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Foldable iPhone?; New Hope in Cancer Detection; Fight Over Medication Abortion in Court; Lindsay Clancy Jurors Speak Out; Outrage Grows Over Post-9/11 Air Quality Documents. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired September 09, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Happening now: a key hearing on medication abortion. Right now, a federal appeals court is hearing arguments as Louisiana seeks to clamp down on access to abortion pills.

And then, later: Jurors speak out. We are now hearing details about the contentious deliberations and the Lindsay Clancy murder trial from the very people involved.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown. Wolf Blitzer is off, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BROWN: And we begin with that breaking news: demanding answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. JAMES BROSI, PRESIDENT, FDNY UNIFORMED FIRE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: At the earliest time of October, the city was making a fiduciary choice to prioritize the economic stability of Lower Manhattan over the health and safety of the firefighters, the police officers, the construction workers, and the children that went back to school down there.

What we learned was, the air was as toxic as we said it was. What we learned is that we were dying with every breath we took down there. What we learned is that the city knew it. And for all those people that said they would never forget, they went through great lengths to making sure you did not know the totality of the situation and what they knew when they made the choice to sacrifice its residents and its first responders for what they believed was the greater good.

And that is the atrocity that happened after 9/11.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: FDNY firefighters and officers just wrapped up this news conference, and they addressed the newly released trove of tens of thousands of documents revealing just how officials misled first responders and residents about the air quality around Ground Zero; 453 FDNY members have died as a result of World Trade Center-related illnesses, they say, surpassing the 343 FDNY members killed on 9/11.

And according to a recent FDNY World Trade Center Health Program report, more than 12,000 FDNY members have been diagnosed with at least one World Trade Center-related illness.

So let's go live now to CNN's Randi Kaye.

And, Randi, you were there listening to just the disappointment and the outrage from these fire officials, really understandably. What do they want to see now?

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are so angry, Pamela, they are frustrated, and there is really a move now to try and expand the timeline for those who got sick.

They want to try and identify more of the toxins that were down at the World Trade Center area to try and get more coverage. If they can identify the toxins, if somebody gets sick from that toxin and that specific cancer, they can relate it back to the World Trade Center and to the 9/11 attacks, and that would help get some of their members' coverage, because that is not what is happening right now.

But, again, you mentioned these 170,000 pages of documents that were released, and that is what this press conference was in response to. They said that the officials knew that the air was unsafe, that there was a -- there were toxins, that the air quality was not safe for first responders, for people, for their children, for families, for anyone living or responding to those attacks.

So that is why they came out and spoke today, and they said that, for the FDNY, 9/11 did not end on September 11. They just buried the 453rd member of the FDNY yesterday from a cancer related to 9/11. They said that 200 firefighters have died since the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and we know the 25th anniversary is coming up on this Friday.

They said, if there had been earlier truth, earlier screening, there would have been earlier treatment.

Now, we heard a little bit from Lieutenant James Brosi there in the introduction, but here's a little bit more of what he had to say today.

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BROSI: So when people tell me what could have been done, everything could have been done. Would we have still incurred the same risk? Absolutely. We incurred this risk on a daily basis, and we hedge bets. We know what we got ourselves into. We know what our role is. We know what we're paid for, and we know why we took this job.

[11:05:04] And we don't do that with hesitation. But we do it with some understanding that while we're incurring insane personal risk, somebody else is watching the things we can't see. Somebody else is watching our blind side. Somebody else is saying, we will not put you in an area that we can control unnecessarily. And we won't lie to you to do it.

And, to be fair, they didn't have to lie to us, because had they been more honest, we probably still would have done it. We would have just taken better precautions after the fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And the testing showed, according to these documents, that there was regular testing taking place of the air quality down at the World Trade Center area, and it showed that there were dangerous levels of asbestos, there was lead contamination, and yet the firefighters and the first responders were told that the area was safe for them to work, and they were discouraged from actually using respirators as well -- Pamela.

BROWN: So, what are the next steps now? What are they asking for?

KAYE: Well, as they put it today, they're not asking for anyone's head. They want the rest of the documents released, and they want to make sure that there is coverage for those who joined the FDNY after 9/11, people who went to the academy who maybe used gear that had been contaminated, or children who might have been living down there or children of FDNY members.

They want to make sure that they get coverage. They want to find these people and create a larger database so they can make sure that people who get sick down the road can relate their cancers to what happened at the World Trade Center.

What they want is coverage, and they want a fair shake at making sure that all of their members get that coverage.

BROWN: All right, Randi Kaye, thank you so much.

And we should note the former FDNY Commissioner on 9/11 Thomas Von Essen will join us ahead.

Happening now: Lindsay Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, says that he plans to file a motion to stop a retrial after jurors in Clancy's triple murder trial spoke out. Those jurors told a local TV station in Boston that they were leaning towards finding Clancy not guilty for reason of insanity and not criminally responsible, but said that a single male juror prevented the panel from reaching a verdict, even after they say he admitted he had reasonable doubt.

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JUROR: There's so much doubt. The prosecution didn't have a figurative smoking gun. There was not a single moment throughout that presentation in that case that you could say, oh, yes, 100 percent I'm certain she did it or that she didn't do it. There's too much gray area.

And, eventually, I just felt like the only way to get justice for Cora, Dawson and Callan and Patrick and her parents and anyone else that was closest was to get her the help that she desperately needed. And there's no way she's getting that help in prison.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BROWN: All right, I'm going to go live now to CNN correspondent Jean Casarez.

Tell us more about what these jurors are saying, particularly about the lone juror who held out and was the reason for the mistrial, they say.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's interesting, because let's touch on that.

The one juror, and this is from NBC Boston, said that he had the hardest time getting off the fact that she viciously killed her children. He had the hardest time getting off of that. Interesting.

WBZ, our affiliate, one of the jurors spoke to them, and she was originally leaning toward a conviction, but I want you to listen closely because she really takes the listener inside that jury deliberation room. Let's listen.

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JUROR: So, I will say the majority of the people on -- it doesn't matter what side it was on -- were very firm in their, like, stance and their beliefs kind of from the beginning.

The stand-alone juror was not the only one that was unwilling to see things from the other side. So, I'm going to kind of defend that individual in a sense. There were some big personalities in that room. But, at the end of the day, I feel like it just came down to an inability to kind of move past your convictions and, even after that dynamite charge, to be unable to self-analyze ourselves and be like, OK, am I missing something?

Am I failing to acknowledge or give this the weight, something like this doubt weight that it needs? That person -- the majority of the room was trying to kind of sway that person from the very beginning.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And then there was the foreperson, who spoke out and talked about what they really assessed in that room and about that one juror who just wouldn't switch sides. Take a listen.

[11:10:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONI CARLSON, FOREPERSON IN LINDSAY CLANCY TRIAL: We weren't trying to figure out if she murdered the children. She did. And she's admitting that. We're trying to figure out, did she know right from wrong at that time?

And with everybody saying she loved her children so much, and everything proved she loved her children, from her journals, to her mother-in-law, everything proved that she loved your children. So she had to have snapped.

I mean, he had reasonable doubt. He admitted he had reasonable doubt. After we watched that video of the interview, I think that's when it was. He admitted he had reasonable doubt.

And I started filling out the forms. I was so excited. I actually -- there were three forms I had to fill out. And I started filling them out. I wrote my signature on each one. And then he said: "But I'm still not going to say that she's not guilty by reason of insanity."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And the three juror there that spoke with NBC Boston, they said that they relistened to the 911 call, and that it was so horrific to hear it the first time, more or less the second time. They will live with it forever.

And some jurors actually put in their earbuds. They could not listen to it. They loved Kevin Reddington, loved him, thought he was so entertaining, so compassionate to Lindsay Clancy, because it was very important. And then the question was asked by NBC Boston, what points did the prosecution make?

They said: "We don't believe they made any points at all."

BROWN: Wow.

All right, Jean Casarez, thank you so much. That was really illuminating hearing from them.

Well, happening now: The fight over abortion access is back in court. A federal appeals court is hearing arguments in a case brought by Louisiana aimed at forcing the Trump administration to limit access to medication abortion. Louisiana officials argue the current federal rules allowing women to get abortion drugs in the mail without an in- person appointment undermine states' abortion bans.

CNN crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz is here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

So, what has stood out so far from this hearing, Katelyn?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Pamela, there are skeptical judges that Louisiana -- they seem to be skeptical that Louisiana could get what they want here, which is a stop to prescribers, telehealth prescribers, primarily prescribing mifepristone in a way that can be mailed into the state of Louisiana for women there. Louisiana had challenged this. It has been in the courts for some

time. But what is happening today is, there's a big discussion over standing. Is Louisiana actually able to bring a case like this? And one of the things the Trump administration had highlighted in their arguments was that you can't allow a state, just because they disagree with the regulations of another state, to stop or punish behavior from another state.

So the example the administration had given was that California, for instance, couldn't punish a firearms dealer in Louisiana for selling to somebody who was bringing a gun or getting a gun into California. The same reason -- reasoning is in this case, where Louisiana, should they be allowed to punish out-of-state providers who are prescribing to women and then having the drug being sent over the mail?

There's also another part of this that has been highlighted by at least one of the judges on the panel, that the FDA, the Trump administration, they have been doing a comprehensive review of mifepristone.

And one of the judges, Judge Stephen Higginson, during the arguments today, asked that -- he said that the Supreme Court has essentially been consistent that we should be letting the FDA do its work, that this may not be a question for the courts at this time, something that instead the administration will need to figure out whether mifepristone would be allowed to be sent in the mail nationwide.

BROWN: All right, Katelyn Polantz, thank you much. Always great to have you on.

And still ahead: new hope in cancer detection, how routine blood testing may hold hidden clues about colon cancer.

And, later, fact-checking President Trump's comments about September 11. CNN's Daniel Dale will be here to explain where the president says he was on and after the day of the attack.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM, and we will be right back.

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BROWN: Well, new CNN reporting just in.

A routine blood test may hold unexpected clues into how likely adults under the age of 45 are to develop colon cancer.

So, let's bring in CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard with more on this.

What exactly does this research show, Jacqueline?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: It's interesting, Pam.

The research shows that two liver enzymes in your blood known as AST and ALT, which usually get tested as part of a routine physical, levels of those liver enzymes may be associated with colorectal cancer risk.

Specifically, in this analysis done by Epic Research, scientists found that adults with AST levels below a measurement of 14 units per liter were associated with a 65 percent higher likelihood of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 45. And those who had ALT levels below 14 were associated with a 68 percent higher likelihood.

[11:20:08]

Now, Pam AST and ALT are typically concerning when they're at high levels, because higher levels can indicate liver injury or other issues with the liver or other health issues going on. So, to see that low levels were associated with these cancer risks was interesting.

And researchers say, if you're younger than 45 and you have low AST or low ALT, there's no need to panic. There's no need to rush to get a colonoscopy. Clinical guidance still says start screening at age 45. But what these numbers indicate is maybe there's a signal here for scientists to take a closer look at.

Is there something behind these low levels that may be associated with colorectal cancer risk? When we see low levels that may be associated with lower muscle mass or a nutritional deficiency, is there anything like that going on that scientists should dig deeper into to get a better understanding of colorectal cancer, specifically at younger ages, Pam?

BROWN: So does this change screening recommendations at all? And what are the circumstances where you would need to get a colonoscopy if you're under 45?

HOWARD: Right.

Yes, again, there's no need to panic. This does not change screening recommendations. And in situations where people may be recommended to start screening before age 45 is if you have a personal history or a family history of colorectal cancer or if you yourself are experiencing symptoms.

Symptoms to watch for include a sudden change in bowel habits that persists over days, rectal bleeding or blood in your stool, or cramping, or unintended weight loss. Those are some of the symptoms to look out for. And a lot of times, people may dismiss these symptoms, ignore them.

So it's important to talk with your doctor if you do experience symptoms, get screened at age 45. And, again, Pam, in the meantime, there's this ongoing research happening behind the scenes to really get a better understanding of this cancer type that we're seeing emerge more and more at younger ages.

BROWN: Yes, very scary.

All right, Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much. Well, up next: Get ready for a foldable iPhone. Yes, you heard it

right. In just hours, Apple will reveal its slate of new products.

CNN's Lisa Eadicicco is following this for us -- Lisa.

LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: Yes, Pam, we will be watching for what's expected to be Apple's first foldable iPhone. It could be the biggest change to the iPhone that we have seen in its nearly 20-year history.

We will have more on that coming up soon.

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BROWN: Happening now: The pressure is on ahead of today's Apple product launch event. It is the first under new CEO John Ternus, and we're expecting another first, a foldable iPhone. It will also be a chance for Ternus to articulate his vision for Apple's next era.

Let's go live now to see the business tech editor Lisa Eadicicco at Apple Park.

Lisa, what are you expecting to see today?

EADICICCO: Yes, Pam, the big thing we're expecting to see today is Apple's first foldable iPhone.

Now, of course, we won't know for sure until the event takes place later today, but that's what we're expecting to be the big headline. And, now, foldable phones have been around for a while, but this would be the first time that Apple is releasing one.

And I think the key here is really kind of seeing what Apple does to push this category forward and potentially bring it into the mainstream, because, currently, foldable phones are really kind of appealing to early adopters and those who are very into the technology, not so much mainstream folks.

But there's an expectation that Apple could change that. And, also, this is the first major product launch under Apple's new CEO, John Ternus. So there's going to be a lot of eyeballs on this event, not only to see what Apple has in store in terms of products, but to learn more about what Ternus' approach will be like, what his vision will be like.

And it seems like launching an entirely new product category like a foldable phone for the first time would really send a message here that this is a very product-oriented CEO, and that's kind of what we're expecting.

Based on Ternus' background in hardware engineering, there's this expectation that his tenure will kind of usher in this new era of products for Apple. And that's following Tim Cook's tenure, which was really focused more on scaling the iPhone and operations, and, of course, lots of products launched under Tim Cook's tenure as CEO.

But it's been a while since we have seen a wholly new product category, so I think that's why there's a lot of excitement here today, and not to mention the iPhone is Apple's most important product. It's its biggest revenue driver, so it's a very, very important product for the company's future as well -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, Lisa Eadicicco, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

And just ahead: toxic air concerns; 9/11 records reveal officials misled public -- the public about air safety. The former commissioner of the FDNY during September 11 will join us just ahead.

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