At Least 13 Pro-Trump Taxpayer-Funded Ads Created

0:00Every day, animals across the country face abuse and neglect. and every day the ASPCA shows up to rescue animals in crisis but they can't do it alone visit ASPCA.org slash need become a donor today to provide the care and shelter these animals urgently need and for a limited time the ASPCA will send you a free gift as a special thank you visit ASPCA.org slash need observe the North American dad 50s great polo collection. He enters his vehicle information on Carvana. An offer appears in minutes. Remarkable. He squints, reads it again, smiles and says, dang, that's a good offer. The highest form of approval.

0:49No haggling. No hassle. No one called him boss. He's still on the couch. Astonishing. Sell your car today on Carvana.com. Pickup fees may apply. Out front next, Trump's Red State Roadshow. Weeks before the election, why is Trump in Alabama at this very moment? Amid record low approval ratings and a disappointing new jobs report. Also breaking, CNN learning troubling new details about the pilot who stabbed his co-pilot on the fly Dubai jet. Why was he removed prior to that job from the national airline of Oman? And surprise, as we celebrate 15 years in the air. My team is surprising me. They're surprising me with some guests live, and I can't wait to find out.

1:34I did not go in the rundown, so we can all find out together who they are. Let's go out front.

1:41And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. And out front tonight, sweet home Alabama. That is where Trump is tonight with just 32 days before the crucial midterms. Now, just stating the obvious, Alabama is not a swing state. Trump won Alabama by 31 points, and there are no real competitive races there even right now. In fact, until tonight, Trump has not held a major political rally there as president since 2017. So why is he there now, a month before the midterms? I mean, Trump is looking at his lowest approval numbers at any point in office, and polls do show voters do not approve of the Iran war, Trump's pet projects, the economy.

2:20In fact, his net approval rating on inflation is a negative 65 points. That is stunning. That is the lowest for any president ever, any president at any point ever. So is this red state roadshow a way for Trump to surround himself, right, with diehard supporters? As I said, Alabama went for him 31 points. It's a safe place. Or is the White House in panic mode when it comes to the midterms? Republican groups just pulled out of the North Carolina Senate race to save money. And yesterday, Trump was in Texas. That's where his handpicked Senate candidate Ken Paxson is trailing Democrat James Tallarico among registered voters in the most recent polling.

2:57Fox News, in fact, when it came to that particular race, look at the disbelief at their own poll. If you look at that Fox News poll, he's ahead by seven points in the state of Texas. How is that possible? And by the way, they're spending, Republicans are now spending$131 million for Ken Paxton, money that obviously could be very well used in swing state close races, which you would not think Texas is, but it is. And right now, the White House appears to be throwing everything at the wall in order to convince Republicans that Trump is on the ballot to try to spur turnout. CNN reporting tonight that the administration has created at least 13 taxpayer-funded campaign-style ads.

3:39Thirteen. So you remember the brouhaha when there was just one. Okay. Well, there has been no consequence. And now they're up to 13, some of which have aired on television networks. By the way, including this one. Trump using taxpayer dollars to talk about himself. Like this. So God made Trump. God had to have somebody willing to go into the den of vipers, call out the fake news for their tongues as sharp as a serpent's. The poison of vipers is on their lips, and yet stop. So God made Trump. Just a pause for a moment. Whatever your politics are in America, to have an ad again and again by a political candidate, God made Trump.

4:25it makes you stop and it should make you stop. And members of Trump's party don't like these ads. You like the message, but it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars. I don't think any public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves. What are your thoughts on the ads? Is it appropriate? No. It's not even a close question. Our legal analyst Ryan Goodman tells us that the ads are most likely illegal. And most people, you heard what those Republicans say. A lot of people agree with that. And, you know, it's in the context of the economic pain people are feeling.

5:10Today we got the last jobs report before the election. And what it showed was not great. The economy added 29 ,000 jobs, which is a fraction of the 90 ,000 that economists had predicted. The unemployment rate also went up. And the response to that disappointment on both fronts from the administration was this. If you look at the data from this week, it's proving that Trumponomics is really working. So we're very, very happy. OK, so you're both. Well, they may be happy, but a lot of Americans aren't. And today's numbers are a clear sign that the job market is not as strong as even economists had expected.

5:52and certainly not as strong as this. We have more jobs than anybody. Tremendous jobs. The jobs are going to be fantastic. We have right now so many jobs. We have record jobs. Well, we're doing very well with the black jobs, African-American jobs. Now, by the way, just to take that, where he ended there, the black jobs, he said, the African-American jobs. Now, that was in June. So let's just look at the latest economic report for the unemployment rate for black Americans. It rose from 6 % to 7%. Now, that's a really big jump when it comes to something like jobs data. Outside of COVID, in fact, it is the largest one-month spike in the past 14 years on that measure.

6:36So if you're in a tough race, not necessarily numbers you want to campaign on, and I didn't even touch the negative 65 on the inflation problem, which may be why Trump is playing it safe by campaigning in Alabama. Arlette Saenz is there in Mobile, where the president is tonight. And Arlette, what are you learning about what Trump is trying to do where you are, right? To go and put this time and effort and money in Alabama. Yeah, Aaron, President Trump is expected to take the stage any minute now as he is trying to put himself front and center in this final month of the campaign to try to address what he thinks is a messaging problem for the GOP.

7:16That is why you are seeing the Trump administration pushing out those taxpayer-funded ads to try to promote the president and his policy, and why he is turning out in a ruby-red state like Alabama. This is a state that he won by more than 30 points back in 2024. And Mobile itself is very nostalgic for the president, because it was here where he really had that first mega-rally of his 2016 campaign that really legitimized much of his candidacy, He ultimately went on to win and turning out those types of voters that supported the president back in 2016 and 2024 are key for Republicans in this midterm cycle.

7:57The White House believes that they really need to turn out those base low propensity voters who aren't always voting when Trump's name is not on the ballot. And it comes as there is very real anxiety within the Republican Party about their chances of maintaining not just the House, but also the Senate. Today, one of the biggest Republican super PACs said that they were pausing money in North Carolina and shifting some resources to Kansas, a state that people really did not think would be on the map here, really signs of some of the issues facing Republicans in this very tough midterm cycle. Kansas, where even J.D.

8:35Vance has had to go. All right, thank you so much, Arlette, in Mobile. Everyone is here with me. So, Jamal, it's interesting what Arlette's saying, the nostalgia of it. Because everything for Trump is personal and for what he wants, that for him this is a place that launched his presidential career, that has this amazing nostalgia. Is that really why Alabama? Yeah, Trump is just goosing the chicken. This is Trump going around. This is Trump going around. To use a technical term. To use a technical term. He needs to get GOTV up in these ruby red places because they're trying to hold the bottom up and keep it from falling out from underneath Republicans.

9:11But let me just say this about that earlier piece you did, Aaron, talking about the Trump ad and the God imagery. This isn't just about the federal government spending the money. This is literally anti-democratic. The entire point of the country was that no longer the power flow from God to the king and then from the king over the country. Separation of church and state, the most fundamental rock. It was separation of church and state. And it was also that we believed that the king was a representative of God on earth. And so this is the problem. In America, power flows from the people to the leaders, not from God down to the president.

9:47Yeah, I mean, the God anointing him, the God creating him, it is jarring. As I said, it should be jarring. What your religion is, what your politics are, it should be jarring to Americans. Paul, is there a benefit to Republicans, though, in having Trump in a place like Alabama? As I pointed out, Alabama specifically, no, because there's no known competitive races in Alabama. But I mean, generally, does this help turn out anywhere else? No. I mean, it helps perpetuate the image. I mean, he's in Alabama because he wants to be in Alabama. And Donald Trump does whatever he wants. He doesn't care about the repercussions.

10:23Sometimes it's strategic. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes he's undisciplined, but he's there because he wants a home field advantage. It is a big crowd. Tommy Tuberville loves him and is one of his most loyal advocates. And he's setting the stage for what can be used for a content grab. This is important. He's doing it. Hex is doing it. They're setting the stage because then they're running it into the propaganda machine, which is literally state funded now. It goes back to the earlier point. They now have the vehicles of power to run whatever they want through state funded, you know, government funded propaganda.

10:53And that's really what this is. It becomes a self-perpetuating propaganda machine, or in the military they would call it a self-licking ice cream cone. It just keeps itself going for its own purposes. I'm liking all these technical terms here. Self-licking ice cream cone. Yeah. Be careful. So listen, there is a race in Alabama, the Shamari figures congressional race, which is happening there, which they tried to redistrict congressman figures out of that seat. It was a 46 % African-American seat. Now it's about 40 % African-American. That's still close enough. Figures could win that race if he can steal a few points.

11:22So the president is trying to help out. And most of America doesn't like Trump, but Alabama still does. I mean, Alabama is home field for him, and I think that's really important. And in other states, especially swing states, they don't want him, but they want his money. And the dark money is still the variable that we're not calculating for in all these polls, and that's what they're going to start to drop in the next couple of weeks. Which raises the question, what really can we trust in polls? Now, Gretchen, to that end, Republican Senator Steve Daines says he sees similarity between this election and some of the things we were taking through, you know, economically with the war and 2006.

11:56OK, here's how we put it. There arguably could be some similarities between the 06 cycle and the 2026 cycle. Think about the condition of the country back in 06, an unpopular war. Six in 10 Americans opposed the Iraq war at that point. Gas prices had doubled. Does this sound familiar? and we ended up losing six seats. That was a night, by the way, we lost some redder states. Okay. So Gretchen, is that what we're looking at right now? Or are you skeptical about what some of the polls are showing? Well, who knows what the polls, but I think the general sentiment is that the polls that are being done internally are worse than those that are external.

12:46So I would tend to believe them, but who knows. But 20 years later, you could run that same soundbite, Aaron, today, and people would think you were talking about the Iran war, high gas prices, high grocery prices today. And I think it's also unbelievable because you could be running that in 2024 with the state in which Biden found himself in, with inflation and high gas prices and high grocery prices. It's unbelievable, I think, for Americans to try to comprehend that in just two short years. Trump took a silver platter that the American people gave him to run with this economy. And many people would believe that he has run it into the ground instead in a short two year time period.

13:30And why he's in Alabama? Because he's welcome in Alabama. There's a ton of red states where he might face boos right now. So that's why he's not going there. You know, it's also So interesting, though, when you look at Paul, the people are going to determine this race. OK, so when I say, what do you believe in these polls? When you look at people in the middle, OK, what are they going to do? I know you've just filed a lawsuit on behalf of independents. So what's the argument there? I think that's really important because independents haven't voted in a lot of these states because primaries are closed, as we've talked about.

14:05They can't vote in the primaries. Their vote doesn't count until the general. I've led a lawsuit this week on behalf of independents in New York to challenge the constitutionality of closed primaries, publicly funded closed primaries that require people like me to join a private party in order to exercise our right. And I think we're kind of the sleeping giant. Essentially, in New York State, we'll see what happens in the governor's race. But you have to register as a Democrat if you want to have a voice because your voice matters in the primary. Right, right. And we're going to do this in other states as well.

14:30And I think the bigger story is that independents are the sleeping giant. Sixty percent of young people are unaffiliated. And they're not just middle. They're none of the above. And they're not happy with the Republicans, but they're also not happy with the Democrats. They hate them all. They do. They do. And they're traditionally jump balls, but Trump's numbers with independents are astronomically low. I mean, he's below 10 % approved with independents, and that's the real challenge for everybody right now. Have you ever seen a number like that, below 10 %? It is really unprecedented to see a president.

14:54I mean, I saw a poll today, I mean, really, really low numbers. Listen, there's no question why this is happening. The president has it upside down and backwards on so many points. I mean, the jobs numbers are going down, and we know that the inflation is up and credit cards are up and personal savings accounts are down. Consumer confidence is down. All these things are trending in the wrong direction. So if I'm a Democrat, I go out there and I say, listen, Donald Trump has messed the entire thing up. You elect us. We're going to fix the economy. We're going to hold the crooks accountable, and we're going to start putting legislation on the books that will help fix these problems.

15:31But the president, if he doesn't go along with us, two years, we're going to get a new president, too. But you've got to have an argument. And I think the argument is things are screwed up. We can fix it. Vote for us. Interesting. You mentioned something we didn't get to. And we're going to keep talking about this over the next weeks. But when you said the word crooks, that corruption is resonating. It is. And people are seeing it. And the ads are just a teeny little part of that. Thank you all very much. And next, the breaking news. We are learning some new details, troubling ones, about the suspected attacker on the fly.

16:00Dubai flight and his past, that he was removed from the national airline of Oman, but then hired in Dubai. Plus, New York's attorney general says there is now a criminal investigation into the gang rape allegations at a Cornell University frat party, and this. Hello, everyone. I'm Erin Burnett. First night out of the gates. Great to be here. That was 15 years ago when we first started on this show, and we have some special guests coming up to mark the special occasion. But who are they? We will all find out together. Head bump. All right, we conclude the panel. Brakes camera two and three. Step by your brake master.

16:42In three, two, one. Effect. Roll your brake, please.

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17:47Breaking news, the suspected attacker on the fly Dubai plane was dismissed from his role last year by Oman's national airline, Oman Air, following concerns about his extremist views. And that's from multiple sources to CNN, which is pretty incredible because then, of course, he got hired by Fly Dubai to be a pilot. It comes as a top official in the UAE, where the suspect is currently being held, described the midair stabbing attack as a, quote, dangerous terrorist act. Jeremy Diamond is out front. And Jeremy, I mean, this is a pretty stunning detail, right? He gets let go by the national airline of Oman for extremist views, ends up working in Dubai, And, you know, my nationals aren't even supposed to fly to Israel.

18:24And there he is as a pilot flying in and out of Israel. Yeah, absolutely, Aaron. Listen, we still don't know the details about what exactly these radical views were. But clearly it was enough of a red flag for the Omani national airline to remove him from his position at the time and reassign him, according to a regional source, to another role at the airline. And yet it seems that within the last year, he was hired as a pilot by Fly Dubai. Now, we don't know whether or not Fly Dubai was aware of this information of his previous employment history at Oman's airline. But if they knew it, then that's concerning.

19:05And if they didn't know it, then that raises questions about the background check process for him to get hired as a pilot and ultimately end up in the cockpit of this plane flying directly towards Israel. Now, Fly Dubai, we've asked them for comment. They said that they could not provide any comment while this investigation is still ongoing. The other details that we've learned so far is that he is an Omani citizen who was born in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and a Syrian mother. As you mentioned, Aaron, one of the unanswered questions here is how was someone with an Omani passport allowed to be in the cockpit of a plane flying to Israel?

19:41Oman and Israel don't have formal diplomatic relations, and any pilots flying from the Emirates to Israel would typically get a security review by both Israeli and Emirati authorities. As of now, this suspect is in Emirati custody and the investigation very much still ongoing. Erin. All right. Jeremy Diamond from Tel Aviv tonight. Thank you. Out front now, former CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta. And Secretary Panetta, you know, we've learned that the suspected attacker was removed from a prior job by Oman Air, the national carrier for the country of Oman, just last year after expressing extremist views.

20:20So they they they removed him from from they dismissed him. Now, they did give him another role eventually at that airline, but he found a job as a pilot at Fly Dubai, even with that history. How big of a security failure is this? I think it's a huge security failure, particularly on the part of obviously Fly Dubai, which should be doing background checks on all of their pilots to make sure that there aren't any terrorists who are in the cockpit. And let's not kid anybody. This was a terrorist act. Anytime somebody with a knife in a plane is trying to bring down an airliner, 174 innocent people, that is the very definition of terrorism.

21:14So whoever failed to do that check has some responsibility for what happened. And, you know, President Trump said yesterday that the suspected attacker had ties to Iran. Now, no one else, you know, in a position of authority or, you know, in intelligence has made that connection. And obviously we don't know everything yet. But do you think we would know by now if Iran in a more organized government way, right, as opposed to this guy sympathized with Iran or supported Iran, but I mean directed by Iran? Would we would we know more if that was the case at this point? Aaron, I think what needs to be found out at this point, look, as I said, there's no question this guy was a terrorist.

22:01The real question is, was it planned? Was it a planned terrorist act? Was it directed by Iran or Al Qaeda or some other terrorist group? Or was this a lone wolf operation in which this guy, for some reason, became motivated to try to do a terrorist act. I don't know that this could take some time to really determine whether or not it was a planned terrorist act. You'd have to obviously determine whether or not there's a background here that shows him not just only being radicalized, but being in touch with others who would have ties to Iran. That's the kind of evidence that I haven't seen yet.

22:50The Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu shared some details. Obviously, we know the person's an Omani national, but he added that this man underwent Islamist radicalization. And Netanyahu who described the plan, right, as, quote, a disaster on the scale of 9-11. Now, obviously, involving taking an airliner down, you know, it does bring to mind 9-11. 9-11, of course, though, was multiple planes, a group of people, a plot, a plan, and flying into buildings and killing thousands. Is it clear at this point that that's what this was? No, I don't think it is. You obviously, in 9-11, had a planned terrorist attack that was well-coordinated to go after the United States.

23:49In this case, right now, based on the facts that are out there, it appears that this co-pilot, who may have been radicalized, was intent on trying to attack the pilot and bring down that airliner and kill 174 people. That, you know, as I said, is by definition a terrorist act. But whether it is part of a larger plan, we just don't know the answer to that right now. It smells to me like this guy was operating as a lone wolf. But who knows? I think that's what needs to be investigated. it. And, you know, when you say this, Secretary Panetta, and of course, as former director of the CIA, I remember conversations we've had over the years.

24:40One really has stood with me, you know, when you said your concern about lone wolves in the United States and that you thought that was one of the biggest threats. And now here we are. It's 15 years since you and I have been on this show together. You were a guest on our first show. You and I met in Washington when we taped that. And we've had, as I said, many memorable conversations. We traveled to Afghanistan and toward American base in Kandahar as well together. And 15 years ago, we had this exchange, which, well, it's very relevant right now. Let me play it.

25:14I just wanted to ask you about Congress. You've been a Republican. You've served in Republican administrations, Democratic administrations. Is this the worst it's ever been in Washington? In my over 40 years in Washington, And, yeah, I've never seen it as bad as it is today on the partisanship and the divisions within the leadership, within the both parties, and the inability to kind of confront the challenges that are out there. Secretary, I'm interested because, you know, at the time you said, yeah, this was the worst it had been. And it makes, you know, we think about that time. But now here we are, right?

25:58Here we are. You could not imagine either one of us or anyone watching that interview could not imagine that we would be where we are now in so many different ways. Is it possible to reverse what's happened at this point?

26:19You know, first of all, let me congratulate you on 15 years of having the show. I remember well the different interviews we had, but I remember in particular a very young reporter who was following me around as Secretary of Defense in Afghanistan and Kandahar. And you were doing a great job going after the news, and you continue to do a great job going after the news. So let me congratulate you on your show. Look, what we see now is a dysfunctional democracy in Washington. And it began when you first interviewed me, but it's gotten worse. And the real concern that I have, you know, when people ask me, what's the greatest national security threat we have?

27:13I think the greatest national security threat is the dysfunction in Washington. If both parties are unable to govern, if they're unable to deal with issues that involve our national security, then frankly, our democracy is not working. And we pay a very heavy price when that's the case. And what an interesting way to conclude this conversation. Of course, we'll have many more. But when you talk about that as the biggest threat. And again, I think back to when it was things like lone wolf attacks and to think of the significance of what you just said there. Secretary Panetta, Director Panetta, thank you so much.

27:52It's wonderful to see you and I look forward to next time. It's great to be with you. And again, a hearty congratulations on a great career. Thank you. Next, Karl Rove tonight with a surprising prediction about the Texas Senate race. What he says could ultimately sink Trump's handpicked candidate, Ken Paxson, and he's very specific about it. And New York's attorney general now saying that there is an active criminal investigation into the alleged gang rape allegations at Cornell University.

28:32Starting a business can seem like a daunting task unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website, to marketing, to selling, and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and Allbirds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your$1 per month trial at shopify.com slash special offer. Tonight, dueling new ads between James Tallarico and Ken Paxton in the neck-and-neck Texas Senate race.

29:07A race that could decide which party controls the Senate and see Texas elect its first Democrat to the Senate in 38 years. Ken Paxton releasing this ad featuring his daughter. Groceries, rent, insurance, it all keeps climbing. And liberal politicians are making it worse. When they come after you, my dad goes after them to bring down prices and stand up for families. And Tallarico calling out the AI-generated ads that are being used against him. Ken Paxton is lying about my record, even making fake AI videos of me. I don't have to use AI because the truth about Ken Paxton is bad enough. Now, all of this comes as Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, whom Tallarico beat in the primary, has still not explicitly endorsed him.

30:02She did congratulate him on his win and said she'd help Democrats up and down the ballot, but no endorsement. And former Democratic Congresswoman Susan Wild reacted with something that stood out this week. F her. That's all I can say. And that statement has nothing to do with blind loyalty to Dems. It has everything to do with her being a narcissistic drama queen who has used her platform, such as it is, only to advance herself. As you can see, when I saw that, if you saw it, you said, wow. Out front now, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. And Leader Jeffries, I have a lot I want to ask you about, but I want to start here with the midterms.

30:38Susan Wild, I don't know when you saw that post, but I'm sure you saw it this week, and I don't know if your jaw went to the floor. But do you think she is right that Jasmine Crockett should be doing more to help James Tallarico beat Ken Paxton since that race is really neck and neck? I actually hadn't seen the post, But listen, I think James Tallarico has got to win and we've got to do everything possible as Democrats in Texas and across the country to make sure we can end this era of MAGA extremism, that we take back control of the House and hopefully the Senate as well, and that we fight for an affordable America because the cost of living is way too high.

31:23And Republican policies are directly responsible for the affordability crisis that we're dealing with right now. Are you going to talk to Congresswoman Crockett about this and what she can do to help Tallarico or what she isn't doing in the context of all of this? Well, I haven't followed that Senate race closely because we're all in on making sure we do what's necessary to take back control of the House of Representatives. I'm appreciative certainly of Jasmine's efforts in helping out many of her colleagues in the House who are on the battlefield out there all across the country. But, you know, listen, my view is it's all hands on deck for all of us because failure is not an option.

32:09MAGA extremism has made life worse for the American people. These folks have tried to break America, but the American people on November 3rd are getting ready to break MAGA extremism. So gas and oil, obviously a major factor in the midterms. I mean, you saw Ken Paxton's ad, right, saying, I want to bring down prices, right? That's now everybody, an acknowledgement, okay? An average gallon of diesel, AAA currently has, Leader Jeffrey's, at$6.37, which is, it was$3.70 a year ago, okay? So almost doubling. President Trump today took credit for the announcement, though, by G7 countries to release about 100 million barrels of oil and diesel fuel from its stockpiles, which could, you know, help prices.

32:53Okay, here's what he said. We have a very good relationship with Europe, and they wanted to do it because they have a lot of diesel. They use diesel, and they had a lot of diesel. I said it would be great if you put it out to the markets. They did it. Okay, so does this take a talking point away from Democrats now that Europe has released this diesel, or does it not?

33:19This is not a talking point from our standpoint in terms of the affordability crisis. It's reality. Everyday Americans are struggling. Life is way too expensive. You've got millions of folks working hard, playing by the rules, can't thrive, can barely survive. People are drowning in this failed Trump economy. And we've got to do something about it across the board. We have to lower the price of groceries, lower the price of gas, lower the price of housing. We're fighting to make health care affordable for every single American. And Republicans clearly have done damage to the economy. The Trump tariffs have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year.

34:02And this reckless war of choice in the Middle East has skyrocketed gas prices. So, no, it's too little, too late. The damage has been done. There's going to be one way to reverse it, and that's to make sure that we retire these Republican majorities in the House and in the Senate. So New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani is doubling down on his call for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be arrested over the war in Gaza. You mentioned the war in Iran, but this is his call for him to be arrested, urging the United States to join the International Criminal Court, the ICC, to help make it happen.

34:36And he said this during Theo Vaughn's podcast. I'll play it for you, Leader. I believe that the U.S. government should join the ICC. It should enforce its warrants for everyone that has been issued. And when it comes to the prime minister, it's been issued for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes. When you ask me about the prime minister, we're talking about the architect of a horrific genocide. But if you had your say, we would have arrested the guy, you think? If I had my say, the U.S. government would have joined the ICC, honored every single warrant that they've issued. Yeah.

35:10Do you agree with Mayor Momdani? Well, what I can say, I haven't talked to him about this particular foreign policy issue, or for that matter, any foreign policy issue. He's done a great job. He's gotten off to a great start as mayor of New York City, keeping the city safe and fighting for a more affordable New York. When it comes to the issue in the Middle East, I think what's clear to me is that one, we can never allow another October 7th to happen, and we can never allow the type of death, devastation and destruction that has occurred in Gaza over the last three years to happen. We need to figure out a path toward a just and lasting peace with a safe and secure Israel, a Jewish democratic state living side by side with a Palestinian state with dignity and self-determination for the Palestinian people.

36:05Leader Hakeem Jeffries, I appreciate your time and thank you very much for being with us tonight. And next, Pope Leo urging the world to fight back, a fight that he says is necessary in order to safeguard our humanity. Plus, out front celebrating 15 years tonight. And the team is surprising me on set. Jamie, I don't think Jamie knows who it is either, surprising us with special guests who are waiting where we cannot see them, and we'll find out together who they are live.

36:53Okay, we can afford that. You know what? Forget the music budget. We're going to stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task. Unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website, to marketing, to selling, and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need.

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37:43Breaking news, major developments in the Cornell University alleged gang rape case. The New York Attorney General, Letitia James, the newly named special prosecutor in the case, is now saying there is an active criminal investigation into the allegations at a Cornell University fraternity house in October 2024. Keep in mind, up until then, what we've been talking about in recent days has been civil. And this comes as Jane Doe's attorney is speaking out. Jason Carroll is out front. What we learned yesterday raised even more troubling questions about what was done and not done. after this young woman came forward.

38:19New York's governor visibly angry and focusing her ire on the Tompkins County District Attorney and the Cornell Police Department. In what world would the police learn from a victim that she'd been literally gang raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney? Governor Hochul referred to crucial statements Jane Doe allegedly made to Cornell police in 2024. A New York Times report showed, according to a university internal investigation, Jane Doe allegedly told campus police, I can say with 100 % confidence I was raped. That allegation was not included in what university police handed over to the district attorney.

39:05Them sending a partial record over is, in my judgment, a failure. Announcing she had lost faith in the DA, the governor also appointed Attorney General Letitia James to lead the investigation. Every New Yorker deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly, that they will be seen and heard. According to the New York Times report, there were about 120 pages of Jane Doe's interviews with Cornell police and the school's Title IX office. But the Tompkins County District Attorney telling CNN earlier this week he only received a six-page statement, which did not include her explicit rape allegation.

39:52The DA says he supports the governor's decision, saying it has become clear that we were not provided the full picture by the university. I think there was a lot of protection of the university and its reputation. And I don't like the word cover-up, but it feels like a cover-up was going on. Some students here telling us they welcome the attorney general taking over the investigation. Many still critical of the university's response, saying there has not been enough transparency, accusing the university's president of not publicly addressing the issue enough. I think administration needs to talk to our students, not just handle it and let our students have to do it.

40:30On Tuesday, Cornell put out a FAQ page and said campus police investigated the matter in 2024 and shared all investigatory information with the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office. But today, they changed it to say Cornell police shared much less than that. Only the victim's sworn statement and the Snapchat with the DA's office. We visited the university president's office today, but were unable to meet him, and he did not respond to our multiple calls requesting for an interview. Now, the investigation in the hands of the state. Every parent who sends their child off to college expects them to be safe.

41:10And if something terrible happens, the student deserves to know that the people they turn to will listen to them, protect them, and fight for them.

41:22And Aaron, we're learning more information about what was going on at the Chi-Fi house before Jane Doe ended up there that night. According to Cornell Police and according to Title IX investigation, in the days leading up to just before Jane Doe ended up there, one person apparently had overdosed on ketamine at the house, and on another day, someone was arrested, a drug-related arrest at the house. So that just gives some more insight into the type of behavior that was going on just before Jane Doe ended up there that night. Erin? Yes, some pretty important insight. All right. Thank you very much, Jason.

42:03And also tonight, Pope Leo taking on AI with a call to action, posting, in this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgent to distinguish human art from what machines produce. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity. Safeguard our humanity. I mean, that is a crucial context, as the Pope's comments come after the New York Times reported that in a series of private meetings, Anthropic consulted religious scholars to help instill morality into its AI models and make the case to them that Claude could be conscious, that Claude was capable of morality and suffering.

42:47Pope Leo making it clear that only humans possess humanity. Next, Outfront celebrating 15 years, and I am told that we have some special guests next.

43:07So tonight, we're celebrating 15 years on the air. It was October 3rd, 2011, that we set Outfront tonight for the very first time. Hello, everyone. I'm Erin Burnett. First night out of the gates. Great to be here. And we were a new show, a new team. But you know, it's amazing when you look at that. I mean, so many of those faces are still with us today. Over the past 15 years, we've done a whole lot of fun things. And we've gone to places where news is breaking. Live in Kabul, Afghanistan. Good evening from Seoul, South Korea. Live from Paris. Live from Cuba. I'm live in Rwanda. Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett, live in Ukraine.

43:50So to celebrate our anniversary, our team, as I mentioned, is surprising me with this next segment. We had agreed because, you know, surprises can make you a little leery on air. You know what's going to happen on live TV. But I am reading this script for the first time on air. I did not go in the rundown. I did not look. So it just literally says, so let's get to it, guys. Surprise me. Okay, Erin. Let's walk in our first guest. Bring him in. punch camera four in the box. Oh, I knew. I had a feeling. You knew that one? All right. Well, you know, we've got more surprises coming, but congratulations.

44:28Day one, day one, John Avalon was here. 100%. 100%. And we've got two other special guests for you as well who were also here on day one. Talking about Kevin Madden and Bill Burton. Kevin Madden? Oh my God. Hi, guys. Check it out. Happy anniversary. And you all look better. You all look better. We all have aged like fine wine. Like fine wine. I might be corked. You guys haven't aged a day. I mean, Avalon, you've got to share your skin routine or something with everybody. The Greek genes. And me and Burton, it's like a cautionary tale. It's like, don't ever work on campaigns, kids. That's good advice.

45:09That's good advice. Honestly, that's the gray area. Look at that split screen. Oh, man, check that out. I know. And I remember, Kevin, I remember that moment. I do, too. Oh, my gosh. So the team, you know, the out front team has went to the way back machine to pull some clips. You know, because we were with you the first night, 15 years ago tonight. But this was from a debate, a presidential debate, back when politics seemed comparatively sane. And you're going to see Bill and Kevin going at it. Let's roll it. Well, I think oftentimes these debates are a contest of who can be the most presidential.

45:40And oftentimes when you are doing an introduction to the American electorate about your foreign policy ideas, your vision, your credentials, this is a time to show a command and control of the issues and to make sure that people know that they could envision seeing you in the presidency, but they can envision seeing you getting that 3 a.m. call in the Oval Office as president. Which one of these candidates could actually sit in the Oval Office? Who could be in that iconic photo from the Situation Room when the president put in the order to kill Osama bin Laden? And, you know, I think that the question that people are going to have is who's got the guts to make the tough calls?

46:21How times have changed, right? By the way, Kevin, your hair is better now. I want my dark hair back. No, I actually think you look better. It kind of makes me better to say that, but it is true. I think you do. I think you do look better. By the way, it is amazing, John, just sitting there watching this and watching them, how quaint, how innocent, with the way the tone is now. Well, that's kind of the amazing thing, right? I mean, Kevin, you're talking about who has the sense of command and character to be president. You think things have changed a little bit? Yeah, I mean, sometimes it's like looking back at the silent era of film when you think about these debates.

46:58And yeah, it's changed, though, right? Like voters now, they're much less interested in these the old threshold questions of commander in chief and presence in the Oval Office. Now it's like more about relatability. It's more about is a candidate going to fight for me? And that has really changed the full landscape of how we wage our politics today. You're built. I mean, you know, I also will say, oh, sorry, John, go ahead. Go ahead. I want to get your take on how not your hair has changed, but how American politics has changed. I just, to your credit, Aaron, I think you look at that conversation, it's two people just making arguments and debating who's right and wrong, not just who's good and evil.

47:40And, you know, in a business that rewards people who yell the loudest, you've been able to have the longest running show on CNN's evening lineup doing exactly the opposite. And I think you're to be commended for that. And it's a great place to come and just debate ideas. remember when politics was that i mean but you honestly you have kept faith with that you have made people smarter as we've done along with you john from the very beginning i mean i think about it all these years right i think that's when we met i mean we yeah right as we were getting ready for the show right pretty much years but then friendship and families and all the things that have happened no kids at the time you know we it was a different lifetime but there's another clip the team pulled uh that i think speaks just to that let's roll it

48:28Because that could mean more downgrades and more downgrades. Maybe not now, people, but soon will mean much higher interest rates. John Avalon, do you think they get it? They apparently don't because they're playing chicken again. They're coming up to the cliff. And this is pathetic. This is a self-inflicted crisis. They had the mandate to do something and do it big. Here's the added urgency they need. The world's sole superpower cannot be the world's largest debtor nation indefinitely. This is a chance to turn it all around. If they fail, it will be a black mark on our nation, and we will be back at this negotiation again.

49:01The debt ceiling. That was 2011. The debt was$15 trillion. Now it's$40 trillion. Wow. And you know what? But what we were saying there is true, right? The piper will be paid. We're seeing it now when you... I mean, you all, right? We see it with interest rates. We see it with the dollar. I mean... Maybe it took longer than some people would have thought. But the piper's going to get paid, and now the bond market seems like it's the only guardrail left in Washington. And, John, the generation that we warned would bear the burdens of this are now coming into power more. And that's why you see a lot of these folks on the left and right becoming much more animated about taking on the establishments in their party.

49:42So we don't know if we're on the verge of a solution yet, but maybe that's where we're headed. well Erin congratulations to you to the whole Outfront team for making us smarter for 15 years and we love you well and thanks to you all all three of you and and just you know like I said the friendships and partnership with John Avalon over these years and it's wonderful to have a day like this where you can just appreciate everyone so thank you you are appreciated thanks so much to all of you the three of you and all of you for being part of this with us it means so much right it's not just our careers It's part of our lives.

50:20So thanks for being with us for all of it. AC360 starts now. This holiday, all plans, even unlimited, are just$15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song, like All I Want. Right. Okay, we can afford that. You know what? Forget the music budget. We're going to stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for a 12-month plan required,$15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy.

50:54See terms.

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