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Passenger Describes Moment He and Crew Thwarted Potential Hijacking; Passengers from Diverted Flight Arrive in Tel Aviv After Pilot Stabbed in Suspected Hijack Attempt; Hegseth Gives "State of the Force" Address to Service Member; Hegseth Announces 20 Percent Cut to Senior Officer Ranks; Russian Strikes Targeting Kyiv's Power Grid Kill at Least 4; Heavy Rain Leads to Flash Flooding, Dam Failure in New Mexico; A.I.-Powered U.S. Government Website Launches 3-3:30p ET

Aired September 30, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: ... widespread electoral fraud, but what do you say to them in the argument that they're trying to make sure that who is voting should be voting?

HECTOR SANCHEZ BARBA, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MI FAMILIA VOTA: There is enough research to prove that that's not an issue, and the President has been manipulating this issue to exclude entire communities from the democratic process. And not only that, at a time when ICE is really terrorizing the nation, but particularly the immigrant and the Latino community, it's very worrisome that he's saying that he's going to have ICE in our communities when our communities are scared. There are people that are not going to buy groceries, there are people that are not sending their children to school because they're afraid of ICE for obvious reasons.

During the Trump administration, hate crimes against the Latino community increased 250 percent, so it's extremely worrisome. But the main point that we need to address right now is to make sure that we protect our democracy, and that people have the right to vote.

SANCHEZ: Hector Sanchez Barba, appreciate the conversation. Thank you so much.

BARBA: Thank you for the invitation.

SANCHEZ: Of course. A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A hero's welcome. Passengers return to Israel after a pilot allegedly tried to hijack and crash their plane as it was heading for Tel Aviv. We have the latest.

And State of the Force: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about to speak to service members and detail his priorities, and that includes cuts to senior military positions.

Then later, President Trump's new A.I. chatbot caught refusing to answer politically sensitive questions just hours after it launched.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL. ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

KEILAR: And our breaking news, we are now hearing from the hero passenger who Israeli officials say helped storm the cockpit of a Flydubai jet bound for Tel Aviv this morning after a violent altercation between the pilots. One of the pilots reportedly stabbing the other in a possible attempt to bring the plane down before it was brought under control by other crew members.

A warning that some of the video we are about to show is graphic. The man who stormed the cockpit telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just moments ago that two pilots were inside the cabin and two other pilots were sitting just outside of the cabin.

And according to our translation, he says he and the two pilots outside the cockpit pushed against the door, but the stab pilot was right up against it, making it hard to open. He says he believes the stabbed pilot was then able to open the door before he collapsed. The passenger went on to say that once he got inside the cockpit, he saw the attacker on the instrument panel between the two seats. He said, quote, "There were no pilots in the seats. One was on the floor. One was on the instruments." He says he then grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold and dragged him out first. CNN's Pete Muntean is with us now.

Just a harrowing account there from this passenger, Pete, what are you learning?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Learning more all the time about this. New details just coming in now. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now identified the pilot who was stabbed as an Indian man flying this Flydubai flight named Smit Machchhar from India, praised the captain, Netanyahu, as a true hero, saying he demonstrated extraordinary bravery, saving the lives of 174 people on board.

I want to read you this quote now. "Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, preventing a catastrophic midair disaster."

So, we now have a bit more of the tick tock about what was clearly a threat from inside the cockpit, with Israeli officials saying the flight's first officer stabbing the captain, then trying to crash the airplane.

Right now, we understand that these passengers and this off duty Flydubai pilot tried to rush forward, forced their way into the cockpit, subdued the first officer. The track from flight radar 24 also really tells the story here. You can see the track in blue there.

Flydubai flight 1073 departed Dubai, then climbed to a cruising altitude -- normal cruising altitude, 34,000 feet. That's on the left side of the track there.

Then, about two hours into the flight, we're moving to the right now. There's a dive, then a climb and then a very big dive. I looked at the granular data, a loss of more than 16,000 ft in 35 seconds. We're talking a blistering descent rate of about 29,000 ft per minute. That is incredible. The speed increased from about 460 miles per hour to near the speed of sound 700 miles per hour, which likely explains these photos of the plane's rudder that's used to yaw the airplane, control the movement of the nose left and right, almost completely broken off. Any way you slice this, terrifying ride for passengers.

[15:05:08]

And now begins this investigation of how this could have happened. The cockpit voice recorder will be able to give investigators more insight here. Also, the flight data recorder, which captures way more data than what we can get from flight tracking. A lot of pieces to put together now, Brianna.

KEILAR: Oh, my goodness. Pete, thank you so much for taking us through the very latest there. Boris.

SANCHEZ: Let's get some perspective now from Chris Swecker. He's a former FBI assistant director for the criminal investigative division.

Chris, thank you so much for being with us.

So, as -- as Prime Minister Netanyahu says, the pilot tried to crash the plane. What evidence would investigators need to determine that pilot's specific intent?

CHRIS SWECKER, FORMER FBI ASST. DIRECTOR FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE DIVISION: Well, there'll be recordings in the -- in the cockpit. The flight data recorder. They'll -- they'll dissect this pilot's -- I mean, this copilot's entire life and see where they missed the issue with him. So, yes, this -- I mean, this is --- this is a type of investigation where they're -- they're going to look -- they're almost going to go default to terrorism or -- or the -- a terrorism intent and then work out from there, because they -- you know, I think I -- I believe I've heard Netanyahu already say that this was a -- that his motive was terrorism. That remains to be seen.

It is an extraordinary incident. It's a heroic act on the part of the pilot and the passengers. Getting the door open was key. That plane would have -- if that -- if that pilot had not opened that door, that plane would have gone down.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I'm curious to get your thoughts on screening for pilots themselves because obviously the concern, especially after 9/11 was about potential danger coming from passengers. But there have now been several incidents in which pilots themselves have been the instigators of catastrophes. So, how should the aviation industry look at this?

SWECKER: Well, you know, I think now they look at their records and that, you know, it's public records on convictions or arrests and that type of thing. I'm not sure how -- how deep a dive they take into social media, which I think is becoming much more the standard in employment type background checks, because I -- you know, the only way to determine if this person had some type of leanings in that direction, if you -- absent a criminal record, is things that he said to others, things that he may have written on or posted on social media communications and that sort of thing.

And that's not the type of thing that you can really dig deep into during a background check for -- for employment or for, you know, for qualifications to fly an airplane. So, you know, I think that -- that the -- the link now or the -- the gray area, if you will, in employment screening is diving into social media and getting into their, you know, their -- their personal beliefs and ideologies. That's -- that's the -- that's what will determine what the motive was here. And I think in a lot of these types of cases, after the fact, you find those postings and you find those writings, as we've seen with manifestos and other, you know, other postings on social media.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's a good point. The other question was about the weapon that was used. Accounts from passengers mentioned the attacker using a knife. Netanyahu spoke about one of the pilots being stabbed, though we've not gotten specific details from officials confirming the weapon that was used. I -- I noted a moment ago that Israel has some of the strictest aviation security protocols in the world.

SWECKER: They do.

SANCHEZ: So, how do investigators piece together any gaps that might have led to something like a knife getting on board a flight?

SWECKER: Yes, we don't know what kind of knife it was. It might have been just -- it might have been a sharp object.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

SWECKER: But I'm, you know, I'm sure they're going to look very hard at that. I -- I do think it's easier for a pilot or a crew member to -- to take something onto a flight. I -- I think there's a -- just from my own observation, I don't have any inside information on this, but my own observation is they often get waved past and around those -- that screening, or they're not screened as carefully as non-crew members are.

So, I can see where it would be easier for a pilot or a crew member to smuggle a small weapon onto an airplane.

SANCHEZ: The suspect now is in Saudi custody. He's apparently an Omani national. Neither country has formal diplomatic relations with Israel, though the airline is based in the UAE, which does. Does that complicate an investigation? Does that lead to obstacles where otherwise there might be cooperation?

SWECKER: I mean, always in international cooperation there, you know, there are issues. It's not as seamless as -- as an internal investigation inside your own country's borders. But I think in a circumstance like this, in a situation like this, I -- I don't -- I don't think you're going to see the same obstacles you would.

[15:10:04] You know, there -- this is a hijacking, potential tragic incident, and I just don't see the Omanis digging in and not, you know, not cooperating with the investigation. What -- what's eerie about this is we're really close to the anniversary of October 7th, and many, or most -- if not most, of the passengers on that flight were Israeli.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Chris Swecker, thanks so much for sharing your expertise.

SWECKER: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, laying out his vision for the U.S. military. These are live images of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announcing more changes at the Pentagon during a speech, including a reduction in the number of generals and admirals.

Plus, just hours after it was launched by President Trump, the government's new A.I. chatbot was caught dodging politically sensitive questions.

And later, it could be their only debate before the midterms, the two candidates to lead the nation's most populous state facing off tonight, right here on CNN. A preview of this debate when we come back.

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[15:15:26]

SANCHEZ: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announcing key priorities for the Pentagon today. Right now, he's holding his annual State of the Force Address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. We're expecting to hear about his plans that officials say will reduce top brass by 20 percent in just the next few months. CNN's Brian Todd is here with us.

Brian, that is a substantial number of generals and admirals. So, why follow through with this when the U.S. is still at war with Iran?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a question being asked by Democrats who are opposing this, Boris. But also, we do have to point out, this is kind of an extension of what Pete Hegseth said last year that he was going to do. That was before the war started that he said this.

What he said last year was that he was going to cut the number of four-star generals and admirals by at least 20 percent. And that he would cut the number of all generals and flag officers by about 10 percent. So what he's doing today, what he's announcing today, doubles that number to 20 percent. He is cutting the positions reserved for generals and admirals by about 20 percent. And as Boris mentioned, that's a lot of generals and admirals.

The -- the expected cuts are to be completed by January 1st of next year. Here is a clip of what Secretary Hegseth had to say at this event in Quantico just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The number crunchers say we've fired 10 percent of the generals and admirals across the force, and that number sounds about right. And I know because I directed it that we've also reduced the overall number of general officer slots by an additional 10 percent. So, yes, 20 percent reduction across the board.

Now, the media calls that a purge. I call it accountability and long overdue. And frankly, the bare minimum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So, he's alluding there to the possibility of maybe more cuts coming of top officers. You know, Hegseth, since he took office last year, has often alluded to what he believes is kind of like the bloated number of generals and admirals at the top echelons of the U.S. military. He says -- he has said these cuts are critical toward removing redundant force structure and -- but it still has not come without pushback.

As Boris mentioned, he's doing this right now, of course, as the Iran -- the Iran war enters, you know, at least past seven months at this point. The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed, has issued a statement basically pushing back on these cuts by Pete Hegseth.

Here is a statement from Jack Reed, quote, "Our military is conducting major operations around the world and the force is already under strain. Eliminating senior positions and leaders now will add to that strain and disrupt command when continuity matters most." So, Democrats, Boris, of course, complaining this is not the time to do this as the Iran war stretches on.

SANCHEZ: And this is only the latest change that Hegseth has made to the Pentagon.

TODD: No, a -- a number of changes, a lot of it involving kind of like the culture wars that he's criticized for. But a lot of it does involve lifestyle appearance, things like that. He has -- just this week, he has announced plans to stop hiring civilians for tenured positions at U.S. military academies like West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy. He's also recently ordered some books to be removed from schools on military bases. That's reporting by our own CNN national security team. Many of these books explore race, sexism and LGBTQ plus issues.

He is ordering those books some -- many of those books to be removed from schools on military bases. He has mandated more fitness tests for officers, at least two per year. He has placed heavy restrictions on beards in the military. And he has rolled out new guidance for mandatory testosterone testing for service members who are over 30.

Now, they put a pause on that for now while they do some more research on that, Boris. But that is just some of what he has kind of rolled out there. He has really stressed fitness, appearance, culture issues. And this is an extension of all of that. SANCHEZ: A long and controversial list.

TODD: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Brian Todd, thank you so much for that.

Still to come this afternoon, President Trump -- rather, testing President Trump's new A.I. government tool. What it said when we asked about voter fraud and the costs of Medicare and inflation.

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[15:24:16]

SANCHEZ: Now, to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour, Russia bombarded Ukraine's capital and surrounding areas with missiles and drones overnight, killing at least four people, including a child, according to Ukrainian officials. They say the strikes mainly targeted the country's power grid, stoking concerns that Moscow is restarting what's become an annual barrage against Ukrainian energy assets with the cold winter months approaching.

Plus, stunning new video from Vietnam of lightning striking a woman while she's riding a motorcycle. Watch this. Right there, the woman careens out of control, crashing off the road. According to reports, the woman has regained consciousness after she was hospitalized. She was being treated for a head injury and burns to several parts of her body. Hopefully she makes a speedy recovery after that.

[15:25:07]

KEILAR: And first responders in Arizona making multiple water rescues after heavy rain flooded parts of the Phoenix area. In this dramatic video, check this out, a stranded driver was forced on top of his -- really on the side there of his overturned truck -- when rushing water swept the vehicle away, crews able to reach him by helicopter.

They also responded to dozens of crashes as some roads turned into rivers. That same storm system brought heavy rains to New Mexico, leading to the highest level flash flood warning in the southern part of the state. The flood threat now shifts to the southern and central plains.

President Trump's new website is up and running, America.gov, powered by artificial intelligence. The administration says it's designed to be a digital front door to the federal government. And the idea is pretty simple. Instead of bouncing from one government website to another, you can use the chatbot to ask questions and get information on many topics, like passports, Medicare, disaster relief and other government services all in one place. CNN's Daniel Dale is with us now.

Daniel, the President is calling this new chatbot, quote, "damn good." You put it to the test shortly after it went live yesterday. How well does it actually work? DANIEL DALE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: So, I'm -- I'm a fact checker, so I

wasn't looking for Medicare or a passport. What I was doing is seeing how it would address President Trump's many false claims. And on that score, Brianna, it was pretty good.

So, I asked it things like who won the 2020 election, and it would say Joe Biden. I would say, "Was there widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election?" It would say no and give -- give some federal sources that -- that found that, indeed, there was not widespread voter fraud.

I would ask, "Is it true that Joe Biden let in 25 million illegal immigrants across the border?" And it would say no and explain what the real numbers were, much lower.

So on and on, I went through President Trump's most frequent false claims from the last couple months. And over and over again, this chatbot was willing to debunk the President.

Now, it wasn't the best fact-checking tool, I have to say. It provided outdated info in some cases or limited info in some cases. In other cases, it said it couldn't provide more detailed info because it could only cite federal sources, so federal data, federal reports. But to me, the -- the noteworthy takeaway was that this was a source, you know, endorsed personally by the President, put out by the White House itself that was flatly contradicting many of the things the President says that are not true.

KEILAR: And -- and what happened when you used the chatbot today?

DALE: So, today was a -- a weird saga. So, I -- I tried again because I thought, you know, was the White House going to let this stand, this White House tool correcting the President? And around 9 A.M., it had changed. So, I would ask the same questions. I asked things like, you know, was there widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election? And now it said it couldn't answer that question because it doesn't get into, quote, "political commentary." I asked who won the 2020 election, pretty straightforward. I don't think that's political commentary. Again, it said it couldn't answer.

But then as I was writing a story about how the White House had apparently changed the chatbot, it changed again, and the answers actually got better than they were yesterday. So, not only was it answering around 10 A.M. when I asked things like was there widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, it was giving more thorough debunking than it did when I checked yesterday.

So what's going on here? I have absolutely no idea as, you know, many things with -- with A.I. are -- are murky and mystifying, and this has certainly been a murky and mystifying little 24-hour saga with the federal chatbot.

KEILAR: That is fascinating. Daniel Dale, thank you so much for sharing your adventure with us.

Ahead, what to expect during tonight's CNN debate between the two candidates for governor of California, why that race should matter to voters around the country.

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