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The Situation Room

Pentagon Pushes Defense Industry to Boost Weapons Production; Meta Announces Powerful New Open Source A.I. Model; Families, Providers Grapple With "Beyond Expensive" Childcare. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired August 10, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST AND U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): He is somebody who's a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, so going back all the way to the 1980s. And it matters because what it shows is that this is a more hardline position, a hardline person going into a position of great responsibility and great influence within the Iranian structure. And because of that, what we're seeing is the potential, at least, of Iran hardening some of its diplomatic positions and potentially also pursuing some more military options.

And when we're talking military options, we can't expect, you know, a major standard conventional force to come across the mountains, but what we can expect is some more unconventional asymmetric type operations, drone swarms, cyber-attacks, those kinds of things are definitely within the purview and the possibility of this particular reorganization.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And as we have been reporting from CNN and other outlets, the U.S. is running low on certain munition stockpiles. The administration tried to deny that, but now we know the Pentagon is asking military contractors to ramp up weapons production. Sabrina, walk us through why it's not so simple to just replace some of these munitions.

SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: It's not surprising that this administration is trying to do that. It's also something that the Biden administration tried to reinvigorate the defense industrial base to produce 155-millimeter rounds that we knew that Ukraine needed.

What makes this so hard right now is you look at the Patriot interceptors that we're using to defend our bases in the Middle East. The Patriot interceptor to make that missile takes over hundreds of companies to make just hundreds of companies to make different components of that missile. Then you put that into context of you have to hire skilled labor to do that. You have to train them. You have to build the factory to expand production. All of this takes time, and then they have to go through testing. So, you're looking at -- that's why it takes two years.

BROWN: And every little component has -- you have to make sure it didn't come from an adversary.

SINGH: Exactly. You have to test it. You have to put it into the field, into practice. And so, that's why it takes about two years to make a Patriot interceptor, and that's why they're in such short supply.

BROWN: But isn't there already -- I just -- I think one might assume there's always, you know, action taking place to build more Patriot interceptors. Is that not true?

SINGH: There's always requests from the defense contractors to build these types of interceptors and missiles. What happens, though, is you think about how many combatant commands all around the world use these missiles, and we also have to train them. We have to train our troops on how to use them. So, there are expenditures happening all around the world.

And then on top of that, I mean, the war in Ukraine, we did send a Patriot battery, multiple Patriot batteries to Ukraine. We were arming them with Patriot missiles to defend their cities. That did put a stress on defense industrial base. And unfortunately, as you're seeing in the reporting, it has not been able to catch up to restore the levels that we need to maintain just our own levels all around the world.

BROWN: All right. Thank you so much, Sabrina Singh. We appreciate it. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you as well.

Up next, Meta's new model. The parent company of Instagram and Facebook has a new A.I. model that you can download for free. And it's fueling the debate over who should have access to this powerful technology. We'll be right back.

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BROWN: All right. Now, to the Situation Room's "Decoding A.I." series. This morning, Facebook's parent company, Meta, has announced a new open source version of its most powerful A.I. model and it's called Muse Glimmer. The company says it can manage your schedule, draft your messages, organize your files and learn how you work. CNN A.I. correspondent Hadas Gold joins us now. Why is this so significant Hadas?

HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: Well, last year Meta was really seen as sort of the leader when it came to open weight models. They had their Llama model that was very popular and they seemingly sort of left that behind to try and focus on these closed source models that can compete with Anthropic and OpenAI.

But now, they're announcing this new open weight model that is significant because unlike a closed source model that operates on the cloud and only data centers, they say that this new model is one that can run locally on your own personal computer. You don't need any sort of specialized data centers or specialized chips even. As long as you have enough memory you get to run your own personalized A.I. model and have it do things like agents.

This is significant because there isn't a lot of American companies these days that are really competing on the open weight model situation. So, just to give a quick explainer, an open weight A.I. model is one that you can download to your own system if you have the memory and the chips for it. You can customize it to do what you want it to do in the way you want it to do it. They tend to be cheaper and the leaders in open weight tend to be from China.

Closed source models are ones that live in the data centers in the clouds. They are completely controlled by the companies like open A.I. and Anthropic and Google who run some of the best-known closed source models. They tend to be more advanced and you can have a lot more safety and monitoring of them because they're essentially controlled by those companies.

But there is a big debate right now in the A.I. industry about sort of open weight versus closed weight. What's better? And Mark Zuckerberg actually published along with announcing this new model, this long manifesto, it's 14 pages long about how what he is saying the future is for everyone. He's arguing for more support for open source technology, saying the most important question of this age is whether A.I. will be centralized and restrictive or a tool that empowers everyone.

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He also goes on to say that most of the concerns that we have over A.I. about jobs and the economy and safety and things like that, he actually says that they are overblown, and he says that it fails to account for all the positives it can achieve. And giving examples, he says, of, you know, inventors of the past who had access, open access to technology and were able to do amazing things, you know, like build airplanes or the personal computer. This is obviously an argument for their own technology, for the open weight technology and saying that this is the way forward more so than keeping everything closed and restricted. Guys.

BROWN: It's a big debate. Hadas Gold, thanks so much. And just ahead, the mayor wants Denver to be one of the first major cities to offer universal child care as more and more families struggle to afford it. We'll ask him how he plans to make it happen up next.

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BROWN: Happening now, questions are emerging about New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's free universal child care plan for children under five years old. A recent estimate from the Nonpartisan Center for New York City Affairs puts annual costs as high as $9 billion. That's approximately $27,000 per child, and it's a lot more than the $6 billion cost Mamdani promoted during his campaign.

According to the model, New York would also need about 23,000 more child care workers. And all of this, of course, poses challenges for just how feasible the universal child care program is for the most populous city in the U.S.

So, to better understand what makes child care so expensive and how that's influencing the way voters evaluate candidates heading into the midterms, I went straight to the source, child care providers. Here's what they told me in the Situation Room special report.

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BRIELL MCCOY, FOUNDER, LITTLE BEES IN BLOOM FAMILY CHILDCARE: Maddie (ph), you're doing so good. OK. OK. All right. All right.

BROWN (voice-over): Briell McCoy has her hands full.

MCCOY: You probably ready for a bath. You probably --

BROWN (voice-over): As a 39-year-old mother of three, she is navigating child care, both as a parent and a provider. Above all, costs are top of mind.

MCCOY: In Edmondson Village, it's no way I can charge $400 and $500 for an infant. I wouldn't be able to afford $400 for a week. And I say too much from the parent side. From the provider side, it still might not be enough for the provider because we still have to pay our rent or mortgage, pay insurance, pay food, pay supplies, toys break every day, all day, all of the curriculum items.

BROWN (voice-over): McCoy takes care of six families with children ages six months to three years. Recognizing the financial position of many in her community, McCoy charges below the national average. 92 percent of adults with children under age 18 say that paid child care in their area is expensive, with 51 percent calling it very expensive, according to CNN polling.

BROWN: And what did you find about just how expensive child care can be and how you wanted to help other families with that burden?

MCCOY: It's beyond expensive. So, it's a lot of choice making, which is why I try to offer the diapers and the wipes. Like, I still have to buy food. I still have to pay for gas. So, everything is just expensive. Starting a program and keeping it open and making sure there's food, because even with the food program, they don't give you money and say, hey, buy whatever food you need. It's a reimbursement.

BROWN: What about for the wipes and diapers, do you get reimbursed for that?

MCCOY: No.

BROWN: You just do that as an extra bonus?

MCCOY: Yes.

BROWN: How can you afford that? Because you said --

MCCOY: I make it work. BROWN (voice-over): In McCoy's experience, the issue is layered. Parents either can't afford daycare, or daycare centers are unable to accommodate parents' working hours. She believes the answer is universal funding for child care. And she's looking for higher office candidates who walk the talk.

MCCOY: Who's going to look out for our kids and our families? Who cares enough? And not just leave us high and dry once you get in office.

BROWN (voice-over): While Briell's area may have several daycare options, others have slim to none. This rural fisherman's town is labeled a child care desert, meaning a notable lack of available daycare centers.

Mariangelica is a mom of three daughters, and she also works as an at- home child care provider, serving mostly government and military families.

MARIANGELICA APONTE MARTINEZ, CHILDCARE PROVIDER: It feels great that I can serve my community. It does come with some stress. I don't think I'm the only child care provider in my area, but there isn't a lot of us. Since federal workers are going back to work, and that was a lot for a lot of families, right? You're scrambling to find child care.

BROWN (voice-over): Mariangelica says maintaining the accreditation for her teaching curriculum costs thousands of dollars annually. Providing healthy meals and organic produce comes with an added price tag, but she says it's worth the squeeze.

MARTINEZ: That was a learning curve for sure, figuring out how to navigate the inflation of prices, and I don't increase my prices nearly as most places do, so sometimes that comes at a sacrifice, which we would love to continue doing, because I do want families to be able to have more children if they desire to, and not have to think about, like, wow, how much more money are we going to have to keep paying?

Hold on, let me see.

BROWN: And while both Briell and Maryangelica are dealing with the modern stressors of the child care business, they want hopeful parents to feel there are resources available when they reach that milestone.

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MARTINEZ: If they feel that in their heart they want a family and they're stuck between choosing whether to have family or to find a job that can support having a family, I think there are providers and there's places that will help. Money is materialistic. Having a family, that's your whole life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (on camera): And joining us now to further discuss is the Democratic Mayor of Denver, Mike Johnston. He recently launched a task force aimed at developing his city's universal child care plan and is unveiling the group's membership today. So, Mayor, first off, do you have any news to share?

MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON (D), DENVER: Well, thank you, first of all, for having me. I think our news is we're focused on exactly what you just heard, Pamela, which is we know right now the cost of child care is part of what's breaking families in cities like Denver. In Denver alone, it can cost $25,000 per kid. If you have two kids, you're talking about $50,000 for many families just paying the rent and paying for child care it takes up, you know, 60, 70 percent of their take-home pay before they buy a single grocery or take their kid to buy shoes.

And so, we're really focused on what affordability means when the rubber hits the road, and it's making sure things like child care can be accessible and affordable. And we're going to come up with a plan to do that citywide for every Denverite who needs it.

BROWN: So, I'm curious what your reaction is there from the story where I interviewed these child care providers, and they just talked about the struggles. And I'm wondering if that reflects what you're seeing there in Colorado from the families and the child care providers there.

JOHNSTON: It does. It's exactly what we find. There aren't enough providers. There's not affordable enough care. You know, we have about 31,000 kids under age four who need access to care. We only have about 4,000 slots available. And so, we find that it's hard for people to open new child care provider sites. It's hard to recruit the staff that you need. And then most of all, it's hard for parents to find a slot and to find a slot they can afford.

And so, we're working on rebuilding that entire system to make sure there's one-stop shop where a parent can come. They can find a convenient, accessible, affordable slot in their neighborhood and getting the pipeline of workers and providers up and prepared to be able to meet that need.

BROWN: So, the ultimate goal of your task force is to create a universal child care plan for Denver children under age five. And a lot of people would say, well, that's, I mean, that sounds great in theory, but what about the practicalities of this? Walk us through that. What is your timeline?

JOHNSTON: Yes. I mean, the benefit is Denver has already done this. We launched a Denver preschool program, which does that for four-year- olds. And so, right now, every four-year-old in the city has access. There's one point of application. People pay on a sliding scale. Lower income families pay almost nothing. Middle and upper middle-class families make their contributions, but still can make it affordable.

Our goal is to now listen to families across the city and say, what do you want and need in the way of structure for infant and toddler care? We want to take that service we have available for four-year-olds and make it available all the way down to birth. And so, we're going to build a system citywide. We'll create a plan this spring that the task force will release. We'll then pilot that system next year and start a path for people to find care and make sure it works for them. And once we show that that is a sustainable model, we'll then work to scale that to every single Denverite in the years ahead. So, our goal is to have this all done in the next two years, but we'll start the plan this year and then pilot it next year.

BROWN: All right. So, you just heard me report on Zohran Mamdani's proposed universal child care, which has been a key part of his agenda. That proposed program could cost $9 billion annually, according to a nonpartisan estimate. I mean, do you have any sense of what the cost could be in your city?

JOHNSTON: Yes. I think we believe this has to be affordable for families. It also has to be affordable for taxpayers and for the city. And so, we have to find a way to share that balance. What we're going to look at is how we design a system that can do that. We think this kind of sliding scale payment programs have worked in the past for Denver.

So, we'll look at all the possible options, but we think we'll have to land at a number much, much smaller than $9 billion for the city to make it feasible. But we do believe there is a way to do that. Again, we've done it in Denver for four-year-olds. Every four-year-old is covered and we've made it financially feasible. We think there's a path to do it from birth to four, but it just takes a shared commitment to how we get these providers up and running, what the cost structure is to pay folks a livable wage, and to make sure it's a fee that parents can afford. And so, we think there is a way to cover all families universally from zero to five, and that'll be our target.

BROWN: Well, clearly, you're very optimistic. But just to drill down a little bit more on this, do you have any monetary number yet? I mean, do you believe it will be in the billions, like this estimate for New York City? Obviously, Denver is a different type of city, but do you have any sense?

JOHNSTON: Ours will definitely not be in the billions. There'll be no cost at that scale. And I think that for us, it will depend on what kind of care parents want. As you heard, we want to really talk to family members and say, what do you need most? For a lot of families, it's not Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 3:00. It might be you need evenings because you have a night shift. It might be you need weekends. It might mean you only need three days a week because you have a mother-in-law who covers two days a week. We want to build a system that's responsive to what our family's needs are.

A lot of them get care in what we would call family, friends, and neighbors, like the spot that you described earlier. It's not always a licensed care site.

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So, we want to build a full framework that serves all those families and then figure out how we can make the most affordable cost structure to deliver that. But we're confident that is well south of a billion dollars for Denver, and we think that's a plan we can build to inspire other cities to believe this is not a problem you have to give up on. You can actually commit to and deliver what kids need.

BROWN: And you just heard the providers I spoke to talk about expenses like diapers, healthy food, even the gas money to secure things that are stretching them thin. What will you do to address that, quickly?

JOHNSTON: Yes. We want to look at what the all-in cost for a provider is. That includes the training and support of staff. And we also want to work to help reduce the regulatory burdens that make it expensive to run these sites. So, we just passed something in the last few weeks with our city council to reduce duplicative licensing costs that drive up costs for these daycare centers and chopper centers.

So, we're focusing on how we can reduce some of the costs that are out there, and then how we meet all the needs that are there for the entire portfolio of costs, including things like diapers and gas. We know that's part of their math. So, it's part of the math we have to solve for.

BROWN: All right. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, thank you so much.

And thank you all for joining us this morning. You can keep up with us on social media, @wolfblitzer and @pamelabrowncnn. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning and every weekday morning at 10:00 Eastern. Inside Politics with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts after a quick break.

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