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Trump Continues Red-State Swing With Stop In Alabama; Texas Hit With Several Days Of Heavy Rain And Flooding; CNN Releases New Unsealed Footage Of Luigi Mangione Arrest; New York Governor Appoints New York Attorney General To Investigate Alleged Rape At Cornell; Iowa Senate Race Tightens Ahead Of Midterms; Christa Pike On Ventilator After Surviving Two Lethal Injections. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired October 03, 2026 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING. Here's what you need to know.
We are now one month until Election Day, and with one of the key contests in ruby-red Iowa, we'll talk about the tightening Senate race there that could help decide which party gains control of the chamber. We're going to take you inside the battle.
Plus, there's newly unsealed video in the Luigi Mangione case. Police body cam footage shows the moment that Mangione was cornered inside a McDonald's and then taken into custody.
Also, New York Governor Kathy Hochul -- she wants answers as she appoints a special prosecutor to investigate an alleged gang rape at Cornell University. It is sparking huge outrage from students and the community.
And later, new details on that botched execution in Tennessee. We'll share what we're learning about the condition of the woman who survived two lethal injections.
It's Saturday, October 3. Good to have you along. I'm Victor Blackwell.
President Trump is back on the campaign trail this weekend. Last night in Mobile, the president urged the audience to show up in November. And he repeated the phrase that he often says at his stump speeches to pretend I'm on the ballot. The president's red state swing started Thursday with stops in Texas and Oklahoma. And during his rally, he addressed why he's spending this final month before the midterms in these conservative strongholds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They said, why are you going to Alabama? Why are you going to Oklahoma? Why are you going to Texas?
But, you know, especially in the last two and Texas, because we have to win that race. Ken Paxton has to win. But here you're going to win your races.
But in the case of Oklahoma and Alabama, I'm here to say hello. I love you. And I'm coming really, as a sign of respect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The president heads to Ohio today to continue his push for Republicans on the ballot. CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Mobile with more from last night's rally.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump campaigned here in ruby-red Alabama, as he is looking to turn out Republican voters heading into the midterm elections. The president has cited some of the Republican struggles in this campaign as being based on a messaging problem, believing that he needs to be out there front and center to remind voters of what they have accomplished in office. That is why he is starting this midterm campaign blitz for the month of October.
And CNN has learned that the Trump administration has actually created more ads as part of its taxpayer-funded ad campaign to promote the president and his policies. That is something that has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. But for President Trump, he is trying to turn out base Republican voters who don't typically vote in these elections. And that is part of the message that he had in Alabama on Friday. Take a listen.
TRUMP: I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot. Here's what happens. When I'm not on the ballot. We don't do well.
We have 44 percent or 48 percent less people. When I'm on the ballot, we kill everybody. But you must get out and vote for Republicans and all Trump candidates.
SAENZ: This all comes as there is real anxiety within the Republican Party about their ability to not just hold the House, but also the Senate, as there are a number of close competitive races on the Senate battleground across the country. Just earlier on Friday, one of the biggest GOP Super PACS, the Senate Leadership Fund, announced that they were pausing advertisements in the state of North Carolina. That is a state where the democratic candidate, governor -- Former Governor Roy Cooper, has a strong lead over the Republican candidate, Michael Whatley.
Instead, that group will now be spending millions of dollars to try to shore up the incumbent senator in Kansas, a state that many had not initially predicted would be on the Senate map this cycle. Republicans right now are facing some real headwinds heading into November's elections. President Donald Trump's approval rating is lower than they would like.
There is also a lot of voter frustration about the state of the economy, with rising costs and high gas prices. And that is one of the challenging dynamics for Republicans running in these critical battleground races. For the president's part, he is hoping that getting out there on the trail will help drive out Republican voters.
He was in Alabama on Friday. On Saturday, he will be campaigning in Ohio with another incumbent senator, who is facing a very tough challenge. But there is concern among some Republicans that the president will be too much of a drag on the ticket. And that is something Democrats are betting on heading into November. Arlette Saenz, CNN, Mobile, Alabama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[07:05:26]
BLACKWELL: Arlette, thanks. We have new details now on the Flydubai incident, where a pilot is accused of attacking a colleague aboard a flight headed to Tel Aviv. Saudi state media says the suspect is an Omani citizen, Hammam Al-Hammami. UAE authorities are investigating the incident because the aircraft is registered in their country.
Now, a UAE state media here: "A top official. They call this incident an attempted terrorist attack." CNN's Nic Robertson joins me now live from Jerusalem with the latest. And so what more are the Emiratis saying about this?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, we are beginning to learn a few more details here. And of course, there is a criminal investigation going on at this time. So there's a limit to what can be reported publicly.
But what we understand now from the attorney general, who began this investigation yesterday to see if there was a terrorist work at play here, is now calling it a terrorist act -- a suspected terrorist act. So definitely the narrative that authorities are going -- and knowing Israel as well is joining the Emiratis in this investigation, that's the direction it's headed in that attempted murder weapon that the copilot -- or the Omani pilot was trying to use on the Indian captain, as he was striking him down. We're getting details about that.
It was apparently the crash axe that was kept inside the cockpit in case of emergencies. That's what the Emirati attorney general is saying. So this really gives us a better understanding of just how badly -- bad those injuries were to the captain, who managed to open the door to allow the passengers to get in and turn the -- this terrible situation around. But what we're hearing from the Israeli prime minister yesterday really also doubles down on this investigation going towards a terrorist direction, saying this was a 9/11 scale event, or it could have been that the pilot was trying to crash the plane into the ground.
So in investigations like this in all jurisdictions, it's normal to understand the authorities will be -- investigators will be looking into, you know, social media postings, will be looking into, you know, who the circle of friends were, all of those very important things to get a better understanding of this individual.
BLACKWELL: Nic Robertson reporting from Jerusalem. Thanks so much. Gulf Coast here in the U.S. is bracing for flooding this morning, and several inches of rain are expected across the southeast. With me now, CNN Meteorologist Melissa Nord. So walk us through what you're watching.
MELISSA NORD, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's the same system that brought a lot of flooding to Texas, the Southern Plains, the last couple of days. It's moving East, so it's got a lot of moisture with it, Victor. And that means, you know, it's the weekend. People want to enjoy it.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
NORD: For some, it's nearly a washout.
BLACKWELL: No.
NORD: The amount of rain we're expecting the next couple of days. You can see here. Big picture. Rain right now still falling over Texas. I don't expect that to continue as intense as it did yesterday. But we will see more intense rain breaking out this afternoon along the Gulf Coast and lifting northward.
That Gulf moisture being brought up northward, getting caught up in this stalled-out boundary. Flood threats today centered over New Orleans. And tomorrow really stretch into the Carolinas and across Georgia as well.
So forecast -- future radar. Look at this. By the end of the afternoon, waves of rain are moving there along the I-10 corridor and the Gulf Coast. Tomorrow, it is targeting the southeast through Georgia and up into the Carolinas.
And you may think, well, that's good news. Why the Braves are not in Atlanta for game two of the NLDS tomorrow. But no. On the other side, in the West Coast, LA Dodgers not so good news.
Look at these extreme temperatures as we look at tomorrow evening's game. We've got temperatures as you're heading into Dodger Stadium that are going to be above 100 degrees as a very long-lived and extreme heat wave takes hold on the West Coast. We're talking about some of these temperatures not feeling anything like October standards, but running 15 to 20 degrees above normal.
Extreme heat warnings on the map for LA, and also heat advisories all the way up the California coastline in Sacramento, and also San Francisco. These are all the records that are possible through Thursday of the week. So extreme heat on the West Coast becomes a big story here as we head through the weekend and continuing into the week. Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right. Melissa Nord, thanks so much. Still ahead. Cornell University faces backlash over its handling of an alleged gang rape. We're hearing from students who say more needs to be done to keep them safe.
[07:10:01] Plus, newly unsealed video, police body cam footage shows the moment that Luigi Mangione was cornered inside a McDonald's and taken into custody. And reunited at last, a small part of the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group is back in the U.S. after ten months at sea. When the remaining 5000 sailors will return home?
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[07:15:05]
BLACKWELL: This morning, members of the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group are finally home after spending more than nine months at sea. About 40 sailors from a helicopter squadron were greeted by loved ones at a naval air station in San Diego. Remember part of this deployment: 288 straight days without a port stop. This homecoming marks the beginning of a larger return. The rest of the strike group's roughly 5000 sailors expected back on October 8.
For the first time ever, the Kennedy Center Honors will not be held at the Kennedy Center. The annual award ceremony is now moving to Washington's Capital One Arena in December. The change comes as the Kennedy Center is still closed during this legal and political fight over the institution's future. The center's leadership says the building needs a major renovation and has raised the possibility of adding President Trump's name to the venue. Both issues are tied up in court.
The FDA says it has closed its investigation into a parasite outbreak that made nearly 20,000 people sick across the U.S. this summer. Health officials say there is strong evidence linking the outbreak to iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico and distributed by Taylor Farms. The parasite, known as Cyclospora, can cause severe stomach illness. At least two people died during the outbreak.
His arrest captured national attention. You'll remember this. Now CNN has obtained newly unsealed video showing the moments when Pennsylvania police took Luigi Mangione into custody. This was days after the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York. Kara Scannell has more on this video and the latest on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just do me a favor. Stand up. I won't bite you down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your peanut butter, by the way.
LUIGI MANGIONE, FORMER SOFTWARE ENGINEER: You can take that, but I'm just letting you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, put your hands on the wall. I'm going to pat you down --
MANGIONE: Sure. KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Newly unsealed police bodycam footage, first seen on CNN, shows the moments Altoona, Pennsylvania police officers handcuffed Luigi Mangione and took him into custody, ending a five-day manhunt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your hands on the wall, OK? Left hand first. Put your right hand back. All right.
SCANNELL (voice-over): A New York state judge unsealed the footage at the request of CNN after Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges and admitted to fatally shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The videos were played during a suppression hearing last December, but have not been publicly released until now.
Officers responded to a 911 call on December 9, 2024, that the suspected New York City CEO shooter may be in a McDonald's restaurant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing? Will you put your mask down real quick for me?
MANGIONE: Yes, sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Appreciate it. Thank you. OK.
SCANNELL (voice-over): The officers immediately thought it was him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I told you, man, that shooter checked into the hospital.
SCANNELL: Officers confront Mangione about a fake driver's license bearing the name Mark Rosario.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that your name, Mark Rosario?
MANGIONE: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your real name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we do.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll write it down. Give me the date of birth, then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you spell it for me?
MANGIONE: L-U-I-G-I.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: L-U-I-G-I.
MANGIONE: Mangione.
SCANNELL (voice-over): A search reveals a gun magazine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's -- (BLEEP) him. I know that 100 percent. SCANNELL (voice-over): About ten minutes later, Mangione is taken to the police station. Mangione is asked to remove layers of clothing so he can be searched more thoroughly, while another officer unzips his backpack and finds a gun that authorities later linked to the crime scene.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a weapon. So you want me to clear it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's just clear it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clear it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's another magazine that was hidden in his underwear and his underwear. (BLEEP) Silencer.
SCANNELL (voice-over): She also finds Mangione's handwritten notes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a journal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two minutes later, he calls me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would
SCANNELL (voice-over): While a different officer ticks off the evidence, including a checklist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, he has a handgun suppressor. His cell phone was in a Faraday bag. He has a checklist for today. Tomorrow he's supposed to do an intel check-in and get a survival kit.
SCANNELL: These videos were critical to Mangione's lawyers' effort to argue the searches were illegal, and key evidence should be thrown out. But the judge kept the videos under seal until he ruled that most of the evidence could be used at trial. Mangione will be sentenced on federal charges in December. A decision on whether the state case moves forward is pending.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[07:20:21]
BLACKWELL: Kara Scannell, thanks so much. Christa Pike, that convicted killer in Tennessee. Her execution did not go as planned. You're going to hear now the latest on her condition and what her attorneys are calling for. We'll have that for you.
Also, a scary moment for a reporter as the driver of an SUV -- look at this -- loses control and slams into her while she is on live television. We'll have those stories and more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:25:13] BLACKWELL: There are new developments in the case of an alleged gang rape at Cornell University at a fraternity house there in 2024. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed a special prosecutor to investigate. She says she wants the truth and is deeply disturbed by Cornell's original investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): In what world does the district attorney not interview her or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript? This woman -- this young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable and that at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Hochul has named New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate. Let's bring in now Clinton Rucker. He's an attorney and former judge and former assistant district attorney. Good to have you on the show.
So let's start here with just filling out the picture of what this looks like now. Obviously, the attorney general has greater resources, greater access to expertise than the Tompkins County D.A. How does this investigation shift now that it's under the purview of Letitia James?
CLINTON RUCKER, ATTORNEY: Right. And good morning, Victor. Thank you so much for having me on. When I heard that the governor had made the decision to appoint an independent prosecutor to look into the case, I was actually quite relieved because, as a former prosecutor, we are naturally inquisitive.
And I had the same questions that the governor has articulated. The five Ws, the who, the when, the where -- the where, and the why. And I think that now that we've got the attorney general assigned to the case, of course, there are more resources, there are more expert interviewers who can handle speaking with trauma victims because that's a very particular kind of crime in which it requires a particular kind of expertise. But there also are a number of investigators and paralegals and staff that can put together a really comprehensive investigation, like I imagine this one will involve.
BLACKWELL: There's one element I want to get your thoughts on. Attorney General James, who's now leading this investigation -- she was asked about a social media post that happened just a few days ago, where she seemed to frame the allegations as fact.
Let me read it here from September 28, in which she writes what this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I'm holding her in my heart and in my prayers to her and all survivors. You're not alone. We stand with you.
She wouldn't answer questions about this at the news conference yesterday.
RUCKER: Right.
BLACKWELL: But do you think this is problematic?
RUCKER: Right. Well, certainly, I think in a case like this, when Victor, there's so much public scrutiny, the spotlight is on. And so you want to make sure that you have the appearance of impropriety, the appearance of a fair and unbiased perspective.
I do think that Attorney General James has the capacity to set that aside. She will have lawyers and investigators that will dig into the nuts and the crannies of what actually happened. I think she can set that aside. And despite those statements, I feel as though she will render a decision about the case that will be based on the facts and the evidence that is particular to New York law.
BLACKWELL: How much credence do you give the defense of this investigation that Tompkins County D.A.? He says that he was just given the six-page statement that did not include the assertion from Jane Doe "I can say with 100 percent confidence that I was raped." What do you think about the job that he has done up to this point?
RUCKER: Well, I will say this, Victor. For folks who are in that business, you never want to criticize a colleague. And -- but I would have to say that I was disturbed when I saw his initial interview and some of the statements that he made.
The power that lies within the District Attorney's office is great. He certainly had the ability. And having participated in major cases like this, this is what I would have expected that he would have simply picked up the phone and he would have called the chief of police for Cornell and said, hey, I need to get your entire investigative file. I'm going to send somebody over there to pick it up, and we're going to dive really deep into this case.
It really is about that simple. And so I was disturbed to find that he didn't have that desire to get at really what was going on because just the six-page statement alone, Victor, if you've read it, it has some horrendous facts contained within it.
[07:29:57]
BLACKWELL: One thing that is an interesting variable here is New York's law as it relates to voluntary intoxication by a sexual assault victim and consent. And so, how does that influence the potential for prosecution, even with this new phase in a special prosecutor?
RUCKER: Right. Well, that's a very particular caveat to the law as it involves sexual assault victims, particular to New York.
When I looked at it, I was a little troubled by it because it seems to shift some of the responsibility and the burden to the victim and requires a certain kind of mental capacity in order to bring an allegation of a criminal charge.
However, when you look at the law very carefully, it is not a bar to a prosecution. The fact that you may be voluntarily intoxicated it just creates a higher standard, in my opinion, in which the prosecution has to meet in order to overcome the -- that particular part of the law that allows you to go forward.
And I think in this case, there have been several statements, and certainly the expert toxicologists can speak to the young lady's ability to be conscious, perhaps, and actually form consent with respect to many of the events that we know took place in that room.
And so, although the law is there, I know that it's something that Attorney General James will look at very carefully. I think that once you look at the facts of the case, there is a way that a prosecution should it be brought, because I think it is important that we also note, Victor, that these potential accused, they do have the presumption of innocence in their favor at this point.
And so, should there be a prosecution, I would say that if the facts bear it out, I think that Attorney General James will be able to overcome that caveat.
BLACKWELL: All right. Judge Rucker, thank you so much for the expertise this morning.
Still ahead, the case of a Tennessee inmate who survived her execution has reignited conversations about the use of capital punishment in the U.S. We will get into that.
And if you are heading out, remember you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S. Just go to CNN's app or just go to cnn.com/watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Live look here at Northeast Maryland. Good morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:37:22]
BLACKWELL: Midterm Elections just a month away, and there are some very tight races for Senate that we are watching. One of them, the showdown in Iowa between Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek. A race that could help decide which party gains control of the Senate.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny caught up with Congresswoman Hinson in Des Moines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Congresswoman, how are you? Good to see you.
REP. ASHLEY HINSON (R-IA), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Welcome to Iowa. Glad to have you here.
ZELENY (voice over): We are back in Iowa to see Ashley Hinson, who is suddenly emerging as exhibit A for how Republicans are trying to thread a delicate needle with the president here in Trump country.
ZELENY: As you know, President Trump won just two years ago here by 13 points. It's the third time he won in Iowa. How would you assess his popularity now versus those times?
HINSON: Well, certainly in a midterm, everything narrows, and I think that's true no matter who is in the White House.
ZELENY (voice over): It's a remarkable balancing act to watch. From loyalty in the Oval Office earlier this week --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You are doing a fantastic job.
HINSON: We are working hard and appreciate your agenda.
ZELENY (voice over): To creating some distance back home in Iowa.
HINSON: I have called for an immediate and successful end to the war in Iran, so that families can get some relief at the pump and the checkout line.
ZELENY (voice over): Yet, she didn't vote that way, like two of her fellow Iowa Republicans in Congress, who switched their votes to help pass a resolution directing the president to end the war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.
ZELENY (voice over): But even at her own campaign stop in Waterloo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my goodness.
HINSON: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
ZELENY (voice over): She saw that speaking out against an unpopular war can be unpopular with some Republicans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But just saying stop and just walking away is not the ending.
HINSON: No, successful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She (INAUDIBLE) had that word to herself.
HINSON: Because when you say stop -- yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It almost sounds like --
HINSON: Successful end.
ZELENY (voice over): In the final month of the race, Republicans are on a red state rescue mission, pouring $20 million more in Hinson ads this week, which could bring the Iowa tally to more than a hundred million dollars, with far bigger investments in Ohio and Texas.
ZELENY: Why is this race so difficult?
HINSON: I don't think it's difficult. I'm out there in all 99 counties. I run every race the same. So, for me, it's always been going out and earning every vote and running like I'm 10 points behind, which I don't think I am. I think I'm going to win on November 3rd.
ZELENY: I mean, you were saying that same thing two months ago, running like you are 10 points behind. But now, some Republicans, actually, are concerned you may be, and the Senate leadership fund, as you know, invested $20 million more dollars this week.
HINSON: When I talk about issues that are affecting families, we do need to bring prices down. We need to figure out how we provide relief to working families.
ZELENY (voice over): She is locked in a tight race with Josh Turek, a Democratic state lawmaker and two-time gold medal Paralympian. We met earlier this year.
JOSH TUREK (D), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE, IOWA: Seat number 51, it's right here. It's Iowa, and this isn't pie in the sky.
ZELENY (voice over): A year ago, Hinson tightly embraced Trump as she launched her Senate campaign.
[07:40:04]
HINSON: I am running to be President Trump's top ally in the United States Senate.
ZELENY (voice over): But her tone has steadily shifted.
HINSON: I have a record of delivering that shows that I don't care about party labels.
ZELENY (voice over): Now, airing T.V. ads stressing bipartisanship.
HINSON: Working across the aisle isn't always easy, but it's how you get results.
ZELENY (voice over): How do you square that?
HINSON: Yes, I am a bipartisan fighter, and nothing changes about who is in the White House or who has the gavel. I'm still going to operate that way. I think, you can agree with somebody, or you can be a thorn in their side and always do what's right for your state, and that's what I --
(CROSSTALK)
ZELENY: Have you gone too MAGA?
HINSON: No. ZELENY: Have you gone too MAGA?
HINSON: I think, I am pro-Iowa and I'm pro-American, and that's what I will always support.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY (on camera): In the final month of this campaign, Republicans are trying to defend their own turf. Democrats are trying to pick up four seats to win control of the U.S. Senate. It is clear the battle for the balance of power in Washington runs straight through Trump country.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Des Moines.
BLACKWELL: Let's take you to Tennessee now, where death row inmate Christa Pike is on a ventilator, after surviving two injections that were intended to be lethal on Wednesday.
Her attorneys now want the state to commute her death sentence. And Tennessee's governor has promised a comprehensive review of what went wrong by a third party.
Pike's botched execution and Tennessee's history of failed attempts has also sparked outrage and revived debates on whether the death penalty should be abolished across the country.
Justin Jones is with me now from Oklahoma City to talk about what comes next. He is a former director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and author of "The Devil's Smokehouse".
Justin, thanks for being with me.
So, let's start here with just some transparency and to set the table. You told one of my producers that you are opposed to the death penalty. Was that a position that you held before early on in your climbing through the ranks of the Department of Corrections, or is that informed by doing the job?
JUSTIN JONES, FORMER DIRECTOR, OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: Yes, good question and good morning. I was -- when I started my career in corrections, I was pretty much pro-death penalty.
But as I worked my way up to the chain of command and eventually became director and did my first 28 execution oversights, I started to really look at who we were executing,
Oklahoma is one of those states where you can be executed even if you didn't pull the trigger, you were just there, involved, or had knowledge of before or after the crime was committed. And then, looking at the number of people that have been found innocent later after being on death row for years, and then, looking at the fact that on the prison yards there are a lot worse people with more heinous crimes than are on death row in many cases, and you realize that it's rather subjective. It depends upon what county you were sentenced in, depends upon what state you were sentenced in. Obviously, it depends on the jury and the judge.
So, I started changing my mind, and about halfway through my eight- year tenure, I was opposed to the death penalty. I talked to my governor about it, and we both agreed that it is the law, and that if we didn't carry it out, somebody else would.
So, we tried to do it with respect and dignity. You know, respect for the victims, respect for the families that, you know, are soon going to have somebody deceased, you know, on the gurney, in the death chamber.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Let me ask you about this case specifically, Christa Pike's case. Her attorneys warn that because of a vein disorder, thrombocytosis, it would make complications very likely, and those are the very complications that she suffered.
She asked to be hanged instead. The judge sided with the state. I want you to fit that piece into the puzzle that they said this would happen, and here we are.
JONES: Yes, you have -- basically, a medical procedure with the advent of lethal injection for executions. But then, you have some non- medical staff, and then you have staff that have medical training, but they are not the level of medical staff that you would see in a hospital doing a procedure.
So, you know, mistakes happen because humans are humans and humans make mistakes. I don't know the particulars in this case, so, I really can't dive into it.
But I would say to you, you know, from my experience, you have to have resources to include proper veins and then a backup. And which means, you know, another vein that looks like it would work.
And so, in this particular case, you know, you have to ask questions about where is the fidelity, where is the quality assurance. And, you know, in my experience, if you don't have the resources, we could call it off or call the governor's office and say, look, this is not going to work.
[07:45:09]
And resources is defined also as having a proper portal to place the I.V.
BLACKWELL: Yes. And this is something that has been an issue for Tennessee for some time, for several years. There was also the case of Tony Carruthers just in May. There was a botched execution. He still -- he survived that, and he is still on death row.
I want to play here for you what Randy Spivey said. This is Christa Pike's attorney, and get your thoughts on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY SPIVEY, ATTORNEY FOR CHRISTA PIKE: Christa's legal team told the state of Tennessee and the Courts that her medical conditions would cause her to suffer an agonizing death. The state and the court dismiss Krista's concerns.
The governor's call for an independent review does not go far enough. After having endured solitary confinement for more than 20 years and a full attempt to kill her by lethal injection, Christa has endured punishment greater than any other person in the history of the American death penalty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: They also said -- he said that her death sentence should be commuted. Do you agree with that?
JONES: I believe it should. I think, at least, there should be a moratorium because anytime you are dealing with pharmaceuticals, whether you are having them compounded, I can recall difficult times when we were out of the proper pharmaceuticals to do the three-drug protocol.
Other states went out of country to buy it directly from manufacturers, because a lot of companies wouldn't sell directly if they knew they were going to use them for an execution.
So, then you have the quality and the fidelity of, you know, is your drug potent? What's the shelf life of your drug? So, there are so many things that can go wrong. And I will tell you, it will continue to go wrong across the country as long as the protocols that are currently in place are being used.
You know, Oklahoma had its issue with the Lockett case, and so anytime you got human beings, you know, committing a homicide as part of their job for the state, you are going to have problems with it.
And so, as long as you are using a medical procedure, using non-high- level medical staff, you are going to have issues.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
JONES: So, this will -- this will happen again. Some (INAUDIBLE) the country (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: You have also -- you have also written about how this impacts corrections officers.
Justin Jones, thank you so much for being with me. Quick break, we will be right back.
JONES: Thank you.
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[07:52:04]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: You got to look at this. This frightening moment caught Iive on camera. This is Monterrey, Mexico. A reporter and a camera person, they were hit by an SUV while they were covering an earlier crash. And both went to the hospitals with injuries, but both -- the news director says that neither was seriously hurt. Wow!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: All right, college football now, we had a battle of undefeated teams Friday night. Pitt beat Virginia Tech, but the ending left the home crowd in disbelief.
Andy Scholes is here.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Victor.
So, it all came down to a game-winning field goal. I've watched this field goal like 50 times now. I think it was good. The crowd thought it was good. The kicker, John Love, thought it was good.
But the only person that matters, right, is the guy standing right under that upright. He said no good, but it was an electric atmosphere in Blacksburg, Virginia last night. You know, Enter Sandman, arguably the best intro in all of sports.
Virginia Tech with James Franklin. They are undefeated coming into this game, but so was Pitt. The Panthers actually lost their starting quarterback Mason Heintschel to injury in the third quarter.
But backup Holden Geriner, he would throw a touchdown pass right here in the fourth to Cataurus Hicks. That puts Pitt up 35 to 24. But the Hokies battled back, and they had the chance to kick a game-winning field goal from 36 yards out.
Love's kick goes towards that left upright, and man, it certainly looked like it snuck in. But the official said no good.
Pitt wins 35-33. Here is what Franklin had to say about the controversial call after the game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES FRANKLIN, VIRGINIA TECH HEAD COACH: Had a ton of confidence that, that thing was going to go through. The end of the day, they said it didn't go through. So, everything else doesn't really matter a whole lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. Northwestern, meanwhile, opening up their brand new $875 million stadium last night, as they hosted Penn State.
The new Ryan Field, it was inspired by European soccer stadiums to maximize crowd noise, and well, so far so good in the new digs. Wildcats ran all over the Nittany Lions, rushing for 413 yards. They would win easily, 34 to 13 to open up that new stadium.
All right. WBA playoffs, meanwhile, we had a winner-take-all game three between the Valkyries and the Wings. Paige Bueckers in Dallas. They led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter.
But Golden State would rally. Gabby Williams, she scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half, including 11 in the fourth, and she outscored the Wings eight to one in the final two minutes. The big bucket from Williams coming with under 90 seconds to go here. They put the Valkyries up by one. They would then hold on to win 77-73.
Golden State now moves on to face aces in the semifinals that begin tomorrow.
We get a big sports day today. Of course, we got college football, but we also got a quadruple ahead of postseason games as the divisional round gets going. The White Sox Guardians going to get things started one Eastern. You can watch that in our sister station, TBS.
The Braves and Dodgers they are at 4:00. Yankees, they are going to Tampa to take on the Rays.
[07:55:00]
That one's also on TBS News and in nightcap.
Brewers hosting the Padres.
And Victor, he is like this that I appreciate so much that we live in a time where we can put them multi T.V. on.
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: You watch them all at once.
SCHOLES: Multi T.V. on. Yes.
BLACKWELL: All right. Andy Scholes, thanks so much.
SCHOLES: All right.
BLACKWELL: Hey, "FIRST OF ALL" is coming up at the top of the hour.
Unemployment in the U.S. is up, and the jobless rate among Black people is driving that spike. Exclusively, one month from the midterm election, we will debate what impact that will have on races where President Trump wants voters to pretend that he is on the ballot.
Plus, thousands of legal immigrants are facing the loss of access to health care. I'll speak to one woman whose partner needs that Medicaid support, the special extensive care, after suffering a stroke, and just found out he will be losing the coverage.
And later, I'll speak to the leader of a Mariachi Band that got praise, but also racist backlash after performing the national anthem at an NFL game this week. Those stories and conversations you are not going to see anywhere else are coming up after a short break on "FIRST OF ALL".
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