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Israel-Hamas War Marks Three Years; French Student Protests Becomes a Nationwide Crisis; WBD-Paramount Merger Now Officially Known as Skydance Corporation. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired October 07, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome, I'm Lynda Kinkade and this is "CNN Newsroom."

Israel marks three years since the Hamas gunmen stormed Israeli communities, killing more than 1200 people and taking hundreds hostage.

France's student protests have continued into a national crisis.

An American band that's been around longer than Star Wars hitting the road for its final tour. Hear what members of Journey said have kept them coming back.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: We begin in Israel where memorials are taking place across the country marking the anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attack. On this day three years ago, Hamas-led government stormed Israeli communities along the border with the Gaza Strip, killing more than 1200 people and taking 251 hostages to the enclave. Those slain include children, women, elderly people and entire families.

We're looking at live pictures from a gathering at the Kibbutz in Kfar Aza. The anniversary comes at an inflection point for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political future. In less than three weeks, Israel will hold a national election. Since the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack.

What you're seeing right now are live images from Gaza, which continue to face deadly Israeli strikes in spite of a nearly one-year-old U.S.- brokered ceasefire. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are still displaced by the conflict.

Israel's war with Gaza launched immediately after the Hamas attack, killing more than 74,000 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Earlier, mourners gathered for a memorial at the Nova Music Festival site in southern Israel, where more than 370 people were killed and 44 others taken hostage three years ago today. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Abu Dhabi. Thanks for being

with us, Paula. So, just give us a sense of the mood in Israel today, particularly among the communities most affected by the attack, and talk us through how this anniversary is being marked.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, three years ago today marked the deadliest day in Israel's history. It was 6:29 a.m. there, started with thousands of rockets being fired into Israel, followed by thousands of Hamas-led gunmen which breached the border and attacked Israeli communities along the border with Gaza.

We did see that some 1200 -- more than 1200 people were killed, and 251 taken hostage back into Gaza. Now, it would take another two years before all of those hostages were released or brought back to their homes.

Now, what we'll be seeing throughout today, clearly a very somber day in Israel, is a number of different memorials, different commemorations marking different points throughout the day. We did see a national moment of silence for when those attacks did begin.

We're also seeing commemorations at the site of the Nova music festival, the deadliest site of October 7th, which we saw more than 270 killed, excuse me, more than 370 killed, 44 abducted. And we will be seeing some of the families of those bereaved and also families of those taken hostage having memorials throughout the day as well.

It is also a day where life changed for Palestinians in Gaza. Those Hamas attacks sparked an unprecedented Israeli military assaults on Gaza, targeting Hamas, but we saw a huge number of civilians being killed as well.

More than 74,000 Palestinians in all were killed, according to the Ministry of Health. And we do know from the United Nations that still approximately two-thirds of the population is still displaced and living in tents or shelters.

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This despite us almost coming up to the year anniversary of a ceasefire being signed. We also do see attacks from Israel targeting Hamas, again bringing civilians into it throughout that year as well.

So a devastating day for both Israelis and Palestinians. And it does come less than three weeks before Israeli elections.

Accountability for October 7th has really become one of the central campaign issues. We have been seeing critics of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointing to the fact that he has resisted having a state commission of inquiry into exactly what happened on October 7th.

And clearly many unhappy with what happened on that day again when there are reports that there had been warnings from both the UAE and Egypt for the Israeli Prime Minister, something which Netanyahu denies. Lynda. KINKADE: Paula Hancocks for us live in Abu Dhabi. Thanks very much.

Well more student protests are expected across France in the coming days. France's police fired tear gas and clashed with demonstrators across the country Tuesday. Protesters accused the government of ordering police to crack down on the movement. But France's Prime Minister denies the claims and has urged officials to listen to the students' demands.

CNN's Melissa Bell reports from Paris.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): High schoolers in France angrier than ever and determined finally to be heard after more than two weeks of snowballing protests over school conditions, wounding hundreds of policemen and women, teachers and high schoolers in scenes of unusual violence.

Among those wounded, a teenager who lost his hand after picking up a crowd dispersal grenade and another who lost the use of his eye. More than 6000 people have been taken into custody since the movement began, most of them minors. With much of the students' anger now directed at what they describe as police repression.

UNKNOWN (translated): You strangled me. I couldn't breathe, I'm 14 years old.

MANES NADEL, FORMER PRESIDENT, UNION SYNDICALE LYCEENNE: The strategy of the government since the beginning without giving any answer -- any political answer, any real discussion to the social movement, they are just creating violence.

BELL (voice-over): The difference this Tuesday, public sector unions joining the students ahead of marches across the country saying that they are there to protect them. Lines of nurses, teachers and firemen positioned in front of the kids' barricades. And a new strategy from the police.

LAURENT NUNEZ, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): When there is a peaceful protest, the internal security forces do not intervene. To be clear, law enforcement intervenes when there is a threat to property or people or damage to public spaces or the interior of establishments.

BELL (voice-over): For more than two weeks, the students have been demanding more funding, sharing the state of their classrooms and social media no longer fit, they say, to study in. The answer from authorities has only incensed them further.

OCTAVE MARTY, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: We are young enough to be kicked, to be gassed, but we are not old enough to be listened. So that's pretty crazy.

BELL: The problem for the government is that it's in the process of trying to get closer to balancing its books for 2027 and to spend less, if only, to calm markets that are jittery about France's financial outlook.

BELL (voice-over): And for now, there is no sign of the movement dying down, with many grown-ups here now taking the side of the kids.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

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KINKADE: For more on this, I want to welcome from Paris, Lena Gras. She is the former national secretary in charge of the fight against sexual violence and discrimination at Union Syndicale Lyceenne and as well as a protester. Thanks so much for joining us.

LENA GRAS, PROTESTER, AND FORMER NATIONAL SECRETARY, FIGHT AGAINST SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND DISCRIMINATION, UNION SYNDICALE LYCEENNE: Hello. Thanks for inviting me.

KINKADE: So, Tuesday was one of the biggest days of demonstrations right across France. This protest movement is gaining momentum. Just explain why.

GRAS: I think it's gaining in force and in hope because everyone is seeing what is happening really in schools, because the videos and the social medias are highlighting the fact that there is a lack of educational staff, there is a lack of chairs, of tables, and the buildings are not right to study, so that's why, I think.

We've heard those problems described, missing teachers, overcrowded classrooms, the length of the school day and of course the state of the buildings.

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But these protests started just over those sort of issues, but we've seen so much violence, serious injuries including a teenager who lost their hand, their arm, schools set on fire. What are the students telling you about their experiences with police during these demonstrations and do you worry that clashes and property damage could overshadow the original demands?

GRAS: I think we face something that is like not seen before, but you can know about police violence in the United States. These violences today in France are just an answer to the institutional violence that we are enduring every day.

I do not support the violences, but I think the ones that are highlighted by the medias are the ones that come from the students, but they never really show how the police is behaving with kids. We were gasped yesterday while the demonstration was going on extremely peacefully.

There are obviously tensions between the protesters and the police, since these demonstrators are also there to represent their comrades who lost teeth, arms or even eyes. I don't think the main issue is the violence, the main issue is that we don't have enough teachers to make them be educated like we want them to be. KINKADE: So Lena, the government says that they're going to promise to

improve the situation in schools, they promise to provide more teachers, improve buildings, all those sort of things. Why isn't that enough for protesters?

GRAS: Because we're waiting for concrete things, because it's been 10 years now that Macron is at the government and he's lying every day of his mandate. So it's enough and we've had enough.

And it's the presidential election this year, so we want to show also to the candidates, to the presidential, that we really need to improve the educational system, but all of the public services also.

KINKADE: Macron, of course, is on his way out. We'll see how this protest impacts the upcoming election.

Good to get perspective from you, Lena Gras, joining us live from Paris. Thanks very much.

GRAS: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, there's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." The Saudi-backed defensive on Yemen's Houthis could impact an already strained global energy market in a major way. Just ahead, I'll have an expert weigh in on the latest stress test.

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KINKADE: Qatar says indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran remain active, but the White House says it's unclear who in Tehran is actually in charge. President Trump says part of the problem is that nobody knows who's running the country and who to deal with.

Well, fighting is ramping up in Yemen as the Saudi-backed government forces battle to reclaim territory from the Iranian-backed Houthis. The Houthi-run health ministry claims at least 83 civilians have been killed and dozens more injured since the launch of this offensive. Much of the fighting has been in the south, near Yemen's third-largest city.

Well, let's take a look at how oil prices are reacting to the latest developments. You can see there Brent Crude, which is the international benchmark, is above $100 a barrel, hovering at about $101 right now, and WTI, which is the U.S. crude oil benchmark, is just under $90 a barrel at $89.91.

Well joining me now is Amina Baker, the head of the Middle East Energy and OPEC-plus Insights at Kpler. Good to have you with us.

AMINA BAKER, HEAD OF MIDDLE EAST ENERGY AND OPEC-PLUS INSIGHTS, KPLER: Thank you, Lynda. KINKADE: So, we now have two major maritime choke points under

pressure, the Strait of Hormuz and, of course, Bab-el-Mandeb in Yemen. How much more vulnerable does that make the global energy system?

BAKER: I think with the war still unresolved and we're seeing the Houthis continue to press on and attack Saudi Arabia, this further exposes the entire region, and particularly Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure, to possible more attacks.

And I think that's a geopolitical risk that's kind of baked into the price right now. And despite that we are seeing a recovery in flows, whether in Hormuz or Bab-el-Mandeb or through the East-West pipeline, that risk remains really elevated, and that's what's going to keep the volatility going.

KINKADE: So, what is the biggest thing in the oil market is watching right now? Is it the fighting itself, is it the threat to shipping, or the possibility that more Saudi oil infrastructure gets hit?

BAKER: I think it's all of the above. I mean, the market has been watching very closely flows, which have to some degree seen a huge improvement compared to where we were when the war broke out. But, I mean, regardless of that, if the war is still active and we don't have a political resolution, energy infrastructure just across the board remains really vulnerable.

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But what we've also seen is a story of resilience out of the Gulf, either it's from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and other countries. I mean, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, they have been able to, you know, repair, recover these flows, make sure supplies get into the market. But that's still not enough to keep a cap on oil prices.

And all other measures, including, you know, taking from global inventories, that might, you know, cool off the price for a bit, but that's not a solution. I still see a diplomatic resolution as the only way to calm oil prices down.

KINKADE: Of course, we're seeing the impact far beyond crude oil, right? You know, even when it comes to U.S. diesel prices, we're seeing an impact.

And, you know, the Trump administration has moved to defer some of those diesel tax payments for truckers and for other users. How much of today's fuel price pressure is actually coming from the Middle East right now?

BAKER: Well, you have two conflicts. You have the Middle East conflict and you have the active conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and Ukraine actively still targeting Russian refineries and Russia imposing a ban on diesel. So it's a product story and it's a tightness in the products markets.

And despite that we have seen a recovery in crude flows, the products market remains really tight. Like, only a third of the pre-war levels are making it out of the Strait of Hormuz. So it's an issue with products.

And, yes, the E.U. or G7 has announced the 100 million barrel release. We still don't know the final number, the actual number that's going to hit markets.

But, again, this is a temporary measure. And then what happens if we don't resolve the original problem? I think all the measures are being taken now is just to buy time, that if we don't use this time to reach a political resolution, then I think we're back in a, or not even back, I mean, we're in a worse situation than we were when the war broke out.

KINKADE: Yes, a lot at stake here. Amina Baker, I appreciate your analysis. Thanks so much for joining us.

BAKER: Thank you.

KINKADE: Russia's transport minister says a Liberian flagged oil tanker was attacked by an unmanned boat or boats near the Black Sea city of Sochi. He says all 23 crew members who are of Indian nationality were rescued.

A video posted on social media shows a large plume of smoke rising from the water off the coast. Russian officials say oil is still burning on the water and firefighters will begin to put out the flames when it's safe.

There's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom," including the arrest of Germany's former intelligence chief for allegedly spying for a foreign agency. Stay with us.

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KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Today marks the third anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attack across southern Israel. Earlier at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, which saw some of the deadliest fighting on the tragic day, mourners held a moment of silence at the very moment the Hamas attack began three years ago.

Clashes and casualties are escalating as Saudi-backed Yemeni forces push through with their offensive against the Yemen's Houthis. The Yemeni government forces claim they've made advances near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which the Iran-backed militant group gained control of last month. The waterway has served as a critical alternative route since the war with Iran severely impacted the Strait of Hormuz.

France is bracing for more student-led protests in the days ahead. Police fired tear gas and clashed with demonstrators across the country Tuesday. Protesters accused the government of ordering police to crack down on the movement, but France's Prime Minister denies the claims and has urged officials to listen to students' demands.

A former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service has been arrested on treason and espionage allegations, along with his former aide. The country's Federal Prosecutor's Office says August Henning is strongly suspected of spying out state secrets. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This is a man who would have been working with the director of the CIA, with the heads of other intelligence agencies around the world from 1998 to 2005. He was running the BND, Germany's foreign intelligence service. He was a critical part of the operations after 9/11 of European intelligence chiefs working with the United States to try to capture Osama bin Laden.

I interviewed him in 2010 and 2018. He told me that he had a photograph of bin Laden after 9/11 still in Afghanistan and said that there were lapses for the reason that he wasn't captured before he escaped to Pakistan. What Henning is accused of now is dramatic, treasonous espionage.

That's what Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office is saying. They're saying that along with his former chief of staff, a man they call Manfred D., they had essentially, and Henning in particular, had given intelligence, political intelligence documents to a foreign intelligence service.

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That is a very damning accusation. The way they're framing it, the Federal Prosecutor is framing it this way, that Henning and Manfred D. agree that when Manfred D. went on to continue to work in government after Henning retired, Manfred D. would pass Henning documents, some 2000 documents, the Federal Prosecutor says, and some of those documents, the allegation is, have ended up in the hands of a foreign intelligence service.

That is incredibly worrying because does that put other agents' lives at risk because Henning was working at the top tier of German intelligence? It's going to raise the question of what was in those documents? Are agents at risk? Are state institutions at risk?

What we don't know and what the prosecutor's not saying is who, which country those documents went to, Henning gave them to. What motivated Henning? But we do know from the prosecutor's office how they came on Henning's deceit, alleged deceit.

They say they were investigating a child custody case where, into a German business family, Henning was involved in that. The children of the estranged husband and wife had been taken from the husband who was living in Denmark. Mark Henning was involved in that.

The police had searched his house and during that search they found the documents which tipped intelligence agencies that there was something nefarious going on. So this is incredibly serious and will send tremors through other intelligence agencies what of their information might have been shared with a foreign adversary.

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KINKADE: Well still ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," I got one heck of a rocking assignment. Just ahead, I'll share my backstage tour of Journey, the band that has never stopped believing in music.

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KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Here are your business headlines.

Starbucks is thinking smaller, testing out a compact new cafe design built to squeeze into pricey city spaces. Six have already opened, including in Manhattan and San Antonio, Texas as well. The CEO says the smaller-sized stores will still have seating for people to socialize and connect, part of the company's plan to make its cafes a place to hang out again.

Wall Street is booming thanks to heavy investments across the artificial intelligence sector. During the first half of 2026 alone, U.S. stock markets raked in nearly $46 billion in profit. Those gains are projected to surpass $90 billion by the end of the year but some investors are wary that high Treasury yields and rising interest rates could dampen market profitability.

The mega-merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery is now official, the newly combined company Skydance plans to use technology to transform the entertainment industry. With Warner's assets coming aboard, Skydance will reach more than 200 million streaming subscribers globally, the merger also unites two of the five biggest Hollywood studios, dozens of T.V. channels, and of course, two of the biggest U.S. T.V. news divisions, CNN and CBS.

Well few classic rock bands have endured the way Journey has. The lineup may have changed over the past 50-plus years, but the hits still hit hard. The iconic group is performing shows in North America in what's being billed the final Frontier Tour and I got to sit down with Journey to find out more about what fans can expect.

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KINKADE (voice-over): Few songs in music history have become as woven into pop culture as this iconic hit from Journey.

From television and film to sporting events and celebrations, it's become a soundtrack to some of the world's biggest shared moments. And these American legends are once again taking to the stage more than 50 years after the band began.

NEIL SEAN, JOURNEY LEAD GUITARIST: This is called the Final Frontier, but I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a long goodbye.

KINKADE (voice-over): Lead guitarist Neil Sean was one of the founding members. Jonathan Cain on keys joined in 1980.

JONATHAN CAIN, JOURNEY KEYBOARDIST: We're older than Star Wars. I just figured that out. We've been around longer than Star Wars.

KINKADE: That's amazing.

CAIN: Which is great. And so it's really nice to play all of this music.

KINKADE (voice-over): They discovered lead singer Arnel Pineda on YouTube nearly two decades ago.

ARNEL PINEDA, JOURNEY LEAD VOCALIST: I called him and he hung up on me.

SEAN: I thought it was a prank. He thought it was a prank and he hung up. So I called back and I go, don't hang up.

PINEDA: For me, it's a divine intervention.

CAIN: Hey, you want to be in a band? Want to be in a band, you guys?

PINEDA: Say hello to The Sopranos.

CAIN: Todd, Dean and Jason.

Todd, Dean and Jason.

KINKADE: Hey, I'm Lynda. Lovely to meet you. Nice to meet you.

PINEDA: Believe it or not, these guys have been with the band for 30 years.

KINKADE: Wow. You don't look it.

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I want to say after all these years, you still got it.

SEAN: We still got it.

KINKADE: How do you do it? How do you keep up the stamina?

SEAN: You know, I believe it's the fans. You know, I do. I mean, that's why we come.

KINKADE (voice-over): That connection to fans is exactly what keeps this band on the road. Songs like "Faithfully," "Open Arms" and "Separate Ways" remain rock classics. But no Journey song has had quite the cultural impact of "Don't Stop Believing."

SEAN: My father got to see us do the song and he said, good thing you didn't stop believing, John. KINKADE (voice-over): After three albums that fell short, Columbia

Records considered dropping Journey. "Don't Stop Believing" was released in 1981. Now it's 18 times platinum in the U.S.

KINKADE: It's like one of those national anthems that resonate around the world. Why do you think that is?

SEAN: Well, it's permission to dream. You know, it gives people hope.

KINKADE: What would it be like if Steve Perry came back for one final performance?

SEAN: Door's always open, right?

CAIN: Yes, it's been open, you know, and he declines constantly. And I think it irritates him now because fans just, they're like, come on, Steve, just show up.

KINKADE (voice-over): And despite decades of lineup changes, legal battles and rock and roll drama.

SEAN: When you're in the business for 50 years, you see all kinds of jokers.

KINKADE (voice-over): Journey's audience continues to grow.

CAIN: It's definitely etched in stone at this point. I mean, we all feel that every night when you look out and you see five generations.

KINKADE (voice-over): The music may be timeless, but the demands of performing night after night are not easy.

In an industry where trends come and go, Journey remains one of the bands whose music still brings entire crowds together.

And decades later, audiences are still holding on to that message.

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KINKADE: And the band is next headed to Texas, Alabama, Florida and Nashville, so you can check them out.

And speaking of Nashville, downtown is welcoming a new tribute to music legend Dolly Parton. Fans joined a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Dolly Parton's Songteller Hotel, which opened along with Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum.

They showcase memorabilia from Parton's storied career, including vintage stage costumes, original instruments, handwritten notes and, of course, gold records. The dual spaces feature performance venues, so Parton's legacy of music will carry on.

Thanks so much for watching, I am Lynda Kinkade. "World Sport" is up next, but I'll be back at the top of the hour with much more "CNN Newsroom."

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