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GOP Grapple with Trump's Approval, Trade War Ahead of Midterms; Interview with Rep. Josh Gottheimer: GOP Attack Some Democrats as Socialists Ahead of Midterms; Riders Rushed to Hospital After Braving Famous Six Flags Roller Coaster. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired August 27, 2026 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

DR. PAUL OFFIT, PEDIATRICIAN AND VIROLOGIST: The mothers have transferred antibodies to the baby, but you can vaccinate it down to six months of age. And now measles has become so rampant in Pennsylvania that that's what we're doing in these areas.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Dr. Paul Offit, thank you so much for being with us.

OFFIT: Thank you.

KEILAR: President Trump is putting his foot on the campaign scale ahead of November's midterms, but is it helping or hurting Republican candidates? We'll have reaction from both sides next.

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KEILAR: With fewer than 10 weeks until the midterm elections, President Trump's approval rating is at a record low, and a recent CNN poll finds a majority of Americans do not believe he's focused on the country's most important problems. And yet today, President Trump was busy signing an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America. CNN White House reporter Adam Cancryn is here with us now.

Adam, what's the message that Trump is sending to congressional Republicans and voters with all of this?

ADAM CANCRYN, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, these are issues that congressional Republicans, especially if you're in a tight race, would rather not spend any time on. I mean, they're already dealing with voter anger over high prices and this kind of ongoing war in Iran. And what Trump has kind of made clear over the last several months, and certainly in these last couple of weeks, is that he has his own set of priorities.

And he's not really willing to alter those in order to make it easier for these down-ballot Republicans. And frankly, that's confounding to a lot of them, especially the lawmakers and strategists we've talked to, because they say, you know, as Republicans go, so does Trump. And if they end up losing the House and the Senate, he's going to have to deal with all of these investigations.

KEILAR: You also have some new reporting on this Republican midterm convention that's been dubbed Trumpapalooza, and there's actually concerns about it behind the scenes.

CANCRYN: There are. This is something that was conceived last year by Trump and his political allies. The idea was a good one.

Republicans agreed that motivation, getting voters out, is always a big problem during the midterms. So let's do this big blowout that, like, really shows the messaging and gets people motivated ahead of the midterms. The problem is, as we've gotten closer, Republicans are saying, you know, voters are really not enthusiastic.

They're really glum about the economy in particular. Why are we going to go now and celebrate? That's a little bit out of touch.

At the same time, there's also a whole bunch of logistical concerns. This is something that hasn't been done before. House lawmakers, some of them are being asked to pony up $25,000 just to go there.

It's happening on the same day as the first two games of the NFL season. So a lot of concern around just how this is going to land and how it's going to look once they've actually started to execute on it.

KEILAR: All right, Adam Cancryn, thank you so much for the reporting -- Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We're joined now by Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. He serves on the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

I want to start there with this conversation about --

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): Hi Boris.

SANCHEZ: -- Of course -- with this conversation about conventions because I know Democrats reportedly decided against holding a midterm convention. There were concerns about a fundraising crunch earlier this year. I wonder if you think that not hosting one is a missed opportunity for your party.

GOTTHEIMER: Absolutely not. I mean, I think we should be in our districts out in the country with the folks that we represent. That's the most important.

And reminding them what we're fighting for, which is to make their lives more affordable, to get costs down. It's a great contrast against this administration. President Trump, who's been just day in and day out, are doing things to actually raise prices, whether you're talking about gas prices or tariffs, which obviously just imposed with Canada more tariffs that'll directly hit people's pocketbooks, which is more taxes on Americans.

People want to know what you're going to do to get their rent down and their food prices down, not what you're doing to stick it to them. And so if they want to all get together and have some sort of convention, that's fine. We're out here talking to folks.

SANCHEZ: So at this convention, and obviously as we get closer to the midterms, Republicans are expected to play up efforts to label Democrats as socialists and communists. They want to spotlight some of your party's furthest left candidates. And as you've known, throughout this primary season, we've seen an unprecedented number of progressive upsets, including some candidates who advocated for policies that are outside of the mainstream, like abolishing police and prisons.

I wonder how you think those attacks will land with voters in battleground states.

GOTTHEIMER: I don't think they're going to be very successful. I mean, this is a play they always run. They find a few aberrations and then they just try to make that who every Democrat is.

And let's be clear, the DSA, the socialists are not Democrats, they're socialists. They should be in their own party. Their views are not aligned with our values.

They're not supporting our leadership in the House. So, you know, I don't consider them Democrats. And a lot of their views, whether it's to defund the police or being against prisons or no borders.

I mean, obviously not in line with what we fight for. We're very focused as Democrats on issues related to affordability and pointing out the corruption in this administration. And I think we're hitting that every day.

You know, I'll just tell you, I'm out there in Jersey making this point and people -- and it's resonating because people are struggling with these costs and they don't understand.

[15:40:00]

You know, this administration claim they're going to come in and make life more affordable for folks and get costs down. And it's been just the opposite.

So and there's a lot of strain going on right now and people are struggling. And the Democrats are the only one talking about the real issues and I think that's going to be the focus of this election.

They're going to try to distract, but they're failing. And frankly, a bunch of us are calling out the same issues that they're calling out, because I don't believe they're part of our values in the Democratic Party.

SANCHEZ: To that point, some of those progressive candidates, as you know, have advocated for cutting funding to Israel, declaring Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal, et cetera. That question of Israel policy has been a litmus test in some of these contests, notably this week, three vocally pro-Israel Democrats were elevated to powerful positions on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including Congressman Jared Moskowitz, who posted online that he would use his position to shore up support for Israel and Gulf allies. Do you read those assignments as the Democratic leadership sending a message?

GOTTHEIMER: No, I read them as Jared Moskowitz is uber competent and will do an incredible job on the Foreign Affairs Committee and protect America's national security, which to me is what this is all about. Since some folks on the socialist side are obsessed with Israel and Jews and can't seem to stop talking about it, I don't really understand. They should really focus, in my opinion, instead of worrying about great leaders like Jared Moskowitz, they should focus on condemning people like Hasan Piker, who is this Twitch guy with millions of followers who says things that are completely out of line with American values.

He's anti-American. He said that 9-11 was America's fault. He called Jewish people pig dogs.

He went after American soldiers and said that they deserve to be shot. You know, I mean, this is a guy who's not in line with us, and I think we should make it clear there's a great opportunity here to say what's part of the democratic value set and what's not. And I'll tell you, we've got great leaders like Jared and Hakeem Jeffries and phenomenal leaders like Greg Meeks, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, you know, and you've got other people who are clearly not in line with the Democratic Party and who are trying to hijack the party.

But people like Hasan Piker, these anti-American socialists, you know, they have no role, in my opinion, in the Democratic Party and they'll do whatever they can to try to get in. But we're not going to welcome them.

SANCHEZ: You actually introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning rhetoric, like some of the things Piker recently said. I believe that he said that American Jews' support for Israel would make anti- Semitism spike here in the United States and incite violence. You introduced this resolution condemning him and Candace Owens and others, calling on Republican leadership to bring it to a vote on the House floor by next week.

Is there any movement on that? Have you gotten an update from Speaker Johnson?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, listen, I've asked for it and I think we should continue pressing it because, as you just pointed out, Hasan Piker, who unfortunately many of my colleagues have decided to embrace or to campaign with or have refused to condemn. The good news is many have condemned him, but we need everyone to condemn him. You know, the comments he made were, you know, Nazi-type comments.

He said that Jewish people who support the U.S.-Israel relationship, one of America's key allies, were bringing violence onto themselves, which is outrageous, and everyone should condemn it. And I think we should condemn him on the floor of the Congress, which is the resolution that Congressman Mike Lawler and I introduced. By the way, we should also condemn Candace Owens for her anti-Semitic and hate- filled comments, anti-American comments.

To me, there should be no place for any of that in our country. We should focus on working together to get things done for folks and to make their lives more affordable. We should be focused on going after Trump corruption, whether that's the crypto money, the Qatar plane, you name it, the self-dealing.

Those are the issues we should be talking about and focus on how we're going to make people's lives, get these costs down for folks. And to me, that's the top issue. That's why we'll win in November under Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership.

SANCHEZ: What is your message then, Congressman, to candidates and some of your colleagues who have aligned themselves with people like Piker? And I'm thinking specifically of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. This week, he appeared to try to distance himself from some of Piker's comments.

But nevertheless, the two of them were on the campaign trail earlier this year. And Piker has spoken out in favor of other candidates across the country. What would you say to them about how that might impact their chances in November and the future of the Democratic Party altogether?

GOTTHEIMER: Listen, about our values, right? I would say pretty clearly there should be no room. You should condemn Hasan Piker.

[15:45:00]

You shouldn't go anywhere near him. You're only enabling his hate. And by the way, it's anti-American hatred, not just anti-Semitic hatred.

And this is a guy you should go nowhere near. When, you know, and as Hakeem Jeffries made very clear in his comments this week that he has no room for Hasan Piker, and he made it clear that he has no room for the, you know, that he doesn't support the DSA agenda. Those are the types of comments that make it clear what the Democratic Party is about.

We're for opportunity. We're for getting costs down. We're for looking out for people and getting their backs and making sure people are safe.

So, you know, what I'd say is just make this clear. This should not be so hard and just be unequivocal about it. And I say the same thing to the Senate candidate in Michigan.

You know, just be unequivocal about it. Why are you playing around and cutting your words and trying to find ways not to say what you should say, which is that you condemn Piker for what he has said, and you want nothing to do with him?

SANCHEZ: Congressman Josh Gottheimer, we leave the conversation there. Appreciate your time, sir.

GOTTHEIMER: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Still ahead, a CNN investigation uncovers years of serious injuries

reportedly linked to a famous roller coaster. You'll want to hear these details when we come back.

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SANCHEZ: An extreme rollercoaster in Southern California has long drawn thrill-seekers from around the world. But now, a CNN investigation is finding that ride has been linked to multiple brain injuries.

KEILAR: CNN's Kyung Lah is with us now on this story. Kyung, tell us what you're learning here.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris and Brianna, we're talking about a very specific rollercoaster. It's six flags here in the Los Angeles area. It's called the X2 rollercoaster.

And it's widely viewed as a right passage for daredevils. It's been a major attraction for about two decades at the Magic Mountain theme park. But this summer, two women wound up in the same hospital, the very same week, with similar brain hemorrhages after riding the rollercoaster.

Our team with reporters Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken reviewed records and found more than a dozen people who rode X2 and suffered serious injuries and hospitalizations. And that includes a 22-year-old who his family says was previously healthy, who also died after riding this coaster.

KEILAR: Kyung, what are you hearing from injured riders?

LAH: Well, those two women I was just talking about, Brianna, I sat down with both of them. Let's first talk about Pam Guillen. She went to the theme park to celebrate her daughter's 16th birthday in July.

You're looking at a picture of her in the hospital. Because after riding the rollercoaster, she was rushed into emergency brain surgery. She's still suffering from brain damage, including frequent headaches, fatigue, and other challenges.

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PAMELA GUILLEN, INJURED ROLLER COASTER RIDER: It's hard to wrap my head around that, that it was seconds. It's a ride that I don't think it's in more than a minute or maybe two. And it's fun.

And then, like, you go in as yourself. And then when you come back, you're a medical emergency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: And we also sat down with a family of Naomi Greer-Wilkinson. This is Naomi. She collapsed after she got off the ride and also had emergency brain surgery.

The 25-year-old woman and her family says she was previously healthy. She remains in the hospital with now an uncertain future.

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ARTEMIS GREER, MOTHER OF HOSPITALIZED RIDER: They sat us down and said, she is at the end of life. And I just, I didn't have any thoughts. I was totally blank.

Naomi should have never, ever in a million years, even had the option to get on that ride or anyone else. It's absolutely insane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Wow. Kyung, what is Six Flags saying about all this?

LAH: Well, we did reach out to them sending a detailed list of questions. Six Flags did not answer those specific questions. But we did look through the company's previous court filings.

And in those filings, the company has said that the ride has gone through daily inspections. And a normal rider using the ride as instructed would not have traumatic brain injury. X2 roller coaster, though, has been closed since those two women you just heard from, Boris, were injured -- Boris.

KEILAR: All right, Kyung. Thank you so much for that report.

Still ahead, an ICE officer charged with shooting a man in Minneapolis is released from a Texas jail after his extradition is denied.

You're watching CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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SANCHEZ: We're back now with a look at some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. An ICE officer charged with shooting a man in Minneapolis has now been released from jail in Texas, after a judge denied a request from the state of Minnesota to extradite him immediately. Christian Castro is charged with shooting and injuring an immigrant during an immigration crackdown in January and then lying about it.

Minnesota officials are concerned he could now flee the country.

KEILAR: Also, an American Airlines plane blew two tires as it was getting ready for takeoff at Chicago O'Hare yesterday. One passenger even saying he heard a loud pop while the plane was moving. American Airlines says the incident occurred shortly after the Boeing 737 pushed back from the gate.

Another plane on the tarmac noticed the issue as well.

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ATC: I can see two blown right tires on your main gear and you guys are going to deplane out here, is that correct?

AA FLIGHT 3280: Affirm. The aircraft behind us saw that there was pieces of tires.

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KEILAR: Passengers safely deplaned, thankfully no one was hurt. This is the fourth tire incident in a month at the airport.

And finally today the art world is mourning the loss of beloved Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Kusama was perhaps best known for her famed polka dot paintings and contemporary pumpkin sculptures. Her infinity mirror rooms were also cherished and celebrated around the globe.

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A spokesperson says Kusama passed away earlier this month at the age of 97.

SANCHEZ: They had a display for her at the Hirshhorn here in D.C. a couple years ago. I went, and it was unreal.

KEILAR: Spectacular.

SANCHEZ: Yes, condolences to her family.

KEILAR: Yes. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END