Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Trump's Approval Ratings; Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) is Interviewed about the Midterms; Military Ordered to Be Ready to Strike Iran; FBI Arrests Teen in Mall of America Plot; Police Clash with Protesters in France; ICE Agents Told to Ramp Up Arrests. Aired 8:30- 9a ET

Aired October 08, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Numbers are dropping with millennials faster than the odds that the New York Yankees actually make the World Series. This is what we're talking about. I mean, just take a look right here. OK, age 30 to 44. That's your millennial age group. We're aging, folks. We're aging. Trump's net approval rating.

You know, back in the fall of 2024, he was on the plus side of the ledger. He was on the plus side. Look at this, at plus five points. Look at where he is today. He's 36 points underwater. He's more underwater than the New York Yankees favorability in the Bronx right now. Look at this. This is a 41-point drop for President Trump amongst a groups that he did historically well with for a Republican candidate running for president. Now he is deeply, deeply underwater with a group that he was once on the plus side of the ledger with.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: That is just a huge swing. And I think I'm going to get the same answer we've been getting for months now, but, why?

ENTEN: Why? Why, why, why? Well, it's the economy, my fellow millennial. It's the economy. Because you can see it right here. I mean --

BERMAN: Wow, it's like a mirror image.

ENTEN: It's a mirror image. It's a mirror image. He was 36 points above water when asked about his retrospective approval rating during the 2024 campaign when it comes to the economy. Look at it now, 37 points underwater. Thirty-seven points underwater. That, my dear friend, what is that? That's a 40 -- a 73-point swing away. I think that's about right. That seems about right. A 73-point swing away from the president of the United States on the key issue.

The reason he did so well with millennials back in 2024 was because they looked back at the economy during the Trump years and gave it two thumbs up. But now the Siskel and Ebert is two thumbs down. Two thumbs down, moving away from the president of the United States on the key issue of the day, the economy. And he is getting absolutely crushed on it, according to millennials. BERMAN: OK, that's about him, the president. How about if you ask

millennials about their hopes for Congress?

ENTEN: Yes. OK. So, I think this is the key question, right, because Donald Trump, as much as he wishes that he was on the ballot, is not on the ballot. I think a lot of Republicans are happy he's not. But those Republicans are on the ballot.

Take a look here. Choice for election among age 30 to 44. Look at this. It was a tie back in 2024 essentially. It was basically a tie. Pew had him slightly ahead. These CNN exit polls had him slightly behind. But it was basically a tie.

Look at it now. Look at it now. Look at the polling. Democrats are ahead by 22 points. That's a 22-point shift away. So, this idea that millennials are moving into the Republican camp, they may have been back in 2024, but if you look at it right now in 2026, they are returning to the Democratic fold. This looks a lot more like an exit poll among millennials from 2012 than it does look like one from 2024. Millennials back in the Democratic camp. This is one of the reasons why, that Democrats are headed, because the swing group of millennials are moving back towards the Democrats.

BERMAN: An important group. Proud to be part of it. Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: John, just tremendous. He's aging right in front of us.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm a millennial.

BERMAN: Yes.

ENTEN: Yes. Yes. You are my fellow millennial, Kate. You are.

BOLDUAN: Let's continue to talk about what was -- what is driving those numbers, which is the economy, because the new CNN polling data is out this morning and two red states are showing some red flags again for Republicans today. Ohio and Iowa, where President Trump won by 11 and 13 points, respectively, in 2024.

Well, now, three quarters of voters in Ohio, three quarters of voters in Iowa, they are not only saying the economy is the issue that matters, they are saying President Trump's policies have increased their cost of living. The economy and the cost of living are the top issues in those states for those voters in this poll. So, if this leads to Democrats making big gains, what are they going to do about it?

Joining me right now is Democratic Congressman James Walkinshaw of Virginia.

Congressman, thank you for being here. If the polling bears out and you all do retake control of the House,

what is your proposed first move? What is your proposed priority to actually bring down prices?

REP. JAMES WALKINSHAW (D-VA): Yes, thanks for having me. And I was glad to learn I'm just under the wire there for the millennial cutoff.

And look, I, you know, I think -- I think one of the dynamics here is that it's not that Donald Trump hasn't done enough to help the economy and help those millennials and others who are struggling in the economy, is that his policies and the policies of Republicans in Congress have supported are making it worse. So, the war in Iran is driving up gas prices, making things more costly across the board. The reckless and chaotic tariffs are driving up costs for families across the country. Health care cuts are costing families thousands and thousands of dollars a year. So, I think you'll see Democrats in Congress, if voters give us the opportunity, very quickly moving to reverse cuts to health care, to restore tax credits the middle class used to afford health care, to assert our constitutional authority, to roll back these tariffs that are driving up costs and continue fighting to end the war.

BOLDUAN: There is another headline out, reporting by "The Wall Street Journal," that the U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, tried to get a donor to pay off her American Express bill ahead of her confirmation hearing, and pay that bill in a way that would not leave a paper trail.

[08:35:12]

And they have messages, "The Wall Street Journal," in this extensive, deeply reported story to show this. In one Guilfoyle apparently wrote, "it won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express," she wrote on Signal, according to the messages reviewed by "The Wall Street Journal," with a "please" on it.

A lawyer for Kimberly Guilfoyle said the ambassador disputes the authenticity of the messages, but declined to provide specifics. He said she had been paid to speak at events before her nomination and was owed a balance for traveling and supporting the patriotic events, they write. But the donor involved here, who spoke to the -- who clearly spoke to "The Journal," said that he did not owe Guilfoyle any balance.

What do you do about this, Congressman, if you guys take the majority?

WALKINSHAW: And, you know, I think this is one of the things that's driving the way voters across the country are feeling. They recognize that this kind of corruption in Washington and the cost of living crisis they're facing are connected. Because while they're struggling to afford groceries and put gas in the tank, Trump and those closest to him in Washington, in this case in Greece, are literally raking it in. This should be investigated by the Department of Justice. If we had an independent Department of Justice, as we've had under Republican and Democratic administrations, this kind of thing would be investigated. Congress is going to have to do it in January. And I can tell you, my sense of this administration and the culture of

it is that the corruption we know about is the very tip of the iceberg. And once we start to peel back those layers, I fear we're going to find a lot more outright corruption like this.

BOLDUAN: Investigations is an important question for every new majority, and that's a big question for the new Democratic majority if you guys do take it back because it takes time, the spotlight, resources, when -- on what you decide to investigate, like investigating and impeaching potentially the president, as some on the left are calling for.

The Democratic Senate candidate out of Iowa was asked in a debate last night about impeaching Trump. He said no. The House speaker, though, Mike Johnson, this week said that you all will absolutely, in his view, move to do just that if you get -- as soon as you get the gavel. Let me play -- let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH TUREK (D), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: I have no interest in looking at impeachment. I think that we need to look forward, not back. My full intention is to go out there and to work on policy that is going to benefit everyday Iowans.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): It's guaranteed, probably on the first day. First or second day. Remember, they've already filed articles of impeachment in this Congress. I mean they're raring to go. And that's what you can expect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Is that what people should expect?

WALKINSHAW: No. Look, I believe very strongly that Donald Trump has committed impeachable offenses. And impeachment is a constitutional tool. It's a constitutional process that you can't take off the table. But we've tried it before. The votes don't exist in the Senate to convict Donald Trump. I don't see that changing. And our focus is going to be investigating, rooting out the corruption in this administration, including the president, preventing it from happening in the future, and working every day to drive down costs for the American people.

Speaker Johnson, once again, is wrong. That's going to be our focus on the first day, the first week, the first month, and the first year if the voters give us the opportunity.

BOLDUAN: Congressman, also within the Democratic Party, there's a debate about the direction and influence specifically and momentum of the -- of Democratic socialists in the party. A possible 2028 contender, Rahm Emanuel, he was just -- he was -- is now out basically rejecting the idea that Democratic socialists are even part of the Democratic Party.

Let me play this because I want to get your reaction to it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAHM EMANUEL, FORMER CHICAGO MAYOR: Well, they are their own party. I didn't say formed their own, but they are their own party. They had a convention here in Chicago just six weeks ago. They believe in defunding the police. That's just not a Democratic position. They believe in open borders. That is not a Democratic Party position. They believe in letting prisoners out of prison. That is not a Democratic Party position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Do you agree with Rahm that Democratic socialists have no place in the Democratic Party?

WALKINSHAW: I think when you look at the Democratic socialist organization nationally, and he's absolutely right, those elements are part of his platform. Absolutely not. I do think there are Democratic socialists or those who define themselves as such across the country who want to see stronger health care, who want to see a stronger social safety net, who don't agree with some of those more extreme provisions. So, you know, I think it's a spectrum, but the Democratic socialist organization nationally and the platform that they've put out, absolutely not part of the Democratic Party's platform.

[08:40:08]

BOLDUAN: Congressman James Walkinshaw, thanks for coming in.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you, Kate.

We're getting a fuller picture now of the military costs of the Iran War. A new report showing the U.S. military has had 81 aircraft destroyed or damaged in the war with Iran. The number includes both airplanes and helicopters, as well as drones. The total cost of the aircraft lost is between $1.9 billion and $3.3 billion.

And we're learning this morning from "Axios," which is reporting the president is weighing the possibility of launching new strikes against Iran. And with the midterms just weeks away, timing is crucial here.

Joining me now is CNN political commentator and global affairs commentator Sabrina Singh. She is a former deputy Pentagon press secretary.

Thank you for being here.

You know, look, according to "Axios," the Pentagon instructed U.S. Central Command several days ago to conclude preparations -- to include preparations for resuming major combat operations in Iran. What does this actually look like in this particular war, if that is what ends up happening?

SABRINA SINGH, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: I think before we can even get into what does this look like, let's just take a look at the cost that you mentioned, CRS, the independent, nonpartisan group found that 81 aircraft were destroyed or damaged during this war. That's more than double than what was released in May. And then you look -- you start adding things up and you look at, in June, the independent -- the inspector general of the Department of Defense released a report that said that the Iran war cost approximately $33 billion by that point in June. The administration is asking for nearly $88 billion in supplemental funding. So, if you do the math, this war is costing the American taxpayer $10 billion a month.

In comparison to when we were in Iraq and had boots on the ground, compared to what we have in Iran, which is limited operations, the Iraq War was costing the American taxpayer between $6 billion and $8 billion a month.

So, to your question, that I think is a good one, what do these operations should the U.S. military start back up look like? I think the real question is, what is the goal of these operations? Because the cost to the American taxpayer for having to repair some of the aircraft, to repairing some of the bases that were damaged, and while we're also retreating from our base in Britain and bringing back some of our B-1 bombers as well, what does success really look like if we continue a bombing campaign? And I would ask this administration, what is the path for diplomacy? Because that seems like the more successful path to go down at this point.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about the fact that the United States is dealing with depleted number of munitions. Could that hamper major combat operations? What would that -- what would that do?

SINGH: Absolutely. And I think this is a real consideration that the joint staff and the secretary have to take into account as they present potential operational plans to the president. I think that's also one of the reasons why you see the United States not joining Saudi Arabia right now in their bombing campaign against the Houthis. We just don't have the capabilities to do it. We don't have enough air defenses to defend our own bases. And then you need those munitions, those offensive munitions to conduct that bombing campaign for a sustained period of time.

So, they're probably conserving that for operations should that start back up in Iran. But the fact that our munitions are so depleted at this point, I think is a real question for the secretary, for the chairman, to consider, as they -- as this administration weighs starting back up operations in Iran.

SIDNER: How big might this balloon? Because you talked about how much it has already cost the American public. And CNN has reporting that the total cost so far has been about $45.1 billion, according to what the Pentagon -- the details the Pentagon revealed to Congress last month. If these combat operations are major operations, how quickly does that balloon?

SINGH: Well, it can balloon quite quickly. And I think the president has said we might start bombing operations back after the midterms. But, of course, reporting today indicates that that might actually be sooner. And I think what Americans are going to see is their oil and gas prices continuing to go up. And really the cost that should be scaring us all is those diesel prices. I mean the cost of diesel right now is astronomical, especially for the farmers, who are having to move and really reconsider how they plan this season. And so, when you talk about how much more this can balloon, this can balloon exponentially. And so, I think that's a real political calculation that this president has to make heading into the midterms as well. And looking at, does the path to diplomacy actually open more doors than a sustained bombing campaign that will right back -- get right back to our stockpiles question? And also, what does success really look like when Iran can still continue to threaten the Strait of Hormuz?

[08:45:04]

SIDNER: Sabrina Singh, it is always good to have you. Thank you so much.

John.

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, federal officials have accused a teenager of planning a terror attack at the Mall of America. Court documents allege the 18-year-old was planning to use an AK-47 and hundreds of rounds of ammunition to carry out a mass shooting at the mall. Officials say the teenager appeared to admire other terrorist- related killings.

Want to get right to CNN's Whitney Wild for the latest on all your learning on this.

Good morning, Whitney.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John.

Well, it was this week that the FBI felt compelled to finally move in on their target here, 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud. They say this investigation actually stretches all the way back to December 2024. That's when they started reviewing messages that he was sending with a confidential human source. And over that time, he exchanged hundreds of messages on social media apps and encrypted text messaging apps, showing that he had a very strong interest in joining a foreign terrorist organization.

And what you see in the 23-page affidavit, John, written by an FBI agent, is this sort of evolution of how he wanted to go about this plan and in which terrorist organization's name he planned to carry it out. So, at some point, he's sort of shopping. And he was interested in al-Shabab and he was interested in al Qaeda. He eventually settled on ISIS.

And his plan originally was to go overseas. He wanted to go to Somalia and begin fighting on behalf of a foreign terrorist organization. But when he realized that he couldn't afford that, he decided he was going to carry out the attack here on U.S. soil, eventually settling on the -- in -- on Minnesota's Mall of America.

Here's more from the FBI describing these messages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER DOTSON, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, MINNEAPOLIS FIELD OFFICE: The messages this defendant allegedly sent to others were chilling. They document the idolization of ideologically motivated violence, a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life, a blind hatred of people of other faiths, and a cold commitment to carrying out his vision of violence in our community.

According to court documents, Mohamud pledged his allegiance to ISIS leaders and claimed to have joined ISIS over a year ago. Mohamud allegedly sought martyrdom and carrying out his plans to murder innocent civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Here was his plan, John. He wanted to buy an AK-47, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, go to the Mall of America and kill between 30 and 60 people. And it was on October 6th that an undercover FBI employee sold him that AK-47. It was inert. He didn't know that. And 200 rounds of ammunition and four 30-round magazines. And shortly after that deal went down, John, I mean, we're talking seconds, if not minutes later, that is when the FBI moved in on him, guns drawn and put him under arrest.

He was in court yesterday. He is going to remain in detention. Weve reached out to his public defender, John.

BERMAN: A lot of new information from that investigation, apparently going on for a while there.

Whitney Wild, thank you very much for all those details.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.

Now to a tearful reunion for crew members from the USS Lincoln. CNN cameras were there as Lieutenant Commander Jason Tross was reunited with his daughter, Hannah (ph). More than 7,000 service members and personnel on board the USS Lincoln have been away for nearly a year now. They returned home today, capping the second largest Navy aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam War.

And ahead, we are tracking Hurricane Isaias as it churns in the gulf. It is a category one right now, but expected to get stronger. And you can see the path there.

Also, this very smart pup knew just the door to bark at after getting lost. See what happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:53:17]

BOLDUAN: Breaking news overnight and something we are continuing to track. Police, in riot gear, firing tear gas, clashing again with students and those now joining the protests that have just been sweeping across France, rocking multiple cities, including Paris. Hundreds of schools have been closed down because of the protests and the blockades that have been put up by students and those supporting them. Right now, there's really no end or resolution in sight here.

CNN's Melissa Bell is in Paris. She's following this.

Melissa, you've been in it for days now. What are you seeing?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we've been hearing is that all around the country, once again, students coming out to demand this better funding. They're asking, Kate, for 10 billion euros to get their schools up and running in a kind of state that they say they need to have them in order to be able to go to class. So, teachers that are there, buildings that are fit for purpose.

They're just arriving here at Bastille. This is the Paris version of the march. But it's happening really all over the country.

As you can see, once again, a lot of police out here to try and keep the streets relatively calm. We saw those big clashes between the police and the students, but also a lot of the unions that were out on Tuesday at that massive march that saw about 260,000 people take to the streets of France all together.

We don't know if the crowds will be that big this week. We're not sure how many of the students will manage to get mobilized. But what's clear is that after the prime minister made this speech last night promising fresh measures, fresh announcements by the end of October, the students came out saying that was simply not good enough. Hence this new demonstration.

They're out in force again today. They've closed more of their schools. More barricades up around the country to keep the pressure on.

[08:55:02]

What was interesting, though, about the prime minister's speech, Kate, was that it wasn't simply the student crisis he's trying to deal with, but also a crisis in the agriculture sector. The problem with the cost of petrol. And, of course, the government's big problem, trying to get its 2027 budget through in a way that will allow France to avert this looming debt crisis. So, a lot on this man's plate.

But these guys determined that they're going to do their bit to keep up the pressure.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, and in the midst of it, the question is, how do you resolve that? Where do you get those funds in the midst of, you're saying, France staring down a financial crisis itself more broadly?

Melissa, thank you so much. Great reporting, as always.

John.

BERMAN: All right, a CNN exclusive this morning. Sources say that ICE leadership has told agents across the country to boost daily immigration arrests. And this comes just a few weeks before the midterms despite some unease by Republicans about the optics of these types of arrests.

Want to get right to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez for the latest on what you've learned here, Priscilla

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, ICE had already been setting record highs on a monthly basis over the summer, meaning that they were arresting a lot of people both July, August and expected the same in September. However, ICE leadership told agents this week that they want more.

Now, to give you a sense of the numbers here, ICE was arresting around 2,000 people a day. Now the administration wants them to arrest 3,000 people a day and 19,000 people weekly. Now, if you're doing the math there, the reason that it's 19,000 people weekly is because there generally are fewer arrests on the weekends and there are fewer officers working. But those are the goals that the administration says that they're setting. And that's what I keep hearing from officials, is that they deny that this is any type of quota, meaning that agents, they say, won't be punished if they don't meet these numbers, but they are striving for higher numbers here when it comes to the arrests that ICE is making.

And, of course, that's notable against the backdrop of the moment. We're weeks away from the midterms and there are some Republicans who have publicly and privately said that they're uneasy over the way that the administration is handling these arrests, be it their tactics or who it is that they are arresting. Because, of course, when you're arresting more people, that also means that you're casting a wider net over who exactly is eligible to be arrested. And we saw that in Florida, for example, with Maria Salazar and her ad that's coming out or came out just weeks from the midterms.

Now, again, the administration is digging in and so has the president. And in a statement, the Department of Homeland Security me this, quote, "there are no quotas on arrests. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin's leadership, ICE has been supercharged to find, arrest and deport illegal aliens from the United States using every lawful tool available."

And, John, that is what we're seeing. They are ramping up arrests. And they're going to continue to do so.

I'll also note that there was recently a contract solicitation that we reviewed here at CNN that asked contractors to come forward for temporary facilities attached or believed to be attached to ICE offices around the country. What does that tell you? That they are planning to arrest more people, as we're reporting, but they're also trying to build the infrastructure to detain and process those people. And in that solicitation, the department also talks about the increased tempo of arrests.

So, all of this to say, John, that even as we're looking at polls where there are people, the American public, is souring on some of the way that the administration has approached its immigration crackdown, internally, they are not letting up and instead planning to arrest more people.

BERMAN: Interesting new data points there. We will see what the next few weeks bring.

Priscilla Alvarez, great reporting. Thank you very much.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, it is a new view on a shocking school shooting that made national headlines. You'll remember when a first-grade student shot his own teacher, Abby Zwerner, at school back in 2023. She survived, but they have just released new body camera footage from inside the classroom, if you will, in the moments right after the six-year-old boy opened fire. A warning, it is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The gun was there. He just admitted that he had one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, we've got a weapon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had one bullet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, if y'all want (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's leave the gun there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That voice that you heard there, that is the six-year-old boy. This video was used as evidence in the civil lawsuit that Zwerner brought against the school's assistant principal, Ebony Parker. The jury had found Parker liable for not taking action after hearing multiple reports about that child having a gun. A judge did dismiss separate criminal charges earlier this year.

So, a Tampa Police Department got an unexpected new recruit, a German shepherd that just kind of happened up to the front door. They said that it seemed that the dog was ready to join the team, but, unfortunately, the K-9 roster is currently full. So, an officer took the dog to the vet and was able to trace the dog back to his owner using a microchip. [09:00:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not so good. I lost my dog.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You