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The Lead with Jake Tapper

U.S. Goals Still Unmet As War On Iran Hits Six-Month Mark; Inside Sacred Slat Lake Temple, Closed To Outsiders For 133 Years; Polls Show Tight Texas Senate Race Between Paxton And Talarico; Report: Texas GOP Senator Cornyn Not Raising Money For Ken Paxton; Hollywood's Problems Star In The Fight For City Hall. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 28, 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]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Bianna Golodryga in for Jake Tapper.

This hour, today marks six months since the U.S. launched its war on Iran. It appears there is still no end in sight. The White House admits negotiations are stalled, the Strait of Hormuz is not fully back open, and Americans are still struggling with higher prices. So, what is the Trump administration's plan here?

Also, tension in Texas, the Lone Star State is home to one of the most talked about Senate races of the midterms, and it could be one of the few contests that decides which party controls the chamber. So, why are both parties being rocked by infighting with just two months to go?

And a CNN exclusive in our Faith Lead tonight, this temple is the spiritual epicenter for Mormons. For more than 100 years, it's been closed to outsiders. But now, for a short time, it's open to the public, and we're taking you inside.

The Lead tonight, the U.S. and Iran war hits the six-month mark, moving far past President Trump's original six-week estimate as his goals keep on shifting. The White House said this week negotiations with Iran are stalled right now, while Iranian officials met with the Qatari foreign minister about mediation. Iran's foreign minister posting, putting diplomacy back on track isn't impossible. It hinges on U.S. understanding of one simple fact, pressure doesn't work.

The leaders discussed Iran's demands for the U.S. ahead of potentially reopening the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM announcing last night that the U.S. military cleared the key waterway of all Iranian mines, a major milestone for the economic side of the war.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House. Kristen, this week saw the launch of economic D-Day. What is the White House saying now on the six-month mark?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's six months, and there is absolutely no end in sight. In fact, President Trump, every time he's asked about it, says he's in no rush to try to come to a deal.

This is what President Trump said about the state of play at the six- month mark.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We don't want to speak to them. We're not looking to meet or anything. The strait is open. We're taking a lot of boats. Millions and millions of barrels of oil are coming out of the strait every day. Other countries recognize that. Every once in a while they shoot some -- you know, they put some shots out. You know, we totally cleared the strait of -- we have the best minesweepers in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So, yes, the Strait of Hormuz is open, but ships are not coming through at the same speed and capacity that they were before this war was launched. And we've seen a complete shift in strategy here. Before, it was take them out militarily, bomb them, and hit them as hard as you possibly can. Now, they have moved on to this economic strategy, as you noted, economic D-Day, which is a strangulation of the economic prospects in Iran.

It's unclear how long that will take to work. If you talk to U.S. officials, they do believe this is their best pathway forward, but they also admit that this could take months and months to actually be fruitful in any way. And if they're trying to get the Iranians to the negotiating table, at least as of now, the Iranians aren't biting.

Now, President Trump hasn't really walked away from this language, this was just an excursion. In fact, they kind of have parsed through the span of the six months saying that the whole thing wasn't a war, that there were ceasefires, that the military operations have stopped. But for the American people, and for all intents and purposes, the United States is still at war with Iran.

Now, it does seem that by trying to get away from military operations and focus more on this economic strangulation, that they are trying to put the Iran war at arm's distance from this administration, particularly heading into these midterms.

But the big question, of course, is going to be when are the American people going to start seeing any kind of a change when it comes to affordability? Prices are up. There is significant evidence that a lot of this, particularly at the pump, is due to the war in Iran, and it doesn't seem as though this is going to change any time soon.

So, this idea that they have all the time in the world, there are a lot of Americans who would disagree with that.

GOLODRYGA: Kristen Holmes at the White House for us, thank you.

Kathy Roth-Douquet joins me now. She is the founder and CEO of Blue Star Families. Kathy, good to see you. So, more than 50,000 troops have been deployed to support this war. What are your main concerns that you're hearing about from their families now?

KATHY ROTH-DOUQUET, FOUNDER AND CEO, BLUE STAR FAMILIES: Over 50,000 troops, all services, coast to coast, and what we're hearing from the families is that they're very proud of their service members and the excellence of their work, but war is a big strain, not only on the service members, but for the people who are at home.

[18:05:00]

And they're feeling that strain, they're needing the support at the same time that they're proud to execute their missions.

GOLODRYGA: We, of course are proud and grateful for their service always.

A Thai official says that the USS Abraham Lincoln will dock in Thailand next week after what's been an almost record-breaking deployment at sea. And as you know, there have been reports of deteriorating mental health conditions, a lack of supplies on board the ship. How troubling have stories like that been for the military family members whose loved ones are deployed in this conflict?

ROTH-DOUQUET: War is very hard, and it has second and third order effects. This is one of the reasons it's so important for us to support the people and their families who go through it, because it's not surprising that these kinds of challenges will happen. It doesn't minimize it either. It's been a long haul for the people on the ship, same as the Ford, and then when they come home, it's going to be a long haul. Because for many of them, they'll be changing to a new duty station in less than two months, coming home from deployment, reuniting from their families, having to get a move underway, then the next group goes.

So, as the war continues for six months and longer, we're seeing short fuse deployments continue, new troops having to be deployed again. What this means is challenges on the home front, and we need more support in the communities where people live.

GOLODRYGA: And you know this firsthand, your husband, I believe, is a retired U.S. Marine, deployed four times. You've lived this. So, what resources are most needed during a time like this that you want families to know are out there?

ROTH-DOUQUET: Blue Star Families has a lot of resources for our members but we also ask the local communities to help too. What happens on a deployment, particularly a short fuse one like this, is spouses leave their jobs. So, now you have food insecurity, and sometimes putting food on the table is a little more challenging. People are far from family and friends, so they need that support from the community.

Blue Star Families has a Do Your Part campaign. We have ways for everyday Americans to get involved. Blue Star Families has a resource hub as well, and so we have food insecurity support and fellowship, because people need that community to lift them up while they're feeling under strain.

GOLODRYGA: So, what are some of the resources and the support for military families that you're hearing are needed most right now?

ROTH-DOUQUET: We're getting a lot of requests for our Nourish the Service program. Gas is very high. When people are often having to work fewer hours, they'll leave their jobs. Food insecurity is a big problem, so our Nourish the Service program. We're getting requests for help with things, like gas cards. People maybe want to bring their kids to some of the morale events we have, but they can't afford to get there, so that's another request. And we have mentorship programs to help people get through these challenging times.

So, there's many ways that families can be supported here, and when people find support in their community, they're able to keep going with this lifestyle that's very challenging. That's part of national security too.

GOLODRYGA: We are thinking of these families, and we are grateful for their service to this country. Kathy Roth-Douquet, that goes for you as well. Thank you.

ROTH-DOUQUET: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, each month here on The Lead, we mark the tragedy that struck in the opening hours of the war, when a U.S. missile hit an elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing 168 children and 14 adults, according to Iranian state media. Now, six months later, no U.S. official has taken public responsibility for that strike.

Here with me now is the BBC's Nawal Al-Maghafi. So, Nawal, you have been working on this story for six months now. You visited the site of the school last month with a teacher who survived the strike. So, tell us, what was it like there, and what did she and other survivors you met tell you about that day back in February?

NAWAL AL-MAGHAFI, BBC SENIOR INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: I mean, like you said, we had been following this story for months. I'd read every piece that has come out, every investigation, OSINT analysis that's been done from afar, and also just everything that the Iranian authorities had put out. You know, this was their case to the world, this attack that happened on the first day of the war, killing 120 children.

But it's only when you go there, when you meet the mothers, you see the facilities, you walk through the classrooms, and you see the students' school bags, their desks, that you really kind of get a sense of the scale of this attack.

I mean, like you said, I met the teacher, Amina Nadimi (ph), who has taught first grade for the last six years, and she was in -- she told me they heard the war broke out. The head teacher started telling the teachers to make calls to the parents to pick up their children. Some of those parents made it in time. They picked up their children. And some of them were on their way when the strikes hit the school.

She tells us about how the classroom fell into itself, how she pulled out some of the students that survived from her classroom, but also how she had to walk through the bodies of many others.

[18:10:06]

You know, dozens of them were killed.

And when you go around Minab, when you drive around the city, it is a city that is in mourning. This attack not only shook Minab, but it shook the entire country. You see these children's faces, their pictures plastered everywhere, all over Tehran, all over Minab, on the trains, everywhere. And it's a constant reminder by the authorities that no matter where you stand in this conflict, this is what the human cost looks like, and it's definitely had an effect on people, even those who welcomed the U.S.-Israeli intervention in the first days of the war.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the regime may itself be cynically or selectively focusing on the humanitarian loss here given that they themselves are responsible for the murder of tens of thousands. But when it comes to these victims in particular you can't deny the pain that still exists in this community. You talked to a mother who told you about going to the school to try to find her daughter after that strike. I'm going to play what she told you, and we want to warn our viewers it is quite distressing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Nawal, what else did you see and hear from those family members still grieving?

AL-MAGHAFI: I mean, Bianna, I can't even begin to tell you how difficult it was to be in that cemetery. There was row after row of children's graves side by side. I mean, you saw siblings sitting beside the graves of their brothers and sisters that were killed far too young.

And speaking to Setayesh's (ph) mother, you know, she told me about her 11-year-old daughter. She told me about how she wanted to become a doctor. I mean, I'm a mother myself. And so it was incredibly heartbreaking to hear about how she dropped off her daughter to school, as many of us do, and then ended up going back to what was a pile of rubble. She was only able to find her daughter days later. She was identified by her socks.

And without even understanding what she was saying, because she was speaking to me in Farsi, and I don't speak Farsi, you know, I could really feel her pain. And she wasn't the only one, you know. But besides her, many others, other parents, teachers mourning their colleagues, the head teacher was also killed. It was absolutely devastating.

GOLODRYGA: A mother's anguish is universal. Did you say she identified her by her socks?

AL-MAGHAFI: Yes, by her cream socks.

GOLODRYGA: Nawal Al-Maghafi from the BBC, thank you. Thank you for bringing us a sample of your very important work.

AL-MAGHAFI: Thank you for having me.

GOLODRYGA: Well, the number of missing people soaring in the aftermath of the Nepal flashfloods. More than 2,500 now unaccounted for, with more storms possible in the region. We'll get an update on the recovery efforts from our teams on the ground. That's next.

Plus, a new chapter in President Trump's fight to curb birthright tourism, we'll explain what opponents of the move are now asking a judge to do.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

GOLODRYGA: In our World Lead, rescue teams in Nepal and China continue searching for survivors of the devastating floods. At least 2,500 people are missing, and more than 500 have been killed. CNN teams witness devastated neighborhoods and the anguish of families as they wait for news or learned the worst news.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It looks as though people are getting off, holding some kind of luggage. We can't tell if these people are survivors or whether these are people of loved ones who are trying to find any remaining survivors.

Look, another helicopter up in the sky there.

At this Nepali army barracks in Trishuli, helicopter after helicopter ferries people out of some of the hardest hit areas. This survivor walked off showing no obvious signs of injury. He told us he'd spent days trapped on the mountain, convinced he'd die of hunger, waiting desperately for help.

KAPUR SINGH TAMANG, LANDSLIDE SURVIVOR: There was no food or water with me. It was all swept away, and there was nothing I could do. I thought that my life was over and that I would not be able to see my family again.

MONTGOMERY (voice over): Across the disaster zone, there are other extraordinary tales of survival. Rescuers pulled over 100 people from tunnels inside a hydroelectric power plant in Rasuwa. Some emerged so completely caked in mud, it looked like a second skin. But as the hours tick by, this rescue effort is now racing against time. The critical 72-hour window for finding survivors will soon run out. And here outside the army barracks, hope gives way to anguish.

With power lines down and communications cut, many families still have no way of knowing whether their loved ones are alive, so they come here in search of answers.

These are all relatives of people still missing, and because they can't get in contact with them, they've come here to the army barracks to give their contact information, their names, trying to see if the people that the army are finding are the same people as their loved ones.

After scanning this list with hundreds of names, there's little left to do but wait and cling to the hope that their families will soon make it home.

[18:20:07]

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Nepal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Thanks to Hanako Montgomery for that report.

Well, a sacred temple closed to outsiders for more than a century is about to host a public open house. CNN got an exclusive preview, and we're taking you inside. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: In our Faith Lead, typically closed to outsiders, the epicenter of the Mormon Church is opening its doors to everyone. Following a major renovation, the church will allow public tours of its Salt Lake temple.

[18:25:02]

And, yes, non-Mormons are welcome.

In a CNN exclusive, Nick Watt gives us a rare glimpse of the temple and a religion many view as cloistered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENTE (voice over): For roughly 17 million devotees worldwide, this is the holiest of holies, where sacred covenants are made with God.

For the past 133 years, unless you were in good standing with the church, you were not allowed to walk into the temple. I'm not in good standing with any church, so why am I allowed now? Well, because they are opening this temple up for the world to see.

This used to be in the historic temple. Why are you letting us in? CAMILLE JOHNSON, GENERAL PRESIDENT, RELIEF SOCIETY: We want the world to see the joy and happiness that comes and a greater understanding of the blessings that our heavenly Father has in store for us.

WATT: Why now? Well, as you can see, the temple is being renovated. We've been allowed to take a peek.

We've got a sort of modern-day Michelangelo situation there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do, yes.

WATT: There are a few rules for the construction workers on this massive, multi-year project.

ANDY KIRBY, DIRECTOR OF HISTORIC TEMPLE RENOVATIONS: In the contract, with the general contractor, it says no vulgar language, no loud music. It's part of the level of decorum we expect, right?

WATT: So, these are the dressing rooms where church members change into their all-white attire before going into the temple.

Now, all of this construction is new, made to look old. Look, if you take a look at that chandelier, that is modeled on a chandelier from a catalog from the time that the old temple was built.

Construction on the Salt Lake Temple began in 1853. Oh, how construction technology has changed.

We're under the temple.

KIRBY: So, the stone walls of the temple are right above us here.

WATT: Nearly 200 million pounds of temple now resting on 98 earthquake-proofing base isolators.

How much movement does this give you?

KIRBY: Five feet in any direction.

WATT: And so the idea here for you is to make sure that this temple survives long after we're all gone?

KIRBY: That's right, yes, well into the future. After the Lord comes, we want this temple to be in service.

WATT: They call themselves Latter-day Saints because they believe that second coming is not too far away.

Is this sort of like God's mission for you is to strengthen this, I mean, or am I barking up the wrong tree there?

KIRBY: Not at all. I believe I've been prepared by God to be on this project.

WATT: When the remodel is finished, there will be a window when you too can visit, see inside where the faithful are wed or sealed. JOHNSON: A husband and a wife, a man and a woman, kneel across an altar with their hands interlocked, and they're sealed, not just for time, but for time and eternity.

WATT: And you'll be able to see the baptistry.

KIRBY: This is a railing for the baptistery, bronze with a --

WATT: Around the font. Okay.

KIRBY: I think it's bronze with a brass finish probably.

WATT: We from the outside, we definitely do feel that there's something secretive and maybe stuff going on that we just don't know about.

KIRBY: I like to say it's sacred, not secret.

WATT: Sacred, not secret?

KIRBY: Yes.

WATT: Short of converting, on Temple grounds there is this brand new visitor center with a scale model of the temple. And there are replica temple rooms that will remain open for all to see. This is the replica baptistery.

And so here people are wearing all white. They're wearing a sort of white jumpsuit. They come in and they're fully submerged?

KIRBY: Yes. We want to help you feel comfortable about what we do. Yes.

WATT: This is the first full-time --

KIRBY: First full-time temple open house in a visitor center. Yes.

WATT: Is there a gift shop?

KIRBY: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: That's so cool. Our thanks to Nick Watt for that report.

Well, a judge could rule as soon as Monday on President Trump's latest request to curb birthright citizenship. But after losing a similar case before the U.S. Supreme Court, does the president have a better chance in this case? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

GOLODRYGA: In our Law and Justice Lead right now in the United States, immigrant families are anxiously awaiting a judge's ruling on President Trump's renewed effort to curb birthright citizenship.

After the Supreme Court shot down Trump's initial order this summer, he narrowed it to just babies of parents who are, quote, An alien enemy, work for a foreign government, or engaging in birth tourism.

Joining me now is Republican from Florida, Congressman Carlos Gimenez. Congressman, thank you for joining us.

So, a judge today seemed skeptical about whether Trump's new order is lawful. You yourself are an immigrant, and you told CBS earlier this summer that you support curbing birth tourism. But do you think the administration is taking it too far with denying citizenship to a baby because one of their parents works for a foreign government?

REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): Well, unless if they're a, a diplomat. If they're a diplomat, I think that's in the Constitution. It says that you're not a, a U.S. citizen even if you're born here because you're not under the jurisdiction of the United States. Outside of that, if you're born here and you fall under the jurisdiction of the United States, I think the Supreme Court got it right, and it said that you're granted citizenship.

And I know a lot of people don't like that, but, you know, I'm a constructionist as far as the Constitution is concerned. I may not like the interpretation, but if I don't like the interpretation, the way to fix it is by changing the Constitution. And so, you know, I support what the Supreme Court and their findings were in that case.

Now, as far as birth tourism is concerned, the way that we need to curb birth tourism is by curbing birth tourism, maybe not allowing you know, women that are, you know, in an advanced stage of pregnancy to come into the United States to avert that. That's probably very legal.

[18:35:00]

But if, in fact, you do come to the United States and you do have a baby and it's born in the United States and it's under the jurisdiction of the United States, then that individual, that child will be a citizen of the United States, as far as I'm concerned. That's the way I look at the Constitution.

GOLODRYGA: So, how do you then enforce it when you're specifically giving the example of a pregnant woman? Should a pregnant woman coming to this country have to disclose when they apply for a visa or buy a ticket what stage in their pregnancy they are?

GIMENEZ: Yes. If they are coming here to visit the United States, all right we can certainly deny them entry based on that because there's a high probability that you will have, you know, you could have your baby here in the United States and then they'll be granted citizenship, and that's not the intent, all right?

And so remember when this -- the Constitution with the 14th Amendment was passed, it would take months to get here, okay? You'd have to get on a ship, okay? And so that issue wasn't a problem. Now, it takes hours to get here. And so, yes, maybe I believe that Congress needs to pass some laws to restrict that, to make sure that there isn't birthright tourism. And if you do that, then you don't have the problem. But if somebody is born here, then they are a citizen of the United States.

GOLODRYGA: Right. And I'm not familiar with the law, but as you just noted, it would require an act of Congress, right, to enact such a law, because as of now I don't know that it is legal for a woman to be denied entry if she presents to be, let's say, seven months pregnant.

GIMENEZ: Well, I'm not sure that the, the president doesn't have that power. I think what he's trying to do is say that if you came here for birth tourism and you have a baby here, then that, that baby is not a citizen of the United States. I don't believe that that's true. I don't think the Supreme Court is going to abide by that.

Do I believe that the president may have the power to deny entry into the United States to somebody who may be pregnant and have, you know, the possibility of having a baby in the United States? I'm not sure he doesn't have that right. And so that's a different question than I think that's being debated right now.

GOLODRYGA: All right. I want to switch gears with you. On Thursday, Department of Homeland Security announced that the Coast Guard seized over 7,000 pounds of cocaine from a drug smuggling boat off the coast of Puerto Rico, arrested five people, and then blew up the boat. There are key differences here between the Coast Guard's handling of this and the president's Operation Southern Spear, which remind our viewers, killed more than 220 people, ultimately released all survivors, and the U.S. military never published photos of the drugs on the so-called narco-terrorist boats.

Is the Coast Guard, in your view, more effective at these types of operations?

GIMENEZ: Frankly, no, because they can only catch so many people. It's a huge ocean. We only have limited resources, and we know that 80, 90 percent of these boats are going to get through.

I think that the actions that the president took -- remember, you're talking about drugs that are the carriers for fentanyl that killed about 500,000 people. These are active combatants that were engaged in killing of American lives. And so I had absolutely no problem in these narco-terrorists being engaged, you know, in the ocean. As long as we had credible proof that they were transporting deadly drugs into the United States, I had no problem with that.

The fact that the Coast Guard can also do it, great, but the Coast Guard, you know, is not going to be able to succeed in that fight. There's too many boats and too few Coast Guard vessels to interdict what we need to interdict. And remember that at least 500,000 Americans were killed by these drugs laced with fentanyl.

GOLODRYGA: So, you believe there was credible proof from Operation Southern Spear last year? You were satisfied with how that was conducted? GIMENEZ: Yes, I do. Yes. I do, because I had some classified briefings, and it satisfied my curiosity and my questions. And so, yes, I supported that operation.

GOLODRYGA: Congressman, quickly, final 20 seconds here, your home state of Florida early this month saw Democratic socialist and Florida State Representative Angie Nixon pull off an upset of the Democratic primary. How worried are Republicans about the enthusiastic support of her, at least among Democrats?

GIMENEZ: She got less than 50 percent of the vote of Democrats. I don't know how enthusiastic they are. And, remember, Democrats only make up maybe less than 30 percent of the electorate here in the state of Florida, so maybe 15 percent actually voted for her.

She's going to have a tough road. A Democratic socialist is not going to, you know, be looked at very kindly here in Florida, especially in South Florida, where you have millions of people that have fled the kind of stuff or the kind of policies, the socialism and the communism that this candidate seems to support.

So, I don't think that the Democrats should be looking at her as having much hope of getting elected in November.

[18:40:00]

GOLODRYGA: Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida, thank you for taking the time. Have a good weekend.

GIMENEZ: You too.

GOLODRYGA: Well, President Trump honoring the astronauts of Artemis II today down at Johnson Space Center, but that isn't the only reason the president ventured to Texas. We'll bring you more up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I will sign an executive order to begin the process of creating a new national academy. It's called the U.S. Space Academy. That's a big deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: President Trump today in my hometown, in my home state of Houston, Texas, announcing the creation of the U.S. Space Academy. He also awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, well deserved, to the Artemis II crew.

Trump was also in the Lone Star State to help boost the embattled Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton. Polls continue to show a tight race between Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, yet neither one is getting a boost from specific members of their own party.

So, the panel joins me now. Joe, let me start with you. [18:45:00]

There we saw that John Cornyn said to the Texas Tribune, quote, I'm raising money to help in places like New Hampshire and Michigan and Alaska and some of these other states where I think we've got close races. Paxton's a poor campaigner. He's lazy and doesn't raise money, and he basically is not offering a very compelling case for his own election."

So clearly not an endorsement, but what do you make of his remarks?

JOE BORELLI (R), FORMER MEMBER, NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY: Well, tell us how you really feel, Senator. Right. I mean, look, he obviously has some sour grapes. No one likes to be an incumbent multi-term incumbent and get defeated by someone who you don't particularly like.

That said, he is the exception, not the norm in the Republican Party. You have 20 elected senators now fundraising for Paxton. You have the president himself doing a campaign fundraiser and a campaign stop. So, the party is united behind our candidate.

And, you know, I have to think back, even though this race is tightening, I have to think back to names like Rick Noriega and Ron Kirk. I think as a Texan, you might remember them. I mean, 1990s, 2000s, we've heard stories about how Texas is going to turn blue this time. This is the -- this is the moment. And we're seeing that same pattern play out again.

I think Democrats are a little too excited about this race. I think it will go the way Texas races have gone before. Abbott is up seven points on Hinojosa. So, you know, there is momentum for Republicans in this state.

GOLODRYGA: I'm not holding my breath on Texas turning blue here. But you know that Ken Paxton is not very popular among many Texans in his own state.

Max, let's talk about Talarico here, because in terms of support from Jasmine Crockett. Take a listen to what she said to our Laura Coates last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Will you campaign with him?

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): I will be campaigning down ballot. I think that making sure that people that maybe are getting overshadowed because it seems like it's only about one big race. I'm really invested in a number of candidates that I didn't get to do anything for, because I was running my own Senate race, candidates that I really do believe can make a difference no matter what happens. Ultimately, at the top of the ticket, we've got to have wins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Okay. Talarico is a talented candidate here. MAX ROSE (D), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Sure.

GOLODRYGA: And Paxton, as we've noted, is not very popular. He's been impeached by his own party in the state. Is Crockett wrong here? Is she being petty? Because every endorsement helps at this point?

ROSE: Sure. I'm not sure how much it matters. She's going through the stages of grief that come after you lose an election. I have lost more elections than my dear friend Joe, so I can -- I can speak to it with more, with more expertise.

But you know, the -- what does I think matter here is if she is speaking to a larger trend, then he has an issue. If she is merely expressing her own opinion, it's not a huge issue.

GOLODRYGA: Not even as it relates to the black vote in Texas.

ROSE: If it relates to the black vote in Texas, it is an issue, right? If it is, if what she is identifying or hinting at is that he has a challenge in that community, then it's an issue.

GOLODRYGA: I'm just saying, without her endorsement, I'm just wondering how that would be perceived. I'm not saying they vote as a monolith, but still, it would help. I would imagine.

ROSE: There's no doubt that it would be a net positive. She's an extraordinary messenger. But what I -- my -- what I read from that, right when she's doing an interview like that is that she is speaking to an issue on the ground. If there is an issue on the ground, it should be something that the campaign should be that should be their top priority.

If there's not an issue on the ground, and if she is just upset, sad from her, from her loss, and it's not easy to lose, then it's not nearly as big of an issue.

GOLODRYGA: Okay, so let's go from Texas to Iowa. There's the Senate race there between Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson. Turek is trying to show that he can work with Republicans. Take a listen to this recent campaign ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH TUREK (D), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: I-35, one of the busiest highways in the country. It connects Iowa to the southern border and the broken immigration system that both parties have failed to fix. I'm Josh Turek, and in the U.S. Senate, I'll work with anyone to fix it, including President Trump, to secure the border, stop the flow of drugs into Iowa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: So is that smart politics? Could some Republicans or perhaps independents?

BORELLI: Look, it is smart and he has to pick up Republicans. This is a state with 184,000 Republican enrollment advantage. So, he has to get outside of the Democratic comfort zone. I think that's why we saw in recent days him telling Kamala Harris, no, please don't campaign with me.

You know, that's more evidence that the national brand of the Democratic Party is not what's going to win in some of the swing states where they're most competitive.

GOLODRYGA: Why are you laughing?

BORELLI: Yeah. Why are you laughing, Max?

ROSE: Because -- because we see so many Republicans saying, please, Donald Trump, campaign with me.

BORELLI: I scrubbed the -- about swing state. I scrubbed the Internet for where Hakeem Jeffries has been campaigning. He only campaigned in one swing state district in PA-7 all summer long.

So, I think the national Democratic Party does have a messaging issue when it comes to these swing states.

Turek is doing the right thing by kind of trying to pick up Republicans.

[18:50:01]

GOLODRYGA: He included -- okay, go ahead.

ROSE: No, I was just saying the proof -- the proof is in the pudding here.

You are not seeing any commercials in which Republicans are running a race against Hakeem Jeffries. And believe me, they would love to.

What you are seeing, though, is Donald Trump's numbers are in the gutter. Why is he in the gutter? Because your party has all the power. The economy is horrible. Gas is through the roof. We're in another forever war.

That's your fault or your friend's fault. And that's why they're going to lose the elections. Simple as that, my friend. You talk about the Democratic brand all you want.

BORELLI: We have a national ticket in 2024 that's still out there campaigning with candidates in swing states. That's my point. My point is that the people who the Democratic Party put forward as their leaders in 2024 are still toxic to the American --

ROSE: That's a long time ago, both of us had hair --

(CROSSTALK)

BORELLI: -- candidates in swing states, Democratic candidates in swing states essentially have to abandon the left wing of their party and the moderate wing of their party in order to be competitive. GOLODRYGA: Quickly. How big of a problem is the tariff war now with China as it relates to Maine and Susan Collins? She's distanced herself. She's been quite critical of this. Does it hurt her ultimately in the race?

BORELLI: I think you mean Canada.

GOLODRYGA: Oh, Canada. Yes.

BORELLI: Look, this is sort of the brinkmanship that Trump has done. You know, we've seen things like the pausing of the beef tariffs in the last possible second. I think this is more of a play on Trump. It won't long term affect Susan Collins because I don't think they actually happen.

GOLODRYGA: Okay. We'll see. We'll have you back guys. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Up next, Hollywood knows drama. And this November, the biggest storyline isn't a streaming service. It's a city hall. That's next. That was a friendly tap, right?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:55:50]

GOLODRYGA: From devastating wildfires to entertainment productions leaving Los Angeles, Hollywood struggles are taking center stage in the city's mayor's race, with many industry workers struggling to stay afloat.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister looks at how Hollywood's future is now a political fault line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: I've got news, California, "Baywatch" is back.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The announcement was buzzy. Tax incentives lured the iconic "Baywatch" reboot back to its original home on the southern California coast.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Best job in the world?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Best job in the world.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): But a symbol of L.A.'s resurgence in Hollywood, production became a hot topic on the mayoral debate stage.

NITHYA RAMAN (D), LOS ANGELES MAYORAL CANDIDATE: That's what happened in "Baywatch". City and county weren't talking to each other.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): When "Baywatch" began production on L.A.'s famed Venice Beach, it was met with another L.A. icon, red tape. No overnight parking, no driving on the beach. No fires on the beach where a lifeguard show the "Baywatch" co-creator told "Variety", what do you mean we can't drive a truck on the beach?

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D), LOS ANGELES: We're at the historic Venice lifeguard tower.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Mayor Karen bass and county leaders scrambled to avoid election season embarrassment, easing restrictions and keeping "Baywatch" from leaving the city. But the fiasco became a symbol of the difficulties of shooting in Hollywood's own backyard.

DOUG ELLIN, CREATOR, "ENTOURAGE": It drives me crazy.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Doug Ellin created another iconic L.A. show, "Entourage".

ELLIN: And this city has collapsed in the last five years. There is no (EXPLETIVE DELETED) denying it.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): He's been a vocal critic of Bass and her progressive challenger, Nithya Raman, and a supporter of former reality star Spencer Pratt, who lost in the primary but won over a large group of frustrated Hollywood creatives.

WAGMEISTER: How many people in your circles were secretly supporting Spencer Pratt? But they were too scared to say.

ELLIN: A lot. A lot, and big people.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Many of them live in and around the palisades, devastated by the L.A. fires in 2025 and concerned about homelessness, that has become a citywide issue.

ELLIN: I don't think people should be walking down the street terrified that somebody on drugs is going to come after them, and I don't think that's insensitive to anybody. I think that that is just common sense.

And just to be clear, I don't like Trump. I didn't vote for him. And when you see people who just go, well, Spencer Pratt, he's Trump, he's this, he's that. It's very, very frustrating. And you can't really get your voice heard.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): With Pratt out of the race, where do those votes go? Bass is the establishment Democrat. Raman who's on the L.A. City Council is a Democratic socialist. Her husband is a writer and producer who worked on "Modern Family" and "30 Rock". Boldface names have pledged support.

CHELSEA HANDLER, ACTRESS: I'm supporting Nithya Raman in this race.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): From Chelsea Handler and Mindy Kaling to Adam Scott, Tina Fey and Natalie Portman.

SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR: Karen Bass is that person.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Bass has more legacy supporters like Samuel L. Jackson, Jane Fonda and Magic Johnson. Along with the handling of the fires, crime is also an issue as high end home break-ins have surged in L.A., hitting stars like "Entourage's" Kevin Connolly, Nicole Kidman and Brad Pitt.

ELLIN: I find it to be a very scary time right now.

WAGMEISTER: Your house was broken into.

ELLIN: I was sitting in my car and I got a Ring alert that there's someone on my balcony, and I turned it on, and I see two guys kicking the doors to my house. It's a very unsettling feeling. And when you have a three-year-old, my house has never felt the same.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Bass, though, points to overall reductions in crime.

BASS: Crime, especially homicide, is at a 60-year low.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Raman is the more liberal of the mayoral candidates, but says she's not afraid to pivot from Democratic socialists when needed.

RAMAN: I supported Measure ULA, the mansion tax, and just a few months ago I stood up and said, I don't think it's working in the way that it was intended.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Where voters land just might tip the scales in the November election.

Ellin says he'll reluctantly choose the incumbent.

ELLIN: So I will go in and I'll, you know, close my eyes and go, Karen Bass, I hope you do better this time. What else can I do?

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Elizabeth Wagmeister for that report.

And coming up Sunday on "STATE OF THE UNION," White House border czar Tom Homan and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna. That's Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern here on CNN.

If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can watch the show on the CNN app.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.