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AP: Army Found Shock Gloves Cause "Intense" Pain, 'Excessive" Fear; Israel Marks Three Years Since October 7 Hamas Attacks. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 07, 2026 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, the Associated Press is reporting that shock gloves in the works for immigration agents to use were found to cause intense pain and fear. Those findings are from a previously unreleased U.S. Army study. It was announced in August that ICE signed a nearly $20 million contract for 6,000 pairs of these shock gloves. CNN's Brian Todd is here with me in the Situation Room. What are you learning this morning?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have an update on this case, Wolf. As you remember in August, we were here in the Situation Room reporting that ICE had planned to spend between $10 to $20 million to purchase these gloves. The gloves are called CTG0-5 GLOVE for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. They're manufactured by Compliant Technologies, LLC. The company says the gloves are intended to de-escalate confrontations and encounters with people.

Now, there is new reporting from the Associated Press that a previously unreleased study by the U.S. Army found that the gloves worked so powerfully during a military exercise that participants who used them felt intense pain, that they stopped fighting immediately, and that they feared additional exposures. The shocks, according to the Associated Press, had a profound impact on Army employees who played the roles of combative prisoners during the exercise, which took place at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas in October of 2024.

It's important to note that time because according to the Associated Press, ICE leaders, leaders of ICE, were aware of those findings before they signed a $16.7 million contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of the shock gloves. Again, that was back in August when that was signed, when we first reported on this. They were aware of these findings before they signed that contract. That is according to documents obtained by the watchdog group American Oversight and shared with the Associated Press.

Again, these gloves, you see an image of them there. They're called CTG-5 GLOVE, Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters. They are manufactured by Compliant Technologies. They apparently, according to experts, can deliver a maximum voltage of up to 380 volts that, quote, "inhibits and distracts" the subject from performing coordinated muscle movements. The manual says no more than two gloves should be applied to a person at one time, and they would have to, as these demonstrations that you're seeing on camera right now that we showed you previously.

As they show you, those gloves have to come in contact directly with the skin. They don't work through clothing or other items there. So, that's another important thing. Now, these gloves do have critics. The National Immigration Law Center, again, this is when we reported this in August, said, quote, "This is a rogue agency with an $80 billion slush fund that allows them to concoct and fund new ways to visit cruelty upon our communities." And they called it, quote, "disgusting and barbaric."

But, again, the Department of Homeland Security and other advocates for using these say that they can conceivably, safely de-escalate situations and can do it very quickly without using more dangerous, nonlethal methods of subduing people.

But, again, Wolf, the headline now, again, new reporting from the Associated Press, this previously unreported, unreleased study by the U.S. Army found that the gloves worked so powerfully during military training exercises that participants felt intense pain, that they stopped fighting immediately, and that they feared additional exposures. And they tested these on Army employees who were playing the role of combative prisoners in these tests.

So, again, does that mean that they're dangerous? That means maybe they need more testing? We don't really know. We're going to continue to dig on this.

BLITZER: All right. Brian, I know you will. Thank you very, very much. Also happening now, we're watching to see if and when the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool right here in the nation's capital is filled up again. Its renovation over the past several months has been plagued by problems, but now President Trump says the fixes are done. Listen.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, we had vandalism there, and we have it about as vandal-proof as you can get, but only sick people do that. And we have their pictures. We have the -- but sick people do that. Yes, it's starting. I think they're going to fill it up this week. The reflecting pool is totally complete, and we changed the old pipes. We wanted to get open for July 4th, and now we went and got rid of all of the old pipes, which we were going to do later and during the winter. We did it. And I think it's almost complete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The Trump administration blamed vandals for destroying the reflecting pool, but a filing from the U.S. Justice Department pointed to what was described as hasty and botched work.

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Let's go to CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak. Kevin, what's the latest on these renovations? KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. And it's clear from what the president is saying there that he thinks that this saga is coming to an end. Remember, this is now months and months behind schedule. They had hoped to get this open by July 4th. That went completely awry when you saw those algae blooms, when you saw the liner that the president had ordered up for the reflecting pool start peeling out.

And the president is not backing off his claims that that was due to vandals, despite evidence to the contrary, including from his own Justice Department. Remember, the U.S. attorney for Washington, Jeanine Pirro, had to pull back her indictment of an individual who she initially accused of vandalism after the Justice Department said it had gotten additional information from the Interior Department saying that this was caused by a botched installation by a contractor.

And now, the man that was initially indicted before it was being pulled back, his name is David Hearn. He's a former Olympian. Now, his lawyers are asking inspectors general for both the Interior Department and the Justice Department to investigate senior officials there, accusing them of knowing that the renovation of the pool was failing when they brought those indictments. He is accusing them of incompetence and wrongdoing and saying that, quote, "Anything less than a full and fair review would be a betrayal of your mission."

BLITZER: All right. Kevin Liptack with the latest on the reflecting pool. Thank you very, very much.

Coming up, a front row seat to history. The man behind some of the most iconic photos standing by to join us. What he's learned by being in the room for 60 years.

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BLITZER: Happening now, Israel is remembering the deadliest day in its history. It was three years ago today, more than 1,200. 1,200 people were killed when Hamas-led gunmen stormed Israeli communities along the border with Gaza. More than 250 people were also taken hostage that day.

Among the captives was Omer Shem Tov. Hamas kidnapped him and took him into Gaza, where he was held captive for 505 days. In February 2025, he released during what was then a temporary ceasefire. Omer is joining us now. Omer, thanks very much for joining us. First of all, I know you're now in the United States. How are you choosing to mark this day, and what is most important to you to remember about this day?

OMER SHEM TOV, FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE: Hi, Wolf. Thank you for having me, first of all. For me, the best way to mark this day is, first of all, share and speak about my story. And share the story of those who, unfortunately, did not make it. We've lost so many lives. We've lost so many friends. And I'm here to spread their story. I'm here to shout their scream. BLITZER: How have you been navigating, Omer, the transition back to your daily routines, your family life, and coping with the dual life so many former hostages often describe between leading a life of freedom and the lingering memories from their captivity in Gaza?

SHEM TOV: It's been very hard for the last year and eight months now, I've been really something like that. So, from the day that I came back home, I started to advocate and to share my story. I was all over the U.S., and I can share with you that I was -- at some point I was really stuck in just sharing my story, going over from place to place, and at some point, it felt like really automatic in some way.

And I kind of lost myself. I'm suffering from PTSD like many, many other of my friends, the Israelis. And it's been hard, but it's day after day, and it's work. And for me, I've got to keep moving. I'm not giving up on myself and not on any other one.

BLITZER: Since your release, you've not only traveled in the United States, you've traveled in many places around the world. You've met with world leaders, you've been speaking about your time in captivity. Tell us once again why it is so important to you to share your story. Has this helped you and other hostages, and I know you've spoken with many of them, to cope following that horrible, traumatizing experience during your days in captivity in Gaza?

SHEM TOV: Well, more than just sharing light and experience from what I've been through, it's also for people to understand a bit about us, about Israelis, to show the other side that they were humans. I've been in many, many college campuses. I've spoken with every side, with every color of the rainbow, and I can share with you that sometimes when you speak with someone, and you also listen to them, you can come to somehow to an agreement.

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So, for me, I became somehow an ambassador for maybe my state and also for the remaining hostages -- released hostages, sorry, and Israelis.

BLITZER: I know that last March you had a chance to meet with President Trump inside the White House. Can you take us a little bit inside? We're showing our viewers a picture of you inside the Oval Office with the president.

SHEM TOV: Yes, I can share that the president was very, very caring. He listened. He cared. He really wanted the hostages to come back home. I told him personally that I believe that he has the power to do it, and if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today. He made the deal happen, and I'm very thankful for him. And yes, he was very caring, very thankful for that.

BLITZER: And I see him shaking his hand at that time. Omer Shem Tov, thanks very much for being with us on this very, very sensitive and important day. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Happening now, we're just a few weeks away from the next big election here in the United States. The midterms could determine which party controls Congress after November. Of course, every election is impactful, and my next guest has seen his fair share of them firsthand.

David Hume Kennerly is a veteran and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer. He's covered presidents going back to Lyndon B. Johnson, documented a dozen presidential campaigns, and worked in dozens of countries. Now, he's revisiting some of the most iconic moments he's captured in his brand-new book entitled, "In the Room: 60 Years on the Front Lines of American History." It comes out the week of Thanksgiving. And right now, David is with us in the Situation Room.

You and I go way back. I covered the White House. You were there all the time. You were getting all this access in the Oval Office, getting all this access on Air Force One. It was pretty amazing what was going on.

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DAVID HUME KENNERLY, PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PHOTOJOURNALIST AND AUTHOR, "IN THE ROOM": It was fun. I mean, I'm a kid from a little lumber town in Oregon. And every time I'd go through the gates of the White House, it was just kind of stunning for me, really.

BLITZER: What has it taught you about our country, the fact that you were there to witness really historic, powerful moments?

KENNERLY: Well, part of -- obviously, the guy I worked for, Gerald R. Ford, as the official photographer -- The White House official photographer. White House official photographer. It was an incredible situation for me because, as you know, as a reporter, and with me as a Time magazine photographer, we kind of have our nose pressed up against the window wishing we could be on the other side to find out what's really going on. And that's what happened to me. President Ford gave me that opportunity to go inside, show what's really going on.

BLITZER: And you determined what you would put out there, what you would release. It was not up to the White House, right?

KENNERLY: Yes, pretty much. I didn't like releasing photos as much as I liked having other photographers from the outside come in to take their own pictures. You knew a lot of them, like Dirck Halstead and Wally McNamee and all these people. I just never felt like a PR guy. And I would only put out pictures if no one else could get them, if it had been a classified meeting or something like that.

BLITZER: And as I said, you had access inside the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, for decades. Is there anything special that stands out to you from all of that ability, that coverage?

KENNERLY: Well, what really stands out is it's better to be on the inside than the outside, where I spent most of my time. But the outside could be good, too. When Reagan was meeting with Gorbachev in Iceland, I got a picture from the camera stand that was the cover of the magazine. It was a moment. It was a real moment where the Star Wars issue came up and all that. But I've had really good luck with almost every administration, access-wise.

BLITZER: It was really amazing. I spent seven years as a White House correspondent. And I always saw you, and I was wondering, how come I'm not allowed to do what you were doing? You had incredible access during all of the years I was a White House correspondent for CNN.

KENNERLY: Well, reporters, it's just different, because your job is to write down what people are saying, and my job is to take pictures as they say it. And President Ford said my tombstone should read, Here lies the worst source in Washington. And I'm sure you could verify that I never gave you any inside info, because photographers, not just me, depend on trust as our currency.

BLITZER: And I'm going to show our viewers, this is your book. It's the heaviest book I've ever read. It's a very heavy book, a lot of pages, a lot of pictures, a lot of great photography in this book entitled In the Room. 60 years on the front lines of history. Thanks so much.

Is there one specific consequential moment that always stands out to you?

KENNERLY: Photographing Anwar Sadat in front of the pyramids for Time magazine's Man of the Year.

BLITZER: After he made peace with Israel?

KENNERLY: That's right. A subject that's near and dear to your heart. Yes.

BLITZER: I was there when Jimmy Carter was negotiating the Camp David Accords, and then they went to the White House, signed the Israeli- Egyptian Peace Treaty. Egypt was then the major military threat to Israel, and it was pretty amazing what President Carter had managed to do. And you were at Camp David too, right?

KENNERLY: Yes, when it ended. But the best shot, which is in the book, is Prime Minister Begin and President Sadat with Carter doing a three-way handshake in the East Room. And that was a real moment, even though it was in front of the cameras, it was so important.

BLITZER: It was really a powerful moment indeed. Smartphones have nowadays, as you know, made it increasingly easy for ordinary people like me to capture our own images. Where do you see the role of the press photographer in today's environment?

KENNERLY: Well, I think you hit it on the nose. Ordinary people taking ordinary pictures. So, I get paid for the way I see things, and I think professional photographers, the iPhone is never going to get in the way of what we do. I think we are school-trained, experienced in catching the right moment.

BLITZER: It was really an amazing time for you. I know you enjoyed every minute of it, right? KENNERLY: Not every minute. Every other minute.

BLITZER: David, this is the book. I'm going to lift it up once again, show it to our viewers. It comes out November 24th. It's really an excellent, wonderful book. I recommend it highly.

KENNERLY: Thank you. I appreciate it.

BLITZER: It brought back for me a lot of memories, too, and I'm sure for you.

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KENNERLY: Well, this is Rizzoli probably said they're one of the best -- if not the best, art book publishers in the world, and this is a little bit off track for them as a photojournalism book.

BLITZER: Of all the presidents you took pictures of, which one stands out to you the most?

KENNERLY: You mean after President Ford, of course. They all are so unique. Richard Nixon. I've been at the big history moments where Nixon waved goodbye after resigning the presidency. Ford, because I knew him the best. Bill Clinton was great to photograph. Reagan, all of them, really.

BLITZER: Yes. Jimmy Carter.

KENNERLY: Jimmy Carter, although he beat my boss. I didn't like him for that. Thank you very much.

BLITZER: Thanks very much. And to our viewers, you'll enjoy the book, thanks very much for joining us. We'll be back here tomorrow morning, every weekday morning, 10:00 a.m. Eastern for two hours. Inside Politics with Dana Bash starts after a quick break.

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