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Trump Promises No U.S. Strikes to Iran Before Midterms; Protests Erupt in New York After a Man was Shot by ICE Agents, Five- Year-Old Child Inside Unharmed by Gun Attacks. Aired 3-3:45a ET
Aired October 09, 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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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.
Coming up, an election season pledge from U.S. President Donald Trump, no strikes on Iran before the midterms. Meanwhile, Iran digs in its heels on the Strait of Hormuz.
Protests erupt in the streets of New York after a man is shot by ICE agents during a targeted operation.
And preparations are underway for Hurricane Isaias. The Category 2 storm is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast later today.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Ben Hunte.
HUNTE: Welcome.
With just over three weeks before election day, U.S. President Donald Trump is making a new pledge to Americans. He says the U.S. will not attack Iran before the midterm elections. The President revealed that decision on his social media platform on Thursday.
He says the U.S. is having productive discussions with Tehran, and he plans to keep up economic pressure, including the blockade of Iranian ports. Trump's comments come after multiple media reports detailed the administration's planning for potential new strikes before the elections.
As for Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, Iran's foreign minister says Tehran has received a response from the U.S. and will provide its own reply within the next few days.
Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are warning Saudi Arabia to prepare for a long conflict. The group is expanding and intensifying its attacks, targeting airports and military facilities in the kingdom for a third consecutive day. Images and video posted on social media, and verified by CNN of course, show smoke rising over Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, as well as what appear to be damaged aircraft.
Several explosions were heard in the Saudi capital on Thursday, that is according to witnesses who spoke to the Associated Press. The Houthis claim to have launched both cruise and ballistic missiles. Officials say attacks on airports this week have killed at least three people and wounded 36.
Let's get some more now from CNN's Nic Robertson.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the Saudi-led coalition spokesperson said that they'd intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles over Riyadh earlier in the day, they'd intercepted two of them.
The Houthis said that they were successful in targeting the international airport, and they'd caused damage and images and video that have emerged later in the day appear to show a Saudia, Saudi national airline carrier plane on the ground that appears to have been impacted, damaged, broken completely by one of these missiles.
The Houthis continue to try to target this very important airport for the Saudi government between the King Khalid International Airport there in Riyadh and the other airport in Jeddah, these are the main hubs. But this is an important airport, it's symbolically important for the Saudis, of course.
They are on the world stage, doing a huge amount of business, trying to attract investment to the country. So anything that takes down the airport, which appears to have been what happened today, if you look at the departure board there this evening, most of the flights are canceled. There were dozens upon dozens of flights either cancelled or delayed through the day.
They do have some departures running, but a lot of international flights appear to have been cancelled as well. So the Houthis are making a point, it appears, to strike back at the Saudis at vulnerable civilian infrastructure as the Saudis support the internationally recognized Yemeni government inside Yemen that has just vowed over the past weekend to rid the country of the Houthis.
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HUNTE: An investigation is underway in the U.K. after British counter- terrorism police say two Latvian men were arrested inside a Royal Air Force base used by U.S. personnel. The men, both in their thirties, were first arrested on suspicion of trespassing, then they were re- arrested on suspicion of, quote, "entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the U.K.," that's a charge under a National Security Act.
[03:05:00] The base is not only used by the U.S., but it also hosts intelligence analysis and command operations as well as a NATO intelligence center.
The incident comes weeks after a suspected plot targeting another British airbase used by the U.S. raised security concerns, but police say so far there is nothing to suggest what happened on Thursday is linked to the suspected plot against a base in Fairford in Western England.
Russian media reports President Vladimir Putin says he is ready to help resolve the war in Iran. The news comes as Ukrainian officials head to the U.S. to meet with Trump administration envoys this weekend in Miami. That meeting follows a new wave of Russian attacks, 33 people were killed in a strike on buses in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, making it the deadliest single attack this year. Public transportation was shut down following the strike in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials are urging residents to evacuate to safer areas of that country.
Ukraine's president has confirmed the talks with the U.S. are expected to last two days. Earlier this week, President Trump said he planned to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone soon. This weekend's talks in Miami will also include officials from NATO and the European Union.
New York residents and officials are demanding answers after a shooting involving ICE agents. Demonstrators gathered to demand the end of ICE operations in the city. A 28-year-old man was in his car with a 5-year-old child when ICE agents opened fire.
DHS says agents were carrying out a targeted enforcement operation. The agency did not explain what led up to that shooting. The man, identified as Oscar Belgal, was wounded.
The child was not hurt and is in the care of family members. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani demanded answers and an end to ICE operations there.
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MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY: When ICE agents opened fire, a five-year-old child was in the backseat of the car. Thank God that child is physically unharmed.
For the past two hours, I have been on the phone with President Trump and Secretary Mullin negotiating the release of the man ICE agents shot. Those negotiations were unsuccessful.
Just moments ago, ICE put the man in an unmarked vehicle and whisked him away. Let me say this plainly. What happened today was an outrage.
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HUNTE: Student protesters in France have accused police of employing heavy-handed tactics during clashes in the street. Police have opened 18 investigations into the conduct of officers policing those protests.
Despite the clashes, students say they plan to continue to call for improved education conditions. They want more investment in schooling, including more teachers, smaller class sizes and buildings that are better adapted to the climate.
From Paris, our Melissa Bell has more.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another big protest this Thursday, not just in Paris, but around the country, even now being brought to an end by police, when the students once again out in full force to make their anger plain, and the police again trying to keep things under control.
A lot of the anger that we've seen here today, just like on Tuesday, that big demonstration that saw some 260,000 people thrown around the country, has been aimed not just at the changes that they're demanding and the extra funding that they're asking for their schools, but now also at what they say has been a disproportionate use of violence by the police.
First part, the Interior Minister defending the actions of the police. He says that there are inquiries underway in 20 or so specific cases of allegations of violence, but that otherwise, that has been a proportionate response to what they've seen.
So now the students say that they'll keep up the pressure, unsatisfied as they are with what has been announced so far by the Prime Minister, which is that there will be measures by the end of the month.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
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HUNTE: Earlier I spoke to Jelmer Evers, Director of the European Trade Union Committee for Education. I began by asking him about the scale of these protests.
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JELMER EVERS, DIRECTOR, EUROPEAN TRADE UNION COMMITTEE FOR EDUCATION: I think this crisis has been coming for almost 20 years now. France has faced serious budget cuts in public education.
The teacher shortage crisis has been coming for a long while now. Teacher pay has been frozen. I've heard students talk about rats leaking ceilings.
Also, in summer it's too hot, in winter they have to have coats. And of course, schools should be temples of learning. They should be public buildings that we should be proud of.
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So these conditions are very bad, and it's about their future. And I think it's about that future that they're protesting.
HUNTE: We are now seeing similar protests in Belgium, with student unrest also emerging in Italy too. Are we looking at a wider European problem with education funding and classroom conditions here?
EVERS: Yes, across the board. Of course, Europe is pretty divided, but overall you can say we have a teacher shortage crisis.
The European Parliament just published a report with that name. Class sizes, working conditions in general, workload is huge across the board. Teacher pay is not enough, public spending is not keeping up with what's needed.
And I think if you look at, for example, with defense, the political will is there across Europe. But then for public education, we see actually budget cuts. So yes, I foresee more of these protests coming.
And I think it's also linked into a wider discontent among youth that they can't find houses, increasing inequality. So yes, this will continue.
HUNTE: Students in France are describing overcrowded classrooms, crumbling school buildings, and a lack of teachers. How widespread are these problems across the country, though? And what does that tell us about the state of public education there?
EVERS: Well, it is also very much focused also on, according to social economic conditions, you also see students who are in more affluent areas, who are also out on the streets. And they're saying, well, it's not particularly our school that we're complaining about, but we see what's going on across the country.
So yes, it's very widespread. The teacher shortage is huge. The teachers have taken on, I think, 13 pay freezes in the last 20 years, which is huge, of course.
And now, of course, that's all coming back to the country and the politicians. So I hope that we'll see a reckoning. And I think the students are holding up a mirror to society and politicians and we really need to start investing in public education, just like we're doing for defense.
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HUNTE: In Spain, hundreds of people marched through downtown Madrid on Thursday. They were paying tribute to Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year- old who died after she was evicted from her home. Following that eviction, Abascal became a symbol of Spain's housing crisis.
Anger over home shortages and surging rents has resulted in Spain's prime minister calling a snap general election. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for the vote after parliament rejected his proposals to address the housing crisis.
There is much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom," including Kenya confirms its first Ebola death linked to an outbreak in the DRC. That is just ahead on CNN, see you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Welcome back.
Officials in Kenya are working to trace anyone who came into contact with a man who died of Ebola earlier this week. The country's health ministry says that, so far, it has found no new infections since confirming the first case. He was a Kenyan citizen who had lived in a democratic republic of Congo for seven years, he died on Monday after being admitted to a hospital in Nairobi.
Kenya is the fourth country to record an Ebola case linked to the epidemic in the DRC.
Joining me now from Kenya is Ammu Kannampilly. She is the East Africa Bureau Chief for Reuters. Good to see you.
Kenya has now confirmed its first case of Ebola and the patient died there. How significant was that development? And how concerned are health authorities about further cases?
AMMU KANNAMPILLY, EAST AFRICA BUREAU CHIEF, REUTERS: It was a significant development. Kenya has never had an Ebola case before then.
So the authorities are now scrambling to quarantine the contacts of victims. Out of 57 contacts, 10 have been quarantined so far. So that raises questions about the status of the remaining 47 and, of course, onward to seeing whether any of them record infections.
At the moment, there is no evidence of community transmission, but authorities are keeping a close eye on that. They've also increased some screening procedures, according to what they've told Reuters. There is now a special screening gate at the Nairobi International Airport for travelers coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
HUNTE: Let's talk a bit more about that. The patient traveled from the DRC through Uganda to Kenya, despite him being ill. How was he able to pass through so many screening points without being detected though?
KANNAMPILLY: I mean, that's the big question. It's still unclear. But experts have pointed to the fact that a thermal screening check, a thermometer, will only check your surface temperature. It will not be able to record evidence of infection.
And what the Kenyan authorities have told journalists and the country is that the man could have been on medication that may have masked its symptoms.
[03:19:56] Currently, the procedures to track Ebola as it crosses borders essentially rely on thermal screening checks and on the traveller declaring their symptoms. So that leaves quite large gaps, as this case suggests.
HUNTE: On that, Kenya has identified dozens of contacts linked to that case. Tell me, what are citizens saying about all of this, though? Is there fear there? Are people preparing for the worst?
KANNAMPILLY: People are worried, you know, as people in any country would be, especially when Kenya has a history of Ebola. You may recall that a few months ago there were big protests in Kenya surrounding the construction of a U.S. facility for Americans to be quarantined in the country.
And one of the reasons for that protest was that people were worried that if you bring Americans to Kenya from the DRC, then you might effectively see an Ebola outbreak in Kenya. So there are concerns. We have not seen any protests so far, but that could change quite quickly if more cases are recorded.
HUNTE: The government says thousands of travellers have been screened. Does this case expose any weakness in that screening system, or are there limits to what temperature checks can detect?
KANNAMPILLY: It's a difficult question to answer, because there's so much we don't yet know about how this man was able to cross not one, but two national borders, and was picked up by a relative at the airport, and then taken to hospital, instead of being immediately isolated.
At Reuters, we're trying to uncover more details, and as soon as we're able to confirm something, we will report it. But at the moment, it seems to be a case where there may be some gaps in the system, but there may also be other issues that we haven't yet been able to uncover.
HUNTE: Kenya is, of course, a major regional transport hub, with people moving across borders every single day. What needs to happen now to prevent this outbreak from spreading further across the African continent?
KANNAMPILLY: I think the authorities have increased some screening checks, so I think that will help. But one thing to note is that the border between Uganda and Kenya is porous. There are checkpoints, but there are also parts of the border where there are no checkpoints, and potentially somebody who wanted to evade detection could cross.
I think the Kenyan government is aware that Kenya in particular depends quite a lot, not just on being a regional transport hub, but also on tourism. The country attracts thousands of visitors, it's a very popular destination, and so any suggestion of an outbreak that goes beyond this one case could have a real impact on the economy.
HUNTE: Yes, indeed. Ammu Kannampilly, Reuters East Africa Bureau Chief. Thank you so much, I appreciate it. KANNAMPILLY: Thank you.
HUNTE: There is much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom," including El Nino is expected to intensify as we near the end of the year. Ahead, why the United Nations is worried this may lead to dry conditions and flooding in various parts of the globe.
Plus, the Atlantic's first hurricane this season is barreling towards the U.S. Gulf Coast. How locals are preparing ahead of the storms, landform, too, after the break.
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HUNTE: Welcome back, I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. will not attack Iran before the midterm elections next month. The President says the U.S. is having productive discussions with Tehran, and he plans to keep up economic pressure, including the blockade of Iranian ports. Trump's comments come after multiple media reports detailed the administration's planning for potential new strikes before the elections, now just over three weeks away.
Ukrainian officials say Russia's latest attack makes it clear that Moscow continues to target civilians. Authorities say a Russian strike in eastern Ukraine caused two public buses to explode and catch fire, killing at least 33 people. Ukraine describing it as Russia's deadliest attack this year.
New York officials and residents are demanding answers after ICE agents shot into a car and wounded a man. The Department of Homeland Security says its agents were conducting a targeted operation, but did not explain what led up to that shooting, the man was wounded, a five- year-old child in the car with them was not hurt. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is calling for an end to ICE operations in the city, saying they endanger citizens.
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Experts warn that this year's El Nino will reach its peak intensity towards the end of the year, while also predicting that it will last until February 2027. An El Nino is a natural climate pattern characterized by warming ocean temperatures in parts of the Pacific.
This pattern can influence weather all around the globe. The World Meteorological Organization issued its El Nino prediction on Thursday, saying that sea surface temperatures are poised to break records. A U.N. spokesperson warned that this climate event could alter rainfall patterns, increasing the threat of both dry conditions and floods.
As El Nino gathers strength, heavy rains in Chile are leading to flash floods and mudslides. A torrent of water, mud and rocks pushed through Santiago on Thursday, sweeping away cars and flooding buildings. Since the Chilean capital sits at the foot of the Andes Mountains, the heavy rains have been filling the city's many mountain ravines and causing them to overflow, there has been no official confirmation of any deaths or injuries, though.
Preparations are ramping up as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season barrels towards the U.S. Gulf Coast. Isaias is currently a Category 2 storm, but is getting stronger and is expected to become a major hurricane at Category 3 strength before weakening as it approaches the coast late Friday or early Saturday.
The storm's current forecast has it on track to make landfall in Alabama. States of emergency have been issued for parts of the state, along with Mississippi, Florida and Georgia, too.
Coastal locations could see storm surges of up to 7 feet and up to 15 inches of rain. In Mobile, Alabama, directly in the path of the storm, residents filled sandbags to protect against flooding at their homes and businesses. Local officials are warning residents to prepare while they still can.
One of the deadliest aspects of a hurricane is the deluge of water that pushes ashore with the storm. It's known as a storm surge. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has more.
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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: When we talk about hurricanes like Isaias, we often focus on wind, rain and tornadoes, but the most dangerous part of these storms is actually storm surge.
Simply put, storm surge happens when a hurricane pushes ocean water onto land, creating a wall of water that can rise several feet above normal tide levels. This isn't like regular flooding, though. This water is fast-moving and can devastate homes, knock down power lines and turn debris into projectiles, often before the worst parts of the storm even arrive.
So let's break down some of the storm surge levels expected along the Gulf Coast with Hurricane Isaias.
At three feet, you're looking at minor surge level. This is enough to flood low-lying streets and anything that's not tied down, like trash cans, can get picked up and swept away as though they weigh nothing more than a feather. More importantly, the water is moving fast enough to knock a person off their feet instantly.
Now, once we get to five to seven feet, now we enter the moderate range. This is where things start to get destructive, a six-foot storm surge can sweep away small vehicles, it can destroy the first floor of the house, and that's just the water. The debris floating in it, like trees, signs and trash, become a weapon.
Now, these are the levels we're expecting right to the east of where Hurricane Isaias is expected to make landfall. And the water will push inland as far as it can, which in some cases can be half a mile or more.
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HUNTE: There is much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. Here are your business headlines.
Three OpenAI safety researchers are speaking out after being fired from the company, and they say they were pushed out under, quote, "suspicious circumstances." The researchers say the reasons provided for their dismissals do not add up, the three were let go just weeks after they say they played key part in investigating an incident in which OpenAI agents hacked into AI company Hugging Face while undergoing testing. OpenAI says it parted ways with the three for, quote, "violating our policies on accessing and handling sensitive company information."
At this hour, oil prices are lower, but on Thursday, Brent Crude, that's the global oil benchmark, rose more than 5 percent on continued concerns over the global supply. That jump came after a record number of tanker attacks sent crossings through the Strait of Hormuz to a two-month low. On Tuesday, just seven tankers transited the critical waterway, the rise in attacks comes even as more crude has been flowing out of the Gulf.
Elon Musk's SpaceX company is apparently getting into the cell phone business in a bid to challenge legacy wireless giants all across the U.S.
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On Thursday, SpaceX struck a deal to acquire a nationwide low-band spectrum company. It has frequencies that can travel long distances and pass through dense structures such as walls and tree cover, which is a major technical hurdle that satellite-based mobile networks face.
Well, one person's discarded clothing can be another person's goldmine. Some people are turning to online platforms to resell old or used clothes and turning thrifting into a full-time, high-earning career. CNN's Ivana Scatola has more for us.
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IVANA SCATOLA, CNN SUPERVISING PRODUCER (voice-over): Steam, snap, send, repeat. That simple process is part of a business that's made Evan hundreds of thousands of dollars.
EVAN, VINTED RESELLER: I usually get, like, not mocked in school, but a lot of people say, oh, why are you selling sweaty old clothes for? SCATOLA (voice-over): He's been reselling clothes since the age of 15,
and it's made him some serious money, like a lot.
EVAN: Sixteen, I did my first ever, like, 10K month.
SCATOLA: What do you think are the three biggest purchases you've made from reselling?
EVAN: A Porsche Cayman, so it's like, I'd say it's a dream car. Obviously, being 20 and buying a Porsche was like a massive deal for me, and I love cars.
And then I love watches, so probably one of my watches. I'd say traveling, I probably spent near enough, like, 30 grand last year on trips.
SCATOLA (voice-over): Evan resells on Vinted, Europe's leading platform for buying and reselling clothes. In France, it's the top retailer, ahead of brands like Zara and H&M.
EVAN: I'm sure so many people would agree with me that I know and I work with who've said, you know, reselling wasn't going to be their long-time, you know, career, but it's opened so many doors and opportunities for them, and same for me.
SCATOLA (voice-over): Now, it's his full-time business.
EVAN: So when it's been washed by my grandmother, I then put it into these unlisted boxes.
SCATOLA: And does your grandmother do the washing for you, or you just do it?
EVAN: She does it for me, but I obviously pay her to do it, so.
SCATOLA (voice-over): Every day, he uploads new items and packs all the orders he's sold.
EVAN: Day to day, you know, I try and list 30, 40 items. So what I always say is make sure I have the stock waiting for you, not you waiting for stock. So that's the most important thing, because overall, if I'm getting a 2x return on it, it's a 50 percent profit, and then I'm happy.
So these caps were from Naples, so they were about a pound apiece. So I'm only selling them for like 5 or 6. But obviously, that's a 6x return, so if I sell 100 at 6, that's 500 pound profit, so.
SCATOLA (voice-over): Evan says he was one of the first U.K. full-time Vinted resellers. Now hundreds of other Gen Zers are doing the same.
Although Vinted's been in the U.S. since 2013, it hasn't had much presence there. In January, the company launched a proper expansion into the U.S. market.
EVAN: I think once it reaches America, it'll go to a new level. And I know for a fact that this second angle of the market is going to overtake the retail market in the next 10 years.
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HUNTE: How exciting.
Okay, that is all I have for you. Thank you so much for joining me and the team, I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. "World Sport" is up for you next. Enjoy.
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