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U.S. and Iran Launch New Strikes, Further Testing Ceasefire; Problems for Graham Platner Ahead of Primaries; Interview with Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI); Missing Auburn Student Found Dead In Japan; Growing Chorus Of GOP Pushback On Trump Agenda; Platner Campaign Rocked By Allegations Of Past Bad Behavior. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired June 06, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:33]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

And we begin tonight with a new wave of military strikes between the United States and Iran in the Middle East. This is U.S. military video showing the interception of ballistic missiles and drones fired by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

U.S. Central Command saying it fired its own attacks hitting Iranian radar sites that monitor shipping in the critical strait. CentCom saying the strikes were, quote, "to defend against further attacks on shipping in the strait".

Iran says it then targeted American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, and that will test the latest diplomatic negotiations.

Today, a Pakistani official arrived in Iran for a new round of talks on behalf of the U.S.

For more on the White House perspective on all of this, we bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook, who is traveling with the president in New Jersey this weekend.

Julia, what is the president saying about where negotiations stand at the moment, where this all stands at the moment?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, starting with the latest on those strikes that you outlined there, the United States military says that it intercepted missiles and drones launched by Iran at the Strait of Hormuz and countries in the Gulf region.

Those attacks in response to U.S. strikes on Iranian radar sites, which Iran says were a violation of the ceasefire agreement. Writing this in part, "The ministry described the attack as a clear violation of the April 8th ceasefire and an act of military sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

So this recent exchange of fire raises a lot of questions about the ceasefire, also about the peace negotiations, which seem to be at an impasse right now.

A top Iranian official tells CNN that those negotiations have been deadlocked over $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets. And the latest that we've heard from President Donald Trump on all of this came in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that took place yesterday evening.

In a clip that was released, he was pressed on if Iran is so desperate to make a deal, which he has said repeatedly, why have they not yet accepted his terms?

I want to play you part of this exchange. This was with NBC's Kristen Welker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTIN WELKER, NBC NEWS HOST: You have been saying for months, Mr. President, that Iran is begging to make a deal.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: True.

WELKER: If they are so desperate to make a deal, why haven't they made a deal with you yet?

TRUMP: Because they -- it's a very hard thing for them. They've had great independence. They've dealt with very weak and ineffective leadership on behalf of the United States and other countries, frankly, that were -- that allowed them to get away with murder.

And I don't -- I think they can't believe they're in the situation where they've been virtually decapitated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: He was then pressed again on a potential deal. He said that the Iranians are strong and that they're proud. And while it may take a while, he does believe eventually they will have no choice but to make a deal.

And on that timeline there, since those first joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran, Trump said that this conflict would come to an end very soon. That timeline has changed throughout this process.

And in this recent interview, now three months later, he says that he has been moving quickly, that these things take time, sometimes even years, to resolve.

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook, with the very latest there from New Jersey. Thank you so much for that reporting.

And we're joined now by retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Karen Gibson. She also served as Deputy Director of National Intelligence in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Director of Intelligence for U.S. Central Command. Quite a resume to be joining us.

Thank you so much, General Gibson, for being here. We really appreciate it.

I first just want to ask you about this ceasefire. And if you think it's fair to say it's still holding between the U.S. and Iran after we saw strikes from both sides and all of that that we just laid out.

Do you think that's still the current -- the correct way to assess the situation?

[17:04:43]

LT. GEN. KAREN GIBSON, U.S. ARMY (RET): Well, it's certainly fragile. And, you know, a ceasefire is an artificial construct that's developed by two sides to give them some time to do other things, like negotiate.

And it's really up to them to decide that it's broken or not. It's not unusual to have exchanges of fire while a ceasefire is in place.

The United States U.S. Central Command has couched all of its strikes as defensive in nature. And even under a ceasefire, you don't give up your inherent right of self-defense.

So when they go after radar sites or drone launch sites or ground control sites, they've been very limited in the geography, limited in the set, and they're clearly military targets and ones that CentCom sees as an imminent threat.

And I think this could still fall within the bounds of the ceasefire.

Similarly, Iran doesn't give up its right to self-defense, and we shouldn't be surprised that when they retaliate by striking against bases in the Middle East, where our forces are positioned, like Fifth Fleet in Bahrain or airfields in Kuwait.

Where I think they've really shifted the calculus in the last week, though, is expanding the aperture. I think it really shifted when they hit the Kuwaiti civilian airport on the 3rd of June. That was a significant shift.

As well as these one-way attack drones against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Those are not against U.S. military facilities. And I think that's a significant shift.

DEAN: And so, so staying with that for a second, what does that tell you about Iran's thinking at this point?

GIBSON: Yes. So I think if you look at it tactically, the actual target is an airport terminal or a ship. But more strategically, what they're really targeting is commercial confidence.

They're targeting -- they are sending a message to shippers, to insurers, to Gulf states, to markets that the Gulf is still not a safe place to do business unless they deem it so, and that they exert this kind of economic leverage.

We have very destructive leverage in terms of the kinds of punishing airstrikes that we've conducted in Iran. Their leverage is very disruptive, and they have always sought to survive, preserve the Islamic Republic, ensure they don't totally capitulate, and make the war so economically and politically intolerable for us that we're compelled to come to the negotiating table in a different way.

And I think that's what this strategy reflects.

DEAN: Yes, it was interesting to see Kristen Welker asking the president, you know, you said they really want a deal, but why haven't they made one yet? And seeing kind of what his answer was to that.

I do want to ask you a separate topic, but sources telling CNN that the president's pick to lead the U.S. intelligence community, Bill Pulte, did not have -- does not have a security clearance. That's really basic prerequisite for this job.

He doesn't have any experience in that universe really at all. And yet here we are at war with Iran, and we have all of the security concerns around that and what that could mean for the security of this country. We also have, obviously, the midterms, not that that far away.

What are your thoughts on having someone with no intel experience in that top job?

GIBSON: Yes. So it's a very complex and dynamic job. And I do think it's fair to say that the president has marginalized it to some extent. He's certainly not relied on that position in the same way that some of his predecessors have.

There's a lot of credible reporting consistently that Tulsi Gabbard has not been a strong player, has been excluded from some of the important national security decisions. That's certainly not been the case in the past. And the president himself seems to make a lot of decisions based on instinct or gut.

And certainly I served in the Director of National Intelligence in his first term, and he did not receive the same kinds of intelligence briefings in the same detail or frequency as some of his predecessors.

What I would look for, though, regardless, because it's such an important role, is I would look for three things in a director.

First, I would look for someone who is wicked smart because it's tremendously complex. You're responsible for everything from, you know, architecture, for overhead satellite-based collection to very sensitive covert collection operations in hostile areas or developing post-quantum cryptography that's going to keep our finances secure for decades to come.

I would also look for someone who was a skilled bureaucrat. You know, there's a lot of bureaucratic jujitsu involved with managing 18 different agencies. That's more than the director of Homeland Security.

And the third thing I would look for is a visionary, inspiring, collaborative leader. You know, I didn't mention a clearance. I think you could get a clearance.

But the lack of experience when you stack it against the tremendous responsibilities of that role are really important.

[17:09:47]

DEAN: It is quite complex. Gen. Karen Gibson, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

GIBSON: Thank you.

DEAN: Still ahead, Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner not backing down in the face of new allegations of past behavior in a race critical for Democrats in those midterms.

Plus, a missing American student is found dead in Japan after a day's long search. We'll tell you what we know about that just ahead.

And a little bit later, the CDC warns the ebola outbreak could rival the worst on record if the global response does not get stronger.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:10:18]

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DEAN: Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is remaining defiant as allegations mount over his past behavior. This week, "The New York Times" published a lengthy investigation about six women Platner dated, with three describing volatile and toxic relationships, and one accusing him of physically threatening behavior.

Platner has denied these allegations. Here he was addressing supporters on Friday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM PLATNER, MAINE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE: Now, as every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated and weaponized, you have my back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: CNN's Danny Freeman went to Portland to talk with people about how it could impact their vote. Here's what he found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rocky waters in Maine as Democrats grapple with mounting controversy surrounding Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner. BONNIE DEPP, MAIN DEMOCRAT: Either get it all out there or shut up.

One of the two.

FREEMAN: Days before Tuesday's primary, "The New York Times" reporting new allegations of unsettling and toxic behavior by Platner with past girlfriends and, in one case, physically threatening behavior. Plus assertions Platner knew a tattoo he got while serving in the military was a Nazi symbol.

PLATNER: Anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was, these are the statements of someone who's politically motivated.

FREEMAN: For many Maine Democratic voters we spoke with, they said they're frustrated with Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, who they feel could give them their best shot at defeating longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins and help pave the way for Democrats to retake control of the Senate.

Are you considering holding your breath and voting for him?

DEPP: I got until Tuesday to decide, but I'm pretty sure I'll vote for him. I don't think a lot of this crap is anybody else's business.

FREEMAN: For some Democrats, they're willing to look past the interpersonal stories.

ZOO CAIN, MAINE DEMOCRAT: I'm not really interested in the guy's foibles, you know. I'm interested in his vision and what he has to say.

And I love what he has to say. So yes, it's been definitely difficult because everybody is piling on this guy.

FREEMAN: But others did not buy Platner's tattoo explanation.

SANDRA BRADEN, MAINE DEMOCRAT: He's an intelligent man, of course, he knew about it. I don't blame him for denying it, but --

FREEMAN: But that's still not enough not to vote for him. You're still going to vote for him likely?

BRADEN: I'm going to vote for him, yes, but I don't like it. I'm not in favor of all that (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

FREEMAN: Still, for some, the drip, drip, drip has left voters confused.

WOODY HAYWARD, MAINE DEMOCRAT: I don't know if it's misinformation or disinformation, right. Like, I don't know. Do we -- do any of us really know what's going to be or what kind of character he has? Don't know.

Unproven, unproven. So is it the devil that we have or the devil -- the devil we know or the devil that we don't know yet?

FREEMAN: According to a pair of recent polls conducted before the latest allegations, a head-to-head matchup between Platner and Senator Collins appears competitive, one with no clear leader and the other showing Platner with an advantage.

And while Platner is the clear favorite to win the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, another high-profile candidate's name is still on the ballot.

Governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign back in April, but a source now tells CNN she's been getting encouragement to reenter the primary. Beth Dindas, a Mills supporter from the start thinks it's likely too late.

BETH DINDAS, MAINE DEMOCRAT: I think that ultimately, unfortunately, we're going to lose this race again. And we're going to have six more years of Susan Collins, who has let down the people of Maine time after time.

FREEMAN: Danny Freeman, CNN -- Portland, Maine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Our thanks to Danny for that reporting.

We're joined now by Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan. Representative Dingell, thank you for being here. We appreciate your time, especially on a Saturday afternoon.

I do want to start with Maine and the new controversy surrounding Graham Platner. When we spoke with you last month, you told me you were very upset by his previous comments around rape and sexual violence.

The voters in Maine are going to make their decision on Tuesday. But I'm curious if you can support Platner as the face of the Democratic party in Maine.

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): So I'm going to be really clear. I think that if you -- you have to stand up for the values that you have believed in all your life and fought for. And I am someone who has fought sexual violence and domestic violence for entire life. I lived in a home with where I actually had to hide in a closet, worried I wasn't going to live through the night.

And I simply cannot say that this behavior is ok. And I won't.

[17:19:42]

DINGELL: But having -- and I'm voting in Michigan so I don't have to make a decision about how I would vote on Tuesday. Though, quite frankly, if I were voting in Maine, I would vote for the woman.

But having said that, we have a man that's in the White House that has done exactly what he's been -- Graham Platner has been accused of -- and has done other awful things, and is also doing many things that threaten our democracy and corruption and people want a check on that as well. So I am not going to excuse or say that anything I've heard is ok. I

think this is a very challenging situation. He will never, for me, be the face of the Democratic Party. And people in Maine have a very difficult decision to make.

DEAN: Just to be clear, you're saying if it were up to you, you'd -- and you were voting in Maine, you'd vote for Janet Mills. That's what you were saying.

DINGELL: I would.

DEAN: Yes.

DINGELL: Yes.

DEAN: Some in your party that I've talked to, you know, they look at -- they'll talk about that race in Texas where James Talarico is now running against Ken Paxton. And they will talk about character and they will talk about all the allegations against Ken Paxton and what he's been into and how character matters.

Do you think it's disingenuous for them to then turn around and talk about character mattering and then talk about this, this race?

DINGELL: Here's what I think. I think that -- I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat. There are a lot of people in this country that don't know what they think of any of us. They don't know what we stand for.

And I am going to be someone who is going to going to tell the truth straight as I see it. I want the people that I represent to know exactly who I am. I probably get too intense. I'm probably too blunt.

But I think all of us have to not have a double standard. Who you are, what your values are, what you're going to stand up for, what you're going to fight for should be straightforward.

And I'm -- it's a challenge about what we're going to do, because you got a man in the White House that is really threatening our democracy and quite frankly, has done equally or worse things that Graham Platner has said or been accused of.

So I'm glad I don't have to make that decision. But Republicans can't turn around and -- you know, we all need to be consistent. Every last one of us. You can't make excuses.

DEAN: I want to talk about your Michigan Senate race, because that is the state you live in. That is where you vote. And that is going to impact you as a member of the congressional delegation from Michigan.

The United Auto Workers on Friday endorsed the progressive candidate in that race, Abdul El-Sayed. He has previously said that Israel is as evil as Hamas. He's also campaigned with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who has said that the U.S. deserved 9/11 and that Hamas is a thousand times better than Israel.

Is that somebody you're comfortable representing the Democratic Party in your state, Michigan?

DINGELL: Ok, so I'm going to be very blunt here that I think people take statements at times out of context. I strongly believe that Israel has a right to exist. And I also -- I lived in Dearborn, which has the largest Arab-American population in this country for more than 30 years.

I have families who have had relatives killed, homes destroyed. I am living with two communities. Anti-Semitism is on the rise.

We had another event in Ann Arbor this week, but I also know my -- the Muslims that live in my district are being targeted with hate and threats, and their families are destroyed.

I recognize that this is a century -- centuries' year tension in the Mideast. But I want to find a way that we stand up to hate whenever and wherever we see it. That's who I'm going to be. That's what I'm going to stand for.

And I think all of us have to, you know, post-9/11 -- this country did not deserve 9/11 -- but this country came together. We were not going to let hate win. We stood so there would not be any kind of hatred turned back on Muslims. They weren't responsible for what happened that day.

A lot of people did, including President Bush. And we got to find a way that we are all, as Americans, going to stand up against hatred towards anybody.

These are very, very, very tough times. And I'll stand up against hate wherever and whenever I see it.

DEAN: Do you think El-Sayed stands up against hate for every -- across the board?

DINGELL: I've been very direct in what I've told him. I've been very direct in what I've told Haley. I've been very direct in what I've told Mallory. I was at a meeting today where I was very direct with everybody in that room. And it was Washtenaw Dems, which is has more Democrats voting than anybody.

And we're going to have to, you know, see, I think this is a competitive primary and we're going to see who wins.

But I don't care who the candidate is. I'm going to stand up against hate. And if they say things that are hateful, I'll say, I can't agree with you.

[17:24:48]

DEAN: Have you pushed back on -- with specifically him again, just because we're talking about some of these things he's previously said? Have you -- have you had conversations with him where you've pushed back on some of the things he said?

DINGELL: I have very long conversations with all three Senate candidates and have told them that they need to be part of helping bring people together, not further trying to divide people.

I also think that there are people that are trying to divide us more. I think there are foreign countries that are here are saying things.

So there isn't one, you can ask any one of those three Senate candidates has Debbie Dingell talked to you. Has she been blunt with you? Has she told you what you she thinks? And they will tell you I am not a obtuse person. I say it as it is.

DEAN: Are you going to endorse in that race or no?

DINGELL: I'm not -- no, my job is going to be to pull everybody together because, quite frankly, there are people out right now trying to divide us as a party. They -- they're trying to create division. And by the way, that includes foreign countries.

And I am very focused on all three candidates. No, my job is going to be to bring everybody together the day after that primary, because we know what our focus is, and that is on winning in November.

DEAN: All right. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, thanks for your time. We appreciate it.

DINGELL: Thank you.

DEAN: And when we come back, an American college student is found dead after going missing during a family vacation in Japan. What we've learned about the investigation. That's next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:26:19]

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[17:30:31]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The American student who disappeared on a family vacation in Japan has been found dead after a day's long search. His family confirming his body was found today by a volunteer search and rescue group in the mountains outside Kyoto.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery is joining us now from Tokyo with the latest on this. So, what can you tell us?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, this is an extremely tragic outcome for the Higginbotham family. We have been speaking to them since Thursday of last week, and they were so hopeful that they would be able to find their son. They were hoping that maybe he just got injured in the woods, or perhaps, also that he was just spending some time alone in the forest, and once they got to him, once they got back to him, they would be able to bring him home safely back to Alabama, where the families originally from.

But, of course, you know, given the news that the family shared on a Facebook social media post that is in the outcome of this search and rescue, the family shared a statement on Facebook saying, "that we are deeply grateful to the countless people across the United States, Japan, and around the world who shared Weston's story, prayed for her family, offered encouragement, and helped in the search efforts." She also said that the outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives.

Now, just in terms of the sort of timeline of events that led up to this very tragic outcome for the family, we know that Weston and his family were traveling in Kyoto Prefecture from May 29th, and he decided to spend some time alone after having a small disagreement with his mother.

That was around 6pm when he started exploring the city on his own, spotted near Kyoto Station, which is a large central station in the prefecture. And two hours later he was spotted on some CCTV footage in the Yamashina area.

Now, the Yamashina area is known for its vast hiking trails, for its pretty mountainous region and landscape. And he was spotted on a path that led to a hiking trail. So, the family, knowing that Weston loves hiking, that he's an avid hiker, an environmentalist, they suspected that he might have got into the woods, and unfortunately, that is where the volunteer search and rescue party did find him.

Now, need to do clarify that he was found outside Kyoto, but again in the woods there. Now, when we spoke to the family, they mentioned just how sweet of a person Weston is, and how he would never hurt a fly. He would never even hurt a mosquito, according to his mother.

Listen to this:

NANCY HIGGINBOTHAM, MOTHER OF MISSING YOUNG AMERICAN: He doesn't even kill mosquitoes.

KEITH HIGGINBOTHAM, FATHER OF MISSING YOUNG AMERICAN: No.

N. HIGGINBOTHAM: He'll catch him in the house and let him out, like he is just a little -- just amazing person that everybody loves. Everybody loves. He has got a heart of gold. He will help you, you know, if he sees Miss Sherrill (PH) across the street struggling with her trash can, he is going to run over there and go grab it for her. Like, that's the kind of kid he is. He is just great.

MONTGOMERY: And, of course, since his disappearance on May 29th, he and his family, the Japanese authorities, also volunteers in Japan, have been looking day in and day out for Weston.

And again, his body was found on Saturday local time. Now, his mother also said in the statement that "We shared our story here and in the media in the hope of finding Weston, and we now ask for privacy as we begin to navigate this unimaginable loss." Back to you.

DEAN: So much grief there. Hanako Montgomery, thank you so much for your reporting. We appreciate it. Is President Trump's grip on Capitol Hill Republicans weakening? We'll talk about that and more with our panel. That's up next here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[17:38:50]

DEAN: President Trump is on the verge of a big policy win. A massive $70 billion immigration enforcement package now headed to the House for a vote after a marathon 18-hour vote-a-rama on the Senate floor last week. The bill passing Friday with Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, the only Republican voting against it.

But even as the president touts his tight grip on the GOP, the past few weeks have revealed some cracks. There is now a growing number of Republicans on the hill who are willing to defy him on a range of issues, from projects like the White House Ballroom, the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund, which is now dead after some serious pushback, and the president's handling of the war with Iran.

And just this week, Trump appointed Bill Pulte as the acting director of National Intelligence, despite having zero experience within that area. That's something that Senate Republicans also had some things to say about. Let's bring in our political panel. CNN senior political commentator and former senior adviser to Mitch McConnell, Scott Jennings, and democratic strategist and former senior adviser to the Bernie Sanders campaign, Chuck Rocha. It's good to have both of you.

Scott, let's start first with you. I want to talk broadly about how you think that Senate Republicans are -- what the dynamic is with President Trump.

But first, let's start with Bill Pulte, because he does not have any experience in national intelligence.

[17:40:05]

He is going to be the acting director, to be clear. But is that appropriate? Are you comfortable with that?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, these people ultimately serve at the pleasure of the president, and if the president has confidence in him, then, you know, that's why we elect presidents to exercise their judgment in personnel, and personnel is policy. He has some things he wants Pulte to do there.

As you mentioned, he is not going to be the permanent Director of National Intelligence. I believe the president is interviewing other people for the permanent slot, and I think he got some pushback on the Hill about this.

So, look, you know, the president gets to appoint thousands of people. This is one of them. He has confidence in them. I don't know, Mr. Pulte. My advice, to the president is get somebody that ultimately you can get confirmed, and it's going to broadly be accepted as the best possible expert that you could get to serve in your administration.

It's a critical role, and he needs to fill it with someone that I think engenders broad confidence up on Capitol Hill, at least from the Republicans. I don't think the Democrats are going to sign off on anything, but at least from your own party.

DEAN: Right. And he didn't have that. They were -- there were some Republicans -- Senate Republicans who are already not going to go along with that.

Chuck, what do you think about that? And more broadly, the dynamics we're seeing on the Hill, because look, it is fair to say the president has had tremendous success in these Republican primaries, he still has very high approval ratings among Republicans. However, the Congress that he's got right now is a bit of a different story, and we are seeing some pushback from some key Republicans in the Senate, specifically.

CHUCK ROCHA, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN: Most of what you are seeing right now is being driven by the calendar. And the backbone that you see arising within the Congress and the Senate is driven that the calendar is getting closer to the Midterms. So, filing deadlines have passed, primaries for the most part have passed. There is not -- and I'm a Democrat, and I'll say that Donald Trump has great power within his party.

And what you see is as those challenges have passed now, Donald Trump can't primary something if there is not a primary. He could, a year and a half from now, and in some Senate cases, three years, six years from now.

But the folks that were mostly scared of Donald Trump, their primaries are over. That don't mean that there couldn't be some other kind of ramifications, but you take that one piece away from this theory, and the last thing I'll say is, in November, Donald Trump is not on the ballot. All these other Republicans have to run on their agenda in their district, and they don't want to run with whatever unpopular thing the president might or might not have done, and those two things are conflating together right now, all at one time.

DEAN: Let's talk about November, which is still a while away. But there are some dynamics shaping up that obviously have been driving a lot of news, especially, this U.S. Senate race in Maine, where Graham Platner is the Democrats' leading candidate there.

Scott, he's fought a number of allegations. He is been on Capitol Hill this week, he is trying to move past this. Some Democrats, including John Fetterman, have called on Governor Janet Mills to -- she is still on the ballot, but to really get back and officially into the race and really make an effort there.

What do you -- listen, are Republicans just like licking their chops at this? Like, what are they -- what are they doing? Because here is the thing, and I'm going to ask Chuck the question too, because both sides try to make the question that character really matters, and then, when one of their candidates gets tangled up in that, and I think people would say to you, Scott, well, what about President Trump? What about Ken Paxton? Then, suddenly it's not about that anymore. What do you think?

JENNINGS: As far as I know, of all the names you just mentioned, only one person had a Nazi tattoo and has chosen to lie about it, and that's Graham Platner.

I mean, he roots for American military deaths, he is mocking rape victims, he demeans rural Americans, he is been abusive to women. I mean, this is what Democrats are signing off on. This is their most celebrated Senate candidate in the country right now.

And in fact, his campaign was bragging that after all of these things came out, he raised $200,000 online. You have Democrats across the country investing in Nazi tattoo, abusive to women guy. I mean, that's what the Democrats are signing off on, that's what they are lining up for. You see pictures on the screen right now of Ro Khanna.

Ro Khanna was out there believing everything that was ever said, every false narrative about Brett Kavanaugh, and now, he is arm and arm with a guy, who is clearly abusive to women? I mean, this is the most insane amount of hypocrisy in the pursuit of political power.

Some Democrats have said, I'm not coupled with this. I suspect a few more will come. They had a perfectly viable candidate up there in Janet Mills, but they decided to go with this, you know, scumbag, you know, fake oyster farmer, Nazi tattoo guy, instead. It's crazy.

No, I don't -- I'm not licking my chops at this. I'm weeping. We need a Democratic Party that can stand up to people like this, not promote them.

DEAN: Chuck, I want to get your thoughts on that. Just for the record, Platner has obviously denied all of these allegations, and also apologized for the Nazi tattoo, and a number of other things.

[17:45:06]

He said last night that his past is being weaponized against him. As Scott noted, we have seen Ro Khanna standing with him. We heard from Bernie Sanders just within the last really hour or so, who also is continuing to stand with him. What do -- what do you say from the democratic side?

ROCHA: You know, I was been thinking about this a lot. I'm not working for Graham Platner, I get to work for lots of great senators and congressmen. I'm not doing any work in Maine.

But I was sitting back thinking about what you just said to Scott about Donald Trump or Ken Paxton or me with Graham Platner, and I think that our politics today are really different than they were 35 years ago when I started doing this as a poor kid back in East Texas.

I remember running an ad against a presidential candidate because he put a dog in a dog crate on his car, and I thought that was the worst thing that could have happened with Mitt Romney. But now, you have Graham Platner with a lot of his past coming back to haunt him. You have Ken Paxton, like you said, who has been impeached by his own party.

There is lots of bad things that people have done, but I think Donald Trump is re-leveled, and the American people, right now, not re- leveled for good or bad, but the way that people now are so anxious about the status quo, the question will be -- and I'm not defending Graham Platner here, or for God's sakes, not Ken Paxton, but what will the American people stomach? What -- how bad are they anxious to want something different?

At one point, you had a very flawed man, in my opinion, who ran for president, and me and -- me and Scott's actually debated this. They are like, well, if it was that bad, the American people elected him to be the president, and that is true. And I took that.

But how much anxiety is out there, and how much stuff -- I almost said the bad word, will they put up with to want somebody so far outside the norm that it may not be palatable for any of the voters?

DEAN: That's an interesting point. Scott, I'll let you have just a very, very quick last word on that.

JENNINGS: Yes, look, I think that, you know, so much of what's come out about Platner individually would be disqualifying when you put it all in one basket and you still see Democrats rushing headlong into this campaign, I mean, the fact that they had a Nazi tattoo. I've sat here for 10 years and listened to virtually every Democratic pundit call Donald Trump and Republicans Nazis for 10 straight years. They are now lining up behind a guy with a literal Nazi tattoo, who literally lied about it, and who, oh, by the way, has apparently, got credible abuse allegations from a number of women, who have no reason to lie about this, and every reason to warn the American people about it. It's pretty disgusting.

The Nazi tattoo thing, I'll never get over it. No one should ever get over it, but it ought to tell you where the energy is in the Democratic Party.

DEAN: All right. Scott and Chuck, I wish we had more time. Thank you to both of you. I really do appreciate it. We'll see you soon.

All right. We'll be right back.

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DEAN: Tonight, an American doctor treated for Ebola is out of the hospital in Germany. The hospital saying Doctor Peter Stafford was discharged today. He caught the disease last month in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was then evacuated to Berlin, and the hospital says his wife and children never showed symptoms and consistently tested negative. With me now, Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor. He's also the co-director of Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.

Dr. Hotez, good to see you. Thanks so much for being here. The latest CDC data shows there are more than 400 confirmed cases in the Congo. How would you assess the current response to this outbreak, and where we are today?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, CO-DIRECTOR, TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CENTER FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT: Well, there is -- there is a lot going on, a lot of new information the last couple of days, Jessica. First, just to touch on Dr. Stafford for a minute, you know, he -- my understanding is he received a couple of therapies, possibly experimental therapies, possibly, Obeldesivir, which is related to Remdesivir, but orally bioavailable. He may have gotten a monoclonal antibody.

It would be helpful to get some information about that, because that might be instructive for other patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo. That's point one.

Point two, regarding the Centers for Disease Control, they came out with a very important study a couple of days ago that they released. It's a modeling exercise that I think was actually quite well done. That, that looks at the percentage of people with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo that you need to isolate in order for this epidemic not to get out of control completely, especially, within the absence of a vaccine.

And the numbers are pretty impressive in the sense that you really have to get a high percentage of people in D.R. Congo in isolation in order to prevent this from getting out of hand, and the modeling exercise suggests it could make the difference between under 10,000 people infected with Ebola, which is still a lot, but something or over 30,000 or 20,000 that would exceed the number of people in the 2014 epidemic. So -- which was the worst, worst ever.

So, a lot -- a lot going on, lot of good evidence-based science coming out, but we need to avail that for this epidemic in Congo.

DEAN: Yes, and while I have you here, I want to ask you about another health concern that we are watching in your home state of Texas, the New World screwworm. Authority. authorities just announcing a second case in a calf, marking its first return in 60 years.

What is this screwworm -- what is -- what is the danger? My understanding is it's -- the major danger is to our nation's cattle industry. But how would you explain it to people?

HOTEZ: Yes, it's called a worm, but it's really not. It's a larval maggot of a fly. And unfortunately, it has the ability to burrow into healthy tissues. It prefers to go in next to a wound from a cow, let's say is -- that cattle that's been de-horned or some other mechanism.

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But it causes very destructive tissue damage, and ultimately could be lethal to the animal.

We've done a good job at keeping it out of Texas through a combination of sterile male fly release, particularly, in Mexico and Panama, because this is where it comes up from.

But unfortunately, now we have got two cases in Zavala County. So, now, it's all hands on deck in terms of isolating any of the infected animals, and then, doing very strict quarantine to prevent other animals as best you can from going in and out, so it doesn't spread.

So, the fact that we have got two cases, about five to six miles apart, in Zavala County, it's something we're going to have much very closely.

My understanding is the state -- the state veterinarians, together with Texas A&M University, are planning to scale up a big male fly release facility. It won't be ready for a couple of months, and historically that's actually worked well, and in the past it's kind of kept it out of Texas. But now that it's back, we are going to have to double down.

So, the bad news is it's a very scary what we call epizootic, meaning animal epidemic. The good news is, you know, Texas has got a pretty good track record of controlling our epizootics. So, hopefully, we are getting on top of it.

DEAN: Yes, hopefully so. Dr. Peter Hotez, always great to have you. Thanks for your time.

HOTEZ: Thank you.

DEAN: One of the president's top priorities looks to finally get over the finish line on Capitol Hill, as the Midterms get closer, though. Will he find some in his own party are willing to break rank? But former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is joining us next here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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