Trump Does an About Face on Affordability 

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1:02Happening now, it's the economy, stupid. That famous line from James Carville. New polls reveal the affordability issues that matter most to the voters. This as President Trump pivots his midterm message. And he said, what? Backlash and anger after the president suggested Iran could take out Los Angeles and San Diego. Plus, measles outbreak. New York declares a disaster emergency as Pennsylvania's case is now top 1 ,000. It's the largest number the state has seen in decades. And death by firing squad. The president signs off on the execution of the man who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas.

1:43Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown and you're in the Situation Room.

1:59We begin this hour with a brand new look at what's really weighing in on voters' minds. As we head into the final weeks before midterm elections, there is a new KFF poll that shows affordability is still the top issue for most voters. Health care and gas costs are virtually tied as the main economic concerns with food and groceries close behind. closed behind. And there is a major warning sign here for Republicans. Voters actually trust Democrats more to handle those issues, with Democrats holding nearly a two to one advantage when it comes to health care. And that was the backdrop for President Trump's rally in Nebraska last night, where he notably addressed economic concerns amid these growing fears from the GOP that a Senate seat there could flip to Democrats.

2:45The president signed an executive order targeting diesel costs, which have risen 68 percent since the war with Iran began. And he promised the order would bring quick relief. The typical trucker will save over$100 every time they fill up, so it's more than$100 each time. And farmers will also save millions and millions of dollars.

3:17And this order will also drive down the cost of all goods, including grocery prices, very substantially. And it's an honor to do it. And we're not going to need it long. I hope we're not going to need it long because your prices are plummeting and they're going to really be plummeting just a little while. We will see. Let's go live right now to CNN. White House correspondent Elena Trin, she's over at the White House for us. Elena, the president, has repeatedly called the focus on affordability. In his words, he says that's simply a hoax. But now it appears that he's leaning into it out there on the campaign trail.

3:51That's right. And he's not just leaning into it. He's also being more blunt, I'd argue, in some of his more recent rallies, acknowledging that prices are very high right now, specifically gas prices. And he continues to argue that once the Iran war is over, that they will come down. Of course, we are now more than six months into that war. I do want you to listen, though, to some of the rhetoric he's been using, specifically when it comes to this issue of authorityability and, of course, the economy. Listen. There's no economy like this economy. We don't seem to be able to get the word across.

4:24I'm going out because nobody's selling it. I'm doing we're doing an extremely poor job of promotion. We're doing a great job in running the country, but we're not doing a good job of public relations. It was just announced we have the best economic numbers of any president in the history of our country. This is good to hear there. He's now arguing as well that this is more of a messaging failure than it is a failure on policy. But I will say, I would just look at where the president has traveled, Wolf and Pamela, in recent days. You look at Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio. Last night he was in Nebraska.

4:58These are all states that the president won three times in 2016, in 2020 and in 2024. If you asked Republicans about six months ago, a couple of months ago, they would have argued that these are all pretty safe races, that the president doesn't need to be spending time, a very important resource in the lead up to midterm elections that he doesn't need to be spending time in. But now he is, and he's on defense because these issues, particularly as you put up in the polling from today, gas prices, affordability, the economy, all things that voters care very much about, with just days to go until November 3rd.

5:36And so the president is really trying to do one thing. And when I talk to members of his political operation, they tell me the key strategy for him all comes down to turnout. The president is going to these pretty red states, these pretty conservative districts, because he needs to gin up as much enthusiasm among Republicans as he can. That's the only way they believe that they'll be able to help boost Republicans come the fall. And, Elena, amidst all of this, the president is now receiving very heavy backlash this morning for comments he made about Los Angeles and San Diego, right? Yes. And look, this appeared to be, last night, an unscripted moment.

6:12And I think this kind of shows the dangers of going off script and making these types of a side. But I want you to listen to what exactly the president said when talking about some of these cities and how Iran could be targeting them. I want to see a tremendous victory. You want to see a tremendous victory because it verifies all the things we did. And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. If they can take out a city, let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.

6:47This is a very small price to pay, and it's going to be up with very soon. You could see there when he was talking about Los Angeles and San Diego, how he was not looking at the teleprompter. Look, we did hear from the White House communications director, Stephen Chung. He posted this on social media in response to these comments. He said that the media freak out over President Trump's comment is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped. I will say we have heard a lot of criticism and backlash from some of these local leaders on the West Coast.

7:25Gavin Newsom, of course, the governor of California, he argued that Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should take out Los Angeles and San Diego. You heard similar things from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, all of them responding to these comments. But again, these are the types of dangers that the president keeps facing when he does go out on the trail and goes off script and doesn't exactly focus on the messaging that his team and his advisors have really drilled into him. They create these kinds of issues and controversies that media like us are talking about the next day.

7:59Wolf, Pamela? All right, Elena Treen, thank you very, very much, Pamela.

8:08Happening now, anger spills over at Cornell University as students and faculty protest the handling of an alleged gang rape on campus two years ago. The demonstration comes amid new reporting on a conversation between the alleged victim known as Jane Doe and a member of the fraternity where she claims to have been assaulted by seven members. CNN's Brian Gingras is here with all the latest on this quickly developing story. Brynn, what more can you tell us about this latest phone call to surface? Yeah, Pam, so this phone call is being reported by ABC News, saying it took place on November 7, 2024, between Jane Doe and one of the men in the fraternity brothers, one of the men that is named as a defendant in that recently filed civil lawsuit.

8:52November 7th is three weeks after this alleged incident happened at the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell University. I want you to hear the voice of this fraternity member and we'll follow up with more of the conversation that followed, according to ABC News. Take a listen. I'm so sorry about all the backlash you're getting from this, by the way. Oh, dude, I'm so sorry. I'm very, like, I feel so bad for you, dude. Yeah, and to that response, Jane Doe, according to ABC, says, I was completely and totally intoxicated and then given multiple sedatives, and then I was surrounded by upwards of eight to ten men.

9:33This is classified as a gang rape. Then the tone of the conversation seems to change if you listen to this audio, again, obtained by ABC. see. Can I ask, like, what's the purpose for why you decided to call him? Yeah, so again, you're starting to see little trickles of information coming out about this story, the investigation, hopefully by the attorney general's office, able to uncover a lot of this, Pam. But certainly this is a new development as we hear more of these recordings coming out. And also, Bren, while we have you, I want to learn more about that vote, that no confidence vote that could be coming against the administration.

10:15Yeah, so we're learning from our Gloria Pasmino, who spoke to a faculty member, that there is this formal written statement that is going to be taken up by the full, basically advisory board for the faculty members of Cornell University next week. And so far it appears 40 faculty members have signed on saying they have no confidence in the job that the administration is doing and in its handling of this incident back in 2024. Now, just so you have an idea, this board can't exactly make changes, so to speak, but certainly puts a lot of pressure, right? If their objective was to get people to have reform or if they were to get people fired, say, it's not necessarily they are able to do that.

10:58But certainly it's very important as they put pressure on. And you could see these campus protests that took place and continue to take place. One, maybe even two expected later today. Certainly this is something they're asking for. All right, Brynjian Gras, thank you so much. Wolf? Still ahead, the U.S. is having its worst year for measles since 1991. As more states are now battling fast-moving outbreaks of the resurgent disease. And President Trump is downplaying concerns about waning support among Latino voters, a group that was critical to him getting a second term. Numbers tell a different story.

11:37You're in the Situation Room. We'll be right back.

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12:39Happening now a surge in measles cases. Pennsylvania just surpassed 1 ,000 new cases, marking the largest state outbreak in more than 30 years. Health officials say the Commonwealth's current outbreak started in April and includes nearly 200 hospitalizations and five deaths. They attribute the spread to low vaccination rates. And New York is declaring its first measles disaster emergency since cases began surging in 2025. So let's go live now to CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard for all the details. What's going on here, Jacqueline? Pamela, it really seems like these pockets of unvaccinated communities are driving this rise in measles cases that we're seeing across the country.

13:21And like you said, in Pennsylvania alone, where an outbreak is ongoing, sadly, more than a thousand people have gotten sick. And like you said, we've seen sadly five people die. And just to put these numbers in perspective, in the year 2000, when the United States declared measles eliminated, in the quarter century that followed that, nationwide, There were only about 180 measles cases reported each year. But now in 2026, we are seeing individual states reporting more than 100 cases at the state level. And the year isn't even over yet. So that's the situation that we're facing right now here in the United States, Pamela.

14:06Let's talk about New York. Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order declaring a statewide disaster emergency due to a growing number of measles cases across rural parts of the state. How many people have been sick with measles there so far this year? That's right, Pamela. In the state of New York alone, we know that at least 108 people have gotten sick with measles. Among those cases, seven were confirmed in New York City. And going back to that outbreak in Pennsylvania, in Pennsylvania, the outbreak is really concentrated in rural communities that border New York. And because this active outbreak is happening in their neighboring state, that's why Governor Hochul in New York says this in a statement, quote, after reviewing the latest data on measles cases in New York state, I am declaring a state disaster emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront this disease.

15:00No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine preventable disease. That is why I have taken steps to increase the number of health professionals who can vaccinate and test, end quote. So Pamela, this emergency declaration, what it does, it expands the pool of healthcare professionals in New York who are authorized to administer the measles vaccine. So that group now includes paramedics and midwives and other health professionals. And this emergency declaration allows nurses to order measles tests. So it seems like the state is really focusing on vaccinating people who are unvaccinated and testing people with symptoms.

15:38And those two tools, vaccinations and testing, are what they're relying on to really combat this rise in measles cases at the moment. Jacqueline Howard, thank you. Wolf. Coming up, President Trump approves the execution of Nidal Hassan, the man behind the deadly 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas. And the chosen method for his execution is one that hasn't been used since World War II.

16:12New this morning, President Trump has approved the U.S. Army's first execution by firing squad since World War II. Former Army Major Nidal Hassan admitted to carrying out the 2009 massacre over at Fort Hood in Texas. 13 people were killed, 32 people were wounded in the nation's deadliest mass shooting at an American military base. CNN's Brian Todd is here with us in the Situation Room. So what happens next, Brian? Well, they're going to set a time and a place for the execution, Wolf, Pamela, and that will be set by either Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or by the Army Secretary. We're going to get some clarity on that shortly, we hope.

16:52This is just, it has some extraordinary components to it all the way around here. This attack at Fort Hood occurred 17 years ago. Major Nadal Hassan was convicted of murder in 2013 and sentenced to death. So that was a long time ago as well. Finally nearing some kind of resolution to this case, the Pentagon did announce that Pete Hegseth recommended the firing squad for Nadal Hassan and that President Trump approved it. It's the first time any army soldier will have been executed since 1961. The first time an army soldier will have been executed by firing squad since World War II. I'm going to get to that in a moment.

17:27Let's go over the details first, though, of that Fort Hood attack. Hassan, who was a U.S. Army major and psychiatrist, walked into a processing center at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, and he opened fire, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others before being apprehended by military police. He was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder, 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder, and was sentenced to death in 2013. So it's taken now close to 13 years for there's to be some movement in this case as far as the death penalty. Now, Hassan had been radicalized, and he said at the time of his trial that he was targeting soldiers who he was set to deploy to Afghanistan with in order to protect the Taliban and its leaders from the U.S.

18:11military. Here is what the Pentagon had to say in a statement about this case. Quote, Secretary of War Pete Hexeth has recommended, and President Donald J. Trump has approved, death by U.S. Army firing squad for convicted terrorist Nidal Malik Hassan. The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution. Judgment day for Hassan has finally come. But as we've said, it's not clear whether the Secretary of the Army or whether Pete Hegseth will set the time and the place for that execution. Hegseth replied to that post with one word, quote, justice. Now, besides Nidal Hassan, there are three other soldiers on death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

18:50That's the Army's only maximum security prison. All of those soldiers were found guilty of murder. But what's interesting, guys, is, again, the last time they executed a soldier by firing squad, January 1945, Private Eddie Slovic, who was convicted of desertion. He wasn't even convicted of murder. He was convicted of desertion. There's a picture of Eddie Slovic, young man there, was executed in 1945, just a few days after the Battle of the Bulge ended. Also, Private John Bennett was executed in 1961. That case also did not involve a murder. It involved an attempted murder and the rape of an 11-year-old Austrian girl.

19:271961, the last time the army executed anybody. And now they're about to do it with Nadal Hassan. Yes, significant development indeed, Brian Todd. Thank you very, very much. Pamela. All right, well, we have some breaking news to go to. Unprecedented student protests erupting again across France. These are live pictures right here of the protests. This in particular is in Paris. You see the smoke rising right there. There had been a fire set. They began a demonstration in support of striking teachers in a Paris suburb two weeks ago and has turned into a full-blown national crisis over the conditions inside French schools.

20:04This was moments ago. Schools have been closed and thousands of students have been arrested. We'll be right back.

20:20Share comfort and joy this holiday season at Tecova's. Our boots are handcrafted in over 200 meticulous steps and have a broken-in feel right out of the box with styles for everyone in the family. Our expert staff can help you pick the perfect gifts, and we have free in-store gift wrapping to help make the holiday season truly special. See you soon at your local Tecova's store or shop with us anytime at tecova's.com. Happening now, President Trump is losing the support of Latino voters, according to a new NBC News poll. Just 27 percent of Latino voters now approve of President Trump's job. This comes just two years after President Trump made major gains with the key group of voters, seen as Kristen Holmes asked President Trump about the shift yesterday.

21:09Your approval ratings with Latino voters has dropped down to 27 percent. What's your message to them? Your fake news. Your CNN, your fake news. My poll numbers are great. And all you have to do is look at the crowds we're drawing. And every time I leave, that candidate will be losing. And by the time I leave, they're winning. No, CNN poll numbers are fake and your whole outfit is fake and so are you. I hear now to discuss how this could impact potentially the midterm elections in a month. Joining us, Mike Madrid, he's the co-host of the Latino Vote podcast and the author of the book, The Latino Century, How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy.

21:49Also with us, CNN's senior political commentator, Anna Navarro. Thanks to both of you for being here. Mike, let me start with you. Latino voters aren't just souring on President Trump. Latino voters now give Democrats a 24-point advantage over Republicans on a generic ballot of who should control Congress. That's up 12 points from September of 2024. How significant is this shift? Well, it's extraordinary. The size and scope of it is a little bit breathtaking, maybe not surprising because of the actions that the administration has been taking for two years. But to answer the question directly, this will be very consequential in not only who controls the House, but the Senate.

22:30And if this sticks, this really redraws the entire map to 270 electoral votes. So we are witnessing very measurable, consequential results from Donald Trump's failures, attacks and terrorizing the community, but most of all, just a fiasco of a job on the economy that's working class people. Anna, as you know, Republican Congresswoman Maria Salazar from Miami-Dade County criticized President Trump's immigration crackdown in this viral campaign ad. Listen. Careful what your advisors are telling you about immigration policy. The same Hispanics who help you get to the White House in 2024. Feel be trusted today.

23:14That NBC News poll finds 67 % of registered Latino voters now say the Trump administration has gone too far on immigration enforcement. 22 % say it has taken the right approach. And 9 % say it has not gone far enough. Is the administration taking the Congresswoman's warning seriously? Anna, what do you think? I don't think so, because I don't think anything has changed since that ad came out. Listen, that is my district, Wolf. I live in Coral Gables. That's District Florida 27. And Maria Elvira Salazar has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump. She voted in favor of the big, beautiful bill, which awarded billions of dollars for ICE enforcement.

24:01So you better believe that if a Cuban-American from Miami, a Republican congresswoman, is making an ad, speaking directly to Donald Trump and telling him he has gone too far on immigration is because she is seeing the poll numbers and she is desperate and knows she is in big, big trouble. And what she said is absolutely true. No group voted more for Donald Trump than the Cuban Americans and the Nicaraguan Americans and the Venezuelan Americans in South Florida. And every day I hear from people who supported Trump in those communities, he has gone too far. Add to that the foreign policy disaster when it comes to Venezuela.

24:44Those people feel betrayed. They were dancing in the streets and celebrating January 3rd when Maduro was taken out of Venezuela. But now they see that 10 months have gone by and that Donald Trump every day empowers and legitimizes Maduro's vice president, who he has left in office. Add to that the forever war. Add to that the cruelty in immigration. I mean, alligator Alcatraz was in our backyard. We are seeing the cruelty on a daily basis. So what I'm surprised about is that he still has 27 percent support. It's amazing. Mike, Republicans redrew, as you know, several House districts in Texas and Florida, for that matter, assuming they would hold on to Trump's historic gains with Latino voters.

25:30Could that strategy now backfire? Yeah, I spent a good part of the last month in South Texas to kind of go see for myself what's happening in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, down in little small cities like Beville, Texas. were witnessing this extraordinary reversion, this incredible pushback on towns that were 70 percent Hispanic and they were voting for Donald Trump 70 percent for Republicans. We're witnessing 24-point swings back. It's hard to fathom as somebody who does this professionally, who polls Latinos, to see that kind of a reversion this quickly. You can feel it on the ground. It's very palpable.

26:08People are angry. They're not just disillusioned. They're not depressed. You're seeing nationwide in Hispanic dance precincts five times the amount of turnout in early voting this stage, 30 days out, 27 days out of an election. Latinos are notoriously a day of voter. We vote on Election Day. But to see five times the turnout happening already is something that nobody has seen in 30 years of watching this stuff because it's never happened before. So, yes, South Texas is a place that people should absolutely watch. This gerrymandering is turning into a gerry massacre for the Republicans. They've cut themselves off at the pass here.

26:48And I think at least three of those five seats they carved out for themselves are likely to go to the Democrats. These are supposed to be safe Republican seats, Wolf. So you could see just a huge amount of seats, 17, 18 seats that are Hispanic, have sizable Hispanic populations in all the contested battleground seats, every one of them going towards the Democrats this year. And I want you and our viewers out there to listen to what President Trump said last night at a campaign rally in Nebraska while defending the U.S. war with Iran. Listen to this. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.

27:27They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay, and it's going to be over very soon. There are millions of people, Americans who live in Los Angeles and San Diego. What's your response to that? Yeah, by the way, I think it's no coincidence that those two cities have very large Latino populations. My reaction to that is that it's outrageous. And we've got to not normalize the ridiculous, horrible things that Donald Trump says. I think it is outrageous that he is inviting a regime that we are at war with because, in part, they have assassinated Americans.

28:14And we are inviting them to come and take out two American citizens, two American cities. Again, it goes to this thing about Donald Trump thinking that he only represents people that voted for him, that there's two Americas, Trump's America and then the enemy. Look, it's disgusting. It's inappropriate. It's unprecedented. It's unpatriotic. It's horrible. It's just absolutely horrible any way you look at it. Hard to believe. Mike, you're in Los Angeles. What did you think when you heard those comments from the president? I'm literally in downtown Los Angeles right now. I'll be in San Diego on Wednesday.

28:53So I'm starting to take it a little bit personally, actually. Look, this is, as Ana just mentioned, this is a dangerous time. This is a war that he engaged us in, that he brought us into for no purpose, with no end in sight, and is now openly inviting the enemy to attack and kill people in a blue state, which is clearly leading the resistance to the effort to this regime. This is by design, as Ana pointed out. This is not a callous joke. This is something that no president, but even think, let alone verbalize. And it's a troubling, precarious moment where we're all going to have to be very vigilant and watch out not for the dangers that he set out around the globe, but also the danger that the president of the United States himself presents to the American people.

29:37And it's why people absolutely have to be motivated to show up and resist and push back to what's going on in the White House right now in the next 27 days. Mike Madrid and Ana Navarro, to both of you, thank you very, very much for joining us. Good discussion. Thank you, Wolf. Thank you. All right, Wolf, coming up, stress and confusion for millions of women struggling to get their hands on estrogen patches, a key method for managing perimenopause and menopause symptoms. We're going to talk to an OBGYN about the short supply, how long it can last, and what women can do about it.

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31:23There's also a lot going on in Paris as well. Let's go live now to CNN's senior international correspondent, Melissa Bell. She's in the midst of those protests in Paris. What do you see? Well, we're here at National, which is where the protests are coming towards. They've been marching for a few hours now, Pamela. And what we've seen just here as we arrived, with a lot of tear gas, scuffles between the police and the protesters, it isn't just students anymore. What we've seen this Tuesday are unions, parents, public sector workers coming out in full force to say they want to protect the students from the police.

31:59And that's because what we've seen over the course of the last week especially is this intensification of this student movement, at the heart of their gripes, demands for urgent funding to give them decent classrooms, the fact that they say teachers aren't replaced, they're not able to learn properly, their classrooms are leaky if they function at all. They want the government to address that. But that anger that we'd seen at the barricades over the course of the last week really intensify and sweep across the country has been further fueled by what the students say has been the lack of a government response and a police response that they say has been disproportionate.

32:34We've seen hundreds wounded already. There have been wounded amongst the policemen and women, amongst teaching staff, but also amongst the students, with one child. We're talking about high school children who had his hand blown off when he tried to pick up a crowd dispersal grenade, another who lost the use of an eye. And that is what has led so many of these unions onto the street today. So, again, you can see this afternoon a great deal of tension here at the Place de la Nation as this protest march arise from République. The students and the adults who are now accompanying them have been really taking on the police who have been using tear gas to try and disperse them.

33:12But a great deal of tension, not just in the heart of Paris this afternoon, Pamela. Across the country, there are marches and protests that have just intensified. In fact, the unions are saying that outside of Paris, There are 260 ,000 people on the streets of France, and that is a huge number when you look at it in the context, for instance, of the Yellow Vest protest of a few years ago. All right, Melissa Bell from Paris, a lot going on. Thank you so much. More when we come back.

33:43Happening now, tensions are flaring between lawmakers and health officials as millions of women are struggling to get consistent relief during menopause. Now the Democratic Women's Caucus is urging Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to address what they say is a shortage of estrogen patches. This is a product commonly used to manage menopause symptoms, but the FDA insists they are not in short supply. Joining us now is OBGYN Dr. Mary Claire Haver. She is the author of The New Perimenopause, an evidence-based guide to surviving the zone of chaos and feeling like yourself again. And she's also one of my expert guests on a new series airing on CNN this Thursday, October 8th, called Body Language.

34:25We're going to have more on that soon. But first, Dr. Haver, what's going on here? What is behind the surge in demand for these patches? And in your view, is there a shortage? There's a shortage. My patients cannot get their estrogen patches filled at this time. It is a game, like a scavenger hunt. try this pharmacy, try that pharmacy, consider a different dose or switch to a different preparation. We think this is happening because we're seeing a historic surge in estrogen prescriptions. One, because the black box warning was removed, which had led to millions of women being afraid of hormone therapy.

35:04We've seen this huge uptick in prescriptions. And then this is the supply chain patches. Estradiol patches are generic. We have five strengths, so they're very inexpensive and we have lots of flexibility. And being transdermal means we don't have the clotting risk that we would see with oral preparations. So that kind of trifecta made them very, very popular. So tell us more on that note of the health implications of occasionally skipping a patch because you can't get one or switching up the dosage and other forms of estrogen. So we are seeing some patients are trying to try different brands of patches and they're starting to see breakthrough hot flashes and not having the same symptom control that they had.

35:46Patients are desperate and they're trying to cut their patches in half to ration them. They're borrowing patches from other friends. There are other transdermal options, but they're not generic, Pam. So we are seeing they're just so expensive and patients aren't able to afford them. So when you dramatically stop your estradiol, the symptoms come right back. You're clinically suffering. The hot flashes, the sleep disruption, the mental health changes. That's really interesting. They're getting the same, what they think is the same patch, but it's really not because they're getting these breakthrough symptoms.

36:18What would a declaration from the FDA do to help in this situation right now? Right. So what it would do was it will unlock some regulatory pathways to look for different supply chain options for patients. So right now, FDA has said that they're going to work with the top six manufacturers to try to increase production. However, by declaring this an official shortage, it would unlock actual federal funds to make this go quicker. Do you see this shortage as simply a supply chain failure or a systemic issue over gender bias within health care, which I know is something you talk about a lot? I think in the short term, in the long term, yes.

37:01In the short term, no. No one, we could see it coming, right? the women who were actually asking for the patches and prescribing the patches. But these are hard to make. It's not like a pill where they can quickly turn around and press medication into a pill. These patches require very specific production, and it's not easy to do. I actually had a talk with Mark Cuban about how could we increase production. He said it would take about five years to build a new factory up to standards. And so really just leaning on the current manufacturers we have to increase production. And for our viewer, Mark Cuban is in the women's health space as well, which is why you were talking to him.

37:37He owns a pharmacy, right? Yeah, exactly. And I know just anecdotally in talking to friends who are on these estrogen patches, they can really be a game changer for them and their symptoms. How are you advising patients who say they're having trouble getting access to their prescribed patches? And how can they work with their pharmacist to find a solution here that works for them? So call around. Ask your friends if they're getting their patches filled. the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Pharmacy, some of the other online options, HRT Club, do have patches in stock right now. Talk to your clinician and see if they have heard where they can also find the patches, considering switching to one of the alternative transdermal formulations if you can afford it as well.

38:17And oral options may be good for a certain percentage of the population, which is much less expensive. So you can always ask for that too. All right. So let's turn to the episode we did together with Dr. Jessica Shepard on perimenopause for my new women's health series this Thursday. We actually talked a fair bit about what therapies are available for women, including estrogen patches. And so we discussed this period of a woman's life that is so often dismissed or misunderstood. We also include testimonials from real people who talked about their experience. They felt like they were just really doing great in life.

38:54And then suddenly, bam, they entered this phase. How do you think this series will resonate with women? I'm so excited about it because not only do you cover perimenopause and menopause, you're also covering seven other aspects of women's health. And I just love that, you know, CNN has gotten on board with women's health. I think the patients and the women and their stories or what is driving this, not so much the doctors, right? Because, you know, we look at endometriosis, you're covering polycystic ovarian syndrome or PMOS. You're looking, you know, at thyroid disease, so many aspects of women's health that are underfunded, understudied.

39:34But now I think the internet and conversation has exploded around women's health and women are looking to be validated in how they feel and they're looking for where can I find answers? So I love how you've set up the series because you're providing validation stories so women feel seen and heard. And then you're also giving them resources so that they can take the issues that they're having and have an educated conversation with their providers. That's so true. So much of it is nuance, right? And you talk about it a lot with perimenopause. Talk to your providers, but you're giving them the information and you're arming them with that so that they're empowered to ask the right questions.

40:11I'm so grateful you're a part of this series. It drops on Thursday. Dr. Mary Claire Haver, thank you so much. And the first four episodes of my new series, Body Language by CNN, it premieres Thursday, October 8th for free on CNN.com slash body language. We'll be watching for sure. The next hour of the Situation Room starts right now. Happening now, swift backlash. President Trump suggested Iran could, quote, take out Los Angeles or San Diego. Officials there are now responding. Plus, quote, we're all angry Cornell's president is now speaking out again after thousands of people protest the school's handling of a gang rape allegation.

40:55Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in the Situation Room.

41:11And we begin with the growing outrage over President Trump's comments about the war with Iran. Last night at a rally in Nebraska, he was defending the reason for the war and the higher prices here at home that have come with it. Take a listen. And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay. And it's going to be open very soon. CNN's Elena Treen is at the White House for us.

41:51So Elena, both Democrats and Republicans say the president went too far with those comments. How is the White House responding? Yes, look, I would argue that the White House was responding that this is faux outrage. And if you do listen to more of his comments, he is talking about gas prices at one point. He does often say that high gas prices, something that many Americans, and I apologize, the lawnmower behind me on the lawn is very loud right now. But he has said in the past that high gas prices is a small price to pay for ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon. That is essentially what the White House is arguing the president was trying to say, even though it was very confusing what he had commented on at the rally last night.

42:31I want to read for you a statement from the White House communications director, Stephen Chung, defending the president. He said, quote, the media freak out over President Trump's comments is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped. He goes on to say America is safer because of the president. Look, this, I think, shows the dangers, Pamela and Wolf, of the president just going off the cuff, going off script at these type of rallies and not staying on message. And it has sparked a lot of backlash, as you mentioned, not just from Democrats, but some Republicans as well.

43:05I want to read for you what Jim Desmond said. He is a Republican Navy veteran who was running for Congress in a district that includes parts of San Diego. He said, quote, I vehemently disagree with President Trump's comments. America must stand up to Iran and defend our interests. But the first responsibility of our commander-in-chief is to protect the American people and our homeland. Look, I also would point out that part of the reason the president is even out there right now making some of these comments is because he's trying to defend Republicans in some very red places at the midterm elections.

43:40Just last night he was in Nebraska, a state he won three times. He is out there playing defense, trying to boost up turnout for Republicans ahead of November. These kinds of comments and creating this kind of controversy is exactly the opposite of what a lot of Republicans want him to be doing at this time as they look ahead to the midterms in less than 30 days now, Pamela. All right, Elena Treen, thank you so much. Way to get through that with the lawnmowers there. We'll cut in the grass. Also new this morning, President Trump has taken action to address near record high diesel prices. Last night at that same rally in Nebraska, he signed an executive order to waive restrictions on a cheaper type of diesel used in industrial equipment.

44:22He claims this will bring down the price of all goods. Listen. For many years, farm vehicles, construction equipment and other off-road vehicles have used what is known as red dye diesel. Do you know what that is? I don't know what the hell it is, but whatever it is, it's supposed to be very good. So tonight I'm going to sign a historic executive order to officially waive the off-road requirement and allow anyone to purchase tax-free red dye diesel for any reason. Diesel prices have soared since the war with Iran began. This morning, the national average is$6.32 per gallon. Let's go to CNN senior reporter Matt Egan.

45:09Matt, first of all, tell us more about this executive order and its potential, potential impact on prices. Well, Wolf, this executive order, it should help truckers who are hurting from near record diesel prices. But it's not going to be a game changer. And this help, it's arriving pretty late. So this executive order amounts to a pre-election tax holiday. The order instructs the IRS to waive penalties on the use of dyed diesel in vehicles that are on highways. Now, dyed diesel, it's the same as regular diesel. It's just tax-free. And they dye it red so that it's obvious if it's being used on highways when it's not supposed to be.

45:53Now, the catch here is that the tax obligations, they're not going away completely. However, the order does instruct officials to explore ways to do some tax forgiveness here. Now, state average taxes are 35 and a half cents per gallon on diesel. The federal is 24 cents. So if you combine that, you're looking at about 60 cents a gallon of tax relief in states that are following in the federal government's footsteps here. That amounts to about a 10 percent discount off the national average price for diesel. Now keep in mind though, it's very expensive to fill up a truck right now with diesel because of how high prices are.

46:33The cost to fill up an 18-wheeler with a 250 gallon tank, it's about$1 ,575 right now. If you were to waive the federal tax and the state tax, it goes down to about$1 ,425. So you're looking at about$150 in savings per fill up. That's not nothing, but it's not really a game changer either. And it's not clear how much of that savings is going to get passed along to all of us consumers. I spoke to a New Jersey trucking company owner who also owns a fuel supplier. And he told me that this is pretty much just a Band-Aid. And he said it's a Band-Aid that's arriving pretty late because prices have been high for so long now.

47:15Before the war, the national average for diesel was well below$4 a gallon. As you mentioned, now it's above$6.30 a gallon. And keep in mind, we're looking at a historic year for diesel. So far this year, diesel prices have skyrocketed almost 80%. That is easily the biggest annual percentage increase since AAA started tracking back in 2000. And what gets lost in the conversation here is this executive order from the president, it doesn't do anything to solve the underlying problem here, which is a global refining shortage. Back-to-back wars in the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine have destroyed refineries.

47:57China is holding back its exports as well. And Wolf allowing truckers to use dyed diesel, it doesn't solve any of those problems. Back to you. Important information. Matt Egan reporting for us. Thank you very, very much. and still ahead, new audio. What we're now learning from a recorded phone call obtained by ABC News between Jane Doe and a fraternity member at Cornell University. Plus, bipartisan push. Two congressmen join us to discuss their fight against sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill. You're in the Situation Room, and we'll be right back.

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49:20The university president acknowledged the frustration in a meeting with students yesterday. And according to the Cornell Daily Sun, he said, and I'm quoting him now, we're all angry. I understand that anger. People want easy answers to this end quote. He also promised transparency and change. Today, there is new reporting on a conversation between the alleged victim known as Jane Doe and a member of the fraternity where she claims seven members, seven fraternity members, sexually assaulted her. Seeing as Bryn Gingrass is joining us right now, Brynn, first of all, what can you tell us about this latest phone call to surface?

49:59Yeah, well, so ABC News is the one to report about this phone call, saying they have some of it in their possession and saying that it dates back to November 7th. That would be about three weeks after this alleged incident happened on the Chi-Fi fraternity grounds back in 2024. And according to ABC News, like you said, Wolf, it's between Jane Doe and one of the members of the fraternity house and one of the same member that is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit that she recently filed. So let's hear what he had to say on the audio recording. I'm so sorry about all like the backlash you're getting from this, by the way.

50:36Oh, dude, I'm so sorry. No, I'm very like, I feel so bad for you, dude. And that we're understanding that after that was said, Jane Doe basically responds to him. Now, we don't have audio of that recording, but I do want to read for you what she said and bring it up for me right now, actually, because I don't have it in front of me. She says I was completely and totally intoxicated and then given multiple sedatives. And then I was surrounded by upwards of eight to 10 men. And it goes on to say this is classified as a gang rape. And according to ABC News Wolf, then the conversation sort of shifted between Jane Doe and this fraternity member.

51:18Here's his response to what he said after she said that. Can I ask, like, what's the purpose for why you decided to call him? So, again, you can see that this conversation has shifted. We're getting these sort of drips and drabs, Wolf, of exactly what happened on that day and what followed before this investigation sort of kind of fell through is what people are arguing. And certainly, hopefully, this will all come out once the AG finishes its criminal investigation, Wolf. All right, Brynjen Grass reporting for us. Thank you very, very much, Pamela. All right, Wolf. Well, the controversy at Carnell and the way that the school handled the rape allegations is fueling a bipartisan push for sexual harassment reforms in Congress.

52:00Here now are the two House leaders, members, leading that, Florida Republican Kat Kamek and New Mexico Democrat Teresa Ledger Fernandez. They are the chairs of the Women's Caucus and their respective parties. Thank you both for coming on. We appreciate it. Congresswoman Kamek, to start with you, before we discuss your proposed legislation in Congress, I want to ask you about New York state law that says a person is only considered incapacitated if they were unable to control their actions due to the influence of an intoxicating substance administered to them without their consent. Now, Jane Doe, in this case, admits she drank alcohol and accepted drugs offered to her before and during her alleged sex assault.

52:40She later said in the civil suit she was pressured into taking the drugs. New York Governor Kathy Hochul says, quote, choosing to have a drink is not consent and it's never a license for sexual assault. New York law should reflect that. Do you agree? Well, I think that's really for the state legislature of New York to decide what their law is going to look like. But I think there's one thing that all of us as women right now can agree on. Sexual assault is never acceptable, and we have to take it very seriously. In this case, this young woman, she deserves to have a thorough and serious and real investigation.

53:15And I think that's really what this is getting to, is that the university has had a broken system. They are not police departments, and she deserves to have all the facts brought to light. And so I think as we're talking about strengthening systems, certainly on Capitol Hill where it's needed tremendously, I think every state should be looking to their legislature on how they are going to protect women, how they are going to reinforce due process and how we enforce accountability. Those are all things that regardless of party, we can get behind. Yeah. And Cornell does have a police department that's integrated.

53:50And there's a lot of reporting out there about miscommunication between the police department and the D.A. and so forth. I'm wondering, Congresswoman Fernandez, where do you see the biggest issues in this case where the system failed? And what do you think could be learned from this for the work you're doing on Capitol Hill? Thank you. I think it is important to tie the rise in sexual violence and then the public outrage about it, whether it be at a college campus, in the military or in Congress. It is, in essence, the same thing, where you have men abusing their power over women. And that is something that needs to change.

54:32And we need to be able to change both the rules and the laws and then the culture that allows this to take place. Listen, four men from Congress are not coming back next year because the public outrage over their sexual abuse forced them from power. I brought the resolution to expel Gonzalez together with a Republican to expel Swalwell. But it should not depend on a political moment. We should have the rules and laws in place to hold people accountable. And that is the work that Kat and I are doing. Representative Kamak and I, as the leaders of our respective women's caucuses, are saying we need to change the rules to make sure that women feel safe reporting abuse, that there are consequences, that it is a timely investigation.

55:19And that is how you start changing the culture that allows sexual violence and misconduct to go forward. Just to be clear, I know that California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzalez resigned following sexual misconduct allegations from former staffers earlier this year. Swalwell denied any sexual assault allegations. But can you just clarify who the other two are, if you would, Congresswoman Fernandez. So Edwards is not coming back and Mills is not coming back, representatives. As you know, Representative Edwards had an ethics investigation and he has chosen not to run for re-election.

56:03He was censured by the House following the ethics investigation regarding what the ethics investigation pointed out was sexual harassment over a two-year period. How many referrals, Congresswoman Kamek, have you made to the Ethics Committee since you started this work in the last several months? Well, I would say on behalf of our working group that Teresa and I are co-leading together, we haven't made referrals per se out of the working group because our work is focused on fixing a broken system. We have said repeatedly that accountability cannot begin and end with expulsions or resignations because once someone resigns, the investigation stops.

56:47And we have seen where people have then gone on to use their campaign resources to hire lawyers. And candidly, so many of these allegations are very serious and criminal in nature. And that's why we're really working to take a hard look at the system that really protects staff, creates a system where people can come forward without fear of retribution or retaliation, but also chalks the field effectively. You have multiple generations serving on Capitol Hill, and some people think some behavior is okay. We know that if people are focused on their love lives and pursuing young staffers, they're not there for the best of intentions.

57:29And so we're looking to really upend the system to make sure that creeps need not apply first, but that those protections and resources are there for people who work and serve on Capitol Hill. Just to follow up with you, what do you do, though, when you hear stories from staffers who are currently working on Capitol Hill or previously worked there who believe that they were taken advantage of by their boss? I mean, what do you do in that case? I imagine you are coming across stories like that in your work that you're doing. Absolutely. Teresa and I have both had members of staff currently serving, as well as people who have left the Hill and perhaps are working in a different capacity.

58:07They have shared their stories, and it's horrifying. They have said that they had to make the choice between coming forward and reporting instances of assault or keeping their career. And that is a decision that no one should ever have to make. And so when we look at, candidly, where Congress has a double set of standards, it's because what we put into law that every other industry is forced to comply with, Congress does not. A good example is in the 60s, we implemented, Congress implemented a anti-harassment workplace rights law that Congress itself didn't adopt until 31 years after the fact.

58:46Then you fast forward to 2017, 2018, and you have a Me Too movement. And still, not enough adoption has taken place. There's not a one-stop shop for staff who have been assaulted or victims themselves. And so there's a tremendous culture shift that needs to happen in addition to reforms to the system. Congresswoman Fernandez, House Speaker Mike Johnson said this about your effort. Quote, to state the obvious, all women should feel comfortable and safe working in the halls of Congress. as a father who has two daughters working on Capitol Hill. This is as personal to me as it is to anyone. Does the speaker agree with the bipartisan reforms you're proposing?

59:25I have heard directly from the speaker and more importantly on my side, because I'm the Democratic Women's Caucus Chair, from Leader Hakeem Jeffries, that they are very supportive of what we are doing. On the Democratic side, Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Philip Clark, the Aguilar, Representative Aguilar, our chair, everybody has been very supportive of what we're doing. We have been keeping them informed. People want to address this issue. They recognize that the public outrage is real, and we need to change the underlying law and structure. So I feel I have great support from the Democratic side on this, and that's the work that Kat's been doing with regards to the Republican side.

1:00:09Just very quickly, Congressman Kamek, what role do you think Congress has in addressing sexual misconduct on college campuses? I know your focus right now is changing the way it works on Capitol Hill in terms of reporting and investigating and the system overall, but what about on college campuses in the wake of Cornell? Well, and certainly Cornell has highlighted a real deficiency that we have long seen on college campuses, and I know that there There has been some discussions about Title IX, but the thing that I think we all can agree upon is that it is not an opposing value to want transparent and effective and serious due process along with protections for survivors.

1:00:51Those two issues, those are things that can coexist along with equal opportunity for women on college campuses. So while this has sparked a debate about Title IX, I do think at its core we need to recognize that sexual assault is a criminal act. It needs to be investigated and treated as such, and it needs to have a victim-centered approach while respecting due process. Everyone should know that these investigations are very real, that there is true accountability, and there is no retaliation. Because what we have seen on these institutions like university campuses is that many times they seem more intent on protecting the reputation of the university than protecting the victims themselves.

1:01:31So that is something that needs to be addressed. And we as Congress should be looking into this very, very seriously. All right. Congresswoman Kamek and Fernandez, thank you both. And if you or someone that you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, there is help. Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 1-800-656-HOPE or by texting HOPE to 64673. Wolf? Up next, Russia under pressure to divulge what officials know after a researcher died at a plague laboratory in Siberia. We'll bring you the latest information just ahead.

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1:03:04million deal. Trust matters. Get started at Vanta.com. Happening now, dozens of people are under quarantine in Russia after a researcher in a lab that studies the plague died from a pneumonia of a quote unknown origin. Anti-epidemic protocols are in place at the hospital where she was treated. The World Health Organization is in contact with Russian authorities and President Trump says the The U.S. is also ready to help.

1:04:02of the problem. We're always letting down. The former White House COVID response chief tells CNN there are serious, serious concerns about this incident. Listen. There are a lot of red flags here. One is she should have probably been vaccinated against it and should have started antibiotics right away. And there's no evidence that that happened or that it responded. Second, 200 people under quarantine, that is not what you would expect from a simple lab accident. Last point that I would make that's really important here is Russia has a very extensive biological weapons program. And we don't know if this lab was involved in that program, but it is concerning given the lack of information coming from the Russian authorities.

1:04:48CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen is following all of these developments from Berlin. Fred's joining us right now. Now, Fred, are we getting any more information out of Russian officials? Hi there, Wolf. It's not very much throughout the course of the day. There was actually several questions put to the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, throughout a call that he regularly does with journalists, where he was asked on several occasions whether or not there were any new information. He was also asked about that comment that U.S. President Donald Trump made. He said that he was very happy for the offer for help, especially when countries help one another.

1:05:24But he also said that any new information would come from Russia's agency to combat infectious diseases. And so far, that agency has not issued a new statement. Now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he also came out and urged the Russians to be as transparent as possible about this matter. Here's what he had to say. We're glad to be aware of it. We're watching it very closely, hour by hour. We have multiple agencies, not just in the United States, but internationally that are watching it. We encourage Russia to be transparent and share more information with the world so that all of us could react accordingly and appropriately.

1:05:58But we'll have to make those decisions on the basis of the information that we're learning and are being provided. And so far, that's still quite limited. But hopefully that will change in the next few hours and days. Similar to and also from the European Center for Disease Control, they put out a statement just a couple of minutes ago where they spoke of the suspected case of the plague, but also acknowledged that they only have limited information at hand. Also, the governor of that state where all of this is happening in the southeast of Russia, he was asked as well in a public setting, he said everything is under control and that the city where this is going on, as he put it, is functioning as normal.

1:06:36Wolf. All right, Fred Pleitkin in Berlin for us. Fred, thank you very, very much. Pamela. All right, Wolf, just ahead, new CNN reporting. What we're learning about talks between the U.S. and China on possible nuclear site visits as concerns grow about a new arms race.

1:06:57Happening now, police in the U.K. have arrested a 22-year-old British man of suspicion of terror offenses. It's all part of the investigation of a suspected plot targeting an English airbase where U.S. bombers were kept. Six other people were arrested but have been released on bail. the U.S. removed all Air Force bombers from that base after an unspecified new threat. Well, Coco Gauff is speaking out about a, quote, insane amount of racist comments after a controversial point at the China Open. The two-time Grand Slam champion stopped a rally after an electronic board lining the court flickered.

1:07:33The chair umpire ordered that point to be replayed, and then Gauff later won the match. She also posted, quote, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being a racist. Lastly, I'm not a cheater or a thief. And the 2026 Nobel Prize for Physics goes to Belgian astrophysicist Francis Halzen. The 82-year-old is working to detect so-called ghostly cosmic particles. They will allow scientists to better understand distant galaxies and exploding stars. Halzen said it was a, quote, great surprise to win. Wolf? Congratulations to him. Also happening now, we're learning the FBI opened preliminary investigations of anti-ICE protesters in Southern California in early 2025.

1:08:19That according to a former FBI intelligence official in a whistleblower complaint. Jill Fields believes the move violated the law and agency policy. In at least one of the cases, the FBI began preliminary investigations after President Trump saw a TikTok video of a demonstration and demanded those protesters be investigated. CNN Holmes Leibrand has been working on this story for us. He's joining us here in the Situation Room. Holmes, thanks very much for coming in. You and your colleagues have reviewed the complaint. Tell us about that. That's right. And as you mentioned, these instances both happened in early 2025.

1:08:59So that's the beginning of Trump's renewed push on immigration. These protests were both around immigration and ICE efforts. Now, the one that you mentioned, this video that was allegedly viewed by Trump, according to this whistleblower complaint, he had viewed this, and Kash Patel had told others in FBI that Trump viewed this video, which just showed protesters with megaphones warning neighbors about the presence of ICE and among other things. and he saw this video and he was so angry that he told Patel that he was demanding arrests and he wanted arrests from these protesters. Now, this whistleblower alleges that these violated core First Amendment protections and that the FBI should have never opened such investigations.

1:09:42The Justice Department in a comment to me said that they defend the First Amendment, they protect it, but what they don't protect is people really impeding law enforcement. Holmes, librarian, thanks very much for that update. Appreciate it very, very much. Pamela. All right, Wolf, happening now, a potential breakthrough in relations between the U.S. and China. Sources tell CNN that they're discussing visits to each other's nuclear facilities. The discussions come amid growing concerns about China's expanding nuclear weapons program, especially now that the historic arms treaty between the U.S.

1:10:15and Russia has expired. CNN National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood is here with her new reporting. What are you learning, Kylie? Yeah, so we've learned that in recent months, U.S. and Chinese officials have discussed the possibility of reciprocal nuclear site visits. So effectively, you know, the Chinese coming to the United States nuclear labs and potentially their nuclear test sites and U.S. officials doing the same in China. And that the Trump administration is really focused on continuing these discussions over the course of the following months when they're expected to be further discussions between U.S.

1:10:48and Chinese officials on this topic. Now, we should note that this is not something that was happening in formal channels. These were not a formal series of meetings. They happened on the sidelines of other diplomatic gatherings. But they do demonstrate that there might be a willingness on the behalf of China to engage in some buildup in terms of trust on each side. And one of the sources that I spoke to actually said that it was China who proposed this idea to the United States, which is significant. Now, the context here, obviously, as you said, Pamela, is that there is a rapid nuclear buildup happening in China right now.

1:11:23U.S. officials have been concerned about this for quite some time. Thanks to a recent CNN investigative report, we have some satellite images that show the massive infrastructure buildup in China that has backed this nuclear weapons buildup. And China will not engage in conversations right now with the United States that could put a limit on that buildup. And that's significant because right now the United States has about 5 ,000 total nuclear warheads. China only has 600. But over the course of the next decade, they're expected to produce hundreds of more warheads. So get closer to the United States on that front.

1:11:59And then the other part of this conversation is that President Trump has been interested in a nuclear arms agreement between the U.S. and China and Russia dating back to his first term. It's something that the U.S. officials have been trying to do. They have not had tangible progress on this front. But if there are these agreements between the U.S. and China, it could build some momentum towards that end. Key, of course, because the final existing nuclear arms agreement between the U.S. and Russia expired last year. So right now there are no actual global restraints on this issue as this Chinese buildup is happening.

1:12:35U.S. officials are concerned. It's frightening, actually, to end on that note. All right, Kylie Atwood, thank you so much. Wolf? And coming up, growing outbreak. Pennsylvania health officials say there are now more than a thousand cases of measles just this year. The largest outbreak in more than 30 years. A pediatric infectious disease doctor will join us live to discuss and to explain what you need to know.

1:13:06happening now ukraine is slamming russia with a massive drone attack and you can see smoke right here and fire in the sky above an oil depot in the moscow region russian authorities say one person died in the strikes ukraine's president says he plans to increase attacks on russia's oil refineries as a response to russia's escalating strikes on ukraine's capital kiev And Florida investigators are trying to piece together what caused a deadly school bus crash in Winter Haven. Authorities say two people were killed, including a 10th grade student, after a car slammed into a school bus, causing it to lose control, hit a Jeep, and overturn.

1:13:45The bus was carrying 37 students on their way to school. More than 20 people were taken to the hospital, most of them children. And the Chicago woman, shot several times by a CBP agent last year, is suing the federal government. The shooting happened during an immigration enforcement surge in the city. Authorities initially said Miramar Martinez tried to ram the agent's vehicle before the shooting and charged her accordingly, but prosecutors later dropped the case. And happening now, measles cases are surging, surging in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is seeing its worst outbreak in more than 30 years.

1:14:24It has surpassed 1 ,000 cases. Health officials say it started in April and includes nearly 200 hospitalizations and five deaths. They attribute the spread to low vaccination rates. Joining us now is pediatric infectious disease physician Dr. Evan Shirey. Doctor, you are also working on the front lines of this historic outbreak. What are you seeing in these patients? Yes, thanks for having me. I am seeing a lot of babies and a lot of children who have been admitted to our hospital who are suffering from severe complications from the virus itself and from secondary infections. How concerning is that to you?

1:15:06It's highly concerning. This is a virus that we had fully eliminated in this country for decades. And any time I see a baby or a child who's suffering, it's very difficult as a physician. But when I know that it's something that's fully preventable, it's all the more hard to take. The outbreak has now crossed over 1 ,000 cases. How would you describe just how critical the situation is right now? Yeah, I would just like to speak to the fact that over 1 ,000 cases is a statistic that people see reported out in the news. Each one of those is a person. Each one of those is a baby or a child or an adult who is going through real pain and suffering.

1:15:45And so this is highly, highly concerning. And I'd say the rate of the increase of cases is also very concerning to see. We know, doctor, that this is a highly contagious infection that is largely prevented by a two-dose vaccine series. What are the conversations with your patients like once they've been diagnosed? You're absolutely correct. The measles virus is incredibly infectious. It spreads like wildfire. The reason this outbreak is happening is not a failure of the vaccination. It's failure to vaccinate. So these conversations about the safety and the efficacy of the vaccine, which, again, the vaccine is very, very safe and is extremely effective.

1:16:24These conversations are so important and something that I've been doing very often with my patients and families. How do you advise parents in your area, doctor, that have children too young for a routine MMR vaccine? How at risk are they right now? Yes, so infants are one of the main groups who are at risk because they are not eligible for the MMR vaccine. I do want to share with parents that in the setting of this outbreak, we are able to safely give the MMR vaccine as soon as six months of age. And to share with viewers, that is what I will be doing for my son who's two months old. So that is the best intervention that we have is to use that MMR vaccine at six months of age.

1:17:07and then just to do what we can to protect them from exposure before that point in time. But, I mean, how concerned are you as a doctor with a two-month-old right now, given this outbreak? Are you worried your two-month-old could get it?

1:17:23So I've been very concerned for my community. I've never imagined as a doctor that I would be treating patients with measles, and I never imagined that as a father I would be worried about my own baby's risk of an infection in our community. What do you say, doctor, to parents who think measles is just a harmless childhood rash? I just share with them that I every day am seeing the pain and the suffering. I'm seeing children who have encephalitis who aren't able to recognize their own mother or don't know where they are and are scared and confused. I've seen babies and children who have respiratory complications and are gasping for air.

1:18:02babies who are dehydrated on fluids and can't take a bottle. The effects of this are very real. And so I share that these are real people and real suffering. Pennsylvania says there have been five deaths from the measles. There's been some discrepancy and disagreement with the administration. But can you tell us a little bit more about that? Yeah, I think the political fighting about those deaths has been something that's been very frustrating as someone who's here on the front lines and seeing the pain that this is causing day in and day out. What I can share with the public is that this virus is deadly.

1:18:34We expect a case fatality rate historically of about one in a thousand. And with this outbreak, we have seen five deaths already. This virus is very serious. It can cause life-changing, permanent disabilities, and it can also cause death, unfortunately. Were those five deaths children or adults? from what is publicly reported we have had babies teenagers and adults who have died we have had individuals who have immunocompromising or other health conditions who have died we also have individuals who from the public reporting seem to have been previously healthy who have also had severe cases of encephalitis and in some cases those have been fatal and that matches what we know about the virus this virus comes after individuals who are vulnerable and it can also come after the healthy.

1:19:20I'm just wondering from your point of view what it's been like for their families or for the parents of a child who died or got really sick and they chose not to vaccinate their child. What are you hearing from them? These without sharing anything specific about any particular individual I can share broadly that these situations are absolutely tragic. It's my experience is loving, caring parents at the bedside who are who want to do the best for their child. And these situations are just awful tragedies. And it's really difficult to see families go through that. Totally awful. Dr. Evan Shirey, thanks so much for all the important work you're doing.

1:20:00We really appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you very much. And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning at 10 Eastern. Learn Inside Politics today with Mani Raju starts after a quick break.

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