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CNN Headlines: Man Dies After Falling From Six Flags Roller Coaster In Georgia; Trump Holds Raucous Ohio Rally As He Tries To Shore Up Base; Trump's Russia-Ukraine "Energy Ceasefire" Put To The Test. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired October 13, 2026 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:30:47]
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.
A man is dead after falling from a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and several other people were also hurt though it's still not clear how many or how serious their injuries are. There you're taking a look at what played out as -- led to people being stuck on the ride of hours. You see them evacuating here actually. Our affiliate WANF spoke with an eyewitness.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WANF REPORTER (voiceover): Six Flags shut down. Guests were told to leave; others were left stranded on Goliath's steep incline watching emergency crews rush past them below and wondering what went wrong.
BEN EDWARDS, TRAPPED ON ROLLER COASTER: We saw mechanics and paramedics running towards down there, so we realized that there was something bad that happened.
WANF REPORTER (voiceover): Ben Edwards, visiting from Canada, was among nearly 20 people trapped on Goliath's 200-foot incline when the coaster suddenly stopped shortly before 4:00.
EDWARDS: Very tragic. The first thing you think about is the people you're on the ride with.
WANF REPORTER (voiceover): Edwards tried calming those around him as they waited high above the ground, but the real panic was in the coaster car directly ahead of him where the deadly fall occurred.
EDWARDS: Obviously, where the chaos is that was priority and evacuating everybody else.
WANF REPORTER (voiceover): One person died and several others were injured on the ride.
Six Flags in a statement said in part, "We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest's family, friends and loved ones."
But for Edwards, who was stranded for at least an hour, condolences aren't enough. He is calling for immediate changes to park procedures.
EDWARDS: Being stuck up there, like, some people are really scared of that stuff, so they need to do better.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Thanks again to our affiliate WANF for that report. Six Flags says it's cooperating with police as they investigate.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is calling the search of her home the latest escalation in Donald Trump's "campaign of political intimidation." The Minnesota Democrats'
response comes after federal officers executed a search warrant early yesterday at her home in the Washington, D.C. area. This is an unusual move so close to the midterm elections. President Trump is trying to distance himself from the raid, saying it has nothing to do with him.
Also later today, President Trump is planning to pump up the base in reliably Republican Alaska three weeks before the midterm elections. He's due to hold rallies in Arizona and Montana later this week. On Monday, he campaigned in Youngstown, Ohio, where he told supporters to pretend that he is on the ballot. He also railed against Somali and Haitian communities while the crowd chanted "deport."
But that crowd was not as jam-packed as some might expect. CNN's cameras captured many empty seats at the venue. The White House wrote on X, "These seats are obviously obstructed by the press risers and by an American flag." But CNN observed the seats near the press risers were not obstructed. The president has long been sensitive about crowd size.
More now from CNN's Betsy Klein.
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BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, as President Trump embarks on this midterm travel blitz, taking him to Republican strongholds -- places like Tennessee, Montana, Alaska, and here in Ohio -- the goal, according to his advisors, is to juice turnout among his MAGA base. They are not necessarily looking to pick up new voters or to find independent voters. Instead, they are looking to turn out the voters they already have.
And we are seeing some candidates place strategic distance between themselves and the president with very low approval ratings. But there are some who are making the calculation that holding him close could boost their chances.
That includes here in Ohio, where there are two very close statewide races for governor and for Senate. Tonight we heard from gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as well as Senate candidate Jon Husted. Both of them in very tight races here. President Trump painting the Senate candidate, the Democrat Sherrod
Brown, as a radical Democrat who he said wants open borders and wants men in women's sports, repeating a refrain that was popular and worked for Republicans back in 2024. He also talked about the gubernatorial candidate, Amy Acton, who he said was "a radical left lunatic."
[05:35:05]
The president also had this message for voters who may be considering splitting their ticket this November -- listen.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's one vote, but that one vote can steer Congress into a direction that you're not going to be happy with, and it's not Ohio values.
KLEIN: The president also spent time during this rally talking about other candidates in other states across the country. That includes Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. And he spent a lot of time taking a dark turn as he talked about Somalis, who he said, "come from a part of the world that only knows how to kill each other." He said they "cheat on everything" and that they are "low IQ people." The president also taking aim at Michigan Senate candidate -- the Democrat, Abdul El-Sayed -- whom he called a "jihadist."
And there were two other Ohio Republicans that briefly mentioned. One of them, the embattled Congressman Max Miller, who has been embroiled in this bitter custody dispute with his ex-wife, who is the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno. The president speaking glowingly of Moreno, briefly referencing Miller. But this should not be a competitive race for Miller. He won by 15 points back in 2024.
Democrats see an opening, underscoring how tough that map is going to be for the House of Representatives for Republicans in the next couple of weeks.
Betsy Klein, CNN, traveling with the president in Youngstown, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: All right. Thank you, Betsy.
Newly released data shows Elon Musk is spending big to help Republicans in the midterm elections. His main political group, America PAC, has confirmed that he has donated more than $276 million to Republican groups since July. The majority of his latest donation is being spent in Texas, where the Republican Senate nominee is locked in a tight race.
We'll have much more on this race tomorrow as Erin Burnett moderates a new CNN Jubilee town hall with Senate candidate James Talarico coming face to face with Texas voters. Can this Democrat help turn the red state blue? You can watch on CNN and livestream with an all access subscription.
Well, call it a $25,000 mistake. A Republican group trying to boost Sen. Susan Collins meant to run ads attacking her opponent in Portland, Maine, but the ads accidentally ran in Portland, Oregon. The ad was produced by Defending Main Street, and they first began running on October 8. The group says the mistake was due to a mix-up attributed to a media vendor. This all comes as Collins is now locked in a tight race with Democrat Troy Jackson.
CNN's Arlette Saenz has more.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Here in Maine, a Senate race is entering the final stretch, with Democrat Troy Jackson bringing in progressive reinforcements.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): If you want to hold Donald Trump and his disastrous policies accountable, the only way to do that is by electing a Democratic Senate. And this election here in Maine might well determine whether or not that happens.
SAENZ (voiceover): Senator Bernie Sanders is trying to boost turnout among Democratic voters --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go, Troy.
SAENZ (voiceover): -- as the power of the progressive movement faces tests in battleground states like Maine and Michigan.
SANDERS: We have got to be more than anti-Trump; we've got to be pro- working class.
SAENZ (voiceover): Sanders initially was a strong backer of Graham Platner, whose populist message energized the Democratic base. Platner's withdrawal from the race after an allegation of sexual assault, which he denied, forced Democrats to scramble to pick a replacement.
TROY JACKSON (D), MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: Working people had built this country, and working people ought to have a government that works for them.
SAENZ (voiceover): At the Fryeburg Fair, we spoke with Jennifer Messinger, an undecided voter who had supported Platner in the primary.
JENNIFER MESSINGER, UNDECIDED MAINE VOTER: For me, it's trying to weigh both sides because there's a lot of vitriol right now on both sides.
SAENZ: What do you say to those Democrats who were very enthused about Graham Platner and might be disillusioned about the process right now?
JACKSON: It's about the issues that we care about, the issues that Graham fought for that I'm fighting for. It was a different messenger, absolutely, but the -- but the things that -- you know, they were drawn to are still right there in front of us, and we can do it.
SAENZ (voiceover): But the close contest between Jackson and Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is running for a sixth term, could be decided by moderate and independent voters.
SAENZ: What do you think about Bernie Sanders?
GARY SALAMACHA, INDEPENDENT MAINE VOTER: I think he's crazy, so probably not. He definitely wouldn't sway me to Troy Jackson.
SAENZ: Bernie Sanders will obviously rev up the base, but is there any worry that he could potentially alienate moderates and independents who you need to win this campaign?
[05:40:00]
JACKSON: Yeah, honestly, I don't think so. In Bernie's world, he tells you exactly what he's fighting for. I mean, you know, you don't have to play those games or anything like that. And you know he's going to do it unlike Sen. Collins, who pontificates, goes back and forth, and in the end leaves you wanting more big time.
SAENZ (voiceover): For many of the Democratic voters we spoke with, the mission of ousting Collins was their shared goal.
ELLEN BARRY, DEMOCRATIC MAINE VOTER: She really lost me at Kavanaugh. That was the breaking point for me. And I'm really glad I broke when I did, because I don't think she deserves the vote.
SAENZ (voiceover): But Collins has proven resilient in the past, winning a tough re-election battle in 2020 by more than eight points, even as Donald Trump lost the state by a similar margin.
SAENZ: How excited are you to vote for Susan Collins?
SALAMACHA: Eighty percent, maybe, you know, not -- I just think she's the best of all the picks. She's still the best candidate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: A source tells CNN ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle is under investigation by the State Department's top watchdog. She's facing allegations, including soliciting $100,000 from a MAGA donor to pay off her AMEX bill. Guilfoyle's lawyers deny the accusations and say she followed federal requirements.
President Trump said he's thinking about firing her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Kimberly Guilfoyle, and are you considering firing her?
TRUMP: Well, we're looking at it. Yeah, we're not happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Last night, my colleague John Berman spoke with that former Trump donor, Eric Deters, about his allegations against Guilfoyle and here's a portion of that interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Eric, we mentioned the State Department's watchdog is reportedly investigating Ms. Guilfoyle. Have you been contacted by that office?
ERIC DETERS, RETIRED LAWYER, FORMER TRUMP DONOR: I have not been contacted by that office yet. The only two people that have contacted me is Raskin and Garcia.
BERMAN: So Democrats on the House Oversight and House Judiciary Committee -- the two Democrats who might share those committees after the November elections -- what have they said to you? Would they seek your testimony if Democrats win?
DETERS: I'm going to have a conversation with them on Wednesday and I'm assuming, based upon the letter that Garcia wrote, that I would probably be testifying at a congressional committee. And I'm confident that the inspector general of the Secretary of State's office, I'm sure, will be contacting me, too.
BERMAN: You heard the president say he is not happy with Guilfoyle. What are the chances that you think that he would fire her?
DETERS: I think she's gone. I think he has to fire her. And I think the reason why he has to fire her -- I think she could have survived all this stuff over in Greece because it's over in Greece. I think what I've presented she can't escape from. It's black and white, it's her own words, and I think she's toast as a result of it. It's grifting on the highest level and it's just -- it's just an awful look for the administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Lawyers for Guilfoyle have denied allegations about her seeking money and say reports about her travel were misleading.
Duane "Keffe D" Davis is set to be sentenced today for the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. In August, a Las Vegas jury convicted Davis of first degree murder with a deadly weapon nearly 30 years after the rapper was shot and killed.
All right. Next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, more student-led demonstrations are taking place across France today. Students and teachers' unions are calling for another round of strikes. They are demanding better conditions, more staff, and additional resources for public schools. We'll bring you the latest there.
And President Trump throws a lifeline to Vladimir Putin, allowing sales of Russian diesel to hit the global markets, including to the U.S. Details on the diesel deal coming up.
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[05:48:15]
SMITH: President Trump's so-called energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is being put to the test. On Monday, Trump suggested that neither side had explicitly agreed to it before his announcement, telling reporters that Kyiv and Moscow agreed to the deal because he said they agreed to the deal. But Ukraine says new Russian attacks on energy facilities in Kharkiv have already violated the agreement.
CNN's Matthew Chance is in Moscow with the latest response from the Kremlin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It's being actually very tight-lipped, and you get the impression that the Kremlin was also sort of taken by surprise by this announcement by President Trump that an energy ceasefire had been agreed by both sides.
There's been a conference call -- a daily conference call by the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov over the course of the past several hours. He was obviously repeatedly asked about this, and he just said that contacts are ongoing and that he had nothing further to add. So that's not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it, of that energy ceasefire announced so prominently by President Trump at the weekend.
There have been ceasefires like this -- energy ceasefires, you know, undertaken in the past. There were a couple last year. It didn't amount to much. There was one earlier this year that lasted for just a few days.
What's different this time, though, it seems, is that President Trump has so much more at stake. He's facing the midterms in, what is it, three weeks, high prices at the pumps in the United States, and really wants to show he's doing everything he can to U.S. voters to try and bring that down.
[05:50:00]
And that's why there's all this enormous pressure being placed right now on Ukraine, on the leadership in Kyiv to stop their attacks on Russian oil refineries to try and allow Russian diesel and other fuel products to continue to flow and to pick up. If they don't, it also potentially provides President Trump with a scapegoat in the form of President Zelenskyy in Ukraine. He can blame them for the fact it didn't happen.
And all of this, of course, music to the ears of the Kremlin -- absolutely rubbing their hands with glee that they are once again on the same page when it comes to Ukraine with the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Let's go around the globe to see what else is making headlines today.
Officials say Saudi Arabia's international airport will remain closed until further notice. This comes after a series of Houthi attacks killed at least 14 people over the weekend and wounded hundreds of others. The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed responsibility for the strikes on airports and other targets within the kingdom. The militant group has warned airlines against operating flights to Saudi airports.
And British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pointing the finger at -- in Iran -- at Iran in that alleged plot to attack a U.K. military base last month. Burnham made the comments while speaking to lawmakers on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY BURNHAM, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. We will crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams, and we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: In a statement, Iran's foreign ministry said it categorically rejected what it calls baseless accusations.
And in Paris, students are heading back to the streets today calling for more staff, better conditions, and more money for public schools. The protests come after a march last week and talks with the education minister. Student leaders say they want answers now as lawmakers open debate on France's 2027 budget.
And a fire ripped through Paris's oldest covered food market early Monday, destroying the historic landmark. It opened in 1615 and became a favorite for locals and tourists. Firefighters spent hours putting out hot spots as investigators looked into what caused the fire. Just devastating there.
Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, a growing number of Americans are falling behind on bills and deeper into debt. More on what a new report from the Federal Reserve is revealing.
And the popular brand of rechargeable hand warmers is being recalled. Why officials say you should stop using them right now.
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[05:57:10]
SMITH: In today's Money Express, a new survey reveals it's getting harder for families to pay off their debts.
Let's go to Maribel Aber for more details. What do we know here, Maribel?
MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: Brad, nearly one in five American families fell behind on their debt payments, according to a recent survey. The Federal Reserve report shows that the number of families falling behind on their monthly bills rose to nearly 20 percent in 2025. That's up more than 60 percent from 2022, and the highest delinquency rate since 2010 during the recovery from the Great Recession. And nearly one in 12 families were at least 60 days late on their bills last year.
More than 77,000 HotHands rechargeable hand warmers are being recalled because they pose a potential fire burn hazard. Manufacturer Kobayashi announced the voluntary nationwide recall because of products. A lithium ion battery can overheat and ignite. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission no incidents or injuries have been reported. However, consumers are urged to stop using the handwarmers immediately. The company is offering a full refund. For more information, visit hothands.com or the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website.
Finally, it's national M&M's Day, did you know, and the candy brand is celebrating with a special Marvel collaboration. M&M's and Marvel are teaming up on limited edition candy packs featuring the M&M's characters dressed up as Marvel characters. The collection includes yellow as Wolverine, red as Deadpool, and green as She-Hulk. Walmart also has an exclusive Doctor Doom pack featuring yellow as the Marvel villain ahead of the December release of "Avengers Doomsday."
Talk about some powerful candy, Brad.
SMITH: The collab I didn't know I needed.
Maribel Aber, thank you so much.
All right, now to some of the other stories that we are following across country.
We start in New York. That is where police rushed into an apartment to save a one-month-old baby who stopped breathing. We do want to warn you that this video may be disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you just help me?
POLICE OFFICER: Hello, friend. Yeah, just come on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Police raced upstairs and found the baby unconscious and not breathing. They started CPR right away while medics were on their way. The officers were able to revive the baby boy, and he was taken to the hospital and is doing okay.
All right, to Minneapolis now. That's where firefighters battled a massive fire at a commercial building on Sunday. Crews say that they thought people could be inside. Investigators say falling shelves trapped two firefighters for a time, but both made it out. They're now in stable condition with minor burns and heat exhaustion.
All right, we got to take you to Wisconsin for this. A pilot miraculously survives a plane crash. Authorities say a medical helicopter arrived on the scene Monday and took the injured pilot to the hospital. Officials say that the plane is in a marshy area West of Madison. Crews are leaving it there for the FAA to investigate. More work for that person to do with that time on Earth. Use it wisely.
[06:00:10]
All right. That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
