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CNN International: Trump On Multi-State Blitz To Support Republican Candidates; Nidal Hasan To Be Executed By Firing Squad On December 3rd; Independent Review Launched To Examine Cornell's Handling Of Sexual Assault Claims. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired October 07, 2026 - 04:30 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: Still to come U.S. President Trump is making campaign stops to a number of red states ahead of midterms. How he's hoping to drum up support for Republican candidates while touting his own accomplishments.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is the golden age of America. We're doing numbers that nobody ever thought were possible. Since starting the rally, it's brought a whole new awareness to how great the Republicans are doing, how great the economy is doing.
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KINKADE: That was President Trump there touting what he sees as some of his accomplishments with midterm elections less than four weeks away. He'll be visiting Texas later today for the second time in less than a week as part of his red state blitz aimed to boost Republican candidates and the party's voters turn out. Excuse me.
The president spent part of Tuesday in Baltimore announcing a multi- billion-dollar investment partnership on a new shipyard facility, but his appearance there wasn't without controversy. CNN's Kevin Liptak reports.
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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump took a break from the campaign trail on Tuesday to come here to Maryland to reinforce his focus on manufacturing. This is a former steel plant that's getting multi-billion-dollar investment to turn into a submarine manufacturing. It will start with components for Virginia-class submarines, what the White House says is that it will create 3,100 direct jobs, 11,000 indirect jobs. And it serves the purpose for President Trump of showing American
people and American voters that he continues to be focused on trying to restore the manufacturing sector in the United States at a moment when dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy is at an all- time high, and is dragging down Republican candidates a month before the midterm election. Now the president has been trying to show voters that he is following through on his pledges.
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He said he wanted to talk more about his administration's accomplishments, sort of tacitly suggesting that that hadn't been talked about enough. And what you've seen him do on the campaign trail is go to these very red states to try bolster enthusiasm among his base of supporters, in part by trying to talk about what he had done that he had promised them two years ago.
Now, one person who was not at this event was the Democratic governor of Maryland, Wes Moore. He says President Trump actually blocked him from speaking at this, despite the role that he played in bringing these investments to the state.
What a White House official said is that President Trump had quote, graciously invited Moore as a guest to this event, and that he was now quote throwing a tantrum because he wasn't allowed to speak. What Wes Moore said was that if Trump quote wants to bring the circus in town, that he would quote, let the circus be conducted and that he would go back to work. Kevin Liptak, CNN, Sparrows Point, Maryland.
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KINKADE: The attorneys for the woman who survived Tennessee's attempt to execute her says she's now conscious and speaking. They say, despite the severe damage Christa Pike suffered to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to a bed and continues to receive critical medical care.
The lawyers are expected in court in the coming hours as they seek a court order to preserve evidence of the failed execution. Pike survived two lethal injections during her planned execution last week in a chamber similar to the one in this video. She had been sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of a classmate.
Well, the date has been set for the U.S. Army's first execution of a service member in 65 years. President Trump approved Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recommendation of death by firing squad for Nidal Hasan. The sentence will be carried out on December 3rd. The U.S. Army major and psychiatrist was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding dozens more in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. CNN's Brian Todd reports.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to the Pentagon, recommended death by firing squad for Nidal Hasan, and President Trump approved it. The Pentagon, in a post on X, said, "Judgment Day for Hasan has finally come."
Now either Hegseth or the Secretary of the Army will set the time and place for the execution. Hasan, who was a U.S. Army major and psychiatrist, walked into a processing center at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009, and shot and killed 13 people, wounded 32 others, before being apprehended by military police. Hasan had been radicalized and admitted to the killings.
He said he was targeting soldiers who he was set to deploy with to Afghanistan in order to protect the Taliban and its leaders from the U.S. military. Now, besides Hasan, three other U.S. soldiers are on death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the Army's only maximum- security facility.
According to The Army Lawyer, which is a bulletin for military JAG officers, all of those soldiers were found guilty of murder. This is the first time the army will have executed a soldier by firing squad since World War II, when Private Eddie Slovik faced the firing squad in January 1945 after -- after being found guilty of desertion.
Slovik's case has gotten a lot of historical attention. Out of an estimated 50,000 American deserters in World War II, he was the only one to be executed. According to journalist Charles Glass, author of the book "The Deserters" and an anti-death penalty nonprofit called "Reprieve," then Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower approved Eddie Slovik's execution as an example of what could happen to deserters while the Battle of the Bulge was going on.
Now, while Slovik's case has been pored over by historians, the case of Army Private John Bennett has not. Bennett was the last U.S. service member to be executed by any means. He was hanged in April 1961, 65 years ago, for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year- old Austrian girl. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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KINKADE: ABC News has obtained new audio from a 2024 phone call between Jane Doe and a Cornell University fraternity member, who she claims took part in allegedly gang raping her. It comes as the New York Attorney General's office says it's close to naming an outside legal team to handle the investigation into the allegations. Well, the university launched its own inquiry into how the incident was handled by the administration, as well as how the school responds to sexual assault claims more broadly. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more.
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GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cornell's board of trustees hiring former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of how the school responded to sexual assault allegations by Jane Doe in October 2024.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're kind of holding the administration responsible because there's a lot of discussion around, OK, so what do we do now?
PAZMINO: This, as students gathered in a town hall to voice their frustration over what they say is a lack of response by the administration. The outrage continues to grow as we are hearing more secret recordings between Jane Doe and one of the Chi-Phi fraternity members.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on the phone): I'm so sorry about all, like, the backlash you're getting from this, by the way.
PAZMINO: About three weeks after the alleged incident, Jane Doe recorded a call with a fraternity member who she says was one of the men who snorted ketamine off her body and assaulted her at the Chi-Phi house, according to ABC News.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on the phone): Oh, dude, I'm -- I'm so sorry. You know, I'm very -- like I feel so bad for you, dude.
PAZMINO: ABC says Jane Doe then told a fraternity member, "I was completely and totally intoxicated, and then given multiple sedatives, and then I was surrounded by upwards of eight to 10 men. This is classified as a gang rape." That's when the fraternity member's tone changes, ABC reported.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on the phone): Why -- wait, what's -- can I -- can I ask like, what's -- what's the purpose for why you decided to call me?
PAZMINO: According to ABC, that fraternity member was one of two students who was suspended. All this as Cornell faculty is considering a vote of no confidence against the administration at their faculty senate meeting in the coming weeks.
PAUL ORTIZ, CORNELL FACULTY SENATE MEMBER: Faculty have been approached by hundreds of students, alumni, staff who are demanding that we do something. They want a resolution. They want a change now. Many women on this campus do not feel safe walking even during the daylight at Cornell University.
PAZMINO: And accountability and action is what many Cornell University students are asking for. They gathered for a student town hall on Tuesday, where they shared ideas, shared stories, and came up with strategies to try and pressure the university administration to do more. They see the issue of sexual assault as a campus-wide issue, not just Jane Doe's story.
On Wednesday, they are asking the students to join a sit-in, and they are recommending that students do not participate in the local Cornell economy. They see it as a way to pressure the administration to do more. Gloria Pazmino, CNN, Ithaca, New York.
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KINKADE: Hundreds of migrants are making their way from Central America towards the United States, most of them on foot. Just ahead, we'll hear from some members of the group as they plead for mercy and understanding.
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KINKADE: Hundreds of migrants are making their way from Central America towards the United States, many on foot. They plan to rest in Mexico before continuing north. CNN's Valeria Leon is in Mexico City and spoke with some of the migrants who hope President Trump will understand their suffering.
JOSE CELAYA, HONDURAN MIGRANT (through translator): Have mercy, please. Today it's us. Tomorrow it could be you.
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the plea from Jose Celaya, one of the hundreds of migrants traveling through southern Mexico, hoping to reach the U.S. A journey that began in Honduras and comes as the Trump Administration is clamping down on migration ahead of November's midterm elections.
The group, calling itself Faith and Hope with God, left Honduras on September 20th. Around 200 migrants are now continuing north through Mexico, mostly on foot.
CELAYA (through translator): We are walking because we want to show the hunger and the hardship our people are facing.
LEON: With blisters on their feet from the journey, they stop along the way to rest and regain their strength. They've already traveled more than 90 miles through southeastern Mexico.
ALEX MENDEZ, HONDURAN MIGRANT (through translator): The plan is to get into the United States for now, if God allows me. That's where I'm trying to go.
LEON: But crossing into the U.S. outside a designated port of entry could violate federal law. Still, these migrants have a message for President Trump.
DAVID PAGUADA, HONDURAN MIGRANT (through translator): If he's listening, I want him to hear us. We need help. We need support. You can see how we're suffering, sleeping on the ground with nothing, dealing with the cold, getting soaked.
LEON: The (inaudible) comes at a time when illegal border crossings into the U.S. are at a historic lows. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, Southwest border apprehensions fell to their lowest level ever recorded for that period.
With November's midterm elections approaching, immigration remains under intense political scrutiny, and the Trump Administration faces pressure to hold the line on one of its signature issues. Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.
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KINKADE: "Journey" is calling their current tour "The Final Frontier." So, if you want to see these iconic rockers, it's time to get a ticket. Just ahead, I'll share my visit with a band that has never stopped believing in music.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Soccer legend Lionel Messi bid an emotional farewell to Argentina in his final match playing with the national team. He ended his career on a high note with Argentina winning 3-0 in an international friendly against Benin. Despite a slow first half and some narrow misses, Messi walked away with a penalty kick goal and two assists.
Well, it's one of the most recognizable songs in music history, and more than four decades after its release, "Don't Stop Believing" is still generating billions of streams and bringing audiences together around the world. Well, the legendary band "Journey" is back on the road for their Final Frontier tour across North America. I caught up with them to talk about the staying power of their musk and the business behind a rock catalog that continues to reach new generations.
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KINKADE: 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 the 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.
NEAL SCHON, LEAD GUITARIST, JOURNEY: This is called the Final Frontier, but I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a long goodbye.
KINKADE: Lead guitarist Neal Schon was one of the founding members. Jonathan Cain on keys joined in 1980.
JONATHAN CAIN, KEYBOARDIST, JOURNEY: We're older than Star Wars. I just figured that out. We are -- 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: They discovered lead singer Arnel Pineda on YouTube nearly two decades ago.
SCHON: I called him and he -- he hung up on me. He thought -- he thought it was a prank. Yeah. He thought it was a prank and he hung up. And so, I called back and I go, "Don't hang up."
ARNEL PINEDA, LEAD VOCALIST, JOURNEY: For me, it's a divine intervention.
SCHON: Hey, you want to be in a band? You want to be in a band, you guys?
PINEDA: Say hello to The Sopranos.
SCHON: Todd, Deen, and Jason. Todd, Deen, and Jason.
KINKADE: Hey, I'm Lynda. Lovely to meet you. Nice to meet you.
PINEDA: Believe it or not, these guys been with the band for 30 years.
KINKADE: Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm old.
KINKADE: You don't look it. I want to say after all these years, you still got it.
CAIN: We still got it.
KINKADE: How do you do it? How do you keep up the stamina?
CAIN: You know, I -- I believe it's the fans. You know, I do. I mean, that's why we come.
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KINKADE: 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."
CAIN: My father got to see us do the song, and -- and he said, "Good thing you didn't stop believing, John."
KINKADE: 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. It's like one of those national anthems --
CAIN: Yes.
KINKADE: -- that resonate around the world. Why do you think that is?
CAIN: 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?
CAIN: Door is always open, right?
SCHON: Yeah, it's been open. You know, and he declines constantly, and -- and I think it irritates him now because fans just, they're like, come on, Steve, just show up.
KINKADE: And despite decades of lineup changes, legal battles, and rock and roll drama --
CAIN: When you're in the business for 50 years, you see all kind of jokers.
KINKADE: -- Journey's audience continues to grow.
SCHON: 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: 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 rare bands whose music still brings entire crowds together. And decades later, audiences are still holding on to that message.
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KINKADE: Thanks so much for watching, and you can catch "Journey" if you are in North America on tour throughout the rest of the year. I'm Lynda Kinkade. CNN Headlines is next.
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