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Woman Drive Truck Through Soccer Game; Polls on J.D. Vance; Red Light Therapy for IVF. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 19, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Into a crowd. Two people are killed, including a six-year-old. What we're hearing now from people who were there and saw it all unfold, what they saw, ahead.

And new CNN reporting on a first of its kind study into a new approached to IVF, targeted red light therapy. Could it help grow embryos and improve IVF outcomes?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: This morning, investigators are trying to understand why a pickup truck sped into a youth soccer field in Wichita, Kansas. A six- year-old boy and a man were killed. Ten other people were injured. In video obtained by CNN, you can just hear people screaming as they watch what's unfolding before them.

[09:35:00]

A warning, you may find this tough to watch and listen to.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: My goodness.

CNN's Mark Morales is joining us now.

And, Mark, the woman who is driving the truck, she was released from police custody. What is the very latest, though, here?

MARK MORALES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTER: Right. She was released. She's been cooperating. She's been cooperating from the start.

But they're waiting for toxicology reports to come back. They're also going to do a mechanical examination of the vehicle. There's no charges right now.

But she's not out of the woods, right?

BOLDUAN: Yes. Yes.

MORALES: This -- what this tells us is that investigators are looking for more evidence. They know she was there. They know the car was there. They have video and witnesses putting her at that location. So, that's not the problem.

BOLDUAN: That's not in dispute.

MORALES: Right.

BOLDUAN: It's the events that led up to this. What happened beforehand? Were there anything to that vehicle, anything that she did beforehand? That's what's in question now.

Now, they've spoken to witnesses. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 different people they've spoken to already about this incident. That even includes her two kids that were in the car because she was parked a short distance away also at that soccer field.

Now, they also spoke to witnesses. If you remember, the people that showed up at this field were also treating some of these victims. And one of our affiliates actually spoke to some of the folks that actually really put the chaos into perspective.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dad went to the truck, took the person out the truck so that they don't hit any more people. Shocked he did that because if he didn't do that maybe the car wouldn't have stopped and more people could have gotten hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was mainly just shocked. You know, when you see a car driving over a bunch of people, you're just like, you're just in shock. I was scared, obviously. Didn't know what to think. Just ran out of the way, hoping it didn't follow me, hoping I didn't get hit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORALES: So, there were about ten other people that were hurt, taken to local hospitals in this whole incident. That includes five children. And again, this investigation is not over. Local police is working with the local district attorney. They're going to be making their presentation later on this week about where this case stands.

BOLDUAN: Yes, much more to learn clearly on this, Mark, but a tragedy all over the place here. Thank you so much for your reporting.

MORALES: Sure thing.

BOLDUAN: Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you so much, Kate.

Ahead, the vice president making his closing arguments ahead of this election, but what his campaign appearances could tell us about his own potential run for president in 2028.

And later, Mexico City lets the ghouls out early. A massive pre- Halloween or Dia de los Muertos celebration in the streets. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:29]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Vice President Vance out on the campaign trail a lot the last few weeks, in the face of the headwinds that come from the high price of oil and the high price at the pump. Who does he blame for that? Not the war in Iran. No. He blames Joe Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's actually the biggest reason why gas prices are so high is because when Joe Biden was president, we had about 20 percent of America refining capacity that went offline. And we're slowly bringing that online. But it does take a little bit of time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's almost been two years. At a certain point it becomes your economy, not Joe Biden's economy.

Also, back in March, right here in Michigan, you said it was just a temporary blip in gas prices. How long is temporary?

VANCE: Well, look, I don't think that when -- when this conflict is over, we are going to see gas prices come down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Also, it was the Iran War that was the beginning of the rising gas prices there. Just pure and simple.

With us now, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.

But let's talk about the vice president who is putting his own political capital on the line in these midterm elections. How's he doing?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, I would just say, ain't nobody's buying that line of reasoning. Americans think there's a lack of reasoning in that argument.

I mean, you could just see it right here. I mean just take a look at J.D. Vance's net favorability rating. You go back to the beginning of his vice presidency. You could see it right here, he was three points above water. Hey, three points, you're on the positive side of the ledger. But down he goes into Lake Erie, to use a nice body of water in his home state, to minus 15 points. That's a switcheroo, Johnny B., of 18 points in the wrong direction. And, of course, they know Johnny B. likes my little nuggets at the bottom of the screen. His net favorability among independents has gone from about zero, which ain't too great but ain't too awful, to now about minus 30 points with independents. Going the wrong way, the vice president of the United States is.

BERMAN: Just leave the bottom of the screen. That's all I have to say about that. Let's talk about where this fits in historical perspective.

ENTEN: Where does this fit in historical perspective? So, you see this minus 15 points. All right, let's put it in historical perspective. Look at other vice presidents at this point in their vice presidency. And you could see it here. The lowest number on your screen among Republican vice presidents is J.D. Vance's, minus 15 points here. Mike Pence was actually above water, plus one. Dick Cheney, obviously the Iraq War and obviously before that 9/11, plus 41 points. We were thinking about going to Iraq then. Dan Quayle, who formerly held the lowest point. When you think about GOP vice presidents that the American people don't like, you think of Dan Quayle.

[09:45:01]

But the minus 15 points, J.D. Vance even beats Dan Quayle. And then, of course, George Herbert Walker Bush at plus ten points. Very different from the J.D. Vance at minus 15 points. So, J.D. Vance, by far the least popular Republican vice president at this point in a vice presidency.

BERMAN: One of these things is not like the other in terms of the polling.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: But surely he's doing well in his home state of Ohio.

ENTEN: You know what? Maybe you could say, yes, exactly right. Surely you could send him to Ohio. But, no, he's not really helpful in Ohio. Look at this. Look at J.D. Vance's net favorability in Ohio. He's now even underwater there. Seven points underwater in his home state of Ohio. He's deep under the Ohio River.

Look at this. Back when he was, of course, elected vice president, he was at plus five. This is a switcheroo of 12 points in the wrong direction. And again, my little nugget at the bottom of your screen, minus 38 points with pure independents. He, simply put, is not helpful nationally, and he's not even helpful in his own home state.

BERMAN: So, there's no question he's out there to elect Republicans in 2026. But there's also really no question that he's got his eye, when they're open, on 2028.

ENTEN: Yes, we got sad Vance. We got sad Vance here.

BERMAN: What are the prediction markets saying about his chances in '28?

ENTEN: Yes, what about his chances in -- OK, chance at Vance wins the 2028 presidential election. You know, a year ago he was at 33 percent according to the Kalshi prediction market. That's people putting their money where their mouths are. You could see it right here, a 22 percent chance.

So, J.D. Vance, as he's become less popular nationwide, his chances of becoming the next president have also fallen as well.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much for that.

ENTEN: Thank you, my friend.

BERMAN: We do have a lot of news this morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:51:00]

BOLDUAN: So, when you think or hear of red light therapy, you probably think of those red light masks that are so popular right now as part of lots of skin care routines. But now fertility doctors at Columbia University are using something of the same technology to test if they could help grow -- help embryos grow. Red light therapy. It's a first of its kind randomized clinical trial to determine whether the system can enhance embryo development and improve IVF outcomes. And CNN got a first look at it.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is our red light system. What we usually do is we have our embryos in the little wells in there. So, you see there's big wells and there's tiny little drops in the bottom.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: So, the embryos are like these teeny tiny dots.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very, very, very small.

HOWARD (voice over): This new technology could change the lives of many families going through infertility treatment. And CNN got a first look at how it works.

HOWARD: It literally looks like a dot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

HOWARD (voice over): The treatment is called HELIOS, and it's still in the experimental phase.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we will turn on the light.

HOWARD (voice over): It uses red light therapy with the goal of helping embryos develop to potentially improve IVF outcomes. Dr. Zev Williams is leading the trial here at Columbia University Fertility Center.

DR. ZEV WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FERTILITY CENTER: Look at what it looks like in here. Cell phone cameras do see the wavelengths, even if it's hard for our eyes to.

HOWARD: It is directly impacting the mitochondrial health of the embryo. Why is that so important?

WILLIAMS: The mitochondria are these little organelles, these little structures within all of our cells that provide energy. And there's different situations where the health of the egg might be compromised because the mitochondria aren't functioning as well as they need to be. The light helps give those mitochondria the extra boost that they need.

HOWARD: A lot of people, when they think of red light, they think of those face masks or red light being used in dermatology. How is this different or similar?

WILLIAMS: This is unique in that both the wavelength and the amount of energy is specially tailored to the embryo.

KLEO MAKRIDAKIS, FERTILITY PATIENT: Hi, Dr. Karipcin.

HOWARD (voice over): Forty-two-year-old Kleo is one of the first women to try this experimental therapy. And after four emotional years of trying to conceive and seven rounds of IVF, she is finally pregnant.

MAKRIDAKIS: It was exciting because I felt like finally there was something different that could be done that could potentially change the outcome.

HOWARD: And you were a part of that initial, like, first study.

MAKRIDAKIS: Yes.

HOWARD: I mean how does that feel to technically be a part of medical history in a way?

MAKRIDAKIS: I know that advancements in fertility care only are possible through continued research. So, as much as I was excited for myself, I also felt like, well, if I can contribute to something which could potentially benefit other women in the future, then I did want to be a part of it if I could.

HOWARD (voice over): During IVF, only about half of fertilized eggs develop enough to be transferred into a uterus. But Kleo's fertility specialist says the new technology gives hope of possibly increasing the odds.

DR. SINEM KARIPCIN, FERTILITY DOCTOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FERTILITY CENTER: It gives the hope from one egg retrieval we could have more healthy embryos. I'm very encouraged by these really good outcomes that I see.

HOWARD (voice over): HELIOS is still in its trial phase, and for now, it's only available at Columbia.

WILLIAMS: The goal is ultimately, after we can show success here, that it could be available to patients everywhere.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SIDNER: All right, on our radar for you, if a picture's worth a thousand words, this image tells you a lot about what's happening in France. This video from Paris showing a couple enjoying their evening with a drink and a cigarette while in the background protesters rage, setting fires. Riots erupted across Paris Saturday over the high cost of living and underfunded schools. Initially, peaceful protests ended in chaos in other cities like Limoges (ph), as well as historic buildings were charred (ph), shops damaged and the prime minister vowing to punish those for violence, but acknowledging their struggles in this economy. Even so, this couple unmoved there.

[09:55:02]

All right, in Mexico City, thousands of people dressing up for the annual zombie walk. The walking dead can apparently dance as well. There were lots of Michael Jackson-inspired "Thriller" looks. They're doing the dance. You can see it there. They dance through the streets, all part of the city's biggest Halloween celebration. The zombie walk originated in North America in the 2000.

And check this out. A black bear wandering into a California library on the same day he book Winnie the Pooh turned 100 years old. The library said, we can only assume the new li-bear-ian (ph) -- that was them, not me, I swear -- was looking for a copy of the book. The bear raided the staff's snack supply, which included peanut butter cookies and, yes, a jar of honey. The bear then kindly showed itself out before anyone arrived that day. No books were damaged during the visit. Winnie the Pooh, safe.

You actually spotted a bear, didn't you?

BERMAN: I was in Vermont. I saw a bear up in a tree in a town center. The police had roped it off there. Very dramatic.

SIDNER: That's where they belong, though.

BERMAN: Very -- I --

SIDNER: Maybe not in the library.

BOLDUAN: Yes, they do. My favorite greeting card (INAUDIBLE) is, if Winnie the Pooh can wear a crop top, so can I.

SIDNER: It's a good one for t-shirts.

BERMAN: Not crop tops.

Wolf Blitzer, up next.

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