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GOP Scrambles to Stop Steep Losses With Just 22 Days to Midterms; Voter Anger Over Iran War, Rising Costs Weighs on GOP Midterm Hopes; Sources Say Trump Weighs Firing Kimberly Guilfoyle ; Six Arrested as Two Renoirs From Museum Heist Recovered; Pope Leo Will Be Admitted to Hospital Tuesday Ahead of Surgery; Two Americans Win Nobel Prize for Economics. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 12, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:22]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Just 22 days and counting until the midterm elections and new CNN reporting reveals that the Republican campaign has turned into a bit of a triage operation. Officials are pouring resources into traditionally ruby red districts and states scrambling to shore up one safe seats that are now in play in House and Senate race.

ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": And so behind the scenes, there's a growing number of Republican lawmakers who are worried that President Trump may be making that task even harder. This, of course, as the president is really leaning in, of course, to campaigning. The concern comes as weeks of polling shows Republicans vulnerable with voters expressing intense anger in some cases over the president's war with Iran and also the rising cost of living.

Joining us to discuss, two former Republican Congressmen, Francis Rooney of Florida and Joe Walsh of Illinois, Host of "The Social Contract with Joe Walsh" podcast. Nice to see you both this afternoon.

Joe, we'll start with you. In terms of the president's presence on the campaign trail, one lawmaker telling CNN he's dragging Republicans down. Is he? Would you agree?

JOE WALSH, (R-IL) FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Yeah, but -- and there's a big but, he's also their only hope to get Republican base voters out. Look, let's be really clear, if there's going to be a blue tsunami this year in 22 days, it's solely because of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump all by himself has wrecked this economy. And that's why even his base is so depressed. But to get his base out, they're tied to Trump. Trump's the only one who can get the base out. The problem, Erica, is Donald Trump is the greatest get-out-the-vote tool for Democrats as well.

So every time he opens his mouth, he gets Democrats more enthused.

SANCHEZ: Francis, what are your thoughts? FRANCIS ROONEY, (R-FL) FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Well, I think that

those are good points. You know, the president seems to like to hit the ball in the net to use a tennis analogy at every step. The -- no one's ever done well in the United States with really high gas prices, really high diesel prices, really difficult affordability of housing and a very slow economy for people that work for a living.

And I guess, these rich guys in the White House think that the stock market doing well is good for everybody, but it's not. It's good for a very few people.

SANCHEZ: Joe, Elon Musk has spent some $276 million boosting Republicans since the summer, including $158 million on Senate races like that tough one we're watching in Texas. Republicans have a significant spending advantage over Democrats. I wonder if you think money could make the difference here.

WALSH: Boris, I don't think in a year like this. Look, this is this is profound. We've never seen anything like this. I got elected in the big tea party wave when there was a lot of anger. Man, what's going on now dwarfs the tea party.

Very rarely can you point to a president and say that he single handedly messed up everything. But because of his tariffs and his war, he's messed up everything, this -- economically in this country and Boris, it's created such a level of anger. I'd say, an anger that we've not seen in years that I don't think money can even come close to overcoming the pent up anger the American people feel at Trump.

HILL: You know, there's another question about money. The president just putting out a video reiterating his promise to the American people that every adult would get $5,000 if Republicans win.

I mean, the cost of that alone is massive. Francis, when you look at that, it shows on the one hand, right? Perhaps that the president understands that people are hurting and $5,000 would be welcome to many Americans, but it also comes off to a lot of folks as paying for votes in some ways. Is that really the answer to get people out?

ROONEY: I hope most people see through this for what it is. It's a cheap trick to buy votes, just like the ridiculous diesel agreement he's trying to do with Russia. It's a cheap trick to buy votes, neither one of which are going to work.

First of all, it's going to be over one way or another before any of that has a chance to work. And all he's doing with his cheap tricks is empowering our enemies and hurting our friends and the American people.

[13:35:00]

SANCHEZ: So Francis, if you were on the ballot this cycle, as we've seen so many Republicans do across the map, many are trying to localize their races and move away from President Trump. How would you attempt to go about doing that if you were running for reelection? ROONEY: The same way I did it when I was running for Congress. The

Everglades, beach restoration, take care of our pristine Florida environment. I don't even want to know that guy exists.

(LAUGH)

HILL: Is there ever -- is there ever -- Joe's enjoying that moment.

(LAUGH)

HILL: Is there ever though a moment for those, for some of those lawmakers, how do you balance that concern of localizing your message to your constituents, hoping that it works and not ticking off the president?

(CROSSTALK)

ROONEY: Well, I don't really care. I (inaudible) tick him off anyway.

(LAUGH)

HILL: And there you go, which is what some voters wanted to hear. Go ahead, Joe.

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

WALSH: No, I was going to say Francis is right. That's the only prayer these Republicans have, is to talk about potholes and local issues. But it's too late, man. They are -- Erica, they are tied to him and they know that. You speak to these Republicans privately. They know they are sunk, but they have no choice.

They created this monster and they've let him be what he is. And now, they've got to ride him all the way.

SANCHEZ: Joe Walsh and Francis Rooney, appreciate the conversation. Thanks for joining us.

ROONEY: Thank you.

HILL: So, is the president actually ready to fire one of his most dependable allies? Ahead on "CNN News Central," a closer look at the controversy surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle and whether the U.S. Ambassador to Greece could actually be out of a job soon.

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[13:41:28]

HILL: There is new reporting today on President Trump and whether he could actually fire Kimberly Guilfoyle. She of course serves as U.S. Ambassador to Greece. Sources though tell CNN the president is actually weighing the decision right now. All this following a series of reports alleging Guilfoyle engaged in improper conduct before and then during her time as ambassador, including accepting lavish gifts and even seeking large sums of money in exchange for access to administration officials.

Guilfoyle was engaged to Trump's eldest Don Jr. for about four years and has remained close to the Trump family. CNN Senior White House Reporter, Kevin Liptak joins us now with some more of those details. So you are learning more about where the president's head is at right now. What's influencing that decision?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. And I think it's become clear that this is just not at all what the president and a lot of his team wants to be dealing with now three weeks before the midterm election. A number of Trump allies say that they find these details to be kind of embarrassing and the president is now considering whether to remove Kimberly Guilfoyle from her job there in Athens. It doesn't appear as if he's made a decision yet, at least he hasn't announced one.

But it is something he is now thinking about. It was interesting, on Friday, I asked the president about some of these reports about his U.S. ambassador to Greece. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: These reports about Kimberly Guilfoyle, your Ambassador to Greece, she seems to have been --

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I just heard about it, too bad. I mean, I don't know. She's an ambassador. I just heard a little bit about it. I don't know too much, but she was always very nice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So not really much of a defense there from the president, sort of lukewarm in a lot of ways.

Now, Kimberly Guilfoyle's lawyers have put out a statement, lengthy statement today, addressing some of these reports. She herself has not addressed them directly. But what her lawyers say is that when it comes to that episode where she was asking a Trump donor for $100,000 to pay off her American Express bill, they say that she was actually seeking payment for services that she had rendered in terms of appearances and speeches.

When it comes to the allegation that she was flying around Europe on a jet from a Greek shipping magnate, they say that that was, in fact, cleared through the State Department's Ethics Department. And they insist that there's no wrongdoing here. They say that Ambassador Guilfoyle has served and will continue to serve with integrity, honor, and distinction.

And that -- they say that they're looking at their legal remedies to try and recoup some of these debts that they now claim that she is owed. Now, Marco Rubio, who's the Secretary of State, I'm told will also have a say in the decision on whether to fire Guilfoyle. One of the reasons the White House and Trump allies find this so embarrassing is that this all kind of unfolded when Rubio was in Greece. He was there to deliver a speech about democracy with the Acropolis in the background. And Kimberly Guilfoyle was there with him every step of the way, which I think was distracting, but also somewhat embarrassing, just given all of the reports that were coming out detailing some of this alleged misconduct. So it is a decision that's now in front of the president, and we'll have to see what he ultimately decides.

HILL: We'll be watching and see how that turns out. Kevin, appreciate the new reporting. Thank you. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. French officials say they've made six arrests and recovered two Renoir paintings after a museum heist last month.

[13:45:00]

The two missing paintings were Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano and Young Woman at the Well. The mayor of the town where the heist happened released a statement praising investigators for the arrest, but didn't offer any details on how the suspects were caught or even who they were.

Also, Pope Leo will be admitted to the hospital tomorrow ahead of surgery. On Sunday, the Catholic Church revealed that he has a small growth on his lung. The 71-year-old pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that doctors had advised him to remove the so-called nodule. A nodule is a massive dense tissue that is often benign and Leo said the growth had been detected at a very early stage.

A spokesman for the Vatican says the Pope will need to be hospitalized for about a week after the operation.

And two Americans have won the Nobel Prize for Economics. Professors Robert Hall and Michael Woodford were honored by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for developing new economic models that assist governments with important monetary decisions.

Those models are credited for helping central banks stabilize their economies and minimize the impact of external shocks. The pair is each set to get about $600,000 in prize money. Erica?

HILL: Police in Michigan are investigating a possible serial killer after a string of reported deaths along a popular river trail.

CNN's Randi Kaye joining us now with more on that. So in terms of these deaths, what are we learning, Randi, about the potential link between them?

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's really interesting, Erica. Five men found dead and the link to them is that they are all unhoused men and they all seem to be spending the night and sleeping overnight on this very popular river trail in Lansing, Michigan.

So authorities do believe that they were targeted. They say that they are concerned that there is a pattern of targeting white unhoused men, and they have not ruled out the possibility that this could be a serial killer at work here. That is one theory that they are working.

Now, they were all found along this river trail. It's about a 20-mile stretch. It's a paved trail and it connects a lot of the cities different parks. It's popular for hikers and bikers and walkers. Now, the authorities have said that three of the five cases have been ruled a homicide.

And let me just give you an idea, Erica, of some of the wounds and injuries to these men. The first victim who was found last October, so about a year ago, was found unconscious with head trauma. His family told CNN that he had a collapsed skull. Others had stab wounds, broken ribs, facial lacerations and as I said, these were men who sleep along the river. And the police chief says that he believes that's when they were ambushed, that they were either lying down or asleep at the time that they were attacked.

Here's a little more of what the police chief had to say.

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CHIEF ROBERT BACKUS, LANSING POLICE DEPARTMENT: Outside of these five events, we have no other assaultive assaultive related deaths on the river trail. One question that we're being asked is, do we have a serial killer in Lansing? What we need the public to know is that we are investigating all of these cases. They are all active investigations and we are looking at the idea or the possibility that these may be related cases.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: AND what's really interesting Erica is that this all started, as I said. they believe back in October last year and then about nine months passed before this latest string of attacks happened on these men. They range in age from about 22 years old to 70 years old, most of them are in their 50s.

They do have one suspect in custody who they believe may have been involved with this latest attack. This is the 22 year old who was actually stabbed while on that river trail. They are not sure if he's involved with the others.

They are looking at possible connections, but they do have one person in custody. They have increased patrols. They have increased cameras in that area, but they didn't have any witnesses or any camera, any surveillance video to work with as they investigate this case, Erica.

HILL: Wow. Randy, I also understand that there's a relative of one of the victims who is speaking out. What are they saying?

KAYE: Yeah, this is the uncle of the very first victim from October last year and he believes, he was very clear to CNN what he thinks is going on here. He said there is a serial killer on the loose in my estimation. He said it's either a serial killer or a copycat. Of course, that is the police's, you know greatest, fear that that would be underway. So they have a lot to work on and a lot of -- a lot more time to look into this.

HILL: Yeah, appreciate it. Randi, thank you.

Still ahead here on "CNN News Central," a man is dead after entering a tiger's enclosure at a wildlife park. After that, he was mauled. And now, the park is talking about not only the death, but also what won't be happening in the aftermath. That's next.

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SANCHEZ: officials are now investigating after a man was killed when he entered a tiger enclosure at a U.K. wildlife park. It happened Saturday at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

[13:55:00]

In this image, you can see the tiger named Altai right next to the man. According to witnesses who spoke to The Telegraph, a woman tried to stop him from entering the enclosure, but he overpowered her.

Another witness told the outlet that during the attack, they screamed at the tiger hoping to distract it. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The park is currently closed and it's unclear when it's going to reopen to the public.

Park officials have confirmed the tiger will not be euthanized as a result. Staffers are said to be distraught, according to The Telegraph.

Let's discuss with Ron Magill. He's the Conservation Liaison for the Zoo Miami Foundation. Ron, great to see you, as always.

Once the man enters the enclosure, is there anything the zoo could do at that point to try and save his life?

RON MAGILL, CONSERVATION LIAISON, ZOO MIAMI FOUNDATION: Well, depending on what zoo personnel are right around, this is something that probably happened pretty quickly.

You know, I can tell you, unfortunately, I suffered somewhat of the same situation here at our zoo a little over 20 years ago. And we had a coworker go into the habitat without realizing the tiger was there, obviously a human error, and the tiger killed him instantly. So that's something that happens very quickly.

This is an animal that is built to kill. It's a solitary predator. And this tiger was just acting normally. You know, I think one of the things that comes up is, you know, what do you do with the tiger? I'm so glad to hear that the park is saying nothing happens to the tiger, because at the end of the day, the tiger is doing what -- you know, we have a lot of laws here in the United States to stand your ground. That tiger was standing his ground and defending his territory.

SANCHEZ: And to that point, how do zoos go about deciding an animal's fate after a situation like this?

MAGILL: Well, you know, when an animal is acting naturally, the situation unfortunately tragically is over. My condolences to the family of the young man who suffered this horrible tragedy. But at the end of the day, the tiger is acting normally.

Now, if the tiger was in there, and I've got to be honest with you, if a zoo personnel is there with a firearm that can dispatch the tiger while the gentleman's in there, you probably make that decision to dispatch the tiger, which is tragic, because it's not the tiger's fault at all.

But this was a similar situation we may have remembered back -- a few years back with Harambe, the gorilla.

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

MAGILL: -- when the young boy fell in there. And the Cincinnati Zoo had to make that decision, the right decision, to dispatch that gorilla. It wasn't the gorilla's fault, but the gorilla had a hold of this young boy.

I think he was five or six years old. He was swinging around like a wet rag. Any moment could split his skull and kill him in a second. Not that the gorilla meant to do that, but the fact that the possibility exists, it's the zoo's obligation.

Human safety's got to be the number one obligation we have at that point. So if that were the case, if there was somebody there and they were able to stop that tiger by dispatching it, I could understand that being done.

But I think this happened too quickly and before any person else could get there and do anything. And the bottom line, Boris, is this, you know, zoos can do everything they can to try to keep people out. But when a human's determined to get into something, to break into something, they usually find a way to do it.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, that was my next question. Is there a way to sort of human-proof these enclosures? It seems like, just -- you mentioned Harambe, it seems like often we're doing these stories where, for one reason or another, people are disoriented, sometimes it's children, they wind up in situations where these wild animals defend themselves, they don't know what's going on, and tragedy strikes.

MAGILL: Yeah, you know, and certainly, I mean, after the Harambe incident, I know Cincinnati Zoo made some improvements on the barriers between. But it gets to a point where you make a barrier that's so obstructive that you can't even see the animal. The point of having the zoo to connect people with wildlife is destroyed.

So I can understand making sure you have something that a child can not get into. But when you have an adult human like this, when they're determined, they usually find a way.

SANCHEZ: I'm sorry that you experienced a somewhat similar situation earlier in your career. I wonder what the zoo can possibly do to help the people who care for this tiger into the future, and also those who may just be traumatized by having endured this.

MAGILL: Yeah, well, we immediately offered counseling through our employment here, through the Miami-Dade County, offered counseling. We had counselors available for all the staff members, and it was a healing time. There's no question about it.

Listen, it's 20-something years later, and I still think about it when I walk by that exhibit. I was one of the people there when we took his body off the exhibit. So it's something that you'd never forget.

But it just reminds you, you know, there's an old saying, Boris, that says, you can take an animal out of the wild, you cannot take the wild out of the animal. So many people come to zoos in places like that and think that these animals there are pets, or that they're domesticated in some way. What people don't realize is that these animals are actually more dangerous, because they have lost their natural fear of humans.

I've been in the wild in India, and I've seen a tiger in the wild. They saw me, and it ran the other way. But here, they lose their natural fear of humans, and that, in fact, makes them more dangerous.

SANCHEZ: Ron Magill, always great to get your expertise. Thanks for joining us.

MAGILL: Thank you, Boris. Take care.

SANCHEZ: A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

HILL: President Trump heading to Ohio today to shore up support for Republicans with three weeks to go now until the midterm elections. And new signs that his push for additional data centers may be short- circuiting with voters --