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CNN Headlines: White House Strips CNN, MS NOW, Politico Of Today's TV Pool Assignment; Officials Venezuelan DoorDash Driver Shot By ICE In Texas; Moscow Hit By Ukraine's Largest Ever Drone Attack On Russian Capital. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired September 21, 2026 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:30:50]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: All right, half past the hour now. Let's check our top stories.
President Trump -- he has a busy week of diplomacy ahead of him. He heads to the U.N. General Assembly in New York City. He'll address the assembly tomorrow but first, he'll meet with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Ukrainian president. That's happening later today.
An Immigrant and Customs Enforcement agent shot and wounded a man from Venezuela who was working as a DoorDash driver. This was Sunday in Austin, Texas. An immigration lawyer says the man is Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. The Department of Homeland Security says he is undocumented. They also say he is in stable condition and in federal custody pending removal.
The White House has removed CNN from today's assignment as the network covering the president -- the network pool covering the president. It's an unprecedented move after President Trump announced on social media that he is banning CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House.
Now, this raises a fundamental question. Can a president decide which news organizations get to cover his administration? And there are broader questions about equal access, First Amendment protections, and the public's right to know.
Here's CNN's Brian Stelter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey, Victor, good morning.
Yeah, 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, "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, "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, "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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right, Brian, thanks.
In a statement, CNN said in part, "We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government, and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right."
For now on that shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Austin, an immigration lawyer who says she's representing the injured man's family has identified him as Wilbur Rafael Garces Perez. That's the man who they say was shot. Officials say he was shot and injured while working as a DoorDash driver. The Department of Homeland Security says he is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela who had a final order to leave the country.
Here's a closer look at what happened. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shots fired by an ICE agent. I don't know if we need to notify the Rangers or somebody that does involved shootings.
REPORTER: A federal immigration and customs enforcement agent shot and injured a man on Sunday in Austin, city officials said. A live stream on Facebook captured the moment it happened.
(Gunshots)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
REPORTER: It is unclear whether the DHS agent who fired the shots can be seen in the video.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God -- whew.
REPORTER: The agent shot the man in the torso, the mayor said, and the man was transported to the hospital. Austin's mayor Kirk Watson says the man is in stable but serious condition, adding that police were not involved in the shooting but were at the scene and doing traffic control in the area after the shooting.
It is currently unclear if the man, who works as a delivery driver, was the target of an ICE operation, according to Democratic Congressman Greg Casar, who represents Austin.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: President Trump will meet with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani today. That's ahead of the U.N. General Assembly. According to Mamdani's office, they'll discuss issues that impact New Yorkers.
CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It will be the first time that Trump will be essentially meeting with Mamdani in his home turf, right? He is going to be meeting with the mayor at Gracie Mansion. That's the mayoral residence here in Manhattan. And there will certainly be no shortage of topics for both the president and the mayor to be discussing.
We got a statement from the mayor's office saying that this meeting is confirmed for Monday. And as the mayor usually says, that the expectation is that their conversation will be focused on issues that affect New Yorkers, right?
We had been asking the mayor for the past few days whether or not he planned on meeting with Trump ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, which is starting on Monday. And he had said over and over that when he talks to the president -- and they talk -- that it's always focused on issues that affect New York City and its residents. But I think very likely these two will have a lot to talk about. You know, there is housing, affordability, funding that New York State and New York City depend on from the federal government.
And I think it is sort of politically interesting that the president is coming to Gracie Mansion, very much the mayor's domain, right?
Now, as you mentioned, this is happening ahead of United Nations General Assembly Week here in New York City -- a week where dignitaries from all around the world will be in town. We expect President Trump to attend the General Assembly.
It's also happening as we are expecting a lot of demonstrations and protests here in New York City ahead of the visit of Prime Minister for Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also expected to be addressing the General Assembly. The mayor, as you know, a fierce critic of the Israeli government, has been asked whether or not he plans to participate in any of the demonstrations that are scheduled for next week. He has said he will not be doing so, but he has said that if people want to protest, they will be able to do that.
And then, of course, there is the whole backstory of Mamdani saying that he believed Netanyahu should be arrested should he come to New York City. He has since backed away from that threat, acknowledging that it's not something his police department is actually able to do legally.
So I think certainly an interesting meeting. You know, these are two very politically different figures that surprisingly have had friendly meetings in the past, right? We heard Donald Trump speak very highly of the mayor and the mayor just kind of always bringing it back to his advocacy for New York City and New Yorkers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: We are hearing from the ex-husband of Lindsay Clancy. Now, she strangled their three children. Her case ended in a mistrial this month. Patrick Clancy spoke with "60 MINUTES" about his grief, his life now with his new wife, and also how he's navigated the conspiracy theories and the misinformation about the death of his children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSS DOUTHAT, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT, "60 MINUTES": How do you respond to people who have that idea about you?
PATRICK CLANCY, LINDSAY CLANCY'S EX-HUSBAND: It's deeply harmful to the legacy of my children. It is a huge distraction from what really matters here, which is perinatal mental health. And it's done real harm to real people, myself included, but also others.
DOUTHAT: How does it affect you directly, the stuff that's out there online?
CLANCY: It's painful to see and it makes it difficult to be in public. And it's possible that some of those people, after seeing lie after lie after lie, they start to believe it, and that's what we're left with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:40:00]
BLACKWELL: The district attorney in the case has not said whether he will retry Lindsay Clancy. A status hearing on her case is scheduled for September 29.
The son of Cindy Crawford, model Presley Gerber, has died. That's according to his mother's representative. He was 27. The L.A. County medical examiner's office says he died Sunday at a rehab facility. The cause of death was not listed.
Gerber started modeling as a teenager. He worked with major fashion brands -- Burberry, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren. He spoke publicly also about his mental health struggles and substance abuse and used his platform to promote mental health awareness.
Next on CNN HEADLINE, after months of President Trump's interest in making Greenland a U.S. state or territory, there's a deal, but not to buy Greenland. We'll explain.
And one country is taking the extraordinary step of banning face veils in schools and even limiting the number of foreign students in the classroom. Details ahead.
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[05:45:45]
BLACKWELL: The Ukrainian military hit Moscow with one of the largest drone attacks of this war. Video from Sunday shows -- look at this -- the extent of the damage. At least three people were killed, and a major oil refinery was damaged. Now this latest attack comes on the final days of elections in Russia. The ruling pro-Putin party is nearly certain to win.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As far as Moscow's mayor is concerned, this was the largest Ukrainian drone attack against the capital since the war began. Now he said that there were some 1,600 drones that were shot down across Russia since Saturday. Four hundred fifty of them, he says, were targeting the capital itself. Now authorities say at least two people were killed. Some 20 people were injured, including three children.
We do see footage of a residential building that appears to have been struck and also images of one of the biggest oil refineries in the region, at least in terms of volume. Now, this was video that was posted by the Ukrainian president,
Volodymyr Zelensky, as he praised the attacks. He says that facilities targeted were bringing in billions of dollars that sustain the war machine.
Moscow's mayor said he believed that these attacks were intended to try and disrupt the ongoing election, something which Zelenskyy did not mention. Sunday does mark the third and final day of the first parliamentary elections across Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in 2022. They are widely expected to go Vladimir Putin's way, and his party is expected to win. Critics say that these are not fair and they are not free elections as there is no credible opposition.
Now what we also saw was Russia continuing its significant attacks against Ukraine. We have seen near constant aerial attacks for almost a month now against Ukraine. In the latest barrage, we understand three children and one woman has been killed we hear from Kyiv authorities. We also heard from President Zelenskyy on Sunday putting this into context, saying that this week alone, more than 2,000 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs, and 19 missiles have been fired by Russia against Ukraine.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right. Let's go around the globe and see what is making headlines.
President Trump announced Friday that the U.S. has reached a security deal with Greenland and Denmark. He says it gives the U.S. permanent control over the island's security and bars any adversary from having a military presence there without U.S. approval. Now, the Danish prime minister's office says they're expected to sign the agreement at the U.N. General Assembly this week.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is calling recent election results a disaster as the country's far right surges again at the polls. Voting projections in the latest state election show far right alternative for Germany taking first place in northeastern Germany with 38 percent of the vote. Even in left-leaning Berlin, AfD made significant gains. They got a projected 16 percent, and this underscores the far right's growing influence across Germany.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says that her country will ban face coverings in schools and limit the number of international students in each classroom. She announced the new plan on Sunday. Now, she did not specify what that maximum number of foreign students would be. Immigration is a contentious issue across much of Europe, and Italy has been one of the countries most impacted by immigrant arrivals because of its location on the Mediterranean.
Look at this dramatic video. It was posted on social media. It shows the moment a huge ship collided with a fishing boat off the coast of Singapore. It happened last week. The fishermen had to hold on when that ship drifted into them. No one was hurt. Investigators are trying to figure out what happened.
[05:50:08]
The late Princess Diana's brother is standing by allegations he makes in his new book. In an interview with the BBC, Earl Spencer discussed the one accusation that's been getting the most attention -- that alleged conversation with King Charles on the phone in which he claims Charles said Diana would soon be forgotten after her death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EARL SPENCER, AUTHOR, "SWAN SONG: DIANA, MY SISTER": Well, I'm not sure I can say exactly what went through my mind, but I really was so stunned. And I just -- after a stunned silence, I said, "I cannot believe you just said that" and I hung up on him.
LAURA KUENSSBERG, BBC JOURNALIST: You know that Buckingham Palace has already said, with a degree of fury, that didn't happen. I just want to --
SPENCER: Well, they haven't, actually, Laura. They've sort of smudged that one, haven't they? They've said that recollections may vary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Well, here's that response from Buckingham Palace. "His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment, and color memory in ways others do not recognize even many years after such a loss."
Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, look at this. Somehow this pickup truck crashed through a cinderblock wall and ended up in a backyard pool. We'll tell you more about what went wrong here. And a surprise for one couple I promise you they did not want -- a three- foot python in their car. That story coming up.
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[05:56:08]
BLACKWELL: Money Express now
Toys 'R' Us is trying for another comeback. The company plans to open more than 100 standalone stores for the holidays and another 400 stores inside Macy's locations by the end of the year. That's a big turnaround from 2021 when Toys 'R' Us was forced to close its doors after a failed relaunch attempt.
Now, we're seeing a drop in oil prices as supply concerns ease, but gas prices are still rising.
Maribel Aber joins us now from the Nasdaq MarketSite with more details -- Maribel.
MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: Hey, Victor. Oil prices dropped slightly over the weekend after Saudi Arabia resumes crude shipments despite recent attacks on a key pipeline. Global oil is around $101 a barrel while U.S. crude dipped below the $100 mark. That dollar mark is trading around $94 now. According to AAA, the national average for unleaded is $4.48 a gallon, up 16 cents from a week ago.
The U.S. facing a shortage of nearly half a million critical healthcare workers by the year 2038. That's according to a new HHS study. It now appears the shortage could be getting worse with one in three nurses over the age of 50 and the replacements looking for jobs elsewhere. A new Harris poll finds that more than half of healthcare workers are considering losing their jobs, including 70 percent of Gen Z. A majority said career advancement is the number one reason they're considering a change.
And Capri Sun is super-sizing its iconic pouch. The beverage brand is releasing a new reusable metallic pouch. It's three times the size of the original and holds up to 24 ounces. The limited edition item goes on sale today at walmart.com and will be available until September 24 or while supplies last. The company said the larger pouch is the most requested product ever.
You know, Victor, I was just in a boat under the Capri Sun on the Amalfi Coast and you can never have too much.
BLACKWELL: See, this is a humble brag. You didn't have to add where you were. You could have told this just about the pouch.
All right Maribel, thanks so much.
All right.
ABER: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: All right. Paramount is in advanced talk to -- talks to resolve the antitrust lawsuit blocking its acquisition of CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Over the last few days, California A.G. Rob Bonta has been pushing to reach a deal, but some other states are not on board. Sources say they want additional remedies from Paramount. The California A.G. has been under pressure because of Paramount's reported threats to leave California. If no settlement deal is reached, the case will go to trial in March.
All right, now to some other stories we're tracking across the country.
We start in Florida, where boaters had to cling to a tree and wait for rescue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aviation, we have located them. They're safe. They're out of the water on, like, a tree limb. They're just going to need a boat to come by and scoop them up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And this happened on a river not far from Tampa. The two men told deputies their boat capsized and then floated away. Deputies saw the men about 3,000 feet downstream. Neither was hurt, but at last check they still couldn't find that boat.
Also in Florida, a couple was walking down the trail when lightning hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Struck by lightning. Their umbrella was struck and then they were both --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Clare and Aaron Walenga had been holding hands while they were walking. Those people standing by helped save their lives by performing CPR. The couple recovered in the hospital. Aaron had some facial wounds that are healing, and Claire has recovered from short- term memory loss caused by a concussion.
In Arizona, a driver was going through a neighborhood, drove through a cinderblock wall, and into a family's pool. This was over the weekend in the town of Gilbert. The driver is fine. No one at the home was hurt, but police are trying to figure out what caused it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a bucket, but I don't have a lid.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe we could just flip it on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
(Screaming)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[06:00:00]
BLACKWELL: You'd scream too at this situation. We might have you check in under the hood of your car this morning. Officers had to be called in to pull a snake out of a car in New Jersey. The couple that owns that car had returned home from a wheel alignment and discovered the snake was lodged in the grille. Officers got to work and were able to free that three-foot-long python in about 20 minutes. It's unclear how the snake ended up there.
Good to have you along for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Victor Blackwell. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts now.
