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Talarico Says, Conspiracy Theories Don't Put Food on the Table; Trump Approval Rating Hits New Low in Fox News Poll; Soon, Maduro Returns to Federal Court to Face Torture Allegations. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired October 15, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: As Punchbowl puts it, panic is setting in among GOP. 19 days now to the midterms, and a new look at how well voters think President Trump is doing his job. An approval rating hitting the lowest point across both of his terms.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, two ships sink in the Strait of Hormuz, and CNN has new exclusive reporting that the U.S. is considering using a new weapon against Iran.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And body camera video showing the moment officers race to save a man trapped in a burning vehicle after a wrong-way crash on the highway. Those stories and more ahead.

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan, this is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: A Texas-sized fight in one of the most closely watched races in the battle for Senate. Democrat James Talarico, he faced voters last night at a town hall hosted by CNN and Jubilee. CNN extended the same invitation to Republican Ken Paxton. He did not respond. He clearly did not show up.

Talarico largely saved his attacks on Paxton for the end while answering many questions on a host of topics, including his past comments that have sparked controversy. That decision to stay home for a week sent my opponent and his conspiracy theorists spiraling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES TALARICO (D), TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: Conspiracy theories don't put food on the table. They don't put gas in the tank.

The first comment about about God not being defined by gender when I said that, I was being provocative, and I want to admit that and come clean about that.

We have an opportunity in this race not just to defeat the most corrupt politician in Texas. We have an opportunity to defeat this entire corrupt system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: The stakes are incredibly high there. Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in more than 30 years, and the most recent polling shows it is neck and neck, that there is no clear leader right now.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is live this morning in Texas for us. What stood out to you, Jeff, from this town hall?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kate. Good morning. I mean, just the direct appeal that James Talarico was making, not just to Democrats to urge them to come out to the polls, but to independents and even Republicans about why they should consider voting for him.

And this race in Texas really is at the center of the fight for control of the U.S. Senate. That's extraordinary in and of itself. A half a billion dollars has been spent here throughout the entire campaign, so he was clearly seeking to clean up some of his past comments as you were just saying there, but also try and show that he can find common ground as well as standing up to his party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TALARICO: I will stand up to my own party if they mess with our oil and gas industry, and I will stand up to the other party if they mess with renewables.

Joe Biden failed us during his administration by not securing the border.

I'm a border security Democrat.

I'm a proud Texas Democrat, but I already have a religion, and I already have a sports team.

So, I have no problem, I have no problem sharing hard truths with my party if it's what's best for Texas.

The only minority destroying America is the billionaires. They are constantly trying to divide us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: And clearly trying to return to his populist message that he's a champion for the working class, working people, trying to move beyond some of those divisive cultural issues that really have you know, been at the center of the attacks against him.

Now, Kate, this has been an extraordinary advertising campaign. Republicans from September 1st to Election Day alone have spent $232 million, largely using his own words, his previous words against him, trying to suggest that he is too liberal for Texas. But James Talarico spent the entire evening trying to show that he is in fact more of a moderate. I mean, we will see how voters actually receive this. But the ones in the room at least, even some who came in opposed to him, said they were open to supporting him, and some indeed changed their minds right on the spot.

BOLDUAN: Where does this race go from here now, Jeff?

ZELENY: Well, Kate, I mean, we are in the final push of this race. Ken Paxton is just really the embattled Texas attorney general.

[07:05:03]

President Trump has sought to stand him up. He's been here three times in recent weeks, vice president as well. Ken Paxton is going to be doing a bus tour starting this weekend, right until election day, trying to convince Republicans to stick with him. But James Talarico is trying to, again, get a share of Republicans as well as a bigger share of independents and, of course, Democrats to join him.

So, the reason this race is important, of course, is Democrats need four seats to win control of the Senate. All of the most competitive are in deep red states, like right here in Texas. There's no clear leader in this race, but there is enthusiasm. The enthusiasm edge is for the Democrats. There's no doubt about it. Polls show it, Republicans acknowledge it. So, where it goes from here is just clearly an extension of this, and if James Talarico is able to convince some of those voters who may be skeptical of Democrats.

He certainly is in potential command of this race. But, again, history would show that it's very hard for a Democrat to win in Texas. It hasn't happened in a Senate race since the year before James Talarico was born. Kate?

BERMAN: All right, I'll take it. Jeff Zeleny for us in Fort Worth, and I just have to say, this was a fascinating event. Kudos to both CNN and Jubilee for pulling it off, and more politicians should put themselves in the middle like James Talarico did last night.

A new national poll shows that President Trump's approval rating has hit an all-time low in the Fox News polling. Just 36 percent of registered voters approve of his handling of the presidency overall. That approval rating even lower on specific issues like the economy and inflation. This came out the very day that the annual inflation rate surged more than expected, sending jitters through the market.

Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House. Numbers like this cannot be good news for the administration, Alayna.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John, and that comes also despite all of the money that is being poured into these races, all of the ads, the blitzes we've seen really across the country in these key battlegrounds, and, of course, the aggressive campaign travel we've seen the president really commit himself to in recent weeks.

I want to dig into these numbers. This new Fox News polling, it's a national poll, is the lowest approval rating it shows that the president has received from their polling across his two terms. To go back to what you mentioned, 36 percent of those registered voters who were polled in this approve of the president, 64 percent disapproving.

And I do want to get into the specific issues, because I think this is really laying the groundwork for why these numbers are so bad. On the economy, only 29 percent approve of the president's handling of the economy. 22 percent saying they approve of his handling of inflation. On border security, 50 percent, much better numbers there, but still I know this administration wishes those numbers were higher, and then 35 percent approving of foreign policy.

Now, what was also interesting digging into deeper into this poll, nearly half of those polled said that one reason for their vote for Congress in these midterm elections will be to express their opposition to Trump. That's compared to just 25 percent who said that they'll be voting to express their support for the president.

A lot of different numbers and topics that this poll gets into, all of them not really looking great for the president and Republicans with less than three weeks now, John, until the November elections. But, look, despite all of that, or maybe perhaps because of these numbers, you're seeing the president continue to ramp up his travel.

He wrapped up yesterday his western swing starting in Alaska. He also hit yesterday Montana and Arizona, delivering messages, you know, talking about things like gun rights, other things he knows are kind of buzzwords for his supporters in these states. He got back around 4:00 A.M. this morning, then he's back on the road tomorrow heading to Georgia. Saturday he'll be in Kentucky. I mean, this is really showing, I think, this frenetic pace of travel the president has taken on, showing the amount of concern that this White House has and Republicans at large.

The question, of course is, is what the president doing actually helping some of these candidates, particularly his presence in some of these very deep red states. John?

BERMAN: Yes. It explains why he may be focused on red states with an approval rating that low.

Alayna Treene at the White House this morning, thank you for sharing your reporting. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, John. Breaking overnight, quote, The block is out. We're done. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy saying Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian refineries after what he sees as a betrayal by President Trump.

And new reporting on which Republican Congressman is quietly laying the groundwork to be House minority leader if Democrats take control of the House in November.

And a contest like no other, Pringles potato chips offering the chance to have your very own personally engraved burial urn shaped like a Pringles can. Things you probably do not need. Those stories and more ahead.

[07:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: This morning, former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife scheduled to return to a New York courtroom to face new charges over the alleged torture of Americans in Venezuela.

Maduro and his wife were captured in a stunning U.S. military raid in January. They were initially facing narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges. They pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Now, in the new indictment, prosecutors allege that while in government, Maduro authorized the use of torture and oversaw a system designed to use torture, arbitrary detention, and violence as a means of repression against the political opposition.

[07:15:10]

The new charges relate to what the U.S. has said was the wrongful detention of more than a dozen U.S. citizens in Venezuelan prisons while Maduro was in power. The indictment outlines disturbing allegations of torture, including beatings, electrocutions, and asphyxiation.

CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney Joey Jackson is joining me now. What are we expecting to occur in court today? Is this just where, look, the charges are declared, and then the defendants have to respond to them guilty or not guilty?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Sara. Good morning to you. So, what happens is that when -- this is a superseding indictment, and that's a fancy way of saying that prosecutors have went back to the grand jury to seek new charges. Now, very important, these charges are not taking the place of the existing charges. They have added to those.

And so specifically, what happens when you get indicted, and just remember, because the allegations that you laid out, very serious, but they're allegations, you go to this grand jury. You present your case as a prosecutor. The defense is not there. You give the allegations, and then, of course, the prosecutors are the judge, the jury, and executioner in the grand jury. And now that you're indicted, you now come to court.

So, at court, and I say that because we as defense attorneys always go before juries before opening statement, and we say, hey, it's an indictment. It means nothing other than an allegation. So, we have to keep that in mind for perspective in this discussion. That said, very serious. So, you go before the court. Today's not a hearing. It's not a trial. What it is it's a part of due process.

Now, Sara, we talk about due process, but what does that mean? It means notice and an opportunity to be heard. With regard to notice, the indictment now is official. Sir, do you understand? Ma'am, because his wife is there too, right, do you understand this indictment? Have you had an opportunity to review it with your lawyer? Do you understand the significance of this? Do you understand what you're facing as a result of this? So that's the notice of the due process, right? Entering of the plea, not guilty, and then, of course, it goes on to other matters in terms of discovery and trial, and that's what we'll hear today. It's very pro forma, not like a big bombshell deal.

SIDNER: Right. Look, these new charges are very, very serious. They're very different from the initial charges as well. Do you think that this -- adding this to the case is going to change the timing of all this, where the defense may say, look, this is a lot more that we have to now look at, we need more time potentially?

JACKSON: So, that's always a possibility with regard to time. Now, remember, the judge set this case for June 1st, and it's always evolving. What I'm going to look for in this case, though, not only this, these other charges with the torture and the existing drug trafficking charges, terrorism, et cetera, but I'm going to look for this immunity argument.

And his attorneys, Maduro and the wife, are arguing that he shouldn't be prosecuted, that anything he did was as head of state, and as a result of him being head of state, he's entitled to an immunity, and he's not subject to prosecution. It's a viable argument.

You might remember, Sara, that in this country, we have a sitting president. We have the SCOTUS, Supreme Court of the United States, who made rulings with regard to his immunity for any criminal activity while engaged in the performance in the scope of his duties, same argument by analogy relating to the Venezuelan president and his wife, and so we'll see whether there's any gravity to that.

That's expected, that immunity hearing, to happen in November, November 17th. But as you note, right, just like the trial could be moved, the immunity issue could be moved. But very significant because that determines whether he could be charged and tried at all.

SIDNER: It is a really interesting case. A lot of people watching it.

Joey Jackson, it is a pleasure to have you here as well. Thank you.

JACKSON: Thanks.

SIDNER: Kate?

BOLDUAN: There's new video raising new concern about the Strait of Hormuz. A container ship sinking in that critical waterway, hit by some sort of projectile, and that is the second one in just 24 hours. So, what is happening there?

And a big A.I. shakeup, OpenAI is now accusing a former employee of stealing confidential information and sharing it with Apple.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: We're getting video in now of a situation that is unfolding as we speak in the Strait of Hormuz, a cargo ship sinking after being hit by unknown projectiles. Just look at the absolute mess that it left. Iran has not claimed responsibility for a strike, but this is the second massive ship in just the past 24 hours that has been hit and sunk in that critical waterway. Not good.

Add to that, CNN has exclusive new reporting now that the U.S. military is looking at a new strike plan against Iran, considering now even using what's known as the mother of all bombs. It's the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal. It would be used to hit Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites.

If the president would go this route, it very clearly would mark a significant escalation in the war. Sources tell CNN, though, there are real doubts how effective the MOAB would actually be in this fight.

Also breaking overnight, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy is now saying that Ukraine is going to resume attacks on Russian oil refineries.

Zelenskyy had pulled back on those attacks at President Trump's request with this back-and-forth deal that Trump had with Putin over getting more diesel on the market. Zelenskyy now angrily expressing frustration with President Trump and how this has all unfolded. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: It's a pity that we are losing a strong partner. So, this is my opinion. And --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think you're losing America?

ZELENSKYY: Yes, but not because of us. We -- I mean, we can't be weak, otherwise we can't survive.

That's why it's painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is live in London tracking all of this. Nick, this is quite something, hearing Zelenskyy just kind of lay it out there. What does this mean?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, look, this is certainly a low in U.S.-Ukrainian relations probably since we saw that flare up in the Oval Office in March of last year.

[07:25:05]

And it comes after an extraordinary ten days or so in that relationship. Critically, in the last 24 hours, there've been increased concerns that the United States has potentially asked Elon Musk's SpaceX to alter some of the settings for the use of Starlink and another system called Starshield that potentially have hampered some of Ukraine's offensive and defensive operations. That's about really adjusting the speed that the Starlink dishes can be operated at when they fly.

That appears perhaps to have been put back to a more useful setting to Ukraine, but it raised questions as to whether or not this is part of a White House policy to restrict intelligence sharing, restrict technology, to kind of put the squeeze on Ukraine, to push them towards a kind of a peace deal or perhaps back off hitting Russia's refineries.

Remember, Ukraine has been launching long-range strikes against Russia's oil infrastructure, key to the Russian war economy for months now, and they're very effective. They've caused, certainly President Trump thinks, a spike in diesel prices globally. Many would say that's actually down to what's happening around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz you mentioned earlier.

But the diesel deal we heard of late last week was essentially to put hundreds of thousands of barrels of Russian oil, currently sanctioned, into the market, perhaps the White House hoping that would improve pump prices before the midterms. Most analysts think that's pretty unlikely, frankly, to be delivered in the speed and quantity that will change that key indicator.

So, where are we now? Well, clearly, Zelenskyy has been here before. He's seen President Trump vacillate on whether Ukraine can make its own Patriot interceptors, utterly vital. He's seen this low hit before. He spoke openly in an interview in London just in the last 24 hours too about President Trump's fondness for dictators.

And so I think we're seeing a low here where President Zelenskyy, surrounded by European allies, is having to call it as it is, and also President Trump increasingly isolated here. Even Elon Musk distanced himself ultimately from being the decision-maker around the tweaks around Starlink and Starshield. And key Republicans are also speaking out against President Trump's dealing with President Putin here.

A remarkable moment here, and one that means every single night, with a lack of this intelligence and this functioning defense systems, Ukrainians' lives are on the line and indeed being lost.

BOLDUAN: Yes, absolutely right. Just look at overnight is another example.

Nick, it's great to see you. Thank you so much for your reporting. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Kate.

Ahead, an assigned Republican is so concerned they will lose the House, new CNN reporting that one Republican's already laying the groundwork quietly to become minority leader. And dramatic video, see it here, capturing the moment that several officers are working to try and save a man from a burning car.

Those stories and more ahead.

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