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CNN Updates On China-Nepal Border Flooding; Ferry Capsized Off Cyprus; U.S. Strikes Iran; CNN Updates On Lindsay Clancy Triple-Murder Trial; Senate Nail-Biter In Trump Stronghold; Meet The Winner Of Fat Marmot Week. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 30, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

UNKNOWN: And when athletes and other celebrities start to utilize it, you get to see certain parts of their life that you would never get to see before. What they like to do. Who are they as people. So, I can invest in them more as a fan now and it just makes you feel closer to them. You can really support them because not only do I love the way that they play the game, I think they're a whole person.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Watch the final episode of "Decades in Sports" tonight 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN and tomorrow on the CNN app.

All right, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The "CNN Newsroom" continues with Brian Abel right now.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is "CNN Breaking News."

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: You are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. Tonight, hundreds of missing person posters crowd a hospital wall in Nepal's capital city. This is just one stark reminder of the more than 3,000 people still missing.

Catastrophic flooding and landslides swept down China's border with Nepal earlier this week, washing away entire villages and burying others under mud. Nepali police say more than 780 people have died from the disaster. The State Department says at least 85 Americans are missing. Police also say with so many decomposing bodies and waning resources, they laid nearly 200 of the unidentified to rest in a mass grave in a forest this week. Now, India is sending a team of forensic scientists to help identify people's remains in Nepal.

Meanwhile, survivors are returning home to find absolute devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARASWATI GHALE, FLOOD SURVIVOR, HOME DESTROYED IN MUDSLIDE (through translator): What am I feeling? Looking at everything, it's like there's no world. What is left? It's like I am dead. What to do now? I don't have anything. What is there that is worth living? Now, what will happen? Who knows? I am saved, but how things will pan out? Who knows? That's it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ABEL: CNN senior international correspondent Will Ripley has more now from Kathmandu.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we continue to hear stories from people who just barely survived this massive flood, perhaps by just seconds. And one of the couples that I spoke with today is an Italian couple who actually were at that border checkpoint that saw some of the most severe damage. They saw tour groups, other tour buses full of people essentially just wiped away, and we're now learning that bodies had been turning up sometimes hundreds of miles from the initial spot where they were initially washed away, just to show you the strength and the violence of the water. Authorities also believe there are many bodies yet to be discovered that are buried beneath multiple layers of quicksand all along the flood route.

So, it's a very grim situation with so many people. Three thousand people missing, but there are some here who believe that the number of missing could actually be far higher than that because a lot of cases have been so far unreported. But I want you to hear about this couple's story, Stefano and Valentina. They talked to me earlier about how they managed to survive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALENTINA PICCININI, ITALIAN FLOOD SURVIVOR: Everybody turned right. Only me turned left. So, that's the point. I don't know why, but my mind, I can't -- I don't know. I cannot explain. I cannot see anything, anybody around me. I cannot hear my name because they are only -- everybody is saying my name, but I was not able to hear them. So, I just followed him, and he showed me the only way I could follow to survive, the only way, because if I'm going straight on, for sure, I would not be here.

RIPLEY: Did you know it was water that was coming when you saw the big black?

STEFANO LUTUMOLO, ITALIAN FLOOD SURVIVOR: No, we couldn't know. Like, I just seen the immigration point. It was the beginning. And we just saw something crashing into buses 30 meters in front of us. It was very big like -- it was crazy, the sound. It was unbelievable.

PICCININI: I felt that everybody of them, they were alive. I don't know why, but my heart can tell me, OK, don't worry, they are all alive. So, first, start to think about you. Start to run, think, and survive. And then, somebody, somehow, universe, God, Shiva, whoever, will find a way to bring you back to them or bring them to you.

RIPLEY: And you said the healing power of the Nepali people has kept you here and helped you to heal from this experience.

LUTUMOLO: We were together. There was no difference between Italians, Nepali. We were just human being, survivor. And we just try also the night time, celebrating life. And they lost everything. They lost everything, people, houses. They had nothing. They had nothing left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: And Fred, they know they are the lucky ones when there are just so many people and so many families who are wondering what happened to their loved ones who were also lost in this flood and have yet to be seen or heard from.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Will Ripley reporting there. Among the missing, at least 85 Americans.

[17:05:00]

The U.S. State Department says nine Americans have been safely evacuated. CNN correspondent Rafael Romo has been closely watching this story and is here with us now. This is so heartbreaking to see and for so many families impacted, including here in the U.S.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Just imagine what those families are going through, not getting any news from their loved ones since Wednesday and still not getting anything from the area. The tragedy at the Nepal-China border has directly impacted many families across America.

On Saturday, we learned about five American men who live in northern Virginia and were part of a tour group hiking the Himalayas who are among the missing people after the devastating flood.

Earlier today, we learned about a woman from Lexington, Massachusetts who was on a spiritual pilgrimage in Nepal for her 50th birthday when the disaster hit, a CNN affiliate WCVB in Boston reported. Jyoti Rai's family told WCVB that they had just spoken to her minutes before the flood, and the woman told her husband that she was getting ready to go through Chinese immigration.

Manmeet Singh Meet, a close friend of the woman and her family, made the decision to fly to Nepal with the goal of trying to help find her. Before his flight, they learned the hotel where she was staying had been washed away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANMEET SINGH MEET, FRIEND OF MISSING WOMAN: I think then, that's when, you know, we start realizing maybe she's not there. And, you know, a miracle, but I was thinking everyone must be expecting a miracle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Meet also told WCVB that Sanjeev Rai, the woman's husband, traveled to Nepal to find his wife and is now among the thousands of people searching morgues and hospitals for loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MEET: He's overwhelmed. He has been breaking down like many times. You call him and you just -- you know, you hear him crying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Earlier today, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said there were 85 Americans in the disaster area that were unaccounted for as of 6 this morning. Tommy Pigott also told ABC News that nine Americans have already been safely evacuated. As to the United States being unable to send any rescue teams to the area devastated by the floods because Nepal is not allowing it, Pigott said the U.S. government is exploring different options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY PIGOTT, SPOKESMAN, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE: Well, right now, we're in communication with them directly to assess those needs. We have a disaster area response advisor actually on the ground right now in communication to see how best we can offer an assistance. The situation on the ground, as you just saw, in terms of the mud and other things, means that we have to get the right assistance in there. Nepal government, we're coordinating with them on what they need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Brian, Pigott also said the State Department has made available $3.6 million in emergency humanitarian assistance, which includes up to three months of emergency food for up to 10,000 flood- affected households. Again, the need is going to be just so great. We don't even know exactly how many months of help the country is going to need.

ABEL: If it's only months.

ROMO: Right.

ABEL: I mean, it's just staggering, how much help will be needed. Rafael Romo, thank you. And I know there are so many people at home that are wanting to know how they can help. If you'd like to help the people in Nepal affected by this disaster, you can go to CNN.com/impact or scan the Q.R. code that's on your screen right now.

Well, at least eight people have now died after a ferry capsized in the Mediterranean. Officials say the boat was carrying hundreds of people when it started taking out of water in rough weather. A search and rescue effort now underway for people still missing off the coast of Cyprus. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: A passenger ferry with nearly 270 people capsized off the coast of Cyprus on Sunday, killing several. Now, the vessel was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when disaster struck. Survivors were seen wearing life jackets standing on top of that overturned vessel. Around 237 people were brought back to Cyprus and there were ambulances waiting for them on shore.

Now, the Turkish Interior Ministry says that the vessel started taking on water shortly after it left Girne in Cyprus. It was headed to southern Turkey. It encountered bad weather at that time. Now, rescue operations are ongoing to try to recover more than 20 people who are still missing on Sunday night.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: More breaking news now into the "CNN Newsroom." In the Grand Canyon, more than 20 people are missing after flash floods, according to park officials. Urgent search and rescue efforts are now underway as well as evacuations after flooding in Bright Angel Canyon, an area popular with hikers. At least 62 people have been evacuated already. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported yet.

[17:10:00]

The National Park Service is asking anybody who knows of hikers or backpackers who may have been in this affected area to contact their tip line.

Straight ahead, the U.S. launches its first strikes on Iran in more than a month, targeting Iranian rocket launchers near the vital Strait of Hormuz. Up next, why the attack could reignite tensions as Iran vows retaliation.

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[17:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Breaking news, an official tonight telling CNN the U.S. military has hit two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz. It marks the first U.S. strike in more than a month. Let's go now to CNN's Julia Benbrook at the White House for the very latest on all of this. Julia, what more are you hearing?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are learning that U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. A U.S. official tells CNN this took place after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps troops were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. This is taking place just days after President Donald Trump said that there was a zero-tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect.

The official who spoke with CNN said that U.S. Central Command just last week had completed the removal of the sea mines in that critical waterway, adding this -- quote -- "U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway."

Now, the Strait of Hormuz has been a key area of focus during this now more than six-month-long conflict, and there are conflicting reports with both sides claiming to have some control of it. Trump has been adamant that the United States has full control, and he said recently while speaking in the Oval Office that they are watching every inch of it.

But as you pointed out, Brian, these are the first strikes in this conflict in more than a month, and Iran has already vowed to retaliate in some way. We have reached out to CENTCOM for more details on these recent developments.

ABEL: All right. Julia Benbrook for us at the White House. Julia, thank you. And we are joined now by CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger, who is also a correspondent for "The New York Times." And, David, this is the first U.S. strike in more than a month. What's your assessment of the situation with what we just heard from Julia and what else we know so far?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, first of all, it tells you, Brian, that the U.S. is watching every move along the Strait of Hormuz like a hawk. And having just announced, Admiral Cooper having just announced, that the U.S. had cleared the strait of mines, they were clearly sending a message they're not going to allow the mines to get replanted. And so, I think that sends an important message and does get at this question of whether the U.S. could in fact break the stranglehold on the strait that Iran has held for many months now.

The downside of this is that if you are going to keep that up, you're going to need an American presence in the strait for months or years to come because the minute that you pull back, the Iranians will begin to try to mine it again.

ABEL: And David, the Trump administration just this week announcing new sanctions, targeting countries still doing business with Iran, trying to, again, add to the pressure here. You raised this question in your latest piece for the Times. But if the administration had the option of these sanctions all along, why wait until now, six months into the war?

SANGER: You know, Brian, it's one of the great mysteries because the usual way that you do these kinds of things is you try to get rid of a nuclear program or a missile program in this case, in this case both, by diplomacy. If that fails, you move to economic sanctions. If that fails, you move to blockade and even greater sanctions. And only as a last resort do you go to war.

In this case, the president was persuaded that he could win this war in three days or three weeks or five weeks. And so, he did the war element ahead of time, discovered it wasn't getting him where he wanted to be, and is now turning back to the economic sanctions that he probably should have been trying in February.

ABEL: OK. China, of course, by far Iran's largest trading partner, yet Trump refused to say this week whether he plans to sanction Chinese banks. Do you think he's willing to take this step? SANGER: I have my doubts that he is. So, there are a few factors going into this. First of all, there was a back and forth with Secretary Bessent who is announcing the sanctions. He would not even utter the word "China." Xi Jinping is coming to Washington for a state visit in less than a month. The president wants that visit to be successful.

[17:20:00]

He's not going to announce any sanctions on China between now and then. And the president learned when he put the tariffs on China a year ago that the Chinese have all kinds of ways of retaliating, including cutting off rare earths, magnets, minerals, things that are needed for the defense industrial complex, the U.S. defenses.

ABEL: So, you mentioned Xi and Trump meeting that schedule, but Xi is also set to meet tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. What is your sense on how those leaders would be viewing the U.S. position in the war with Iran right now? How does it impact their thinking?

SANGER: You know, I think they believe that the U.S. has shown itself to be overextended. The fact that we could not win militarily in the way that the president had in mind and use the great powers of the United States to wipe out the Iranian military the way the president boasted in late February and March that we would be, I think they take as an interesting sign.

I think they both also see that the U.S. is now going to have to tie up considerable forces in the Persian Gulf for the foreseeable future. That could tempt Vladimir Putin to try to go take a small NATO country or at least some territory in it. It could tempt Xi Jinping to go after Taiwan.

ABEL: And David, you know, you mentioned that if A doesn't work, then move to B. If B doesn't work, move to C on the U.S. side. But what about on the Iranian side now that this pressure is starting to build on the Iranian regime and its people are feeling the impacts?

SANGER: A great question, Brian, because we're in one of these endurance tests right now where the U.S. is betting that the Iranian government cannot take the pressure that is clearly hitting the Iranian economy and that it will lead to uprisings, and the Iranians believing that the U.S. can't take the pressure and that high gas prices will lead to President Trump suffering a significant defeat at the midterm elections.

Remember, there were many American politicians who said that this problem had to be over by Labor Day. Well, Labor Day is just a week away. So, the big question here is, which country has taken the right bet about the endurance capability of their opponent?

ABEL: Do we have a clear answer to that yet?

SANGER: We do not. And, you know, it's one of those things where anybody who tells you they know the answer to this probably is making it up. ABEL: All right. David Sanger, appreciate your expertise and reporting as always. Thank you.

SANGER: Great to be with you.

ABEL: Still to come for us, the fate of Lindsay Clancy now lies in the hands of a jury consisting of nine women and three men in Massachusetts. Will they find her criminally responsible for killing her three young children? You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy triple murder trial resume tomorrow. The former Massachusetts nurse who tried to take her own life after she killed her three children pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder. Clancy was prescribed about a dozen different medications in 2022 and 2023 to treat mental illnesses and disorders. Her defense team argues she is not criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

Here's CNN's Jean Casarez with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Judge William Sullivan Friday afternoon told the jury you are excused for the weekend, but asked them to come back to this courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts Monday morning at 9 a.m. Our producer in the courtroom noted that several of the jurors were speaking to each other as they walked into the courtroom, as they walked out of the courtroom. But that is to be expected because they've gotten to know each other. They have sat, listening to the testimony for several weeks now.

As far as the evidence, the juror asked for two pieces of evidence on Friday, one prescription pill bottles from Lindsay Clancy, the other being the knife.

Prescription pill bottles were entered into evidence by the prosecution. Patrick Clancy was the first witness on the stand. He had a paper bag of pill bottles, and he wanted to take them after the event to law enforcement and officials. The jury saw those pill bottles and it was learned that only a few pills out of every prescription were actually out of the bottle. The defense showed the jury during closing arguments a drawer from the nightstand next to the bed with a plastic Ziploc bag filled with prescription bottles, and law enforcement had never collected that.

Secondly, the knife. The knife is truly and not an issue in regard to the suicide attempt because both sides believe this was a very serious suicide attempt. But there was blood on the knife, blood in the bedroom. As we know, the jury did a jury review where they went into that bedroom now. And so -- but they wanted to see the knife up close. We do not know why, but it is something that they wanted to see.

In other news, Dr. Avram Mack, who was a prosecution rebuttal witness, CNN has confirmed that he has resigned from a children's hospital in Delaware.

[17:30:00]

We do not know why he has resigned. CNN has reached out to Dr. Mack, but he was a board-certified forensic psychiatrist that testified that he did not believe Lindsay Clancy had bipolar shortly before she killed her children. He thought it was an episode of depression and also anxiety. The reasons why he is no longer with that children's hospital remain unknown.

In Plymouth, Massachusetts, I'm Jean Casarez for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Georgia trial attorney Cody Randall joins us now to discuss. Cody, the jurors, they resumed deliberating tomorrow, and there was a note that they sent on Friday asking to see the prescription pill bottles as well as the knife. What do you make of that?

CODY RANDALL, GEORGIA TRIAL ATTORNEY: So, what they're trying to do is they're trying to ascertain whether or not the defense's arguments are legitimate here. They are putting forth the argument. They are not saying that she wasn't involved, that she didn't do anything. They're saying that she shouldn't be held responsible to the extent of the charge of murder because she was under the influence of these prescription pills that may or may not have had different interactions or side effects that she may or may not have known about.

So, the jury wanting to see the actual bottles verify that, just like hold it in their own hands, like get the concept of this is what she was taking. How was it labeled? Should she have known what she was taking? Could have had some kind of interaction. It's a real piece of evidence, and both sides mentioned it. So, she wants to make the jury wants to see it.

ABEL: OK. You know, the prosecution insisting in their closing that Clancy acted deliberately, intentionally, rationally. Do you think the defense, based on what you've seen, successfully poked enough holes in that argument?

RANDALL: Whether or not they successfully poked holes in it is going to come to a question for the jury and what they did or did not believe. I think they did a relatively good job, like explaining their case in their position. During their opening, they laid out what they were going to discuss. And then as they went through, they pretty much checked off those points.

What it comes down to is what the jury decides, whether or not there is like a reasonable doubt in the decision of, is this specific charge, does it line up with what the elements of that action are? And we'll have to see what the jury says. ABEL: I find it particularly interesting that given such a high- profile case as this one that has the nation's attention, that the jury is not sequestered. What do you make of that?

RANDALL: It's an interesting decision. Now, there's a -- there's a plus and minus on sequestering a jury, right? The judge doesn't necessarily want to do that because nobody wants to be stuck in a hotel room away from their friends and their families and the loved ones. It tends to make people upset because no one volunteered for the jury to begin with. The last thing you want to do is anger them.

But also, when you send them home, we can ask people not to watch T.V. We can say, don't, you know, interact with anything, don't form opinions based on information not presented in court. But when you have such a high-profile environment, unless you're wearing earmuffs and riding an Uber and a blindfold on the way home, there's no way you cannot see or hear something that could influence you, which could have an impact. But that can swing both ways, prosecution or defense.

ABEL: OK. And so, I guess they're just swaying, going, hey, since it can go either way, go home and have dinner with your family.

RANDALL: I mean, the way that the possible influence can go both ways, it literally can swing the needle either way, right? The thing you have to remember is when it comes to a criminal case, the prosecution needs to convince the entire jury and the defense only needs to convince one. So, there's a distinction on how that goes. But walking people in a hotel room against their will generally doesn't make happy jurors.

ABEL: OK. So, let's go to the other huge trial that has captivated the attention of the country, and that is the Tupac Shakur murder trial. Closing arguments set to begin tomorrow. What do we expect the main arguments to be here?

RANDALL: Closing arguments for tomorrow. I think the defense's argument or the plaintiff -- sorry, the prosecution's arguments are going to simply be a quick recitation of, we said we were going to explain to you what happened, the who, what, when, where and why, and we think we've covered that. And then the defense is going to be what amounts to, our client is a liar, and he has been a liar for the last 30 plus years, but he's telling the truth today, we promise. And I just don't know how well that's going to land with the jury.

ABEL: I was going to say it sounds like you're pretty skeptical of whether the defense made a strong enough argument during this trial.

RANDALL: So, it's not about just the defense's argument. The defense laid out a very short rebuttal to what the prosecution laid out. When they started this, they said they were going to take several weeks to lay out all their evidence. And they got eight or 10 days into this and decided that they'd put enough stuff out there because at a certain point in time, you start losing the audience or the jury in this case if you start beating a dead horse, right?

ABEL: Is that why this case is going to the jury in such a short time when it was forecast to be, what, a month, a week's long process?

RANDALL: So, the thing about it is, right, like the first rule of holes is when you find yourself in one, you stop digging. When you're winning, you stop fighting. Like whenever you are at a point where whatever you're going to do is not going to help you, you stop. They laid out a great case. They laid out all of the information that they had. They don't have physical evidence. They don't need it.

[17:35:00]

They're not accusing him of pulling the trigger. They don't have, you know, a lot of tangible things. What they have is his own words. They have means, they have motive, they have opportunity, and they have all of his statements. They have to prove that he was simply involved, knew it was going to happen, and was materially involved in that.

And he has said so much in multiple interviews, and in books, and in TV shows, and in writing. He has been going on a 20-year stretch saying, this is what I did, believe me, by my book. And now that he's being accused of it, the consequences of his own actions, of his own statements, he's going, ooh, about that. So, I was just joking before, but I promise, like, I was lying last week, I'm being truthful today.

ABEL: Had incentive then.

RANDALL: Yes, but he has an incentive today. The incentive before, he was lying so he'd get money. And now, he's lying so he doesn't go to jail. But the issue is, I think the prosecution laid out a very strong case. I think the defense laid out what they had. They had very limited options of things that they could present and to rebut this because his own statements are being used against him.

But just like I said before, in this case, the prosecution needs every juror to believe their version of events. The defense only needs one. You get one person with reasonable doubt, that hangs up the jury, and you don't get a conviction.

ABEL: So, there's a lot of weight on these closing arguments that begin tomorrow. Cody Randall, appreciate your insight, sir.

RANDALL: Absolutely.

ABEL: Thank you very much.

RANDALL: Thanks for having me.

ABEL: All right. Still to come for us, a surprising nail-biter in Trump country. Why Democrat James Talarico's spending blitz against Republican Ken Paxton has the Texas Senate race tightening and the GOP worried. You are in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ABEL: With just over nine weeks until the midterms, the Senate race in Texas between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton is extremely tight right now. Talarico is bombarding the airwaves with advertising and has outspent Paxton by a wide margin. Paxton is still waiting for an infusion of cash from the MAGA Incorporated Super PAC. And Republicans are worried. Paxton was asked about it all this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN PAXTON, TEXAS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Look, I know that they are going to be a part of this. They -- we can't coordinate on how much or what. So, it's coming. I also think you're going to see resources coming from Republican senators. And so, I'm very -- I'm optimistic. Our fundraising has been tremendously good in the last couple of weeks. And you're going to start seeing some ads. I just want to encourage people because we are fighting a guy that's raising money all over the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju has more on the money issue in the race that could decide control of the Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Republicans are getting very anxious about Texas. The Republican nominee in that state, Ken Paxton, is getting absolutely trounced across the air. He is spending a fraction of the amount of money that James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, is since June. That was in the aftermath of that very messy and divisive Republican primary. And Ken Paxton emerged from that primary, defeating the longtime incumbent Republican senator, John Cornyn.

Remember, it was Donald Trump who decided to endorse Ken Paxton in that primary. Republican leaders pleaded with President Trump, begged him not to endorse Paxton. They wanted him to back Cornyn because they thought it would be far less expensive, much easier to get Cornyn reelected than try to get Paxton elected, especially Paxton has a laundry list of controversies in this state during his time as Texas attorney general, weathering an impeachment scandal, and facing other controversies that could undoubtedly hurt him in a campaign.

So, Republican leaders said, Mr. President, we need your outside group, MAGA Inc., to come in and help Ken Paxton, if you indeed choose, want him to become the nominee. That was the message that was delivered behind closed doors to President Trump, I'm told by multiple Republican sources. At the time, Republicans thought that Trump's campaign operation would come in and spend money. They still think he'll come in and spend money, but it still has not, even though MAGA Inc., Trump's outside group, is sitting on more than $400 million, but has not spent money yet in the Texas Senate race.

So, what has James Talarico done since June when that primary ended? $31.5 million across the airways from James Talarico and Democratic allies spending in the Texas airways, compared to $4.7 million for Republicans in that same time frame, which is perhaps one reason why Talarico has seen a bump in the polls. He is now leading narrowly, according to most polling, still within the margin of error of some, but enough to give Republicans a scare.

Yes, it's Texas, yes, Democrats have not won there in decades statewide, but this environment not favoring Republicans and this situation involving Ken Paxton and the amount of money James Talarico has has a lot of Republicans nervous because Democrats, of course, have to pick up a net of four seats to win back the majority. That means they need to win in red states, red states like Texas. And now that Texas is on the map, many Republicans are pleading with President Trump to spend money now.

Now, MAGA Inc. told us that it is still planning, evaluating its midterm strategy, would not show its hand on about whether and when it plans to spend money in Texas.

[17:45:06]

Trump did headline a fundraiser last week in Houston for the Republican National Committee, which presumably will also go to benefit Paxton as well. But a lot more money needs to be spent, according to Republican sources and according to the Republican outside groups who have not spent money yet because they're waiting for Trump to come in and do so. Will he do that? That's a big question because the Senate majority is on the line and could hinge on Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Manu Raju reporting. Well, maybe you've heard of Fat Bear Week, but how about the latest Fat Marmot Week? The furry rodents are becoming an internet sensation, and scientists are hoping more Americans will love them enough to give a hoot because winter is coming. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner for the fattest marmots in the Rocky Mountains. So, if you haven't been following along, let's get you up to speed. All week for Fat Marmot Week, yes, it's a thing, people have been voting for which alpine rodent will pack on the most pounds before winter hibernation. At her last weigh-in, Dawn was over 11 pounds. Now, earlier, the bodacious Dawn beat G to take home the plus-sized crown, and it's all part of a project at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory to study these rotund rodents. Fat Marmot Week aims to spread awareness about the creatures and raise some money for important research.

So, let's discuss this all. Let's bring in UCLA graduate students Katie Adler and Emily Renkey, who have been working on this project. And I'll let you two do papers as a rock for who answers this question first, OK? But who did you pick to win, and were you surprised by the winning weights?

KATIE ADLER, GRADUATE STUDENT, UCLA: I kind of went back and forth on who I wanted to win. Dawn seemed like the realistic biggest winner as someone who has been watching her all the time. But, you know, I kind of had my hopes set on Stonehenge. A lot of people were very sad that Open Kite didn't win. And so, it kind of goes back and forth every day.

ABEL: And what about you, Emily?

EMILY RENKEY, GRADUATE STUDENT, UCLA: Oh, I mean, I think that we kind of had a hunch that Dawn was going to be the biggest from the start.

ABEL: Yes.

RENKEY: He was looking very fat in May. However, they all deserve to win in their own way. So --

ABEL: You know, I like that. I like that. I definitely had a vote for Stonehenge for the first round, at least. Researchers, guys, are studying these animals' behavior and environment. Why? What can we learn from them?

RENKEY: Yes. So, you know, besides marmots being awesome, this is a 65-year-long study and it can tell us a lot about how animals change over time. Along the lines of Fat Marmot Week, we actually have a new paper coming out in our lab by another grad student looking at how marmots are actually evolving to be fatter.

ABEL: OK. This has been a tough year, to say the least, for marmots. Scientists believe more than two-thirds of the marmots in the Rockies died from the cold last winter because there was not enough snow to cover their burrows during hibernation. The planet, guys, is only getting warmer, as I know you guys know. As a researcher, what worries do you have for these animals and, really, other species?

ADLER: Yes. You know, marmots are a really important part of the ecosystem, right? They're a really important prey species for a lot of the predators here. And so, them not being able to survive these harsh winters is really important for not only them, but for the rest of the ecosystem.

I am also worried about the droughts that we've been experiencing just because this year specifically was so dry that the marmots get a lot of their water or all of their water from plants. And so, if they're not getting that water from their food sources, then they're going to be not getting the health benefits that they need.

ABEL: And Emily, a lot of similar research has been hurt by federal funding cuts. Can you give us an idea of what ripple effects, seeing this, that impacts what it has on the research field?

RENKEY: Yes. I mean, I think that a lot of scientists are hurting in many different fields. For long-term research specifically, I think, you know, the federal cuts happening right now are really hurting us, but they're more so just like a small part of this larger issue of us not getting funding that kind of have tipped us over the edge in terms of not being able to carry on our research in the future.

ABEL: And Katie, a recent headline in "The Wall Street Journal" called marmots criminal masterminds. How do you feel about these furry guys finally getting their turn in the spotlight maybe in a more positive way?

ADLER: I think it's great. You know, marmots are really cool. I'm very biased as someone who studies them, but they, like Emily said before, they tell us a lot about the ecosystem. They're very -- they're very fun. They have personalities, as someone who watches them all the time. They really deserve to be in the spotlight. And it does make me excited that people are getting excited about marmots more generally.

ABEL: Well, really appreciate the research you two are doing. Katie Adler and Emily Renkey, thank you for taking the time to join us.

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ADLER: Thank you so much.

RENKEY: Thank you so much.

ABEL: Ahead in the next hour --

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UNKNOWN (voice-over): And liftoff. Go Falcon Heavy and go Roman Space Telescope.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): And liftoff of NASA's Roman Space Telescope on a mission to revolutionize our --

ABEL: "Ad Astra," a new discovery machine now heading into space. We'll take a look at how NASA's new space telescope will give us a close-up view of hidden galaxies, distant worlds, and clues about dark matter and dark energy. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

UNKNOWN (voice-over): And now, tracking up, looking at those 27 Merlin engines lifting the Falcon Heavy and Roman Space Telescope off into space.

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