Election Horizons: Struggles and Strategies

0:00The Trump and Circumstance Gas hits record highs this lair per day as the U.S. strikes more Iranian targets. It's small potatoes for us. How long will Americans pay the price? Energy Secretary Chris Wright joins me next. And Texas Hold'em. President Trump shells out cash for a key Texas race ahead of his Trumpapalooza. Are you getting going to the Republican Convention next Is the political ground they're shifting? Greg Abbott knows he's in trouble. Texas Democratic candidate for governor Gina and a Hosea joins me ahead. Plus too close to call. It's one of the tightest races in the country. I'll do whatever it takes to get things done. What we're seeing from politicians today is not courage. Both New York candidates, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler and his Democratic challenger, are me veteran Kate Conley face off ahead.

1:00Hello, I'm Dana Bash in Washington, where the state of our union is kicking off election season. It is Labor Day weekend and voters are already voting in one key state with just two months until the midterm elections. This week President Trump will host a convention in Texas with himself as the star. As his Super PAC finally puts some skin in the game, we're going to have much more on the state of the midterms coming up. But first, let's talk about some of the voters' main concerns with the president, the Iran War and the price of gas, as new attacks between the U.S. and Iran set off fears about new escalation in the region. While this Labor Day, American space record high prices for gasoline and diesel. Here with me now is Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Thank you so much for being here this morning. Sir, the president says the Strait of Hormuz is under U.S. control.

2:01Just yesterday, the U.S. struck three Iranian tankers in retaliation for Iran firing missiles at U.S. warships. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that Iran struck at at least 23 merchant ships in the strait in the last two months. Does that sound to you like it's a situation completely under control? We've, our transit is through the strait of averaging over 9 million barrels a day now. And with the access pipelines that go around the strait, we're probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict flows. So, Iranians are still causing trouble, but the United States Navy is winning that battle. On the United States Navy winning that battle, the United States Navy is there, and it sounds like in order to keep even the current flow of oil and tankers through the strait, the U.S. Navy is going to have to stay there.

3:03Are you suggesting they're going to have to stay there indefinitely? Oh, I think we'll see a change in the Iranian regime or certainly a change in their policy. You know, if they want to become a trading nation again and engage with the world, but they have not lightly given up their nuclear weapons program. Thank God for President Trump's courage to take this on. He did not want to kick the can down to the road to the next administration to deal with a nuclear armed Iran. This is Iran without nuclear weapons. Imagine Iran with nuclear weapons. So, Mr. Secretary, is the U.S. Navy being in the strait just the new normal now? Well, it is today, but I think as you look forward, other nations will come and work with this in this endeavor. Certainly trade for the world is important. Shouldn't be just a United States responsibility, but until Iran changes their position or changes their government, I will have to deal with them. But slowly, their capabilities are being degraded and ours are

4:06being enhanced. So, sort of what's unsaid in this discussion so far is that it's just it's not safe. The New York Times also says August was the deadliest month for merchants in the strait of Hormuz since March. Can you unequivocally say that ships that want to transit through the strait of Hormuz can do so safely? We're working cooperatively with fleets that do want to transit. Some ships aren't transiting and of course that's their choice, but the United States is working with teams from all the nations in the Gulf to get transits and to continue to ramp them up. Iranians ships of course are not transiting at all. That's a ticking time bomb for the economy of Iran. But you're not saying that it's currently safe. We're getting a lot of ships through, but of course it requires the US military to do that. We are not pre-conflict levels if that's what you're asking Dana. Well, I'm just asking if yeah,

5:09I mean pre-conflict levels or just bottom line if a country or a company wants to send its tanker through the strait of Hormuz can they do so safely? Well, if they want to work with the United States Navy, I think they can. But look, we're trying to end a 47-year conflict as Iran dashes to develop nuclear weapons and wreak havoc on their neighbors and threaten the world economy. Is there some effort involved in that? Why, of course. Why, of course. It is Labor Day weekend, one of the heaviest travel times of the year. The average cost of a gallon of gas this weekend is the highest on record, $4.13. You said on the show five months ago that high gas prices had peaked. But between not just the Iran war, but the Russia-Ukraine war and the US's own dwindling reserves, is it a possible gas prices could go up even more? Well, if you look at, I don't want to have an opinion on that, but if you look at

6:11the futures market right now, what can you buy gasoline for two months in advance from where we are today? It's down more than $0.30 a gallon from where it is today. So we are hitting the end of the summer driving season. The Trump administration has changed blending requirements for American refiners, which allows them to produce more gasoline just as demand for gasoline is about to start heading down. I should point out that New York, Connecticut, California, and several other Democrat-governed states have decided not to adopt those standards. They apparently want to keep driving up prices on their residents, but the Trump administration is doing everything we can to drive energy prices down as we have since the day we arrived in office. Respectfully, as the energy secretary shouldn't you have an opinion on where gas prices are and where they're going? Well, gasoline production is about to go up and demand is about to go down. So if I had to guess,

7:12they're more likely to go down and go up. I want to specifically ask about diesel, which of course is vital to pretty much every aspect of the supply chain. It's also the highest on record at $5 and 85 cents a gallon. It powers farm equipment, trains, trucks, that move produce, and other goods to stores. What is your message to Americans about when the price of diesel specifically, which affects the cost of just about everything will come down? So diesel has been impacted by a lot of factors, but the single biggest one there has been the Ukrainian destruction of Russian refineries. Russia was a meaningful exporter of diesel throughout the last several decades. Today they banned any exports of diesel. China has also dramatically throttled back exports of diesel. And in fact, Russia is importing gasoline where they have historically been a net exporter of that. So the refining market has become very tight. The Biden administration closed over a dozen refineries in the United States. Gavin Newsom in

8:17California closed two significant refineries just in the last 12 months. We of course are rowing in the opposite direction. The Trump administration is working with our refineries to expand their capacity. In fact, our efforts in Venezuela will also bring on not just oil production, but ultimately arise in refinery capacity in Venezuela to supply the world. So the world's had a lot of things rowing against the diesel market and democratic policies for the last 15 years to crimp the production of hydrocarbons in the United States is certainly taken a toll, but we're rowing in the other direction and we'll see that expanded. Ben, on Venezuela, the administration certainly struck a deal, but it doesn't sound like that's going to make production up and running for like 10 years or so. But broadly on diesel, it sounds like what you're saying is Americans are going to have to wait that diesel prices are going to remain high for a while. Well, we have lots of actions to push in the other direction. So we'll see that's going to be a

9:19supply and demand balance. But on Venezuela, I think things are going swimmingly well above our projections. Their national production of oil is up 25%. Their exports of oil is up 50%. We're way ahead of plan and with billions of new dollars announced for investment into the country, that every month that story gets better than it was the month before. So progress is happening rapidly. We're almost out of time. So what are you saying about the timeline in Venezuela? It's not 10 years, it's shorter now. Oh, it's never been 10 years. I don't know what the 10 years is referring to. But by the end of next year, we'll probably see Venezuelan production more than doubled from what it was at the time of our intervention. So progress in Venezuela has been rapid and will continue to be so. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, thank you so much for your time this morning, sir. Thanks. Thanks, Donna. The Lone Star State gets ready to host the Trump

10:20centric midterm convention. Is that because Republicans see real races in Texas? Democratic candidate for Governor Gina in a Hosea joins me next. Plus, it is Labor Day weekend. The unofficial midterm kickoff we'll talk to candidates on either side of one of the closest races in the country. President Trump is putting some of his money, whereas mouth is, his super PAC, MAGA Inc., spending $10 million on ads in the Texas Senate race. That as the president prepares to host a midterm convention in Texas this week. Here with me now is the Democrat running for Texas Governor, State Representative Gina in a Hosea. I want to note that Gina Sister, Sochi, is a CNN political commentator. Thank you so much for being here. You are running in a state president, Trump won by nearly 14 percentage points. He just announced, as I mentioned, that $10 million investment to boost Republican chances in the Texas Senate race. Are you concerned

11:25that all of this will in fact energize GOP voters in Texas? No, actually not at all. If you look at the polling, President Trump is underwater. Greg Abbott is underwater and people are tired of this politics. As usual, people want change in Texas. They're galvanizing, organizing, we're building real momentum in this race. So I welcome the attention on Texas. Texas is battleground in 2026. If you don't believe it, look at what Republicans are doing, but that's what I hear every day on the campaign trail. Governor Abbott, your opponent changed his position on data centers and on flat cameras over the past few weeks. Public opinion has shifted. You made it a centerpiece of your campaign. He is now placed to temporary pause on new data center approvals and ordered an audit. You say there needs to be a moratorium until regulations are in place, but proponents of data centers point to a boom in construction jobs. Is it worth potentially losing some jobs to stop data

12:29centers? I think that is a false choice. I think we can have good jobs and we can protect our communities as well. So that people understand Texas is the Wild West of data centers right now. We have hundreds that have descended upon us with the richest tax breaks in the country, given to data centers by Greg Abbott. And people are angry because they're not protected when it comes to their water, their electricity. I was sitting in a living room filled with really mega supporters this last week in Red Oak outside of Dallas, the small rural community where they have seven data centers coming in. And there's just no rules. These are massive, hyper-scale data centers in communities that just don't have the infrastructure. And people just want a seat at the table to decide if and how these data centers come into their communities. They deserve that. We need to pass laws to protect the people of Texas. What Abbott is doing is just trying to protect

13:29his own re-election chances, but people see right through it and it's not working. How is it a false choice between construction jobs and data centers? Right. Well, to give you some examples, in Texas, for instance, there is no requirement that the people of the community, the residences, be prioritized when it comes to water consumption. And in many places in Texas, we're suffering from drought, so people are really concerned. We can have laws in place that say Texans, residents, citizens get priority over water. We can have laws in place that say we won't subsidize the electricity. We can have laws in place that say local communities can decide if and how these data centers come into their communities. We do this with every other industry. We have laws, common-sense laws that protect people, and we build jobs. Listen, Texans are pro-business people, but we're talking about these hyper-scale data centers that have hyper-scale impacts on our

14:31communities, and we just need to get this under control. I want to play a part of a very personal ad you just released. 23 years ago, my husband and I were overjoyed expecting our first until an unimaginable diagnosis. The doctor has said, I need you to understand she's not going to live, but I didn't understand. But I was, can I choice? I chose her. You said your baby was born shortly after her due date. She did not survive. First of all, I'm sorry about that loss. I do want to ask about, since this is a campaign ad, the politics of this, since you're telling the story and you say you chose her. And that is striking language, because it's the kind of language the self-described pro-life movement would use. It seems intentional. The point of that ad is to say who I am. What is my motivator? What gives me strength in what

15:36is a heavy lift in this election cycle to run for governor in Texas? And so it was important to me to share that story with voters. I believe in a woman's right to choose. I have a voting record that shows that that's where I stand. But I think that people need to understand these choices that we make in our lives, make us who we are. And they are crossroads that kind of determine the future of our lives. That was my crossroads. That was my choice. And it was important to me to share so people understand what motivates me. An abortion is banned in Texas with the very limited medical exceptions. If elected governor, how would you change abortion laws? It's going to take more than one election to change these very extreme abortion bands in Texas. I think where we can start, I think where there is bipartisan support, is to do a way with the 99 years imprisonment that doctors face when they choose to terminate

16:40a pregnancy with a mother to save her life. And right now doctors can be second-guessed by political boards. And they face 99 years imprisonment. And so they're afraid to touch women and women are having to wait till they're at death's door. And too many women are dying in Texas because of it. I think there's bipartisan support to start there to do a way with these criminal penalties for doctors. Gina Inahosa, thank you so much for being here this morning. I really appreciate it. And I should note we invited your opponent, Governor Abbott, on the program, and we do hope to have him on soon. Up next could control of Congress come down to a purple district right outside New York City. That race is close and it's getting heated. Both candidates will be here next. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life Podcast. Last week there was this important report that dropped that I think got a lot of attention. It's about football and there was this new study

17:40in the British Medical Journal, which estimates that of all the NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021, about 878 players. At least 25% of them had confirmed CTE. That is the disease that is caused by repetitive hits to the brain. So CNN's resident NFL veteran, Koi Wire, he called me, we called fellow CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes and we were talking about it. I know as a former player anytime I forget my keys. If I get a slight headache, it pops in my head. I'm thinking like, man, I hope this is just Andy, do you forget your keys? Rarely, I... Oh, the ear's supposed to say yes all the time Koi, make me feel better. Sorry. Sorry. Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to State of the Union and under two weeks, New York voters can start bailing in their ballots. And this morning we're joined live by the candidates in one of the closest races in the country in the Hudson Valley and Rockland County where former combat veteran and army officer Kate

18:46Conley is taking on Republican Congressman Mike Lawler. Congressman Lawler is no stranger to a close race. He won in 2024 even as his district's voters also went for the Democrat for President Kamala Harris. I'm going to start with the incumbent in this race. Republican Mike Lawler, thank you so much for being here. Dozens of Republican Congress members and close races are skipping the president's convention in Texas this week. You're not, you're going and you're speaking. Your opponent, Kate Conley, accuses you of putting loyalty to the president ahead of your district. As I mentioned, Kamala Harris won there when President Trump won the White House. Why align yourself so closely with the president now when his popularity is at an all-time low? It's not a function of alignment. It's a function of doing the job. In order to get anything done, you have to be able to reach across the aisle and also work within your own party. When Joe Biden was president, I was able to get things done.

19:47When Donald Trump is president, I'm able to get things done. I've passed over two dozen bills, 17 of which have been signed into law. I've been able to bring back tens of millions of dollars to my district. And I delivered one of the biggest wins for New York by standing up to President Trump on the issue of salt. And so part of what I will be highlighting in my remarks is the ability to not only agree when we must, but disagree and deliver for my district and stand up for the people that I was elected to represent, including the Gorman family, who will be speaking at the convention. And I will be introducing them. Sadly, their 18-year-old beautiful young daughter, Sheridan Gorman, was brutally murdered earlier this year by an illegal immigrant led into the country under Joe Biden, arrested in Chicago for shoplifting, released back out onto the street, and executed her from behind. Their story is tragic, and they will be sharing their story, and I'm proud to stand there

20:52alongside them and introduce them to the nation. I want to ask you about data centers, your opponent, who will hear from shortly, is attacking you, who about the idea of data center construction. You say you support local control over data center decisions, but you did vote for the House version of the one big beautiful bill that would have prevented state and local governments from regulating AI systems, including data centers for 10 years. Why should voters in your district believe that you support local control when you voted in Congress to take that authority away? Well, the final bill did not include that provision, but secondarily, I've always supported local control of zoning. I stood up to Kathy Hocal when she tried to eliminate local control of zoning in New York State. It's my opponent, Kate Conley, who was bought and paid for by AI in big tech. She's got a no-show job to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars

21:52from AI companies. Just a few weeks ago, she was saying we need data centers. Now she's trying to change her tune because she knows this is problematic for her in the election. I have always supported local communities, East Fish Kill, Orange Town. They have moratoriums in place now in my district, putting a moratorium on data center construction. But the fact is you need to have a coherent strategy at the federal, state, and local level dealing with this issue. There are energy issues related to it, energy consumption. It's why I support legislation requiring these companies to help build generation for the power consumption that they use. By the way, you look at New York, utility rates are up 58 percent over six years. Why? Because New York shut down nuclear power, ban natural gas extraction, blocked pipeline construction. That drives up energy costs on

22:52residents. And that's part of the reason why New York is struggling to deal with the issues of data centers. Yeah. And you're right, it didn't become law, but that's because the Senate took that provision out. I do want to quickly talk about the Iran War. That's how you negotiate that. President Trump referred to it as a military conflict that's small potatoes when the U.S. struck three Iranian targets just yesterday. Now, you've said over 50 percent of your district is comprised of service members, veterans, law enforcement, first responders. Would you tell them that the U.S. is in a small potatoes military conflict? No, anytime you are at war or in a military escalation, and it's certainly not small potatoes, it is serious. I think we all recognize that. Ensuring Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon, stopping them from continuing to finance terrorism. Hamas has bellow the Houthis and other terror proxies, stopping them from mass producing ballistic missiles, drones, which are being used by

23:54Russia against Ukraine, is critical. And much of the military operation has been focused on depleting their military capabilities, and in recent months making sure that they are not blocking the ability of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil is back up to about 70 percent of what it was in terms of flowing through the strait prior to the conflict. We want to continue the flow, but remember, we don't rely on petroleum out of Iran. That is China. And part of what has happened over the last year, you've seen, the removal of Maduro and Venezuela, and the blockade against Iranian oil flowing, has severely impacted China's capabilities of getting oil from Venezuela and Iran. That is something that I have targeted legislatively with the Ship Act, the Iran China Energy Sanctions Act, and something we must continue to prosecute in terms of enacting strong sanctions against China. This is all interconnected,

24:55and we need to recognize that. Okay, Congressman Mike Lawler, thank you so much for being here this morning. I appreciate it. Thanks, Dana. And now I want to go to the Democrat, challenging Lawler, Kate Conley, who is an Army combat veteran, and served as a national security official in the Biden administration. Thank you so much for being here. Congressman Lawler has said time and time again that you are a Democrat, and in a time when Democrats are becoming the party of Democratic Socialists. When you were asked about a Mimdani-backed candidate campaigning with you, you said, welcome anyone here in this district. So would you campaign alongside Democratic Socialists, like the New York City mayor, or even with Congresswoman Alexandria Cazio Cortez? Now, Dana, I'm good up here making the case to the voters of the New York 17th Congressional District. And the case I'm making is that they deserve a true public servant, and someone who's going to fight for them every single day, not for special interests or corporate interests. And the testament of that, and the joke that is Mike Lawler's accusations,

26:01right, and blind lies, trying to call me names, instead of focusing on the fact that he's failed to actually deliver for working families here in New York 17. I spent 16 years in the military. I was a military police officer. I know the importance of law enforcement, providing and protecting our families. And I know the importance of things like border security as national security. And I'm going to do, as a representative of this district, the same thing I've done my whole life, which is fight for this country, fight for our families, and deliver. Mike Lawler's mission has been very clear during his time in Congress. And that is to fight for his own political advancement and ambition. My mission will be to fight for the families here in New York 17 to make their lives better and easier. Another one of your fellow Democrats in New York, Tom Swazzy, is calling on Democrats to reject the DSA. Do you? I look at what we're trying to do, which is unite this country, or we have seen partisanship,

27:02to include partisanship within our own party, absolutely divide people to render government dysfunctional. And that's not going to make prices lower on groceries or prescriptions. That's not going to lower gas prices. That's not going to make families who are working full-time jobs. Lives any easier. What we have to focus on is how do we bring people together? And right now, what I see coming out of Washington is corruption on both sides, extremism on both sides that is fueling hate, fueling dysfunction. And I believe there's no place in government, in public service. And I think that politicians should take a lesson from our military service members. I'll tell you during my 16 years in the Army, where I stood shoulder to shoulder, with young men and women from all across this country, of diverse political backgrounds or religious backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds. We came together to serve this country, to swear a note to country over a person or political party. And I think politicians should be taking lessons from our military service members about what service really is.

28:04I want to get your response to Congressman Lawler on data centers. As you just heard, he says your positions actually aren't that different. You both say local communities need to have a say, and that environmental impacts should be considered. He's pointing to a comment that you made in April when you said we need data centers. Do you still feel that way? On Mike Lawler's watch, five data centers were built in his own county alone, with three more on the way. We've watched as he is a utility lobbyist, has advocated for those interests and not those of the people in the Air 17. We've seen him take in hundreds of thousands of dollars from big tech. And then turn around, it actually fight to lower restrictions on building more data centers. If you want to know where Mike Lawler's loyalty is lie, just follow the money. My policy on data centers has been very clear. If they're going to be built, they need to be a net positive for the communities, not extorting the communities that they're being built in.

29:09I do want to ask, as a combat veteran, deployed overseas six times, and you were awarded three bronze stars. Earlier this week, the Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned after clashing with Secretary Hegseth, multiple sources, Telsi and N, they believe Hegseth's culture war fixation is disrupting army readiness. You've said Hegseth should be fired, but if you are elected, would you support actually impeaching him? I believe he has been a hazard to American national security and a disgrace to the office. I would absolutely support removing him from office, because his actions and decisions are failing service members who have sworn a note to this country and deserve respect and for politicians to actually value their lives and their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice instead of thinking that it's a game or some movie like Hegseth continuously talks about. And I do believe that the decisions out of this administration made by Hegseth,

30:11but also enabled by Congressman Mike Lawler and Republicans in Congress, just like with the Iran War, where Lawler invited five times to give Donald Trump a blank check on this conflict that they continued to bungle. That's not leadership and America deserves better. We're out of time, I just want to be clear, you said you would support removing him from office. That means that you would support articles of impeachment. Against Pete Hegseth, for his failure to protect America. Yes. All right, Kate Conley, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. And President Trump starts spending money on the midterms, amid a rising tide of GOP ad dollars, how effective will it be? My panel is here next. I think all of our allies out there, including the president and his team and their resources need to be brought to bear on Texas, because it's not one that we can lose if we're going to hang on

31:12to a Republican majority. We'd flat have to win there. I'm telling everybody we need to do more. This is a very real fight right now. Republicans are being massively outspaned. Christ for help, two top Republicans worried the critical Texas Senate race could be slipping away from them. It seems like President Trump heard them and is now getting involved to the tune of $10 million. My panel is here with me to discuss. Kristen, what are you seeing in your data about Texas? Well, Texas is a state where over the summer, some public polling came out showing Talarico up by a couple of points. I began to see Republican enthusiasm closing in my data, but it's still Texas. It's not a state where even a toss-up poll leaves Republicans feeling very good. And so, you know, I think that both senators soon and Cruz are right that this is a race that Republicans cannot afford to lose. It's a shame that it's even on the table to begin with, but it is really essential piece to make the math work for Republicans to hang on to their

32:14majority is keeping Texas. Kristen? Yeah, I agree. I mean, right now, out of all the toss-up Senate races, there's about seven that are within the margin of error, including Iowa and Texas and Maine and Alaska. And so, as we go into Labor Day, this is kind of like start your engines, right? If you're looking at your opponent, if you're looking at Talarico and he's up to or for, then it's time to start seeing, okay, we really need to make the case. We need to let people know that he voted against rural health care. We need to know, let people know he voted against the oil and gas industry to really important things to cost the living in Texas and kind of get out of the Twitter world, get out of the internet, like talk about the real life issues that are going on in people in Texas. And I think as that starts happening, again, to the tune of 10 million, and I assume a lot more, we'll see those numbers start to shift and maybe Texas moves a little bit, you know, down the map and other states move up. Yeah, Elon Musk is also spending. Well, I think one of the things that's interesting, if you talk to Democrats who are working on the race on the ground in Texas, you see one of the significant problems Republicans are having are with moderate women, an independent woman. And so, in part because of course, cost issues,

33:16but also just more broadly on the kind of extreme pieces of the Trump agenda. And as both Christians were saying, obviously, Texas is a state where Republicans should not have to, in theory, be spending money to defend a seat that should be, you know, a cakewalk. And some of that is because Ken Paxton is the nominee. Somebody that Trump went hard for and insured was the nominee. He is a very damaged candidate, again, struggling with women. So you are, you are seeing Democrats have a real shot in Texas in a way that they haven't in previous cycles. Yeah, the problem is that make America great again is not making America great. Making America great again is making America look goofy. And I think the problem is we're seeing measles outbreaks are taking place in 47 states. And we've got a government that's coming out and questioning vaccines. We are having costs overruns. People's housing, people aren't able to take care of their household expenses. And we're getting into fights with our allies in Canada over tariffs. All of those things are making this look not like an effective government. And the president is treating Washington DC like it's his own

34:21personal amusement park. This is not what America voted for. And I think they're going to punish the president on election day in the midterms. And we have brand new polling from NBC News out this morning. The overall question of the approval of the president's performance as president overall 36%. 80% of Republicans 24% of independence. Chris and I want you to sort of drill down on those two because 80% of Republicans approve 20% disapproved, which is a pretty high number for a percentage for this president. Well, in this polarized time, you really are used to seeing numbers where one party almost no one likes the president. And then in the other party, you get a pretty sizable figure. 80% is not exceptional, but not as terrible, I think, that independence numbers. The one that really sticks out to me. And the challenge that Republicans have is are those independence simply going to conclude that both Republicans and Democrats have nothing to offer. They're both terrible, why bother and stay home. Or do they conclude that the Democrats candidates actually can deliver

35:27on something new and different? That's going to be really critical in this midterm. It's not just about, you know, do Republicans like Trump or not because clearly 80% means a lot of them do. That's why Trump feels compelled to double down Republican candidates out on the trail trying to weigh. Should I just have Trump come to my district because he's still able to fire up those Republican voters, but those independence in the middle trying to decide, okay, I may not be enthused with what's going on with Trump and the Republicans, but I'm not so sure yet that I can trust Democrats. Democrats still have not, I think, finished selling them on turnout for us. Yeah, I think Democrats have a real problem. I mean, there was a political poll last week that should the working class is still up for grabs. So you have this, you know, this base group of voters that help Trump take the White House, that Democrats have before, that right now they're not sure Democrats are going to be there for them. So this is, you know, your White working class voters, Democrats haven't made the case. So we can sit here all day long and say Trump approval is falling. Trump's not on the ballot. The Democrats that are haven't really made the sale yet. And so if I'm a Democrat, I'm sitting in Texas, Maine, Georgia, Michigan, I'm thinking how do we

36:29get this across the line because they haven't convinced them yet? Although you do see Democrats, sorry, you do see Democrats running ahead in these races. I mean, we see poll after poll where, so I would refute a little bit. I certainly agree Democrats have worked to do to win blue collar voters. And certainly as we look beyond 26 to 28, that's going to be a huge piece of whether Democrats can be successful. But I think in the choice that voters have, you know, coming up in November, you do see Democrats, uh, uh, uh, eaking ahead in some of these polls, in part on the back of an enthusiasm gap. So you have Republican voters, you know, yes, you have 80% who say I approve of what Trump's doing. But are those people motivated to come out and vote in a midterm election where Trump himself is not on the ballot? We're not seeing that. Whereas you're seeing Democrats saying I am willing to crawl over broken glass to vote for somebody who I think is going to hold Trump, uh, you know, in check. So I think this is where Democrats do have a big advantage going into November. To get to what K. Just said, I saw a story about some Democrats who are overseas who are trying to figure out if they should plan to get on plane. So they will be back in the United States on election day because they were worried about sending their mail-in ballots.

37:32That's the kind of dedication when you talk about enthusiasm. Maybe one person can vote and it's one person for vote, but you gotta make sure they get there and the people who are self-motivated to be there, they matter more than people who are kind of like, yeah, I don't know. While we have you, can I ask you about your old boss? Yeah. A former vice president, Kamala Harris. She's starting to get out there a little bit more. Uh, if you were advising a Democratic candidate, would you say bring her on and campaign? I think every candidate's got to run for their own. I've been on a lot of a lot of sides here where I've been in state campaigns and we had unpopular presidents that we didn't want to come down to the states where we were and I've been on parks when you're in with the national campaign and you want to go be helpful. I think the candidates have to win. This I do know about Kamala Harris. She wants people to win and she doesn't care. She's like, I'll be for you or against you. Just win your election. Thank you all for being here on this holiday weekend. Appreciate it. Every year I reread stories of bravery and tragedy from September 11th. Next we will tell you one you might not have heard. Say what this.

38:38As America prepares to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9-11, a new CNN film looks at the people who worked at the famous Windows of the World restaurant. Those who died there in the attacks. Then in the 80s the city came back. Money is rolling in suddenly. Windows on the world was like a metaphor for what was happening to New York. You had the very wealthy, the very poor. Top of the world premieres Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern on CNN and streaming the next day with a CNN All Access subscription. Thanks for spending your Sunday morning with us for Reza Kariya. Fix it up next. Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast, all there is we explore grief and loss in all its

39:40complexities. My guess on the podcast is NASCAR Champion and Whole of Famer Kurt Bush. He's grieving the recent death of his younger brother NASCAR Champion Kyle Bush. I'm trying to grieve in ways to help people. I want your mom, my dad, and I try to do it where I'm not biting off more than I can chew and then back off a bit and trying to help everyone get through this and share stories. It's not going to get any easier but time will help you. I have a nice therapist that I worked with towards the twilight of my career. His therapy helped. It has. I embraced it a few years back whereas the younger teenager, 20 year old, 30 year old, nah. Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.