Diesel Deal Blowback 

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0:47Pamela Brown: Happening now, diesel deal blowback. The Trump administration facing bipartisan backlash this morning with some warning. The deal is defying federal law. And we're also hearing new reaction this morning from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about President Trump's so-called energy ceasefire. Plus, new video shows the terrifying moment a Saudi airport was hit in a deadly Houthi attack and flash flooding. Concerns remain in the southwest as rain soaks the region. Plus, Pope Leo announces surgery to remove a lung nodule. We're live from Rome with the latest. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world.

1:33Pamela Brown: I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is on assignment. You're in the Situation Room.

1:46Pamela Brown: This is CNN Breaking News. All that coming up and we're following some major breaking news right now. This morning, federal agents have launched a search at the home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Let's go live to CNN's Caitlin Polantz, who's working the story for us. Caitlin, what are you learning? Wolf, the Justice Department spokesperson who's confirmed this already indicating that it is immigration related and that it is a likely criminal investigation here. This is the statement from the Justice Department this morning. Today in the Washington, D.C. area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice.

2:27This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation, a federal criminal investigation that involves Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a Democrat who has been in Congress since 2018 and who is running again. And Wolf, we are less than a month until the election early voting has begun in the United States for the midterm elections of Congress. This is a really unusual step for the Justice Department and Homeland Security investigators to be taking because this is not just an average person. This is someone who is a member of Congress and who is running for re-election.

3:11What do we know about this investigation? There is very little else that is out there as far as detail, although the White House and other Republicans have been critical of Omar for some time now. She was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen after immigrating here. And there is some indication that there could be an immigration violation under investigation. Here's a little bit more from White House Border Czar Tom Homan, who was asked about this search this morning on Fox News. We know this investigation was ongoing for a while. There wasn't a warrant executed this morning. So I'll leave it at that.

3:50It's specific to the investigation. I think I need to turn that over to Todd Blanchard, Mark Wayne Mullin. I don't want to get ahead of them. Also very unusual, Wolf, to hear any member of the administration commenting on an ongoing investigation where there has not been any criminal charges filed or any end result. We're waiting to see what else we can learn this morning about Representative Omar. and what this investigation exactly may entail, although we do believe it would involve some level of immigration enforcement. Wolf?

4:23Pamela Brown: Dramatic development indeed. We'll stay in close touch with you, Caitlin. Thank you very, very much. I want to get to the weekend right now and the backlash. It's a whiplash that's involving President Trump and Russia's war in Ukraine. The president is facing very fierce blowback right now after making a shocking diesel deal with the Kremlin. It's the president's latest attempt to drive down energy prices just ahead of the midterm elections. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are warning that President Trump is handing Russian President Vladimir Putin a financial lifeline while Russian missiles are killing Ukrainian civilians.

5:02Pamela Brown: Yesterday, President Trump took things a step further, announcing what he described as an immediate, quote, energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. This morning, President Zelensky says Russia has already violated that surprise ceasefire, if in fact it's a ceasefire, by launching new strikes hitting a power plant in the Kharkiv area of Ukraine overnight. Joining us now is CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak and CNN political and global affairs analyst Barack Ravid. Kevin, you first. What is the White House saying about all of these dramatic developments? Right. And this energy ceasefire that the president announced yesterday seemed to have come as a surprise to Zelensky, who said he hadn't heard anything about it before the president announced it.

5:50But also, the Kremlin has not confirmed that it will participate in any such truce. And in fact, what Zelensky has said since then is that Russia continues to target some of its power infrastructure. And so just how real this energy ceasefire is remains to be seen. But it is clear that the president is looking both to bring down diesel prices in the United States, but also looking for someone to blame for the higher diesel prices in the United States. And that person seems to be Volodymyr Zelensky, the president fiercely critical of the Ukrainian leader over the weekend. You know, I asked him about the criticism of this diesel deal, and he really lashed out at Zelensky, saying that the U.S.

6:33had asked Ukraine over and over again to halt its attacks on Russian diesel refineries, but that the Ukrainians had refused and even going as far as saying that Ukraine should now elect a new president. So really kind of a remarkable swing of the pendulum in the president's really hot and cold relationship with Zelensky. But at this point, it's not really clear that any ceasefire is in effect or that any steps that the president has taken so far, including that deal with Vladimir Putin, will have a meaningful effect on diesel prices here in the U.S.

7:07Pamela Brown: Barack, I know you had a chance to speak with President Zelensky when this so-called energy ceasefire deal was announced. What did he tell you? What did he tell you?

7:45yesterday that there's an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. He heard it from Trump's true social post, and he knew nothing about it before. And what President Zelensky told me is that, you know, I'm ready for a ceasefire, but just, you know, he wanted President Trump in the White House to tell him what hour the ceasefire begins so that he can order his forces to stop. And I think at least what I heard from White House officials yesterday was that what the president was talking about was not what Zelensky is talking about. Zelensky is talking about a ceasefire that means Ukraine doesn't heat refineries, doesn't heat any energy infrastructure in Russia.

8:36And in return, Russia doesn't heat any energy infrastructure in Ukraine, including power plants and electrical grid. What President Trump was talking about is that both Russia and Ukraine will stop targeting each other's refineries. The only difference is that Ukraine has only one refinery that has been attacked numerous times by Russia and is not really functional. Russia has numerous refineries, so it's not really a balanced deal. And therefore, I think that at least for now, First, we did not hear from Russia that it's even ready for such a very, very, very narrow ceasefire, just a refinery for refinery.

9:16Even that the Russians did not say yes. And not to mention a wider deal that the Russians don't seem to want.

9:23Pamela Brown: It was interesting. President Zelensky actually criticized this so-called diesel deal with Russia. And then President Trump started calling for a new leader for Ukraine. Now, what does this deal mean for Ukraine? and for the European allies who are supporting Ukraine?

9:46Pamela Brown: Is it you're asking me, Wolf? Yes. Go ahead, Barack. Yeah, sorry. Yeah, sorry. So I think that both the Ukrainians and the European countries who were at the meeting in Miami, the Germans, the French, the Brits, representatives of NATO, the EU, they were all in the meeting in Miami on Friday when they were told by the U.S. side, listen, the president is talking to Putin now and in an hour there's going to be an announcement that we're lifting sanctions and to allow diesel exports from Russia to the U.S. They were all shocked and I think they're still trying to figure out what exactly happened.

10:30And obviously, they oppose this deal vehemently. And they think that all this deal is going to do is going to give Vladimir Putin more money to pay for more weapons, more missiles, more drones in order to continue the war against Ukraine. This is how the Ukrainians see it. This is how the Europeans see it.

10:52Pamela Brown: And the president can unilaterally end these sanctions, go into a new deal with Russia, even though Congress passed sanctions against Russia. Is that right? Well, I think that's still a question, because the president signed just, I think, several weeks ago, the Lindsey Graham law to impose more sanctions on Russia, and it was sanctions about oil, oil sales. And apparently this decision to do this diesel deal with Russia is contradictory to this law. So again, I'm not a legal expert, but I think there are a lot of questions on whether it's even possible. And whether it's even legal, to be sure.

11:44Pamela Brown: All right, Barack Ravid. Thank you very much, Kevin. Let me get another question to you while I still have you. I know there's some new reporting on Kimberly Guilfoyle's role as the United States ambassador to Greece. She's facing a lot of massive allegations about essentially selling access to the administration and taking lavish gifts before she was even confirmed. What are your sources telling you now. What's the latest on this? Yeah, and there are a lot of Trump allies who view this as kind of an embarrassing scandal for them. And now I understand from a person familiar that the president is considering potentially firing her from that job.

12:21He hasn't appeared to make a decision on that front just yet. But clearly, these reports have made their way to the president. You know, I asked him about it on Friday, and his response was pretty lukewarm. He offered no real defense of Guelfoyle just saying that she was a nice person. Now, her lawyers have actually put out a lengthy statement this morning saying that on the question of this Trump donor who she was asking to pay off her$100 ,000 American Express bill, she says, or her lawyers say that she was actually just trying to collect a debt for services provided to him. They also say that when it comes to these private airplane flights that she accepted from Greek shipping magnets, that those were cleared through the State Department's ethics department.

13:08But nonetheless, this is all becoming, I think, a problem for President Trump and the White House. One of the reasons that they are so frustrated by it is that these allegations emerged as Marco Rubio was in Greece delivering a speech about democracy from the Acropolis. And I'm told that Rubio will be involved in the decision on whether to dismiss her from this job.

13:29Pamela Brown: We'll see how long she lasts, if in fact she lasts at all. Kevin Liptak reporting for us. Thank you very, very much. Still ahead, attorneys for the man shot by ICE agents in New York say he's enduring, quote, horrific conditions while in detention. What the New York City mayor and the Department of Homeland Security secretary, Mark Mullen, are now saying about the case. And later, caught on camera. A trooper and good Samaritan jump into action to rescue a driver from a sinking car. Stay with us. You're in the Situation Room.

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14:51Pamela Brown: Book direct at choicehotels.com. Happening now, ICE tactics under more scrutiny after violent encounters in New York and Houston. Lawyers for 28-year-old Oscar Belgal say he's in solitary confinement with a bullet still lodged inside his neck. ICE agents shot the Dominican man as he was driving with his five-year-old son in the back seat. The New York City mayor, Zoran Mamdani, has repeatedly condemned the ICE agency, calling for it to be dismantled. Listen. We are talking about a federal agency that shot at a moving vehicle in broad daylight while its agents were wearing construction vests using long guns and left New Yorkers in terror.

15:41What New Yorkers want to see is an end to ICE operations across our city. That is something that I made clear directly to the president. That is something I made clear directly to the secretary.

15:53Pamela Brown: All right, let's go live right now to CNN correspondent Priscilla Alvarez. She's been working the story. She's got new details. What else are you learning from his attorneys, for example, Priscilla? Well, if we are learning more about the condition of Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old Dominican national, who was the target of this operation that you referenced and that the mayor referenced there. So let me read you the statement from the attorney. It says, while he is currently in solitary confinement, a bullet remains lodged in his neck. The left side of his face is numb and he can barely hear out of his left ear.

16:26Doctors have told him he urgently needs surgery, but that the procedure was too dangerous to perform Thursday evening without a specialized surgeon present. Although he was instructed to return to the hospital this week, he has been left in the dark about whether that surgery will even happen. He is also suffering from a shoulder wound caused by shattered glass during the incident. Now, his attorneys have filed a habeas claim they are trying to get him released from detention. That is still ongoing, though the federal judge in that case did say that he has to remain in the country while all of this unfolds.

16:57And there really is a lot still unfolding here. The Department of Homeland Security is conducting its investigation into this incident along with the FBI. We do know from what the secretary has said that this was an individual who was targeted before last September because he has ties to a gang and he has a criminal history. And this was another attempt to arrest him that we saw play out last week. Although, of course, this time he did have his five-year-old child in the car, which agents did not know at the time. That is according to the secretary. Of course, there are still questions as to all of the circumstances leading around it, including whether they are going to release body camera footage of those moments.

17:42And this is what the secretary told RJ Tapper yesterday about that. Is the ICE agent's body cam footage going to be released to the public as well? And if so, when? I'm sure it will be right now. FBI and HSI are doing the investigation. So as it develops and we get all the information out correctly, we'll release information at due time. One thing that we have learned for sure is that we never want to get ahead of the investigation. That's even with me and the speech or the conversations that I have about it. I want to be very clear that the investigation will go through. And when we find it and we complete the investigation, we'll be very, very transparent with the public.

18:24So the secretary indicating there that there's a possibility the body cam footage may be released in the future. Of course, the investigation is ongoing. And overall, the department continues to defend its tactics, including last Thursday when they discharged their weapon on this Dominican national.

18:41Pamela Brown: And Priscilla, there was another ICE encounter in Texas on Saturday when officials say a man was hit by a vehicle driven by ICE officers during an enforcement operation. What more can you tell us about what happened? Well, as you said, Wolf, this was, again, another operation, a targeted operation, according to ICE. There was one individual specifically that they were targeting in this, but there were two people in the vehicle. Both of them fled the scene. One of them, the target of the operation, remains missing, while the other was struck by a vehicle driven by ICE agents. Now, ICE has said that they rendered aid on the scene and that he ran in front of the vehicle.

19:20You're seeing some of the video right there on your screen. This is another incident that's going to be under investigation that includes the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which we'll be looking into this. But the condition of the man, Miguel Parra Hernandez, a Mexican national, is he has two broken legs and he was scheduled to undergo surgery. So this is another incident that came on the heels of what happened in New York, as well as many other incidents that have transpired this year where there will be an investigation unfolding. where we're still trying to get answers on our questions about what exactly unfolded in all of these moments.

19:56Because, Wolf, as you know, we often get bits and pieces of these videos, but not all of the sequence of events.

20:02Pamela Brown: Priscilla Alvarez, a lot going on. Thank you very, very much. Coming up, President Trump is now weighing whether the United States will join Saudi Arabia's fight against Iran-backed Qutis after another deadly attack on a major airport, the largest airport, at the major international airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. We'll have the latest developments. That's next.

20:31Pamela Brown: Happening now, new video shows the terrifying moment. A deadly strike hit Saudi Arabia's main international airport. A warning that the video contains graphic content that some viewers may find this video troubling. You can see people lined up to board their flight just before the moment the strike occurred. The blast also caused part of the ceiling to collapse. That attack by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. At least 13 people were killed, including a U.S. citizen. Hundreds, hundreds more were injured. The airport in Riyadh was struck a second time over the weekend and, of course, remains closed right now.

21:16Pamela Brown: Let's go live to CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nick Robertson, who's covering all of this for us. We're learning, Nick, that President Trump is actually weighing whether to join Saudi Arabia and retaliate against Houthi targets in Yemen. How might that play out? What's the latest? What are you hearing? it's something the saudi's would like they wanted to be they want to be able to project stability at the moment stability across the country because they need international investment and president trump stepping in behind saudi arabia would be a real affirmation of that they want to protect project strength as well strength because crown prince muhammad bin salman sees himself as one of the most powerful leaders in the region so how can he be beaten back by these Houthis who've now had these four deadly strikes in five days on this particular airport in the capital.

22:08So an incredibly negative message that's being seen across the region for the Saudis. So U.S. support, what does that look like? Well, we know the United States is already providing over 100 intelligence officers who are trying to help the Saudis provide detailed information about what the Houthis have on the ground, where their troop concentrations are. Most importantly, where are their rocket launchers? Where are their missile launchers? Where else, you know, what sort of storage facilities do they have for some of those systems and how can they be defeated? So ramping up the sort of level and frequency of intelligence assessment coming from the United States would be beneficial.

22:48Could the United States Air Force join the Saudis in those strikes? The Saudis have up-tempoed their strikes to try to secure more territory on the ground inside of Yemen. But as we have witnessed earlier this year, with the United States and Israel both striking hard at Iran for over a month, it is difficult in these environments, mountainous environments, where the forces in those countries hide their weapon systems away. It's hard to defeat them conclusively. So the Saudis are really in a hard place right now. They are building an international coalition. They are considering ground force movement inside of Yemen to back up airstrikes.

23:28But what would U.S. support look like? It would look like a very positive signal for the Saudis right now. Wolf?

23:35Pamela Brown: Yeah, this war could escalate dramatically very, very soon. Nick Robertson, thank you very, very much. Coming up, counting down to the midterm elections here in the United States, we'll be joined by Democratic Congressman Raja Krishna Murthy as voters will head to the polls in just about three weeks, the roadblocks Democrats could face from the White House if they pull off major wins.

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24:33Pamela Brown: Happening now, sources tell CNN the Trump administration is warning Ukraine that the U.S. potentially could suspend intelligence sharing with Ukraine and European purchases of U.S. weapons if if Kiev does not halt its strikes on Russian energy facilities. That according to two European officials. President Trump has blamed Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries for contributing to higher diesel prices in the United States. Let's talk about that and more with Democratic Congressman Rajat Krishnamurthy of Illinois. Congressman, thanks very much for joining us. A European official tells CNN that the intelligence sharing and weapons purchases are vital to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

25:17Pamela Brown: But what do you make of this threat right now to a U.S. ally? Well, I think that it would just hurt our national security. It would embolden Putin to continue to pursue his illegal and criminal invasion and attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and on civilians. I think that essentially at this point we should be trying to get the parties to the negotiating table. And the way to do that is to use our leverage with regard to Putin and put pressure on Putin rather than on Zelensky. So this is very counterproductive to ending this war. As you know, President Trump also announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to what he called an energy ceasefire.

26:04Pamela Brown: The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he did not know anything about this so-called ceasefire when it was announced, and that Russia has already violated it, if in fact it exists. Ukraine is targeting Russian energy facilities to damage the Kremlin's war machine. Is the White House interfering with Ukraine's ability to defend itself? Yes, and I think that there is no ceasefire. In fact, right after this so-called ceasefire was proclaimed, the Russians immediately attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure. At the end of the day, I think, again, the president is trying to distract attention from the Iran war, which is the real cause of$6 gas and$7 diesel.

26:51The American people want that illegal and unconstitutional war to end right now. And whatever Trump is doing to try to distract attention from the Iran war is not working to really resolve the underlying crisis there. And I think that it's going to prolong economic problems for the American people.

27:11Pamela Brown: A Republican congressman, Brian Fitzpatrick, says he will introduce a bipartisan bill to try to stop the deal. Would you support that move? Yes. Look, this this deal has three big problems. One, it's illegal. It's against American law to import Russian fuel and basically fuel their war machine in Ukraine. Secondly, this deal is completely ineffective if it exists. The amount of diesel that the Russians would release to the United States is less than one day's worth of diesel consumption in the United States. It's not enough to move prices downward, even if it existed. And then third, again, it does not deal with the underlying problem, which is the Iran war.

28:02The Iran war is what has caused prices to skyrocket, oil prices to skyrocket beyond$100 a barrel. And that, in turn, is causing a cascade of problems. I mean, people are paying much higher prices for groceries. They're paying much higher prices for everything from health care to education to rent. And unless and until you deal with that crisis, ending the Iran war, nothing else is going to matter.

28:34Pamela Brown: I also want to ask you, Congressman, about Kimberly Guilfoyle, the embattled U.S. ambassador to Greece. CNN has learned that President Trump is actually considering firing her after a string of reports accusing her of misconduct. Would you like to see Kimberly Guilfoyle removed from her post as the U.S. ambassador to Greece? Well, that would be the first in a number of moves that the Trump administration needs to make to end the corruption that's pervasive in this administration. But it really starts with Trump. Right. I mean, at this point, Trump and the Trump family are kind of the impetus. And when they practice corruption, everyone else beneath them says, well, if they can do it, why not me?

29:19And so, again, I think all of this ends, hopefully, or starts to end with the midterm elections. And that's why I think the American people need to put Democrats back in charge of Congress to put a check on this pervasive corruption that's really causing the American people a bevy of problems, including the Iran war, by the way, where the Trump administration's Jared Kushner is actively pursuing a policy. for the Saudis at odds with what the American people want. But it also extends to a number of other areas of the economy where the Trump administration is pocketing gains and the American people are paying the price.

30:04Pamela Brown: Amidst all of this right now, Congressman, federal officers are carrying out a search at Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's D.C. area home as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. First of all, do you know anything at all about this? No, but it looks highly suspicious. Three weeks before Election Day, it looks like a political ploy. And on top of that, remember, the president has used really disgusting Islamophobic rhetoric against Ilhan Omar, which also leads one to believe that this is a pretext. And so I'm very suspicious of what's happening here today. And again, this is another indication of the DOJ and law enforcement and DHS being used as a political tool against the president's political enemies, which is also deeply disturbing.

30:59Pamela Brown: Congressman Raja Krishnamurthy, as usual, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much, Will. And happening now, a new report says AI could force some 11 million U.S. workers into new careers by 2035 and that it could create more jobs than it kills. All this comes after a CNN poll found three quarters of Americans have fears and concerns about AI's growth and development. Here's what Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said yesterday. Listen. We really do need to make a decision as a society, how do we tax AI usage or robot usage, and where do we want to make sure the human jobs are preserved?

31:45The idea that you need to reserve things for humans may sound bizarre, but in fact, you know, we will get there and then we will decide politically, are there things that we think only humans should be allowed to do.

32:03Pamela Brown: CNN Business Senior Reporter David Goldman is joining us right now to help us make some sense out of all of this. David, today's question, could AI actually create more jobs than it destroys? It could, Wolf, but I think the question is, what kind of jobs are we talking about? We all know that AI can automate a lot of our tasks, and that could cause us to lose about 36 million jobs over the next decade, according to this new study that you referenced from McKinsey. But look at this. We could also create about 40 million jobs, building out the infrastructure to support all of this. So what is it that we're really looking at?

32:44Well, 25 million workers, according to the study, will not need to leave their jobs in order to, you know, continue in the world that AI is taking over, basically. But 11 million will. And by 2035, we might have 6.5 % of the labor force displaced. Now, could they go somewhere? Yeah, maybe. Because remember, the labor force itself is shrinking because people are getting older and we're not replacing those workers with immigrants and people are having fewer kids. And so we don't have a young labor force. About 6 million workers over the course of the next six years are expected to drop out of the labor force.

33:26You can see it here. It's already happening. In 2022, more than 39 % of the workforce was older than 55. and now it's under 37%. So this is something that will continue to happen. Could those jobs that AI takes go into the jobs that people are leaving? Perhaps. But what kind of jobs are we talking about? Well, we have electricians, we have plumbers, we have construction workers. All of these are to build AI data centers. Is that the kind of job that you want? Well, it might have to be because of the 8 ,000 jobs, the 5 % of all jobs that are posted on LinkedIn that are AI jobs, well, they're really just not entry-level jobs, around 71 % are for senior-level positions.

34:19And what are we talking about there? We're talking about data analysts, machine learning scientists, AI engineers. This stuff is making my head explode. This isn't something that you can just get into. You need a lot of training for this. The kind of jobs that might be available are the ones that are going to build out the AI infrastructure to power all of this, Wolf.

34:39Pamela Brown: Yeah, makes my head explode as well. All right, David Goldman, thank you very, very much. And to our viewers, if you'd like David to help you make it make sense, email your question or questions or send us a selfie video of your question to makeitmakesense at CNN.com. We'll have more news right after a break.

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35:49Pamela Brown: Happening now, President Trump is considering joining Saudi Arabia in strikes on Houthis in Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis have struck Saudi Arabia multiple times in recent weeks, including deadly strikes on the Riyadh International Airport over the weekend. New video shows the moments the devastating strike hit the airport. Just a word of caution that this video contains some graphic elements. You can see people were lined up to board their flights just moments before the strike. The blast also caused part to the ceiling to collapse. With us now is CNN military analyst, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Layton, and Sabrina Singh.

36:29Pamela Brown: She's a CNN global affairs commentator, former deputy Pentagon press secretary during the Biden administration. Sabrina, let me start with you. President Trump in the past has largely resisted Saudi requests for direct U.S. military intervention, but could it be different this time? It certainly could be different this time. I think Saudi is making the plea to this administration to get involved. But you'll remember last year during operation during the operations against the Houthis that this administration launched, they were spending almost a billion dollars on those operations a day just to combat some of those Houthi capabilities.

37:08And we are still seeing the Houthis have retained a vast number of capabilities and being able to expand out beyond their military targets, but really heading economic targets, including that east-west pipeline that we know Saudi has relied on, on moving oil out of the Strait of Hormuz across the country and up the Red Sea. And we also know that this hit on this airport really hits at their economic priorities when it comes to trying to make Saudi feel the pain. I mean, there is a large conference that the crown prince had organized for this week. And the fact that the Houthis have been able to disrupt global travel to Saudi, it's just another economic impact that Saudi and the rest of the world is going to feel if the Houthis continues these attacks.

37:54So to answer your question, Wolf, I do think that the Trump administration feels a little bit more pressure to intervene. But will they? I think that remains to be seen.

38:02Pamela Brown: Colonel Layton, if the U.S. were to join Saudi attacks on the Houthis in Yemen, what impact would that likely have? Well, there'd be several impacts. Of course, one of them would be on the Houthis. They themselves would be subject to probably more bombing attacks, like we've seen just recently where the Saudis attacked the Sana 'a airport in response to the attack on the Riyadh airport. So that type of activity would continue. And there would be more attacks against their headquarters, against their missile emplacements and things of that nature. I think an effort would also be made to go after any Houthi positions on Parham Island, which is near or in the Bab al-Mendeb Strait.

38:45So that would be one other area. And the possibility also exists that both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia would try to alleviate pressure on the Yemeni city of Taiz, which is where the Houthis are trying to basically mount an offensive and capture that city. That would be the third largest city in Yemen. And that would open up the way to Aden, which is the capital of the officially recognized or internationally recognized government. So those are the kinds of things that would happen. Now, on the U.S. side, Wolf, what would happen is that we would be stretched a bit thin because we were, of course, mounting that blockade against the Iranians in the Persian Gulf.

39:24And that would, of course, be tested as far as the ability to continue that and then maintain operations against the Houthis. So it would, in essence, be somewhat of a two-front effort on the Arabian Peninsula.

39:37Pamela Brown: And Colonel Layton, I also want to move on to Russia and Ukraine right now. Very dramatic developments unfolding. President Trump declared over the weekend that both sides had agreed to what he called an energy ceasefire. Ukraine's President Zelensky said he was unaware of any such agreement before it was announced. Is any ceasefire likely to hold at this point? I don't think so. One of the key things that we're looking at here, Wolf, is that both the Russians and the Ukrainians have continued activity. The Ukrainians in response to Russian attacks on a major power plant in the Kharkiv area. So this type of effort to maintain a ceasefire is going to be really difficult in the Ukrainian situation.

40:24And I think both sides, at least at the moment, do not appear to be willing to engage in the type of preparations and talks that would be necessary for a ceasefire to hold.

40:36Pamela Brown: Sabrina, President Trump also called for President Zelensky of Ukraine to be replaced, replaced as Ukraine's president. The U.S. is also threatening to withhold intelligence and weapons purchases if Ukraine continues attacking energy targets in Russia. Does Ukraine have to prepare to go it alone at some point in the near future? Well, I think the U.S. withholding intelligence sharing from Ukraine would be just a devastating setback, not only for Ukraine, but really for the U.S. and our European partners' security. That intelligence has led to battlefield gains for Ukraine. They've actually made incredible progress over these last few months.

41:14So I think turning off that spigot of intelligence would just be a misstep. But also just to the president's comments about, you know, it's time for Ukraine to get a new president. I mean, the reality is that's up to Ukraine. And they can't hold elections right now when they're under constant bombardment of missiles and drone attacks. And I think every time that the president says something critical about Ukraine, he underestimates how much that actually helps Zelensky's popularity in Ukraine. I mean, we've seen some of the polling. Ukraine. President Zelenskyy does have the broad backing of his constituents in Ukraine.

41:48And so the president saying that, you know, it really gets at the heart of this issue. Why does he keep siding with Russia and Vladimir Putin, who has not made any serious steps towards a ceasefire or a peace negotiation? And yet every single time this administration has proposed some type of ceasefire or peace plan, President Zelenskyy has made progress toward that. So, So, again, we're rewarding Putin and trying to exact costs on President Zelensky in Ukraine. And it really should be the other way around.

42:17Pamela Brown: Important point, Sabrina Singh, Cedric Layton. To both of you, thank you very, very much. And here's what's coming up right at the top of the hour. Happening now, federal officers are searching the D.C. area home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. What we're learning, stand by for that. And under pressure in South Carolina, a closer look at last night's debate between the Senate candidates. And Pope Leo announces surgery to remove a lung nodule. We're live from Rome with the latest developments. All that coming up in the next hour.

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43:25Pamela Brown: Happening now, midterm woes. New CNN reporting about concerns that President Trump's presence on the campaign trail is actually bringing Republicans down. And federal officers execute a search warrant at the D.C. area home of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. We'll bring you the latest. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is on assignment. You're in the Situation Room.

44:00Pamela Brown: Happening now, countdown to the midterms. We are now just 22 days from a consequential election with control of the U.S. Congress on the line. And CNN has new reporting that reveals Republicans are in triage mode, scrambling to prevent steep losses. Today, President Trump is hitting the campaign trail in Ohio. But some Republicans worry that he's gotten so unpopular that his being on the trail may be doing more harm than good. One House Republican running for re-election telling CNN, and I'm quoting now, Trump is dragging the party down, end quote. Let's go to CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox right now.

44:42Pamela Brown: Lauren, tell us more about the GOP's concerns right now. Yeah, I mean, Wolf, they are in a situation with just three weeks to go until the election where they have to make some tough decisions about where to invest money. Republicans have poured millions upon millions of dollars into so many of these races across the country, but they are having to make some tough calls about where to reallocate some of those resources given the fact that there may be places on this map that just are not going to be a win for Republicans come November. They've already moved out some money from North Carolina, the top Republican campaign arm on the Senate side, moving money out of there, reallocating about$10 million in the state of Kansas,$5 million in the state of South Carolina.

45:29And those are traditionally Republican strongholds. But given the environment, high gas prices, high grocery prices, they are seeing right now a situation in which they truly are having to triage what their campaign strategy looks like for the next several days. You heard from one Trump advisor when we were reporting out this story, quote, we were all hoping the war was going to be over by now, but it's not. We shouldn't have a fight in a place like Texas, but obviously we do, one Trump advisor said. And just to put a finer point in that, you've seen that outside groups have poured about$100 million into supporting Ken Paxton in the United States to run for the United States Senate because of concerns right now that even a state like Texas, a Republican stronghold, could be lost given the fact that they are just triaging so many of these races across the country right now, Wolf.

46:26Now, I'm told from many Republicans that I talk to that at the end of the day, a lot of Republican voters might come home. They are hoping that some of this polling that they're seeing isn't capturing some of these low propensity Trump voters. But obviously, Wolf, this is a really serious situation if you are a Republican looking at this map, knowing that you have just three weeks until the November election.

46:47Pamela Brown: All right, Lauren Fox reporting for us. Lauren, thank you very, very much. One race Republicans are concerned about is the Senate race in South Carolina. And it's surprisingly competitive right now for such a deep red state. Republican Senator Darlene Graham is under a tremendous pressure to prove she's ready for the job. She was appointed to the seat after her brother, the late Senator Lindsey Graham, died in office. Voters are still talking about her last debate where she admitted she was, quote, not that informed when it comes to national security. But Sunday, Graham tried to shift the focus to her Democratic opponent, Dr.

47:24Pamela Brown: Annie Andrews. Listen. Annie Andrews will not stand up to the Socialist Democratic Party. She's only going to join them. She's been told to come out here and call me Bernie Ocasio Mom Donnie. That's what's in her script. But the truth is, my name is Annie Andrews. And there shouldn't be any confusion about that. Because unlike my opponent, I haven't changed my name. CNN national correspondent Diane Gallagher is tracking all these developments for us. Diane, what stood out to you from last night's debate? You know, Wolf, you mentioned an unexpectedly competitive race, and you could really feel that in the debate last night, which was contentious and sometimes personal, as Darlene Graham, the Republican, appointed to fill the remainder of her late brother's current term after he suddenly died in July.

48:16went after Annie Andrews, a Democrat who is gaining ground in what is usually a reliably Republican state. Now, they, along with libertarian Casey Whitener, they clashed on issues like health care, data centers, immigration and spending as Graham sought to paint Andrews as a radical left candidate, a socialist masquerading as a moderate. And Andrews painted Graham as an unserious, unqualified candidate put in place by Washington insiders to do their bidding. Now, there was a lot riding on this for Graham. Republicans just invested about$5 million in South Carolina to bolster her struggling campaign after President Trump urged her to run for this full term.

49:02We didn't hear Trump's name a lot during this debate. But Graham, unlike other Republicans this cycle, didn't do anything to separate herself from the president or any of his unpopular policies, including the war in Iran, something Andrew seized on and also used as an opportunity to bring up that embarrassing debate answer from the primary runoff. My opponent is the only one on this stage who had the opportunity to vote to end the war, but three times in a row she voted to continue it. And several days after one of those votes, she had the audacity to walk out onto this stage and admit that national security isn't really her thing.

49:43South Carolina, if your surgeon said that appendectomies aren't really his thing, Would you still hand him a scalpel? No. So why would we hand Darlene Graham a full term in the U.S. Senate? She is unserious and unqualified. We all want the war to end, but I support a strong military. I believe in peace through strength. But talking about not my thing, let's talk about what's not your thing. Your thing apparently is not being honest with the people of South Carolina. At least I'm honest. If I don't know something, I'm glad to say it. And I'll say it again tonight. But you have you are deceiving the people of South Carolina.

50:23You have flip flopped on everything. There's so many social media posts out there to prove different. Shame on you. Now, Graham did sneak in two jabs on Andrews about transgender issues, something that her campaign has hit the Democrat hard on. But they weren't asked any questions about it and nobody had to go into their position. So Andrews didn't actually have to go into it. I spoke with Republicans after the debate who tell me that there were no major flubs and they feel like Graham did what she needed to do to get herself across the finish line. And Wolf, this is likely going to be the only debate between the two of them.

51:01Andrews pressed Graham to do another one. But at this point, it's just this one.

51:07Pamela Brown: All right. Diane Gallagher reporting for us. Diane, thank you very, very much. And joining us now, CNN political commentators Karen Finney and Essie Kupp. And good morning to both of you. Essie, let me start with you. CNN's new reporting shows that Republican officials are in triage mode right now to avert major losses, with one saying the president is dragging down the party. First of all, do you agree? And how likely is a Democratic sweep in November? I do agree. You know, I host an election show every day. I'm talking to voters every day. And I hear I hear this. And it's not just in the places that we're all talking about, like Texas, Ohio, Alaska, Iowa, and how crazy it is that Republicans are having to spend money in those places.

51:55It's also places like Maine. I think in another environment, Susan Collins would not have as difficult a time winning her reelection there. I think in Michigan, Mike Rogers is kind of the prototypical Republican candidate for a place like Michigan. and he's having a hard time. And that's because some of these candidates, including Collins, including Mike Rogers, are having to decide, where do I agree with the president and where do I feel comfortable stepping away from him? It's just a little late for that. If we've spent the past two years hearing some of these people defend Trump on the war and tariffs, and now suddenly they're trying to sort of nuance their way out of those positions, it just feels a little late with less than three weeks to go.

52:43Pamela Brown: Let me follow up and play something for you that the president said at a rally on Saturday. Listen to this. Such love. It's like, I mean, it's amazing. When you stand up here, it's just like the love. I could say the stupidest things and you clap, you know, I love you so. I'm sure. But we don't say the stupidest things. We say things of common sense. We say things that make sense. And we probably are mostly conservative. But it's not really conservative. It's things of common sense. I don't actually have to be in Tennessee because Bill Haggerty is going to win. Marsha is going to win. You better win, Marsha.

53:26She took a little risk. She decided to leave the Senate. But she's great. She's going to win. These guys are all going to win. These congressmen are phenomenal. So I'm saying, what the hell am I doing in Tennessee?

53:38Pamela Brown: So, Essie, how helpful are comments like this when Republicans are expressing more and more concern? Incredibly helpful for Democrats. Incredibly. I mean, to have the leader of the Republican Party going out and not just mocking his own voters, but mocking candidates, mocking issues like affordability. I mean, you don't really even need to campaign as a Democrat. The president is doing so much heavy lifting and thinking in his mind, I can say anything and get away with it. I'm just not sure that's true. We're hearing from a lot of voters who feel Trump voters who feel betrayed by Republicans, who feel embarrassed by Republicans.

54:24So I'm just not sure he can get away with that this time.

54:28Pamela Brown: Karen, let me get your thoughts. So the Texas Democratic Senate nominee, James Tallarico, is back out there on the campaign trail after saying he had the flu. His opponent's campaign published a flurry of social media posts claiming Tallarico is nowhere to be seen, their words. This is a very tight race right now that potentially could influence which party winds up taking control of the Senate. Do you think his absence from the campaign trail will hurt his campaign? No, I don't. And actually what we've seen is that he has maintained about the same position over the time that he had to be off the campaign trail.

55:07Obviously, it's a very smart decision for him to be doing this town hall with CNN to get himself right back out there. But, you know, I want to pick up also on something that Essie said. I mean, you really have to believe that the American people are stupid to not be able to connect the dots between the economic pain that they're feeling, the decisions that Donald Trump himself has made, and the Republicans who have been in Congress, not just defending them, but voting in support of them and not holding him accountable. And so they look at someone like a Ken Paxton and they realize, wait a second, he's going to be another vote for Trump.

55:46He's not going to be a vote for me. I think it's, you know, Democrats ought to go back and let's recycle. I would refresh it a bit. Let's put people first, because we've had 10 years of Donald Trump really putting himself first, frankly, even when he wasn't president. And you hear someone like James Tallarico talking about people and you hear Paxton, the best he's got is to attack James Tallarico. I mean, that's part of the problem here on this equation is that the Republican candidates themselves, they're trying to deflect from their own baggage and their own issues, in addition to not wanting to be able not wanting to have to talk about Trump and not wanting to have to defend that record.

56:29Pamela Brown: Let me follow up with you, Karen. And Michigan's Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, said, and I'm quoting him now, I am concerned that Donald Trump and Mike Rogers are not committed to the institution of our democracy. He went on to say this. Listen.

56:48We've got to win by massive numbers. Or else what? Donald Trump has already threatened to do what he did in 2020, which is deny the outcomes of an election. And right now he is president of the United States. He has weaponized ICE in ways that are really quite dangerous if you think about the implications for our democracy.

57:08Pamela Brown: So what is your level of concern, Karen, when it comes to election integrity and candidates accepting the results of these upcoming midterm elections? Yeah, look, like a lot of folks, I'm concerned, but I have faith in the American people. You know, our mantra on the Democratic Party side is too big to rig. And, you know, myself and a lot of organizations across the country, we are very focused right now. Early voting has started in a lot of places in making sure people have made a plan to vote. They know where their polling location is. They have access to nonpartisan information at resources like 1866 Our Vote, where if they have any questions or any problems, they can get those questions answered.

57:53And so I think the most important thing we do, I share the concern, but we just got to make sure that voters, you know, understand it's kind of like COVID. We told folks, look, it's going to be a little different when you go to the polls. We want to make sure people, again, they have a plan. They know that they may expect, you know, some challenges, but that they can do it. They're going to be able to vote. It's important to vote early in person if possible, because, you know, that kind of mitigates a lot of the potential for any kind of chaos at the polls.

58:20Pamela Brown: All right, let me get Essie back into this conversation. Essie, Elon Musk has poured at least$276 million into these midterm elections since the summer, reemerging as the top known donor to the Republican Party. Just last week, we reported that the president purchased$5 million of bonds issued by SpaceX, which is run, of course, by Elon Musk, just days before making a key policy change that would benefit SpaceX. How concerned are you about Musk's influence on American politics? Essie, what do you say? Well, I'm very concerned. I'm very concerned about cronyism in general in this administration.

59:05And this is just one more example of it. But I also know that people reject the kind of parachuting in that Elon Musk is attempting to do again. They rejected it when he tried this in a in a judge's election in Wisconsin. I think people are wise to this now and they don't want to see these elections being hijacked by technocrats, by the oligarchy, our version of that, by billionaires, by Trump's chosen friends. So I think people's eyes are open to that now in a way that maybe, you know, they weren't in previous elections.

59:42Pamela Brown: And Karen, let me get your reaction as well. Go ahead. Yeah, I agree, actually, with SC. I think people are a lot more savvy about looking at who's paying for ads and where the money is coming from. And we've seen that certainly in the Democratic Party primaries, but also just this whole, you know, I serve on the board of N Citizens United and this whole money in politics has really become such a huge issue this cycle because people are realizing that the dollars that are coming in from people like Elon Musk means you have candidates who, when it's time to make a decision, they're making decisions based on what's good for Elon Musk, not necessarily what's good for them.

1:00:22And obviously you're hearing candidates talk about that on the campaign trail. And frankly, I also think when they see what Trump is doing, when they see Trump talking about an arch, when they see these stories about taxpayer funded ads, which I know a judge has now said he's got a halt. But still, people see that and they say that kind of corruption is not helping me deal with my pocketbook issues. They're not keeping my health care costs low, you know, again. And so I think it just adds to this feeling and frustration against, as Essie so beautifully said, the oligarchy that people now associate with people like Elon Musk.

1:01:02Pamela Brown: Karen Finney and Essie Kupp, to both of you, thank you very, very much. And this note, make sure to tune in to a new CNN Jubilee Town Hall. Senate candidate James Tallarico comes face to face with Texas voters. Aaron Burnett moderates the CNN and Jubilee Town Hall with James Tallarico. That's Wednesday, 8 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN, and streaming live with an all-access subscription. And happening now, federal officers carry out a search warrant at Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's home in the D.C. area. Up next, we've got late-breaking details. Plus, Ukraine's president says Russia has already violated the surprise energy, so-called ceasefire, President Trump announced over the weekend.

1:01:48Pamela Brown: Can the deal actually hold? Lots going on. You're in the Situation Room.

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1:02:53Pamela Brown: See you on the roof

1:02:58Pamela Brown: Happening now, federal agents have carried out a search at the D.C. area home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar The Justice Department says it's part of a criminal investigation. CNN Crime and Justice correspondent Caitlin Politz is gathering all the latest information for us. Caitlin, what are you learning? A criminal investigation into the Democratic congresswoman who is running for re-election in the middle of election season. A highly unusual thing to be happening this morning. The search of Representative Ilhan Omar's home in the Washington, D.C. area. Now, a couple things we've learned so far about this, Wolf.

1:03:37This is being done by Homeland Security investigators. Those would be the jackets that you can see on their backs. It's indicating they are from the Homeland Security Department. That means that this is very likely some level of an immigration probe. Now, the criminal aspect of this, there haven't been any charges filed or any accusations that Representative Omar herself has violated any laws. However, this does mean that the Justice Department has been involved here and they would have went to a federal judge to get court authorization for conducting the search at this time. Here's a little bit more that we have from a Justice Department spokesperson today.

1:04:23They say that Homeland Security investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Justice Department and that this enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Not much more about what exactly this investigation would be, but the White House Borders are Tom Homan. He commented on this this morning. Here he is on Fox News. We know this investigation was ongoing for a while. There wasn't a warrant executed this morning. So I'll leave it at that. It's specifics to the investigation. I think I need to turn that over to Todd Blanchard, Mark Wayne Mullin.

1:05:01Pamela Brown: I don't want to get ahead of them commenting on an ongoing investigation. It's all very unusual, though, even to have anyone from the administration commenting on an ongoing criminal investigation, especially if charges have not been filed so close to the election involving a sitting member of Congress who's running for re-election. And then on top of that, this is not just any member of Congress. This is one of the women in what is commonly called the squad, the group of female Democratic lawmakers that the Republican right has largely criticized and Donald Trump himself has called a disgrace.

1:05:39So, Wolf, a lot to come here. I should also note that Representative Omar is a U.S. citizen. She immigrated to the United States after fleeing Somalia as a child with her family.

1:05:51Pamela Brown: All right, Caitlin Polans with the latest developments. Thank you very, very much. Just ahead, a health update on Pope Leo as he reveals he will need surgery. We'll go live to Rome for the latest. Stay with us.

1:06:08Pamela Brown: Happening now, Pope Leo is sticking to his busy schedule, even as he prepares to check into the hospital tomorrow for surgery. The 71-year-old American-born pope will have a nodule removed from his lung and is expected to stay in the hospital for about a week to recover. CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb is joining us now live from Rome. What are you learning about this? Well, Wolf, this news took a lot of people by surprise in the Vatican because Pope Leo is generally seen as someone in good health. He stays active. He likes to swim and play tennis. So the news that he's going to have this operation has been a real surprise and a shock to people.

1:06:52But we know that he's going to be admitted to hospital on Tuesday and the surgery is going to take place at the Gemelli Hospital at the northwest of Rome, which is where popes of recent years have all gone for their medical treatment. The Pope saying on Sunday when he announced the news of the surgery that the nodule, the growth is localized and has been detected early. Of course, this does leave a lot of uncertainty and anxiety in the Vatican about the Pope's future engagements. The Pope has a big trip planned to Latin America early in November, where he's due to go to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, a country that he knows so well as he served as a missionary and a bishop there for many years.

1:07:37But the surgery due to take place Tuesday. And then, of course, everyone waiting patiently and on tenderhooks to see how that all goes, because that will determine the Pope's next moves. Wolf.

1:07:50Pamela Brown: And we wish Pope Leo only, only the best. Hopefully it'll be very successful. Thanks very much, Christopher Lamb, with the latest on that. And there's other news we're following just, Justin. A sixth measles-associated death has now been reported in Pennsylvania. The coroner in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, says the 39-year-old woman had, quote, several underlying conditions, including a past diagnosis of measles. The health department reports more than 1 ,100 cases of measles in the state. It's the largest U.S. measles outbreak in more than three decades and the deadliest year for measles since 1991.

1:08:30Pamela Brown: Up next, five men fatally wounded along a Michigan trail. Are there deaths connected? What police are now saying. We'll be right back.

1:08:46Pamela Brown: Happening now, the 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics is going to two Americans, Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford. They're developing new models to help governments and central banks absorb outside economic impacts. and shocking video out of Nepal showing a bridge swept away in flash flooding. Villagers along the river were urged to evacuate. Several people are reported missing and rescue operations are underway. This comes less than two months after a glacier collapse caused catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet, killing more than 1 ,400 people. In Michigan, meanwhile, authorities are investigating the deaths of five men, and all of them killed along the same trail within the past year.

1:09:35Pamela Brown: Lansing's mayor said the attacks, quote, specifically targeted men who were unhoused and sleeping along the river trail overnight. The mayor added that a suspect in at least one of the deaths is now in custody. Officials say they are looking into, quote, all possible connections. And new this morning, President Trump says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an immediate, in his words, immediate energy cease fire to stop attacks on oil refineries. Ukrainian officials tell CNN that his announcement came as a total surprise to them and that they are still waiting for details. CNN chief global affairs correspondent Matthew Chance is in Moscow for us.

1:10:18Pamela Brown: Moscow, what is the Kremlin saying about all of this? Well, Wolf, it's being actually very tight lipped and you get the impression that the Kremlin was also sort of taken by surprise by this announcement by President Trump that an energy ceasefire had been agreed by both sides. There's been a conference call, a daily conference call by the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, over the course of the past several hours. He was obviously repeatedly asked about this. And he just said that contacts are ongoing and that he had nothing further to add. So that's not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it, of that energy ceasefire announced so prominently by President Trump at the weekend.

1:10:58There have been ceasefires like this, energy ceasefires undertaken in the past. There were a couple last year that didn't amount to much. There was one earlier this year that lasted for just a few days. What's different this time, though, it seems, is that President Trump has so much more at stake. He's facing the midterms in, what is it, three weeks. High prices at the pumps in the United States really wants to show he's doing everything he can to US voters to try and bring that down. And that's why there's all this enormous pressure being placed right now on Ukraine, on the leadership in Kiev to stop their attacks on Russian oil refineries, to try and allow Russian diesel and other fuel products to continue to flow and to pick up.

1:11:43If they don't, it also potentially provides President Trump with a scapegoat in the form of President Zelensky in Ukraine. He can blame them for the fact it didn't happen. All of this, of course, music to the ears of the Kremlin absolutely rubbing their hands with glee that they are once again on the same page when it comes to Ukraine with the White House. Wolf.

1:12:04Pamela Brown: All right, Matthew Chance of Moscow for us. Thank you very, very much. I want to continue the conversation with Jill Doherty. She's a CNN contributor and affiliated scholar at Georgetown University here in Washington. She's also the author of an important book entitled My Russia, about her time as CNN's Moscow bureau chief. Jill, thanks very much for joining us. President Zelensky says he will respect the energy ceasefire if Russia does the same thing. However, he claims Russia has already violated it with attacks simply overnight. Is there any chance Putin will stop attacking Ukraine's energy targets?

1:12:42Oh, I don't think so, Wolf. In fact, right after that announcement by President Trump, the Russians were hitting a power station in Ukraine. So, you know, at this point, I think the strategy for President Putin is full speed ahead to attack and destroy as much as possible, as quickly as possible. And simply, you know, there's not much that he has to do other than that, because he's being offered several deals and we can talk about them. But that diesel energy offer by President Trump is definitely exactly what Putin wants. So he can just sit there and continue to pummel Ukraine.

1:13:27Pamela Brown: And at the same time, Jill, the U.S. is now threatening to withhold intelligence and new weapons purchases if Ukraine doesn't fall in line with the Trump administration. What impact could that have on Ukraine? Oh, this is extremely serious. Number one, obviously weapons, that would be one. But the intelligence, the, you know, the spy capability, the information about what the Russians are going to do is critical to the Ukrainians in terms of trying to fight this war. If that is cut off, and the United States, actually, President Trump has previously threatened to do that. It didn't happen. But if it does happen, this would be very bad.

1:14:14And I think it's another indication of President Trump's desire at this point to get any type of deal, just to get it over with. And that's why he's offering Vladimir Putin precisely what Vladimir Putin wants.

1:14:29Pamela Brown: President Trump, as you know, Jill, has partially blamed Ukraine for the surge in diesel prices and turn to Russia to buy diesel fuel. How much will that actually help Russia's economy and funding its war against Ukraine? Oh, well, we'll help the Russians a lot because, you know, the more they sell, especially right now when diesel fuel is very expensive, it will definitely help Russia. But, you know, the question, Wolf, I think is, can they even deliver? I mean, they have problems at home. Can they actually get enough out into the market to really make a difference? And it's not really going to make any, well, I should say, it's going to make very little difference for American consumers who have to pay high prices.

1:15:18And that is reflected, as we know, in the price, not just for the fuel, but for things that people consume. So I would, my first question would be, will this deal actually go through? And also, Putin, this is what Putin wanted. This is part of the plan that he had, that they would remove sanctions. The Americans would remove sanctions and he'd be able to sell more of this diesel fuel. So again, playing into his hands.

1:15:48Pamela Brown: Important point. President Zelensky, as you know, Jill, has criticized this diesel deal. And now President Trump is calling for a new leader in Ukraine. How are European allies receiving all of this? And does this accomplish the wedge Putin has been driving, trying to drive between Trump and the U.S. allies? You know, it's I think the Europeans, there's no question they have Zelensky's back. A lot of them have been pretty irate about that. The reporting that has come out of Ukraine, interestingly, is that even people who have difficulty with Zelensky for a number of reasons are saying, why should the president of the United States be able to define who the president of Ukraine will be?

1:16:36So I think it's coalescing support for Zelensky, at least in Europe and probably in his own country. And then this is another thing that Putin has been demanding. Putin has been saying, why aren't they holding elections? Zelensky should be up for election. But the demand by Ukraine has been, sure, we'll have elections if you stop hitting us, if we have a ceasefire. And Putin will not go for a ceasefire. So again, we're back in the circular thing that But, you know, Zelensky's back is against the wall. This is a very serious moment for Zelensky because he cannot destroy the relationship with the United States, with President Trump.

1:17:24He has to play that very delicately. But he cannot, at least you would think, he can't give up the defense of his own country. So it's very difficult for him right now.

1:17:36Pamela Brown: Very sensitive moment indeed. Jill Doherty reporting for us. Thank you very, very much. We'll be right back.

1:17:46Pamela Brown: An overtime thriller in Atlanta on Sunday with the Baltimore Ravens eking out a win over the Falcons. Let's go to CNN Sports anchor Koi Weyer. Koi, I know as a former Falcons player, I bet you've got a little bit of angst right now going on this morning. Yeah, I mean, you know I played for your Bills, but I also played for the Falcons. and you're making me lead off with this heartbreak, Wolf. Nearly 60 % of the NFL games this season have been decided by a score. A wild day in the NFL. Sunday night primetime drama. My Falcons hosting the Baltimore Ravens without Lamar Jackson. Falcons leading most of the night, Wolf.

1:18:23But fourth quarter, here comes the 250-pound bowling ball covered in baby oil known as Derrick Henry. Two-point conversion is good. Then Atlanta loses their starting quarterback, Michael Penix, with a rib injury. Then Baltimore, Snoop Huntley, the backup to Lamar, bulldozes his way into the zone. So now Atlanta needs a touchdown from their backup QB, Tua Tungavailoa. Somebody call security. Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton commits grand theft football. Picked him off. He played high school right here in Atlanta. So nice moment for him, not for my Falcons. The Ravens win 30-23, move to 4-1 on the season.

1:19:00Across the pond, more madness in London. An ending so loud, even the clock couldn't believe it. Eagles take a one-point lead with eight seconds left. Game over, you would think. But Amir Abdullah rumbles 53 yards on the kickoff return and gets tackled with one second left, Wolf. Enter kicker Cam Little. Big leg. Big moment. 57 yards in London. It's money. Jaguars win 19-17. And get this, with their long snapper injured, it was a defensive lineman snapping the game-winning kick. Little delivers a walk-off, handing Philly their third straight loss. Another wild ending. NFC East rivals, Giants, Commanders, overtime game as well.

1:19:43Washington in position for a game-winning field goal. The clock's ticking. No timeouts. All they have to do, Wolf, spike the ball. You know this, throw it out of bounds. But Jane Daniels runs it, gets tackled. They never get set to kick it. Head coach Dan Quinn rips off his headset. No penalty for roughing the headset. Fortunately, it's a 27-27 tie. Feels like a loss. Commanders fans everywhere wondering what in the world just happened. Baseball. NLCS Game 1. Dodgers-Brewers in a rematch of last year's series. And L.A. strikes first. Andy Pias drives in Shohei Otani. But in the fourth, Brewers-Brice-Terrain goes boom.

1:20:23Solo shot off a two-time Cy Young winner, Tarek Skruble. Tied the game. Next inning, rookie Luis Lara delivers the go-ahead single. Dodgers have a chance in the ninth. Mookie Betts goes deep, but it is caught. Brewers win 2-1, snapping a seven-game postseason losing streak against L.A. The Dodgers have a payroll that is more than the other three teams in the championship series combined. Well, if they're playing with a champagne budget, while the others are playing on a beer budget. But one thing I've learned in life, you know, the fanciest, most expensive parties aren't always the best ones.

1:20:57Pamela Brown: And we'll see how things play off moving forward. Important game tonight. I'll leave you with these words, Coy. The Bills and the Rams. Go Bills. Let's go, baby. Monday Night Football. All right, Coy Wire. Thank you very, very much. And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning, every weekday morning, 10 a.m. Eastern for two hours. Inside Politics with our friend and colleague, Dan Abash, starts after a very quick break.

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