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Police Clash with Protesters in France; Brand-New Polling out of Ohio; Meta CEO Builds White House Ties. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired October 08, 2026 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[09:31:58]
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking overnight, police in riot gear unleashing tear gas in multiple cities across France. The clashes with students and others joining in on the massive protests continue to rock the country. Hundreds of schools have been shut down due to the demonstrations and student-led blockades that have been happening. And this is from earlier today. The students are demanding more teachers, smaller classes and better school conditions.
CNN's Melissa Bell is in Paris with more on this.
What are you seeing this morning? I see the demonstrations fully continuing.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, what they're asking for at this stage, Sara, is 10 billion euros to try and get their classrooms up to scratch. And already the turnout is pretty impressive here at the Plaza de Bastilla. They've marched from Rpublique (ph) towards here, and a lot of them here already students, but also grown-ups.
I'm joined, in fact, by Irenee Frerot, who's a local councilor. This is a student demonstration. A lot of them are high schoolers and teenagers.
IRENEE FREROT, SUPPORTING STUDENT PROTESTERS: Yes.
BELL: You've come out as a grown up. Why?
FREROT: I just came here to support what they're asking for. I'm also here as a local councilor to protect them against the police, because we have seen recently very, very violent arrests as an answer to what they ask.
BELL: And by being here, you feel you can help protect them?
FREROT: A little bit. Our experience is that we can -- we can talk to the police a bit more easily. And when the police see that we are here, they calm down a bit.
BELL: What do you think of the prime minister's (AUDIO GAP) to French TV?
FREROT: (AUDIO GAP) high school teachers. They are asking for decent conditions, decent salaries for their teachers. And what they receive is just the most massive repressions we've seen since May '68 (ph). It's not satisfactorily at all.
BELL: Irenee Frerot, thank you so much for speaking to us.
So, as you hear, that's the general impression of so many of the people who've turned up here today, that the government's response has been too little, too late. In fact, what the government said is that it's going to provide some answers and some ideas of measures that it might take at the end of October.
It's been remarkable to see how slow they've been to see this sort of ballooning movement. And that's been one of the problems. The other, as you just heard, has been the police response. There are some 20 inquiries currently open here in France looking into particular incidents of police violence. We heard from the interior minister earlier this week who refused to apologize, saying for his part, he believed the police response had been proportionate and those isolated incidents would be investigated.
But once again, as you can see here, a lot of people, a lot of police as well out here and all the potential for a lot more of what we've seen in these last few weeks.
Sara.
SIDNER: And we were seeing a huge sign that says gen z, giving you some idea of the age of those who are out in the streets as well.
Melissa Bell, thank you so much for your reporting there from Paris.
Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Here is one quote, "awake, angry, and confused about everything right now." The woman who survived a botched execution is now facing new issues in the hospital.
[09:35:01]
Her attorney speaking out this morning. We've got much more to come on this.
And an officer aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln reuniting. It's a beautiful reunion.
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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, brand-new CNN polling this morning out of Ohio that could have major implications for the balance of power in the Senate.
[09:40:04] The Democrat running there, Sherrod Brown, the latest CNN poll shows has a six-point lead in that Senate race. This would be a flip if Sherrod Brown wins. This would be a flip for the Democrats and a key step on their path to take the four seats in the Senate they need to regain control.
With us now, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.
So, Brown up six in the latest CNN poll. What are the prediction markets saying about his chances right now?
ENTEN: Yes, I think this is the key thing. If you want to focus in on one state to know who is going to control the United States Senate after the 2026 elections, it is Ohio. So goes Ohio, so goes the Senate, so goes the nation.
And you can really see this quite well in the Kalshi predictions odds. Because just take a look at the chance that the Democrats win. Take a look here. On February 27th, just before the Iran War started, Sherrod Brown was just south of a 50 percent chance. Now he's up to a 64 percent chance.
How about for the Senate as a whole? Forty-one percent. Up like a rocket. Up to 63 percent. Look at this, 64, 63. As Ohio goes, so goes the nation. If you want to focus in on one state, it is Ohio. Which, of course, brings us back to those days of yore (ph), right, when Ohio was so key in presidential elections, and now it's key in the Senate elections. Democrats chances go up in Ohio, they went up nationwide.
BERMAN: All right, so the CNN poll has him up six. Is this unusual for Sherrod Brown lately?
ENTEN: Yes, OK. So, why? Why is Sherrod Brown's chances going up significantly? How about this? How about this? Sherrod Brown's last poll deficit? You got to go all the way back to June. You got to go all the way back to June. And that was well within the margin of error in that particular poll. So, our CNN poll is no outlier. It is part of a string of polls in which Sherrod Brown is doing very, very well in a state that Donald Trump won by 11 points. He is gaining ground, not just according to CNN, but across all the polling data that we look at.
BERMAN: All right, so, in our poll, Sherrod Brown is up six points. Six points seems like a lot. Or is it?
ENTEN: Yes, or is it? Or is it? You know, you see this big chunk, June, that was the last time Sherrod Brown was trailing in a poll.
But take a look here. Look at historically speaking. OK, the GOP outperformed the Ohio Senate poll average. This is the average from early October in points. In 2016 they outperformed in the final results in the Ohio Senate race by seven points. How about 2018? Eight points. How about 2022? Seven points. How about 2024? Six points.
And I'll note, of course, that Sherrod Brown was running both in 2024 and in 2018. So, there is a history in Ohio of Republicans doing considerably better on Election Day than what the polls suggest at this point.
And you talk about that CNN poll having Sherrod Brown up by six points. Well, that was the same exact sort of difference, right, in which we saw where Sherrod Brown had a lead at this point back in the 2024 campaign and ended up losing by a few points. If this type of shift happens again, well, it's a very tight ballgame in Ohio. You can't take anything for granted if you're a Democrat running there. And there's some hope for Republicans, given the historic overperformance from the polls where they are at this point to Election Day.
BERMAN: Yes, history shows it could still be very, very close.
How's the president doing in Ohio?
ENTEN: Yes, OK. So, you know, why do we see this? Why do we see that the last time Sherrod Brown, in fact, was trailing a poll was June. Why do we see that the Democrats' chances are going up in Ohio and therefore the nation? It's because of this. I mean, just look.
Ohio voters on Trump. He carried the state by 11 points. And he has been dragged down in the Ohio River or Lake Erie, whatever body of water you want to do. His net approval rating now down to negative 21 points in an average of polls. That's a shift away from the president of 32 points.
If Sherrod Brown ends up winning Ohio and the Democrats win the United States Senate, it will be because of one man in particular more than any other man, and that is Donald John Trump dragging Republicans down with him as his poll numbers continue to hit record lows.
BERMAN: About 75 percent of voters in Ohio told us that they think that Donald Trump's policies have increased their cost of living over the last year.
ENTEN: This is the same exact picture in state after state after state. Inflation brought Donald Trump in office, and it may sweep Republicans in the Senate, and certainly the House out of it.
BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.
ENTEN: Thank you, my friend.
BERMAN: There's a lot of news this morning. We'll be right back.
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[09:48:42]
BERMAN: All right, new reporting this morning on how Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has ingratiated himself with President Trump, to the point where he's now wielding new, significant influence inside the White House.
CNN's Clare Duffy has been doing reporting on this and joins us now.
So, how did he get here, and what exactly is he using his new power for?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes, this is a big transformation for Mark Zuckerberg. You'll remember that pre-Trump's reelection in 2024, he had a rocky relationship with D.C. He was called to task for a number of problems on his platforms. He also, of course, famously removed/suspended President Trump from Facebook and Instagram after the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. That caused Trump, in 2024, to threaten Zuckerberg with life in prison. He accused the Meta CEO of plotting against him.
But when Trump was reelected, Zuckerberg and Meta really invested in this year's long effort to regain Trump's trust, to rebuild relationships with Republicans that included Zuckerberg visiting Mar- a-Lago after the election. He now regularly visits Washington, speaks to Trump on the phone. They also donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration. Of course, Zuckerberg was among the tech CEOs on the dais behind the president as he was inaugurated. They have funded Trump's White House ballroom project. They settled for $25 million in a payment that is largely going to Trump's planned presidential library over his lawsuit ,over this removal from their platform.
[09:50:04]
So, they have really invested in rebuilding this relationship.
And that has given Mark Zuckerberg the significant influence over AI. and tech policy. We know, of course, that he was deeply involved in drafting the A.I. Accord, that the A.I. CEOs agreed to, to self-police themselves at this White House meeting last week. We also understand that he personally counseled President Trump against creating an A.I. regulator, which is something that others in the industry had been pushing the president to do. And this, of course, important because Meta is trying to become one of these few leading companies pushing the frontier of this technology.
BERMAN: Why is this such a sensitive, maybe crucial time for Meta in Washington?
DUFFY: Yes. I mean, on one hand, there is, of course, the company's efforts around artificial intelligence. Mark Zuckerberg has made the argument that very much aligns with Trump's position that these companies don't need additional regulation to be safe on A.I. They can just be held liable if their products harm someone.
Of course, Meta is also facing big questions around youth safety on its platforms. We also understand that the White House intervened ahead of a planned Senate hearing, where the Senate Judiciary Committee had planned to call Mark Zuckerberg, other tech CEOs to testify on youth safety. After the White House's intervention, they sort of dialed that back, and they plan now to call Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, although that hearing has been repeatedly rescheduled and does not yet have a date.
BERMAN: It's good to have powerful friends.
Clare Duffy, thanks so much for being with us this morning and sharing your reporting.
DUFFY: Thank you.
BERMAN: Kate.
BOLDUAN: So this morning, the woman who survived a botched execution is facing new health challenges and issues after those two attempted -- attempts at lethal injection failed. Christa Pike's attorney is calling it a medically unprecedented recovery now, but also says Pike has pneumonia and a blood clot in one of her arms. He said that Christa Pike is, quote, "awake, angry and confused about everything" and also offered some detail about her condition and what was said when she woke up.
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RANDY SPIVEY, ATTORNEY FOR CHRISTA PIKE: I was not in the room when she woke up, so I don't want to speculate too much. Our understanding was the first thing she said was, where am I and who are you? There's still a lot of cognitive confusion. And so I will say that.
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BOLDUAN: A judge in this case has now ordered the state to preserve evidence related to the botched execution, 911 calls, communications between state officials and other -- any physical evidence.
In Maryland, search teams spent hours looking for a young boy who had wandered away from his home. Ultimately, they did find him.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got him! I got him! I got him!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE), we got him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where is he at?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got him. I got him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Thankfully they did -- they did find him. But right just -- when they did get to him, he was just feet from a busy roadway.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, buddy? I got you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got you. I got you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you at?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Northbound 210.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just after (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got you. I got you.
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BOLDUAN: Gosh, you can hear the relief in that officer's voice. The police say the boy is doing well.
Now to a tearful reunion on board the USS Abraham Lincoln. CNN cameras were there when Lieutenant Commander Jason Trost (ph) surprised his daughter Hannah (ph) aboard the ship. This had been her first deployment, and it was a doozy. More than 7,000 service members and personnel were on board the USS Abraham Lincoln. And it is obviously, as we've talked so much about, been away for nearly a year now, 321 days and 265 of those days uninterrupted at sea. They returned home today in San Diego, capping off the second longest Navy aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam War.
The New York Yankees, their season comes to an end, and not without drama. With the Yankees down two in the bottom of the sixth inning to the Tampa Bay Rays, Anthony Volpe sent a ball deep into left field. The Rays outfielder tries to catch it, but a Yankees fan reaches over -- reaches of the fence. You see the little bonk and the ball apparently went into the stands. The play was originally ruled a game tying two run home run, but umpires reviewed it, determined it was fan interference, and then overturned the run. The Yankees went on to lose four to three as the Rays completed the series sweep, and now move on to the ALCS. The fan who interfered with that play, escorted out of Yankee Stadium.
Sara.
SIDNER: He's going to have a lot to answer to, man.
All right, thank you, Kate.
We are road tripping again with chef David Chang, who is pleading with us to put down our phones and get out on the open road to find delicious food. An all-new episode of "The Detour" premieres this Saturday. This week, Dave is hanging out with actress Gillian Jacobs to explore her home city of Pittsburgh, where they find people so passionate about their sandwiches, they'll tell you exactly where to go and what to order.
[09:55:07]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, pierogi are kind of classic for the city. And I -- we kind of feel a need to have it here, especially like boiled pierogi. So, we just kind of introduce a little bit of a twist if somebody wants to abide.
DAVID CHANG, HOST, "THE DETOUR": To me, this is amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Awesome. Chef, thank you so much.
CHANG: This potato. Come on, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Grown with Amish love. I'll tell you what.
CHANG: Come on, like --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dill, peak summer, dried out for right now, you know?
CHANG: It is not easy to make a boiled potato delicious. In fact, this is like, to me, this was like, oh, this is love. This is care. To take something that is --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty simple.
CHANG: Often times simple or sometimes like a throw away. This is, to me, like -- this is all great. Everything's great. But this is the most memorable thing to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.
CHANG: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks. I prepped the potatoes myself.
GILLIAN JACOBS: All right. Made with love.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
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SIDNER: Who knew a boiled potato could be so good.
You can find an all-new episode of the CNN Original Series "The Detour with David Chang." It airs Saturday at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN, and the next day on the All Access subscription CNN app.
BERMAN: There's a lot of excitement about a boiled potato.
SIDNER: I mean, allot. Going to have to try that.
BERMAN: I thought he was --
BOLDUAN: Look, we've been working for many hours at this point. I'm hungry. Let's stop stalking about it.
BERMAN: Ode to a boiled potato.
SIDNER: You're like, time to eat.
BERMAN: About like Shakespeare.
Thank you so much for joining us. The situation room, up next.
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