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CNN's The Arena with Kasie Hunt

GOP Preps For Trump's Unprecedented Midterms Convention As CNN Poll Of Polls Shows His Approval Rating At Just 35 Percent; Canada Enacts New Retaliatory Tariffs On The U.S. After Trump Angered Some In GOP By Reviving Trade War Ahead Of Midterms; NTSB To CNN: Examining Amazon Plane's Black Boxes "Right Now"; Cook Political Report: Texas Governor Race "Surprisingly Competitive"; Sources: New U.S. Strikes Targeting Iranian Tankers. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired September 08, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plenty more for us to talk more about.

Dana O'Neil, thank you so much.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: You know, we're getting a wrap right now, but I --

SANCHEZ: I don't trust --

KEILAR: I don't trust this clock.

SANCHEZ: The clock that the producers are --

KEILAR: I'm using a different clock.

SANCHEZ: We're on our own clock.

KEILAR: That says "THE ARENA WITH KASIE HUNT" starts right now.

(MUSIC)

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. Welcome to THE ARENA. It's great to have you with us on this Tuesday.

Election Day, just eight weeks away. Votes already being cast by mail. And right now, Republicans are heading to Texas for their first ever midterm convention, one that will focus heavily on President Donald Trump.

This despite the latest CNN poll of polls. It shows the president with a 35 percent approval rating as voters share concerns over his handling of everything from Iran to the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Spring of last year, I warned that America is trying to break us so they can own us. And I promise that that will never, ever happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney today defiant as he launched retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of American goods. That economic punch coming as gas remains over $4 a gallon and diesel sitting just under $6, its highest average price ever. The president today promising or really claiming that gas will drop below $2 a gallon when we win the war with Iran.

Of course, the president has spent much of the last six months claiming that we won that war long ago. So, all of it gets at a very real problem that's facing Republicans, especially those in close races. Right now, the president, many of his policies are unpopular with voters outside of his MAGA base, and the president posting A.I. maps of the United States taking over Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Greenland, or renaming New Mexico as New America.

Not exactly a disciplined midterm message. But obviously, Donald Trump wants to be the star of this election. And well, when was the last time that Republicans didn't give him what he wanted?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot. Just come and vote. It's so important.

I'm going to be campaigning for numerous people, both congressmen, a few governors.

I think I have, like, close to a billion dollars in the super PAC. And I'm allocating probably $400 million, $500 million.

If we don't do any trading with Canada, we just end all trade with Canada.

I did change the name of a certain lake to Lake America.

Iran cannot have a deadly weapon because it's a little bit of a short- term pain for long-term gain.

So, remember that when you have to pay a little bit more, you're at $4. It's okay. I mean, it's -- I'm not -- I'll never apologize. I did the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, let's get off the sidelines, head into THE ARENA. My panel is going to be here, but we're joined first by CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes.

So, Kristen, what are your White House sources telling you eight weeks out?

Well, when you talk to White House sources, and I want to say specifically White House, not the greater Republicans, operatives, people in Trump's circle, the White House is still operating on the same playbook that they've been using now for years, going back to the campaign, this kind of posting of A.I. memes, talking about Lake America, talking about a New America instead of New Mexico.

But Republicans outside are very frustrated. They are seeing polling that shows Republicans struggling in areas they shouldn't be struggling in. They are hearing messaging coming from the White House and from President Trump that they don't think is helpful to the cause.

I mean, even just looking at this back and forth with Canada, one, the fact that these tariffs, these retaliatory tariffs even went into place was something that Republicans had been crossing their fingers hoping that both sides would get back to the negotiating table before anything like this happened.

And on top of that, you had President Trump making these threats at jets that are produced in Canada, saying America wouldn't buy them unless they were produced in the United States. Some of them are actually produced in the United States.

But this again is a message that hurts Republicans or at least Republicans I'm talking to feel that it hurts the party in particular when you look at some of these very close midterm elections, you're looking at Senate races in which they are dying to have any kind of a pickup or at least hold on to their seat and these Senate races many of these places that they're looking at are places who are directly impacted by this.

So, they would certainly like to see President Trump on a more focused message and it's unclear they're going to get out of this convention this weekend.

HUNT: One way to put it certainly. Kristen Holmes for us at the White House, Kristen thank you very much.

My panel is here in THE ARENA. CNN contributor, host of "The New York Times'" "The Interview", Lulu Garcia Navarro; "New York Times" congressional correspondent Annie Karni; former Democratic congressman from New York, Joe Crowley; and former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, Marc Short is here.

[16:05:01]

Welcome to all of you.

You guys got the jacket, the blue jacket, red tie memo.

MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: We got the memo.

HUNT: Just to nod to that.

JOE CROWLEY, FORMER DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN FROM NEW YORK: Look at the bald memo, too. HUNT: I feel like you have less control over that.

Marc Short, let me start with you. I actually want to play something that Karl Rove said about how Republicans are looking at this because as they head into this convention, because it's pretty late in the game, honestly, here a day after Labor Day. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS HOST: What do you think about the big midterm convention being able to reset the stage here for the Republicans going into the next six weeks?

KARL ROVE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I'm a little bit nervous about it because, look, we're in the final stages of the campaign. I'd be more comfortable if this had been held in June or July and set a thematic that could be pursued for four months or five months rather than for 56 days. The White House is pushing a big bet. It's like we're at the tables. They're pushing all the chips on saying, if we make this about Donald Trump, and if we make it about Donald Trump's record and put him at the center of this, then we've got a shot to pull this thing off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Is it a bet that can pay off?

SHORT: There's never going to be a thematic that's going to last three or four months with President Trump.

The reality is that, for good or for bad, he's well informed by his time at "The Apprentice", and he knows how to drive ratings, and therefore he has to change the narrative every day. If there was a narrative to keep, I mean, just Friday, we had a really good jobs report for Republicans. But that message didn't last, Kasie. It didn't even last 24 hours before we're tweeting about Canada.

And so, you're going to continue to have -- there's not going to be a consistent message for the next two months. And I think it creates a challenge because there's a lot of Republicans who need to get Trump voters out and they don't want to diss themselves.

And yet you actually look at the Republicans who are faring better in a lot of these comparative races, in many cases they have their own identity that's not attached to Donald Trump. And so, it's a real conundrum for a lot of candidates this cycle.

HUNT: Yeah, one of those was, Joe Crowley, was Congressman Tom Barrett, who is not attending the convention. He says, President Trump is not on the ballot. I'm on the ballot and my opponent is on the ballot. And that's the choice people are going to have to face.

CROWLEY: I think you see that in terms of some of the reporting you've seen as well. What members are those who are more confident they can get reelected, people who are staying away are less confident they get reelected, or they're going to a race. So they're trying to distance themselves, I think, from this presidency and this administration in the hopes that they can somehow survive.

HUNT: In keeping with our strategists who've been around quite a while, let's listen to what James Carville had to say at Politicon recently -- today, actually, about what he thinks that Donald Trump is doing to his own party. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: The only answer that I can come up that explains the current behavior of Donald Trump is simply this: he wants the Republicans to lose. He hates them. He wants to torture them. He thinks that he saved them. He taught him how to win. It turned his back on him, and he's going to teach them a lesson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I would like to say that's a nice bar setup. That's all I have to say.

ANNIE KARNI, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I don't think he, well, the ones who have voted against him, he wants to lose. But I don't think he generally wants them to lose. I think he wants to, he's concerned about his own legacy, and they are secondary to him and this is the entire issue here, that they are at cross purposes.

Donald Trump wants to spend his MAGA Inc. money and wants to do this convention to talk about his record to burnish his legacy and the Republicans who need him to turn out his base voters don't want this election to be a national referendum on Donald Trump. That's what Donald Trump wants it to be.

And Tom Barrett, who you just mentioned, who is not going to the convention, it's very hard. He has voted against a War Powers Act. He's tried to distance himself from Trump. Trump also came to his district and he stood on stage next to Trump and said, I'm happy to have you here.

It's hard for them to gain distance. It's hard for them to keep distance because they need him and they don't want him at the same time.

HUNT: Well, this has been the problem all the way along, right? They can't live with him, but they can't live without him.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah, and that is what he's betting on. And the fact of the matter is that Trump always makes it about Trump. Like when -- I mean, we are now, you know, quite many years into the Trump era, and the one thing we know about him is it's always about him.

There is no room for anybody else, and so therefore, like it or lump it, Republicans are just going to have to deal with that one way or the other. But leaving aside the Donald Trump of it all, let's just look at the record, right? People are angry at the record.

It's not about the man anymore. It was about the man in his first term. It was like, Donald Trump, we don't like him. Now it's like, my gas price is too high. I don't like the war in Iran.

People have kind of gotten used to Donald Trump, not Democrats, but just generally speaking, people have sort of gotten used to the Donald Trump show, but people are mad about their pocketbooks.

HUNT: Yeah.

[16:10:00]

So big picture, Mark, I mean, the House, much more influenced by what we're talking about, right? National trends, referendum on the president, less emphasis on the candidates themselves.

The Senate is a different kind of situation, and the candidates in those races can make or break things for a party even if they're going against the grain.

Over the weekend, "The New York Times", and I'm curious if you've been hearing this too, said that in recent weeks a tide of anxiety has risen among Democrats in the Granite State who are concerned that a party with big dreams of expanding the map could see the seat left open by the pending retirement of Senator Jean Shaheen slip from its grasp.

Chris Pappas, who is the nominee there, put it bluntly in a fundraising e-mail on Friday morning that said we're losing. Now, the flip side, of course, is in Georgia, where one GOP strategist told "The Wall Street Journal" that some Republican leaders are basically considering the Mike Collins campaign already toast.

SHORT: Well, look, New Hampshire, big primary tonight, and I think that it has been --

HUNT: I should have said likely nominee, by the way.

SHORT: It has been an ongoing challenge for, I think, the Democrat Party, and that they have a lot of the wind in their sails. The reality is, I think it's not just -- when you talk about the Senate and the House, I mean, when you have one party control of the House, Senate and the White House, it's going to be a referendum on them.

And so, it's going to be about Trump, whether you want to distance yourself or not. But the thing that curtails some of those advantages for Democrats is nominating radical socialists. And I think that that's another potential risk for them in New Hampshire.

And I know there's some Democrats say, hey, look, this is temporary and this is limited to New York, but it's not limited to New York. You've seen it in New Hampshire, you've seen it in Michigan, you've seen it in Colorado. There is a rising socialist movement within the Democrat Party.

HUNT: What do you think we're going to see in New Hampshire tonight?

CROWLEY: I don't think --I don't think Pappas is a socialist by any strip of imagination. SHORT: No, but his competitor is. And I think that -- and I think

Pappas is going to win. And I also think that, you know, run like you're losing. That's the best way to run. And someone who's ran before 16 elections, you know, if you're not doing that, you're not winning, or you're not even close to winning.

But look, I do think that this is one of those states that's difficult for Democrats, it always has been, like Maine has been difficult as well. But I do think the president's on the ballot. I think -- you and I also spoke about this notion socialism is antithetical to our Constitution. Just -- you know, the right to private ownership, undo (ph) the Senate, the means of production being controlled by the state. That is not who Democrats are.

And as much as Republicans are going to meld that, it's not the case. It's not happening. It's not powerful in New Hampshire. It never has been and it never will be.

HUNT: Do you think that's on the Hill that what he is saying, that there's really no nerves about the rise of --

KARNI: I think that Democrats on the Hill are getting ready for Democratic Socialist candidates next year in the House to wield great power over leadership. I think that the more moderate center-leaning Democrats are already planning for how can we kind of like counter what's going to be the freedom caucus of the left, so to speak. I think there is concern that part of the party will have a lot of power.

I also think that Marc Short here, who is a Republican, is making the shift that Republicans are making to win this election, which is there's not a great record to run on so we're going to run on Democrats being socialists because we can't run on what we achieved.

SHORT: To be fair, what I've said, Annie, which I would say again, I think it'd be a lot easier for us to make that contrast if we weren't the party pushing state-owned enterprises, if we weren't the party putting price controls, if we weren't the party putting credit card caps or the party pushing housing bills to tell people --

CROWLEY: The president was the one calling for credit card caps.

SHORT: And that's my point -- that's the point I'm making.

(CROSSTALK)

SHORT: That's the point I'm making is that it would be easier for us to draw contrast, except that what you've seen from the second administration and Trump is an economic policy that is harder to differentiate. And now over the weekend, the most recent thing you see is the vice president advancing expansion of a new entitlement program.

CROWLEY: But we also know as Democrats, the only way to real long-term leadership is in the center. It's winning those districts in the middle of the country. It's appealing to rural Americans that, you know, that gasoline or diesel is at $6 a gallon.

I mean, that's killing farmers. That's killing a lot of people and their industries. And that's what Democrats, it's about pocketbooks. And that's what we're going to win this election.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You know, my concern about this upcoming election is everyone is looking for it to say something about the party's standing and about Donald Trump. And I'm not sure whatever happens, it's going to say anything other than people are really mad about the things that have been going on. And yes, that's a referendum on Trump and yes, because the Republicans control all three branches of government.

But what I see when I talk to voters is -- and that's from the left the right is there is just real anger at parties, at institutions, and at just the way things are functioning writ large. And so, moving forward, I think we're entering a period of great instability, frankly.

HUNT: I mean, Congressman, when you kind of look at how Democrats have done in terms of their own brand, right, in 2018, there was a lot of backlash against the first Trump administration, but the Democrats were doing okay in terms of when you asked people how they felt about the party.

[16:15:01]

And now, that's not the case. I mean, you ask, yeah, people are angry at Trump. Yeah, his approval rating is 35 percent, kind of writ large. But the Democrats are not reaping the benefits of that like they were before. Why not?

CROWLEY: Well, I think part of this is in terms of identifying Democrats as being socialist is a part of that as well. What the DSA --

HUNT: But it's been true the whole time.

CROWLEY: The DSA, it's sole purpose in existence is to destroy the Democratic Party. It wants to bring it down, destroy it, they can make it in their own image. That's not going to happen, but that's what they're trying to do.

They can win in blue seats, really deep city seats, but they can't win in middle America. They just can't.

HUNT: All right.

SHORT: Colorado.

HUNT: There's some interesting backgrounds that you both have that colors your perspective.

CROWLEY: Just a little bit.

HUNT: All right. Coming up next here in THE ARENA as Republicans head to Texas, we're going to talk with the Democrat that's running for the state's top job. Gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa is here live with us this hour.

But first, the key pieces of evidence now being analyzed as officials investigate the deadly runway crash at the Miami airport as we learn the first details about the pilots and the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSIE CORDERO-STUTZ, MIAMI-DADE SHERIFF: One leaves their house to go to work, to visit family, to do what we normally do, and without ever thinking that this is even a possibility, what occurred. Unfortunately, we are left with picking up the pieces and trying to identify what happened and how it occurred. But for those families, they are going to be living with this for the rest of their lives as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:20:56]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CORDERO-STUTZ: Unfortunately, we are left with picking up the pieces and trying to identify what happened and how it occurred. But for those families, they are going to be living with this for the rest of their lives as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right. Breaking news, authorities have just revealed the identities of all five people who were killed in this van when a cargo plane barreled off the runway at Miami International Airport and collided with their vehicle. Five other people were injured, two remain in critical condition.

Newly obtained footage appears to show one of the pilots jumping from the front of the Boeing 767 as it was on fire. Both pilots were released from the hospital with minor injuries. Investigators will provide an update on the crash investigation later tonight.

But in the meantime, Jennifer Homedy, the chair of the NTSB, is asking for patience as they analyze the data.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER HOMENDY, NTSB CHAIR: I would ask everyone to pause and give it a moment. We -- the real data that we need is on the flight data recorder, which is being analyzed right now. I would caution everybody to hang on, until we have the actual data in hand before drawing any conclusions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right. I want to bring in CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean, who is live for us in Miami. We are also joined by CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo.

Pete, what is the latest on this investigation?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, the recovery operation is over here in Miami, Kasie, and the plane dangling over Northwest 67th Avenue here has been defueled, meaning that investigators can begin their collection of what's called the perishable evidence here at pace. That is what they need to grab while the airplane is still in place here.

What is so key is this update that we will get later today from the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB Chair Homendy says they've recovered the cockpit voice recorder. They've recovered the flight data recorder that was pulled off the plane as the NTSB toured this site yesterday with a team of about 30 investigators, put on a 7:22 p.m. flight to Washington Reagan National Airport just outside of D.C. and then rushed to the NTSB's recorders lab at Lafont Plaza to begin that analysis.

It'll be so telling. We will get some broad strokes here very likely from the NTSB about what was on both of those recorders. Were there indications in the cockpit that something was clearly going wrong here with this approach to land? Did the pilots have any discussion about aborting this landing?

And did they realize that there was so much runway left behind them as they were coming into land here and then ultimately careened off the end into that white Econoline van with that airport cleaning crew of five that was killed and then ultimately into 67th Avenue here into that Toyota Corolla crossover?

So many questions to be answered here. I think we'll get a lot more information in this briefing at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time tonight, was slated for 4:00 p.m., so moved back by about three hours, meaning that it's likely we'll get a bit more meat out of this press conference.

HUNT: Interesting.

So, Mary, what are you waiting for when you get this data? What are you looking to see?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, the data is going to help solve the mystery of what was going on in that cockpit. They know they were coming in high. We know they were coming in hot, meaning too much airspeed, and they were above the glide path that they were supposed to be on to get down.

The question is why? Was it weather? Was it confusion? Was it lack of crew resource management? Were they tired?

There had been a number of flights before this one by this aircraft. We cannot say if it was the same crew. You know, so much -- you know, what was really going on in that cockpit and just what Pete said, I think he's exactly right. Did they realize how much of the runway they had left behind them? You know, the spoilers weren't deployed. Granted, they couldn't use

their thrust reversers until both back wheels sets back wheels were on the ground. They won't work until they are.

I mean, precious time and thousands of feet on that runway were being eaten up.

[16:25:03]

And that will be on the cockpit voice recorder. Flight data recorder will let us know the condition of the aircraft, what exactly was going on, the exact speeds, altitude, et cetera. It's an old plane, a '92, but there should be 18 -- 17 or 18 different kinds of data on that flight data recorder.

HUNT: And so, Pete, there's been a lot of talk about this EMAS system. It's supposed to stop planes that go off the runway, and Miami doesn't have one. How much of a difference would that have made?

MUNTEAN: Stands for Engineered Materials Arresting System. It's a bed of crushable cement that is put in the place of the runway overrun at some airports that simply don't have as much overrun as this airport has. There's been about 1,300 feet of grass from the very end of the runway to the airport perimeter fence, then the road here and the Amazon Logistics Center off in the distance.

So, it was not required, although it may have played a factor here and the NTSB has over and over again recommended that EMAS be put in more airports across the U.S. It's only in about 70, 72 airports in the U.S., depending on how you count. It's made an unprecedented number of saves.

According to the latest FAA data, there have been four saves, three private jets, and one commercial flight, a United Express flight landing in Roanoke, Virginia, last September, where everybody walked away. That's only in the last year.

So, it can save lives. The other issue is, was this airplane slow enough for EMAS to have been effective. EMAS is really only effective as a plane is going at about 70 knots or so. It sinks into the crushable cement. The wheels get dragged by this property called resistive drag and the plane comes to a sudden stop without any violent deceleration forces on those inside.

This plane was going about 112 knots according to the data, 130 miles per hour. That's publicly available out there. So, would it have made a difference? It's a little too soon to say, although with more and more development going up at airports across the country, including this one, it may not be a bad idea.

HUNT: Yeah.

Mary, I mean, big picture here, it seems like there are more and more of these types of incidents every year. What do you attribute that to and what are the holes in the system that need to be patched? SCHIAVO: Well, there are so many holes in the system, and that's why I think the NTSB will have a lot of recommendations on this accident because there are so many holes that are apparent here. They'll be looking at the pilot training. I noticed this airline had recently or last year applied to put pilots in 757s and 767s with under 75 hours in the cockpit. So, they'll be looking at training and flight minimums.

They'll be looking at the airline oversight. They'll be looking at, what did the air traffic control do? Did they give them the weather warnings? It appears they didn't give them a crosswind warning. Should that be required even though that's available?

And what is -- where's the FAA in all this? Should they have re- reviewed the airport? Now every year, the airport does provide additional safety reviews and basically the state of the airport to the government. But will they revisit this and put an AMAS at the end of that system?

And what about the aircraft itself? It's 32 years old, too old to be flying when you've been in foreign ownership? The NTSB virtual laundry list of things, loopholes, things that were not rule violations but should be changed, this is going to be a very important and a very long list of recommendations. And those recommendations can save lives, just as Pete mentioned, that the arrestor beds have already.

HUNT: All right. Pete Muntean, Mary Schiavo, thank you both very much for joining us.

All right. Coming up next here in THE ARENA, the urgent plea to Democratic leaders. Prominent Latino lawmakers dialing up the pressure to invest in the Texas governor's race. As polls show, it might actually be winnable for the party this year.

We're going to talk with the Democrat who's running for that job. Gina Hinojosa is here live. That's next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: If we had a little more money in Texas and some focus on Texas, Texas has been the blue whale for a long time, and I get that and I honor all of that. But right now with what we're seeing, we have a once-in-a-lifetime shot to do something special here.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know if he's awake yet, so this pitch, I don't know where he's going here. Your hands are literally up in prayer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:33:44]

HUNT: All right. Right now, all eyes on Texas as Republicans are convening this week for their first ever midterm convention. The state's Democratic candidates are finding momentum in a couple of key races. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate, remains neck and neck with Republican Ken Paxton, while the party's gubernatorial candidate, Gina Hinojosa, is also polling just behind Governor Greg Abbott in what the Cook Political Report recently called a, quote, "surprisingly competitive race". Some Latino leaders now urging the Democratic Governors Association to spend more money in the increasingly close race, according to "Axios".

Joining me now in THE ARENA is Texas State Representative Gina Hinojosa. She is the Democratic candidate for governor. Now, we do have to disclose that Gina's sister, Xochitl Hinojosa, is a political commentator right here at CNN. Many of our viewers will have seen her on this very panel.

But Gina, I'm grateful to have you here today. Thank you so much for being here.

We, of course, have heard quite a bit about Texas turning blue. And it's not happened in decades. Why is this cycle different?

STATE REP. GINA HINOJOSA (D), TEXAS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Because it's already happening in Texas. Democrats are winning where we haven't won in a long, long time and sometimes ever. We flipped a state Senate seat in Tarrant County, which is the most (AUDIO GAP) country.

We swung it 31 points.

We flipped the school board in Cy-Fair. We flipped a mayor seat in Pearland. We flipped a mayor seat in Leander. This is all this year, and it is because Texans are ready for change in 2026.

We have Democrats running in every state House state Senate congressional seat for the first time in 50 years in Texas. This is a blue wave coming and we are maximizing it because people want change. They don't want politics as usual.

Greg Abbott is the most entrenched incumbent there is probably in the whole country. It is working against him when people are struggling in a real way and want a leader who will deliver for them and not the moneyed interests.

HUNT: What do you say to the Democratic Governors Association? They seem to be quicker to invest elsewhere. You obviously told them that Latinos are interested in seeing a major investment in Texas and is one of the most expensive states to campaign. Why do you think you're deserving of that investment over some of these other places that they're also considering?

HINOJOSA: Well, to be clear, the Democratic Governors Association has been a great partner with us in this campaign and I think what you're referring to is a letter that was sent by Latino leaders in this country asking for investment substantial investment in this race.

Look, what I understood real quick after I launched this campaign is that this campaign does not belong to me. It belongs to Texans who have big hopes and dreams for my candidacy and some people out of the state who identify with me, whether they're Latinos, whether they're mothers, whether they are women.

This is a historic race. And listen, I knew it was going to be hard when we launched this campaign to get establishment support for this campaign because I'm running a different kind of campaign. I am running for a new vision forward, and I'm happy to have that investment.

Yes, I think it is deserved investment. We have -- we started off 10 points down in October and we are now neck and neck. There are seven polls in a month that shows in a virtual tie with Greg Abbott.

We've done the work. We've made our case. Texans are with us and we just need to have enough money in this campaign to be able to communicate my message for change in Texas. I know we'll I know -- we'll get there and this is our final stretch to make that case.

HUNT: President Trump obviously significant inroads with Latino voters when he won in 2024 especially. Why do you think that was? How do you explain it? And what are you hearing from people who were willing to vote for Donald Trump that may be changing their minds now? Or how are you understanding that piece of this?

HINOJOSA: Yeah, sure. I think Donald Trump did so well in Texas, especially with the Latino community, is because he said the system is rigged. And he's right, the system is rigged and people know it. He has, of course, rigged it for himself now and people are having second thoughts about supporting President Trump.

But I think Democrats need to stop defending the indefensible. I think we need to say it. Listen, government has been working against us. We are paying into a system here in Texas that is actually working against us. We have to see it and say these data centers that have blown up as an issue in Texas are the latest example of government working for the moneyed interest, for the global corporations, multinational corporations instead of the people of Texas.

And so, it has created a space, I think a space. face a watershed moment, a space and time for real healing where we recognize our tribal camps need each other. We need each other to prevail to make sure this is a Texas that is by and for the people of Texas and not the billionaires.

HUNT: When you say your tribal factions, has it been difficult to get Democrats on the same page?

HINOJOSA: Well, I will say that I'm having conversations as a Democrat with MAGA Republicans who are giving me a chance, who are talking to me, sitting with me in their living rooms to talk about the issues because there is now an opportunity to bridge that gap in support of an agenda. And I'm running to secure the American dream by saving Texas schools, putting money in your pocket.

But that is an agenda to fight for the promise of this country, the American dream that we were told, I was told as a little girl, was the promise of America and, of course, of Texas as a land of opportunity.

My agenda is on my website at GinaForTexas.com. But what I'm experiencing all over this state is that Texans are giving each other a chance in a way that I haven't seen before. I'm excited about running for governor in this moment in history. I do think we're at a crossroads in history. Things are so bad.

Politics as usual is broken. Nobody wants it. It creates opportunity for change, and I believe in November, you will see that I will win on this vision for change for Texas.

HUNT: So, you grew up in Brownsville, Texas. It's a border town. So, you understand that very well.

How do you understand the national Democratic position on the southern border? What is it?

HINOJOSA: Well, I'm not sure. I will tell you what my position is my position is we need secure borders but we don't treat people who have been in our communities for 20 years law-abiding hard-working people the same way we treat people who are coming across this border now and need to be thoroughly vetted and we need to have some real rules in place. We need border security, absolutely, but targeting hard-working long-standing members of our community is not making us more secure.

These very aggressive ICE attacks identities are making us more at -- putting us more at risk. We saw a man was shot and killed in Houston, Texas, on his way to work just about two months ago where they pulled him over in an unmarked car. They shot first, asked questions later. It was a case of mistaken identity.

None of us are safe in that environment. Latinos especially because now we can be racially profiled according to the U.S. Supreme Court.

So, look, Latinos are angry in a big way and they know who's been in power. They know who is to blame, and that's why you are seeing Latinos support my campaign for governor in a big way.

HUNT: Do you think the Biden administration made any mistakes at the border?

HINOJOSA: Absolutely. I think that Biden did not lead on border policy. We had, if you'll remember, a chaotic environment where we had caravans that were crossing into -- into this country and they were sleeping under bridges. And that did not (AUDIO GAP) confidence in our border security.

We needed our president to weigh in with a strong position that was strong for border security, strong for defending the rights of Texans and Americans, and that was a humane approach to border security.

And our president was mostly silent on it, and I do think that we paid a price last November because of it.

HUNT: All right. Gina Hinojosa, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate your time. HINOJOSA: Thank you. It's a pleasure being with you.

HUNT: OK. I had here in THE ARENA the head of the Smithsonian abruptly announcing his retirement today after months of attacks by the White House as President Trump seeks to insert more influence for how the U.S. history is portrayed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I got a little involved with museums, you know, because I had a little problem with the Smithsonian. We like a little more positivity. It was all about all the bad things in our country. I said, what about the good things we've done? So, I got a little involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:47:26]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LONNIE G. BUNCH III, SMITHSONIAN SECRETARY: I think it's really important that we have a commitment to telling the complete story of America, to tell a story that really is a story of many peoples who have shaped this nation, some that people want to not talk about. But I think our job is to say, how do we tell an accurate history driven by scholarship that's nonpartisan, that challenges America to live up to its ideals, that celebrates America? So, it's our job to tell an accurate, complex, and truthful history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Lonnie Bunch, the Smithsonian Institution's top official, says he will step down from his role at the end of the year. Bunch announced his departure in a statement, writing in part, quote, "It is with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude that I announce my retirement from the Smithsonian. I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward."

His retirement comes at a politically fraught time for the museum as President Trump ramps up his efforts to change how American history is portrayed at the institution.

CNN political analyst and historian Leah Wright Rigueur joins our panel now.

Leah, thank you so much for being here.

Can you help us understand some of the ways that Mr. Bunch has come under pressure over the course of the first half of this second Trump administration and what his stepping down mean for the museum?

LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST & HISTORIAN: Well, the first thing is that Lonnie Bunch stepping down is a tremendous loss for cultural institutions across the United States. I mean, what an absolute icon in the field, somebody who truly loved history, truly loved culture, and really loved putting this kind of public display of American history first. So, to see him step down is an absolute disappointment, and we should all be upset about his -- the hole that his absence will leave.

But one of the things that made Lonnie really just remarkable, both in his position at the Smithsonian, but also as the former head of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, was his ability to actually speak to the Trump administration and to find a common ground for the concerns about the Trump administration and the actual making of American history. He's been phenomenal at the job.

You may remember that in 2017, he gave Donald Trump a tour of the National African American History of Culture that Trump raved about and said, we should all remember.

[16:50:00]

We should all be part of this.

And so, to see over the course of the last really year or so, the administration do an about face on many of the ideas and really a whitewashing of history and the erasure of history is deeply alarming. So, the writing was on the wall for a while, from the moment the administration issued an executive order and kind of went on an attack in 2025, in early 2025. But to see somebody like Lonnie step down, when really he has done so much for these public institutions and also for this country, is just really alarming and concerning.

HUNT: Yeah.

So, Lulu Garcia Navarro, I mean, the reality is that history and how we remember history is political. It's kind of inescapable.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: It is political. Every, you know, I don't believe that there is any version of history that is without political taint. You know, as they always say, history is written by the winners.

But what we're seeing here is Donald Trump is not only trying to put his mark on the buildings and the institutions of government, but also in our collective memory of what America is. And I think that is of deep concern. Lonnie Bunch -- I mean, just to reiterate here, has been someone who has acted as a bulwark against undue influence on our collective memory.

The Smithsonian acts as the guardian of what America understands itself to be, and his loss is a profound loss.

HUNT: Marc Short, what do you make of this and the focus the president's put on it?

SHORT: Well, look, from the stories that I read, Lonnie Bunch said he had planned to serve for five years in the role. He ended up serving seven years. He himself said he was not influenced by President Trump and his announcement to step aside at 73 years old. So, look, I would associate myself with his words in the beginning of

the interview of this segment that I think America is better when we try not to erase history. We try to learn from history, and I think that should be the goal for all of us.

But, you know, I also -- I take him in his word that he served longer than he actually intended to.

HUNT: Congressman?

CROWLEY: Yeah, I think that's probably true. I think he is a national treasure. He opened the African American Museum here. I remember being there that day with John Lewis and many of my colleagues, and it was a wonderful event. Lonnie had something to do with that, and so he'll be missed.

HUNT: All right. We've got a little bit of breaking news we have to go to here. United States spoke on a new round of strikes targeting Iranian tanker ships. That according to two U.S. officials.

CNN's Brian Todd is live with the latest on this story.

Brian, what are we learning?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Kasie. This is from our colleague Zachary Cohen. According to two U.S. officials, the U.S. has targeted multiple Iranian tankers near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. One of the officials saying U.S. forces struck the Iranian tankers, which are tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in response to an attempted missile attack on a U.S. Navy warship in that area.

The strikes come as the U.S. has focused its strategy in the war to prioritize striking or disabling targets around the Strait of Hormuz, conducting escort operations as well with commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, and maintaining a naval blockade on Iranian ports as part of what the administration has called a full-court press on the Iranian regime in order to ramp up economic pressure on Iran.

This, Kasie, seemingly a significant ramp-up of tensions, physical tensions in the Persian Gulf. Again, according to two U.S. officials, the U.S. has targeted multiple Iranian tankers near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. One official saying U.S. forces striking the tankers tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to an attempted missile attack on a U.S. Navy warship in the region.

So at least tonight, pressure is ramping up significantly around the Strait of Hormuz. as they have been in recent weeks, with the U.S. blockade, the U.S. escorting of ships near the Oman coastline in the Strait of Hormuz, and President Trump claiming that the U.S. now controls much of the Strait of Hormuz and Iranians' claims that they control it, according to the administration, are false.

But again, this is a significant ramp-up of tensions right around the strait.

HUNT: Yeah.

All right. Thank you very much for that report, Brian. Appreciate it.

Marc Short, I mean, this goes to what we were talking about at the beginning of the show. The Trump administration is trying to win midterm elections here at home. The president has continually said that what's going on in Iran is irrelevant to the way he's thinking about the midterm elections. But so many Republicans wanted this to actually be one before yesterday, Labor Day.

SHORT: For sure. Look, again, I think that the national security of the United States should trump the midterm elections. I think the president has been right in his cause here. I think it's a murderous regime that's been killing innocent civilians for 47 years.

But again, I do think the challenge has been the expectation setting. I think the White House has told many different explanations for why we're there.

[16:55:02]

They've told many different explanations is how long it's going to last.

And so, I support the actions. I think it's important that we respond to them. But there's no doubt that it's going to have an impact on midterms as well.

HUNT: All right. On that note, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNT: All right. Thanks very much, my panel. Really appreciate all of you being here.

Thanks to all of you at home for watching as well.

But don't go anywhere, Jake Tapper is standing by for "THE LEAD".

Hi, Jake. Let's not talk about Michigan and talk about week one for the Eagles.