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Hegseth Staff Breaks Priceless Eisenhower Globe?; Russia Launches New Attacks on Ukraine; Trump Campaigns in Iowa. Aired 1- 1:30p ET

Aired October 22, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Farm Belt fight. Facing tight races in Iowa, the president heads to the Hawkeye State to rally Republicans. But Democrats have their eyes on two races they haven't won in years.

And speaking out for the first time, a wounded teacher who survived the horrific school shooting in Oregon explains what happened moments after she spotted the gunman outside.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And what in the world? Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wanted a famous globe for his office. We will tell you what happened when his staff tried to accomplish that.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: If you campaign there, will they come?

Well, Iowa's not exactly a field of dreams for Republicans, as the president heads to the state today. With just 12 days until the midterms, Republican Senate nominee Ashley Hinson is locked in a tight race with Democrat Josh Turek, Iowa just one of many reliably red states that Trump's visiting to gin up GOP turnout.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is at the White House following all of this.

So, Julia, Trump, of course, won big in Iowa back in 2024; 13 points was the spread there. What's his message to voters going to be today?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We expect it to be very similar to the message that he has had throughout this month. He is going to be encouraging Republicans to get out to the polls.

Now, he had promised that he was going to hit the campaign trail hard, and he has done that. He really kicked all of this off with rallies in Oklahoma and in Alabama, and then since then has continued this focus on primarily conservative strongholds. Just this week, he has made stops in Texas, in North Carolina and in

South Carolina. In South Carolina last night, he was stumping for Darline Graham, the Senate candidate there. She was appointed to replace her brother, Lindsey Graham, and finish his term when he unexpectedly passed back in July.

But there's been intense scrutiny over her campaign performance, as she is new to this and as Republicans try to help bolster her there. Trump says, though, that, if she has his support, which she does, that he's not worried, that she will not only win, but win big. Take a listen.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Darline, you're going to win big, Darline. You're going to win big.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: Darline, I saw some good numbers for you. And as you will see, you're going to see some very good numbers for me too. I get good numbers. I get good polls. But I'm not running, but I am running, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And so that's something that we have heard repeatedly from Trump throughout this, that he wants Republicans to pretend like he is on the ballot. "I'm not running, but I am running."

Now, that, though, is a message that some Republicans hope still resonates, as his approval rating has hovered near career lows. A new CNN poll found it at just 32 percent. That poll also found that there was broad dissatisfaction when it comes to key issues like the economy and the overall state of the government.

Three-quarters of those polled did say that they believe that these midterms are a time where they can have some change, some say in what takes place in Washington. Republicans have control of the White House, the Senate, and the House right now, so any change in that would have a big impact on Trump's next two years in office.

But he's going to be back out on the trail again tonight. He's going to be in Iowa, where there is a closely watched Senate race, one with no clear leader. The Republican candidate, Ashley Hinson, is expected to be there as well. Then, tomorrow, he plans to be in Florida, over the weekend, stops in Georgia and in Michigan.

And he's going to be out almost every day until Election Day.

KEILAR: Yes, very busy schedule.

Julia Benbrook, thank you so much for the report -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Attacking the attack ad. Add Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to the growing list of Republicans coming out against Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial new ad. DeWine is calling on his party's nominee to replace him in the governor's mansion to take it down. The ad features the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton calling her daughter a liar, while urging voters not to support her.

Acton says she hasn't seen her mother in nearly 50 years, when she says her stepfather sexually abused her. Here's Governor DeWine denouncing the ad.

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GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): The ad on its face is deeply, deeply troubling. I would just urge the Ramaswamy campaign to take this down. It's just wrong.

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SANCHEZ: CNN's Patrick Svitek joins us now.

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Patrick, Acton is now responding to this ad. What is she saying?

PATRICK SVITEK, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: She and other Ohio Democrats are continuing to denounce this ad as a new low in politics there and a new low in this campaign, which has already seen a lot of attack ads.

But she's also speaking quite emotionally about this chapter, painful chapter in her youth. Let's take a listen to what she had to say the other day.

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AMY ACTON (D), OHIO GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: My reaction was, I'd hoped he wouldn't sink this low, but of course he did.

What has also been remarkable to see, Lauren, is how many people are outraged by this, because so many people have experienced some sort of trauma or abuse in their lives. And so I'm much more focused on a message that reaches them than on the antics of an out-of-touch billionaire who would be a danger to my state.

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SANCHEZ: Well, part of what is fascinating, Patrick, is that DeWine is saying this while J.D. Vance was in the Buckeye State yesterday chastising Republicans for focusing on this ad and not on what he says is Democratic policies and what they're going to do to ruin the country.

DeWine, though, isn't the only Republican criticizing the ad.

SVITEK: Yes, I mean, even just in the hours after J.D. Vance made those remarks yesterday, you saw, for example, Ohio Republican Senator Jon Husted come out and say, in a one-sentence statement, but he said, "I would not have run that ad."

You also saw Ohio secretary of State Frank LaRose say a similar thing, saying that's not the kind of ad he would have run. And so it doesn't seem like Vance's comments were able to prevent at least some of these top Ohio Republicans from speaking out. And so we're watching right now to see how many more may continue to join this chorus.

SANCHEZ: Is there any indication that the Ramaswamy team is considering backing down?

SVITEK: There is no indication of that.

And, in fact, in response to DeWine's comments, they said they are not taking the ad down, and they singled out some comments that DeWine made later in that news conference where he talked about how family members should be off-limits. And DeWine also mentioned that he saw Vivek Ramaswamy's mom come up in the campaign, and he also didn't like that.

And so the Ramaswamy campaign, that's the part of DeWine's comments that they are focusing on as of now.

SANCHEZ: Patrick Svitek, thanks so much for that reporting.

SVITEK: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy warning the U.S. against cozying up to Vladimir Putin, saying President Trump could help make the Russian leader stronger.

Plus, an iconic piece of history damaged after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wanted it for his office. We will talk to the reporter who broke the story.

And, later: an Oregon teacher describing running away from a school shooter, then realizing he was right behind her.

The details when we come back on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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KEILAR: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour and says the rift with President Trump is not personal. Relations between the U.S. and Ukraine deteriorated after Trump announced that he would reverse U.S. policy and let Russia profit by selling its diesel to world markets, including the U.S.

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Mr. President, obviously, there's been a lot of spotlight on the latest eruption in your relationship with President Trump. He's blaming you. You're saying that he's on the wrong side of history with that diesel deal for Russia.

Are you stepping back from that personal criticism? Have you been advised that this might not be the best way to be public about it, since you need American help?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We have our partners. And it's the United States. And we have -- we need to have strong relations with American administration, with the -- with Congress, and we need bipartisan support.

And this all is very important, because it's not about days. It's not about personalities. My attitude to Putin is very clear. I think that, if we will lift sanctions, we will make him stronger. And that's why I'm like a president. It's not something personal between me and President Trump.

And, of course, I'm against any lifting of sanctions. I always said it to European partners, and I said it directly to American administration. I'm -- of course, I know what I do. I have to strengthen, me, my country, my people, my Army, but not my enemy. And this is, I think, very clear and fair between us.

That's why I know that, if you give something to Putin, he will need everything. He will want everything.

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SANCHEZ: Overnight, Russia launched a massive missile attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Zelenskyy says that residential homes, stores, and civilian infrastructure were hit just hours after Vladimir Putin told U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff he was ready to resume talks aimed at ending the war.

CNN chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto joins us now.

So, Jim, what are you hearing about the latest round of strikes?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: So I spoke to Ukrainian officials this morning, because this was another round where Ukraine was not able to intercept a single one, right?

I mean, in recent waves, they have been able to get a few of them because they're so short of interceptor missiles, but there are some nights where all the missiles come through, they can't take them down. They could not take a single one down. That, of course, had deadly impact on the ground.

And I asked why, and they said it's because they have an interceptor shortage. And why do they have an interceptor shortage today? Because another planned delivery of Patriot interceptors was not delivered. And you have seen reporting about this, about who is responsible for making that decision, et cetera.

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But what is happening is that even partners in Europe that are willing to send Patriot interceptors to Ukraine are not being allowed to do so. And Ukrainians say that's coming from the U.S.

So, when you group that with the other things we have talked about this week, the slowdown in Starlink, Starshield speeds, and the days where there was no early warning, intelligence warning of incoming Russian missiles, what the Ukrainians see is a combination of things that's making them less safe coming from the U.S., but that they see as part of a pressure campaign to force them to the negotiating table.

KEILAR: Yes. And Putin is agreeing to new talks as he's clobbering Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

KEILAR: That's the position. He's coming in with this position of that's his -- the leverage he's bringing.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

The skepticism from the Ukrainian side as to the potential for these new talks is very pointed. I asked one Ukrainian lawmaker I messaged -- and I have been messaging a lot of folks there in the last couple of days, and I said, what do you think the potential is?

And the single answer was, it was a laugh out loud emoji, right? Now, there's a certain dark humor when you're sitting in Ukraine and the missiles are falling and there's no warning and people are dying around you. But this is based on recent experience, right, because there have been how many attempts and discussions of talks that -- and presidential declarations that Putin is ready to make a deal.

And yet Putin expands, doesn't at all pull back and has denied Trump's request for even cease-fires before. So Ukrainians look at that and they just don't see a credible path to peace. Could we be surprised in the coming days? Maybe. But their perspective, based on all this that we're seeing here on our screens right now is really skeptical.

KEILAR: Jim, thank you so much for the great reporting.

Ahead: a world of trouble. How a famous globe, a really famous globe, became a gaffe for aides to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

And an infamous influencer in court to face a rape charge -- the latest on the arraignment of the man known as Clavicular.

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SANCHEZ: Some things, you should perhaps leave to the experts, like moving a priceless piece of history.

New photos exclusively obtained by "The Washington Post" reportedly show what happened when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's staffers attempted to move a floor globe used by General Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II into the secretary's office. And, as you can see, they broke it. According to "The Post," moves involving artifacts like this one are

typically handled by trained curators. Instead, Hegseth's own staff sent its team to oversee the relocation. And, at some point, that team lost control of the globe, dropped it onto its base, and impaled Antarctica.

In response to the reporting, the Defense Department told "The Post" -- quote -- "Accidents happen." They said the globe is being repaired, though it did not say how much repairs would cost or when the work would be completed.

Joining us now to get into the details is Alex Horton, one of "The Washington Post" journalists who broke the story.

Alex, thanks for being with us.

So let's talk about the globe itself, because you write that Eisenhower had -- quote -- "a well-known fondness for globes." Tell us about the three that he owned that are known to the Army and why Hegseth in particular may have had an interest in memorabilia associated with Ike.

ALEX HORTON, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Yes, thanks for having me.

So, Ike had a particular fondness for globes. During World War II, a lot of his job was logistics and getting armies from one place around the world to another. So he would sit around globes with his staff and show the different avenues they needed to take in the Atlantic theater. So it was a very useful tool for him at the -- in Washington, D.C., and later at SHAEF headquarters in Europe.

So there are three globes. There's this one in Army operations and planning office. That was the one you see there that was damaged. There's one in the Army chief of staff's office that has pen marks from Eisenhower showing some German positions and maybe some of his postwar planning in Germany for the partition.

There is a third globe like this that is at an Army depot in Alabama. And that's another logistics one. So they are all -- what -- all they have in common is this reaching back to history for the -- the Army logistics and the Army way of winning war is very much tied to its global presence.

SANCHEZ: Why did Hegseth's staff dispatch that team to move the globe, as opposed to having curators do it, the typical process?

HORTON: Yes, it's a great question that we asked the Pentagon, and they did not engage on that.

But from what we understand is, this request was made during the partial government shutdown earlier this year. That ended on February 3. The curators and the historical staff who would oversee such a thing were not available because they were furloughed at the time.

So Hegseth's office decided they would send people themselves to go move it. So, at least three, possibly four people showed up to try to muscle this thing out. And if you have ever been in the Pentagon, this isn't next door. The Army side of the Pentagon is a several-minutes walk away from where the office of the secretary is.

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So did he have a -- did they have a cart? Did they have bubble wrap? Did they have any special gear to move this? It's a century-old globe almost. It was made in the 1930s. We don't know. The Pentagon wouldn't tell us.

SANCHEZ: And what did sources indicate to you about the way that they view this incident as a larger reflection of Hegseth's tenure as defense secretary?

HORTON: Yes, I mean, the -- if you look on social media, people are talking about the symbolism. The metaphors are flying around.

What people told us was, Pete Hegseth has this nostalgia for World War II, nostalgia for total victory. And a lot of people in his -- I'm an Iraq veteran. He's an Iraq, an Afghanistan veteran. Our generation views other eras as -- quote, unquote -- "better" because they were able to achieve victory.

We're in this generation where that has always been elusive. So there is a certain amount of, like, pining for those days in World War II. That's one of the reasons he renamed or he wants to rename the Defense Department the War Department to go back to that era.

But it also speaks, some officials said, sort of his brashness, his impatience, his desire to get things done quickly. Those all came together in that -- in that room to move this globe.

SANCHEZ: And, again, I mentioned it at the top, but I wondered if perhaps you had gotten some new reporting on when it's expected to be reconstructed. Anything on that front?

HORTON: No, another thing the Pentagon, particularly Hegseth's spokespeople, would not engage on when we asked the questions.

As far as we know, it's still in that same office. It never made the journey. We have no indication that repairs have started or is planned, but we don't know anything about timetable, how they're going to do it...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

HORTON: ... whether the Army Center for Military History will handle that. Details are sparse on their end, but we've asked.

SANCHEZ: Well, it's a piece of history, and we hope that it's soon made whole.

Alex Horton, thank you so much.

HORTON: Appreciate it. SANCHEZ: Ahead: Republicans are spending millions on ads trying to

brand their opponents as soft on crime, but some of the families of victims featured in these ads are furious, saying the deaths of their loved ones are being exploited for political gain.

That's next.

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