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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Source: Ukraine Runs Out of Patriot Missiles; Kyiv Resident Describes Frequent Russian Attacks; Sources: U.S. Considers "Mother of All Bombs" Against Iran; White House Press Secretary Failed Bar Exam; Multiple People Hurt in Shooting at Oregon Elementary School; Ukraine's Access to Starlink Services Restricted; Trump Approval Rating Sinks Amid Inflation Concerns; Danger of Weight-Loss Medication in Wrong Hands. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired October 15, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, a source tells CNN that Ukraine is now out of Patriot missiles, leaving the country more vulnerable to Russian attacks. A
civilian in Kyiv tells me she feels the world's forgotten Ukraine. A source says the new White House press secretary failed the bar exam, but claimed
anyway she was a lawyer. We'll get the details. And weight loss medication has been touted as a miracle drug, but for people with eating disorders,
the ease of getting GLP-1 drugs is causing real concerns.
We do begin with a CNN exclusive. A source tells CNN that Ukraine has now run out of Patriot missiles, leaving the country yet more vulnerable to
Russian missile attacks. The source says almost all of the ballistic missiles launched during an overnight attack into Wednesday were not
intercepted. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is resuming strikes on oil refineries in Russia, this after Moscow continued targeting
Ukrainian energy facilities. All this despite President Trump's energy ceasefire. No evidence of it.
Zelenskyy strongly criticizes what he calls a dangerous withdrawal of US intelligence sharing and restrictions on the Starshield satellite internet
service. The relationship between Kyiv and Washington has become more fractious in recent days, beginning with that diesel deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Diesel deal, I don't want to be involved. If he attack us, we will respond. This our rule. Don't involve us
to some diesel deals. If you ask us to help with the situation, of course, like the partners, we will help, but we're asking you show energy
ceasefire. If not energy ceasefire, it doesn't depend on you.
OK, the question, can you give me missiles for Patriot? Because when I will not attack them, because you ask me not attack them, they will attack me.
It's fair if you will give me with what to defend.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: A short time ago, I spoke with a 23-year-old resident of Kyiv, Kateryna Futyma. I be- began by asking what these past several days have
been like to live through in the capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATERYNA FUTYMA, KYIV RESIDENT: Previous three weeks feel quite scary. Especially now and when we don't have enough time to react to the drones,
to the missiles. It's quite scary.
SCIUTTO: How often now do the missiles or drones come in with no warning whatsoever, no time to get to the shelter?
FUTYMA: Well, I would say, like, in a few -- once for two, three days you didn't have any -- you hear just the missiles. But you don't have the air
alert.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
FUTYMA: And it's really scary. And yes, I was running to do this interview, and we had a ballistic alert for, like, 30 minutes. So, I was
downstairs. And you never know. You never know. Like, any second it could hit maybe your house, maybe your neighborhood's house.
SCIUTTO: Why do you believe the missiles are coming now without any warning?
FUTYMA: Well, I think it's a political, as I knew that the U.S. had warned us before about the ballistic. They had more resources for that.
SCIUTTO: Does it feel like Ukraine is being abandoned?
FUTYMA: Yes. It's been five years since the full-scale war. And currently, it feels like the world is forgetting about us. That yes, sometimes it
feels like we're abandoned. On Monday a building near to me there was it was hit by a drone, right, So, kids' area where -- to the kids' playground,
and they didn't have any alert.
[18:05:00]
SCIUTTO: How do you manage that fear? I mean, every minute you must be wondering, am I safe?
FUTYMA: Yes. Actually, like, this month I don't feel safe. It's hard to get to work. It's hard to get the groceries. It's just hard to manage
everything. So, like, previously you would say work-life balance, but now we have, like, work-life-war balance. And it's really hard.
But as for me, like, sport helps. Just getting your work done helps. Meeting people you adore helps. And also, yes, I think every second
Ukrainian, as my doctor said, they're using, like, medication from stress. That you need to do this because you cannot sleep, and that's how you help
to -- for yourself.
SCIUTTO: I've heard that about antidepressants, any way to handle the stress.
FUTYMA: Yes. Yes.
SCIUTTO: There's a lot of talk about the winter, and what the winter is going to be like. What are your fears as that gets closer?
FUTYMA: Everyone is preparing with everything they can. Getting batteries, getting something portable charging stations. And everyone is afraid that
the, a new blackout could happen, that we will not have any electricity, no water. It already happens right now for short periods, but after previous
winter, we are really scared that it would happen again.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
FUTYMA: We are hoping that it would not be so cold as previous winter.
SCIUTTO: Do you ever think about leaving Ukraine?
FUTYMA: Yes, to be honest. I think everybody thinks about it sometimes, but I work here. It's quite hard to move and abandon everything. And you
have your life here. But of course, if things get really bad, I might consider moving. And because I'm in my young age and I want, I still want
my life to continue. I want to build my life, and I'm afraid that -- I'm really afraid that this war will close my plans. That it would break my
life.
SCIUTTO: Do you sense that Ukraine will be able to stand together, survive this, push back, not surrender?
FUTYMA: I still believe that we are strong nation. And we are still standing, and with a lot of help, of course. And for such a long time we
have experience, and with help we could manage it.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
FUTYMA: I still believe. I just don't want the world to forget about us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: A conversation there with Kateryna Futyma, 23-year-old resident of Kyiv. Well, now to Iran and more CNN exclusive reporting. Multiple U.S.
officials tell CNN the Pentagon has developed new plans for Iran which involve potentially using the mother of all bombs, the MOAB. It's the
largest non-nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal. They say if President Trump orders combat operations to resume, it could use the MOAB to target Iran's
energy infrastructure and potentially its nuclear sites.
Zachary Cohen, part of the team that broke the story, joins me now with details. From a military perspective, what's the function here? Because to
get to underground nuclear sites, you need penetrators, like bunker busters. So, what would this do exactly?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: You do, and the Mother of All Bombs, despite its name, is not a penetrating weapon. It's
actually designed to inflict a large blast radius, but only against surface area targets. It has been used by President Trump in his first term to
target ISIS tunnels in Afghanistan. That was actually the first time it was ever used in a combat scenario.
But in this case, we are told that recently-developed strike packages by the U.S. military do provide an option that includes potentially using the
MOAB to target Iranian nuclear sites, including those like the one at Pickaxe Mountain, which we have reported on extensively and is really an
underground facility with under layers of granite that almost certainly cannot be penetrated using this weapon. Which raises the question of, OK,
so why would Trump use this weapon at all if it can't destroy the thing that he's targeting?
[18:10:00]
And we're told that what this munition does have is a psychological effect. It was designed also in part as an information operation weapon. It's
something that in theory could be used to alter the mindset and change potentially the status quo of the current status quo of this conflict,
which is really in sort of a stalemate of sorts. The Iranians continue to target commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while the U.S. Navy
is escorting some ships through that strait. There's still a credible threat and a lot of hesitation.
Meanwhile, Trump has not successfully managed to make any progress on the diplomatic front. So, the military continues to develop fresh menus of
options here, and this is one potential path he could take. And it's also coinciding with this pressure he's facing to wrap this war up. Obviously,
the midterms had brought that front and center for the president. And he's publicly said that he does not intend to resume strikes against Iran before
the midterm elections, but one Trump adviser questioning whether or not that could change.
Ultimately, though, Trump and his advisors have been talking for weeks and months now about potential options for providing some sort of a definitive
end to this conflict, even just if it's in its messaging and an attempt to sell that to the American people.
SCIUTTO: So, a claimed definitive end?
COHEN: A declared victory. And that is actually reflected, we're told, in the strike package, like the phrasing of these strike packages, where it
insinuates that the U.S. could launch additional attacks, quickly declare victory, and then try to withdraw forces from the region.
SCIUTTO: Of course, Iran has a vote if that ends the hostilities.
COHEN: Exactly.
SCIUTTO: Zach Cohen, thanks so much. To Pakistan now, where at least 32 children and a teacher were killed after a school roof collapsed Thursday
morning. This is in the northern part of the country. Emergency crews say everyone trapped beneath the rubble has now been pulled out. An
investigation is underway. A local police official tells CNN the school's owner has been arrested.
President Trump has called off the planned live stream of the Fort Hood shooter's execution, reversing an announcement from the Pentagon just last
week. Former U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others at a Texas military base in 2009. President
Trump posted on Truth Social earlier today saying Hasan will still die as scheduled by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.
However, the president said he still stood by the initial decision to live stream an execution, saying it could have been, quote, "a strong deterrent
for the world." This despite 80 percent of U.S. adults opposing the idea, this according to an ABC News Washington Post poll.
Trump's new White House press secretary has denied she misrepresented herself by calling herself a lawyer or an attorney, this despite not
passing the bar, which is required to practice law in most of the U.S., including her home state of California. A source tells CNN that Zacharia
failed to the California bar exam after she graduated law school. At least one watchdog group has asked the state bar of California to investigate her
for claiming to be a lawyer.
Kristen Holmes joins me now. And, Kristen, so here's an example of exaggerating qualifications in effect. That coupled with the performance
from the White House podium yesterday, is there any further consideration as to whether she stays in the job?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the one thing to keep in mind here, Jim, is that President Trump chose Katie Zacharia by
himself. He essentially did this in a bubble. He had gotten the name floated to him. He started watching her. He loved what she was doing on
television. I was told by one source he grew enamored of what she was saying on Fox News.
Now, it was interesting. Zacharia actually told the person interviewing her today during this interview that she was tailoring her performances to be
on issues she thought Donald Trump would care about, kind of auditioning for the job even though she said she wasn't lobbying for the job. But going
back to whether or not he's going to keep her, I mean, he would have to be admitting himself that he made a mistake when he went with his gut and
hired her. So, whether or not he is willing to do that, we've seen in the past he's absolutely not willing to do that.
But in this case, Zacharia is trying to set the record straight. Now, one thing to keep in mind, it's not just that she said she was a lawyer. She
said she was an attorney. She said this multiple times on multiple different TV shows. She used that as kind of the launching off point for
her television career. But on top of that, President Trump thought she was a lawyer.
I mean, he introduced her to the public as an attorney. And her kind of explanation for this was that she had asked multiple people. She failed the
bar. And she said she failed the bar because she was distracted. She was moving to China to marry her boyfriend who was there, now husband. And then
she said that she asked multiple people if it was OK to present herself as a lawyer because she had her J.D. She went to law school and people told
her that was fine.
[18:15:00]
Obviously, it is very conflicting information we're hearing from the legal community as to whether or not it actually is fine to present yourself as a
lawyer or an attorney if you have not passed the bar. Many lawyers and attorneys do not believe that you are officially a lawyer or attorney until
you pass the bar. She says that she got kind of a green light from whoever these people were that she was asking, that it was OK to identify herself
that way.
SCIUTTO: Understood. Kristen Holmes, always good to have you. Thank you. Well, CNN has learned new details about the search by federal agents at the
home of U.S. House Democrat Ilhan Omar. The Trump administration had pushed for a very broad search warrant, but the judge in the case limited the way
investigators could look at Omar's documents because of protections given to members of Congress.
Omar entered the U.S. as a Somali refugee more than 30 years ago. The Trump administration is reportedly trying to find evidence of immigration fraud.
Of course, she was a child at the time.
We are following breaking news out of Bend, Oregon. School district officials had reported an active shooter at Silver Rail Elementary School.
The school was placed under lockdown. Police say multiple people were hurt, including children. The shooter was killed.
Leigh Waldman joins me now. Leigh, do we know the condition of the children, the others who were wounded here, and just exactly how far the
shooter got?
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, we're still waiting for information about exactly where that shooter was taken down, but let's run you through
a quick timeline here.
The initial call came in at 12:59 local time in Bend, Oregon for gunfire inside of a vehicle. Within a minute, another call went out to alert all
the officers in an area, and officers were on scene at 1:02 p.m., so three minutes after that initial call came in.
We know that the shooter was taken down. We don't know exactly by who, if it was by law enforcement or if it was by a bystander, and we also don't
know information about the weapon that was used. We do know that people were injured, and we are getting some information from our John Miller,
from a law enforcement source, that unfortunately three juveniles were killed and an adult was killed. Not clear at this point who that adult was
or ages of those juveniles.
But we do know, Jim, that this was an elementary school. And so, these were young kids at this elementary school. I've been calling businesses in the
area who are within a half mile of this school, and I spoke to one woman, Sierra Jordan (ph), who says that they like where they work because you can
hear the kids playing when it comes to recess, but today, all of that was replaced by police sirens and ambulances. She told me she's never seen so
many officers in her life rushing to that school there.
I spoke to another man, Thomas, who works at an automotive shop nearby, and he says they heard the call about an active shooter, and he and others that
he works with are all concealed carry owners, and they said that they were preparing themselves for whatever happened, and he's not heartbroken. He's
angry about what happened in his community, about what's happening at that elementary school. He says his neighborhood there is quiet, it's peaceful,
and unfortunately that peace gym was shattered today when a gun towards to this elementary school, and just to remind people, three juveniles killed,
one adult killed. Absolutely horrific.
We know that there's going to be another news conference from law enforcement there in Bend, Oregon. We're waiting to hear more information.
SCIUTTO: Just awful news to report. Leigh Waldman, thank you for sharing. We'll continue to follow that story, and we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's business breakout now. Across the board, gains on Wall Street, the Dow rallying more than 1 percent, the NASDAQ
erased earlier losses to close slightly higher as well, despite concerns over memory chip demand and the sustainability of AI industry borrowing.
Tech fears hit Asian stocks hard Thursday. The South Korean KOSPI fell 7.5 percent, Japanese Nikkei dropped almost 5 percent, the Hang Seng in Hong
Kong fell sharply, too.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry says critical Starlink satellite services that had been restricted earlier this week appear to be coming back online.
However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says some restrictions remain in place. Officials say a number of important military operations were
disrupted when access to Starlink's military-grade system, Starshield, was curbed, they say they were caught completely off guard, with Zelenskyy
warning that Russia had tried to capitalize on those disruptions.
Many Ukrainians are raising questions now over what firm, if any, could potentially replace Starlink amid the growing tensions between the U.S. and
Ukraine. Shares of the satellite operator Eutelsat rallied earlier this week on speculation it might play a greater role in Ukraine's defense going
forward. It is seen as Europe's best shot at replacing some of those Starlink services. Reports say the E.U. is considering giving Ukraine
access to its secure satellite communication system.
President Zelenskyy said his country is developing its own satellite capabilities with another unspecified country in Europe.
Joining me now is Christian von der Ropp. He is a satellite industry consultant. Christian, good to have you. First question is, Starlink is
quite unique given the coverage that it has all across the globe. Is there a European company that can, if not replace Starlink's services,
particularly as they relate to Starshield, at least replace some of those services?
CHRISTIAN FREIHERR VON DER ROPP, SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT: Well, good evening, Jim. Thank you for having me. I don't think OneWeb can
replace Starlink or Starship in any meaningful way. The current installation remains rooted in an outdated architecture and technology that
was conceived a decade ago with-without any evolution of the underlying design.
The company has 600 satellites in orbit, a number of which is already degraded. And in the meantime, although entering the game later than OneWeb
SpaceX have continuously improved the satellites and by today launched more than 10,000 satellites some of which are now already in the third
generation. So, there's been a continuous process of re-iterative improvements and reconstitution.
The other big deficiency of OneWeb is the altitude. It's at 1,200 kilometers, which is more than double of where Starlink is today. And while
these you know, facts mean a massive disadvantage in terms of capacity and performance, what's also very important and grossly underestimated is the
cost, size, weight, and power budget of the user terminals. So, the antenna that is with the soldier in the field or on the drone.
[18:25:00]
SCIUTTO: OK. So, my understanding is that European nations sharing some of Ukraine's concern about continued access to U.S. intelligence resources are
signing private companies up, such as Vantor, used to be Maxar, for imaging from space, et cetera. Does a combination of private sector companies out
there at least offer interim options, right? I mean, for partial coverage.
VON DER ROPP: Yes. I think we have to distinguish between satellite communications where there, in fact, is only OneWeb. We have SES and the
old 3D system in medium earth orbit and earth observation capability. So, when you mentioned Maxar, there's a company that is essentially producing
satellite image.
So, the two are very different. And the big challenge in the sector is that you need massive amount of satellites to provide continuous coverage. There
is no near-term or even midterm prospect of such capability in Europe that would come anywhere close to what Starlink or Starship is providing today.
SCIUTTO: OK. When you talk to companies there in Europe, is this business, is this interest being driven by a lack of trust or declining trust in the
U.S.? In other words, that nations in Europe say, well, we need some plan Bs.
VON DER ROPP: Yes. I mean, definitely the restrictions imposed by SpaceX or the White House are definitely fueling the interest in sovereign
capabilities. But at the same time, I think there is also a strong desire for more diversity. There's been strong rhetoric from the Chinese and the
Russians in terms of anti-satellite attacks against Starlink. There is the threat of a cascade of collisions, whether they would be caused by an anti-
satellite, a kinetic anti-satellite attack, or just an accident wave of collisions. So, there is a strong interest to develop sovereign
capabilities.
I think Europe is big issue of, A, lacking the industrial base, vertically integrated players, but also there is a misalignment between the
governments and a strong trend towards creating national sovereign systems. And Europe, unfortunately, individual states lack the scale and the funding
capacity to develop something of Starlink's scale.
SCIUTTO: Something to watch closely, but a long way to go. Christian von der Ropp, we appreciate you joining.
VON DER ROPP: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Just ahead on "The Brief," party leaders join candidates on the election trails. President Trump's approval numbers continue to plummet.
I'll speak to one Republican strategist about his outlook just after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
A law enforcement source tells CNN at least three children and one adult were killed in a shooting in an elementary school in Bend, Oregon. Police
say the shooter had already been shot and killed inside the school by the time they arrived at the scene. Sad story.
CNN exclusive. Source tells CNN Ukraine has now run out of Patriot missile interceptors, leaving the country more vulnerable to Russian air attacks.
The source says almost all of the ballistic missiles launched by Russia overnight were not intercepted. Development comes amid a bitter feud
between the U.S. and Ukraine, between Trump and Zelenskyy.
The Iran-backed Houthis have launched a deadly attack on the presidential palace in Aden, Yemen. The complex is the headquarters of Yemen's
internationally recognized Saudi-backed government. Health officials say five people were killed. Two of the people who were killed were part of the
Yemeni prime minister's security detail.
Well, the clock is ticking down to the midterms. And new polling by Fox News shows President Trump now has his lowest approval rating ever. It
shows just 22 percent of voters approve of how he's handling inflation specifically. That's, of course, a pocketbook issue. Thirty-six percent of
those polled approve of his presidency overall.
Vice President J.D. Vance is trying to help boost those numbers. He's been campaigning in the State of Michigan today, where Republican Senate
candidate Mike Rogers is locked in a high-profile. And close battle with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. Abdul El-Sayed is on the trail in Michigan as
well, getting some help from New York Representative Alexandra Ocasio- Cortez. They are on a bus tour in a traditionally red part of the state. Progressive leader Ocasio-Cortez made a direct appeal to Republicans,
asking them to keep a, quote, "open mind and open ear" as they listen to El-Sayed's message.
The Trump administration is suing California election officials, saying it wants to block alleged non-citizens from voting. The new lawsuit filed in
Los Angeles seeks to block state election officials from counting the ballots of some 20,000 people the administration believes could be non-
citizens. Trump has made unfounded claims of mass voter fraud for years, has not been able to back them up, the constitutionally, as you know,
primarily assigned state authority over elections.
Joining me now, Republican strategist Evan Siegfried. So, you have the DOJ here, very close to the election, mind you, basically saying California
should disenfranchise 20,000 voters because they could be non-citizens. Why is that a just application of the law?
EVAN SIEGFRIED, U.S. REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I'm not particularly comfortable with it as a Republican myself because we do have the DOJ's
longstanding policy not going after elected officials 60 days prior to an election. And I think it should also be applicable to when it comes to
voters.
If there are 20,000 illegal voters, the DOJ has had plenty of time between last election and this one to get their case out there. And I think there
is some concern that we're going to see this come up in other states, particularly where there are swing house races.
SCIUTTO: That is the concern, is that this is just an opening shot, right, and then after the election, after election day, the administration will
claim that folks who won their elections did not legitimately win and then seek to challenge them. What happens then?
[18:35:00]
SIEGFRIED: I think it's chaos and a lawyer's nightmare, and also from a billable hour's perspective, a lawyer's payday.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
SIEGFRIED: I think that we are going to see a lot of putting out doubt about these elections. I think you will also saw that Donald Trump today,
he came out on social media and said that if Ken Paxton loses his Senate race in Texas, it's because of weak Republicans like John Cornyn and Karl
Rove.
Well, Donald Trump's just trying to shift the blame. At the end of the day, he's dragging Republicans down. It's the Iran war, the cost of gas.
Remember, the Iran war began in February, and it takes about six to eight months for the cost of gas and the impact of something like that to really
hit home, and it's hitting home exactly at the worst time possible for Republicans. That's why you're seeing places such as Kansas and Alaska
being battleground states and Republicans having to drop several hundred million dollars into Texas to save Ken Paxton, who's very neck-and-neck
with James Talarico.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
SIEGFRIED: So, I think that Donald Trump has really reaped what he's sowed.
SCIUTTO: So, Trump's gambit seems to be that if he goes out, he will get loyal voters out, basically drive turnout to help win some of these tight
races. And by the way, we should give him credit. He's driven the voters out before in previous elections and sometimes defied the odds and defied
the polls. Do you think that applies this time, this cycle?
SIEGFRIED: He tried this strategy in 2018, except Democrats were able to put out more. The question is, can Democrats win over the so-called double
hater voters, voters who say, I don't particularly like the Republicans, I don't particularly like the Democrats. And if they can, if Trump and the
Republicans can make these Democratic candidates as unpalatable as possible to the double hater voter and turn out the MAGA base, then things will go
well. But I think that the MAGA base, you're seeing signs of fraying.
And remember, Latino Americans helped Donald Trump in 2024. But we've seen, as Harry Enten from CNN has also pointed out, a large shift away from
Donald Trump and Republican policies, mostly because of the heavy handedness of ICE and their operations in Minnesota and throughout the
country. And we have seen a lot of coalitions fray.
And I think that we're seeing a lot of people try and figure out what is next. And when the American voter who, for every election, has been really
begging for the last 15 years for Washington to do something and actually achieve results, they see these things that the Trump administration is
doing, focusing more on monuments and ballrooms and not on everyday things. And they say, I thought you were here to fight for me. Why are you fighting
for your own glorification?
SCIUTTO: Just before we go, and I hate to do crystal ball stuff, but you know, you know what the polling shows, but polling has not been
particularly good in recent cycles. Do you still see a blue wave or Democrats taking the House and the Senate, or do you think it's more a
split result?
SIEGFRIED: Well, I try not to bet, but if I were to go and put money on it, Democrats are taking the House. It's not that hard. It's only a few
seats, I believe three at this point that they need to take. And there's so many competitive races and each one is shifting more and more toward
Democrats.
And at the same time, when you see Senate races that were supposed to be competitive, like in North Carolina, where the NRSC has pulled out and
other Republican operatives have pulled out because they have to go to Alaska, they have to go to Texas, they have to go to Kansas, they have to
go to Nebraska. That is a huge sign that Democrats could very well take the Senate or at least come within one seat, or even make it 50/50 and then
that means J.D. Vance will be the tie-breaking vote.
SCIUTTO: Evan Siegfried, thanks so much for joining.
SIEGFRIED: Thank you for having me.
SCIUTTO: Still coming up on "The Brief," France faces widespread protests as the country prepares for a pivotal presidential election. A closer look
at France's uncertain near future, next.
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In France, the government is concerned about what it is calling urban violence ahead of Saturday's protest. For weeks, French
students have been calling for better conditions in classrooms and more resources for schools.
My colleague Richard Quest spoke with the French Finance Minister about these ongoing demonstrations and their impact on the already struggling
economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROLAND LESCURE, FRENCH FINANCE MINISTER: Again, I know how you guys work. I know how the world works. So, there's an idea today that all French
schools are burning. They're not. Most of those protests are peaceful. We're having conversations with them. They need more teachers to replace
the teachers that are ill. We're going to do that.
But this is not expensive. What's expensive in France is health and pension. And we're working on both to reduce them next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: France will soon head into election season with both legislative and presidential elections just months away. French President Emmanuel
Macron is not eligible to run again in 2027. A crowded field of contenders, including a far-right candidate, beginning to emerge.
CNN Senior International Correspondent Melissa Bell is looking ahead and looking at all this in her new book. The title, we should translate into
English, "Under American Influence." It looks at how U.S. influence and political pressures are impacting across Europe.
Melissa joins me now from Paris. Melissa, fascinating book, thesis and time for it. Before I get to the subject of the book, just on the status of the
protests here, because it's pretty clear that the offers from the government so far have not calmed the protests. Is this do you see an end
in sight to this?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, on the contrary, Jim, what's happened is they were fairly slow in their initial response.
Even now we're waiting for what they actually propose in terms of answers to these very real demands, which are more funding for education,
classrooms that are decent sizes, teachers that are replaced when they're absent, rather than the cuts we've seen and that the government insists are
necessary to try and get its books balanced.
They were very slow in responding, initially blaming it on the far-left. And what we've seen as a result is the momentum grow. So other groups
joining the students, what we expect Saturday is that there will be the unions, there will be the public sector workers and some of those yellow
vests.
You'll remember from a few years ago, Emmanuel Macron's first term, those very angry protests week after week. We expect them, those vests, to be out
on the streets again. And so, we expect a really large turnout because there are so many groups that are unhappy, from you mentioned that the
health care system, or rather the minister just did, the pensions. All of this has been the subject of protests over the last few years and we expect
that to add further fuel to the students' protests on Saturdays. We expect it to be pretty big, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Yes, the combination of all those groups, I can only imagine, massive.
[18:45:00]
OK. So, in the midst of this you write a book about America's connection to and influence over European politics and I'm just going to quote here in
English, "For a growing segment of Europe's far-right, MAGA is no longer an aspiration, it is a baseline. Trump's movement with its deportations,
sanctions against foreign judges and open contempt for democratic norms represents for them not a model to emulate but a minimum to surpass."
I mean, the politics of my country are already fairly extreme, as you know, so you're describing a political future where these parties move even
beyond that.
BELL: What you -- it's important to understand from the European perspective is how important the United States are since World War II.
Washington has really led this consensus in the Western world, liberal democracy and so on.
The fact that Washington so suddenly changed and wants to export its vision to Europe. There is something obsessive about Washington's attitude towards
Europe, the fact that it wants to get involved in European politics, that it wants to help the far-right to win in European countries. We've seen it
in a number of elections already in Germany, remember Elon Musk, but also J.D. Vance.
In Hungary, of course, J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio turning up to help Viktor Orban as he sought to win re-election in Romania. MAGA has taken a much
more active role in trying to change European politics than any other American administration had before and that sudden shift, which by the way
is not allowed under the U.N. Charter, sort of getting involved in another country's politics to begin with, and how radical it is I think has
surprised many Europeans.
What you're talking about in Europe, a continent after all still with a memory of World War II, are parties that are on the other side of what the
Germans call the Brandenbauer (ph) and we call in French the Cordon Sanitaire, which aims to keep the far-right out of politics because of
historical reasons. Suddenly these parties have the weight of Washington behind them.
The president -- the leaders of the administration, the algorithmic power of Elon Musk's helping those figures to win openly. And as one very senior
source here in France told me, I said we were used to in Europe having Russia's interference in European politics. What about America's?
SCIUTTO: Yes.
BELL: His answer was the Russians are nothing compared to the United States, compared to the strength of Washington, the fact that it is so
open. And my question in writing the book was how that was impacting European politics. The bit that you mentioned is a far-right rally at which
Greg Bovino, that you'll remember from ICE Minneapolis fame, turned up to encourage re-migration and subjects that were really considered far too
radical until they got the validation of Washington to be discussed or encouraged or openly supported in Europe. That's changed.
SCIUTTO: Well I suppose one question is that influence, does it always do what the president and the Republican Party wants to do, right? If you look
at Canada that actually arguably drove the Liberal Party to victory, but we'll see how it goes in Europe.
But the book is "Under American Influence." The author is my colleague Melissa Bell. Thanks so much, Melissa.
Just ahead, GLP-1s are putting people with anorexia at risk. We'll see how this devastating misuse of weight loss medication is even possible to begin
with.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
SCIUTTO: Weight loss drugs, of course, are changing the lives of millions, and online platforms are streamlining the process of getting prescriptions
here in the U.S. But for those battling anorexia and other eating disorders, easy access to GLP-1s poses a real threat. Anna Cooban reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AJ JASPER, CHICAGO RESIDENT: I felt oftentimes just like a zombie on these medications, and just kind of resigned to dying. Like I just was totally
apathetic and just in the darkest place of my life. I went into organ failure, and in January I was hospitalized. Even just trying to lift my
head out of the hospital bed to talk to the doctor was exhausting.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTER (voice-over): GLP-1s have been hailed by many as miracle drugs, but for AJ Jasper, who's battled
anorexia on and off for 30 years, they've been a curse.
COOBAN: Tell me more about how easy it was to get them online. Whether or not you ever had to speak to a doctor, what were you asked for?
JASPER: You know, I went on to one of the telehealth apps, I think the first one I went to was Hims, and it was just unprecedented how easy it was
to access these medications. I answered maybe a 10 questions survey. I never saw a doctor over the screen. There were some messages back and
forth, but they were somewhat automated.
And you know, I gave my credit card number, and within a couple days, the medication was sent directly to my house.
COOBAN (voice-over): Jasper's story is sadly one of many. Doctors tell CNN they've seen sharp rises in the numbers of anorexia patients buying weight
loss drugs. Many get them via telehealth sites, lying about their weight on online questionnaires.
Jasper lives in Chicago and has used several of these sites. He's only bought the cheaper, compounded or copycat versions of brands like Ozempic
and Mounjaro.
JASPER: They often send several vials, like it's not just one shot with the medication already in it. And you're able to self-dose however much of
the medication you feel like. Like there are instructions that are given, but you know if you're an addict, like I am, you know am not going to
obviously follow those directions, and I just thought the more the better.
COOBAN (voice-over): A spokesperson for him said that eating disorder screening is a mandatory part of its weight loss drug request process.
Every person seeking GLP-1 treatment is asked direct, specific questions about eating disorder diagnoses and behaviors. Any answer indicating
current or past disordered eating triggers additional clinical questions.
Closer provider review, and in many cases a referral to specialty eating disorder care off our platform. Him said it regularly checks in with
patients to spot any problems during treatment. Jasper said he simply ignored any emails.
I visited Orri, an eating disorder clinic in London, where many patients say they have taken GLP-1s.
COOBAN: So, a lot talked about this quieting of the food noise. Can you tell me a bit about that and how that, the impact that has on somebody with
anorexia?
DR. JOANNA SILVER, LEAD PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPIST, ORRI: So, someone with anorexia will often think about food a lot of the day. So, what am I going
to eat? Is this too much? Guilt after eating, fears about food.
And people who have been on these drugs report that the noise goes, which of course feels very, very appealing. The problem is, is that the person
with anorexia doesn't learn how to manage these thoughts themselves, instead they're just silenced.
COOBAN: It's not surprising that some people with anorexia or a history of the disorder would try to access these drugs. That was inevitable, but that
a multi-billion-dollar industry has made it so easy for them to do so, that was not.
JASPER: If there had been a doctor that intervened, if there was a doctor through the telehealth app that required lab work, blood work, and they
were able to see like these medications were really harmful for me, the medication would have stopped being prescribed.
COOBAN (voice-over): Jasper is hoping there'll be policy change, such as rules making a video consultation with a doctor a mandatory part of getting
a prescription online across the United States. For now, though, he thinks there's a long way to go.
JASPER: It's just the wild, wild west out there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:55:00]
SCIUTTO: Our thanks to Anna Cooban there. Thanks so much to all of you for joining as well. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The
Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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