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Iranian Official: U.S. & Israel "Failed To Achieve" War Goals; Russia Assessing Damage After Massive Ukrainian Drone Attack; Growing GOP Concerns Over How Economy May Affect Midterms. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired August 17, 2026 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:04]

H.A. HELLYER, SR. ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Well, yes and no. Again, I'm sorry. Yes, in the sense that if all other things stayed equal, then yes, I think it would be a new stalemate for the coming period.

But I don't think that everything will stay equal because, of course, it's not simply about negotiations between the Americans and the Iranians. There are other arenas within the broader conflict, if I can put it like that, that are constantly developing. Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon, for example, things could flare up there.

Another area where I think people should really be paying a lot closer attention to, Yemen and the Houthis and the ongoing escalations that at the moment haven't peaked. But I think people should really be watching on that side of the Arabian Peninsula with regards to Bab al- Mandab, of course, but also within the country itself, considering that I think in Riyadh they see the situation as untenable.

And of course, this is against the backdrop of the Mecca pact that was announced last week or so. So I don't think that everything is going to stay equal, and that's going to have ramifications, I think, for the Iranian-U.S. file as well.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: I want to maybe close with getting your thoughts on this news that we received not too long ago here of the Iranian army now offering some $30,000 to individuals that either kill or capture U.S. service members. The messaging that Tehran is hoping to send Washington with such a move?

HELLYER: I don't find it to be particularly new, to be honest with you. I think that it's clear that these two countries are in a state of war with each other. I would see this as being simply a rhetorical sort of tool in that regard, and one that will be forgotten very, very quickly if there's actually progress in negotiations. But I wouldn't see it as consequential, quite frankly.

SANDOVAL: H.A. Hellyer, always a pleasure getting your analysis. Thank you so much.

HELLYER: Thank you. Take care now. SANDOVAL: Well, the commander of U.S. Central Command is pushing back after concerns about morale and mental health aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Admiral Brad Cooper visited that aircraft carrier over the weekend as part of a recent trip to the Middle East. The ship has been deployed for more than 250 days now after being sent to the region to support U.S. operations in this ongoing war with Iran.

Admiral Cooper says that the USS Abraham Lincoln has among the lowest mental health cases out of the Navy's 11 active carriers. But he went on to say, "This doesn't mean that all is perfect. Find any of the nearly 4 million Navy veterans in America today, and they will likely tell you that service at sea for long periods isn't for everyone. It is uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways."

But Russia still -- all right, now this, Russia is currently assessing the damage following one of Ukraine's largest aerial attacks of the war so far. A mall in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region suffered extensive damage, which authorities have blamed on Ukraine. It's reportedly the third Russian mall to be hit this week alone. And this video is showing some smoke rising from a burning medical supplies warehouse near Moscow.

In total, the Kremlin says that it shot down more than 800 Ukrainian drones overnight. At least 187 of those were said to have been intercepted over the Moscow region. But Russia has also continued firing on Ukraine. President Zelenskyy says that Russia has launched more than 1,500 drones, 1,500 guided bombs and 62 missiles over the past week. The Kremlin's latest attack on Sunday hit a book market in Kyiv, among other sites.

For more on all of this, I'm joined by CNN's Sebastian Shukla, who's following the latest out of Berlin. Hey, Sebastian.

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Good morning, Polo. What we're seeing as these trades of airstrikes continue almost unabated every night is that just this last night, Polo, we've seen Moscow and Kyiv trade attacks. Ukraine has attacked the Belgorod region. It's a neighboring region of Ukraine on the Russian side of the border. And equally, Russia has attacked Sumy, a borderland region of Ukraine, too.

[04:34:57]

And unfortunately, in both of those situations, there have been fatalities as well as casualties. You alluded to that enormous attack, the largest ever, according to Russia, that was launched by the Ukrainians across Russia, but largely focused on Moscow. This is a phase of the war now that we have been in for considerable weeks, if not months, and it shows no signs of abating, because the way that this war is now developed, it is now being fought almost predominantly in the skies.

The battlefields in eastern Ukraine have ground pretty much to a halt. And both sides have identified weaknesses in each other. That means that air attacks like we've been seeing through ballistic missile attacks, through drone attacks, and through cruise missiles, is that these are the areas where they think they can inflict the most damage.

The Ukrainians, who have developed enormously their drone capabilities, now have the opportunity and chances to be able to hit Russia where it really hurts. And we have seen the range of targets that they've been hitting. They've hit oil refineries. They've hit supermarkets. They've even been hitting warehouses of the Russian equivalent of Amazon, known as Wildberries, because what the Ukrainians say is that that company is supplying weapons or parts and components for the Russian war machine.

The converse side of that is that Moscow has also identified that Kyiv and Ukraine have weaknesses, and those weaknesses are largely centered around Ukraine's ballistic, anti-ballistic missile capabilities, namely those Patriot missile interceptors, which are so depleted right now in Ukrainian stockpiles that they have to be sparing about where and when they use them.

And the president has been calling for weeks now for an increase in those PAC-2, PAC-3 interceptor missiles, as what they're known in the military jargon, that they desperately need. But they are in such finite supply because they are only produced in the United States. And obviously, producing a missile or an anti-ballistic missile like that is not something that you just roll out in the space of a few hours or even a few days.

And what the Ukrainian president is calling for now, and I quote here, is that for the European allies and their Patriot missile systems and missiles not to sit idly in storage, these European allies, who are essentially now footing the bill for Ukraine when it is able to procure weapons, have to go through a mechanism that works with NATO called PURL, which effectively procures missiles from the U.S., the European allies, they pay and then they transfer them to Ukraine.

The European allies do have these systems as well. But obviously, they are slightly more reticent to give over their stockpiles for one of potentially needing them themselves at this symbiotic balance that's going on here, Polo. But what I think that we will not see is a real change in this air war. If anything, we are more likely to see it, we will have continued attacks and the number of casualties and fatalities will continue to rise because largely there is no incentive here for Vladimir Putin to end this war yet.

He shows no signs of doing so. And part of the way that the Europeans want to try to force him to the negotiating table, particularly as the White House and President Trump does not seem to be making any headway there, is the introduction of another sanctions package, which the allies really believe in the Europeans and particularly firmly believe will really start to clip the coffers of the Kremlin to be able to reduce their capabilities to procure money, which is then goes into funneling to buying weapons, paying military contracts, et cetera, et cetera.

This sanctions package is due to be presented in the next few weeks, and hopefully, then will be passed at the next European Council. But even then, that does not mean, Polo, that we're going to immediately see Vladimir Putin saying, OK, you've got me on another sanctions package, I'm going to look to sue for peace. It shows at the mean at the moment, it does not feel that there is any reason and there is certainly no sign of him looking to sue for any sort of peace. Polo?

SANDOVAL: It's been already over a month since President Trump surprised President Zelenskyy telling him that he was willing to offer those licenses to the Ukrainians to manufacture and here they are still waiting. Sebastian Shukla, thank you so much for laying all that out in your reporting.

[04:39:49]

Democrats and Republicans in the U.S., they are eyeing the midterms, which is weeks before early voting set to begin in some states. Our political analyst weighs in on what both parties are focusing on. We'll be right back.

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back. Democrats are looking to rally voters with just weeks until early voting begins in November's midterm elections. Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, you see him here, he's one of them. He rallied in Atlanta on Sunday, Ossoff running for reelection, and he will be facing Republican Conservative Mike Collins, who won the Republican primary runoff. Here is the Democratic Senator's message to his supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): Now, I know many of you are here today because you just can't stand what's been done to our country. Our government made a tool of one man's vengeance, power, and wealth. Prices soar while the President rakes in billions. But in eight weeks, Atlanta, in eight weeks, we can cast our ballots and say enough is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: With me now is CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. He's also a Bloomberg opinion columnist. Hey, Ron.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hello, good to be with you.

SANDOVAL: It's great to have you with us. So in your latest piece that's available to subscribers on CNN.com titled "Why the middle of the country is back in the center of American politics." You write that the Republican Party is losing at least some of its grip on the middle of the country, specifically in some of those states that moved to solid red after the Obama era, states like Ohio, Iowa, among them. How much of that is voters growing increasingly frustrated with what they were promised back in 2024 during the campaign versus what they're getting today?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, you know, really, the middle of the country is where some of the sharpest movement away from Democrats and toward Republicans have been since Obama's presidency. I mean, when Obama came in, it's hard for people to imagine today. I mean, Democrats had senators in South Dakota, in North Dakota, in Iowa, in Nebraska. He won Ohio and Iowa twice.

[04:45:10]

Obviously, all those places have moved very much toward Republicans, really around kind of the interrelated actions of two core constituencies, white voters without a college degree who are half or more of the electorate in all of the states that we talked about, I just mentioned, and several more across the region, as well as rural residents who are more plentiful in these places as well.

You know, now there is an opportunity for Democrats. Trump, mostly because of the economy. I mean, Trump's approval among working class whites, as we talked about before, he won about two-thirds of them in all three of his races. Now he's down to about 50-50 approval among them and below that in some of these states. And then in rural areas, the combination of the tariffs and the impact that's had on overseas markets for American agricultural products, as well as higher fuel costs, which also translate into higher fertilizer costs, give the opportunity to Democrats to lose by less.

I mean, they're not going to win those places. They're not going to win working class white voters. But if they lose them by less, their strengths among other groups in the area, particularly college educated whites and minorities, are allowing them to put some of these, many of these places back in play.

SANDOVAL: So overall, how do you think this translates to increased competitiveness in some key Senate and governor's races?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I mean, look, you could see the return of the Heartland Democrat this year, I think, without doubt. I mean, Democrats are seriously competing for the governor's mansions in Ohio and Iowa, which they haven't won either of those since 2006 with Amy Acton in Ohio and Rob Sand, who is now the favorite, I think, in Iowa, as well as the Senate races in both states, where Sherrod Brown has been leading in polls in Ohio. It's more of an uphill climb in Iowa. And there are even long shot chances, I think, for Democrats in Kansas and Nebraska.

I mean, obviously, those are much tougher states for Democrats, but they are on the map this year in a way they have not. And it's not only in these governor and Senate races. There are three competitive House races in Iowa, three in Michigan, four in Pennsylvania, one in Nebraska, one to two in Wisconsin. I mean, this region really is at the fulcrum of the 2026 election. And you can look at this from the other side of the lens, which is that if Democrats can't make some breakthroughs, if they can't regain some ground in this area in this year when Trump's approval has skidded so much and there are so many openings with groups that have leaned right, you have to ask yourself, is this really swing terrain?

Because if Democrats can't, I think, reestablish a beachhead, kind of a mixed metaphor in this landlocked part of the country, but if they can't establish a beachhead this year, when are they going to do it?

SANDOVAL: Because the reality is it won't be easy for the Democratic Party, right, to make some of those center roads in those states. And in your piece, you specifically write that the party still faces substantial skepticism from many Heartland voters, especially on cultural issues. Maybe you can expand on that and then also just tell us, you know, how do Democrats actually capitalize on this with the growing discontent in the middle of the country?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I mean, look, I mean, as I said, it's kind of hard to imagine that back in the Obama era, which was only 15, 20 years ago, Democrats were winning 45 percent of working class white voters in these states, and that's what allowed them to get over the top with their strength with other groups. And, you know, you had a combination of factors since then. I mean, Trump has appealed more directly, I think, to anxieties about demographic and cultural change, racial resentments.

He has moved these places from competitive, in many cases, to deeply red. And really, it's almost a question of long-term versus short- term. I mean, I don't think the Democrats are any more acceptable culturally than many of the voters in places like Ohio and Iowa and Kansas and Nebraska, but they are feeling an immediate economic pain.

And so the question is really, can Democrats get enough of them to focus less on their long-term concerns about whether the Democratic Party reflects their values, and more on their short-term belief that Trump has not done enough to protect their interests?

SANDOVAL: Highly encourage all of our viewers to go see an outcome and read that piece for themselves. Ron Brownstein, thank you so much for your time and analysis, as always.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

[04:49:31]

SANDOVAL: And still to come, the Esports World Cup Chess Champion defends his title for a second year in a row. Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen speaks with CNN about the future of the game's digital medium.

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SANDOVAL: Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, he's riding high after defending his title as the Esports World Champion over the weekend. Carlsen took home the top prize of a quarter of a million dollars, as well as a perfect win streak in Paris, CNN's Matias Grez spoke with the two-time champion after the final match.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATIAS GREZ, CNN CREATOR: Huge congratulations, EWC 2026 champion. Do you go into these tournaments and matches expecting to win? Because everybody that we speak to kind of expects you to. And how do you deal with that level of expectation?

MAGNUS CARLSEN, 2026 ESPORTS WORLD CUP CHESS CHAMPION: Yes, I don't think you think too much about expecting to win or anything like that. You kind of just want to do the right things and take it step by step, which is a very boring answer, but that's a little bit how it is. But yes, of course, I know it's a likely scenario.

GREZ: And chess has obviously come such a huge way in terms of popularity in this modernization in the last few years, in particular the crowds as well. Where do you see the potential for chess going forward?

[04:54:49]

CARLSEN: Look, I think chess has a lot of potential and some limitations in terms of the kind of the wow factor of the game. But I'm really happy with the way things have gone the last few years. And there's -- chess is always going to be a game that a lot of people have some kind of relationship to, even if they don't play a lot, even if they know the rules or they just know some of the rules. Everybody kind of knows something about chess and we're always going to have that advantage. But let's see. I think what's happened here with the EWC last couple of years is a really good step in the right direction.

GREZ: And slightly off topic, but I saw earlier this month, you sank a pretty nice 12-foot birdie putt at Lofoten Golf Course Links. How is your golf game? I mean, that is a notoriously difficult course. So making birdie can't be too bad.

CARLSEN: No, I started playing late 2023 and I've been pretty eager player since. So, you know, my coach, Peter, he's a golf fanatic. My dad plays a ton as well now. So we get a few rounds in at tournaments these days as well, which is nice. But yes, I think it kind of fits being a chess player a lot because you just get a few hours where you think about something completely different.

GREZ: And what's your handicap and what did you shoot at Lofoten? Because that's a notoriously difficult course and it's near the top of my bucket list as well.

CARLSEN: Yes. No, I kind of collapsed on the 15th and then made double in the last one. So I made 91 in the end, which was not great, but it's OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And thank you so much for joining me. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Our coverage continues with CNN Headline Express in a moment.

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