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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump Unveils Auto-Enrollment for Childhood Savings Program; Israel Marks Three Years Since Hamas-Led Massacre; Senate Map Moves Toward Democrats Ahead of Midterms. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired October 07, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Tonight, I do want to take you straight to Nashville, Tennessee, where the attorneys for Christa Pike are
speaking today after today's court hearing. Let's listen in.
RANDY SPIVEY, CHRISTA PIKE'S ATTORNEY: Christa is a survivor. She survived child sexual abuse, she survived rapes of multiple men, she survived a
suicide attempt when she was 12, and she survived the state's attempt to execute her. She deserves answers about what was done to her, and the
people of Tennessee deserve those answers too.
On Monday night, it was our understanding that Christa was brain-dead and that life support would be removed the next day. But on Tuesday, to the
shock of everyone, including me, including her team and including the medical team, Christa woke up and began talking.
I do not have an explanation for what happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning, but what we do know is that Christa has a long road to
recovery. She has a blood clot in one of her arms. She has pneumonia. She is not able to swallow yet, so she has not eaten.
She cannot move either of her arms. Both of her arms and hands are tremendously swollen, and we do not know what, if any function she will
regain in her arms. But we do know that there is a long road ahead, and that is just the physical toll that all of this has taken.
Neither we nor Christa have even begun to process what this means for her mental health. Christa was at peace. She helped the execution team find
what they thought was venous access. She was kind and polite as they worked for an hour, stabbing her arm with needle after needle, and then she felt
the burn of the pentobarbital.
And then she woke up in a hospital, surrounded by people she didn't know with a tube down her throat. We don't know the toll all of this will take.
But Christa is a survivor. And we remain hopeful. All of this was foreseeable and foreseen. What happened to Christa is exactly what the
state was warned would happen.
And there are so many questions that need to be answered, not by Christa, but by the state of Tennessee. But one of those questions has to be how
much suffering is enough? Christa has endured child sexual abuse, physical abuse, rapes, and more than 20 years of solitary confinement.
And then September 30th happens. We have to ask how much suffering is enough? We continue to ask Governor Lee to commute Christa's death
sentence. After all we have seen and all that we still do not know, it is unimaginable that the state would try to execute her again. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Evan Perez(ph), Evan(ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, what was the first thing that Christa said? Or what did you -- talk to me about this --
SPIVEY: I was not in the room when she woke up, so I don't want to speculate too much. Our understanding was the first thing she said was,
where am I and who are you? There's still a lot of cognitive confusion. And so, I will say that.
She has wanted to know what's happened, and she's asked about several people. She's asked about her team. She's asked about -- she's asked about
the victim's family. Like she is -- I think she is angry and confused about everything right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is she aware of the state -- like an executioner and --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has she said anything about what she saw?
SPIVEY: She is very aware that the state tried to execute her. And again, I want to -- I don't want to say what she remembers and what she doesn't
remember at this point, because I think that's evolving. And I want to be very careful with that.
But she's very aware of what they did, what they did to her up to a point. And that's as best I can do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are all the -- are all the preservation of evidence affect her legal claims going forward.
[14:05:00]
LUKE IHNEN, CHRISTA PIKE'S ATTORNEY: So, as we said today, the state has an obligation to preserve that evidence. We don't know what future claims
Christa might raise. We don't know if the state is going to attempt to execute her again. You know, we've certainly warned them that this exact
thing would happen.
And so, the request today that the judge granted was just to preserve all that evidence, to preserve her constitutional right, to be free from cruel
and unusual punishment, should that need arise in the future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you describe the --
SPIVEY: I'm not going to talk about test and medical procedures, because I'm not a doctor, and I want to be very careful of the things. I can only
comment on what I've seen. And so, what I will say is like, there was -- there was levels of confusion.
And there were times that she, for lack of a better sense, kind of spaced out a little while. I don't -- I don't know about the rest and I'm not
going to comment on the rest.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) --
SPIVEY: I'm not going to comment on the medical care she's -- you know, what she's connected to. One, because I have no idea what any of that stuff
means. I'm not a doctor. And so, I want to be very careful with that. I -- oh, she --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, why was there an effort made to hold the state accountable following the procedure? Are there concerns, things for this
year?
SPIVEY: Yes, I want to -- you first. You're just asking about the restraints, yes. So, she is -- she is shackled at her feet and on her right
arm to the bed.
IHNEN: Yes, can you repeat it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, the state said over and over again today that it is making every effort to follow the procedures. It is told that it is
following procedures. The judge even said there are differences between efforts, and of course --
IHNEN: Right --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Things. Are there concerns things can disappear?
IHNEN: You know, I don't want to assume any sort of ill-intent on the state's half. I will say, you know, four years ago, the governor paused
elections and we had an independent review and we're back in the same place. In January, we were in the same courtroom raising these concerns.
We -- they were dismissed, you know, scoffed at. And so, we don't have a lot of faith in, you know, when the Attorney General's office says that
they're going to do something that they're going to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, sir, can you describe the injuries on her arms a little more and what they look like? And is there any chance that you may
have to have like an amputation?
SPIVEY: So, I'm not -- I have no idea about the second part. I'm not going to make a diagnosis. And a lot of the arm was covered up, obviously with
medical -- whatever. I will say that, like the swelling is what I noticed. Like -- and her hands looked like if you were to blow up a surgical glove.
Like they were -- they were -- the swelling was extraordinary. And that's probably as far as I can go with that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you elaborate --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead, last one, last one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, could you give us a layman's term on what happened today?
IHNEN: I can try. So, we filed a lawsuit in January raising -- and if you were in the courtroom, I read many of the allegations that we raised,
pertaining to her vein access, potential problems pertaining to the drug that the Tennessee Department of Correction is using, pertaining to the
secrecy around the entire procedure.
Who is involved? What their qualifications are? There is a -- the court dismissed that complaint -- transferred that case to the Tennessee Supreme
Court based on a new rule that the Tennessee Supreme Court passed. And that is the procedure that led to the hearing in August.
After the botched execution last week, we wanted to seek to preserve all that evidence. The state, as I said today, had made assertions in public
filings before the United States Supreme Court, that this matter was still actively pending until yesterday, Miss Pike was unable to speak.
She was unconscious. She was not able to authorize us to file any sort of new lawsuits. And so, the motion that we filed is just to preserve
evidence. It's the very first step of what will be a long legal battle we presume.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, thank you everybody.
IHNEN: Thank you.
SPIVEY: Thank you.
SOARES: You have been listening there to the attorneys for Christa Pike. This comes after the judge, as you've seen today here on CNN, ordered the
state of Tennessee to preserve evidence in her failed execution just last week.
[14:10:00]
We got a bit more from both of the attorneys about her condition. She said that Christa is a survivor. But she deserves answers. Said that on Monday,
their understanding was that she was brain dead. On Tuesday, she woke up and began talking.
But as one of the attorneys you heard there say, this is a long road to recovery. She had a blood caught(ph), she -- blood clot, she has pneumonia.
She can't move her arms. So, it's not clear what function in terms of her arm she will regain. And that is her physical state.
After an hour of needle or after needle being put into her arms. All of this, the attorney says, was foreseeable and foreseen, which is something
that we had heard from the attorneys just last week. And the question he said is being asked right now is how much suffering is enough?
She's angry and that she is confused. We also heard from the other attorney saying that she's shackled at her feet and her right arm, and right now it
is about the preservation, as we heard in the court case today, preservation of evidence.
And he said that is the very first step that they will take in what he's saying is going to be a long legal battle. So, we heard there from both
attorneys for Christa Pike. Listening in to that is our legal analyst, Joey Jackson, he joins me now.
So, Joey, just -- I mean, putting aside for just one moment what she has gone through, focusing on the legal case here. This is a case that has had
the entire world glued, right? And today, as we heard from the lawyers there, it's very much about the preservation of evidence. Help us make
sense of what we heard.
JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, without question. So, this has been highly problematic, what has been the use of drugs in terms of
executions and the results with respect to using those drugs. This is not the first time we've been here.
You heard the attorneys say that there was an independent review ordered years ago. And that independent review was based upon what drugs were being
used. Were they having the desired effect? What was the issue? Were the drugs expired?
Where were they getting these drugs from? Were they ultimately being successful in doing what they needed to be done? And here we are again. And
that's why you heard the attorneys say that this was foreseeable, and we warned them that this could occur.
But today was significant because what the attorneys want to have happen is for all of the particular equipment that was used in this execution to be
evaluated. We're talking about vials, we're talking about syringes, we're talking about the IV, various, the drugs themselves.
Where were the drugs acquired from? Were the drugs expired at the time of use? How long they've been around? That's very important. Why? Because
ultimately, we have here a situation that should not have occurred, right? The fact is, you know, some people support the death penalty, others don't.
There were certainly clemency petitions and other things with respect to trying to avoid this. That did not happen, meaning the death sentence, and
so, it went forward. But in the event that the death sentence goes forward, you would expect that, in fact, it would have resulted in the death penalty
being applied.
It was not. And so, what these attorneys are trying to do is to determine why? And then finally, you heard them talk about how much punishment is
enough. They went back to talk about her upbringing, the sexual abuse that she endured, the rape she endured, that was purposeful, in my view of them
talking about that.
In addition, the solitary confinement, the fact that they tried to, that is the state to execute her, they failed. They administered another drug dose,
they failed, because that all goes to what they are setting up ultimately. And that is whether she could or should be legally sentenced -- or she is
sentenced already, but put to death.
And whether she actually, under the law, could actually be put to death again, could they try again? The lawyers are trying to set that up to make
the legal argument that it would be unconstitutional to do so. And that was the significance of today.
Preserve the evidence, get it all together, find out what went wrong, argue that this is way too much punishment, it's not her fault. She should not
have to endure this again. That ultimately is going to be up to a court to determine.
SOARES: Right, and we had heard -- I mean, what we heard today from both of those attorneys, very similar to what we heard from them, was it last
week? Where one of the attorneys called this jury, you know, box -- botched execution cruel, torturous and predictable.
I'm guessing many are now asking whether, of course, they're going to commute her sentence. What would that -- what's that legal process you
think look like?
JACKSON: So, I think that the legal arguments are going to be as follows. The first argument is going to be based on the United States Constitution,
Eighth Amendment. And that's cruel and unusual punishment. And is this or would this be cruel and unusual punishment looking at evaluating the actual
punishment she endured, and then again, trying to go after and, you know, essentially put her to death, right?
[14:15:00]
We've already tried. The argument would be from the defense. The state has tried. They failed. She's in this condition now, which apparently is pretty
drastic. You heard her described -- you heard the attorney describe --
SOARES: Yes --
JACKSON: The swelling. She was in a state of mind, of course, and she just was -- they were describing her as brain dead before. Now we're going to go
at it again. And so, that goes to cruel and unusual punishment. I think the second thing we'll hear, Isa, is the issue relating to double jeopardy.
And whether or not, if you, in fact, try to carry out an execution and you fail, can you then do it again, or would that in fact be double jeopardy?
The argument, though, would be, hey, the punishment of death itself, the death sentence is the punishment, not the attempt.
And so, that's the hurdle they'll have to climb. The final issue, I think, will relate to whether or not she's competent to be executed. I think
that's an open question now because we don't know the full extent of her recovery and whether she'll be in the state of mind or whether she'll
relapse.
So, that's premature to have that discussion. But I think that's the three prongs that you'll see. The Eighth Amendment, cruel and unusual punishment,
the double jeopardy, number two. And number three, whether or not she's mentally competent to in fact, endure or be put to death.
The Supreme Court of the United States says if you're not mentally competent, you cannot be. And so, that's what the attorneys are lining up
and doing all the work --
SOARES: Yes --
JACKSON: That they've been doing.
SOARES: Yes, and so far, we do not know, of course, the impact of the physical -- what she's gone through physically in the last week. I mean,
they're talking about blood clots, pneumonia. She can't move her arms. I think he said the swelling of her hands, it's almost like a blown-up
surgical glove, if you can visualize that for our viewers.
But I do wonder, you know, whether she -- we could be looking at a potential lawsuit against the state of Tennessee. Is that even possible?
JACKSON: Yes, so, it certainly would be possible. I think that right now, the underlying issue and more important issue is whether or not she'll be
alive or dead, right? So, the first real argument is to put all your legal resources into preserving her life by making the claims that, hey, how much
suffering could she endure? It's violative of her constitutional rights.
So, let's not do this, arguing that you're putting her to death again, right? You failed. And as a result of that, you shouldn't be permitted to
do it. And then, of course, arguing potentially based on her competency that she's not competent. That's the first line.
And then I think the other things we're going to see is, number one, another independent review to determine why does this keep happening? What
is going on such that --
SOARES: Yes --
JACKSON: They're not successful, the state in actually doing it. And then I think they'll look to determine whether they should really be stayed for
how -- and for how long a period of time that is these executions? And then you could look to, you know, whatever kind of monetary damages, but
monetary damages mean nothing, obviously, for lawsuit purposes if you're not here --
SOARES: Yes --
JACKSON: To get the fruits of that.
SOARES: Absolutely, yes, it's really interesting to see how this goes. I mean, I saw today that lawyers for Texas man asking judge to stay his
execution by lethal injection was expected to happen today. Exciting, I think -- they were citing the failed execution of Christa Pike.
And that is interesting where this goes and what lessons of course, what precedents this case does start. Thank you very much, Joey, always great to
see you. Joey Jackson there for us in --
JACKSON: Thank you --
SOARES: New York. We stay across of course, this story. Any developments we'll bring it to your attention. I do want to turn our attention to Russia
because despite global concerns about transparency, Russia's health regulator says there's no risk of an epidemic following the mysterious
death of a woman working at a plague research center.
It also says preventative measures in the region are winding down. Russian authorities say 28-year-old lab technician Darya Shipilova died last week
in Siberia of pneumonia from an unknown origin. They add that 90 percent of her contacts have been released from quarantine after nearly 5,000 tests
found no dangerous pathogens.
Washington is warning Americans in the region it will have to -- limited ability to help them, advise them to leave Russia immediately. The World
Health Organization says it has not been able to make a full risk assessment because of how little information is getting out of Russia, one
of its members. Here's what the W.H.O. Director said just a few hours ago. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: W.H.O. has offered technical support related to plague and lab biosafety
and biosecurity, and we don't yet have the full picture of this event.
And we're not able to conduct a full risk assessment timely, complete and transparent information-sharing under the International Health Regulations
is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Well, let's get more on this. Our Kylie Atwood joins us now. And, Kylie, as you heard there from Dr. Tedros, it seems that they don't have a
complete picture. They have many questions that have been unanswered. I wondered from the U.S. side what the response is, because I know President
Trump was addressing media just, what?
Half an hour or so ago, and he was asked about this. What concerns does the U.S. have, does the President have here?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, notably, President Trump just in the last hour, as you said, was asked if this
incident, alleged plague incident, was a result of a bioweapon. He said that he doesn't believe so.
But he also said that the U.S. is going to find out. In fact, he went on to say that he is going to have a phone call with President Putin on this
topic. We heard that from him yesterday. Then the Russians said that there was no phone call scheduled.
But the President saying again today that they are going to talk. So, we'll watch and see where that conversation goes. But he also said that the
Russians are telling the U.S. that they have it under control, noted that the U.S. has heard that in the past, when there have been concerns about an
incident at a lab, obviously relating back to COVID-19 and China.
But we really don't have a full assessment on the U.S. side of what occurred here. Our reporting is that U.S. Intelligence agencies are still
digging into this, and then, of course, there is the diplomatic effort that is led by the State Department here to try and find out more information
from Russian government officials.
That effort began as early as last Friday, according to a State Department official contact between U.S. officials and the Russian government. But
clearly, the U.S. side was not getting, you know, effective answers to their questions because just yesterday, they effectively elevated their
ask, sending a demarche to Russia, which is basically a very, you know, stern demand, diplomatically speaking, from the United States, for more
information on what has gone on here.
So, the U.S. government is trying to get a full picture here. President Trump himself clearly doesn't know exactly what has happened. But you can
be rest assured that they're trying to, you know, not only find out from their own Intelligence, but we've also heard from State Department
officials that they've been in touch with countries surrounding Russia to try and get a full assessment of not just what the U.S. knows, but also
what those surrounding countries might know as well.
SOARES: Let's see what comes out of that call between President Trump and President Putin. Kylie, thank you very much. Good to see you there. Well,
let's stay with this story. Joining me now is Dr. Aileen Marty; a Distinguished University Professor and expert in infectious diseases at
Florida International University.
Doctor, welcome to the show. Thank you for your patience, we had to take that press conference earlier on. I'm not sure whether you heard from Dr.
Tedros from the W.H.O., but he didn't really offer much clarity on what has unfolded in this lab in Irkutsk.
In fact, I mean, they're trying to push for more answers, more transparency for Russia -- from Russia. What stood out to you from what we heard from
Dr. Tedros?
AILEEN MARTY, DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR & EXPERT IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: So, Dr. Tedros quite simply
stated that they have formally under the IHR, asked for a number of pieces of evidence, including laboratory data, specifically which tests were done
on the young woman who died.
What tests have been done on the nearly 200 other individuals, and details about their biosecurity and biocontainment capabilities at that lab. That's
the -- those data are needed by W.H.O. to make a proper risk assessment, not only for that area, that list of Siberia, but also for the rest of the
world.
And Russia has given very cursory answers and has refused so far to fully comply with the IHR request. And so, you noted the demarche that we have
sent from the United States. That is a classified document that in broad brush asks the same thing that the W.H.O. has asked our community in the
United States is well aware of the various functions that, that lab has had in the past.
And that it does contain -- has reservoirs of very virulent forms of Yersinia Pestis. I also want to make a mention of one of the things that
was dismissed by a Russian official saying that a broken test tube could not lead to aerosolized plague.
And that is completely false. We know that if you drop a test tube that's filled with the bacterium, it will come up as micro-aerosolized droplets
and people can inhale that and they can, in fact, get sick.
[14:25:00]
SOARES: So many good points. Let me pick up on your penultimate point, because we have, of course, we remember the lessons we learned from COVID
and the Wuhan lab, of course. You mentioned then, the lab in Irkutsk. What do we know about this lab, doctor? What exactly were they studying there?
Do we know?
MARTY: Yes, so, we know some of it. So, the Irkutsk lab was set up in the 1930s originally because, Mongolia and that southern -- the southern part
of the -- Siberia has natural plague. Now, there has not been any human case of plague for over a decade in Russia, in the Siberian area.
And that's really very important. It's also important that there are no reports whatsoever of any animal die-offs that would indicate that there is
an epizootic going on there, so that there's nothing to indicate that. Plus, if it were acquired from wildlife, the individual would have bubonic
most likely, not pneumonic plague.
But that lab also later on in the Soviet Union became a feeder lab where they had collected very aggressive strains of Yersinia Pestis, the worst
they could find, and even had done some changes to those particular bacteria that they had collected to make them somewhat drug resistant.
So, that makes it very alarming for the United States and for the rest of the world, and particularly --
SOARES: Yes --
MARTY: For the people in those cities.
SOARES: And if people -- then if given what you've just said, doctor, and then this is the most information I've gathered so far, and I'm learning so
far about exactly what is being studied there. Given what you've just said, I would assume that people working -- working in that environment would
have had protections, would have had the proper PPE equipment.
What questions do you have? Because we -- like you said, we've had this demarche, it's been several days now. The W.H.O. hasn't been given access.
And yet, we know -- all we know is that she had pneumonia. But the question still remains, what did she die of? What red flags at this point are being
raised in your -- in your eyes?
MARTY: Well, the -- first of all, the lack of transparency is by itself a huge red flag. And there --
SOARES: Yes --
MARTY: Their actions on the ground of closing down facilities, including the hospital, the schools, et cetera, they're handing out of masks, et
cetera. That indicates that the people there are very concerned about what that individual may have had.
And as you know, there are some non-corroborated reports that there may already be a second case that is also very alarming. And this flat-out
denial, W.H.O. has offered to send experts who can go there and help them with biosecurity, biosafety, with their lab results, their tests,
everything, to help with any outbreak that might be going on.
And thus far, the Soviet Union -- excuse me, the Russians have not agreed to do that. And so, we find that inexplicable because if it's a natural
event, why not take free help?
SOARES: Yes, lots of questions at this moment, and lack of clarity and transparency only fueling these questions. Dr. Aileen, thank you very much
indeed. Aileen Marty joining us there from Miami in Florida.
MARTY: Can I say just one final more thing --
SOARES: Thank you very much, doctor -- go ahead --
MARTY: OK, and that is that --
SOARES: Briefly, go ahead, doctor --
MARTY: W.H.O. does think that there may be some other high-risk pathogens in that lab, not just plague.
SOARES: Thank you very much, doctor, appreciate it. We'll stay across this story for you, of course. And still to come on the show tonight, Israel --
Israelis, pardon me, marked the third anniversary of the October the 7th attacks, for three years on from Israel's deadliest day.
Many are demanding more answers from the government. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Well, weeks after announcing every American adult would be given $5,000 if Republicans win Congress in the
midterm elections, President Donald Trump is now dramatically expanding access to children's savings accounts. He's just announced automatic
enrollment for his namesake program, the Trump Accounts. The tax advantage federal savings and investment vehicle went live in July. Now, the
government has enrolled all eligible children, but parents still need to claim their accounts. Some children qualify for $1,000 in federal seed
money. Mr. Trump had this message for parents. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It also teaches people a little bit about entrepreneurship and watching and watching your account grow. But very
simply, this money is your child's future. And when your child, in the old days, your child would hit 18 and there's nothing, they don't have any
money. And now, they'll be potentially very rich.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, later today, Mr. Trump will head back to Texas to campaign for Republican Senate candidate in closely watched race. The president says
his rallies are saving his party, his words. But some Republicans are distancing themselves as his poll numbers drop. Texas Governor Greg Abbott,
for instance, skipping Mr. Trump's rally tonight, citing a scheduling conflict.
Let's bring in our senior White House reporter, Kevin Liptak. And Kevin, I mean, we have been monitoring and following President Trump as he
continues. He is multi-state blitz. And today, as we mentioned, he's visiting Texas. His third visit in a month, which says so much.
This is, of course, as we hear concerns of the bloodbath come the midterms. What more are you hearing on this?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And the pace of these visits to Texas, I think, tells you the whole story, not just in Texas, but
across the country for a number of these vulnerable Republicans that are in kind of a defensive crouch in a way that they were just not expecting a
year ago. And the president, I think, really sort of trying to get his own supporters to begin voting either by mail or early voting or to get to the
ballots on Election Day.
The real concern that you hear among the president's advisers is that without the president on the ballot that they just will not be motivated to
vote. But when it comes to Texas, I also think it just demonstrates some clear concerns about the candidate there, Ken Paxton, who the president
endorsed some months ago against the incumbent Republican down there, John Cornyn.
Despite some real concerns about his own personal ethics, despite some concerns about his electability in a general election that seemed to be
coming true at the moment, polls now show the Democrat there, James Tallarico, with a consistent edge over Ken Paxton.
[14:35:00]
And it was interesting in the Oval Office last hour, the president was asked whether he had any regrets, any second thoughts about that
endorsement that he made. And he said no. He insisted that he still thought that Ken Paxton was the best attorney general in the entire United States,
best state attorney general in the entire United States, and that he was still standing behind his backing of him now a month before Election Day.
But clearly some major concerns among Republicans.
Now, polls are clearly now tilting towards Democrats, but they aren't predictive. You know, these polls show what's happening now. They don't
necessarily predict what's happening in November. And when you talk to Democrats, I think that they have been burned so many times in the past by
these polls that show support for them a month out, only to find on Election Day or election night that the Republicans have won.
You know, Republicans still hold a huge cash advantage that will start to come into play in these final weeks as they begin to outspend Democrats.
And television ads that could have the effect of turning the tide towards Republicans in the final stretch of this campaign.
So, even though it seems as if Republicans are at a disadvantage now, I don't think anyone is necessarily thinking that things are wrapped up
before Election Day.
SOARES: Kevin Liptak, thanks very much, Kevin, live there for us from the White House. Well, today marks three years since the October 7th Hamas
attacks, a massacre that stole so many lives and triggered, of course, a brutal war. Today, mourners gathering all across Israel to remember the
more than 1,200 people killed. One of those commemorations taking place at the site of the Nova music festival. You see there were 44 or the more than
250 people taken hostage that day were kidnapped.
Three years later, the calls for Israeli government accountability are stronger than ever. It's become a key campaign issue as the country set to
go to the polls for elections on October 27th.
Our Jeremy Diamond joins us now live from Tel Aviv. And, Jeremy, I mean, three years on, and I imagine the pain is just as acute for those families
who lost loved ones. Just give us a sense of how it's being marked today and the mood there on the ground.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the day began with a very -- on a very somber note. At 6:29 a.m., Israelis across the country,
but particularly at those kibbutzes along the Gaza border, bowed their heads in silence to mark the moment when Hamas and other Palestinian
militant groups launched that attack three years ago today. That attack killed more than 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians, and 251 people
were taken hostage on that day.
Throughout the day, we've seen commemoration and memorial ceremonies, including right now in Tel Aviv, where there is a ceremony being led by the
families of victims of that terrible massacre. That is also featuring a number of former hostages who have since been released from captivity. And
that does bring some uniqueness to this anniversary, the first anniversary of that massacre, where there is not a single Israeli hostage still left
inside of Gaza, living or dead. And that has also left more room today for demands and questions about accountability for what happened on that day.
And throughout the day, in addition to the memorial ceremonies, we've also been seeing protests, people who are talking about the need for a state
commission of inquiry, an independent commission that would look into the security failures that led to October 7th. Those demands have been there
for quite some time now, but they are reaching a boiling point at this moment, following Prime Minister Netanyahu's repeated refusals to engage
and to establish that independent commission of inquiry.
And also, now, as we are in campaign season, 20 days away from the next Israeli elections, where October 7th and the Israeli prime minister's
refusal to take responsibility for that day are certainly at the heart of the Israeli opposition candidates' message in these closing weeks.
Gadi Eisenkot, the primary rival to Benjamin Netanyahu, who could potentially replace him as prime minister, has said that if these elections
go his way on his first day in office, he will establish that independent commission of inquiry. And, of course, he said today is also marks three
years since that Hamas-led attack triggered a devastating Israeli-led war inside the Gaza Strip, a war that has killed more than 74,000 people, the
majority of whom are civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry.
And today in Gaza, we know that people are still not experiencing peace. There is a ceasefire in effect, but there are near-daily Israeli strikes
there.
[14:40:00]
And, of course, the majority of the population still living in tents and bombed-out buildings really progress on taking that ceasefire from
something temporary and very fragile and frequently violated to something more permanent, that progress very much stalled at this hour. Isa.
SOARES: Yes. Jeremy Diamond for us there in Tel Aviv. Thank you, Jeremy. We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: With the U.S. midterms less than four weeks away, more and more polls show Democrats poised for big wins. They appear to be on track to
take seats that would ordinarily be very safe for Republicans. One of those races is in Texas, where James Talarico could become the first Democrat to
win a Senate seat there since 1988.
President Donald Trump is headed to Texas, as you heard earlier today, to campaign for Republicans. And his presence is evidence of how poorly things
are going for his party in the state. A short time ago, I spoke to Republican strategist Doug Heye about Mr. Trump's strategy of making the
race all about him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOUG HEYE, U.S. REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I don't think it's been very effective, and it's probably not going to be effective, just given where
Trump's poll numbers are. And the fact that he's campaigning in states that would otherwise be slam dunks for Republicans tells us how bad it is on the
ground for him. He's also now going to campaign in New York, in places that aren't even competitive on the other side.
So, there are a lot of questions in Washington about why is he doing this? Why is he picking these places? Why these dates? And then also, the real
thing that we're hearing more and more people talk about, at least privately, it's starting to bubble up more publicly, is when is he going to
spend the money? And he's sitting on a huge war chest. And if that money doesn't get spent, the knives will be out pretty sharply.
SOARES: Principally, it's on the economy, and that's what we've seen in terms of polling. KFF poll this week said that voters want to hear, first
and foremost, 62 percent about the cost of living, 47 percent about health care costs, fraud in government, 44 percent, Iran, 38 percent, and
immigration, 35 percent. So, take us back to the conversations you've had with voters, traditional GOP voters, who said you were considering perhaps
not voting for Trump, not voting Republican this time. Speak to that. What have you heard?
[14:45:00]
HEYE: They see that he's taking his eye off the ball. So, every time any voter in America, or frankly anybody in the world, sees Donald Trump, you
know, touring the rebuilding of the East Wing that he toured down, the Kennedy Center, the reflecting pool, or all of these other ancillary issues
that don't affect every day Americans, it makes it so easy then for Democrats to say, well, Donald Trump is doing this for him. Here's how I'm
focused on you. And it makes it that much harder for Republicans to talk about what they want to be talking about.
So, this may or may not affect Donald Trump. It certainly affects every Republican who's on the ballot. And I spoke to a Republican consultant from
North Carolina who I've known for 20 years. He said to me that the numbers that he's seen in the past 10 tracking polls he's had are the worst he's
seen in either side in a 40-year career. That's a big statement from somebody I know well who's won a lot of races in North Carolina, and the
Senate race is already gone.
We're looking at two, three, maybe even four House seats that we could lose when we thought we'd pick up one because of redistricting.
SOARES: We've been hearing the word bloodbath come midterm. Do you think it's going to be a bloodbath?
HEYE: Very potentially so. The Senate is obviously a much harder thing to read. Republicans and Democrats have nominated people who in any other term
might be unelectable. But for the House, it's going to be a real steep loss for Republicans.
It may not be what it was in 2010 when I was at the RNC when Democrats lost 63 seats, but certainly we could see something like 2006, which is real. I
worked a Senate race in 2006 for a Republican candidate. That was a tough night.
SOARES: So, Doug, I mean, if you're -- I mean, if you're on the ballot come midterms, we've got, what, less than four weeks or so away, and you're
hearing the president not taking on what really matters, and that is cost of living, affordability. I will hire all prices because, of course, the
war that he started in Iran. Not taking these subjects on.
How do you formulate a response? How do you say, I'm part of the Republican Party, I'm welcoming Trump, of course, as he comes to visit, but at the
same time, I don't agree with the policies and the strategy?
HEYE: It's the finest needle to thread that we've ever seen in politics because what they're trying to do is to create some separation from Trump,
which voters would like to see, but Donald Trump doesn't want to see. And so, if you try and say, actually, I think we should get out of Iran right
now, or the president isn't spending enough time telling voters what he's done and wants to do to lower prices, you run the risk of Donald Trump
going on Truth Social and attacking you, which further erodes your support from the base. It's the corner that Republicans have put themselves in.
SOARES: We've got a little clip that speaks to that, and this is audio obtained by Axios from Ken Paxton of Texas. Let's just listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN PAXTON, TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: It's not tariffs. It's the war. It's gas prices, it's diesel. When it's over $6 a gallon for diesel, I mean,
it's -- put money, they have a lot of trucks that are diesel. People are feeling the pinch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Why doesn't President Trump just face up to the challenges with his decisions, not saying it's my fault, but to say, you know, this is
worth it in the long-term? Why doesn't he go there? Because he's always had an aptitude for having the ear of the population, right? He could read a
room. He seems like he's lost it.
HEYE: Well, with Iran, he has said, look, this is worth it in the long run. These costs are minimal. Voters don't feel that they're minimal, which
is a problem. But Trump has been in a weird space of denial for a long time on the economy. If we go back to the State of the Union, he said America
has never been richer or hotter.
Voters didn't feel rich, they didn't feel hot, and they feel less of that right now. And that's the real problem, is it's not just that Trump isn't
talking about the issues that voters want to hear about. When he does, he's telling them something that they just don't feel or believe.
SOARES: Yet he says this is the golden age of America.
HEYE: Most voters do not feel, Republican or Democrat, do not feel that we're in a golden age. And independent voters, especially those who voted
for Joe Biden in 2020 and then Donald Trump in 2024, they sure don't feel that we're in a golden age.
SOARES: And finally, look, we can't talk about these midterms without raising fears over election meddling, integrity of the ballot. What
concerns do you have going ahead to these midterms?
HEYE: My concerns are what we may see at polling places that may deny people their right to vote. And we know with Trump, the places that he sees
that are problems are the places that he's probably going to lose. And given the full weight that could come with the Department of Justice and so
forth, we could see some troubling actions there. And how then the Congress reacts to that is something we just don't know.
But the one thing I would predict, if this goes as badly as it looks like it might, maybe then we'll see some of the Republican leadership who have
gone from majority to minority be willing to say enough is enough.
SOARES: Raise their head about the parapet. Do you think that will happen?
HEYE: Well, you know, for a few days they were there after January 6th. Losing teaches a lot of lessons.
SOARES: Doug, very great to see you. Thanks very much.
HEYE: Thank you. Great to be with you.
SOARES: Great. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Doug there. We're going to take a short break and we'll see you, of course, on the other segment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: And this just in to CNN. The woman at the heart of Spain's housing protest, Maricarmen Abascal, has died at the age of 87. That's according to
Madrid's tenants' unions. She was known simply, though, in Spain as Maricarmen, and she was evicted, live on television, in fact, from her
home, where she lived for more than 70 years after her rent increase. And you're seeing the vitage (ph), of course, when she was taken from her home.
And she has become, in the weeks that followed, really the face of Spain's housing crisis. We've seen a wave of anger over sorry rents and evictions
that have helped fuel protests and a political crisis. We've been showing you here this week the tents that have been put up across Madrid, of
course, because of what started with her eviction. It also culminated in Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez calling for snap elections. And this all
started, of course, with Maricarmen, who passed away, we understand, at the age of 87.
Now, we've also seen protests in France, and many French students are vowing to keep blockading schools as they demand better resources and
funding for overcrowded classrooms. These protests mark the latest manifestation of public anger in a country where support for populist
parties on the far right and far left has surged ahead of a presidential election next spring. Our Paris bureau chief Saskya Vandoorne has more for
you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: Student protests continue across France today. Several blockades have been happening outside high schools
here in Paris. And after yesterday's significant turnout and violent scenes, it appears the French government is changing its approach.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for more empathy from ministers and police in their handling of the protests,
while the interior minister has temporarily suspended the use of the type of spring grenade linked to a teenager losing his hand this week. Prime
Minister Sebastien Lecornu is also trying to calm things down, giving students time during the school day to air their grievances.
And that change in tone comes after some extraordinary scenes, including the moment when a mayor from France's hard-left party, LFE, physically
stepped in front of students during clashes with police.
[14:55:00]
BALLY BAGAYOKO, MAYOR OF SAINT-DENIS, FRANCE (through translator): We were clearly confronted by law enforcement officers who were, of course, fully
equipped, with shields, helmets and, of course, tear gas. They took advantage of a fire that had broken out in some shipping containers nearby
to charge at us. And so, they charged, and I stepped in to prevent them from hurting the students, because I was mainly surrounded by high
schoolers.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): So, the government appears to be listening, but is it too little too late? Students say these measures don't go nearly far
enough. They're demanding more teachers, smaller classes and billions more in education spending. And some have vowed to keep blockading schools until
those demands are met.
VANDOORNE: Despite the government's softer tone, there's little sign this movement is going away, and protests already being planned for Thursday.
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Saskya for that report. And finally, tonight, after nearly ten months in space, four astronauts are heading home. NASA's SpaceX
Crew 12 undocked from the International Space Station just several hours ago. A splashdown back on Earth is expected on Thursday. Crew 12 includes
two Americans, one European and a Russian cosmonaut. Their replacements, Crew 13, are already on board the ISS, having arrived last week.
And that does it for this hour. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is up next. I shall see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
