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Grand Jury: No Criminal Charges in Nolan Wells Death; CNN Poll: Two-Thirds of Americans Say U.S. 'Not Winning' War in Iran; Trump Praises Mamdani as Mayor with 'Great Potential'. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired September 22, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:07]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: What we're talking about in the group chat: no charges in the death of Nolan Wells.

This morning, the district attorney and the family's attorney pointing fingers after a grand jury weighs in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGEL MYERS MCILRATH, JACKSON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The Crump team knew better, but did not do better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Plus, a budding bromance. Trump and Mamdani. Great potential. What is the secret to their unlikely rapport?

Also, in Texas, heavyweights George W. Bush and John Cornyn raise money for every Republican but Ken Paxton. What message does that send?

And remember Jake and Logan Paul? Their appearance at the Pentagon podium has drawn some ridicule. What do influencers know about lecturing troops?

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish, and here is where we begin: the latest news in the death of Nolan Wells.

Right now, no foul play, no criminal charges will be filed in the 18- year-old's death. This after a grand jury hearing.

Wells died on a boating trip with friends on the Fourth of July in Mississippi. The grand jury found his death was, quote, "consistent with drowning."

Ben Crump, the lawyer for the family, said in a statement, quote, "We don't know how Nolan died, and neither does the state of Mississippi. Mississippi must keep investigating, and if it will not pursue this to the end, the Department of Justice should."

So, the death of Wells has sparked all sorts of questions, especially after photos circulated of the black teen, surrounded by three friends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCILRATH: The narrative that three white boys and a black boy went to an island, and only three white friends returned, spread like wildfire. This was false.

There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan's disappearance and death were racially motivated. The family, the Crump team, and anyone close to Nolan knew that his disappearance and death were not the result of racial hate or violence.

Yet, the flames of that narrative, set against the backdrop of Mississippi's terrible history, were fanned by both people who knew the truth and those who didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, I'm bringing in Dave Aronberg. He's a former state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida.

So, you've seen some grand juries, and this one, for instance, found that there was bruising on the back of Nolan Wells's head; that they found it was not a fatal injury.

And at the time, Crump added this in his statement: that he believes the grand jury report didn't determine how Wells actually suffered that injury. And quote, "To this day, not one person has explained they got there."

Can you talk about the distinction he's making about the cause of death versus the question mark about what happened?

DAVE ARONBERG, FORMER STATE ATTORNEY, PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA: Good to be with you, Audie.

When it comes to that injury, that discoloration in the back of the neck, that was partially explained at least by one grand jury witness, who said that they saw that Nolan had fallen on a boat, and that could have explained that injury.

But when it came to the grand jury, I get it that my friend Ben Crump wants answers. The family wants answers. But you had 43 witnesses before this grand jury. You had 132 subpoenas. You had two different pathologists, and the family even had its own phone examiner.

CORNISH: Yes.

ARONBERG: And the evidence just did not support the accusations. Right?

And -- and even though Dr. Mitchell, the separate independent medical examiner hired by the family, said it was an undetermined cause of death -- and you hear what Ben Crump said -- that does not mean homicide, and suspicion does not mean evidence. CORNISH: So, in the meantime, the attorney for the three friends in

that photo posted this on social media: "We said it all along. Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour were always completely innocent. There was never any doubt. They are terrific people."

And their families told CNN that they are relieved but evaluating their next steps.

You know, when I look at the Lindsay Clancy case, I also see a lot of armchair sleuthing, a lot of people on the Internet talking about what they think may or may not have happened.

[06:05:01]

And the D.A. talked about this, as well. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCILRATH: Anyone with an Internet connection can become an influencer; take fragments of information; construct a narrative without context or firsthand knowledge; and broadcast it to thousands or millions of people with little or no responsibility to the truth or consequences for what they do.

What we have seen happen in Nolan's case, where lives and reputations have been damaged, is reprehensible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: One of the things I found interesting when I looked in social media is people were posting the images of other high-profile and -- high-profile deaths of young black people where they haven't been solved.

The deaths were mysterious. Some were the case of hanging, right, on campuses.

When we talk about what drives, you know, these kind of Internet narratives, is it this kind of recent history? Is it people feeling like justice and investigators aren't going to help them?

ARONBERG: That's part of it. Mississippi has a long history, and that's why --

CORNISH: But this is 2025 and 2026.

ARONBERG: -- there's so much attention paid to this.

CORNISH: That's why I'm asking. Right? This is recent history of people feeling like --

ARONBERG: Right.

CORNISH: -- Well, wait a second. If my child dies in Mississippi, will anyone find out what happened?

ARONBERG: Right. But here, you had Nolan Wells with lots of white friends who cared about him, who loved him.

And contrary to what's out there, he was not the only black individual on that island. There were others. And that's what the grand jury found.

And you have all these Internet sleuths out there who think they know better. They're doing their own research, and they're going to crack this case.

But people need to stop harassing these witnesses. And that's where the exasperation from the district attorney comes from. Because witness intimidation is not activism, and it is not justice. It just frightens people. It contaminates memories. It discourages cooperation and can itself constitute a serious crime.

And no one honors Nolan -- Nolan Wells by threatening innocent people in his name.

CORNISH: That's Dave Aronberg. He is a former prosecutor from Palm Beach County. Thank you so much for your time.

And coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, TV networks take a stand. No pictures, no video, no audio. So, is the president's press ban backfiring?

Plus, new polling finds almost two-thirds of Americans say the U.S. is not winning the war with Iran. How will the president address that when he speaks before the U.N. later this morning? The group chat has thoughts, next.

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[06:12:04]

CORNISH: So, President Trump is set to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York in just a few hours. And this is coming at a time when his global influence is being questioned.

A new CNN poll just in, showing 64 percent of people polled believe the U.S. is not winning the war with Iran.

Now, President Trump is going to meet with leaders of Gulf states after his speech today to discuss a path forward in the war. An Iranian delegation is also in New York this week, including their president. So, is this an opportunity for diplomacy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Is he going to meet with the Iranian president?

MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Look, I'll tell you, he's always open to it. Really, that's a question I wish you could ask the Iranians, is will they sit down directly with us? And who is speaking for the ayatollah? That's been a continuous issue. COLLINS: But, I mean, just given this rare moment where they're both

here in the same city, is that something that's on the schedule for tomorrow?

WALTZ: I can tell you the president is open to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now in the group chat, Dana Milbank, columnist with "The Washington Sun"; Joel Rubin, former deputy assistant secretary of state for the Obama administration; Chuck Rocha, Democratic strategist; and Ashley Davis, former White House official under President George W. Bush.

Welcome back, everybody.

Joel, I want to start with you, because Republicans did vote -- some Republicans, a handful -- voted with Democrats on a recent Iran war powers resolution.

JOEL RUBIN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: Right.

CORNISH: But he is not talking to Congress. He is talking to the world. They were already skeptical. What do you think is going to be the focus? Like, what needs to be done in a speech like this?

RUBIN: Yes, Audie, first and foremost, the war is not just unpopular here at home. It's unpopular globally. The global economy is suffering. Our ability to demonstrate that we can lead towards a solution is going to be critical.

I'm not sure the president is going to lay out a diplomatic path or a military path that's convincing, though, and that's the problem.

CORNISH: But he's always spoken to them with a kind of confidence of, like, we're the ones --

RUBIN: Yes.

CORNISH: -- who are doing what needs to be done, and you all are the people -- You're shaking your head. You know what I mean? Like, is he going to be different?

RUBIN: Well, famously, though, he got laughed at when he -- when he did the sort of chest thumping a few -- a few years ago in his first term. He better not try that again this time. If he gets laughed at, you can hear the explosion of his diplomacy.

DANA MILBANK, COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON SUN": Right. But of course, he's going to try it again.

RUBIN: I know.

MILBANK: I mean, because there's the speech --

CORNISH: I know you better not. What are you saying? MILBANK: There's the speech that he should give --

CORNISH: Yes.

MILBANK: -- which Joel is talking about. And then there's what we know he's going to do. He's like, we're winning the war. No, in fact, we've won the war. And in fact, the Strait of Hormuz should be named after me. So, I mean one of the --

CORNISH: But this is different. The Gulf leaders are going to be there. They've got questions. They are not seeing robust shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Yemenis have now taken over another area, right, of passage. It's only getting more difficult for a region of people who thought, Well, if we hang out with the United States, we're going to get through this.

And it feels like they're having doubts. What do you see?

ASHLEY DAVIS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL DURING GEORGE W. BUSH PRESIDENCY: I think -- I hope that he has a calmer tone today. I don't know if that will happen, but that's what I do hope.

[06:15:02]

But I also think it was interesting. The markets yesterday --

CORNISH: Yes.

DAVIS: -- reacted like there was going to be some sort of negotiation.

But I -- I think these side meetings are more important than even the speech.

CORNISH: They are. They are.

DAVIS: You've got Venezuela. You've got Ukraine. You've got all the Arab states. You know, we can go on and on. He has a busy day, so hopefully, something positive comes out of this.

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Something struck me with the picture of the Republicans that you put on the camera.

CORNISH: Yes, these are the folks who joined --

ROCHA: I'm working against all of those people.

CORNISH: -- Democrats, in voting against the war.

ROCHA: Those -- those districts all have something in common. They're all very marginal seats where they could be beat very easily.

And right now, all of those people are losing in the polls, because it's going to be a Democratic off year. So, if you think about that, and you think about gas prices and what

Joel just said about it being a global thing, is that not only gas prices are high here, there are folks rallying around the country at gas stations and other countries, because it's going up everywhere, which is putting a strain -- listen to the Chuck Rocha -- on the global economy.

CORNISH: OK. Very nice, very nice.

I want to play one more thing, because when we look at Trump's handling of foreign affairs right now, polling is 71 percent disapprove.

However, Democrats have not exactly offered up a voice to fill that void. We don't know what you all think. So, here is Senator Bernie Sanders speaking on Monday in what he gave an official kind of address around foreign policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): We must continue and accelerate our efforts to end Trump's disastrous war in Iran, which is now spreading throughout the region.

That is why we must continue to speak out against the extremist government in Israel and the genocide they have committed in Gaza, and why we in the United States must end all military aid to the Netanyahu government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I wanted to play this, because, obviously in the Democratic Party, there has been a massive discussion about what the U.S. policy should be when it comes to Israel. And more and more, it is table stakes to say that a genocide is being committed in Gaza and that the U.S. should end military aid.

And Bernie Sanders, in a way, has led that charge. Did you hear anything -- Joel, I know you've been critical -- that perked your ears about how we did this in this moment in a Riverside -- the Riverside Church in New York.

RUBIN: One other factor: yesterday was Yom Kippur. And I find it to be distressing as a Jewish American, to continually hear, even on Yom Kippur, that essentially, Israel is committing a genocide and must be cut off and banned from the world.

That's a very different conversation from what I heard at synagogue yesterday, where a lot of people like me, who have been advocates for peace for many years and want to see a two-state solution, feel as if we're marginalized.

CORNISH: Yes. So, Sanders did this with all of this in mind, right? Obviously -- obviously, he understands the religion.

RUBIN: Sanders is leading the charge -- CORNISH: OK.

RUBIN: -- in the party to say that Israel should be banished from polite society. And anybody who supports it should be excluded from the Democratic Party.

I find it to be very illiberal. I think that undermines American foreign policy and undermines morality of the Democratic Party.

CORNISH: Yes.

RUBIN: And it's very dangerous.

CORNISH: Let me let Dana get a word in here, because you've written a lot against Bernie Sanders --

MILBANK: That's right.

CORNISH: -- who you worked for --

MILBANK: Who I worked for during the campaign.

CORNISH: -- doing outreach to Jewish voters.

MILBANK: No, I mean, I share the anguish that Joel has over this issue.

I think it's pretty clear that Bernie's won this debate in the Democratic Party. I mean, the speed with which the Democrats have turned against aid to Israel, particularly against the Netanyahu government, has been just dramatic.

I mean, I don't think we've seen anything happen quite that quickly in politics. So, he's -- I mean, for better or worse, he's the future of where -- of where the Democratic Party is going with this.

Now, you know, depending on who the Democratic nominee is, that might slow things down. If the election goes against Netanyahu in Israel a month from now --

CORNISH: Yes.

MILBANK: -- that could change things a little bit. But particularly if you look among young people, among Democrats, I mean, it's like the game is lost already.

CORNISH: But fascinating, considering he's not a Democrat. Right?

ROCHA: Right. That's true.

CORNISH: And a lot of the candidates coming up behind him are not. So, that last party voice is what I'm listening for, Joel.

DAVIS: But I was just going to say, though. If Netanyahu loses in October, does this change and give Jewish Democrats an ability to be in -- a presidential candidate? So, do you have Josh Shapiro, you have Pritzker that are all Jewish

Americans. So, can they be candidates if Netanyahu loses? I don't know how much it --

RUBIN: I think they should be candidates, regardless --

DAVIS: Well, of course they should.

RUBIN: -- of Netanyahu winning or losing. But yes, it does have an impact on how the Democratic Party messages the issue.

But let's be real. The issues in the real world in Israel and Palestine are harder --

CORNISH: I was going to say.

RUBIN: -- than just a message at a church on Yom Kippur.

CORNISH: And I don't think they're -- But they're also not for us, right?

RUBIN: That's right.

CORNISH: It's not a conversation for us.

Next, while Trump is in New York, he met someone he says, quote, "has great potential." A Democratic socialist, Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Is this Trump's reach across the aisle?

[06:20:02]

Plus, a settlement reached in the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. Concessions that were made, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CORNISH: So, is this bromance still on between the president and the mayor of New York?

The two met behind closed doors at Gracie Mansion in New York City yesterday. They discussed a number of issues, including safety of immigrants, affordability, and building a better New York.

Now, this is the third time they've met since Mamdani one election in November. But it's the first on the mayor's turf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY: Each time the president and I speak, it is about the same topics: how to improve the lives of New Yorkers, and how to use the power of government to take on the cost- of-living crisis, to grow our economy.

[06:25:03]

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I certainly hope he will be a great mayor. You have to understand; I want what's good for New York. I want what's good for the country.

So, if I had a choice of having him be a bad mayor or a horrible mayor, I don't want that. I want him to be a great mayor. And he certainly got potential, got great potential.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Group chat is back. Meghan McCain saying, "Why do Trump and Mamdani have a bromance? What purpose does it serve for either of them?"

DAVIS: Well, I don't have anything to say about her comments.

CORNISH: Well, the question, I think.

DAVIS: But I do think it's a good thing. Yes, look, 80 percent of the country --

CORNISH: It's a good thing.

DAVIS: -- if not more.

CORNISH: It just isn't -- it's not an expected thing. So, we have a lot of questions.

DAVIS: No. I think it does go down to one thing. I think the president definitely respects him because of how he won. He won kind of on this, like, groundswell when he didn't have really any money at the beginning. It's kind of how Trump won in 2016.

CORNISH: Yes.

DAVIS: But also, they both do care about New York. And I feel at the end of the day, the president likes throwing everybody in this, like, curve that he does get along with him.

CORNISH: Laura Loomer, of course -- what a surprise -- is pissed off; says, "We work so hard to combat the radical left and the anti- American Islamic jihadists who work to destroy our country every day. And for what? So, they can be rewarded. There is never going to be any accountability. I realized that today. We will never see it."

I'm reading this not because it's a good idea to read Laura Loomer tweets, but because she is saying something that you hear very frequently, which is, if we're messaging that these are jihadists, you cannot pal around with them.

MILBANK: Right. She was just demanding that Mamdani not show up for September 11th.

I -- I mean, I think he -- the mayor's playing the president like a fiddle here. My only question is, like, when there have been these bromances, when somebody is sucking up to Trump, when has that ended well for the person?

CORNISH: But why do you see it as sucking up? MILBANK: Well, because you can be -- it's clear that -- I mean, the

way to Trump's heart is to flatter him. So, these are closed-door meetings.

CORNISH: Yes. And today it was giving him a microphone, because he had no access to one.

MILBANK: Right, right. Well, right. And he --

CORNISH: He borrowed the airtime, basically.

MILBANK: Right, right. He's lost -- he's lost the pool surrounding him. But Mamdani still has --

CORNISH: Yes.

MILBANK: -- reporters surrounding him to do that.

But no, it's pretty clear that -- that his tool is flattery. And what Mamdani is getting is, first of all, the president is not using executive power --

CORNISH: Yes.

MILBANK: -- against New York. And maybe he's going to get billions of dollars to help with a -- with a pet real-estate project.

DAVIS: Yes. No, I think -- yes.

MILBANK: I just -- it just seems to me that these things work for a while, and then they blow up.

DAVIS: But do you think he's sucking -- sorry, Chuck, I know you want to go. But I don't necessarily see the mayor sucking up to the president. I think that he's not -- I think he's very careful about what he says publicly of why he's meeting with the president.

ROCHA: Let's be clear that -- and you've said this, that Trump's a New York guy. He knows New York.

And every piece of government, y'all at home, is controlled by the Democrats. So, if this president wants to get anything done, he has to start with the head of the Democratic Party there, which is Mamdani, which is not a bad thing.

I think if you look at what's happening with the politics of the midterms, this is actually real. And this is the Democrat giving Donald Trump credit -- is that Mamdani is the new shiny object. Us Democrats, we're like 6-year-old girls playing soccer. We can only chase one ball at a time, and everybody's chasing that ball. And he is that shiny object.

So, it's good politics for him.

CORNISH: OK, Mayor Mamdani, soccer ball. Straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, top Texas Republicans are raising

money for a bunch of candidates except for Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate. Is this a bad sign? Do they think their money would be better spent on other races?

And later on, Kamala Harris returns to the campaign trail. Will she actually help candidates in the states where she lost in 2024?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:00]