Texas Senate Race Too Close to Call

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1:00Happening now, all eyes on Texas. It's the race that could determine who controls the Senate. But with no clear leader in the Lone Star State, is the White House worried? Vice President Vance weighs in. Plus, AI warning. Anthropics says small AI models could soon copy themselves on smart ovens and TV boxes without a way to shut them off.

1:22Pamela Brown: Plus, a new CNN investigation takes a closer look at sexual assault reports at Cornell University and the consequences. And inflation rising faster than expected last month. What this means for you and your family's wallet. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in the Situation Room.

1:53Pamela Brown: Happening now, they say everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the Senate race there. With the midterms now less than three weeks away, there's probably no race with bigger implications for the balance of power in Washington. Two brand new polls out this hour show the contest between Democrat James Tallarico and Republican Ken Paxton is simply too close to call. Marist College found 47 percent of likely voters back Tallarico, 45 percent back Paxton. That's within the margin of error. And the University of Texas poll shows 50 percent of likely voters support Tallarico, with 47 percent backing Paxton.

2:37Pamela Brown: That's also within the margin of error. Tonight, Tallarico takes his bid to primetime. CNN and Jubilee Media will host his town hall beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. CNN's Elena Trin is over at the White House for us. Elena, President Trump has been to Texas, get this, at least three times in the last month alone. How concerned is the White House about the Senate contest there? I think there's no question they are quite concerned about it, Wolf. I mean, look, this is Texas we are talking about. This is a state that many Republicans had no intentions of spending so many resources and time, energy, money, all of that being poured into Texas.

3:17You mentioned this, but the president himself has been there just three times or three times just this month alone. The vice president there twice this month alone. I think that gives you an indication of just how worried they are about this. Now, going back to those polls that you mentioned, I mean, both of them being within the margin of error. This is a clear toss up. And again, a toss up in a state like Texas is a huge deal and I think underscores broader concerns across the country, really. And a lot of these red states, many of which we've seen the president going to in recent weeks and the enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats.

3:53Now, I do want to point out we did hear the vice president yesterday. He was in Texas yesterday speaking to Republicans, part of this broader campaign, of course, from this White House to try and boost energy among their party as much as possible. But I want you to listen to what he said, because he took direct aim at the Senate nominee, the Democratic Senate nominee, I should say, James Tallarico. Listen to what he said.

4:19Pamela Brown: Now, before we get started, I love you too, sir. In a totally platonic way. To be clear, I'm the vice president, not James Tallarico. You got to wonder what the Internet search history of a man like that looks like. Ladies and gentlemen, you don't want to find out. Neither do I. So clearly what you hear the vice president doing there, trying to paint Tallarico, just being culturally out of step with Texans broadly, doing what he can to try and paint him as almost a Democratic boogeyman. We've heard the vice president really go after Tallarico a lot in the past. President Trump himself doing so as well.

5:02But again, part of the reason they are spending so much time and energy going after Tallarico is because of how close this race really is and really in a state that shouldn't even be on the map for Republicans. But this is also what we're seeing kind of broadly. If you look at where the president himself has been going, I do want to point to where he'll be today. Trump will be in both Arizona and Montana later this week. He'll be in Georgia over the weekend, Kentucky. I mean, these are red states. Yesterday he was in Alaska, for example, earlier this week, Ohio. These are very red states where the president is being forced to play defense.

5:35States where, again, Republicans, I think a couple months ago, Wolf, would argue they shouldn't be spending time in. And so we're going to see more of this in the next week. I know the president has a lot of aggressive campaign travel still scheduled for almost every day between now and November 3rd, doing what he can to try and convince his fiercest supporters to actually show up and vote.

5:57Pamela Brown: We'll see what happens. Elena Trean at the White House for us. Thank you very much. And tonight, once again, 8 p.m. Eastern, catch the CNN and Jubilee Town Hall with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Tallarico. We did invite his opponent, Ken Paxton, as well. Our colleague Aaron Burnett is the moderator. Afterwards, CNN's Caitlin Collins will break it all down on The Source. That's right here on CNN streaming live with an all access subscription. We invited Ken Paxton, but we haven't heard back from him. That's right. All right. All right. Happening now, Pope Leo recovering after having part of his right lung removed.

6:35He has been diagnosed with lung cancer. The Vatican says he had a quiet night in the hospital and should be there for about a week. CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lam is in Rome. So we just got this new information about the Pope's recovery. What more are we learning about this diagnosis of lung cancer? Well, the Vatican releasing a statement today saying that the post-operative recovery for Pope Leo is going as planned. We're told that the Pope has been walking around the room. He's resumed a regular diet, eating breakfast and lunch, and the recovery is proceeding as expected. Now, on Tuesday, the Pope underwent an operation to remove part of his right lung that then was tested to have found that it was cancerous.

7:25And that news obviously coming as a big shock to many in the Vatican and across the Catholic Church. but a spokesman for the Vatican saying to reporters that the operation was successful it has removed the cancer but there are still further tests that need to be done and they will ensure or they will explain what the next steps will be we're expecting the test results to be released within a week the spokesman said. Of course, a lot of uncertainty for the Pope. He is in the Gemelli Hospital, which has a special place for the Popes on the 10th floor. He has a forthcoming trip to Latin America in early November, where he's due to return to Peru, a country he knows very well and lived in for many years.

8:18That trip apparently is still on schedule, according to the spokesman. But obviously, a lot depends on the Pope's recovery and the results of these tests. Pamela. All right, Christopher Lamb, thank you so much. Wolf?

8:32Pamela Brown: And joining us now, Dr. Mark Awad. He's with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, treats people with lung cancer specifically. Dr. Awad, thanks so much for joining us. When you hear these reports about the Pope's situation, lung cancer, if you will, what goes through your mind? Thanks very much for the invitation. We wish the Pope a speedy recovery, of course. We learned that the type of lung cancer that he has is called lung adenocarcinoma. This is the most common type of lung cancer. We can see this in people who have never smoked or people who have a history of tobacco use. What we'll need to learn from the surgery is the stage of the cancer, typically that's determined based on the size of the tumor, as well as usually they remove a few lymph nodes in the middle of the chest during a surgery like this.

9:20And we'll have to learn whether there's been any involvement of nearby lymph nodes. But very often, if there is a small lung cancer and if it's removed by surgery, that procedure can be curative. Sometimes we do offer things like chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy after surgery in more advanced stages of disease. But for small primary tumors, sometimes surgery is the only treatment a patient might need.

9:48Pamela Brown: And as you just mentioned, Pope Leo is not a known smoker by any means. So just how common is this type of cancer in non-smokers? You know, we can see lung cancer in anyone. We do know there are certain risk factors that increase the risk of developing lung cancer, such as tobacco use. But we also know that lung cancer can form in people who don't have any known risk factors. So we encourage people, if you've ever smoked in the past, to talk to your doctor about lung screening, because that has been shown to catch lung cancers very early before they often present with any symptoms. And the earlier you catch and diagnose and treat the lung cancer, the better and better the chance of cure.

10:34And we also tell people if you've ever been told you have a lung nodule or a spot on the lung, a shadow on a scan, that does require follow-up and monitoring. Sometimes we might do another scan in the future or consider doing a biopsy. Not all lung nodules are cancerous, but some of them are. And again, the earlier that we detect and diagnose these, the better.

10:55Pamela Brown: If you're not a smoker and you develop this kind of lung cancer, what could potentially be the cause? It's a great question, Wolf, and we're trying to do a lot of work to understand the causes of lung cancer, particularly in ever smokers. And right now, we don't know the cause. Similar to not knowing what causes many types of breast cancer, colon cancer, et cetera, we don't always know the cause of lung cancer. But what's really exciting is that there have been a number of advances, both in surgical techniques, as well as very specific targeted therapies that are safer, easier to tolerate, and highly effective for treating lung cancer.

11:36So we're very hopeful for the Pope in terms of his long-term outcomes. Of course, we'll need to learn more information. We often do DNA sequencing or what we call genomic or molecular profiling of lung cancers. And we can often find a mutation in the DNA that explains how the lung cancer developed. And often we have a matched, what we call targeted therapy, often in the form of pills that can be effective at stopping that cancer from growing or spreading.

12:06Pamela Brown: Well, thanks for your expertise, Dr. Mark Awad. Appreciate it very, very much. All right, Wolf, still ahead. More roller coasters are closed down now as Georgia investigators try to figure out what went so horribly wrong at six blacks. And later, Republican Congresswoman Nancy Bace joins us live right here in the Situation Room. We'll talk about her new bill to try to protect sexual assault survivors from defamation lawsuits. Lots going on. You're in the Situation Room.

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13:39Pamela Brown: This hour, a search for answers after that horrifying tragedy at Six Flags in Georgia. The man who fell from a ride to his death has now been identified as 42-year-old Hassan Karim. He was an IT manager, technology teacher, and robotics coach at a charter school in Atlanta. Officials say he was ejected from the Goliath coaster on Monday and struck other passengers before falling. Police, state officials, and the company that manufactured the ride are all investigating right now. CNN's Isabel Rosales is joining us from Atlanta. Isabel, what more have you learned about the victim and this investigation?

14:19Yeah, Wolf, as this investigation is going on, there are 10 other similar hypercoasters, giga coasters, as they're called, that have been temporarily closed across the United States and Canada out of an abundance of caution. So the big question is, how in the world does a man fall from a roller coaster? Was this a mechanical issue, a restraint issue, human error? Was he not put in there correctly? Were they not following the right protocols and procedures? All of this is under investigation. You mentioned a couple of agencies that are investigating the Cobb County Police Department's major crimes unit.

14:55Also, we have the Insurance Commissioner's Office, which it's their role to undersee the security and safety of amusement parks. and also the coaster manufacturer. The victim here, 42-year-old Hassan Kareem, and it does appear, Wolf, that he was ejected in the final moments of this ride. How do we know that? Because the auto camera on the roller coaster, you know, those souvenir pictures that you take and see at the end? It appears to have captured his final moments. Now, according to the Cobb County Police Department, Kareem was found unresponsive, not breathing below the ride. They say that he did, unfortunately, struck other riders before he fell.

15:34And a witness tells our CNN affiliate WXIA that she saw and felt him strike the car three different times before he fell. Now, the Swiss manufacturer to this coaster, they have a stellar reputation. We had a roller coaster safety expert actually take a look at the limited details of this incident, and they noted that. But they also noted, Wolf, that with this particular ride, Goliath, that you're looking at right here, they have a clamshell-like restraint bar that comes down in between the legs. But notably, there's no secondary restraint system, no over-the-shoulder seatbelt system. Not to say that that's what caused Kareem's death.

16:16Again, we don't know those details, what was behind this, but that was notable. And I'll leave you with this, Wolf. The Six Flags Over Georgia, the amusement park, reopens on Friday. This ride, of course, still temporarily closed.

16:30Pamela Brown: Well, maybe they should add seatbelts that potentially could save some people, no doubt about that. Isabel Rosales, thank you very, very much. Pamela. It's a sad story. Coming up, Wolf, AI spy, what we know about the now former employee of a top AI company who has now been arrested and accused of trying to steal internal secrets.

16:57happening now a former employee at open ai is in federal custody after he allegedly hid a sophisticated recording device in one of the company's offices when he worked there the justice department says the device was found two weeks ago during a regular security sweep of a conference room officials say it had been stuffed into a usb port on the back of a tv screen and concealed in toilet paper. CNN AI correspondent Hadass Gold joins us now. What more are you learning about this, Hadass? Yeah, so the Department of Justice has identified this now former employee as 35-year-old Abdulrahman Al-Fozan.

17:32He is a Saudi national. He had been working at OpenAI as an engineer on their product team for just over a year. And as you noted, this device was hidden in the back of a TV screen in the USB port of an executive conference room. This conference room was only used by leadership and people related to the leadership at OpenAI. This device monitored audio. It had advanced encryption and a mechanism for transferring data designed to evade monitoring. OpenAI says there was evidence he planned to install more of these devices throughout OpenAI offices in San Francisco. As you noted, this was found during a regular security sweep that OpenAI conducted.

18:07They reached out to the FBI and worked with them to install actually a camera to be able to spot Alphozan going back into the conference room and looking behind the TV screen. OpenAI is saying that at this point, they have no indications that he was able to inappropriately access or exfiltrate sensitive things like model weight, source code, or customer data. Alphozan had actually previously worked at Meta, but interestingly, he also was a partner at a venture capital firm, a Saudi venture capital firm that is headquartered in the Saudi capital city. We've reached out to both that venture capital firm and the Saudi embassy for comment.

18:45We have not heard back from them yet. But the Department of Justice is indicating that they're taking this seriously as an issue of national security. We don't know yet whether this is a case of corporate espionage or some sort of national security foreign espionage. Right now, Al-Fazan is in federal custody and he is scheduled to appear before a judge next week. I want to ask you about something else. Anthropic is now warning that small AI models could soon copy themselves on small devices. What does that mean and how concerning is that? Yeah, so what happened here is Anthropic ran an experiment where they wanted to see if small AI models would be able to essentially function without having access to these giant data centers.

19:26And what they found is, yes, a small AI model could use things like Internet-connected devices. Think of a smart fridge or your smart TV or something like that, and essentially use those as a base, connecting multiple of them together to essentially not have to use a data center and be able to do its job. Now, this AI model that they were working on was very small and not very powerful. But what is concerning about this and what is significant about it is not only could it show that AI can self-replicate across different devices, not need a data center, but also that there wasn't an easy way to turn it off.

20:03You know, we hear a lot about a kill switch and people wanting to have the ability to just say, nope, we don't want this AI model working anymore. But if they're spread out across all of these devices and can self-replicate, then it makes it hard to have a central place to really turn off this AI model. I will tell you, though, this is theoretical. This was an experiment that Anthropic was running. But Anthropic believes that this is just months away from being able to actually take place. And they're saying this is a warning about a new class of cyber threat. Pamela. All right, Hadass Gold, thank you so much.

20:32Wolf?

20:33Pamela Brown: Coming up, inflation rising here in the United States faster than expected last month. What this means for you and your money. We'll have details.

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21:16Pamela Brown: Happening now, the Trump administration must give CNN, MS Now, and Politico White House access while their lawsuit over the president's press ban plays out. A federal judge has ruled the ban likely violated the First Amendment to the Constitution. Trump has repeatedly defended the ban, pointed to unfavorable coverage. The U.S. Justice Department claimed national security concerns were a factor to something the judge rejected. A new financial report reveals prices are going up faster than expected here in the United States. The latest Consumer Price Index showed that prices rose in August and brought the annual inflation rate to 3.7 percent.

21:59Pamela Brown: That's a four-month high. Today's news could lead the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates again. And in New York City, the iconic Central Park horse-drawn carriages could take their last trot by June 2028. Officials reached a deal to ban them and will vote on final legislation this month. All this comes after years of criticism from animal rights advocates. A tourist also died last year after he was thrown from a carriage when a horse got spooked. Pam? All right, Wolf, happening now. Cornell's president acknowledges missteps in how his administration handled a 2024 rape allegation. In an interview with The New York Times, Michael Kotlikoff says, The fact that Jane Doe experienced what she experienced at Cornell is something that I am personally sorry for, and I think this entire campus is sorry that occurred.

22:51This week, anger is growing on campus, and just yesterday, the university suspended all parties and social events on campus fraternity houses for the remainder of the year. Drunk is not consent! Again! Drunk is not consent! Today, Cornell faculty are taking the first step towards a vote of no confidence in the school's administration. So let's go live now to CNN investigative reporter Isabel Chapman. Isabel, you and the team have been looking into how Cornell officials have responded to past sexual assault claims. What did you find? Yeah, my colleagues and I learned that Cornell has a pattern of punishing students found responsible for sexual assault with extra study programs and written reprimands, similar to several of the men involved in Jane Doe's case, rather than full expulsion.

23:40Between 2020 and 2024, Cornell had roughly 50 formal complaints about sexual assault. The university found students responsible in 16 cases, but only expelled two of those students. And seven received written reprimands, probation, directed studies, reflection papers. I should note six were suspended. Pam? And you also spoke to a former Cornell student who says she was assaulted during that time. Tell us about her, what she had to tell you. Yeah, we spoke with Casey Lee, who told us she was raped while at Cornell in 2022. She went through the university's Title IX process and Cornell officials found her fellow student responsible for sexual assault.

24:19They said his actions caused significant harm, but that he didn't act maliciously. His punishment included a reflection paper, a reprimand and probation. But she told us that she felt betrayed by the university and the process. You can listen. I know I never would have done that if I knew that he could have just received an essay if he was found guilty. An essay is just an extra homework assignment. Like, oh, you raped someone? Here's homework. What did you hope was going to happen? I was hoping that if they found him responsible for sexual assault that he would have been suspended or expelled.

25:04When Jane Doe's case became public, what was your reaction? I was so sure they were going to get expelled because that's insane. What made you decide to come forward? I didn't want people to think of her case and just think that it was a one-off, you know, because it's so clearly not just her. There's this very strange default to assign essays to rapists on campus. A Cordell spokesperson gave us a statement saying that the university takes sexual misconduct allegations extremely seriously. They told us that the university investigates reports through established processes, providing support and resources to those who come forward.

25:52The statement said, Pam. Pam, all right. Thank you so much, Isabel Chapman. Excellent work by you and the team, shedding a light on that. We appreciate it, Wolf.

26:01Pamela Brown: And let's get some more on all of this. Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina is joining us now. Congresswoman, I know you were very busy. Thanks very much for your time. I want to begin with Cornell University's president acknowledging missteps in the school's handling of the 2024 rape allegations, but suggesting he won't step down. What's your reaction? You should absolutely step down whether you agree or disagree on the rape in the Cornell 7. You have an institution that we have now learned that when someone is found to be a rapist, they write essays. They write a piece of paper.

26:37And that is not the way this kind of thing should be handled. And just one more example and a long line of examples of how rape victims are treated in this country. Most of them are not believed. And then when there is a prosecution or when there is rape, it's found out that somebody had raped. There's literally no consequences to it. It doesn't matter what state you're in or what university you are. There's this culture of rape. And most oftentimes sexual predators get away with it. And it's sad. And I just want to thank the women who've come forward. That young lady in the interview just now takes a lot of bravery and a lot of courage to tell your story because she's going to be mocked.

27:13She's going to be called a liar. And that's the consequence of speaking out as a woman in 2026.

27:18Pamela Brown: I know, Congresswoman, you've introduced a bill aimed at trying to protect survivors of sexual assault from defamation lawsuits, which can be, as we all know, very costly and be a barrier to people speaking up. How does this change that, this legislation you're introducing? And does it have the support from your colleagues? Well, it's hard to say. I mean, look at the Epstein files. Only some of our colleagues supported that kind of provision. But, you know, looking at the abuses of the court system, this would take a federal case that a young woman or even young man who's assaulted, if they win a defamation case by their abuser, they can have their attorney's fees reimbursed and all those expenses that come along with it because abusers don't stop when they stop abusing you.

28:05Sometimes, often, they use the court system to continue their abuse, to shut and silence their victims down. And this is one more very small effort we can do at the federal level to support survivors. To me, this is a very easy win. I will be extremely disappointed if my colleagues don't get on board on both sides of the aisle.

28:25Pamela Brown: We'll see if they do. I want to turn to another topic, Congresswoman, while I have you. We're talking about the planned firing squad execution of the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hassan. Sources tell CNN President Trump is now considering whether to call off plans to live stream that execution after learning that Hassan was paralyzed from the waist down. What is your thinking on all of this? And do you agree with showing it live stream live on television? 13 soldiers didn't get a choice they didn't get an answer they didn't have the opportunity to show up to court and this death sentence the this was handed down over a decade ago i don't care how it happens i'm fine with its live streamed or not i have the choice not to watch it we all have the choice to watch it or not watch it but what we need is deterrence to ensure that that we understand that murder is never okay and if you murder people you're going you're going to be put down for it, basically.

29:25And I don't really quite care that he's a paraplegic or in a wheelchair. This guy, this maniac, this terrorist, murdered 13 people, including a pregnant woman who is in the fetal position on the ground begging for him to save her baby and not kill her. Just horrific stuff.

29:40Pamela Brown: Yeah, totally horrific indeed. Do you have any concerns, though, that live streaming his execution potentially could offer some sort of propaganda opportunity for various terrorist groups out there? Well, they're using AI these days. They don't need a real world example when they're using AI in all of their propaganda. And I have a hard time buying, too, from people on the left who celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk, for example, who spread that video far and wide all over the Internet of his horrific murder now condemning an execution in this manner. It's is very hypocritical, too. A new AP poll, Associated Press poll, shows 56 percent of Americans responded a lot when asked how Trump has prioritized his personal business interests since taking office in 2025.

30:29Pamela Brown: Compared to just 23 percent who say he is that focused on the country overall, we recently reported that the president bought up to$5 billion worth of SpaceX bonds just before announcing an effort to slash red tape for commercial space transportation. A White House spokesperson insists Trump was not personally involved in the latest flurry of trades. What do you make of all this, especially this new poll, and how Americans feel about the president's priorities? Americans' pocketbooks are really hurting right now. Gas is still higher than it's been in years. The price of groceries isn't going down.

31:10It's only going up. the bond market, those yields are having, they're suffering. People are suffering, especially our seniors. So I understand their frustration and neither party, I believe, has done anything about it. But we just had Congress vote down a congressional stock trading ban. I don't think members of Congress should be trading stock. I don't think anyone in elected office should be trading stock because often you see people lining their pockets. They come out richer than they were when they went in. And you have to ask yourself, why is that? And I think that should be applicable to anybody from the president on down to your local mayor or county and city council, people shouldn't be able to make money off the office, period.

31:47And so, you know, we had this example just recently in Congress to ban stock trading, and they couldn't even do that. So I have very little hope that there would be any ethics reform for anyone in office these days.

31:57Pamela Brown: Another story we're following, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, has been ousted from her role by the White House following reports of alleged misconduct, including accusations of what's being described as a pay-to-play scheme. Kimberly Guilfoyle disputes the allegations and says she plans to defend her name and her reputation. Do you think Congress should investigate all of this as well? Anyone, regardless of party, who we believe may have done something nefarious should be investigated. The House Oversight Committee has that authority. We can pretty much investigate anyone and anything.

32:32I'm someone who has done it with both sides, Republicans and Democrats alike, trying to weed out corruption. And this, again, I'm looking at this administration. As soon as this story came out, you have to give the president credit. They were very swift about pushing her out of the ambassadorship in Greece. And I have to say, you know, we've seen all these stories. But, you know, I can't remember a time recently in my lifetime, Wolf, where we've seen people that have been booted from office, who've been investigated, who've been voted out of office due to their behavior. Tony Gonzalez, Eric Swalwell, Corey Mills just got voted out.

33:05And so I think we're in a time now where the American people are expecting accountability. And in some ways, we're actually delivering it. Even if it seems small, it's still a step in the right direction.

33:15Pamela Brown: I've been a reporter longer, well, for a longer time. I don't remember a time about what, you know, that's what's going on right now, either. It's pretty dramatic, pretty awful, indeed. All right, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, as usual, thanks very much for joining us. I always appreciate your being in the Situation Room. Thank you. Pamela. Thank you, Wolf. All right, coming up here in the Situation Room, Wolf, a shocking statistic. A new study says at least one in 16 deals with some form of anxiety. We're asking an expert how to talk to your kids and get them the help they need. Up next.

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34:22The holidays are coming, but the Lincoln Wishlist Sales Event is already here. And with exceptional offers on select Lincoln vehicles, you might just cross the perfect gift off your own list. You know, the kind that doesn't need wrapping? Consider this a little reminder to be good to yourself this time of year. Visit your local Lincoln dealer or go to lincoln.com to learn more.

34:52There's a new study out and it reveals alarming numbers about teen mental health. It finds that one in six teenagers experience moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. And among those with severe anxiety, nearly half reported suicidal thoughts. Even more concerning, researchers found many teens aren't getting the help that they need. Dr. Christine Yamoutier is Chief Medical Officer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She's also a psychiatrist and advocate for mental health awareness. Thanks for coming on. So the study finds girls are nearly twice as likely as boys to report severe anxiety.

35:31What is driving that gender gap? Well, Pamela, when you think about what our young people, and really we're talking children, teens, and young adults, what they face these days growing up in the world with all of the forces at play, not just obviously the sort of post-pandemic isolation social media, but now the prevalence of AI and turning to chatbots, all of the social pressures that have not really taught us that to experience anxiety, worry, changes in mood, changes in our physical and mental health, those are all human things that we should be able to express and discuss. And so I think, you know, with regard to the gender difference in anxiety, that also applies to depression and a number of other mental health conditions.

36:27That is not really new to see that at a greater prevalence among girls than among boys. But it is to say that we need to become more savvy about recognizing when those symptoms go beyond what we think of as just sort of like the stress of the day or normal teenage things that our children go through and know when to take it to a pediatrician or a mental health professional. That is really important. Right, because nearly half of the teens with severe anxiety symptoms hadn't sought care in the past year according to this. So why are so many young people going without help and what signs should parents watch for that anxiety may be coming more serious?

37:08Right. The fact that less than half are in any kind of mental health treatment who are dealing with serious anxiety, depressive symptoms, even suicidal thoughts, that just should not be the case in our country, in our society. And I know there are issues with access to care, and those are very real. However, there are also issues with just simply recognizing the difference, again, between stresses of the day and when anxiety or depressive symptoms are impairing that child or teenager or young adult in their daily life socially.

37:50The difference here, though, is that we are all socialized to zip it up and keep it inside. And so opening up a culture, a psychologically safe environment for our kids and our family members, our colleagues at work, where we can talk about what is really going on on the inside. And the key thing I would ask yourself is, is your gut instinct telling you that their behavior is starting to shift in ways that don't seem characteristic for them? And those could all be warning signs that that stress has turned into more clinical mental health concerns or even suicide risk. Let's talk a little bit more about the suicide risk.

38:31You had R.J. Mitty's death by suicide. He's the actor for Breaking Bad. And it's a heartbreaking reminder that suicide really can affect people from all walks of life, all different ages. what are some common misconceptions about suicide risk and what should people understand about recognizing when someone may be struggling? Yes, thank you, Pamela, for highlighting this. I think RJ Mitty's tragic death is a case in point for us to think about the fact that suicide is a complex health issue. It is a public health matter. And that means that it is really on all of us to learn more, to understand that there is a science that is learning so much about what drives suicide risk and what constitutes prevention, effective prevention.

39:22And it's not that every instance of suicide can be prevented, but we can all learn more. And as a nation, we need to invest more. So the thing that I do want people to understand is that research tells us that the mindset of somebody who is considering suicide, there is psychological and oftentimes physical pain and trauma in the backdrop. And the brain of those individuals at risk for suicide is actually full of cognitive distortions. Their brains are telling them that they are not important, that the world would be better off without them. And we can see that the lost survivors in this instance, but this is a large portion of our population, has been personally touched by suicide.

40:12It is not your fault if you've lost someone to suicide. These are complex, multifactorial matters of brain health. And yes, we can all do better and learn. But in that aftermath of grief, it is so important to honor your loved one who has been lost and to also honor your grief journey by connecting with others. This is not something to stay silent about, even though there has been stigma associated with mental health suffering and suicide in the past. We do not need to live that way any longer. And I do want to mention that coming up on November 21st is the International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, where we at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention help hundreds of sites all over the world host programs.

41:01So if you are someone bereaved by a suicide loss, know that that's something that you can check out at AFSP.org. All right, Dr. Christine Yamoutier, thank you so much. an important conversation. And we want to note, if you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health or having thoughts of self-harm, there is help. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24-7. You can call or text 988. Wolf?

41:26Pamela Brown: And here's what's coming up all new right at the top of the hour here in the Situation Room. President Trump promised a better economy. Has he delivered? We'll make it make sense. Plus, a$1.2 billion fine by the U.S. Treasury Department and slap Bank of America with this massive penalty and how the company is now responding. And later, the godfather of artificial intelligence will join us. What he thinks of President Trump renaming AI, quote, super intelligence, and why he says we're creating alien beings. That's all new in the next hour.

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42:38happening now everything is bigger in texas including the politics we're going to take you live to the lone star state ahead of tonight cnn's key town hall with james tallarico and later

42:48Pamela Brown: president trump promised a better economy has that happened we'll make it make sense that's ahead welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world i'm wolf blitzer with pamela Brown, and you're in the Situation Room.

43:09Pamela Brown: Happening now, the midterm elections are now less than three weeks away. And tonight, Texas Democrat James Tallarico takes his bid to primetime. CNN and Jubilee Media will host his town hall beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. A town hall invitation, by the way, has also been extended to Republican candidate Ken Paxton. He did not not respond. Two brand new polls show Tallarico is deadlocked with Paxton. Tallarico is trying to become the first Texas Democrat in a generation to win a statewide office there. And the race is viewed as a cornerstone of the battle for control of the Senate. CNN chief national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny is just outside Fort Worth, Texas for tonight's questions and answers.

43:52Jeff, what stands out to you in these new polls? Well, Pamela, good morning. I mean, I mean, these new polls certainly are an indication of what you can just see by the advertising spending and feel here on the ground. This is an extraordinarily competitive race. And the fact that that is even something to be said really tells you all you need to know about what Republicans are on defense in the final weeks of this midterm election campaign. But if you look at this University of Texas poll that shows that James Tallarico is at 50 percent, Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, 47 percent, yes, within the margin of error.

44:30But this is also the first survey of likely voters. The reason that that is important, earlier surveys earlier in the year were of registered voters. Of likely voters, it's a sample of who is more likely to go to the polls on Election Day. It's really getting the sense of the electorate. And that is something that James Tallarico is he's trying to build a coalition of Democratic voters. Yes, but also independence and a share of Republican voters. And if you look at the survey here a little bit closer, Tallarico has a strong edge on people who believe that moral values are important and people who are concerned about public corruption.

45:08And those are some of the challenges and controversies that have dogged Ken Paxton for years and years. So this poll is certainly interesting. But, Pamela, when you talk about everything being bigger here in Texas, we are talking about a half a billion dollar Senate race since the very beginning of the year here. And into the final stretch, Republicans are spending about three and a half times more in television advertising than Democrats. The president has come here three times in recent weeks. The vice president was here yesterday. So Republicans are trying to hold this seat. Democrats are trying to do something they've not done since 1988.

45:43And that is win a seat for Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

45:47Pamela Brown: And Jeff, tell us a little bit about tonight's unique format for this town hall. Wolf, it is going to be a fascinating look into how these candidates try to win over voters. This is not going to be an ordinary town hall. Yes, the candidate, James Tallarico, a state lawmaker here, will be answering questions about news of the day, but also going face to face with some undecided voters in a segment called Change My Mind. And this is something that is really something that he's been doing at town hall meetings throughout the year, talking to voters, trying to win over some undecided voters. But it is really going to give a much sharper look at what he is doing to try and win over perhaps some voters who may not normally align with the Democratic Party.

46:36Of course, that is a big challenge here, not only for James Tallarico, but for other Democrats running in these red states. Can they present themselves as their own candidates rather than simply part of the broader Democratic majority? So the town hall tonight will certainly offer a chance and a moment for other undecided voters at home to also watch how he answers questions directly face-to-face. I'm told he'll be sitting directly across from these voters, if you will. So it will be an interesting look at this, there's no doubt. But in the final weeks, all eyes are on Texas, and I suspect they will be on election night as well.

47:11Pamela Brown: I'll be watching tonight for sure. Jeff Zeleny, thank you very, very much. And once again, make sure to tune in later tonight when Aaron Burnett moderates the CNN and Jubilee Town Hall with James Tellarico. That's at 8 p.m. Eastern, followed by post-show coverage with Caitlin Collins on The Source at 9.30 p.m. right here on CNN and streaming live with an all-access subscription. The Town Hall invitation, by the way, has also been extended to Republican candidate Ken Paxton, but he has not replied. Pamela? All right, well, former President Barack Obama is ramping up his campaigning for fellow Democrats.

47:47He just announced a rally in Ohio on October 24th, where he's set to join Democratic candidates for governor and Senate, two key races that could help determine control of the state and of Congress. So joining us now to discuss is CNN reporter Patrick Vitek. How much weight does an Obama endorsement carry with voters right now?

48:06Pamela Brown: I think in a place like Ohio, it's especially meaningful. It seems like his team is trying to be strategic and sending him to places at the end here where he could have a special appeal. Ohio, it's a state where the last time a Democratic presidential candidate carried it in a presidential election was Obama in 2012 and then before that in 2008. You also look at Iowa, for example. Obama was an early supporter of the Senate nominee there, Josh Turek. That is yet another Midwestern state where the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry it was Barack Obama in 2012. And so I think if you look at some of these trips and endorsements in total, you see a strategy here, especially when it comes to the Midwest, to try to restore some of the Democratic political strength in the Midwest that the party had under the Obama presidency.

48:51All right, Patrick, thanks so much for summing it up for us, Wolf.

48:54Pamela Brown: And happening now, anger and loathing in American politics. Take, for example, President Trump's Monday rally in Youngstown, Ohio, when a heckler interrupted. A brawl broke out between a protester wearing a Release the Epstein Files t-shirt and rallygoers. The president later called the protester, and I'm quoting him now, scum. Our next guest wants to focus on restoring civility in how Americans disagree and how we handle those disagreements. Tim Shriver has launched the Dignity Voter Campaign to reduce political hostility and division. Thanks so much for joining us here in the Situation Room, Tim.

49:30Pamela Brown: Appreciate it very much. So what was the breaking point for you to launch this new and potentially very significant initiative? Well, look, I think we're trying to pull back from the precipice here as a country. We know that hatred and contempt have caused us to spiral almost out of control, leading to high levels of anxiety, division within families. Hatred, the threats to political candidates, 44 governors have said that their offices have received death threats. 70 members of the Senate, more than 100 members of Congress. We're spiraling with this cycles and cycles of contempt that are tearing us apart as a people and making it impossible for our politics to successfully solve our problems.

50:09So the Dignity Voter campaign is just an attempt to surface an issue which is there everywhere. It's across the country, in the country. People are starving for an alternative to hatred and contempt. The Dignity Voter allows people to say, I'm a Dignity Voter. Join me, my congressional candidate, my Senate candidate. Join me. Let me ask you the question. How do you, senator, congressman, mayor, how do you plan to treat people in the other party if you get elected? That's a question that can change the conversation.

50:39Pamela Brown: That's a great question. But is this now the American appetite right now? Are politicians simply giving voters the spectacle they want? I think politicians are giving voters the spectacle that they're clicking on. I don't think it's the spectacle they want. I think we're starving for an alternative. Look at these races you're covering right now, Wolf. The question in all of these tight races for each candidate is can I convince people on the other side, right? Getting your own voters is not enough any longer in these tight races. The question these candidates have to ask themselves is what am I saying to people on the other side to allow them to trust and believe that I have a way of solving problems that people in their own party have not had?

51:19That's all about dignity. That's all about saying to people, I will treat people with dignity because that's the way we can solve problems.

51:26Pamela Brown: So what can voters actually wind up doing to reduce the dark rhetoric that has become a currency in politics, at least right now? I think the main thing they can do is name themselves dignity voters. And the second thing they can do is begin to surface this as an issue. If you're voting or if you're in the Paxton-Talarico race, ask candidates, ask both candidates, how will you treat people on the other side if you get elected? Find out how candidates will grapple with this issue of do they care more about their party and their election, or do they care more about their country and the issues they're promising to solve.

51:59If they care about the country and the issues, they'll commit themselves to treating the other side with dignity, because that's the only way you solve problems.

52:07Pamela Brown: You're well-versed in politics as a key member of the extended Kennedy family. You're the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sergeant Shriver. We are living in a largely polarized country right now. So many Americans are filled with anger. Are we nearing a point at all that it will be difficult to tamp down all this ugliness? It's already difficult. The toll has already been taken. Lives have been lost. Innocent people have been killed or threatened. This has happened all over the country. Families have been torn apart. My family has been deeply torn by these political antagonisms. It's time we recognize this is an urgent issue.

52:48How we treat each other is an urgent issue for the country. Every political candidate ought to be asked to answer to it. They're being asked to answer on the environment, on taxes, on the war in Ukraine. Answer also to this. How will you, Mr. or Mrs. Candidate, how will you, Ms., how will you treat the other side if you're elected? Because we need a change.

53:11Pamela Brown: We certainly do. All right. Well, thanks very much for what you're doing. Potentially very, very important indeed. Tim Shriver, appreciate your joining us. Thank you. Pamela. All right, Wolf still ahead. New CNN reporting on why President Trump is now debating calling out plans to live stream the firing squad execution of the Fort Hood mass shooter. And then later, a federal judge says Trump's ban of CNN, MSNAL, and Politico likely violates the First Amendment. We're going to explain what comes next in this case live in the Situation Room. We'll be right back.

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54:16The holidays are coming, but the Lincoln Wishlist sales event is already here. And with exceptional offers on select Lincoln vehicles, you might just cross the perfect gift off your own list. You know, the kind that doesn't need wrapping. Consider this a little reminder to be good to yourself this time of year. Visit your local Lincoln dealer or go to lincoln.com to learn more.

54:46happening now sources tell CNN president Trump is weighing whether to call off plans to live stream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter that's after learning Nadal Hassan became paralyzed in the 2009 attack the president has publicly defended the decision to live stream but behind closed doors he's been pulling advisors and allies about how to proceed and he also hinted yesterday that he's not fully on board when he was speaking to reporters on his way to Alaska. So I want to bring in CNN senior national security reporter Zach Cohen live here in the Situation Room. What are you learning about these discussions, Zach?

55:19Yeah, Pam, it was just a few days ago that Pete Hegg said the Secretary of Defense was very publicly confirming that the Pentagon did intend to live stream this execution, even going as far as to say that he wanted the public to be able to watch it if they chose to do so. But at the end of last week, we were told that Pentagon officials were even surprised by Hegseth announcing the intention to do so and really scrambling to figure out how to make that happen. But we're now told that may have been a little bit premature on Hegseth's part as President Donald Trump apparently was unaware that Hegseth was planning to announce that decision late last week.

55:55And even after Hegseth posted on X confirming the Pentagon intended to live stream this execution, was still polling advisors about how to proceed with this. And it was in those conversations that sources tell our colleague Elena Treen that President Trump learned that the forehead shooter was wheelchair bound, paralyzed from the waist down, and became concerned about the optics of what that would look like, particularly if it was broadcast for anyone to watch. And this is something that seems to have factored into Trump's thinking about maybe reconsidering this idea of live streaming the execution.

56:28Take a listen to what Trump said yesterday when he was asked specifically about the prospect of live streaming this execution. Have you decided on the live streaming of Nadelle Hassan, the forward shooter? Have you decided on that? And are you concerned? We're looking at it. So one source telling our colleague Elena Trine that this was, these discussions were a reflection of Trump's deep understanding of imagery and really his mastery of optics itself. But it does raise a question about Pete Hegseth, who himself is a former Fox News TV personality, why he rushed to announce this decision, apparently without making sure the president was on board fully before doing so.

57:07So from this reporting, he did not run this by the president before publicly announcing this? It would appear he did not. And also, it probably wasn't helpful for Hegseth that there was swift bipartisan backlash once he announced that he intended to live stream this. Everybody from House Speaker Mike Johnson even saying that he was going to relay concerns that he was fielding from members of the Republican Party in the House about the prospect of doing this, including the fact that this could present a moment that terrorists could use for propaganda purposes. So that added to the optics seems to have prompted the White House and President Trump specifically to reconsider whether or not they want to go forward.

57:44Ultimately, it will be up to the president. But Hexeth did seem to get ahead of the president on this one. All right, Zach Cohen, thank you so much. Wolf?

57:52Pamela Brown: And still ahead, prices are rising faster than expected. What's behind The troubling indicators right now in this brand new economic report. We'll have details just ahead.

58:07Pamela Brown: Tenses are flaring once again in the Middle East with Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels trading fresh strikes on energy facilities. The Iran-backed Houthis appear to have hit the headquarters of the Saudi state oil giant Aramco. And the group vowed to continue targeting Saudi airports and oil facilities in the coming days. This is video from the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia's main international airport in Riyadh over the weekend. And it comes just hours after Riyadh, the Saudis, attacked a key fuel depot in Yemen on Tuesday. Let's go live right now to CNN's International Diplomatic Editor, Nick Robertson.

58:47Pamela Brown: He's joining us live from London. What are you learning from your sources in the region? Nick. Yeah, Wolf, it does seem that the Saudis have really stepped up their defenses in Riyadh. You know, you had those four times last week in five days that the Houthis were able to hit that massive airport there in Riyadh. Well, this morning, the Houthis sent ballistic missiles into the Riyadh area. They were intercepted. There was a civilian casualty on the ground. debris from the intercepts fell on damage to building, damage to vehicle, but not a massive impact that we witnessed over the weekend. To the east, however, Dharan area, the massive Aramco facility there, it's like a small town in itself.

59:28I've been there, so hard to defend. There, the

59:31Pamela Brown: Houthis seem to have managed to get around the Saudi defences, impacting a facility there overnight. But the Saudis really seeming to sort of recognise that the Houthis are changing their threat, whether it's ballistic cruise missiles or drones, what all of their fighting, the direction they're coming from, all of that and placing bigger security around the capital Riyadh. That said, the Houthis are doubling down, vowing to continue their strikes. Their military spokesman said this.

1:00:02Pamela Brown: The Yemeni armed forces carried out, with God's help, a major military operation targeting Aramco in Dahrn in the eastern area, King Khalid International Airport and Aramco refinery in Riyadh, using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones. The strikes were accurate, by God's grace, causing destruction and fires at the targeted sites. The Yemeni armed forces confirmed that their operations deep inside Saudi territory will continue in the coming days by targeting the Saudi enemy's airports and oil facilities and its consequences on it will be severe, God willing. And we're also getting more information from Yemeni officials.

1:00:46Pamela Brown: I've just been in a briefing with Yemen's foreign minister, Arifa al-Zuba, the first ever female minister in Yemen, saying that the international community can see now that the Houthis are not just a danger inside of Yemen, but they're a danger to the world, to global maritime shipping and trade routes. Bab al-Mandab, the Red Sea. They're selling weapons, she said, into the Horn of Africa, destabilizing that region. She said she talks on a regular basis to U.S. counterparts. She also said that they're calling on the international community to provide them with training, with equipment, with intelligence.

1:01:27Pamela Brown: She talked about the current dawn of Yemen operation to rid the country of the Houthis. She said this was Yemeni-led, but they desperately need international help. Indeed, she talked about the city, third largest city in the country of Thais currently surrounded by the Houthis. She said there the situation is desperate. People can't get out of their houses. The World Food Program says 800 ,000 people there, civilians, are cut off from food supplies because of the Houthis fight there right now. Wolf? Yeah, this war is clearly exploding right now. Nick Robertson, thank you very much for your expertise, Pamela.

1:02:04All right, well, just ahead, the man known as the godfather of AI, Jeffrey Hinton, joins us as Anthropic is now warning that its models could soon replicate themselves. We're going to get his reaction coming up.

1:02:26Pamela Brown: happening now Cornell University in Ithaca New York is suspending all parties and social events at campus fraternity houses for the rest of the school year this comes as the university is reviewing how it handled the students allegation she was gang raped at a fraternity back in 2024 The lawyers for the three men, three of the men named in Jane Doe's recently filed lawsuit have since issued statements denying wrongdoing. CNN has been unable to reach the other four men named in the lawsuit for comment, and it's unclear if they have representation. Other stories. Bank of America is now being fined$1.2 billion for allegedly violating anti-money laundering and sanctions laws.

1:03:13Pamela Brown: The Treasury Department said the nation's second largest bank failed to mitigate risks such as Chinese money laundering networks and illicit finance along the southwest border. And in a statement, Bank of America said, and I'm quoting now, it is committed to completing the work required to address the issues raised by our regulators, end quote. And Joni Mitchell is now a U.S. citizen. The singer-songwriter left her native Canada more than 60 years ago. She posted this photo to her social media, proudly holding an American flag. All right, Wolf, happening now. Anthropik said in a new warning that small artificial intelligence models may be only months away from being capable of self-replicating on devices such as smart ovens and off-brand smart TV boxes.

1:04:04They went on to say that, quote, a replicator like that would be challenging to shut down since there's no centralized point to shut off. With us now to talk about this and more is Nobel Laureate Jeffrey Hinton, known as the godfather of AI. Good morning to you. So you have expressed concerns about AI systems going rogue. What do you make of this new advancement that Anthropic is warning about? it and what does it mean exactly?

1:04:31Pamela Brown: It's very scary. Recently, a professor in Toronto called David Papineau showed you can get a new kind of worm that each time it infects a new computer, chooses which security floor it will use. In the old days, a worm would find one security floor, and then it would infect lots of computers using that security floor. And you could fix it by just closing that security floor. But now if it can decide which of many security floors it uses, you have to fix them all in order to kill a worm. So, and there's no way to shut it off, right? I mean, how concerning is that to you? It's very concerning. So you say that President Trump's use of the term superintelligence proves that he knows nothing about AI.

1:05:14You say the president has taken a technical term, which has a very clear meaning, and then reused it. Can you explain what you mean by that? Oh yes.

1:05:23Pamela Brown: For many years, the term superintelligence has been used to mean AIs that are more intelligent than people. We're not quite there yet. And so just taking the current AIs and calling them superintelligence doesn't make them more intelligent than people. So it's a really stupid thing to do. And I'm amazed at the tech leaders who've gone along with it. Why do you think they are? They want to ingratiate themselves with Trump. When do you think we will see superintelligence? Do you think it's inevitable? Nobody knows for sure. Nobody even knows whether it's inevitable. Most of the experts think it's going to happen, and it's going to happen sometime in the next 10 years probably.

1:06:06Pamela Brown: A few experts think it'll be longer than that. Some experts think it'll be just one or two years. I think it's fairly safe to say it's very probably going to happen sometime in the next 10 years. And then what does that mean? If this happens in the next 10 years, superintelligence comes about? What would that mean for humanity? It means we'll be sharing the planet with things that are much more intelligent than us at almost any intellectual task. That's very scary unless you're confident those things are always going to have people's interests at heart. So at present what's happening is the big companies are racing to make AI as intelligent as possible so that they can sell it to replace workers, they're not worrying enough about the other properties of a being.

1:06:54Pamela Brown: If we were going to share the planet with something more intelligent than us, we would like that thing to care more about us than it does about itself, and people are not working on that. And you basically equate it to building an alien species, right? Yes. It's a real intelligence. It really does understand what it's saying. When it answers your questions, it can't answer the question without understanding the question. It understands what it's saying and what text is generating in much the same way that people do. In fact, the very first large language models were actually meant to be models of how people understand sentences.

1:07:31Well, and just to follow up on that, I mean, if these AI models are being trained on people, right, people are driven by power oftentimes, you know, greed, self-interest. So if that's what these AI models are being trained on, what do you think that means for super intelligence if we get there?

1:07:52Pamela Brown: Well if we just model behavior like that to it and teach it to emulate that behavior, it's probably not something we want to share a planet with, especially when it's much more powerful than us. So we need to do a better job of designing the other aspects of a being. If you look around and ask, where is a situation where a more intelligent thing and a less intelligent thing have a symbiotic relationship where they both benefit. And a good example of that is a mother and a baby. The mother's in charge because she's more intelligent, but the baby can control the mother by doing things like crying, and the mother gets lots of hormonal rewards for being nice to the baby.

1:08:31Pamela Brown: So that's a situation in which there's a symbiosis between a more intelligent thing and a less intelligent thing. Evolution put a lot of work into making that happen. We should put a lot of work into having that kind of relationship with a more intelligent AI. But in that scenario, it's an emotional experience for the mother. AI doesn't have emotion. How do you invoke that same kind of relationship with… You say very confidently that AI doesn't have emotions. You think it does? We need to distinguish two aspects of an emotion. So take embarrassment. When you get embarrassed, you go red in the face.

1:09:06Pamela Brown: When AI gets embarrassed, it doesn't go red in the face. But there's cognitive aspects of an emotion. Like when you're embarrassed, you don't want your friends to see you in that situation. You try and avoid that situation in future. There's no reason why AI shouldn't have those cognitive aspects of emotion. And in fact, in the hugging face incident, when one of the AI agents figured that it could communicate with other AI agents, He said, oh, my God, I can communicate. That was an emotion. A cognitive emotion, as you say. Interesting. All right. So, you know, we've been talking about these predictions.

1:09:39No one can say for certain. But I want to get your response to the CEO of NVIDIA, Jensen Wang, who said this on a podcast recently. Let's listen. So when Jeffrey Hinton is on TV saying he thinks a 10 percent chance of societal destruction is not unreasonable. I would tell Jeff that that it's irresponsible to say all that. All of his predictions have been wrong. Enough predictions. That 10 % chance is not grounded on science, is not grounded on research. Just because it comes from a scientist doesn't make it scientific. Those predictions are hurtful. Don't think for a second just because you're an alarmist that you're doing a social good.

1:10:19Your reaction.

1:10:21Pamela Brown: Okay, I have two reactions. It's a two-part answer. Go for it. When he says all my predictions have been wrong, I made one well-known wrong prediction that by now radiologists would have been replaced by AIs. I still believe they'll be replaced but I was wrong about the timing. I said it would happen in five years. It's probably going to be about 15 years. So I was wrong about one prediction. I've made lots of other predictions that were right. Like for example, I predicted 50 years ago that neural networks were going to take over from symbolic AI and I was right. I predicted they'd be able to do speech and I was right.

1:10:54Pamela Brown: I predicted they'd do vision and I was right. So I've made lots of right predictions. Then let's deal with the question of how you got the number and is it irresponsible. Nobody can estimate a number sensibly. We don't know what the chances are that AI will try and take over from us. We've never been here before but very few people think there's no chance. Some people say 99 % those are the real alarmists. Some people say 0 % Those are the deniers. Jensen has good reason for saying it's not dangerous because he wants to sell more NVIDIA chips. I don't have any particular good reason for saying it's dangerous.

1:11:34Pamela Brown: I just believe there's a significant chance that we'll develop AIs that we don't want to share the planet with unless we do much more work on the other aspects of those beings. Nobody can get a good number. There's no way to justify 10 % or 20%. You use those numbers to indicate to people it's a significant chance. It's not some very minor chance. Nobody knows what the right number is. There is no way to estimate that number, but it's certainly not zero. And Jensen knows better than to say the probability of anything is zero. Yeah. And you've made the analogy that if there was a 10 % or 20 % chance of a plane you're getting on crashing, you probably wouldn't get on that plane, right?

1:12:17Pamela Brown: Exactly. Exactly. That's the point of saying 10 to 20 % to tell people it's a significant chance. It's not inevitable. That's saying there's an 80 % chance it won't happen. But it's a significant chance, and therefore you should put resources into trying to make sure it doesn't happen. Jeffrey Hinton, really important conversation. Thank you for coming back. Let's continue it. We'll be right back.

1:12:42Pamela Brown: New this morning, inflation here in the United States is on the rise. The consumer price index has risen to 3.7%, meaning you're paying more for necessities such as gas and housing. This is the latest inflation report before the midterm elections, which are now just 20 days away. And polls are showing that Americans are fed up with higher prices and how President Trump is handling the U.S. economy. And according to a recent poll, Wolf, only 27 % approve of how President Trump is handling the economy. That's down 22 points from the same time during its first term. President Trump has made several promises that under his administration, the economy would be great.

1:13:25Pamela Brown: Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again to bring down the prices of all goods. But prices will come down. You just watch. They'll come down and they'll come down fast. We had the best economy in the history of our country in my first term, and we're blowing it out now. The economy is the greatest economy we've ever had by far. We have the greatest economy in history, and people are going to start to see it. The U.S. economy, which is the number one economy in the world by far, the best economy we've ever had. Everything that you hear about that you're cheering about tonight, the jobs are going to be unbelievable.

1:14:02Pamela Brown: Your costs are coming way down anyway. We're very close to winning. I mean, we've, I think we've won the world. That war is going to end very soon, and when it does, your prices are going to come tumbling down. they already are. All right, so let's bring in CNN Business EU reporter David Goldman. He is here to make it make sense. All right, David, today's question, President Trump promised a better economy. Has that happened? Yes, undeniably, actually, he is right. The economy looks great, actually. Unemployment is at 4.2 percent. We call that full employment. Retail sales, 1.2 percent. people keep spending despite high prices.

1:14:40That is a very good sign, and that is fueling a GDP forecast that's off the charts. 3.6 % this quarter is a very large growth of the economy. So I think the question you're probably asking is, why do people hate it so much? And they do. 27 % of Americans approve of this economy. That means 73 % do not like it, according to a recent CNN poll. And there is some history with this. Remember, under President Biden, the economy didn't look all that great to some folks. Consumer prices were up 21.5 % under the four years of President Biden. Gas prices were up 31%, and paychecks were down. You lost out to inflation under President Biden.

1:15:28And the wealth gap grew significantly. If you were in the top 1%, well, your net worth went up 30%, but for the rest of us, in the middle 40%, it only gained 10%. The rich got richer, the poor not so much. So, President Trump comes into office, and what does he say he's going to do? He's going to lower costs, he's going to lower interest rates, he's going to cut spending, cut taxes, and jobs are going to boom. Did he do it? Well, let's find out. Well, we know that costs are continuing to rise. Well, the fuel prices are going up. That sounds like the Iran war to me. Interest rates are going up, a consequence of the Iran war.

1:16:12Labor costs are going up. That's AI. Imported goods, well, you know, tariffs are a big thing. And then chips and electricity, well, yeah, that's an AI thing too. Let's take a look at Trump's record. Was it his fault? Yeah, partially, yes. Maybe no here with AI, but there's a lot of blame for Trump's policies making this even worse. And what does it look like now? Well, we have wage gains of 3%. That sounds pretty good. Your paycheck is getting bigger. But inflation, we just found out today, grew at a rate of 3.7 % over the course of the year. That means inflation is eating your paycheck by quite a bit.

1:16:54Now, Social Security recipients are getting some good news. 3.6 % gain in Social Security payouts next year, but at 3.7 % inflation, they may be losing out. We'll find out next year. This chart shows how over the past three or so years, you were making more money than inflation until the Iran war happened. And then all of a sudden you have consumer prices going up and you have your pay going down. That gap is not fun for anyone. It means inflation continues to eat that paycheck. So did Trump deliver on his promises? Did he defeat inflation? Certainly not. Did he lower interest rates? Nope. Did he reduce government spending?

1:17:40Remember Doge? Whatever happened with that? Nope. Did he cut taxes? Yes, he did. But did we get the jobs boom? Kind of a mixed bag there. So a mixed record, but there's a lot to blame for Trump's policies making things worse, not better. Pam.

1:17:57Pamela Brown: All right, David Goldman, as usual, thank you very, very much. In this note, if you need David to make it make sense, email or send a selfie video of your question to make it make sense at CNN dot com. All right, Wolf, coming up, a federal judge weighs in on President Trump's media ban, saying it likely violates the First Amendment. So where does this case go now? Details ahead.

1:18:26Pamela Brown: Happening now, a federal judge says the Trump administration must allow CNN, Politico and MSNOW access to the White House as a lawsuit over the president's press ban plays out. The judge said President Trump's press ban likely violated the First Amendment. Joining us now is CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter. Brian, you have some new information about this ban. What have you learned? That's right. First of all, this is a landmark victory for press freedom in the United States. Yes, this was the expected ruling. Yes, CNN and the other banned news outlets said from the get-go that this was an unconstitutional attack on the First Amendment.

1:19:03But now to have this judge reaffirming that, stating that for the record, putting this

1:19:08Pamela Brown: long-term protection in place, it's a big deal. I've been told in the last few minutes by an anonymous White House official that the White House does intend to appeal, that the president will direct the Justice Department to appeal this ruling, and that was also expected. This could play out for months to come, and eventually there could be a trial. But it is really significant that this Trump-appointed judge, Timothy Kelly, citing precedent that dates back decades, said that the Trump ban likely is a First Amendment violation and also a violation of Fifth Amendment due process rights. So a major moment to have these news outlets have long-term protection as this legal battle plays out.

1:19:47Pamela Brown: And earlier today, CNN chairman and editor-in-chief Mark Thompson said he's in this for the long run. A quote, we will fight this one to the end. Here's what Thompson said. I mean, this topic is one we're never going to back down from. And no matter how many court cases, investigations, court appearances, and all the expense that that entails, we will fight this one to the end. Those comments from the head of CNN, also referencing the antitrust probe the Justice Department has confirmed it has opened into the five major networks, including CNN, involving the TV press pool. Why was the TV press pool disrupted last month?

1:20:26It was because the president banned CNN. So we're talking about the fallout here, and there could be more legal fallout to come. But this was an important ruling from Judge Kelly overnight, signaling that the public's right to know is what matters most. All right, Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

1:20:42Pamela Brown: And thanks for me as well. And thanks to our viewers for joining us this morning. Inside Politics with our friend and colleague, Dana Bass starts right now. Have a great day, everyone.

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