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Polls Show Republicans Struggling In Some Red States; Coast Guard Searches For Missing Medical Aircraft, 6 Aboard; NYT: Police Say DA Declined To Review More Cornell Evidence; Israeli PM Speaks With Pilot Who Was Attacked; Another Airline Removed Flydubai Suspect Over Extremist Views; Terrorist Images Found On Flydubai Suspect's Social Media; New Veteran Health Centers Struggling To Hire And Keep Staff. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 03, 2026 - 17:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:32]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.

Just a month left until the critical midterm elections and President Trump is out on a campaign blitz. He's swinging through states including Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama usually considered deeply red.

Tonight, the president will be in Ohio rallying Republicans ahead of a tight Senate race there. You can see "New York Times"/Siena poll shows a statistical dead heat between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted, meaning the race is within the margin of error.

But also, Iowa is a toss-up, with voters split between Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek, also within the margin of error.

CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook has the latest from the White House.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump has promised to hit the campaign trail over this next month, and he has already had rallies, both in Oklahoma and Alabama.

When he was pressed on this, why would he spend time in those historically Red states right now? He said that he wanted to thank them, to show gratitude for the sweeping victories they have delivered to him in the past.

Now, when it comes to message, Trump is really focused in on turnout. He has repeatedly told these crowds that he wants them to pretend he is on the ballot. That is a message that Republicans hope still resonates as his approval rating recently hit an all-time low.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot. Here's what happens. When I'm not on the ballot, we don't do well. We have 44 percent or 48 percent less people. When I'm on the ballot, we can, everybody.

So just close your eyes and pretend I'm on the ballot. But in a way, I am on the ballot because we have to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: A GOP official tells CNN that those stops in Oklahoma and Alabama are outliers here, that he will be making stops in key battleground areas.

And tonight he is in Dayton, Ohio. This is a state where a key Senate race is taking place between Republican Senator Jon Husted and former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. "The Cook Political Report" has categorized this Senate race as a toss-up.

Now, recent "New York Times"/Siena poll found some other key races in that chamber to watch, including Iowa, some very close polling there.

You have Texas. That is an area where Trump will be traveling to hold a rally next week. He's expected to be there Wednesday in San Antonio.

Also, Alaska, a state that typically votes Republican. But this poll shows that Democrats have an edge in that race. As well as Kansas, which has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in decades, in fact, since 1932.

Now, privately, some Trump advisers have acknowledged that this push for turnout, it can go a couple of ways. It can really energize his base to get out and vote for Republicans. It can also energize Democrats to get out and go to the polls.

But he'll be speaking there in Ohio pretty soon now, as we expect him to kind of remain on message, to pretend that he is on the ballot in the coming weeks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Julia Benbrook, really appreciate it.

And CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene is in Ohio for us, live in Vandalia, Ohio outside of Dayton, where President Trump will be campaigning tonight.

So Alayna, what are you seeing so far at this campaign rally?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, folks are still trickling in, Omar, but this is very much like any type of campaign rally that I used to see back in 2024, when the president himself was running, very similarly run.

This is a little bit smaller. We're at Vandalia Butler High School. One thing that's interesting too is the Ohio State. We're in Ohio.

Ohio State game is playing right now, and they actually have the game up here on the wall because a lot of people, you know, competing with the president's intention is this football game. So a lot of people interested in that. But look, for what I've been talking with different attendees here on

the ground about how they feel about the president, about how they feel about the midterm elections, Omar.

Many of them, of course, are Trump supporters. A lot of them are here to see the president himself. We are, of course, at a Trump rally.

[17:04:43]

TREENE: But some of them -- actually most of them, I should argue, Omar told me that they are a little bit disappointed in some key issues of what the president has handled in the last year and a half or so that he has been in office, particularly his handling of the Iran war.

A couple of the attendees I spoke with here, again, very fierce supporters of the president, but they said they don't like his handling of the war. They believe that war needs to end.

They're hoping that the president will be able to lower gas prices, and that will happen on its own if the war does end.

So some mixed, you know, messages when it comes to those issues. But overall, they said they are here to support the president.

And I asked them specifically as well, Omar, about the president's message that he wants his supporters to pretend that he is on the ballot on November 3rd as a way to try and juice turnout among his MAGA base.

And they said they think that will hopefully work. They said that they plan to vote because the president is telling them to vote. And that really is the key strategy that I know the president's political operation and many of his advisers are telling him.

I know right now the president's approval rating is at 33 percent, with 67 percent of Americans disapproving of the job he's done in office.

That is a tough place for him to be. It's actually the lowest numbers he's received during his two terms in office, but they're hoping that this turnout message, particularly in some of these redder states, will actually make a difference for Republicans come this fall.

So well have to see. But obviously, again, a crowd full of the president's supporters. But they're willing to admit on some issues where they think he's done wrong.

Ohio, I should note, is a battleground state at this moment. In many ways, you know, it's been red in recent years. But a lot of people this election cycle are viewing this as a battleground.

The key reason the president's here is to support Senator John Husted against the former Senator Sherrod Brown, who lost his election back in 2024 to another Ohio senator, Bernie Moreno. Some people here saying they actually came out for Husted specifically as well. But I note this is a bit of a different type of place where the

president is coming than he has been in recent days. His most recent rallies have been in Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas -- deeply red states.

This is more of a swingy area that the president is coming to, to try and convince voters to get out and vote for Republicans in the hopes that they can hang on to their majorities this fall, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Sure. And as you were talking, Alayna, we were showing some images of the president leaving the White House, heading to one -- to Marine One first, but then eventually making his way to your location there in Ohio.

And a little bit -- a little bit earlier, we were hearing from Julia Benbrook sort of about the path of the president in terms of campaigning. Yes, we laid out those states -- Oklahoma, Alabama, typically more Red.

Ohio state he won by double digits in 2024, but we showed the poll standings between Husted and Sherrod Brown essentially tied in these final stages of the midterms here.

Is the sense that you're getting from the Trump campaign folks, that this stage is just about driving voter turnout in a lot of these locations, Ohio included?

TREENE: Pretty much, Omar. That is really the strategy. Look, when I talk to the president's advisers, members of his political operation, they admit that the national environment right now for Republicans, and particularly when we look at the president himself, they see the poll numbers just as much as we do. They recognize that he's more unpopular now than he has ever been, both during his first term and again now his second time in office.

And so really the goal, and this is interesting, I should note, when I talked to them, they said, yes, he is going to be going to a lot more of these battleground states. They actually described some of the, you know, I talked to one of his advisers who described some of the red states that he just visited in the last couple of days as outliers. That they do want him going to the battleground states where it matters.

But even in those states that are more purple, he's going to mostly conservative districts because they recognize that in some of the other districts, the ones that genuinely are swingy, that are genuinely purple and true battlegrounds, his presence could actually hurt more than it could help.

And so the goal is to get his true base, his supporters to turn out and show up on election day. That is really the core strategy here.

I should note, though, that when I talked to some of his team, though, they will call that a Catch-22 in some ways. Because, yes, the president is a core driver of enthusiasm. We've seen him really be a rainmaker in Republican politics for several years now. But he's also an incredible driver of turnout, Omar, with Democrats as

well. A lot of Democrats who, as you know, if they do pretend that his name is on the ballot, they might use it as a referendum against him. And so that is another challenge that they're facing over these next 31 days or so in the (INAUDIBLE) to the midterms.

President trying to manage where to send him, where it will actually be more beneficial in the hopes of boosting turnout to get enough supporters to the polls on election day?

And one thing I should mention as well, Omar, is just that what's very different about their strategy this time around, I know in 2024, actually the last time I was in the Dayton, Ohio area where I am now was when Trump was here in 2024. Obviously a very different time.

[17:09:48]

TREENE: But one of their key strategies then was going after these more independent, more moderate conservatives thinking that, you know, they would really be the ones to turn the tide on election day. And they were.

A lot of those voters are what helped get Trump back in office for a second term. They are not really looking at those people this time. They are looking solely at Republicans who typically would come out on election day for a presidential election, not necessarily midterm election. That is really the core focus of his team at this point.

JIMENEZ: And it was always a question on how much the president was going to show his face on the Campaign trail, particularly for Republicans, knowing that his popularity is at the lowest levels that it's been, at least from what recent polling has shown.

Alayna Treene at the Trump campaign rally in Ohio, really appreciate it.

If you see Senator Husted, send him on over, I would love to talk to him and appreciate you being there --

TREENE: Yes. I'll keep my eye out for him, Omar.

JIMENEZ: -- in the meantime. Yes, please do.

All right. Meanwhile, Georgia has long voted red, but lately there have been some flashes of blue, purple some may say. Our John King went to see how things are looking there ahead of the midterms. We'll show you that, coming up.

Plus, new details about the axe used by the pilot accused of attacking his co-pilot on a flight bound for Tel Aviv. We'll bring you those details.

And according to the "New York Times", records show that police say the local prosecutor reportedly declined to look at more evidence in the Cornell rape investigation. We'll talk about that.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:11:11]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: The Coast Guard is urgently searching the waters off the coast of Massachusetts, near Nantucket, for a missing medical transport aircraft with six people on board.

The jet went missing early this morning as it was flying from Bermuda to Boston. After flying at an altitude of 24,000 feet for over an hour, it all of a sudden plunged 13,000 feet in over two minutes, according to FlightAware data.

Air traffic control got word of the air ambulance having some sort of issue before losing contact.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger, you said you're coming in blind. Is everything ok? You declare an emergency or no? Ok.

Yes, you're coming in a little weak. So you're -- I didn't hear what your response was if you were to claim emergency or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: So obviously a lot more to learn there. The Bermuda government issued a statement saying, quote, "The government has been in contact with the families of those on board and remains in contact with the overseas authorities coordinating the search. We are praying that all six people will be found safe."

According to CNN news-gathering partner CBC, the two pilots and two medical staff on board are Canadian, while the two people picked up in Bermuda are not.

But obviously we'll bring you any new details we get as they come in.

Meanwhile, new developments in the controversial investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University. According to records obtained by the "New York Times", the Tompkins -- the Tompkins County district attorney's office had the opportunity in November 2024 to review more evidence gathered by Cornell police, but that office declined to see any additional evidence after deciding it would not pursue criminal charges based on the accuser's statement.

That's according to a note obtained by "The Times", written by a police investigator about the conversation with the D.A.'s office.

But I want to bring in CNN's Mark Morales, who joins me now. So, Mark, what more are you learning here?

MARK MORALES, CNN REPORTER: So this evidence included a lot more interviews. It included more review of the chat messages that were there. It even talked to it even displayed how there was an attempt to reach out to some of the lawyers for some of the men that were alleged to be involved in this.

And as you said, the D.A., the district attorney, refused to look at this evidence, specifically citing that six-page statement that Jane Doe had signed and citing that. Saying that that was enough for them to determine that they weren't going to pursue any criminal charges. And that's why they weren't going to look at this evidence.

Now, that's not all that we're learning. ABC News has also reported that there were text messages after this incident, where two of the alleged people involved in this who allegedly attacked Jane Doe, had sent her messages afterwards apologizing for what happened.

And all this is really adding to this sense of anger and frustration that students and faculty members are feeling on this campus.

I mean, you saw that how the fraternity events that were happening this weekend, those were all canceled. There's a protest scheduled for Monday.

And it's not just them that are angry about this. New York Governor Kathy Hochul was also pretty upset about it. And she has appointed New York Attorney General Tish James to be the special prosecutor.

And Governor Hochul expressed her outrage over how this has gone down so far. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: In what world does the district attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?

This woman, this young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORALES: Now, there's no timeline for when this investigation is supposed to end. But what Governor Hochul and what Tish James have both said is that this investigation is going to be significant.

JIMENEZ: All right. Mark Morales, really appreciate the reporting.

I want to bring in now lawyer Ann Olivarius, who has been handling Title IX cases for decades.

[17:19:44]

JIMENEZ: And Ann, "The New York Times" reports the district attorney's office declined to review that additional evidence after determining it would not pursue criminal charges.

And again, that's according to a note they obtained by police at the time.

What does that tell you about how this case was initially handled?

ANN OLIVARIUS, LAWYER: Well, I think it speaks to incompetence with a capital I.

I mean, in that pile that apparently the D.A. got, he's admitted that there was a snapshot of a man ejaculating on Jane Doe's physically incapacitated body. There she is lying dead cold and a man is ejaculating on her.

How could this not alert anyone to say, wait a minute, is this consensual? Is this something she actually wants to be doing? It's extraordinary.

JIMENEZ: Well, and there's a lot that's now being looked at in terms of, you know, we have the attention from the governor, the D.A.'s office at one point was saying that a grand jury would look back into this.

But this is now, you know, essentially two years after these initial allegations were first reported.

And Governor Hochul, for example, said she lost faith in the local D.A.'s ability to oversee the case. And I just wonder, from your perspective, how unusual is it for a governor to step in and appoint a special prosecutor for something like this?

OLIVARIUS: Yes, it is very unusual, and I applaud the governor for doing this. I think it takes courage on her part to call it what actually is going on, that this is something that was terribly, terribly wrongly handled by Cornell, by the campus police and certainly by the D.A.

And then by all the you know, they said Cornell seven, but it's really 57 on a Snapchat where people knew -- 57 people what was going on.

You know, they're advertising "free pussy upstairs". They're saying, you know, it's still open for business. What's open for business?

Everybody knows what's going on. And not one of those men decided it was time to do something, to go up and at least check it out and maybe stop something that shouldn't be going on.

This is a fraternity. These are bros. They're supposed to be helping each other, protecting each other. But it's that same -- it's like the New York law in this.

It's that same old fashioned, you know, opportunistic approach that if a man has a shot to get sex, he should just -- he's lucky. He should take it. And he doesn't have to explain why or how.

You know, it's that same notion that it's up to the woman to protect herself, in this case, Jane Doe. We know that she consented initially to consent to have sex with two men.

That doesn't mean you consent to a gangbang. It doesn't mean you consent to five others. It doesn't mean that you're open for business. And that's really what's here.

I think what happened, it suggests in the D.A.'s office and perhaps to the campus police, that here's this girl who's behaving in a way that they don't like, and they're really judgmental about it.

And so we're just -- she doesn't deserve justice. She doesn't deserve protection or even any inquiry as to what's going on. She put herself in that circumstance and so, well, you know, if you're going to get gangbanged, tough, tough bananas. It's your fault. You asked for it.

And that's that really old-fashioned notion. It's much like the Gisele Pelicot case in France, which people may not know so well.

I'm in England right now, but in France, of course, there was a 70- year-old woman whose husband invited men, looks like 85, but we had forensic proof of 52 men on video who he invited to come in and have sex with her.

And he drugged her so she had no idea what was going on. But she had forensic evidence of 52 men that the police found who raped her.

And, you know, people saw this. They start advertising. They came and took advantage. They didn't say, no, what's going on here? Is she really consenting to this?

They arrived and nobody asked her. She was out dead cold, just as Jane Doe was. Nobody did anything. This is like a junior Pelicot case.

JIMENEZ: And I just want to say too just on the Snapchats we have not seen messages of the Snapchats with the ejaculation, as you described it. So if you're looking at something we're not. I just want to let you know we don't have that as far as our reporting goes.

But to the overall -- to the overall point that you were making in terms of now there is a different burden of proof for an investigation and potential bringing of charges years after the fact than there would have been in the beginning stages of it.

I really appreciate the time and perspective. Thank you for being here. Ann Olivarius, everyone.

OLIVARIUS: Thank you. Good night.

JIMENEZ: All right. Just ahead, hear the FlyDubai hero pilot describe fighting for his life and opening the cockpit door for help. We'll bring you those details.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:24:30]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: There are new details coming to light following Wednesday's violent attack on a FlyDubai flight. Terrorist images and misogynistic posts have been found on the now-deleted social media accounts believed to belong to the pilot suspected of attacking his fellow pilot on board that flight to Tel Aviv.

Sources now telling CNN the suspect had been removed from a previous job at Oman's National Airline amid concerns over his extremist views.

Also today, in a phone conversation, the pilot who was attacked, gives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu new details about the cockpit attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SMIT MACHCHHAR, PILOT, FLYDUBAI: I felt the aircraft and the whooshing sound and people screaming. and as I was telling the ambassador here that I had that one last fight left in me that, you know, call it personal or call it for people.

[17:29:49]

MACHCHHAR: But let's say I did it that if I don't do it, I'm going to die.

And that's when I pushed against everything. I gave everything that I had, and just went for the door and opened the door. And thankfully, people were waiting to bounce back, took over the control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Unbelievable. That effort there that he laid out, and really shocking detail.

But there are also questions about how Flydubai could have hired the suspect.

CNN International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson brings us the latest.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. I think, from what we are beginning to learn, it really is going to be an area of focus. How could he have been hired by Flydubai? How could he have been authorized to fly into Israeli airspace at many levels?

There will be intelligence services in both countries, the airline as well, of course, facing those very, very tough questions. We are just learning new details as well about the attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been speaking to the Indian captain, the one who was hit by this attacking pilot. Hamam al- Hammami is his name. That's the Omani pilot who did the attacking?

We have -- we are learning from the Indian captain, telling Prime Minister Netanyahu in this video phone conversation that they have had, saying that the pilot, the Omani pilot, asked the Indian captain or told him that he wanted a prey, and for the Indian captain, said, OK, I'll look away and I just look out, you know, the cockpit window here for five minutes.

And then, the Indian captain said, suddenly, I felt a blow on the back of my head. And what we have learnt from the Emirati Attorney General, who is leading the investigation, who calls this a terrorist act. He said that the attacker had taken the emergency ax from inside the cockpit. This is the -- this is the ax that's kept there in case the plane crashes or they need to, you know, need to breaks -- break out some part of the aircraft. He took the emergency ax and attacked the captain.

And, of course, we have heard from the captain, recounting the stories of how, essentially, on his last effort, he was able to open the door, allow the passengers to get on board to subdue the Omani pilot. But as you are saying, there are details that are emerging about this Omani pilot. His background, he'd worked for a number of years.

This is coming from his social media, he worked for a number of years at Oman Air, but then been let go in 2025. He'd been let go because there were concerns about his extremist views.

He then worked for about six months for Air Maroc, the Moroccan airline. That job terminated early this year. There is nothing on his social media about joining Flydubai. So, he has this questionable track record on his social media.

And the other things that are becoming apparent about him are these postings to his social media that were released a few hours later in the day, after his attack, and they appear to indicate some quite extremist views, mentions sort of derogatory terms about women, but also about apostates, non-believers in Islam.

And interestingly, at the end of those -- one of those social media posts, there is pictures of a former al-Qaeda leader.

So, this, of course, is going to feed into the investigation, feed into what the Emirates and the Israelis are joining in on that investigation. We understand the attorney general there in the UAE leading the investigation that he has called a terrorist act.

JIMENEZ: All right. Nick Robertson, appreciate the reporting.

I want to bring in CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen. He is also the author of the new book, "All the President's Wars: 25 Years of America's War on Terror".

So, Peter, sources are telling CNN, this pilot was removed from a previous job at Oman's national airline because of concerns about his extremist views. How does someone like this evade detection, not just to get the job, but also to be allowed to fly into Israel?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Omar, thanks for having me on.

You know, I -- we still don't know a lot about this. I wanted to pick up a little bit on what Nic was saying about these images that were posted to his social media accounts.

So, the image, according to CNN reporting, is of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was one of the leaders of al-Qaeda who replaced Osama bin Laden. And interestingly, another of the images is a Jordanian doctor who was recruited by al-Qaeda but also by the CIA, and turned out to be a double agent. He killed seven CIA officers and contractors in 2009 in Afghanistan seems like an interesting choice of image.

Somebody who was secretly pretending to be working with the Americans, but actually was working with al-Qaeda. You know, we can only speculate on the state of mind of the suspect, al-Hammami. But why would he select this image of somebody who is working for al-Qaeda, but -- and pretending to be working for the Americans?

[17:35:06]

It seems to be, perhaps, sending some sort of message here about his double life that he was leading that led to this incident.

JIMENEZ: And likely very central in the investigation ongoing right now. Because one of the things that, you know, social media posts is one thing. But also, the main question is how someone like this can become radicalized? And I wonder, based on what we know so far, which again, still more to be learned.

Do you have a sense of how -- I mean, I guess you ask it plainly: how someone like this was radicalized.

BERGEN: Well, it could be a lot of different ways, Omar. I mean, perhaps he radicalized by himself through, you know, absorbing a lot of social media, we have seen so-called lone actors, lone actor terrorists. You know, even in this country, in Orlando, we had an attack by somebody who was influenced by ISIS, who killed 49 people in Orlando, Florida. He never had any formal contact with ISIS. He was never directed by ISIS. He just radicalized himself. So, that is one possibility.

Then, there is another possibility. We had an attack in Pensacola, Florida, in which three American sailors were killed. He was in touch with al-Qaeda before that attack in 2019. You know, that could be another kind of form of radicalization. We don't really know. I mean, there's multiple ways. You know, is this person acting entirely alone? Possibly.

Did he have, you know, these interesting social media posts that were posted after the incident, were they posted by somebody else? Were they posted by him to be kind of posted after the incident happened? Not clear.

So, you know, big questions. One, did he act entirely alone? Two, was there somebody who else who was sort of the sympathizer? Was he in touch with any terrorist organization directly? We just don't know.

JIMENEZ: Meanwhile, Axios correspondent and CNN analyst Barak Ravid is reporting that top national security officials met yesterday at Camp David to discuss next steps in the war with Iran and the Saudi Houthi conflict.

What do you read into the timing of the meeting as the Saudis are planning this offensive against the Houthis? BERGEN: Yes, the Saudis, you know, fought a long war against the Houthis, which kind of eventually they pulled out of -- they, you know, dropped like 20,000 bombs. Yemen, it didn't really result in anything particularly. It didn't really break the Houthis' will.

So, now they are back, and they have a -- there is a U.N. recognized government, the Saudi backing that is going to try and mount an offensive against the Houthi rebels who have seized much of the Red Sea coastline, which gives them a lot of control over the traffic going to the Suez Canal.

So, the Saudis are gearing up now for this offensive. The question is, will President Trump help them? And so far, he is -- in this particular instance that he has not.

In the past, the United States has taken missile attacks at Houthi targets and drone attacks, but so far, Trump has said that he won't do that.

So, my supposition is this meeting at Camp David will be -- has been, you know, do we help the Saudis in this plan to attack the Houthis? And I mean, there would be a strong reason for the United States to do that. The Houthis have closed, I mean, you have on one side the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has closed down on one side of the Arabian Peninsula.

And then, on the other side, is the Houthis are sort of effectively closed down a lot of the shipping going through the Suez Canal on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.

The 13 percent of global shipping goes through the Suez Canal, and 25 percent of oil and gas go through both the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz on either side of the Arabian Peninsula.

So, do the math. I mean, the United States probably has a strong interest in making sure the Houthis don't close down traffic into the Suez Canal. So, you can only, I mean, it seems like a reasonable supposition. It's like, do we get involved in this? We, the United States, helping the Saudis against these Houthi rebels, or do we stay out of it?

So far, Trump has said we are going to stay out of it. That, of course, could change.

JIMENEZ: Sure, sure. Peter Bergen, appreciate the time and insight on many topics, including the Middle East. Thank you for being here.

BERGEN: Thank you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Coming up, veterans struggling to get appointments as V.A. health facilities see a shortage in staffing.

[17:39:27]

CNN goes to one clinic that costs more than $300 million to build to see what went wrong. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: CNN has new reporting on another challenge for U.S. military veterans trying to get the care that they need. The Department of Veterans Affairs has built or updated dozens of health facilities after benefits were expanded under the Biden administration, but many are now struggling to staff them, which is leaving some veterans with trouble getting appointments, even when they need help urgently.

CNN's Brian Todd has more.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have new reporting on staffing problems at V.A. clinics, including a brand-new V.A. clinic in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which was supposed to be a real crown jewel. It cost more than $350 million to build. The V.A. touted it as the largest V.A. healthcare clinic in the U.S., spanning more than 470,000 square feet, completely state of the art.

But now, 19 months after the ribbon cutting, the V.A. is struggling to staff the facility.

[17:45:02]

According to our sources. And some veterans are telling us, their care has suffered as a result.

Now, according to V.A. data obtained by CNN, the Fredericksburg clinic has a staffing vacancy rate of nearly 40 percent, which means more than 350 positions there have not been filled.

The V.A. says it's opened 41 new clinics across the U.S. That same data that we obtained shows that roughly half of those new facilities had double-digit vacancy rates as of July.

At Fredericksburg, that's translated into hardship for some veterans. I spoke with one Marine veteran who sought treatment there. Michael Dunlap, who told me he's gone through four primary care doctors in the span of a year and a half at the Fredericksburg clinic. They have all quit, he says, just sending him a form letter, saying they wouldn't be there anymore.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL DUNLAP, UNITED STATES MARINE VETERAN: You have to start over every time. You know, they can look at your records, but until they talk to you and know you, it slows everything down, you know.

And you build up a rapport with a doctor, and now you lose a little bit of confidence because now you have got to explain everything all over again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Other veterans told us they had problems getting in for initial appointments at Fredericksburg, and one was turned down for urgent care visits. All they say because of staffing shortages. Now, those veterans describe going to a gleaming, clean facility without many people in it, and with a huge parking lot, much of it very empty, as these recent pictures that I took show.

One healthcare provider at Fredericksburg, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution, told us doctors and other providers at Fredericksburg are burned out, exhausted, and that's why they're leaving.

This provider likened the work atmosphere there to "a car production line", that was reiterated to us by Democratic Congressman Eugene Vindman, a veteran himself who represents that district where the Fredericksburg V.A. clinic is located.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. EUGENE VINDMAN (D-VA): It is the fact that they can't keep staff, that they can't hire staff, that it's taking too long, that's making wait times too long. It's making it impossible for veterans to actually get in the door, and that's what needs to get fixed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: The V.A. is staunchly defending its operations at Fredericksburg. V.A. Press Secretary Quinn Slaven, in a statement to CNN, said, "Quote: The Fredericksburg VA clinic is opening in phases. It met its hiring goals in the first three phases and is now in phase four.

In less than two years since opening, the clinic has already completed more than 245,000 appointments and is ahead of schedule for enrolling new patients.

Outside, analysts tell us some of this is not the V.A.'s fault. They say the V.A. opened these clinics as the entire country is experiencing a shortage of doctors, nurses, and other providers, with even greater shortages projected in the next decade.

And they say, the V.A. has to deal with an unwieldy bureaucracy and often cannot pay doctors the same salaries that they would make in the private sector.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

JIMENEZ: All right. Brian Todd, appreciate the reporting.

Coming up, newly unsealed footage shows the moment Luigi Mangione is arrested inside a McDonald's following the fatal shooting of United Healthcare's CEO.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[17:52:41] JIMENEZ: As "CNN HEROES" marks its 20th year, we are highlighting how far one of the 2016 honorees' mission has come.

Sherri Franklin is raising the wolf. Yes, you heard that right. To find homes for older dogs through her nonprofit Muttville, their success has expanded throughout the San Francisco community.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHERRI FRANKLIN, FOUNDER, MUTTVILLE: Watching these old dogs spend their last weeks in a cold, hard, loud shelter made me realize that we need to give these dogs an opportunity to get the love and to give the love that they still have left.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Sherry Franklin's passion for senior dogs inspired her to found Muttville in 2007, a rescue dedicated to saving older dogs from shelters and helping them find loving forever homes.

FRANKLIN: Chulo (PH) has got a new mommy because he is getting adopted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need somebody to hug.

FRANKLIN: And he needs you to hug him, so thank you.

FRANKLIN: They have changed people's lives with their gratitude, with their tenderness.

COOPER (voice-over): She was recognized as a CNN Hero in 2016, an honor she credits with giving senior dogs a voice and helping her expand her mission.

FRANKLIN: Thanks to the exposure and the credibility. We have been able to save over 13,500 senior dogs at Muttville. We have even opened a whole new community center here in San Francisco.

COOPER (voice over): Muttville's new 18,000-square-foot facility is a thoughtfully designed cage-free shelter. Every detail supports senior dogs, from acoustic floors that absorb sound to ramps and soft surfaces. And all furniture is donated or secondhand.

FRANKLIN: We wanted to make something really different. We wanted to make something that people would enjoy coming to, not the scary animal shelter that you're used to. A place where dogs can also relax and enjoy.

Our adoptions are through the roof, our dogs are happy, and all the humans that are in our community are also just thrilled to be a part of this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[17:55:08]

JIMENEZ: To learn more about Sherri's work, you can go to cnn.com/heroes.

All right. Still to come, we got a lot of news we are following, including President Trump will soon campaign in Ohio.

This is a live look at where you will see him, and not too much longer of time. He will deliver his message to voters. Just a month left until the midterms. People, we are live from his rally next.

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