GOP vs Trump, Jack Smith, FlyDubai, Trump in TX & AL & more | Erin Burnett OutFront this week

The majority leader of the Senate tonight  telling CNN that Trump should not be using. taxpayer dollars to pay for political ads which  are airing across the country that are designed to. prop up the president. You like the message, but  it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars. Operative words shouldn't be being paid for  with taxpayer dollars. And on that front, Thoon is not alone. I don't think any  public official, including President Trump.

or Christine Gnome or John Kennedy, should  spend public money uh on on private ads for. themselves. What are your thoughts on that? Is it  appropriate? No, it's not even a closed question. So, there were a couple of them to Congressman  Thomas Massie also has posted on this. He said, "Don't worry. Using taxpayer dollars  to run ominous campaign ads of the. president has been done before and is  completely legal in banana republics." So,

all of this has prompted the White House to  respond. Put out a statement saying, quote, "The announcements are very clearly not campaign  ads. President Trump is not on the ballot and. there is no call to action." Well, except  for they actually are campaign ads. I mean, let me just show you one of them because it's a  30 secondond spot. On your left is the ad paid. for by you, American taxpayers. On the right is  the ad paid for by Trump during his last campaign.

This is the final battle with you at my side. We will liberate America from  these villains once and for all. So actually it was a campaign ad. It is a  campaign ad. It is what it is. Ethics group. and watchdog groups are not necessary to say  this, but they are warning that the ads violate.

the federal appropriations legislation as in be  against the law, including the funding bill that. Trump himself actually signed in February because  that law prohibits federal funds from being used. on propaganda. And just in case you still have any  doubt on the purpose of the ad, here is that very. same ad playing on the big screens at Trump's  convention in 2024. There it is. It was was. filling the time walking out. See that same image?  And sorry, just one more thing. The words that. Trump is saying in the ads are actually word for  word from his campaign speeches. 2024 is our final.

battle. With you at my side, we will demolish the  deep state. We will liberate America from these. villains once and for all. Liberating America from  the villains once and for all. I mean, Trump is is. is using these ads to it seems to fuel the idea  that he is on the ballot, right? They're saying, "Well, he's not on the ballot, so it doesn't  count." But he wants people to think that he.

is on the ballot. He thinks that that may be the  only way that Republicans don't lose control of. Congress. You have to do the one thing. Pretend  I'm on the ballot. Pretend I'm on the ballot. But. in this election, I'm asking you to pretend I'm on  the ballot just one more time. So, what I really. want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the  ballot. So I think in a court of law it would be.

pretty clear that this ad funded by taxpayers is  being used to have people think that Trump is on. the ballot so that those people who love him will  vote for him because it's a ad campaign ad for. Trump and that is really the plea to his diehard  supporters because that's who would respond to. such an ad. It may not appeal to anyone else. CNN  is reporting that Trump advisers acknowledge that. it is unlikely that Trump can win over large  numbers of independents and swing voters uh. who actually are the voters who vaulted Trump to  victory just two years ago. When it comes to that. weakness, though, with the voters who matter most,  Trump is pleading ignorance. Why are Republicans,

do you think, having to work so hard to hold on to  these seats? I don't know. I don't know. Or maybe. he does know. Or maybe he no longer knows the  difference between reality and falsehood. Because. after all, we do not know what he has truly told  and shown about inflation prices, his record low. approval ratings, and the deeply unpopular war  that has sent American prices even higher. Prices, by the way, that Trump was also asked about  today. Mr. President, midterm elections less.

than four weeks away. Should motorists, should  truckers expect elevated gas and diesel prices. between now and then? Again, the same three  words, I don't know. Which leads us to one of. the most inongruous points of the day, which is  that standing beside Trump today was a Republican. locked in a very tight race. A Republican  who has turned on Trump over the war in Iran, Iowa Senate candidate Ashley Henson. She recently  wrote, "Ians are being squeezed and shouldn't have.

to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line  for the war in Iran. Couldn't be any more direct.". And yet she's standing by Trump, the architect of  that war today. Schmidt happens today. Republicans. calling former special counsel Jack Smith, to the  witness stand. Now, it was an interrogation and. a series of insults. It went on for more than  four hours. And it was a show designed for the. important audience of one, Trump, who wants  Smith to pay a major price for investigating.

Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election.  But the whole thing, there would have been a lot. to talk about, but it it is it gonna go down for  this one moment. The moment that backfired in what. was a spectacular manner, Republican Senator  Eric Schmidt of Missouri was humiliated. He. tried to tie Jack Smith to Fulton County DA Fi  Willis. He had a gotcha kill moment. You know, you perjured yourself. He had it all laid out.  Okay, so let me play it for you. Here is Schmidt.

He's schmug. He's gotsmith, he thinks, as he  lays out his gotcha moment. Did you go to an. NBA game between the Golden State Warriors  and the Atlanta Hawks on February 3rd, 2024? I'm sorry. Could you say that again? Did you go to  an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and. the Atlanta Hawks on February 3rd, 2024? What  city would that be in? Atlanta. No. Okay. What. would you say if I had a series of text messages  from your team that said you were in Atlanta at.

a Warrior Hawks game on February 3rd, 2024, the  day after Willis and Wade announced their affair? You I don't think you know that we have this  stuff, so I'll give you a second to process. it so you don't, you know, perjure yourself.  You just took it down really quick. If I could. look at that again. I think you've already  perjured yourself. You have weaponized the. Department of Justice against political enemies to  an extent that has never happened in the history.

of this country. You will go down as a total  dirt bag. All right. So, that was, you know, the killer moment, the mic drop moment. Schmidt  thought he had Jack Smith, but he didn't because. Smith was not at the Hawks game. He just he  just wasn't. Here is Smith's side of the story. I recall going to a University of Maryland  basketball game where Caitlyn Clark was playing.

uh right around that time uh and the Marshall  Service was there with me. You could check if. that was the exact date. It was Maryland playing  Iowa. I think February of 2024, but again, that's you could check that out if that's what  we're talking about. University of Iowa. Is it. the Hawkeyes? Yes. Could could it then be that  University of Iowa is the Hawkeyes? Could that. be it? And I would just say for a US senator  to have false information and imply based on a.

confusion about the name of a team which I knew  knowing my Midwestern sports and imply that you. were in another city that you were somehow  involved that day in what was happening in. Georgia and then call you a dirt bag is something  that deserves an apology. I mean, he didn't imply. it. He said it. He didn't know the difference  between the Hawks and the Hawkeyes, right? The whole killer. They're talking about what seat  they're at. He's going to meet with Fonnie Willis, except for it was at a different game with a  different team in a different state. Wow. It's.

bad. All you have to do is look at Schmidt's  Republican Senator Katie Britt, his colleague, at her face as Schmidt was fact checked right  around that time. Uh, and the Marshall Service. was there with me. You could check if that was  the exact date. It was Maryland playing Iowa. That expression Katy Brit, welcome to being uh  viral. I guarantee you that that'll be possible to.

use on X and everywhere else as a meme for a long  time to come. And what's crazier about all this is. that Senator Schmidt, whom Axios reported is close  to to Vance now, is a potential 2028 running mate. He didn't even check the facts of what he thought  was going to be a clean kill. I mean, when you go. in with something like that, you know, it's like,  does the glove fit, right? Here's the text message. that he showed on the poster board that he had  popped up and put down. It was only visible for.

a brief moment. The text says, "Hey, man. Is 109  row one reserved for Jack? Right. So he's like, "Oh, it's the Hawks. He's there. He's there to  meet with Fonnie Willis." Well, he could have. checked that since the 109 row one was, you know,  reserved. You you could check it. You could see, was he there? He wasn't at whatever the Hawks  game, but he was at the Iowa Hawkeyes versus. Maryland Terrapens, the Turps game. And there  he is. Uh, row 10. There is Jack Smith. Ah, so I guess we know what game the text was about.  Midas touch founding another shot of that game.

just outside Washington where you can see Smith  even more clearly. There he is. Well, at least. Schmidt could do is to say, "Okay, I I you know  what? Okay, this was this is embarrassing. This is. bad." Especially when you use the whole thing to  call Smith this horrible dirt bag. To call someone. a dirt bag in a in a hearing on Capitol Hill,  but Sch Smith did not. Here you can watch him. on Charlie Kirk's show when a MAGA host cheered  on the so-called gotcha moment. Jack Smith is a.

total dirt bag. Um, and you you caught him out on  this NBA game, too, by the way, in Atlanta. But. it was a great moment. So, good for you on that.  I'm not sure if Charlie Kirk actually obviously. seen the whole thing since it appears he's not  aware that he wasn't at the game and he was at. the game with the Turpps. Anyway, uh it was just  doesn't just Smith who went after Schmidt who went. after Smith today. I'm sorry. Senators Cruz,  Senator Kennedy also went after him. You make.

me want to throw up in my mouth. Jave from  Lameiz would look at you with astonishment. These attacks though and the threats from Trump  and his justice department to target Smith. Well, Smith made it clear that none of these are  going to stop him from telling what happened. I will not be silenced by continued threats  of prosecution from the president or others.

And tonight's Trump threat to prosecute those  with whom he disagrees is falling apart. There's. now been two sudden resignations from Trump's  so-called grand conspiracy investigation, which. is his probe into political enemies. Kurt Holen,  who backed Trump's 2020 election lies, just left. his post. His departure comes a week after another  Trump ally, Joseph DeGeneva, who had been leading. the now year-long conspiracy investigation, also  resigned. De Geneva told the New York Post after.

his exit, quoting him, "If you want indictments  where there's no evidence, you have an ethical. problem." I mean, that's very clear, right? He  said he went in and there's nothing there. So, he's not going to in good conscience continue.  Fly Dubai, suspending all flights to and from. Israel after a co-pilot stabbed the other pilot  in what Israeli officials are calling an attempted. terrorist attack. Investigators are now looking at  the plane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data. recorder to try to figure out what was happening,  who was saying what when and why a pilot allegedly.

tried to bring down a Boeing 737 with 174 people  on board. So, who is he and what was his motive? Well, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  uh jumping in on this very quickly, telling CNN's. Jim Shudo that the man's an Omani national. uh we  understood that to be the case, but interestingly, the prime minister says Israel had no prior  intelligence warning about the attack. Now, that's.

coming from him. We're waiting for more reporting.  What we do know is that the plane plunged 20,000. ft in 35 seconds. And and with that plunge  obviously came incredible speed going the plane. was cruising along cruising altitude at about  460 mph. But then as it accelerated downward, its. speed increased to 700 miles an hour. Close to the  speed of sound. So earlier we spoke to Adam Polo. He was on that flight and he was on that flight  with his wife and his two young children. In the.

first second it felt like a normal air pocket uh  when you usually when you have it normally in in. air flights. But uh then like after 1 second  you felt that uh that the the decrease and the. acceleration of the downfall is is not normal. Uh  the electricity like all of the multimedia system. and the air conditioning in the in the airplane  stopped working. People that were standing in.

the aisle or just going, you know, to the to the  toilet for uh they fell. They fell. People fell. from anyone that wasn't sitting fell. So it was  like the craziest roller coaster that you ever. did but like multiplied by thousand. This is how  it felt and it it just didn't feel right. It felt. like something really wrong is happening here.  Just imagine the terror and there with his wife.

and young children. Uh that plunge could explain  why the plane's rudder was actually damaged. I. mean just to show you, you know, the speed and  the violence. Now, the pilot who was stabbed, we now know is an Indian citizen. And I'll warn  you as we talk about him that the video we're. about to show you of him is graphic because he was  stabbed. But he did manage to fight back and he. fought back. So, he eventually opened the cockpit  door, bloodied and prone, but was able to unlatch. it. Really, the move that saved the lives of every  single person on board and allowed passengers and.

crew to then overpower the hijacking suspect. Now,  according to the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia, that co-pilot miraculously is alive and is in  stable condition. Now, another passenger spoke out. to the New York Times saying that once the suspect  was pulled out of the cockpit, uh he and another. passenger tied the suspect's hands with headphone  cables. Jeremy Diamond and Pete Montine have the. latest developments on this fastmoving story.  And Jeremy, I want to start with you. You're out.

front of Tel Aviv. I know you've had a chance to  speak to passengers as they were getting off the. uh the plane that came to uh to bring them out of  Saudi Arabia back to Tel Aviv. What is the latest. that you're learning on this investigation right  now? Well, listen, Erin, Israeli officials are. beginning to call this an attempted terrorist  attack with the Israeli prime minister tonight. even saying that what was prevented here would  have been a 911st style disaster. But privately,

Aaron, I can tell you that my Israeli sources are  being far more circumspect about all of this. Uh. they say that they are certainly investigating  this as a potential terrorist attack, but they also acknowledge that there  is a lot that they still don't know, particularly about the suspect's motives in this  case. So far, officials have yet to publicly. identify this individual beyond sources telling  us uh that he was an Omani national. He is now in. the custody of Saudi Arabia. And the Israeli prime  minister tonight telling our colleague Jim Shudo.

uh that this suspect is expected to be extradited  to the UAE where the Israelis will be able to have. far more involvement and cooperation in the next  layers of that investigation. What we are learning. a lot more about though already are the heroic  rescue efforts that took place on board. Uh I. heard tonight and spoke with several of the men  who were involved in charging towards that cockpit. uh describing uh the moments of terror on board  uh and also uh the ways in which they zip tied.

uh the asalent. He apparently didn't put up much  of a fight once he was actually taken down. I. also spoke with Dr. Shoam Musay, a dentist  on board who actually administered medical. care to the pilot who had been stabbed. He told  me that he was terrified that that Indian pilot. might not make it, that he was coming in and  out of consciousness as they were landing in. Saudi Arabia. But thankfully, that pilot is indeed  now at a hospital in Saudi Arabia and recovering.

from his serious injuries. The judge in the White  House media ban case setting a new court date for. the same day that CNN's temporary restraining  order against the White House expires. Now, if the judge does not extend that order, CNN  along with other media outlets could lose. their credentials again. This is Trump prevents  CNN today from fully doing its job, refusing to. allow the network on Air Force One as part of its  travel pool duties. Trump traveled to Texas today. to try to help his handpicked Senate candidate  Ken Paxton, giving him this ringing endorsement.

Cuz he could be a pain in the ass sometimes.  I'll be honest. Is he here by the way? Oh, there he is. Good. I didn't I didn't even know if  he's here. I don't care. Paxton is in a very tight. race with Democrat James Talerico. Now, of course,  Texas you would think of as a red state and with. Senator John Cornin in place, it seemed that it  was reliably so. It has not elected a Democrat to. the Senate since 1994. But according to a brand  new Fox News poll that just came out, Paxton is.

struggling. This is neck andneck. 49%. Taller Rico  in the Fox poll up by uh two points, 51%. Now, that's within the margin of error. Uh but that's  not what you expect in Texas. And Paxton is. blaming Trump and his midterm convention. To be  honest with you, the numbers when we did that. convention, it dropped our numbers. Everybody  right now. Yeah. Not not good. And Paxton's.

problems are with Republicans. Paxton was indicted  on charges of felony securities fraud. He struck. a deal after being impeached in the Republican  controlled Texas House. He was accused of, among. other things, bribery and obstruction of justice.  He was actually only saved for impeachment by. Republicans in the state senate. Paxton also  faces disturbing allegations of infidelity. his candidacy in such limbo that Axios is tonight  reporting that the GOP just spent a staggering.

$131 million in 17 days to boost Paxton. $131  million in 17 days in Texas. In fact, Paxton. is reportedly outspending Tarico by nearly 5 to1.  So today, Trump was confronted with the fact that. Paxton seems to be blaming Trump's convention for  his drop in the polls. If Ken Paxton is telling. people behind closed doors that he thinks the  convention hurt his poll numbers, why go to Texas?

Well, I'll tell you what. We have to win this  election. That convention, you were there, that. convention was a tremendous success. We beat the  NFL by four times. Okay, just as a point of fact, that is categorically untrue. Trump's convention  did not beat the NFL by four times. In fact, if you look at the ratings, the NFL rated more  than eight times higher than Trump's convention. The NFL game, the specific game that was on at the  same time as Trump's convention speech. So Trump's.

own speech, right, drew more than 25 million  viewers. That's the NFL game. Trump's speech. reached about 3 million viewers. So Trump making  a baseless claim like that is just a small example. of why it is important that CNN is there for the  stops that Trump makes and the questions that that. involve the president of the United States. It's  part of our job uh to hold him accountable. Now. that is something though that Trump does not  like. In a new interview with Time magazine,

Trump is clearly frustrated with questions about  the war in Iran, the economy, and projects like. the White House ballroom renovations. They said  to the editor and reporter, quote, "You haven't. asked me one effing positive question. All of  this, what about this? What about that? What. about that? What about this? All negative." Now,  Trump's uh Times Times editor-inchief, I'm sorry, will join me in just a moment with more on the  explosive interview. They spent about two hours. total with the president because the question  tonight is whether Trump will succeed where.

his defense secretary, Pete Hgsth, has replaced  virtually every news organization at the Pentagon. with more Trumpfriendly outlets. outlets,  including former My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell's. network, outlets which ask questions more along  these lines. Now that your administration, and Congratulations, has secured peace in Africa  to a bloody horrific war that's gone on for. decades and no other president could do it, do you  think the mainstream media will finally tell you, Will you guys also consider uh releasing the  president's fitness plan? He actually looks.

healthier than ever before, healthier than  he did 8 years ago. And I'm sure everybody. in this room could agree. Is he working out with  Bobby Kennedy? And is he eating less McDonald's? We are in a war. Diesel prices are up. Gas prices  are up. There's a lot going on. And that's why. real questions matter. 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, uh Trump's pet projects, the economy. In fact,  his net approval rating on inflation is a.

negative 65 points. That is that is stunning.  That is the lowest for any president ever. Any. president at any point ever. So, is this red  state road show 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? The 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  Bax Paxton is trailing Democrat James Telerico.

among registered voters in the most recent  polling. Fox 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 taxpayerf funed campaign style ads. 13. So, you remember the bruha when there was just one?  Okay. Well, there has been no consequence and now. they're up to 13. uh 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 serpents. The poison of vipers is on  their lips, and yet stop. So God made Trump. Just. to pause for a moment, whatever your politics  are in America, to have an ad again and again. uh by a political candidate, God made Trump.  It's it it 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. Christy Nome or John Kennedy, should spend public  money. uh on on private ads for themselves. What. are your thoughts on that? 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.  Today 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 Trumpomics  is really working. So we're very very happy. Well, they may be happy, but uh 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 and 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 uh 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 CO. In fact, it is the largest one-mon  spike in the past 14 years on that measure. So, if you're in a tough race, not necessarily numbers  you want to campaign on. And I didn't even touch. the 65 on the inflation problem, which may be  why Trump is playing it safe by campaigning in.