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Russian Lab Death Sparks Concern; Criticism Grows Over Botched Execution; Trump Campaigns in Texas; USS Abraham Lincoln Set to Return Home. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired October 08, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown on the USS Abraham Lincoln, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. We're watching lots of breaking news right now.

And let's begin this hour with a homecoming nearly a year in the making. A U.S. aircraft carrier and the handful of ships that often travel with that aircraft carrier are about to dock in California for the first time since November.

The USS Abraham Lincoln strike group was deployed for 321 days, one of the longest since the Vietnam War. Much of that time was spent fighting the war with Iran, with thousands of missions flown and dozens of Iranian ships sunk. So it's been a very emotional time for all the U.S. sailors and Marines and their families.

Pamela's joining us now live from the deck of the Abraham Lincoln.

Pamela, I know you spent some time with the strike group back in July, when it was in the Persian Gulf area. Some of these sailors have had major life changes since they left and have been traveling with the aircraft carrier. How are they now preparing for the new adjustment that's about to take place?

BROWN: Yes, and many of them told me they feel like they're a different person now.

You have to remember that the average age on this ship is around 23 years old. And this was a historically demanding deployment. So, many of them right now are just thinking about being reunited with their loved ones. The energy is just palpable.

I don't know if you can see behind me here, Wolf, but we have some of the sailors out here. This is their final meeting. I will have my photographer Greg pan over now and just show some of them are gathered right here. They have been clapping. They have been seeming to give rah-rah speeches to one another because they have bonded in ways they could have never expected when they left port at last November.

They thought it would just be a typical deployment where they would have lots of port visits. Suddenly, they found themselves in a combat zone on the front lines, launching missions, thousands of missions, as well as doing the Iranian blockade of the ports.

And so this crew has been pushed to the brink, as well as this ship. Now they finally get to be reunited, including new dads. There's 122 dads on the ship who have never met their child. They were born during deployment.

I spoke to one of them, Joey, whose first child was born during this deployment. Here's what he told me.

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JOEY MONTEMORANO, U.S. NAVY: It's a terrifying and exciting experience, because first child. She's been -- born December 31 stateside. She was born December 31. For me, she was born January 1, when we were in the South China Sea.

So just been meeting her through pictures, a couple FaceTimes I was able to get through, and, yes, absolutely terrifying because I have not so much as changed the diaper in my life.

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BROWN: Fortunately, though, Wolf, they have classes here on board for those new dads to teach them how to change diapers and hold a baby, so that they -- when they get to meet their child for the first time, they won't be a complete stranger to how to be a dad.

And it's just a very exciting time here. This crew has overcome so much. As you know, we reported on the poor conditions, the supply chain shortages, the suicide attempts, five on this ship alone. And they have overcome those obstacles, and now they're all going back home to be reunited just a few hours from now.

BLITZER: Let's not forget the Iranians often were at least trying to target that aircraft carrier and the destroyers and the other battleships.

BROWN: More than 100 times.

BLITZER: Yes. And so that was -- the sirens were going off. People were on alert.

The defense secretary, as you know, Pamela, Pete Hegseth, he was also aboard the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier this week. He said all of the sailors in the strike group would receive the Presidential Unit Citation, the military's highest unit award.

What else did he have to say? And how was his visit received?

BROWN: Well, I will tell you that award really meant a lot to this crew, that they're getting this recognition. It's a rare award to get for a unit like this, and so they were really excited about that.

Some of them really liked Pete Hegseth's message. They felt like it was very motivating. They appreciated that he acknowledged all of their hardship and sacrifices they have made over this 10.5 months. A couple sailors I spoke to said that he took ownership of the fact that he did extend this deployment twice.

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He said: "I signed off on that twice." So they appreciated that he took ownership of that.

But some other sailors I spoke to said they wanted to hear more accountability from him on some of the supply chain shortages and other issues on the ship. Some of them feel like there could have been better planning, preparation, and they didn't necessarily like the fact that he was trying to pin the blame on the media, rather than taking ownership of that.

But, Wolf, this isn't a monolith. Everyone here has different viewpoints, right, and different experiences here on the deployment, different reactions to that speech. But I will tell you, one through line is they are all ready to see their families today. This is the day they have all been looking forward to.

BLITZER: I'm so happy for those sailors, those Marines who were aboard that aircraft carrier.

Pamela Brown is there as well. She's aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Pamela, thanks very much for your excellent reporting, and you will be back later this hour with more.

At the same time, President Trump is headlining his third Texas rally in less than a month, and protesters actually stole some of his spotlight. Listen to this.

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BLITZER: The president had to deal with at least a dozen interruptions last night in San Antonio as he stumped for Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

Despite a few audio -- a new audio leak of Paxton questioning if Trump is hurting his campaign, the president is still supporting him. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So you need to go and vote for Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate. If you get elected on job performance, you're going to have a blowout, because there's nobody like him, right? Even Ted Cruz agrees.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: Vote for Ken,. Get him in there. It's so important. It's vital. And I think you will. I think it's -- there's no way you vote for the other guy.

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BLITZER: CNN's chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, is here with me in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Jeff, is the president's continued support of Paxton one measure of just how important he views the Senate race?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I mean, there's no doubt about it. Of all the races to go, President Trump keeps going back to Texas again and again, trying to pull Ken Paxton, the embattled attorney general of Texas, over the finish line.

But one of the reasons for this is, he's responsible for him becoming the nominee. Of course, Ken Paxton was running against Senator John Cornyn in the primary. The White House got involved. The president endorsed him, and now they have been forced to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to try and rescue him.

So that is one of the reasons the president is going to Texas again. He's likely to return there, trying to get all those Trump supporters to vote for Ken Paxton. But it's hardly a sign of strength when the Republican president is going back to a red state like Texas, but, more importantly, spending so much money trying to defeat James Talarico, the Democrat.

BLITZER: Because that money could have been spent in other states where these races are very tight as well.

ZELENY: That's right.

BLITZER: New CNN polls also offer a snapshot of some of those key Senate races, specifically in Iowa and Ohio. What can you tell us about that?

ZELENY: Wolf, so interesting.

I mean, the final month of this campaign, the fight for control of Senate of the Senate is playing out in red states. I mean, it is a very unusual situation that Republicans are spending so much money in these states.

But if you take a look at some of the sentiment here behind why this is happening, look at the economy and cost of living. It is the top issue that voters are thinking about in these races, in Iowa, 48 percent, in Ohio, 49 percent.

Democracy, of course, is one of the issues, immigration, the war in Iran, but the economy and cost of living is really driving everything here. But in the Senate race in Iowa, there was a debate last evening between the Republican, a candidate, she's the member of Congress, Ashley Hinson, and the Democratic state legislator Josh Turek.

They had this exchange, showing why this race is so critical.

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JOSH TUREK (D), IOWA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that we need to have safe and secure borders, and I want to ensure that every Iowan and every American has safe and secure borders and safe communities, and I'm willing to work with anyone, including President Trump, on this issue.

REP. ASHLEY HINSON (R-IA), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Yet you trashed the president during the primary, and now you're doing ads saying you're going to work with him. It's a tale of two Tureks.

And I will be President Trump's ally when it is important for Iowa. But I will push back on him -- he knows this because I talk to him regularly -- on things that are wrong for our state. And that's true no matter who's in the White House. That's true no matter who is governing and who has the gavel.

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ZELENY: And our poll is showing that there's no clear leader in this race. It's a margin of error race here.

But Ashley Hinson is one of the Republican Senate candidates who's been traveling across the estate and distancing herself from the president, particularly on the war in Iran.

But, Wolf, if you look at what is hanging over this entire campaign, this really frames the campaign. But take a look at this. Trump policies have increased costs. People are blaming the Trump policies for this, 76 percent in Ohio, 74 percent in Iowa.

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Trump, of course, ran for reelection in 2024 on the idea of bringing prices down; 3 percent -- yes, three-fourths of the voters in both of these red states believe that his policies have increased costs.

So that really explains above anything else why the White House is so under the gun in this midterm election and why the president is going to these red states. But people blame him for the economy and rising costs.

BLITZER: The high cost of gas and food products and everything.

ZELENY: And diesel and everything else.

BLITZER: Yes, definitely.

Jeff Zeleny, thanks very much for joining us.

ZELENY: You bet.

BLITZER: Always good to have you with me in THE SITUATION ROOM.

ZELENY: Always good to be here, Wolf.

BLITZER: Nice.

Still ahead: Christa Pike's first words when she woke up from a botched execution -- and I'm quoting her now -- "Where am I? And who are you?" We will have an update on her case.

And, later: the CDC weighing in after a researcher died in a Russian plague lab. What steps are U.S. officials now taking?

Just ahead, we have details in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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BLITZER: Happening now: renewed attention on the death penalty after the same lethal drug that failed to kill Christa Pike last week in Tennessee was successfully used last night in Texas; 46-year-old Jamaal Howard was put to death for the murder of a convenience store clerk more than two decades ago.

Howard's execution was the nation's first since the botched attempt in Nashville. Pike is still in the hospital after she survived two lethal injections. Her attorney says she woke up angry and confused and very aware that the state had tried to execute her, a direct quote.

CNN senior national correspondent Ryan Young is in Nashville for us.

So what happens next, Ryan?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf.

Well, look, this has never happened before, so there's so many questions in this case. Her attorneys were fighting yesterday for the state to preserve all the evidence involved in this case. And, of course, that courtroom proceeding lasted some 90 minutes yesterday.

The attorneys from Pike's side wanted to make sure we're talking about all evidence, the needles that were left behind, the 911 call, video evidence that was from the surveillance video from inside where the execution took place. They wanted all that evidence. The state was arguing there was a lot that they may not be able to gather because some of it was transported to the hospital with Christa Pike.

But then the judge ruled in their favor. But the other thing the attorneys were fighting for was more access to their client. Of course, she is still shackled to her bed inside that hospital room, the state saying that she has tried to escape before, so they wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again.

But her attorneys were saying she's in no shape right now to do any of that. And also she's still suffering from the effects of the medicine that she was given to -- during that botched execution.

Take a listen to one of her attorneys talk about her condition.

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RANDY SPIVEY, ATTORNEY FOR CHRISTA PIKE: 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.

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YOUNG: Yes, Wolf, all executions in the state are on hold right now, as the government goes through an exhaustive sort of investigation to see what went wrong here.

But I can tell you not everyone was happy in court yesterday to hear that she was surviving. In fact, there were several people here who thought the victim, Colleen Slemmer, has been forgotten in this case. Take a listen to one of the people who showed up here to let their voice be heard.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's disgusting. And the worst part is that Colleen has been forgotten. All we hear about is Christa, Christa, Christa. Today, in that courtroom, as I sat in there and listened, and then on the steps just a few minutes ago, the attorney talked about cruel and unusual punishment, and when is enough, enough?

I would say she doesn't know cruel and unusual punishment. Colleen is the one that knew cruel and unusual punishment.

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YOUNG: Yes, Wolf, this is becoming very political. People on both sides are basically calling for a stop until the state figures out exactly what went wrong.

We know even one of the governor -- candidates running for governor has asked for the electric chair to come back. So this will be a conversation that will be ongoing. But, right now, people are wondering how Christa Pike will move forward.

And, of course, we're told even one of her arms shows very visible damage from this botched execution. So we will continue to check in -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Ryan Young, we will continue to check in with you as well. Thank you very, very much. Also happening now: Russia's health watchdog denies reports that a

second person has fallen ill after a lab technician died of an undisclosed illness. The 28-year-old woman worked at a Siberian institute that studies the plague and other infectious diseases. But Russian officials say there is no risk of an epidemic.

Still, global health experts are urging caution and asking Moscow for more transparency. And here in the United States, the new CDC chief says the agency is working alongside others to contain any potential threats.

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DR. ERICA SCHWARTZ, CDC DIRECTOR: We're making sure that we understand exactly what that threat is. We are very confident that the threat to the United States is extremely low.

There are about 200 flights that come into the United States from Siberia, that region. We are working with Department of Homeland Security, working Department of State, Department of War, and other agencies within the government to make sure that we know exactly if anyone from that area comes into the United States.

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We're very well-positioned to make sure that we are protected from a potential threat like that.

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BLITZER: And joining us now is the infectious disease expert Dr. Celine Gounder. She's also editor at large for public health at KFF Health News.

Dr. Gounder, thanks so much for joining us.

Is what the CDC director just described there enough to prevent any unwanted diseases from actually entering our country?

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, KFF HEALTH NEWS: Wolf, we really have two different questions at play here.

One is, is this going to be the next pandemic? And I can say, no, this is not going to be the next pandemic. But that's a separate question from, was there something nefarious happening at this research institute? Did an accident happen? Were the measures in place to prevent accidents rigorous enough? Those are two separate sets of questions.

This does not really match up very well -- the response does not match up very well with a case of pneumonic plague. It's a very -- it's not a very transmissible infection. People don't usually transmit to others until they are very end stage with their symptoms, their disease.

And so, as a result, it's very unlikely for something like this -- because the dose of exposure you need and the closeness of exposure and the context of the exposure, that makes it very difficult for something like this to really spread widely.

It's also easily controlled with and treated with antibiotics. People might point to the Black Death. Well, that was in the 1300s before we had modern medicine and very different living conditions. But the other question I think is very much of concern is what was happening at this anti-plague institute, and should the U.S. be concerned for other reasons?

BLITZER: Yes.

And for viewers who might be thinking, Dr. Gounder, back to how COVID- 19 started, a lot of people say similar to Russia in this situation, China was not very forthcoming about the initial COVID outbreak at the time. How concerned should we be that this could be, God forbid, another COVID-like situation?

GOUNDER: Yes, again, I really don't think that's what we're looking at here.

If you look at what infectious pathogens they were working with at that lab, largely bacterial infections, cholera, tularemia, they were working on hantavirus -- but hantavirus people might remember from earlier this year. That's also not a very transmissible infection.

Now, COVID is very different. It's an airborne infection. You have asymptomatic transmission, so people without symptoms can transmit. It's very infectious. Had this actually been, let's say, a case of pneumonic plague, pneumonic plague is not very infectious. It's highly treatable with antibiotics.

If you give antibiotics soon after the exposure, you can prevent further transmission and cases. So there -- it's really comparing apples and oranges here.

BLITZER: I want to turn quickly while I have you, Dr. Gounder, to another story we have been following. CNN reported that the measles outbreak in Pennsylvania is the largest and deadliest the U.S. has experienced in more than three decades, with more than 145 cases reported in just the past week alone.

Put this into some context for us. Just how serious is this?

GOUNDER: This is the infectious disease Americans should be concerned about right now. It's not what is happening in Siberia. It's what is happening right here in the United States with measles.

And one of the things that people really underappreciate about measles is that measles virus infects your immune cells and it wipes out your memory to prior infections and vaccinations. So it's sort of like reverting your immune system to an infant state, infancy, and leaving you highly vulnerable to various other infections, similar to HIV, in the sense that in HIV you die from what we call opportunistic infections. So it's the additional infections you get because your immune system

is weak. Similarly, with measles, you end up getting pneumonia, diarrheal illness, sepsis, et cetera. And that's what actually leads to the death afterwards.

And I think people need to understand this is very serious. This is not a common cold. This can be quite deadly.

BLITZER: Dr. Celine Gounder, always good to have you with us in THE SITUATION ROOM. Thank you very much.

GOUNDER: My pleasure.

BLITZER: And I want to take a moment right now to urge all of our viewers to check out my co-anchor Pamela Brown's new women's health series. It's called "BODY LANGUAGE." The first four episodes are officially live on CNN.com, and you can watch all of them for free. The topics include egg freezing, GLP-1s, perimenopause, and breast reductions.

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Pamela's goal is to help all people, not just women, understand women's health and the confusing and often isolating issues within it. You can watch "BODY LANGUAGE" on CNN by scanning the Q.R. code you see on your screen. There it is, right there.

Congratulations to Pamela on this very important new project. We're so very, very proud of her.

Up next: The NFL gets involved in the battle over prediction markets. What the league is now asking of the U.S. Supreme Court.

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