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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Two Ships Sink in Strait of Hormuz; Ukraine to Resume Strikes on Russian Refineries; Trump Truth Social Canceling Execution Livestream; Texas Senate Race; North Carolina District Emerges as Key U.S. House Battleground; Call to Earth; Harry and Meghan Make First Joint Appearance since Moving. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired October 15, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East programming
headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening.
"The mother of all bombs," that is what the U.S. is said to be considering using against Iran, according to U.S. officials who have spoken exclusively
with CNN. The massive ordnance air blast bomb, as it's known, could be used to target Iranian infrastructure and nuclear sites.
Sources say the U.S. president has ordered the military to develop new strike plans that include the use of this weapon. President Trump under
pressure to end the war with Iran as the U.S. midterms loom and is promising that the conflict will end soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: There's never been -- it's a golden age of America and the Iran war will end very soon. It's going to end very soon.
As soon as I want it to end, it will end. But it's going to end very soon. They'll never have a nuclear weapon. And oil prices will drop like a rock.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The White House considers its next steps. We're getting word of a second ship sinking in the Strait of Hormuz in the past two days. Attacks
around what is, of course, this critical waterway have surged in recent days.
Videos verified by CNN show Singaporean cargo ship the GFS Pride taking on water before sinking after being struck by an unknown projectile. Experts
say a drone strike is likely.
And the International Maritime Organization says another ship, the Cape Dao, sank on Wednesday. Look, Kirsten Fontenrose, a former senior director
for the Gulf at the National Security Council, joining us from Washington, D.C.
Thank you. I do, though, first want to bring in CNN's Nic Robertson, who is also joining us.
And, Nic, Donald Trump, facing pressure back home to bring an end to what is a deeply unpopular war. We've heard him say that the Iran war will end
soon on numerous occasions over the past eight months.
But as we inch closer to those U.S. midterms, what are his options at this point?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The options may not really be in his hands. I mean, the Iranians do have a say in this, a very big say.
And that's likely what we're witnessing at the moment.
This escalation of targeting tankers that are trying to get through the Strait of Hormuz over Iran's objections, I think is, a point in case. And
the diplomats I'm speaking to are telling me they don't see a quick or fast resolution to United States, President Trump's standoff with Iran over the
Strait of Hormuz, over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
So all of that really stretches out in a far longer term than the midterms. And if you take a cold analysis of what Iran is doing at the moment -- and
maybe this speaks to what we've heard, you know, our own CNN, that teams tell us, that the White House is considering using the mother of all bombs.
It does seem that the Iranians, in their own way, are amping up a pressure on president Trump that could be interpreted as if you were going to hit
us. We're going to try to make you do that before the midterms.
And I think the big, again, diplomatic view is that the midterms will come and go and they really won't change very much in the big equation.
The big equation is vast. And so I think what we may be looking at here is from the White House, the rhetoric that is designed to send a message to
Tehran to back down. And the Iranians are the, on the other hand, taking action that they know will only anger the White House.
[10:05:05]
And that's where we seem to be.
ANDERSON: Stand by, Nic. I just want to bring Kirsten in here.
Kirsten, take a listen to Donald Trump talking about his strategy on Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Their leaders are gone. That's one of the problems. I might have gone too far. I don't know who the hell to deal with. Their first level
leaders are gone. They picked a second level. Their second level leaders are gone. They picked a third level. Half of them are gone. They made me
promise not to take out any more and I did.
I promised them but nobody wants to be the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We hear, we have conversations. We hear them.
Who would like to be the president of Iran?
Please raise your hand.
No, I don't want to be. So I probably went a little too far.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that, of course, is Donald Trump stumping for lawmakers, Republican lawmakers ahead of the U.S. midterms, which are less than three
weeks away now, of course.
We've now, in the past 24 hours learned that there is, you know, some talk of the use of what's known as the mother of all bombs. Just walk us through
current thinking, as you read it, from the president and his administration
KIRSTEN FONTENROSE, FORMER SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR THE PERSIAN GULF, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: This talk of the mother of all bombs, I think
Nic alluded to this, is really intended to send a signal to Tehran, that we can ramp up, too.
If you watch what's been happening, Iran is reading these reports that energy levels are returning to pre-war levels because of alternative
routes, alternative sources. And they really want to put that pressure back on Donald Trump.
But this is a miscalculation on two levels before the midterms. One is because the ships that are being attacked are not U.S. ships. The impact is
being felt more in Asia and the Gulf.
And the second is that the price at the pump in the U.S. lags two-plus months behind ship traffic. So any impact would not take place until after
midterms anyway.
But Tehran, to our calculation, is hoping that the American public will see this and vote accordingly regardless. They'll just be fearful of escalation
on any front and will be concerned.
The Trump administration is saying this isn't really going to hit us economically immediately, certainly not before midterms. We have to manage
the messaging more than the actual economic impact of this new Iranian escalation.
But he's also turning around and asking the world, what are you all doing about it?
You know, you've got the U.S. using economic warfare tools to avoid new escalation before the midterms. We don't know about it after. And yet you
have Iran going directly to military escalation to try to put pressure on him while the impact is felt on these other economies.
So where is the world coalition to address this?
ANDERSON: And Kristen, I have to ask briefly, where do you think this leaves us?
And I use the term "us" loosely but also as somebody who, you know, lives in the Gulf here, in the UAE, watching this closely, this contested space.
And we're going to go on to talk to Nic about what's going on in Saudi at present, against the Houthis.
But you know, this is a contested space, which has an increasingly significant impact on the economies of this region.
FONTENROSE: It sure does. And I think what we'll see -- I love Nic's point about how the midterms are just kind of a bump in the road in a much larger
picture. And I agree with that.
I think that what we really should be watching is what will happen after midterms. I think then Iran will hope that the makeup of the U.S. Congress
is such that the U.S. president will have a tough time trying to get support in Congress for any military action beyond the 60 days he can wage
using his executive authorities.
And if they feel like he will have that tough time, I believe they will be likely to escalate further. And then you've got Donald Trump, the U.S.
president, who will no longer have any domestic political gantlets to survive for the rest of his term for the next two years.
And he'll then have to decide between two possible legacies, whether bringing back energy supplies quickly -- so his popularity rises
domestically before the end of his term -- but leaves the Iranian regime in place as one option.
Or does he ignore domestic discontent and maintain that economic pressure on the regime to end its ability to build or rebuild its nuclear program or
rebuild its military and have a legacy of crippling this near half-century of Iranian threats to the region and, more broadly, worldwide?
Big legacy decision for him.
ANDERSON: Yes.
Nic, as Donald Trump focuses very specifically on strike plans, it seems, for Iran, we are seeing a major escalation on what is the other front in
this region and that is Yemen.
[10:10:00]
The fight between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemen government, that's spilling into serious attacks on the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
One senior official familiar with government thinking there told me, quote, "The kingdom won't back down until it's over because enough is enough."
The same source insists that they, though, need more support from the U.S. in terms of airpower. But there is no evidence at this point, at least,
that that is incoming.
Without that -- you are well sourced in Saudi, you know -- what are the options at this point?
ROBERTSON: Yes. And I think it's instructive really to sort of, you know, as we focus on Iran, Saudi and the Houthis, diplomats that I'm talking to
tell me, look, you can't separate out that from the dispute that president Trump is having with Iran.
That the Iranians are, you know, not putting pressure, let's say, but have certainly, certainly very, happy, if you will, certainly want the Houthis
to be able to amp up the pressure on Saudi Arabia, that this is all part of a combined picture to put pressure on the global price of oil.
To put pressure on, you know, whether it's food in supermarkets, be it in Europe, be it in the Gulf, be it in Asia, be it in the United States, to
put pressure on the global economic situation. So that pressure ripples through to president Trump.
So I think, you know, this is how diplomats are seeing what's happening. But to the specific question of, you know, what the Saudis are prepared to
do about the Houthis, absolutely. They're in a very tough position at the moment.
Absolutely, they want the Houthis and say that they will, as you're hearing as well from your sources, that they will do what it takes to stop the
Houthis and all of this.
At the end of all of this, there may be some sort of diplomatic deal to be done. But I think what constrains the Saudis and what gives the crown
prince pause and consideration, it's not just the image of Saudi Arabia, that it's doing the right thing. It's whatever he chooses to do in Yemen
with the Houthis.
That needs to respect international humanitarian law. And I think that's something that the Saudis will be hearing from their international
partners.
And while they may have a stronger support in the region at the moment, they're really struggling to leverage in more support, more diplomatic
action from European partners, to put more pressure on the Houthis, because ultimately, ultimately, there will be a diplomatic solution. It's how much
war and what type of war comes before then.
I don't think we're on the cusp of that major war. But it's certainly the position that the Saudis and the crown prince find himself in at the
moment, under a huge amount of pressure and taking their time to take the next big move.
ANDERSON: And Kristen, the kingdom will say, this is not a Saudi issue. It is a global issue. And they will say that U.S. lawmakers and Donald Trump
need to understand that the region, you know, fears that the politicization of this conflict could really leave this part of the world in an even
tougher position going forward without enough support.
I have to say, caveat, the Saudis do believe that bar, you know, the response from the United States at this point, they do feel well supported
by the French, the Brits, the Italians, for example. They've got the Mecca alliance together. They believe that is beginning to work. They've got the
region's support more or less.
But it is the U.S. response, support that they need at this point.
How much of the lack of support, do you believe, from the States, at this point, for Saudi is as a result of this entire thing now being politicized
by these domestic elections?
FONTENROSE: A good part of it. The Saudis learned in the first Trump administration that Congress can be difficult for them when they come
looking for U.S. support for activities against the Houthis.
In that administration, Congress really tied their hands and, frankly, left the Houthis in place. The Houthis have rearmed. And look at where we are
now.
And now they feel like the Congress is holding back Donald Trump from joining in kinetic actions against the Houthis. He's already taken a few.
He caught some heat for it.
And now, the Congress is saying, if you try to join this much larger effort, you will be entering another forever war, which your domestic base
doesn't want. Congress will not support you past your 60 days.
[10:15:00]
You won't be able to finance any more extended war and you'll cause humanitarian damage where there's already a massive humanitarian crisis.
So Trump is watching that. He has some scars from that first administration when we -- when we supported the Saudis in terms of targeting support, do
not target support and intelligence with their fight against the Houthis.
Right now, because of the stronger U.S. bilateral defense agreement that was signed with Saudi and a couple of existing frameworks that we already
had in place, the U.S. is legally bound to do a couple of things.
It's legally bound to expedite foreign military sales -- so arms transfers to Saudi, especially because of the hit on the airport. Now that's tough.
If your stockpiles are low, if you can't don't have things to transfer, expediting them isn't as important but they are bound to do that.
They're bound to feed satellite intelligence on Houthi launch sites to the Saudis to help them with targeting where those launches are coming from,
where that imminent threat is emanating from.
And they're also legally bound to keep their advisory troops inside these base defense operations centers. There's a new one set up, where they work
with Saudi on all of the defensive and offensive intelligence and targeting packages.
So those are things that the administration is legally bound to do. They are not legally bound to send fighters or missiles or kinetic weapons shot
by the U.S. troops to this fight, not legally bound to do that.
The president could choose to do that under his Article II authorities. But beyond 60 days, he would have to go to Congress and ask for permission to
continue that war. And the way before midterms, before we know how Congress will shape up, he can't know whether he would be able to secure that
support.
We also have Republicans not looking for new forever wars, so they also might choose not to support that. So he has a lot of domestic
considerations that the Saudis really understand are impacting whether his hands are tied on this.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating. Kirsten, always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
Nic, always a pleasure. Thank you for your reporting.
All right. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Still to come, president Zelenskyy says he's done with Donald Trump's energy ceasefire, warning that
Ukraine will resume its attacks on Russian refineries. More on that is after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, Ukraine's president says his country will resume strikes on Russia's oil refinery, saying that he's done with the so-called energy
ceasefire announced by Donald Trump.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the comments as he attempts to shore up European support, arriving in Brussels a short time ago.
He made growing frustration with Washington clear, saying he felt, quote, "betrayed" by Donald Trump over the diesel deal he struck with Moscow,
describing the energy ceasefire as, quote, "the worst version of peace," end quote.
[10:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Our country has to survive and we count on our real partners, strategic partners, United States.
And president Trump, they wanted us not to attack diesel. My opinion was, it's not fair. Energy ceasefire, it's OK. It's understandable. They -- I
mean, this -- it's the worst version of peace. But anyway, it's some steps to the peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, I spoke earlier to our chief international correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We've been here before but the last time we were here was March of last
year during the Oval Office blowout. And that was extremely serious and required, seemed like half of Europe to try and persuade Donald Trump to
mend his relationship with Zelenskyy. It took months.
We're in a very similar position here and look, it's important to frame this correctly. The energy ceasefire that Donald Trump called very much
unilaterally was something that took Ukraine by surprise and the Kremlin never signed on to. They hit Ukrainian energy targets within a matter of
hours and so now Zelenskyy saying, all right, we're done with this, is essentially a reflection of the reality. and indeed a reflection too of how
painful their strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
They're all refineries, essentially, have been to Russia. The reason behind the diesel deal that Trump hatched with Putin was essentially to get
hundreds of thousands of barrels of diesel on the market to bring the price down at the American pump before the midterms. Unlikely to work, say many
analysts, in that kind of pace and impact.
But still, the sanctions being lifted against Russia to enable them to do that, a sign of how easily Trump will deliver things that Vladimir Putin
wants. Very little back instead. What we've seen, though, over the past 24, 48 hours are essentially the threats that the Americans put against the
Ukrainians to get them to go along with this energy ceasefire seemingly coming to life.
Some restraints on Starshield satellite internet system that is used by the military in Ukraine to communicate. They appear to have been alleviated,
and it's back more or less to where it was. Some also restraints too on Starlink use in an offensive and defensive capacity. Elon Musk has stepped
forward somewhat remarkably and said, look, don't blame me for what my systems are doing or not doing. This is all done at the American
government's behest.
Indeed, also saying that a commercial company shouldn't assist with offensive operations inside of Russia. But interesting that Musk is trying
to step back from this decision process. There are many Republicans too who are uncomfortable with where Trump is positioning himself here, so it's not
quite as bad as it was in March last year, because I think back then this was all fresh.
Now this is basically the Trump pendulum swinging back against Zelenskyy. His population have endured nightly horrific attacks. 39 ballistic missiles
launched. That's why the intelligence sharing is so important. Without the early warnings the Americans provide, Ukrainians will die.
And so, when you see Zelenskyy, there quite defiant. It's basically a reflection of reality
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Yes, that's Nick Paton Walsh speaking to me earlier.
Well, U.S. president Donald Trump has reversed course on the decision to livestream the U.S. Army's execution of Nidal Hasan. This just in. Mr.
Trump has just posted online that many people would rather not watch him die. Well, let's get you to Alayna Treene at the White House.
His Truth Social post has just dropped.
What more did the president say?
And let's be quite frank, this was a this was a big Hegseth decision to livestream this.
Where does this leave the defense minister -- or the Defense Secretary, sorry?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, this is actually something I'm glad you brought up, Pete Hegseth, because he was the one who had
posted publicly on social media, confirming that they were planning to livestream the execution of the Ft. Hood shooter.
Now I was told and we reported a day or so ago that the president had actually been considering and debating with his team behind the scenes,
this idea of calling off the livestream, that initially he was actually caught off guard by that post from Hegseth.
And that, you know, he also didn't realize, until someone had brought it up to him, this idea that Hasan was paralyzed. I should note he was paralyzed
during the shooting. He was shot in the back during that 2009 mass shooting, where he killed 13 people.
Now in this post, I do want to read for you some of it, Becky, what the president pointed out here. He did start it off by detailing just how
terrible of a person Hasan is. I don't think anyone would disagree with that, someone who had shot 13 people back in 2009.
And he noted that the argument that, I think Hegseth and other people at the Pentagon who had floated this idea of this being livestreamed for
people to see, as something that they thought could be a deterrent for others.
However, he made clear that, quote, "many very good and well-meaning people would rather not watch him die through streaming or through any other
visual device."
[10:25:06]
The president confirmed that the scheduled execution of Hasan will move forward. It's set to take place in December and it will be done by firing
squad, which was another controversial move, something that hasn't been done in decades for someone, particularly someone in the military and in
the Army.
But that that is going to move forward. The president also said that if members, immediate members of the families of the victims. do want to watch
or be there in person, they will be able to do so.
But again, look, this was a very controversial thing. this idea of livestreaming publicly the execution of Hasan, despite the, you know, the
horrors of his crimes. And there was bipartisan backlash, has many people worrying.
I know another key argument behind closed doors was that this could be used as propaganda for terrorists and other countries. Many Republicans publicly
arguing that this is just not something that is done, livestreaming executions. It's not something that is done in the United States.
Well, the president seems to agree at this point and officially called it off just moments ago. Becky.
ANDERSON: Got it. Alayna, good to have you. Thank you.
Alayna is at the White House there, just outside the White House in Washington.
Still to come, CNN's John King is in North Carolina, where redistricting has put Democrat Don Davis' seat at risk.
Can he defy the odds?
That is up next.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. These are your headlines this hour.
And Ukraine's president says his country is to resume attacks on Russia's oil refineries. It comes after Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is done with
Donald Trump's so-called energy ceasefire.
Well, sources exclusively tell CNN that the United States is considering using its most powerful non-nuclear bomb on Iran. The so-called "mother of
all bombs" could be used to target Iranian nuclear sites and energy infrastructure.
Well, president Trump wishing Pope Leo XIV a speedy recovery following his lung cancer surgery, saying the prognosis appears good. The Vatican reports
the pope rested well overnight and was up for breakfast this morning.
Well, fresh off the back of our CNN and Jubilee Town Hall, Texas Democratic Senate -- sorry; Texas Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, James
Talarico, is touting a record-breaking fundraising haul.
His campaign says it raised $64 million in the third quarter of this year. That's compared to $18 million raised by his Republican opponent, attorney
general Ken Paxton.
[10:30:00]
With fewer than 20 days now until the U.S. midterms, Talarico took to CNN's stage to speak directly with Republicans and independents in ruby-red Texas
about why they should vote Democrat for the first time, perhaps in their lives, and for the first time in the state in decades.
Here's some of his pitch, criticizing president Trump for the soaring cost of living and U.S. national debt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES TALARICO (D-TX), U.S. SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: It's not just an economic and political emergency. It is a moral emergency because we are
stealing from future generations. It is intergenerational theft, 100 percent.
And so I actually -- I talk about the national debt in almost every speech at every campaign event because I do believe that it's an emergency. Here's
what I'll say.
We are often told that the only way to tackle the deficit or the debt is by doing it on the backs of working people. And that's not true. We can close
the deficit and we can do it by closing billionaire tax loopholes. We can close the deficit and tackle the debt by ending this disastrous war in Iran
that is costing us $1 billion a day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, I want to bring in CNN contributor, "The New York Times" journalist and podcast host, Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
Let's just start there. My team here thought that that was a quite a standout sound bite, the way that he took on the issue of debt and his
narrative.
What do you think?
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think he did a really good job last night. I think the format was good for him. He managed to perform,
that he was empathetic, that he was listening. He was face-to-face with the voters. He's a very talented politician.
And so I think he achieved what he wanted to achieve, which is he really needs to sell himself to people that might not want to give him a look. In
Texas, he is running against someone who is corrupt, unpopular, not someone who, most Republicans that I talked to, are proud of to represent their
state.
And he's also running at a time when there are huge headwinds against the Republican Party writ large.
So if there is any moment for Texas to choose someone like James Talarico, it's right now. And if they don't, then that says to you that maybe Texas
is never going to turn blue. This, I think, is the best opportunity. And this is the best candidate for the moment.
ANDERSON: And he knows he's got to appeal to Latino voters, who have been telling CNN that immigration is top of their mind. Just have a listen, if
you will, to Talarico's position on that last night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TALARICO: We were told that ICE was going to go after violent criminals and I support that. If you're an undocumented immigrant and you commit a
violent crime, you should be deported immediately.
But that's not what they're doing. They're going after Uber drivers. They're going after small business owners. They're going after grandmothers
and infants.
I think we've got to get to a place where we reject the extremism on this issue in both parties and finally pass comprehensive immigration reform.
And here's what I think that should include. One, it should include border security. I'm a border security Democrat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Sufficient to get to that sort of, you know, wider swathe (sic) of voter, including Latinos, for example?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I mean, that is where most of the Latino population is. You know, if you see polling, they're like many Americans. They care about
health care. They care about their pocketbooks first. But immigration is in their top three.
And so what they have seen is not what they necessarily thought that they were going to get when they moved in, very big numbers, if you recall, in
2024, toward the Trump administration.
Many citizen Latinos were not happy with how the Biden administration dealt with immigration.
ANDERSON: Yes.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: They saw the flood of immigrants crossing over the border as a huge problem. They also saw, by the way, that they felt like it was
unfair that they had, you know, paid their dues, gotten their citizenship and that all these people were coming into the country and were getting
handouts.
That was the perception among many of them. You know, cut to today, when you have these marauding bands of ICE officers as they perceive.
You know, going into communities, taking people who are construction workers, who are cleaners, who have been here for many, many years, who
might have citizen American children, and getting summarily thrown out of the country, not to mention those, you know, pretty spectacular.
[10:35:00]
And I mean this in the way that they have been put all over social media interactions of ICE with people in their cars and on the streets, et
cetera, et cetera, that often end violently. So all of this has meant that Donald Trump now is underwater on one of the main issues that propelled him
into the White House, which is immigration.
ANDERSON: And Donald Trump has just hit the lowest approval rating in FOX News, polling across both terms. Here's his closing pitch to voters on the
high costs that brought on by his foreign policy. I just want our viewers to hear this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Our country is making more money than it's ever made because of the fact that oil is so high. Now they're going to say, isn't it terrible?
He talked about the fact that he doesn't care about the little person, they call them. I care more about the little person than I care about the big
person. I care about the little person like crazy. But the fact is, because of the price of oil, Texas and Oklahoma and North Dakota and all these
places, we're making a fortune.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: "We're making a fortune," he says.
I mean, which does beg the question, does he mean the American people there or is he talking --
(CROSSTALK)
GARCIA-NAVARRO: -- the oil companies. He means the oil companies. And this is the thing, Becky, you know. I think Donald Trump has lost his touch. You
know, he had an amazing ability to connect with people, especially people who felt disadvantaged, ignored outside of the political system.
He managed to create a coalition that was, you know, got billionaires and working class people, men and women, Latinos and white people to come out
and vote for him. And that propelled him into the White House twice.
And so this is a spectacular turn of events because what you are seeing now is people basically saying, your priorities are not my priorities. And so
he is underwater on the economy, something that was such a singular issue of his.
If you talk to people who weren't hardcore MAGA people in 2024, they remembered very fondly his first term because of what they perceived to be
the economic successes of his administration. And so this is a huge turnaround.
And that closing argument, I can tell you, is not a closing argument that is going to make people feel any better here. Gas is at an all time high.
Inflation, the inflation numbers are terrible. You know. What we're seeing in mortgage rates are terrible. People can't afford a home.
And so the president going, you know what, the oil companies are making a lot of money -- and that's good for the economy writ large -- isn't
something that I think is going to turn this around for the Republican Party.
ANDERSON: Yes. And we'll continue to follow the money on this. Lulu, thank you.
Just before we leave that Texas race, here is an eye-popping number for you: $10 billion have been spent on ads in the midterms thus far, putting
it on track to be the most expensive midterm of all time -- that's nine zeroes -- on ads to convince Americans of what these parties are trying to
say.
It's remarkable, isn't it?
All right. North Carolina's first congressional district is home to one of the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats. A 2025 redistricting reshaped the
district to favor Republicans.
Can incumbent Don Davis defy the odds?
This is an interesting one. CNN's John King travels to the district to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Up before the sun, a crisp fall morning wrapped in a thick blanket of fog.
ROBERT RUSSELL, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: Baby?
KING (voice-over): Robert Russell breaks the silence.
RUSSELL: Baby?
KING (voice-over): A wake-up call in Appalachia.
RUSSELL: We'll be in business here in a couple of minutes.
KING (voice-over): It takes a bit but then remarkable precision. The goats emerge from the hillside, wander down and lineup.
KING: They come at their pace, right?
RUSSELL: That's pretty much it. So they wake up and the first thing they want to do is eat.
KING (voice-over): Milking comes first on Russell's long list of daily chores.
KING: Oh, sorry.
KING (voice-over): Busy but patient with a novice.
KING: Yep. She says new guy. There we go.
RUSSELL: OK, now you're good.
KING: All right.
KING (voice-over): Pigs to feed, chickens to check on and, yes, baby goats to break up the chores with some morning joy; 50 acres, days that run 19
hours, a small farm barely breaking even.
[10:40:00]
RUSSELL: Yes, from the outside, that's a life that you would never want to live. But I mean, I can tell you that in 10 years, I've never had a single
moment when I've regretted taking this step.
KING (voice-over): Leicester is Western North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Mountains. Rugged. Rural. Republican. Yet this fall, full of these, perhaps
another awake-up call.
Roy Cooper is the Democrat now favored to flip a Republican Senate seat. Jamie Ager, a farmer and a Democrat hoping to flip a deep red house seat.
Russell is an Independent, tired of rising prices, tired of broken promises.
RUSSELL: No. I'm not particularly happy. You know, I think that -- that a lot of stuff that -- that was implied or promised has kind of been
backtracked, walked back and that's you know, that's frustrating.
KING: Like what?
RUSSELL: No wars. That's a big one.
KING (voice-over): Inclined to vote for change but not sure yet, not sure because he doubts even giant change in Washington will help him. RUSSELL:
The government is not interested and is not set up to help small farmers. I don't have any hope that -- that any -- there's going to be any possible
change in Washington that's going to affect and benefit me.
KING (voice-over): That's a recurring theme of our travels here and in many rural communities where people feel forgotten.
Abby Norton is the Mayor of tiny Hot Springs, population 600, not a politician she insists, not one who believes replacing Republicans with
Democrats in Congress will change much.
NORTON: There are going to be people out there who think I'm just totally crazy but no, I don't think it's going to affect the way we live and the
way that we work.
KING (voice-over): This is Marshall, about 15 miles upriver from Hot Springs, the floodwaters here rose 27 feet.
KOREY HAMPTON, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: Ready to start the adventure?
KING: I'm ready. I am ready. I am excited. It's a beautiful day.
KING (voice-over): Korey Hampton's outdoor adventure business offers rafting, rappelling, zip lining and bike tours through the spectacular
countryside. The floodwaters changed the path of the French Broad River, homes alongside it are still being rebuilt. It was not a good summer.
HAMPTON: It's hard to know how much of that is still storm related and how much of that is because people aren't sure if they should spend money to,
you know, go out to eat or to go on a family vacation.
KING (voice-over): Hampton and good friend, Josh Koprus (ph) are Democrats. They know they're outnumbered here. Trump won 61 percent of the
vote in Madison County. But both believe eight months of a war the president said would be over in weeks is changing minds here.
HAMPTON: A direct impact of the war is that fuel costs more and I don't have a way around using fuel. I live in a -- live and run a business in a
rural town that's 30, 45 minutes from where my guests are and my locations where we go on outdoor adventures are 45, an hour plus out into, you know,
the remote wilderness.
KING (voice-over): This isn't the only North Carolina House race critical to the balance of power in Washington. A second is 400 miles east along
North Carolina's Atlantic Coast.
KING: It's a big late campaign question because the president's poll numbers are simply so bad. A Democrats going to have a good midterm
election night or is there a big blue wave brewing?
Well, where I'm standing right now will be a big part of the answer.
This is North Carolina's 1st congressional district. Democrat Don Davis is the incumbent. Back in 2024, Congressman Davis narrowly won reelection. But
at the same time, President Trump carried his district by three points. So Don Davis was going to be a top Republican target this year anyway but then
North Carolina Republicans redrew the lines. They took away from the district several predominantly Black Democratic counties and they added a
handful of Republican counties, like this one.
Under the new lines, President Trump would have carried the district by 11 points. So by that new math, in 2026, Congressman Davis should be toast,
right?
KING (voice-over): Laurie Buckhout as the Republican candidate. Nick McFerran bought this gun shop in Morehead City 10 years ago, says business
is pretty good. His politics could not be clearer.
KING: What is it you like about him?
NICK MCFERRAN, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: What's not to like about him?
I think he's straightforward. I like what he does.
KING (voice-over): He's confident Republicans will turn out and flip the House seat.
MCFERRAN: Constantly, people talk about the election.
KING: But the question is, could she win?
(CROSSTALK)
MCFERRAN: I think, definitely, she will win.
KING (voice-over): Morehead City is in Carteret County. Trump won 71 percent here two years ago. Local Democrats though insist that even here,
the midterm mood is change.
LISA HOLMAN, 1ST VICE CHAIR, CARTERET COUNTY DEMOCRATS: We're going to roll it blue. People are angry. They're ready for a change.
KING (voice-over): Remember, looks can be deceiving a roomful of excited Democrats on a weeknight is impressive, yes but the math around here in
recent years is pretty lopsided, in favor of the other party.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) time is now to get involved.
KING (voice-over): But it is worth listening.
[10:50:00]
Among those on hand are several local candidates who suddenly think maybe they can flip seats in the Republican legislature. Lisa Holman is in charge
of getting out the vote for them and for Congressman Davis, all insist the fall mood here is very different from the spring.
HOLMAN: I just talked to several people on the phone bank today and they go, I cannot wait to get to the polls. I cannot wait. We weren't seeing and
hearing that back in May initially. It was like, yes, no. And so blue wave, yes, I really am feeling the blue wave.
KING (voice-over): Be skeptical, especially when it comes to this House race. But North Carolina hugging the Atlantic Coast has two big pluses.
One, it's gorgeous. And on election night, it gives us a giant early test of the midterm blue wave debate -- John King, CNN, Morehead City, North
Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Well, success in conservation requires, amongst other things, patience, perseverance and adequate funding, of course. Coral Gardens is an
organization dedicated to reef restoration as part of the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative knows this all too well.
Well, today on "Call to Earth," Bijan Hosseini , my colleague, continues our coverage of the nonprofit, which has spent the last 10 months preparing to announce a major change.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
TITOUAN BERNICOT, FOUNDER, CORAL GARDENERS (voice-over): All right. We're going to start.
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER (voice-over): Chilly. Wakes you up.
It's around 6 am and Titouan Bernicot, the founder of Coral Gardeners,. is taking me to one of his favorite spots in Mo'orea.
BERNICOT (voice-over): There is a crack in the reef, a swimming pool. And it's cool because you have all the fish.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): With a jam packed schedule of meetings ahead, swimming in the fringing reef on the outer edge of the islands lagoon helps
him prepare for the day
BERNICOT (voice-over): I always love that underwater scenery, that underwater seascape and the ocean is an important place for me and it has
always been my happy place.
It's a cool place, huh?
HOSSEINI (voice-over): Oh, it's amazing.
BERNICOT (voice-over): Imagine starting all your mornings like this would be cool.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): I don't know if my body can handle it. I am exhausted.
A few weeks after my visit to Mo'orea, some of the Coral Gardeners crew found themselves in a very different part of the world.
BERNICOT (voice-over): We're in New York. I'm so happy to be here. You know, like it's been a couple times I have the opportunity to come to this
city. And I love the energy.
Hey, bro. Hey.
You know us?
HOSSEINI (voice-over): It's Climate Week NYC, which has become an annual journey for Titouan.
BERNICOT (voice-over): Broadway.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): But two of his childhood friends are joining him for the very first time.
[10:50:00]
BERNICOT (voice-over): This trip is really different for us because we have a bigger team. We brought the boys from oriad (ph), the gardeners, the
OG ones, Diane (ph) and Arbite (ph). I'm so happy to be with my brothers.
Hello.
Is your coral garden as pretty as that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I prefer my coral garden.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): This week represents the opportunity to reconnect with current sponsors and partners and hopefully meet some new ones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She stands out. Proud girl.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): But this year they're stepping it up with a milestone announcement, which they've hinted at in a uniquely cryptic way,
proclaiming it's the, quote, "end of an era" on social media.
BERNICOT (voice-over): I think a brand that doesn't take risk is a dying brand, you know?
So we decided to remove all our pictures, Instagram posts, all the logo, everything, like total blackout for four days. And also, we are launching
the rebranding of Coral Gardeners.
(OFF MIKE COMMENTS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now we're getting (INAUDIBLE).
HOSSEINI (voice-over): To kick off this new era, they are throwing a relaunch party, their first time hosting an event during Climate Week.
BERNICOT (voice-over): Bro, this is your nursery. They look like a bit like reef, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here's the ice.
BERNICOT (voice-over): Oh, they are the logo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, you can see me.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look really cool in the glasses.
BERNICOT (voice-over): You know, this event is a lot of cost for us. You know, it's expensive. But the return on investment is going to be crazy
big.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, ACTOR AND CORAL GARDENERS AMBASSADOR (voice-over): The boardrooms have decided.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): Their in-house media team even produced a short film narrated by actor and Coral Gardeners ambassador Benedict Cumberbatch.
CUMBERBATCH (voice-over): They say the experts will handle it. The ocean is too big for you to face.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): Which ends with the reveal of their revamped platform and look.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Power to the gardeners
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
BERNICOT (voice-over): So yes, tonight we're introducing what is the next chapter for Coral Gardeners.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): From the streets of New York City ...
BERNICOT (voice-over): Come visit one day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Yes. No, absolutely.
(CROSSTALK)
BERNICOT (voice-over): Thank you for the support, ma'am (ph).
HOSSEINI (voice-over): -- to the reefs of French Polynesia, it's safe to say Coral Gardeners is making waves. But for its founder and CEO, the most
critical work is yet to come.
BERNICOT (voice-over): This is going to be the biggest movement that conservation ever seen in the coming years, a world revived from the reef
up.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the #CalltoEarth. We'll be back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Well, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made their return to the British public eye today, officially. Prince Harry and Meghan visited a
youth group in Nottingham in what was their first joint public appearance since moving back to the U.K.
CNN's Anna Stewart joining us live from London. She's been keeping an eye on what is been going on and what this appearance means for the couple and
the royals.
It's been a couple of rocky years, to say the least, not just with the press but with the royal family themselves.
How did the Duke and Duchess get on today?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's extraordinary really if you compare the videos and photos we see today in Nottinghamshire to pre-2020.
[10:55:00]
Which is when they left the U.K. and left their positions and working members of the royal family.
You know what, Becky?
You wouldn't really know the difference. There were crowds out to see them. They were given balloons, flowers, cards. There were a million selfies
taken and the three -- the two of them got stuck into a number of events.
They had three different charities to visit, all centered around youth, kids and food poverty. They got stuck into engagement. Meghan went to a
public confidence-building workshop and made bracelets with some kids.
Both of them packed up some food for donations at the Food Poverty Group. and this is actually the first place, Nottingham, where they had their
first-ever engagement soon after they announced that they were going to get married all the way back, I think, in 2017.
So there was a sense of deja vu. Now it's interesting that recently the palace released a statement on their return, saying that all charitable
work carried out by Harry and Meghan would be a personal matter carried out in a private capacity. It didn't feel very private, very much public, I
would say. Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. All right. Good to have you, Anna. Thank you.
And we are closing out this show. CNN, of course, continues after this short break. But that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. From the team working
with me here, it is a very good evening. You can find me online @BeckyCNN on Instagram and X. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
END
