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CNN International: U.S. Gulf States On Alert As Hurricane Isaias Intensifies; Smoke From Fires Shrouds Parts Of Asia In Haze; DHS: Man Shot By ICE Agents During Operation In New York; Demonstrations Continue As Police Clash With Students. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired October 09, 2026 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[04:00:32]
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's go straight to our headlines.
Houthi attacks in Yemen are fueling fears of a wider war. President Trump now says there will be no new strikes on Iran before the midterms.
Plus, as student-led demonstrations spread across France, the government is scrambling to prevent a full-blown crisis. We're going to go live to Paris.
And the Singapore skyline is vanishing into toxic smoke as world leaders and Formula One fans arrive. The wealthy city is battling some of the worst air pollution in the world.
ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Salma Abdelaziz.
ABDELAZIZ: We're just over three weeks away before election day, and U.S. President Donald Trump is making a new pledge to Americans. He says the U.S. will not attack Iran before those midterm elections on November 3rd.
The president revealed the decision on his social media platform on Thursday. And 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 -- form 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 inside the Kingdom for a third consecutive day.
Images and videos like these posted on social media and verified by CNN show smoke rising over Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, as well as what appears to be damaged aircraft.
Several explosions were heard in the Saudi capital on Thursday. This is according to witnesses who spoke to the "Associated Press." The Houthis claim to have launched both cruise and ballistic missiles.
U.S. democratic Senator Chris Murphy recently returned from visiting Saudi Arabia and he spoke with CNN's Erin Burnett about how this war factors into the broader conflicts playing out in the region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): This was totally foreseeable. Those explosions are happening because the Houthis, which are an Iranian- aligned group inside Yemen, have started a -- a war against Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis are conducting a massive ground campaign now inside Yemen. The Houthis are lobbing missiles into Saudi Arabia. They have been successful in hitting a lot of the Saudi pipelines that send oil to the rest of the world, which is going to continue to drive prices up.
This is not just a war now between the United States and Iran. This is a war between the United States, Iran, Russia, and China, who, as you said, are supplying Iran intelligence, a war between Israel and Lebanon, and now a war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The entire Middle East is a war. You can feel it when you're on the ground in Riyadh. And it was another foreseeable consequence of a war of choice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Now, officials say that those Houthi attacks on Saudi airports have, this week, killed at least three people and wounded 36.
The Saudi authorities said on Thursday, they intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired towards the capital. And that falling debris had damaged a kindergarten and a medical clinic.
An investigation is now underway here in the U.K. This is after British counterterrorism police say two Latvian men were arrested inside a Royal Air Force base used by American personnel. The men, both in their 30s, were first arrested on suspicion of trespassing, then they were arrested on suspicion of, quote, entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the U.K., a charge which is under a National Security Act.
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.
And this incident comes just weeks after the discovery of a suspected plot targeting another British air base 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 that suspected plot against the base in Fairford in Western England.
[04:05:18]
Now to Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has told Iran's president that Moscow is ready to help resolve the conflict with the U.S. The two leaders met in Turkmenistan. This was on Thursday on the sidelines of a summit of ex-Soviet states.
Russian state media reports that Iran's president told Putin that Tehran and Washington are discussing some proposals to end the conflict. And once both sides exchange notes on the proposals through mediators, they plan to meet to finalize an agreement.
Hurricane Isaias is intensifying as it barrels towards the U.S. Gulf Coast. And federal agencies are preparing to assist with the response efforts.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency says they are closely monitoring the storm. This is ahead of its expected landfall early on Saturday morning.
Local officials are warning residents to prepare while they still can.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think people are taking this seriously?
ROBERT CRAFT, GULF SHORES, ALABAMA MAYOR: I hope so. We're pounding into them and especially the understanding that if you want to leave, you need to leave, but you need to leave quickly because at 45 miles an hour, we have to close the bridge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
CRAFT: Cars can't go over the bridge at 45 miles an hour and that will happen. And it'll happen probably sooner than people think. And so if you don't leave, you can't leave.
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): It looks like we're going to be on the dirty side or the east side of this storm. So, there's a strong wind threat for our state with possible wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour, which could lead to power outages, tornadoes, and certainly debris issues. As we always do with weather events, we're hoping for the best for preparing for the worst.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I'll just say we've got everyone mobilized, the full -- full monty for the storm. We're taking it very seriously. I hope it weakens. I think there's conditions where it could, but our assumption is that it's going to hit strong as a probably lower in category three. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Now, Isaias is currently a category two storm, as you just heard there, but it is getting stronger. And it is expected to become a major hurricane at category three strength before it weakens as it approaches the coast late Friday or early Saturday. The storm's current forecast has it on track to make landfall in Alabama.
Heavy rains in Chile are also 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 mountains and ravines and causing them to overflow. There has been no official confirmation of any deaths or injuries so far.
I want to go to Singapore next. It may be Asia's wealthiest country, but today, it has the worst air quality in the world. Smoke from fires in the region has moved across the city state, pushing air quality levels to very unhealthy.
Malaysia and Indonesia are also affected by this. And authorities are warning residents to limit their outdoor activities. The haze may even impact this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
For more on all of this, I want to bring in CNN's Rhea Mogul. She is live this hour from Hong Kong. So, Rhea, explain this to me. What is causing this heavy haze and -- and how dangerous is it?
RHEA MOGUL, CNN REPORTER: Well, Salma, part of the reason that we're seeing this heavy pollution in Singapore is because of these raging wildfires in Indonesia, in particular on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
Now, this happens every year when large areas of land are cleared to make way for commercial plantations, including for things like palm oil. And it has a devastating impact on the wildlife on those islands. Sumatra and Borneo are home to some of Southeast Asia's most critically endangered species, including orangutans.
But this year, in particular, the expected super El Nino has just exacerbated that blaze and it's created this gust of smog that's moving towards countries like Malaysia and, of course, Singapore.
ABDELAZIZ: So, let's talk specifically about Singapore, if I can, Rhea, because, obviously, this is the epicenter of this haze. And -- and there's reports as -- as we would just mention there that it could impact the Grand Prix this weekend.
What are you learning? And how are authorities trying to get it under control?
MOGUL: Well, of course, Singapore, as you mentioned, is the most polluted major city in the world right now. And levels of pollution over there are very unhealthy.
[04:10:06]
And what that's done, it's created this noxious, thick, heavy smog that's settled across the city and its cast a shadow over iconic skyscrapers and monuments, including the Marina Bay Sands, which is currently, you know, just a shadow in the skyline.
And I've lived in cities which frequently top the list of heavy pollution. And I can tell you that it is no joke. It causes severe, you know, respiratory illness. It gets into your hair. You can taste it in your mouth.
So, authorities say that they have things in place in case things should go out of hand and get worse. As of now, it seems like the Formula One may go ahead as planned. The Formula One has gone ahead in previous years, even though Singapore has experienced a lot of pollution.
What we could expect to see, however, is perhaps people wearing face masks or bringing face masks to the event. There are no stranger to pollution in that country. So, we could see people, you know, preparing themselves for in case they feel uncomfortable at the F1 this weekend.
ABDELAZIZ: And we have images as you were speaking there of the skylines over Malaysia and other parts that are affected by this haze. And as you said, it is no joke. You -- you talk about just how difficult it is to breathe, to swallow, to move through that haze.
Rhea Mogul there in Hong Kong. Thank you for that update.
There is so much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." Demonstrators gather in New York. This is after a shooting involving ICE agents. We're going to have all the details for you, ahead.
But first, candidates in key Senate races make their case on the debate stage. We're getting here some of those heated exchanges after the break.
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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. We're now just weeks away from those very critical U.S. midterm elections with millions of early votes already cast and candidates in three key Senate races hit the debate stage on Thursday night, hoping to garner more support as both sides battle for control of the Senate. One of those debates played out in Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): Tonight, a united Georgia will hear the trial of Mike Collins. Mike Collins has brought dishonor to our state through his personal bigotry and his widely documented ties to white nationalists.
REP. MIKE COLLINS (R-GA): No one has ever asked or held Jon Ossoff accountable for any of his votes or the reasons why. Why did he -- I had to write a bill to fight these synthetic drugs because he left that border open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: That is incumbent democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and his Republican challenger, Congressman Mike Collins there, facing off in their first debate. While Ossoff tried to link Collins to the president, Collins avoided mentioning Trump's name and appeared largely on the defense during the hour-long debate.
Another heated debate played out in the state of Michigan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE ROGERS, MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE: What my friend here just wants to do is he's kind of like a glitchy A.I. chatbot is say the same thing over and over and over again.
ABDUL EL-SAYED, MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE: He says I like to say the same thing. He's done the same thing over and over and over again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: There were plenty of personal jabs and insults there in Michigan as Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed clashed in their first debate. Rogers repeatedly called El-Sayed a con man, while the democratic candidate mocked Rogers as weak and cowardly.
Meanwhile, in Maine, long-time Republican Senator, Susan Collins clashed with Democrat, Troy Jackson, who has now been endorsed by former President Barack Obama. Their second debate covered a number of issues, including healthcare, social security, abortion access, and immigration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TROY JACKSON, MAINE DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINEE: Look what's happening because of Iran war. She voted against it nine times, before, she voted for five times. When she had a chance to stop it before we got into this crisis, she could have stopped it.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): It's under Troy's leadership that electric rates in Maine became the fourth highest in the nation. The nation. What does that have to do with the Iran war?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: President Trump is gearing up to hit the campaign trail again, this time for a rally tonight in Syracuse, New York, alongside the Republican candidate for governor.
A former U.S. Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people will be executed by firing squad on December 3rd. The last time the U.S. Army executed one of its soldiers by firing squad was during World War II. The Pentagon says the event is going to be live streamed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: He's going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be. And we'll make sure that people are able to -- to watch it, that it's public, because people need to understand that this is a -- there's serious consequences for these types of things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Now, as you might imagine, not everyone in the U.S. is in favor of public executions. Republican Senator Thom Tillis posted on social media that Nidal Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it is, quote, "Beyond disgusting. Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America."
Protesters are demonstrating in New York after a shooting involving ICE agents on Thursday. You can see that there. The Department of Homeland Security says agents encountered a 28-year-old man Thursday and fired shots into his vehicle, wounding him.
A child in the car was not hurt. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani says ICE operations are endangering citizens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Let me say this plainly. What happened today was an outrage. Tonight, a five-year-old child sits traumatized and terrified. Tonight, millions of our neighbors are wondering whether they will be safe on our streets, in our schools, at their work sites.
[04:20:12]
Tonight, New Yorkers across the five boroughs are asking whether their civil liberties will be respected, whether law and order is supposed to look like a man carrying a long gun wearing a mask.
We know that ICE is rotten to its core. Today's shooting is only further devastating confirmation of what we have long known, which is that ICE operates with impunity, that they sow chaos and terror across our country, that they have killed far more of our neighbors than they could ever have claimed to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: This is the video that shows the scene in New York's Marble Hill neighborhood where -- where the shooting took place.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is also demanding answers from federal authorities saying they must provide them immediately.
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is there with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: ICE officers were involved in another shooting, this time, in New York City.
You can see the car. That is the car that the individual was driving, we're told. And there was a bullet hole on the windshield on the driver's side.
And what we're told from law enforcement officials that this was an ICE targeted operation, that they were targeting an individual. The Department of Homeland Security says it was a, what they say is a criminal illegal alien with a -- an arrest history dating back to December of 2023. And that they were trying to apprehend this individual.
Now, the man that was inside the car, we don't know his identity. He was taken to a hospital. He is expected to be OK.
But also inside that car was a five-year-old child. The mayor, Mayor Zohran Mamdani posting on X saying that this is unacceptable, what happened here. The time of day it happened and that there was this five-year-old child inside that car. That child is OK.
And many of the community members here came out wanting and demanding answers over why this happened.
And for now, we don't exactly know as the Department of Homeland Security has not provided any of those details.
Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ: Still to come, unrest on the streets across France as students continue to call for improved classroom conditions.
And there is discontent in neighboring Spain for a much different reason. We're going to bring you that story and more right after the break.
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[04:25:05]
ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. I'm Salma Abdelaziz.
The noble committee has selected Canadian writer, Anne Carson, as the winner of this year's Literature Prize. She is known for works like "The Beauty of the Husband," "An Autobiography of Red," and "Nox."
Literature was the fourth prize to be handed out this week following the committee's honors for achievements in medicine, physics, and chemistry.
In less than 30 minutes, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced. We will bring that to you live at the top of the hour.
There are 287 candidates which have been nominated, including 79 organizations. Now, the list is kept secret in the basement of the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.
Pope Leo, the International Criminal Court, and Save the Children, are all among the potential favorites. U.S. President Donald Trump says he deserves the award for settling eight wars around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDOUARD GEFFRAY, FRENCH MINISTER OF NATIONAL EDUCATION (through translator): We have 3,000 substitute teachers who are currently not in front of students. They would like to be, but they haven't been assigned to a class. There are 3,000 of them, partly because, until now, we haven't been assigning them effectively. So, over the next few hours, these 3,000 teachers will be joining these schools.
ABDELAZIZ: That's France's education minister there. He is speaking as the French government attempts to get schools open again following a wave of student demonstrations across the country.
Now, the government's response comes as protesters accuse police of employing very heavy-handed tactics during clashes on the streets. Despite that, students say they plan to continue to call for extra funding for their schools.
Melissa Bell has the report for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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 policemen. 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 throughout 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.
For its 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.
For 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ: For more on all of this, I want to go straight to Paris now where Victor Goury-Laffont is standing by. He is a reporter for "POLITICO." Good morning first of all to you, Victor.
If I may, you saw our reporter, Melissa Bell, there speaking about the issue and on the ground there.
But I want to start with the root of this crisis which is what students say are overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, crumbling buildings. How widespread and deep are those problems in French education? And how did it get so bad? How did the frustration boil over into a nationwide movement?
VICTOR GOURY-LAFFONT, REPORTER, POLITICO: So, it's interesting that this protest movement started in one specific high school, which is in a very underprivileged area near Paris, where the students joined in with their teachers who were already protesting and asking for more funding.
And slowly but surely that spread to either high schools with sort of similar socioeconomic backgrounds. And then it has sort of spread nationwide, and even to high schools where those problems aren't as severe, but where the students want to express a form of solidarity with their peers in -- in lesser privileged areas of France, and also maybe express a more general feeling of.
