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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Massive Attack on Kyiv After Putin Agrees to Peace Talks; U.S. Orders Non-Essential Embassy Staff to Leave Saudi Arabia; Meta Strikes Deal to Keep Zuckerberg in California; Environment Under Threat as Persian Gulf is Polluted by Conflict; Candidates Make Final Push 12 Days Ahead of Election Day; Trump Heads to Iowa in Red-State Push. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired October 22, 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]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton in New York. You are
watching "The Brief."
Still ahead for us this hour, CNN sits down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the Ukrainian president says his rift with U.S. President Donald Trump is,
quote, "Nothing personal." Websites shut down around the world after artificial intelligence finds cybersecurity flaws affecting 70 percent of
the internet. And U.S. midterm elections are less than two weeks away. Candidates are making a final push for support, and President Trump is on
his way to the deep red state of Iowa.
Now, those deadly new strikes on Ukraine are overshadowing claims by Russia that it's ready to talk peace. Officials say at least two people were
killed and nearly three dozen injured in Kyiv. Ukraine also fired off Airstrikes against Russia. The mayor of Moscow says more than 600 drones
were launched toward the capital. He reports most were intercepted. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin is ready to
resume peace talks with the U.S. and Ukraine next month.
Now, Wednesday night's attack on Kyiv was massive. Authorities say Russia used more than 20 missiles and hundreds of drones. Ukraine's efforts to
block those attacks have been hampered over the past week by restrictions on Starshield. That's the military-grade version of Elon Musk's Starlink
internet. U.S. President Donald Trump has a- was asked if he spoke with Musk about the slowdown earlier today. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't want to comment on it. You know, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn't make any
difference. I guess, the bottom line, he put it back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, you heard him there. He says it, he put it back. This all comes as the relationship between Kyiv and Washington becomes ever more
fractious.
But an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there's nothing personal between the U.S.
president and him. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: 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, you know, 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 that is United States. And we have -- we need to have strong relations with our
administration with Congress. And we need bipartisan support. And this all is very important because it's not about days. It's not about
personalities. And I hope that is for the case for the future between us because we share the same values. And I think that we will be in the same
security allies.
So, in any way Ukraine now is a strong part which can help NATO and be a member is better. But also, it's important for NATO have Ukraine. I think
so. And of course, my opinion to my attitude to Putin is very clear. I think that if we will lift sanctions, it 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 of 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. 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And Christiane joins us now. Christiane, grateful to you for joining us. I mean, look, he says it's nothing personal, and yet it was
U.S. President Donald Trump that has made this incredibly personal between the two of them. I mean, why do you believe he struck that tone with you in
the interview?
AMANPOUR: Look, I think he's trying to make sure that the supply of help, whether it's intelligence, whether it's the Starlink system, whether it's
weapons, keeps flowing to Ukraine. What we've seen is a remarkable switcheroo really unprecedented. The United States seems to be moving and
switching its allegiance from the actual victim and the ally, Ukraine, to the aggressor, the invader, which is Russia.
[18:05:00]
For whatever reason, President Trump seems to think that he can give incentives to Putin to bring him to the negotiating table. The problem is
the carrot and stick principle of negotiations involves the stick and then the carrot, not just not applying the stick and giving the carrot.
Because you know that Putin has simply not said yes to any of Trump's demands over the past couple of years, whereas Zelenskyy has, whether it
was an unconditional ceasefire, whether it was any time to go to talks, whether it was to stop firing inside each other's country on their energy
infrastructure. Zelenskyy said yes to everything. Putin did not, and Putin kept attacking.
So, I think he knows that he's in trouble, that Ukraine could be in trouble without American help. They need that help. They need to have the Starlink
speed to be able to use their interceptor drones to defend against the high-speed jet-propelled and other Russian drones that are being used right
now, not to mention the ballistic missiles. And they just need it.
But you heard him very clearly say, I disagree with lifting the sanctions, because that just puts money into Putin's war chest.
NEWTON: You know, Christiane, you've been to Ukraine several times, you've interviewed Volodymyr Zelenskyy several times. I'm wondering what your
impressions are about his strategy and where it goes next. They have been quite aggressive, again, in hitting that energy infrastructure in Russia.
And yet, we have heard from analysts that as well, on the battlefield, Ukraine is holding its own. So, he's in a very difficult position here.
AMANPOUR: Very, very difficult. One headline said, you know, Ukraine was winning, Putin was losing before Donald Trump stepped in, i.e., those
figures that you cite are absolutely correct. The Institute for War Reporting has put it down, facts and figures. Putin is barely inching
around the front lines, and that's why he's moved his massive offensive, massive stepped-up offensive since the summer, onto the civilian targets,
killing civilians every single day, and really trying to cripple the whole energy infrastructure and more.
Because I think, according to the analysts and what we can see, Putin hopes and believes that this massive bombardment, and maybe even more of this,
maybe even another call-up, you know, for forces, he believes that he has this winter in order to make that move and to break Ukraine. And whether or
not that's possible, it's not clear, but Ukraine definitely needs all the help that it can get from not just Europe, which is buying American
weaponry to give to Ukraine, but also from the United States.
It needs the Patriots, it needs the intelligence, it needs the speed of the Starlink, it needs a lot. But you're right, you know, Ukraine was holding
out, Putin was losing, and it's really difficult for, I think, Zelenskyy to accept that now the United States is essentially giving help and A.Id to
the aggressor. So, that's what this is all about.
NEWTON: Yes. And European leaders agree with you, and although they've spoken about it forcefully, there is still nothing that has changed Donald
Trump's mind to this point. Christiane, really grateful to you for the interview. Appreciate it.
AMANPOUR: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, to new developments tonight. The U.S. is ordering non- essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. In a statement, a State Department spokesman said, Iranian-supported Houthis
have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian Airports and other critical infrastructure, resulting
in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions.
The Houthis are claiming responsibility for deadly attacks on Saudi infrastructure over the past two days, including the Airport in Daman.
Violence has escalated between the Iran-backed militants and forces allied with Riyadh, which support Yemen's internationally recognized government.
Turning now to the newly uncovered cyber threat that is triggering alarm right around the globe. The cybersecurity firm Cloudflare says it's seeing
millions, I'm going to repeat that, millions of instances of hackers trying to take advantage of two vulnerabilities uncovered by A.I.
Governments and global businesses are rushing to patch up their websites. Many have been forced to shut them all down just as a precaution. Security
flaws affect the programming language PHP that underpins some 70 percent of the Internet.
I just spoke with Ryan Austin, who works at one of the cybersecurity firms that uncovered the issue. He says he's cautiously optimistic that the worst
has passed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN AUSTIN, RESEARCHER, CALIF: Well, the diagnosis is that it is extremely bad and it does need to be patched. It is all patched up now and
we should be good as long as everyone rushes to actually get the patches.
[18:10:00]
And, you know, that's part of the disruption that you've seen already with people taking services offline preactively -- or proactively to get that
stuff done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, also today, Axios reports that major banks are detecting A.I agents accessing customer accounts and taking actions without their
knowledge. Axios says banks are preparing for worst case scenarios, including how to secure and restore accounts if indeed they are
compromised.
Lance Ulanoff joins me now. He is the editor at large at TechRadar. Really grateful to have you with us. I mean, OK, this caught a lot of us by
surprise, and yet it wasn't all that surprising. A.I actually helped uncover these vulnerabilities that had been hidden for about a decade. But
what does this mean about the overall threat? Because as we just indicated, A.I is also helping, enabling those millions of hacks.
LANCE ULANOFF, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, TECHRADAR: Right. Well, this is what we've been talking about for a while now, is that the power of A.I is that it can
find vulnerabilities in existing systems, things that humans have missed, because it can do things, it can search for them at scale. And that's
really what's happening here. You know, PHP is everywhere.
It's across the whole internet. I mean, that's why there was basically a fire drill over the last couple of days. And what you do is you turn these
systems, these A.I systems and models loose on these systems, and then you just let it look for the holes. You know, and that's really what happened
here.
Now, it found it -- and it was an OpenAI model that found it. And that was the good news, because they found it, and the PHP had time to build a
patch, and then gave all of its customers a heads up, it's coming in a couple of days. And then guess what happened? Someone leaked the
information.
So, immediately, exploits were out there. And you know, it was big, it was, you know, people were panicking. One thing I want to make very clear,
though, this is not the last time this is going to happen. This, we're going to see this. There are a lot of systems out there that are being used
across all of our infrastructure and all of our systems.
And a lot of people have used old systems that, you know, they do get security patch updates, but there are probably vulnerabilities that humans
can't see that A.I will find.
NEWTON: So, it is very sobering to listen to you say that this is, you know, not the last time we're going to see this happen. But does this mean
that there's no cybersecurity, that the very concept is dead with A.I.? I know that sounds extreme. But I also now know how hard companies have
worked at this and how much money they've spent to make sure cybersecurity is in place. You can't possibly compete with millions of agents hacking
away.
ULANOFF: Yes, I'm glad you said it and I didn't. I mean, because it's, you know, I think that there is, there is an issue here. And you're starting to
feel a little bit like we're not leading the charge here that the A.I agents are and they're out there. And sometimes they're out there doing
really good work for us to find issues and to prepare us.
But then people will unleash an agent to do a job and it'll say, in order to get this job done, I have to do this. You know, even if it's against the
rules, its own rules, it'll see that this is the best way to get this done. So, maybe it'll breach something, it'll jump out of a sandbox, it'll break
into someone else's system.
And so, we're starting to have a lack of understanding about how these A.I systems are working and what they're going to do when we give them an
instruction or we basically give them a task. But in the case of cybersecurity, it's even scarier because hackers know, you know, they used
to just have, you know, brute force. They'd have just a lot of people doing a denial-of-service attack.
Well, now you could have agents that can impersonate -- you know, each one could impersonate like thousands of people and you put them all together
and you have a massive attack. And I think we're going to see more of that. This is the time where we really need to be talking at a global level about
what's being built and how to protect ourselves and get the most out of these things without having all the harm.
NEWTON: So, Lance, look, we had the reporting from Axios about what was going on with some banks. I mean, you and I both know that that's been
going on banks for quite some time. They keep that information as highly confidential and they have a lot of redundancies built into their IT
systems because they're some of the most important IT systems anywhere in the world.
So, I ask you, Lance, is there anything that consumers should be doing at this point? Because it's fair to say we all feel fairly helpless.
ULANOFF: Yes. I mean, consumers don't really have much of a role here. You know, they're using A.I sort of at the edges, right? They're using it on
their phone, they're using it on some of their local systems, but they're not really controlling this infrastructure.
[18:15:00]
Now, I will say that if you work in a job where your system is connected to bigger systems. You still have to be careful about the same kind of
ransomware and, you know, emails that you get that can -- you know, instead of just launching a small attack with the power of A.I could launch a much
bigger attack. So, we are all in this together. We do all have to kind of work at it and make sure that we're using our best cybersecurity practices
on an individual level.
But there is definitely something much larger going on here. And, you know, the people who are building these systems and are unleashing them sort of
have to work in concert with the cybersecurity community to ensure that they're doing what we want them to do and there isn't harm coming out of
them.
NEWTON: Yes. And still, at least in the United States, no regulation really to speak of, and they were supposed to get something done with
China, still nothing. Lance, we'll continue obviously to follow the story, but you certainly informed us, perhaps scared us a little bit too, but I
get it. It's your job. Thanks, Lance. Appreciate it.
ULANOFF: It's a pleasure.
NEWTON: OK. So, so still ahead for us on "The Brief," the social beckoning. Meta finds a way to keep its CEO in California. Whatever the
outcome of a wealth tax proposal, we get the reaction from a top CEO about what it means.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief." In today's business breakout, a nasty tech sell off on Wall Street with the NASDAQ falling more than 2.5
percent on new A.I spending concerns. The S&P fell more than 1 percent. The Dow finished flat.
Meta was one of the big tech losers, falling almost 7 percent despite the release of a solid third quarter earnings report. The cost of insuring
Meta's debt against default has also risen to all-time highs, as investors worry about the costs of its A.I build-out.
Stocks were also pressured by rising oil prices. Brent crude spiked 4 percent to over $113 a barrel amid new Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia,
and reports the U.S. is drawing up plans to resume military strikes against Iran after the U.S. midterms. Now, one of the beneficiaries of the market
volatility, U.S. treasuries. The benchmark 10-year treasury yield is now below 5 percent for the first time in weeks.
Now, Meta has struck a new deal to protect its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, from the proposed tax-targeting billionaires in California. Under the deal,
Meta's board has created a new class of non-voting shares Zuckerberg could sell off to pay the new tax if it's approved by voters.
Now, the non-voting shares could be more in Meta's interests than those of shareholders. That's what the CEO of the Japan exchange group says, echoing
the thoughts of the NASDAQ's boss.
[18:20:00]
I spoke with Hiromi Yamaji, who says shareholders deserve to be treated fairly. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HIROMI YAMAJI, CEO. JAPAN EXCHANGE GROUP: The voting power, especially for those founders, has more powers like SpaceX. I think it's not bad because
we saw a number of Japanese companies' cases that those founders are quite serious to grow the company. However, at the same time, I think
shareholders have to get fair treatment.
That means that, you know, probably too much difference in the voting power of founders and normal shareholders may not be good for the exchange, I
think.
NEWTON: So, as opposed to Mark Zuckerberg, who has full control, you believe more of a hybrid model would work?
YAMAJI: Yes. Yes, that may be true. A hyper model, I don't know what is the exact percentage of the ownership for the normal investors and for the
founders. It's difficult to define. However, I think probably too much ownership for the founders may be not good for the equity market itself.
NEWTON: Big challenges ahead. I know you have plans. To articulate to our audience, who sometimes believe that this history of the Tokyo Stock
Exchange is not the most dynamic exchange that they've ever experienced around the world, what would you say to them, succinctly say to them about
what changes you want to see?
YAMAJI: I think foreign investors' appetite for the Japanese equity remains very strong. And like last year was 10 year high of net purchase of
foreign investors' purchase of Japanese equity. And this year, as of the end of September this year, the net purchase by the foreign investors are
very close to 10 trillion yen, which is again 10 years high. And I think there are multiple things happening at the same time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: All right. Checking some of today's other business headlines, new late-stage trial data shows an experimental melanoma vaccine reduces
recurrence of the disease as well as death by some 42 percent when combined with a separate medication. Now, the groundbreaking mRNA vaccine is a joint
project between Merck and Moderna. The data was released earlier than expected after reports that had been leaked. Despite the encouraging news,
those shares of Moderna finished Thursday's session down more than 17 percent.
A bit of relief for the U.S. housing sector, mortgage rates fell for the first time in two months this week. The average 30-year fixed income
mortgage fell to a rate of 7.35 percent, still incredibly high. It was the biggest one-week drop-in rates in six months. Mortgage rates tend to move
in sync with U.S. Treasury yields, which have been pulling back as well.
Now, if you're staying at an Airbnb soon, you no longer have to worry about doing the dishes. The company is changing its rules about which chores
guests have to do at the end of their stay. Now, hosts can no longer ask guests to do any chores which require, quote, significant effort, such as
stripping the bed, doing the dishes or taking out the trash.
All right. Coming up on "The Brief," the midterms are less than two weeks away. President Trump returns to Iowa in hopes of giving Republican
candidates a boost. I will speak with a congressman who left the GOP and is running for reelection as an independent. We'll have that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:25:00]
NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Paula Newton. Here are the international headlines we're watching today.
Russia hit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv overnight with a massive missile attack, killing two people and injuring 34. The attacks came just hours
after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would be willing to resume peace talks with Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the
strikes show there has been no real change in Moscow's attitude.
A newly discovered cyber threat is triggering global concern. Governments and corporations are working to patch flaws in the PHP programming language
that supports most websites. A cybersecurity firm reported millions of hacking attempts after the vulnerabilities revealed with the help of A.I.
Governments in Europe took some websites offline as a precaution.
An earthquake in China's Tibet region has killed at least 16 people. The magnitude 7 quake rocked the city of Nantou in western China. State media
says more than 300 houses have collapsed and dozens have been hurt. Rescue workers are still assessing the extent of the damage.
The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran is taking a devastating toll on the environment, from contaminated waters in the Persian Gulf to toxic acid
rain. The conflict is impacting marine life and Gulf residents alike. Some researchers say that surface oil in the Strait of Hormuz has doubled. CNN's
Paula Hancocks reports on how the environment is in the firing line.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Persian Gulf is one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth. Offshore islands and mangrove forests
provide critical breeding zones for sea turtles, hundreds of species of fish and dugongs, cousin to the manatee. Only the hardiest of marine life
survives in these waters, with sharp temperature changes from hot summers to cool winters. But even that life is increasingly at threat from the U.S.
and Israel's war in Iran.
The first two weeks of war created more carbon pollution than Iceland does in a year, according to the Climate and Community Institute. One group of
satellite oceanographers has been studying the effects of this war from afar, specifically the targeting of vessels in and around the Strait of
Hormuz, the key waterway at the heart of this conflict.
BRIAN BARNES, ASSISTANT RESEARCH PROFESSOR, COLLEGE OF MARINE SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA: Here's a ship that you can see smoke coming
out of and then a plume of presumed oil here.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Brian Barnes says satellite imagery can only show them what is on the surface, but even that limited information from March
2026 is worrying.
BARNES: Very roughly, based on our observations, what we're seeing is at least twice the amount of surface oil in the Persian Gulf area relative to
what we would expect in the absence of a major conflict.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): The Gulf is shallow, it is small, and there's only one entry and exit point connecting it to the wider ocean, so what happens
in the Gulf stays in the Gulf.
BERNHARD RIEGL, PROFESSOR, NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, FLORIDA: If we take a drop of oil and we put it into the water on the Iranian side of the
inflow into the Gulf, a year later it will be in Kuwait, two years later it will be on the Omani side of the Gulf and float out there.
HANCOCKS: Widespread contamination in the Persian Gulf would also have a devastating impact on millions of Gulf residents. Desalinated water
accounts for almost all of the drinking water in both Bahrain and in Qatar. In the other Gulf nations, it accounts for the vast majority. Now,
desalination plants did become a target during this war, threatening to trigger humanitarian and economic shocks.
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HANCOCKS (voice-over): Oil facilities were hit in and around Tehran early March, exposing millions of residents to thick black smoke with reports of
toxic acid rain. Reminiscent of the 1991 Gulf War, as retreating Iraqi forces set fire to hundreds of oil wells in Kuwait, that impact was felt
throughout the Gulf.
RIEGL: The shorelines were devastatingly affected. There was massive mortality of intertidal biota, of mangroves. In fact, in many areas in
Saudi, if you go and you dig into the sand, there's still old oil in there.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Experts worry this war could also undermine our understanding of climate change. Warmer waters in the Persian Gulf are
considered a natural laboratory to see how marine life in oceans elsewhere might adapt as they warm. Another war with a toxic legacy. The environment,
once again, the conflict's silent victim.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Dubai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And welcome back. Two Democratic lawmakers accuse Russia of waging a misinformation campaign ahead of U.S. midterm elections. Senator Mark
Warner and Congressman Jim Himes say they received an intelligence briefing on the Russian campaign and they say it is meant to undermine Democratic
candidates. The two are the ranking Democrats on the Congressional Intelligence Committees.
Joining me now is Congressman Mike Quigley. He's a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee. Now, I just want to -- thank you for being on
the program, first and foremost, and I do want to indicate you did not receive this kind of a briefing, correct?
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Well, the entire committee was briefed on these matters previously in terms of the possibility of Russia influencing
elections or attempting to influence elections. But I can only react to what these two ranking members are saying, not what we've been briefed on.
NEWTON: Understood. You're obviously not going to disclose what you guys heard in those briefings. So, given what they are alleging, what is your
reaction to it?
QUIGLEY: Look, this should be absolutely no surprise. Every election since 2016, Putin has attempted to influence our elections. In 2016, the entire
intel community, all 17 entities at the time, said that Putin was attempting to influence that election to help Trump and hurt Hillary
Clinton, and they said so with a high degree of certainty. Nothing's changed in '18, '20, '22, and '24. We don't expect it to change this year
as this effort continues.
Clearly, the bond, the link between Putin and Trump is complete now. Trump has decided to back the tyrant Putin in the Ukrainian war. He has refused
to say who he wants to win. He's refused to acknowledge that Russia invaded Ukraine and not the hother way around. This latest illegal diesel purchase
funding this war is no surprise.
So, yes, it's a little concerning as I've been to Ukraine five times since Russia invaded. I'm the co-chair of the Ukraine caucus. I'm one of the most
outspoken supporters of Ukraine, you know. So, of course, I am a target.
NEWTON: You also are a veteran on the Hill. I want to ask you, why have you not been able to do anything about this in terms of convincing as well
your colleagues across the aisle who support Ukraine? And I know that you've taken trips with them. Why are they not able to do anything about
this? Because right now, as you know, the future of Ukraine, not just Ukraine, but its civilians right now at this hour, their future and their
safety hangs in the balance.
QUIGLEY: I think it's a broader issue when we look at the Republican Party today. What was the Reagan doctrine, right? Reagan was the leader of the
Republican Party. The Reagan doctrine said that we will do everything we can to defend our allies against Russian aggression. I would say the Reagan
doctrine is dead. This is no longer a Republican Party. It's the party of Trump.
When we last passed a supplemental, a military supplemental, to aid Ukraine in this war, about 50 percent of the Republicans supported Ukraine.
[18:35:00]
Now, to me, that means roughly three quarters of the House supports Ukraine. But it gets tough when you get so close in these vote margins. So,
I suspect for there to be real change, the gavels have to change so these bills can get on the floor and allow these Republicans, I'd say 50 percent
of them, to aid in this effort and to call out Putin for what they're doing here and to make sure the intel community is protecting us and not siding
with Russia.
NEWTON: Even if the gavels do change, though, why do you believe that intelligence like this doesn't seem to register at the White House or with
other members of the GOP? I mean, as you said, this has been going on a long time. American voters are susceptible to this, this disinformation
campaign. As you said, there have been a lot of investigations and a lot of intelligence that's come to light and been disclosed.
QUIGLEY: Look, let's just put this in perspective. When you ask about the White House, Trump hasn't just sided with Putin on this war. He has praised
him. He has said that Ukraine is the one that needs the new president. It's the theater of the absurd.
Just recently, the special envoy, Witkoff, who could be involved in these negotiations again, said that Putin was a humanitarian, right? I stood on
the mass grave at Bucha. I saw the flattened maternity hospital. I talked to parents whose children were kidnapped and taken into Russia.
So, if Trump has praised Putin and his envoy has called him a humanitarian, to think they're going to care if we're targeted? You know, it's just not
going to happen. So, I believe that, again, about half the Republicans in the House want to do something about this. They're equally concerned. But
at this point in time, the agents of chaos give the American public something else to worry about every day, including the war in Iran.
So, it's hard to get people to focus on an issue like this, given how important it is. They still won't do it. I'm as concerned with this as I am
with the fact that the president, about six weeks ago, said that he was planting a false flag, saying he may have to do something because he thinks
someone's going to steal this election from another country.
I think he's creating the reasons for doing something dramatic. I don't know if that's confiscating voting machines. I don't know if it's National
Guard. But I'm concerned about it domestically as well.
NEWTON: Congressman Mike Quigley, certainly everyone would like these midterms to go off in an orderly fashion. The early voting seems to have
been going fine so far. So, we will continue to keep up with you, especially after we get the results of those midterms. And as I know, you
are likely going to be headed back to Ukraine. Congressman, thanks for your time. I appreciate it.
QUIGLEY: Thank you. Take care.
NEWTON: And we'll be right back with more news in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
NEWTON: And welcome back. The U.S. midterm elections are less than two weeks away. And candidates are making a final push for support.
U.S. President Donald Trump is on his way to deep red state of Iowa, where Republicans are trying to hold on to a key Senate seat. Now, President
Trump will speak in Sioux City next hour as he tries to shore up support for Iowa's Republican candidates. You'll remember he won Iowa by more than
13 points in 2024. But now, polls are showing, in fact, a tight race for the state's open Senate seat.
U.S. Congressman Kevin Kiley is running for reelection in California as an independent after leaving the GOP. And he joins us now.
Really good to have you on the program. And I'm interested to hear your insights that you've gotten from voters. But before that, I do want to make
clear here that your district office closed after staff discovered a suspicious powder in an envelope.
It was sent to several lawmakers. I just want to make sure everyone's OK. And do you have an update on that investigation?
KEVIN KILEY (I-CA): Yes, everyone is fine. You know, with the staff member who discovered this exactly what it was supposed to and took it to a
quarantined area. We soon learned that there were a few other offices in California and across the country that had received similar items. And, you
know, as far as we know, nothing was toxic. And our office opened up the next business day.
NEWTON: So, Congressman, I'm wondering what you are hearing from voters who may have voted for you as a Republican, what they think of your
independent stand now. And do you believe it has to do almost entirely with President Trump and his approval rating?
KILEY: Well, from the moment I ran for office, actually, I said I was going to be an independent voice for our district. And so, I'm always
someone who has looked at the issue, has looked at how it's going to impact the folks that I represent and made a decision on that basis. So, this is
really just a natural extension of that.
And folks, you know, have responded really well. I think that whether we're talking about Republicans, Democrats, independents, people who belong to
other parties, everyone that I've talked to finds it just refreshing, the idea that, all right, let's put the partisan label aside. Let's just talk
about the issues. I think the one thing, if anything, that we can all agree on is that partisanship has just gotten out of control. It's weakening our
country. It's making it more difficult to do the things that we need to get done in Congress.
And so, I think with this race, by potentially being only the second independent elected to the House in 70 years, we can really take an
important step in charting a different course.
NEWTON: Do you expect that you may have more power in Congress, though, by not pledging to vote with one party or the other, especially if the gavel
changes hands?
KILEY: Oh, absolutely. And we've seen that already. For example, I was able to provide the decisive signature on the Ukraine Support Act to get
that to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. Otherwise, it would never have received a vote at all. And once it got to the floor, it
passed in a bipartisan vote and created momentum for the Russian sanctions bill to eventually come out of the Senate. So, absolutely.
And the ability to say that I'm going to work with both sides and hold both sides accountable, I think, does has allowed me to deliver for my district,
my state and my state in unique ways.
NEWTON: So, if the Democrats do take Congress and the gavel does change, as I say, some are suggesting that they would, in fact, look into having
investigations, not just into President Trump, but members of the Cabinet. Would you actively work to hold the president or the members of his Cabinet
accountable? Do you think that's going to be productive for Americans?
KILEY: Of course, I'll work to hold them accountable. I've done that already. I mean, I, for example, cross-examined Kristi Noem and took her to
task for a number of failings, and then she was fired the next day. That's just part of the job description, as far as I'm concerned, of being a
member of Congress, is holding the executive branch accountable, conducting meaningful oversight, regardless of which party.
NEWTON: Right. But we've been here before. Yes, but we've been here before, Congressman. And then the Republican Party said that they would
hold their president accountable. They did not. He's been reelected.
[18:45:00]
So, I'm wondering if there were, for instance, articles of impeachment drafted towards the secretary of defense, do you think that -- you know,
that that is something that should be done, given the conduct that you've seen so far from the secretary?
KILEY: So, this is precisely my point, is that when you have the same party that controls Congress and the White House, you don't get rigorous
oversight, where it should not be a party issue. It's a matter of separation of powers and checks and balances, and there should always be
meaningful oversight, regardless of what the particular party arrangement or balance of power is.
As far as any impeachment against any particular officer, of course, I would evaluate it on the merits as presented, whether or not impeachable
offensives had been committed. But that's just one of the many different tools of oversight that are available. I've been very critical of the
current House for not exercising those to the full in the full way that we should. And regardless of who is in control of the next Congress, I believe
that oversight is vitally important.
NEWTON: Yes. And it is something that Americans believe has been missing. I know in our CNN poll released just this week, we were surprised to see
the issue of corruption so high up. What are you hearing from voters about that issue? Is it resonating? Because I know, especially in California,
affordability is a big deal. Do you also hear, though, the issue of corruption?
KILEY: You know, I do, and I think people are tired of it at all levels. I think that there are people who look at some of the things that have been
going on in the federal government and find it deeply troubling and think that there needs to be a lot more accountability and oversight. They also
look at the fact that the chief of staff or the current governor of California has been indicted on federal corruption charges.
And so, I think people think there needs to be a lot more accountability in both Sacramento and Washington. And that's one of the ways, again, that I
think I'm different than my opponent and perhaps a lot of other folks is that I'm serving as a check and balance against both bringing
accountability to our state government and our federal government using every tool available.
NEWTON: OK. I hope you come back. We'll see what the results are from the midterms and the stakes very high for all American voters, as I'm sure
you've heard as well. Thank you so much. Really appreciate your time.
KILEY: You bet. Thanks for having me.
NEWTON: Next, head-to-head, but certainly not eye to eye. Two political heavyweights battle for the top job in Brazil. We look at the massive
economic challenges facing whoever wins this Sunday's presidential election.
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NEWTON: So, the son of imprisoned former president versus the man already in charge. That's the choice facing Brazilians as they vote for a new
president this Sunday.
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of controversial former leader Jair Bolsonaro, faces current president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Polls this
week showed the right-wing Bolsonaro ahead, though the gap is narrowing. Whoever wins will have to tackle Brazil's major economic issues, including
high debt and low growth.
[18:50:00]
Our next guest says investors are hoping a right-wing government will create opportunities for reform. Monica de Bolle is a senior fellow at the
Peterson Institute for International Economics. She says even if Bolsonaro wins, it may not be enough for the economy. Writing for Foreign Affairs,
Bolle says, quote, "The policies he has put forward are nothing close to the substantial fiscal consolidation program that will be necessary to
bring down debt and stimulate private investment. And his determination to weaken Brazil's political institutions creates the kind of uncertainty that
scares investors away."
And Monica de Bolle joins us now with more on the battle ahead for Brazil's economy. You know, a lot on the line. Firstly, thank you so much for
joining us. And there is a lot on the line here for Brazil. Can you kind of give us, you know, the status of this race?
I covered the election four years ago. I think the first phase of this really shocked many people because the polls didn't exactly get it right.
So, what do you think? Do you think it's definitive now that it is most likely that a right-wing president will come into office?
MONICA DE BOLLE, SENIOR FELLOW, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: No, I actually do not. And thank you for having me. I don't.
And in fact, we just had -- there was just a release of a poll a few minutes ago that show -- that shows Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro tied, tied by
numbers. They're 50-50 in the polls at the moment. So, there was quite a turnaround from what happened in the in the first round of the elections.
And it looks like, you know, at this point, anything can happen.
NEWTON: I've known Brazilians to be very shrewd and tactical voters. So, perhaps it shouldn't surprise me that the polls have tightened that way now
that we're in the runoff. I do want to turn to this issue of the economy. In your most recent article, we just said that, look, this is imperfect any
way you slice it. And I've been following the promises from both ends.
I mean, what do you think is the best way forward for the economy? And I'm not talking in a partisan way. No matter who wins, what does that leader
need to do? Because Lula has been unable to do it in the last four years.
DE BOLLE: Exactly. And the situation really is very challenging. Brazil has a very high debt ratio at the moment. The fiscal accounts that are in
shambles, households are in very, very -- are in a lot of trouble with very high debt levels. So, really, the next president is going to have many,
many challenges in front of them. And it's just -- the proposals on the table at the moment are populist.
Lula is sort of representing a controlled populism. Flavio Bolsonaro is kind of an unknown. But his proposals so far are also populist in nature.
So, neither of them are actually offering solutions. And in fact, what they're offering is only going to make the problems worse.
NEWTON: Do you think, though, that whoever is elected here, that they will in the end have to do what investors ask them to do? Because this has gone
on for many, many years.
DE BOLLE: Well, yes. In a way, they will inevitably, because the fiscal situation is not -- the country is not facing an imminent crisis, but it is
certainly facing an imminent threat of perhaps facing a crisis sometime down the road.
So, inevitably, somebody, whomever that happens to be, will have to adopt some kind of fiscal adjustment. The problem is that the budget situation in
Brazil is extremely tight. There isn't a lot of room for maneuver. And any kind of fiscal adjustment would likely involve cutting social programs and
cutting social programs in a country as divided as Brazil.
With demonstrations going on in the country right now, it would probably continue to have this effect of bringing people out to the streets and
keeping the situation very unstable. So, it really is a knife-edge kind of issue or scenario that we're facing right now.
NEWTON: And to add to that the fact that both of these political parties, in fact, both of these leaders have had allegations of corruption, that
does not help a government at all. Do you think an era of true reform on that is likely, considering Brazil in a certain way has not turned a page
on its political leaders? These are still very much a holdover from decades past.
DE BOLLE: Yes, exactly. I mean, Lula, if he wins, it will be his fourth term in office. And Flavio Bolsonaro, even though as a person he's a new
political figure, he represents a dynasty in Brazilian politics, the Bolsonaro family. So, there really hasn't been any political renewal
whatsoever in Brazil. And that is unlikely to happen in the next few years.
[18:55:00]
And so, I think what the country is heading into is a very, very difficult phase because I cannot see any of these two candidates actually pulling off
a huge reform effort that the country needs. And it does not help that the political situation within the Brazilian Congress at the moment is also
very divided.
NEWTON: Yes. And the divided Congress, as you said, is also something that hobbles Brazil in a certain way in terms of getting anything done. Monica,
I want to thank you for your insights. And it is an election, of course, that we'll be watching closely. Appreciate it.
DE BOLLE: Thank you very much.
NEWTON: And finally, now turning to sports. Doesn't that sound fun? Football superstar Lionel Messi is being honored with one of Spain's most
prestigious awards. The Argentine World Cup winner and Inter-Miami captain has been named the recipient of the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for
Sports. The honor recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions to sports. A ceremony is set for Friday in Spain.
All right. I want to thank you for your company. I'm Paula Newton in New York. You've been watching "The Brief." Please stay with CNN for more news.
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