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Cat 3 Hurricane Isaias Hours from Landfall on Gulf Coast; New Bodycam Video Released from NYC ICE Shooting Scene; Legendary Bears Coach Mike Ditka Dies at 86. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 09, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We're following that breaking news this hour. Hurricane Isaias has grown into a major Category 3 storm. Officials warn of life-threatening storm surge, up to 15 inches of rain, widespread power blackouts, and even some tornadoes. Right now, parts of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida are under states of emergency, and time is running out for people to prepare.

So, I want to go straight to Rafael Romo in Pensacola, Florida. How are the conditions there right now, Rafael?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, let me tell you, Pamela, rapidly deteriorating here where we are in Pensacola. An hour ago, I was telling you about the fact that we are already experiencing surge. Let me show you the water. Those rocks earlier were completely dry. Now, as you can see, they're almost covered by the water. These are the first signs that that surge that authorities have been talking about for more than 24 hours now is already happening.

Originally, it was expected to be seven feet. Now, they're telling us it can be as much as nine feet, and that's definitely going to put at risk a lot of the dwellings, a lot of the businesses here along the coast. As you can see behind me, all of those businesses are on the water, so the impact can be severe.

One thing that I also wanted to tell you, Pam, is that Governor Ron DeSantis earlier called Hurricane Isaias a major event for the state of Florida. That means that a major impact is expected to happen, and one of those impacts, he said, has to do with power. A number of people, the governor said, should expect to lose power for several hours up to a day, and he said that they need to be prepared for that possibility. That's how the governor explained it. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS, (R-FL): Assume you're going to lose power. Assume that some of these services aren't immediately going to be available, and so make sure you have what you need, gasoline, any prescriptions, nonperishable food, water, to be able to get you through this particularly 72-hour period. Make sure you and your family have what you need now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Pamela, officials say that they have already made plans for that possibility by getting on standby 16,000 linemen that can be deployed at a moment's notice in case a line needs to be repaired. Also, Governor DeSantis says 5,000 members of the National Guard are on standby, ready to go in case they need to help people, they need to help with anything else, clearing debris, clearing roads once the storm is gone. But yes, the conditions here are rapidly, rapidly deteriorating. Now, back to you.

BROWN: All right. Rafael Romo, thank you so much. More when we come back.

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[11:35:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We have breaking news coming in from New York right now. That's where federal immigration agents shot and wounded a 28-year-old man from the Dominican Republic. At least one ICE agent fired into the man's car while a five-year-old child was in the back seat. We are now getting our first look at body camera video from the scene.

CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller is in New York, and Brynn Gingras is over at the scene of all of this in the Bronx. Brynn, first of all, what does this new video show?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, this is basically the aftermath after this incident already took place, after the shots were already fired, after the 28-year-old Oscar Bergal was already grazed by one of the bullets.

So, we want to show you the NYPD officers. This is their body camera, the video that's captured on their chest, at least one of the officers who was responding to the scene. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:40:00]

GINGRAS: And you can sort of see the chaos of this scene unfolding, how people were starting to respond, take videos of themselves. I think you can actually see one NYPD officer as they're putting on gloves, trying to start rendering aid to Bergal while he is handcuffed on the ground. And then the NYPD, from their perspective, we see them actually take him and put them in the back of a vehicle to bring him to the hospital. Take a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. 10-4. I watched the (INAUDIBLE) multiple times. All right. And who is giving me this information (INAUDIBLE) shot? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Control, (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did. Who is giving me the information?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: Now, we know that he was brought to the hospital. He has since been released, and we know, according to DHS, that he is in their custody, out of state at this point. I can tell you guys that there have been NYPD officers all around this area where this took place yesterday, collecting video of their own from the shops around this area.

So, an investigation certainly still underway just on their end of what they are collecting. But certainly, this gives a perspective as to what happened after the fact and why so many protests were starting to break out almost immediately afterwards, guys.

BLITZER: And to John, what stands out to you from this video?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, one of the remarkable things is as they're approaching the suspect who's handcuffed on the ground, and they see he's bleeding from what appears to be a bullet wound to the head, they make a very fast decision, which is you hear them saying, well, rush the bus, rush the bus. That's NYPD parlance for tell the ambulance to hurry up. But the officer makes a command decision there and says we're not going to wait for the ambulance.

Let's put him in the police car. We don't know how far into his head this bullet may have gone. It turns out it's believed to be a graze wound. But at that point, they didn't know how serious this was. They didn't want to wait for the ambulance to have to find that difficult location. They threw him in the police car and took him to a hospital that was very nearby. Within a few blocks, they knew they could close that distance.

What unfolds after this is kind of the more interesting part that is unseen, which is the frantic hunt for the five-year-old who witnesses told police had been in the back of the car. Where was he? Was he injured? How could he be located? And that meant detectives going door to door, talking to friends, trying to find relatives, finding a relative, getting on the phone, ultimately, they were able to locate that child, the five-year-old, unharmed, with an aunt at a beauty parlor in Yonkers, New York.

But until they had eyes on him and knew he was OK, that became NYPD's top priority after getting the suspect to the hospital.

BLITZER: Totally understandable. All right. John Miller and Brynn Gingras with the latest, thank you very, very much.

Also happening now, new ethics filings show President Trump made a multimillion-dollar purchase of bonds issued by SpaceX last month, but the timing is raising some serious questions about potential conflicts of interest. Reports show it happened just two days before he launched an effort to slash red tape for commercial space transportation. A White House spokesperson told CNN the president's stock and bond portfolio is independently managed by a third party.

Joining us now, the former U.S. ambassador to Japan, former Obama White House chief of staff, former member of Congress Rahm Emanuel. Rahm, thanks very much for joining us. Do you think this kind of purchase is a smart look just ahead of the midterms?

RAHM EMANUEL, FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Wolf, is that a trick question? It's not a smart move any time. And as reported, I think, just two weeks ago, the president of the United States has made more trades in the stock and bond market than every member of the House and every member of the Senate of both parties. And this is why, when I think there's going to be a change this November, the first order of business is a total complete power wash of Washington.

Ban on all stock trading, ban on all participation in the protection markets, mandatory blind trust, a mandatory retirement age at the age of 75, and the Jared Kushner rule. Two years after leaving public service, no sovereign wealth money, no foreign money, so you can lobby against or work against the United States of America and their interests.

And, you know, this is just a tip of the iceberg. And I also put part of the blame here at the Supreme Court Justice Roberts. A country that nobody's above the law made a ruling that the president stands above the law, and this president is operating as if he got a get-out-of- jail card and the old game of Monopoly. And you can see that.

[11:45:00]

This is outrageous, not just before the election, at any time. And the president of the United States has treated the Oval Office as a, basically, eBay on steroids.

BLITZER: Punchbowl News, Rahm, is reporting that the U.S. Justice Department presented evidence this week to a grand jury in an investigation into former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. Additionally, the White House announced it was establishing what's called a committee of inquiry into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Is this the kind of thing voters want to see the administration focusing on right now?

EMANUEL: They don't want to see this of 2020. They don't want to see rewriting of what happened during Watergate. And, you know, the president of the United States, Wolf, his entire term is about his greed, his grievances, and his grandeur. That is what it's about. And this is just another indication of his grievances. They don't want to look back. They want to look forward. And the president of the United States is stuck in that.

I mean, the other day, they were opening up and looking about Watergate and Nixon. Really? We have all these challenges across the country, and all the challenges as it relates to the competition with China and winning the future. And these guys keep driving forward 55 miles an hour, 70 miles an hour through the rearview mirror. No, nobody's interested in this except for a president who is vindictive. And that's not the use of the Justice Department. And what's even weirder, why is this coming out of the Civil Rights Division? I mean, it's nuts. The whole thing is nuts. And the American people are going to issue, thank God they're the thin blue line, this election, the American people are going to issue a verdict, and the Republicans are going to be the victims of what they should have been doing, which is holding the president of the United States in their oversight capacities of the equal branch of government accountable. They have failed in that as a rubber stamp, and they're going to pay the price for it, which they should accordingly.

BLITZER: When it comes to the actual midterm races, CNN is now reporting that there are some House Democrats who are worried that campaign resources are too focused on pickups and not enough on races where Democrats are on the defense. What do you think?

EMANUEL: Well, look, I mean, unlike when I ran this in '06, I don't know all the races, but you have a major, major wind at our back, and they should be playing offense, not defense, and the incumbent members should have spent the years preparing for actually this type of offense by making sure all resources go on offense. I'm not going to sit here and from cheap seats second-guess how they're deploying resources.

But, you know, look, I would say a larger point if I could. Well, in this November, and thank God, as I said, the American people are the thin blue line are going to protect us from this president and from the lackluster Republican Congress. I will say that this November the president and the Republicans are going to lose.

What the Democrats do when they get the majority, which I'm confident they will, is determine in 2027 whether they have won, whether they deliver on the change. A comprehensive ethics review, not a review, rather, legislation that cleans up all of Washington. Whether they will finally, after 20 years, deliver a new minimum wage for the American people so they can actually start to make ends meet.

The whole point here for the Democrats is to deliver on the promise of change. If they do that, they'll have won. November election night, the Republicans will have lost. The question open for Democrats is we understand what the message is. It's anti-Republican, it's not an affirmation. We have to earn that affirmation in 2027 by delivering change. That's the key part of this election. It's going into 2027 and then into 2028.

BLITZER: All right. Rahm Emanuel, we'll continue this conversation down the road. Thank you very, very much.

EMANUEL: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: And we'll be right back with more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:00]

BROWN: All right. We have some breaking news. The Associated Press is reporting that NFL legend Mike Ditka has died at 86 years old.

BLITZER: He led the Chicago Bears to their only Super Bowl title back in 1986. In 1961, he was drafted by the Bears and won Rookie of the Year. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and then the Dallas Cowboys, winning the Super Bowl with them.

I want to bring in CNN Sports Anchor Andy Scholes. Andy, Coach Ditka, as I think all of us agree, was truly a giant in the football world.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, certainly, Wolf. You know, you think football, you certainly think Mike Ditka, right? He embodied everything that is and was, you know, football in his career. You know, his first tight end ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But, you know, most remember him as the head coach of that 1985 Bears team, which was considered one of the best teams we've ever had in the NFL. And he always, he had those fiery press conferences, all those interactions with reporters. And then he was just such an awesome personality on TV. Here's a look back at the life that was Mike Ditka.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Some of you may remember that back in 2004, when I was running for the Senate, some people were trying to draft Ditka to run against me. I will admit I was a little worried because he doesn't lose. Coach, I'm glad you didn't run because I have to say I probably would have been terrible on ESPN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:55:00]

SCHOLES (voice-over): One of football's original tough guys, Mike Ditka built a career few people can match. A legendary football player and coach turned broadcaster who was known for his fiery temper.

MIKE DITKA: See that? That's your IQ, buddy. Zero.

SCHOLES (voice-over): And Ditka was one of the few to win Super Bowl rings as a player, assistant coach, and head coach. Nicknamed Iron Mike, Ditka was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1961. The tight end would play five seasons with Chicago and briefly with the Philadelphia Eagles before helping the Dallas Cowboys win their first Super Bowl title. Ditka retired as an NFL player in 1973 and returned to the Bears as head coach in 1982, ultimately guiding the team to six conference title games and a victory in Super Bowl 20.

DITKA: What you do in life by yourself means nothing, but what you do with a group of people like this it's something you'll cherish forever.

SCHOLES (voice-over): After leaving the Bears, Ditka tried to recapture the magic in 1997 with a new team, the New Orleans Saints.

DITKA: We're going to win the Super Bowl Get him out of there.

SCHOLES (voice-over): While he coached with the same intensity, a questionable blockbuster trade for Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams in 1999 and three straight losing seasons ultimately sealed his fate in the Crescent City.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you coach again?

DITKA: No, never.

SCHOLES (voice-over): Ditka successfully made the transition from the sidelines to the television studio as a football analyst. Da Bears. The coach's outspoken personality made him popular beyond the sports world, thanks to Saturday Night Live skits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, it's Saturday night.

SCHOLES (voice-over): Ditka also appeared on late night talk shows as well as cameos on TV and film.

DITKA: Hey, shut up you little rat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're just showing their appreciation.

DITKA: Hey, forget the appreciation. I want to win a soccer game.

SCHOLES (voice-over): Always the competitor, football was more than a game for Mike Ditka, it was his lifeblood.

DITKA: Football doesn't owe me a thing, but I owe my whole life to it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHOLES (on camera): Yes, you know, you just think football coach, you certainly think Mike Ditka. There will never be anyone like him. Wolf, and you know, growing up, I always remember those Saturday Night, like, Saturday Night Live skits where they go, "Da Bears," and when Ditka appeared on that one episode it certainly was special. There, no one really could do a press conference or TV quite like Mike Ditka. He's certainly one of a kind.

BLITZER: He certainly was. Our deepest condolences to his family. May he rest in peace. And as we say, may his memory be a blessing. Andy Scholes, thank you very much. Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Wolf. Well, it was a homecoming on another level. That's what I was told by people on board the USS Abraham Lincoln. I had the honor of following along as sailors from the Lincoln pulled into port into San Diego yesterday, bubbling with anticipation and emotion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so excited to see all that family. They're waiting for almost a year. Almost a year. My daughter is waiting for me, too.

BROWN: How old is she?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, she's 13 years old. I love you Paula Valentina Peixoto. I love to all my family. And finally, USS Abraham Lincoln, finally we're on home.

BROWN: How are you, ma'am? I think you're emotional.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I sure am, yes.

BROWN: Tell me about how you're feeling right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely relieved to come back home.

BROWN: Did you think you weren't going to make it back this year?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: You can see so much emotion as they just took it all in, and this moment, one that felt so uncertain and far off for many months, was finally happening. And seeing the sailors manning the rails in their crisp white uniforms, hearing the cheers from the water and on land, I couldn't help but feel that emotion. And the tears didn't stop there. I also disembarked from the boat with those service members and watched beautiful homecomings in every direction. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who's that? Is this your daddy?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, sweet. That sailor was meeting his baby daughter for the first time, and he is not alone. The captain of the ship says 122 sailors became fathers or had a child while on deployment, and today they are waking up and they're getting to hug those babies and wives in person, probably changing some diapers.

They actually took classes on board to learn the basics of being a parent, changing diapers, feeding a baby, holding a baby, so now they're putting that into practice. Thank you to the Navy and to the crew and officials aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln for following me to share some of your story, allowing me to share some of these really important stories for people to understand. From back in July, when I first was on the Abraham Lincoln to now, Wolf wow, how this story has shifted. Now, they're home.

BLITZER: Beautiful work. And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. We'll see you back here Monday morning, 10:00 a.m. Eastern. Inside Politics with Dana Bash starts right now.

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[12:00:00]