front and center. Here's Jeff Zeleny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump is eager to be at the center of the midterm election fight.
TRUMP: So, I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot. I'm on the ballot.
ZELENY (voice-over): Yet one place he's not, at the center of Republican campaign ads. A new CNN analysis shows that Trump is a bit player, often seldom mentioned at all, in a deluge of GOP ads and some of the biggest races in the country. While the president asked Republicans to vow their loyalty to him --
TRUMP: Please raise your right hand. I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States.
ZELENY (voice-over): Our analysis shows that Democrats are far more likely to invoke Trump's name in attack ads like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Mike Rogers all in on the war. All in on Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Susan Collins does what's best for Trump.
ZELENY (voice-over): So far this month, Republicans have aired just 12 ads that mention Trump, a CNN analysis of AdImpact data found to the tune of about $1 million. But that's only a fraction of more than 500 GOP ads produced during that period, spending that adds up to more than $160 million. That means Republicans and their allies are devoting less than 1 percent of their ad budgets on Trump specific TV spots. Still, the president wants to make the midterm elections all about him.
TRUMP: When I'm on the ticket, Republicans always do very well.
ZELENY (voice-over): But given his historically low approval ratings, Democrats do, too. So far in September, Democratic candidates and groups have spent nearly $23 million on 95 TV spots that mention the president, making up about one-fifth of their ad budget.
Fallout from the Iran war is a theme Democrats have seized on, like in this ad, attacking Republican Mike Rogers in his Michigan Senate race with Abdul El-Sayed.
[06:30:01]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): The endless war in Iran is costing us all billions for bombs, brutal at our gas pumps, and Mike Rogers, a cheerleader for Donald Trump's war.
ZELENY (voice-over): As some Republicans thread a delicate needle by showing their support and independence with Trump.
SEN. ROGER MARSHALL (R-KS): This is not the first time I've disagreed with President Trump, and it probably won't be the last.
ZELENY (voice-over): Outside GOP groups are firing back hard, erasing a Democratic spending advantage in nearly every top Senate race.
Republican advisers say the party's best hopes of holding the Senate majority is not by touting Trump's agenda in TV ads, but by tearing into their Democratic rivals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's something not right about Abdul El-Sayed.
Sherrod Brown. Bailouts for big banks. Higher taxes for you.
Roy Cooper. His record is worse than you remember.
ZELENY (voice-over): Trump repeatedly talks about the fate of all presidents and their parties in midterm elections.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: Even if he's really a good president or a great president, there aren't too many of them.
They don't win the midterms, and nobody quite knows why.
ZELENY (voice-over): A lesson he well remembers from 2018, when Republicans lost control of the House during his first term.
TRUMP: You know what happens if you don't vote? You go to hell. You know that.
ZELENY: Now, Trump's near absence from the Republican advertising campaign clearly is a sign that he is a political liability for his party. But it's not just Republican candidates who are trying to show some independence and distance themselves from him. It is Trump's own allies, his own political network, choosing not to use him as the salesman for the party's message.
As one Republican strategist told me, the President right now is not the best message or messenger for the party.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Jeff.
And be sure to watch "STATE OF THE UNION." Dana Bash will be joined by UN Ambassador Mike Waltz and Maryland Governor Wes Moore. That's at 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected across parts of the Midwest and the Northeast, and that brings a threat of flooding. Live pictures here of Chicago, where you got some droplets on the lens after another round of storms.
CNN's Allison Chinchar joins us now. More to come.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More to come, yes.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CHINCHAR: It's going to be kind of a repeat pattern, and it's not just for Chicago. It's other areas of the Midwest, and now we're starting to see that spread into the Northeast and even the Mid-Atlantic. So, more areas are now going to start to be impacted.
Here's where you have a lot of those watches and warnings in effect so far. Again, you can see some into the Midwest, down through the Ohio Valley. It's very likely we will continue to see more of these as we go through the rest of the day, and more of those showers start to fill in.
Here's that large line of storms again, stretching all the way back, kind of like in a curved shape there. So you've got areas of Illinois, portions of Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, down through West Virginia and Pennsylvania that are looking at some pretty heavy rain. You've even got some thunderstorms mixed into some of these areas.
The heaviest rain right now and strongest thunderstorms making their way towards Charleston, West Virginia, also around Chicagoland, Milwaukee, and then stretching back. These are very slow-moving storms. That's why you have the problem with flooding, because they're not moving out of the way.
So it's dumping a tremendous amount of rain over, in some cases, an area that's already saturated from previous days of rain. And you can see multiple days here of rain.
Now, we do get a little bit of a break for the Midwest tomorrow. Same thing for the Mid-Atlantic, but then once we get to Tuesday, you see the return of more of those showers, chances across areas of the Mid- Atlantic. So again, it's going to be a multi-day factor here for a lot of these areas.
Here's a look at where we can expect to see the showers and thunderstorms through the day today. So by the afternoon, you've still got some soggy conditions up around Boston, Providence, Hartford, stretching down through D.C. You also have some across portions of northern Indiana and into Ohio. By the time we get to late this evening, again, still some thunderstorms around the D.C. area, but we should finally start to see things at least dry back out for Chicago by late this evening.
BLACKWELL: All right, some good news there. All right, Allison, thank you so much.
Here's a look at some of the stories making headlines across the country this morning.
Police in Kansas, they're investigating a murder after a suitcase was found with a woman's body stuffed inside.
KAKE reports two men apparently went to a Wichita fire station with that suitcase. Police were called. The woman inside was later identified as 67-year-old Loretta Moody. She'd been reported missing by her family. Police have been interviewing the men who showed up with the suitcase but have not yet reported arrests.
We have new video of Florida first responders rescuing two people holding onto a tree after their boat capsized.
Look at the screen. This happened in a river there, and it just floated away. County sheriff spotted both men about 3,000 feet downstream from the boat launch site.
Good news, neither man was injured.
Another attempt at a comeback for Toys "R" Us, this time with more than 100 stand-alone stores getting set for the holidays and another 400 stores inside of Macy's locations by the end of the year.
[06:35:06]
Big turnaround you'll remember from 2021 when the store closed their final two U.S. locations after an early relaunch attempt. So we'll see if Toys "R" Us can hold on.
Americans are snapping up plane tickets ahead of the holiday season, but scoring a cheap fare will be harder than in years past.
Still ahead, how airlines are compensating for rising fuel prices.
And as we head to break, we say good morning to New York live with the Brooklyn Bridge. If you're heading out, remember you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S. right from the CNN app. That's not the Brooklyn Bridge. That's not the shot I expected but good morning, New York.
Anyway, you can also go to CNN.com/Watch. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:40:35]
BLACKWELL: Now if you think you're going to get a cheap flight for the holiday season, pump your brakes. Because several airline executives have now just announced that they're going to cut those less profitable flights from the schedules over the next few months because of the cost of fuel.
CNN senior reporter Matt Egan has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: This is something that virtually all airlines are expected to do as they scramble for ways to cope with the surging cost of jet fuel. So this week, executives from United, American, and Southwest, they told Wall Street investors that yes, they plan to scrap some of their cheaper, less profitable flights in the final months of the year.
Now the airlines did not say specifically which flights will get canceled, but experts say it's likely to be those cheaper, less profitable, less popular flights. Think the ones that are preferred by bargain hunters early in the morning, late at night, maybe on a Saturday. These flights, some of them might have made economic sense for the airlines back when jet fuel was cheap, but they just don't anymore.
The big problem is the fact that jet fuel has just skyrocketed in price. Back in late February, just before the war with Iran started, jet fuel cost an average of less than $2.50 a gallon. Now it's above $4.50 a gallon to the highest level since early May. And this is a big issue for airlines because fuel, it's their number two cost, second only to the cost of labor.
In fact, if you zoom in and you just look at the big four airlines, United, American, Delta, and Southwest, during the second quarter, they spent a combined $80 million more on jet fuel every single day. Yes, $80 million more per day on jet fuel.
The other problem for those of us trying to get a cheap flight is the fact that Spirit does not exist anymore. The discount carrier, it suspended operations back in May. Now, Spirit was already on life support, but it had reached a critical deal with creditors to emerge from bankruptcy. And that deal, it collapsed after jet fuel skyrocketed in price.
That matters because it means there's even fewer options available for budget travelers. No wonder we've seen such a significant increase in the cost of airlines for travelers. The August inflation report showed that airfare has surged by 23 percent year-over-year. That's more than six times the overall rate of inflation. So bottom line, this is just one more example of how the war in the Middle East is making life here in the U.S. even more expensive.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right, Matt, thanks so much.
So President Trump has escalated this trade war with Canada, that you know. Now Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, he's having a little fun. This happened while he was talking about this huge clean energy project. As he's describing the size of it, he seems to mimic some of President Trump's gestures.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: It's the functional equivalent of 18 Hoover dams, 18 Hoover dams. Enough.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
BLACKWELL: So, it's a bit of a lighthearted moment there. But a lot of people living along the U.S.-Canada border, they're not laughing as much as this trade war is heating up.
CNN's Omar Jimenez spoke with people on both sides of the border about how they feel.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: So Lake Ontario, that's gone. Lake America.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. and Canada relationship hitting some new lows.
TRUMP: I can tell you this. You know, Canada has been ripping off the United States for many, many years, for decades.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Online, the U.S. president posted this image beating up the Canadian prime minister in hockey. While offline, the two countries are locked in an escalating trade war as President Trump now threatens outright bans on Canadian products. On top of the 50 percent tariffs are more than $20 billion of Canadian goods, which Canada is now matching dollar for dollar.
And these Americans aren't upset about it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what else is going to work with that man, but.
[06:45:02] JIMENEZ: So you're glad that Canada is fighting back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I kind of am.
JIMENEZ: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
JIMENEZ: Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't blame them at all.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): The U.S.-Canada border runs right through Wayne and Sharon Campbell's Vermont house.
WAYNE CAMPBELL, DERBY LINE, VERMONT RESIDENT: This part of the yard will be in Canada, the pond, the border patrol has three cameras on the property. I can walk out there, but I can't leave my property into Canada. I have to go through a border.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): In this small border town of Derby Line, Vermont, you can't separate the United States and Canada, regardless of politics. Even their library is split in half by the U.S.-Canada border.
JIMENEZ: Driving this town, the one thing you cannot miss is the U.S.- Canada border checkpoint. I mean, it basically funnels you right into that middle of town. The town on the other side of the border is Stanstead.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Karin Cantin owns the Auberge Le Sunshine bakery there.
(CROSSTALK)
KARIN CANTIN, OWNER, AUBERGE LE SUNSHINE CAFE BISTRO: It's almost 50 percent of our customers come from U.S.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): She says she's been seeing more lately, like these women on a group biking trip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We thought, OK, we got to pull together and support our Canadian friends. We could have chosen any place.
JIMENEZ: Do you find yourself apologizing to Canadians?
AIMEE MOTTA, VERMONT RESIDENT VISITING CANADA: Exactly. It's true. And when I do meet someone who's Canadian, who's come to Vermont to visit, I thank them. But the sadness is heavy.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): But the cross-border visits haven't been reciprocal.
CANTIN: It's like our way to tell the politic, say we are not agree with that. JIMENEZ (voice-over): Starting in February 2025, U.S. Customs data shows arrivals to the U.S. from Canada at this Derby Line port of entry declined every month for 13 months straight compared to monthly arrivals in the previous year.
JANICE BEADLE, DERBY LINE, VERMONT RESIDENT: I've lived on this border for 72 years.
JIMENEZ: Why are you also flying the Canadian flag?
BEADLE: Why?
JIMENEZ: Yes.
BEADLE: I feel just as loyal to the Canadian side growing up here my whole life.
JIMENEZ: Yes. Where Canada is quite literally just across the street from your house.
BEADLE: It's just across the street --
JIMENEZ: Yes.
BEADLE: -- right there.
JIMENEZ: How would you say business here has changed over the past year?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been stressful because it's unpredictable. The tariffs have been really challenging to navigate.
Where I see the greatest hit is in all of our businesses related to tourism --
JIMENEZ: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- and then that manufacturing piece.
JIMENEZ: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because that is, again, like I said, the consistent backbone of our economy.
CANTIN: It's sad for everybody. We hope that in just a few years.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Back with the Campbells.
CAMPBELL: So if I sit here to do any kind of work at all, I'm in Canada.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): They're a house divided by border, but they still believe in unity.
CAMPBELL: They're our closest ally.
JIMENEZ: Yes.
CAMPBELL: And it's become a mockery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're just, we're loving and honoring, it's those guys in Washington that are screwing everything up.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Omar Jimenez, CNN, Derby Line, Vermont.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Omar, thank you.
Still ahead, what started with just one straight cat has now grown into a non-profit that tackles Southern California's huge community cat crisis.
We'll introduce this week's CNN Hero. Just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:52:55]
BLACKWELL: All right, welcome back. Here are some of the stories we're watching in the week ahead.
The conflicts in the Middle East will be the key discussions at the UN General Assembly this week. Sources say President Trump is scheduled to meet with Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA on Tuesday.
Iran's president is expected to give a speech on Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to speak on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, President Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. AI is expected to be a key topic of discussion there.
And later that night, tech executives from OpenAI, NVIDIA, and Google will attend a state dinner in Xi's honor.
On Tuesday, the new book by Charles Spencer, Princess Diana's Brother, will be in stores. Excerpts from the book, Swan Song, have sparked a firestorm for Britain's royal family.
They include several revelations about Charles and Diana's marriage, as well as the then Prince of Wales' reaction to her death.
Now, they slip under cars, they hide behind buildings, often go unnoticed. Tens of millions of stray and feral cats live across America and they face hunger and illness.
This week's CNN Hero is working hard to break that cycle. Here's her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAINA SPAGIS, FOUNDER, CATS OF SAN BERNARDINO: If you aren't looking for cats, you might not see them. But as soon as you do, you see them everywhere. And they're in such great need, especially in low-income areas like San Bernardino.
Today, we're trying to catch three orange kitties and we're trying to get them in for TNR tomorrow.
Cats of San Bernardino is a nonprofit cat rescue. Some of our main focuses are TNR, which is the process of trapping a cat.
All right, mama.
Getting them spayed, neutered, vaccinating, and then returning them back to where we got them. This helps curb the population of cats that are being born to suffer on the streets.
Come on, big guy.
We also do colony feedings where we care for 14 different colonies every single day, providing food, water, medical care to them.
[06:55:02]
Can I see them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, of course. We just found her, I believe, out in our dugout.
J. SPAGIS: We find a friendly kitty or they're sick or injured.
She got upper respiratory infection for sure.
We take them into our rescue. We get them the treatment they need.
Our rescue, which is based out of our home, has our isolation and medical room.
It's time for your medicine.
Which is our garage, which has been outfitted fully as a medical ward.
Twenty point five ounces. You're a big boy. You're the biggest. Good job, bud.
And then we also have what we call the Healthy Kitty Club, which is a bedroom in our home. This is where the healthy adoptable kitties come to hang out until they're ready to be adopted. We have three catios that are connected to that room. Although work never ends, it's a work that we love.
So, I love having them close by.
It is vet day Friday. We have six kitties for TNR.
Social media plays a huge role in our rescue. My wife does almost all of the social media.
IVY SPAGIS, WIFE OF JAINA SPAGIS: Let's start with the first clip.
J. SPAGIS: It is the only place that we get funding from. It is a huge aspect of what we do and so, so important.
If you're looking for a high energy, definitely him.
Finding them home is always a great feeling, but even better is when their adopters create their own social media for them. We get to follow along on their journey for the rest of their lives.
Let's get the crusties off.
They all have different personalities. They all have worth. I love seeing them live their best life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Excellent. For the full story about Jaina's work, go to CNNHeroes.com.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
