Return to Transcripts main page

The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: Dozens Quarantined After Death of Russian Plague Lab Worker; U.S. Official: Bombers Pulled from U.K. Base After New Threat; Projectile Hits Moldova-Ukraine Border Crossing; Reports: U.S. to Announce New Diesel Relief Measures; Brazil's Presidential Election. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 05, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in New York, and

you're watching "The Brief."

Just ahead this hour, mystery in Siberia. A young researcher at a Russian plague lab dies from an unknown infection. Now, nearly 200 people are

reportedly under observation. In a shift to the right in Brazil, Flavio Bolsonaro makes gains over President Lula da Silva in national elections.

Now, they face a runoff. And we shall not be moved. Ukraine's ambassador to the E.U. tells me why diplomats will not be intimidated as Russia tries to

force them out of Kyiv. That story and plenty more coming up.

Russian authorities have now quarantined dozens of people after a researcher at a plague laboratory fell ill and died. The 28-year-old

technician has been identified in local media as Daria Shipilova. You see her there. Authorities say she died from a pneumonia of unknown origin. She

worked at an institute in Siberia dedicated to studying plague and other infectious diseases.

President Trump says the U.S. has offered help to Russia. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Washington is closely monitoring the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: There's very limited travel between the U.S. and Russia, obviously. But like anything else, something like that

gets out, it could quickly spread. So, we're watching and monitoring it closely. I don't think it's cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and

a cause to just keep an eye on it. And we're doing that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Just keep an eye on it, he says. Joining me now is Annie Jacobsen. She is the author of a book on, well, perhaps a scenario like

this one, "Biological War, A Scenario." Annie, it's so good to have you. And not just because of your book, but because you've been following this

story very closely. My first question is, what do we know about the work that this lab conducts?

ANNIE JACOBSEN, AUTHOR, BIOLOGICAL WAR: A SCENARIO: Thanks for having me. And we know very little about what goes on there now. What we do know,

which is really an important piece of the puzzle here is that -- and this is according to soviet defector scientists who are going back decades.

But nonetheless, the anti-plague institute here was a biological weapons research facility disguised as doing only vaccine research. And so, that

part of the history makes it troublesome.

SCIUTTO: No question. So, tell us when we see the FSB get involved in the response, of course, the successor to the KGB. What does that clue tell

you?

JACOBSEN: It's a huge clue. And what it means is that Russia doesn't want to have an epidemic on its hands. And that is certainly what happened when

they put five hospitals under quarantine. But also, Russia doesn't want any more meddling by the U.S. Intelligence Community or the military

intelligence component, you know, having eyes on this facility and really trying to figure out what is in fact going on there.

I mean, the facility itself, keep in mind, there are six-foot-high walls around it. Constantiner wire around the top of that. It's got a controlled

in and a controlled out. So, clearly, residents of that area know that it's dangerous work that goes on in there. And that's what I think is also so

concerning, because the way in which it was reported initially is those are the clues I would follow, not what the Russian Federation is telling us

now, which is essentially there's no there or here and there's nothing to worry about.

SCIUTTO: So, you have the high walls. You have controlled entry and exit. You have the FSB involved. Does that indicate to you that this is not just

a research lab, that given the title and subject matter of your book, that this is involved in some sort of bioweapons program?

JACOBSEN: I mean, you know, I don't need to speculate that far just because the facts speak for themselves.

[18:05:00]

I mean, FSB, that is like armed federal law enforcement. It's, you know, imagine the scenario where they're escorting people and it's not really

escorting. That's a euphemism for they are marching people toward these quarantine situations. Another thing that's being reported is people who

say like, oh, they're under quarantine. That's not what a quarantine is. Quarantine is involuntary. It means, in essence, you are locked in and you

can't leave. And given how draconian the Russian federal security services are, that is a very unpleasant situation for all 200 of those people.

SCIUTTO: OK. So, you've got 200 people placed into quarantine. You have Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan also introducing their own quarantine controls at

their border. Does the response, is it equal to a pathogen that is treatable, right, or does that response show you that this is a pathogen

that perhaps has been engineered in some way where even the Russians are concerned they can't control it?

JACOBSEN: Sure. I love your question because it answers itself precisely. You know, if you're not worried about something, also keep in mind that

Mother Nature's pneumonic plague is essentially treatable with antibiotics.

Now, without antibiotics, pneumonic plague has a 100 percent death rate. So, it's a killer. But if you have antibiotics that can lower to around 17

percent. COVID was 1 percent. So, it's a lot of people dying. But like you said, if it's from the wild, if it's just Mother Nature's Y pestis, that's

what the pathogen is called, then you're just doing a different kind of control.

Another major problem is that that lab has what's called an isolator. And like any biosafety level three or four lab, if there's an accident, the

researcher, the scientist is going to immediately go into that isolator and notify their boss of what has happened. I've been in both a BSL three and a

BSL four facility. That's a that's like page one component. And that's not what happened here. So, again, many different pieces of the puzzle

unanswered.

SCIUTTO: The U.S. is urging Russia to share accurate information quickly. And you just heard the secretary of state there say, you know, we're

watching, but we're not particularly nervous. Should the U.S. government or should we have confidence in any kind of cooperation or accurate

information sharing from Russia to not just to the U.S., but to the world?

JACOBSEN: Quite the opposite. I mean, they're going to give us zero accurate information. They're not going to be transparent. And that has to

do with the fact that, you know, biological weapons are illegal. And if that is what they are doing in that lab, which their response kind of

suggests that something hinky is going on there, then they're not going to be transparent at all. In fact, they're going to do completely the

opposite. They're going to start covering it up. They're not sharing the sequence they could.

Look, I had calls from people in the administration at the highest level on Friday with eyes on this situation because mitigating an outbreak is so

important. Now, with that said, that appears what Russia has done with its really heavy-handed response. So, that's certainly good for the rest of the

world, but it's not great for pandemic preparation for the future.

SCIUTTO: Before we go, I mean, there are some echoes here of the COVID outbreak, origins, not great information sharing. In fact, deliberate

information suppression by China in the midst of that. Where do global outbreak response resources cooperation stand today six years -- and I'm

not saying this is going to be a pandemic, but I'm just saying you have some parallels here, and obviously, we want accurate information and you

want to control it. Where does that all stand today.

JACOBSEN: It stands like in a terrible, chaotic mess. I mean, the current administration has withdrawn from W.H.O. W.H.O. is supposed to be the sort

of leading sort of organization that makes us all feel safe. I would hope that this would be a kind of, you know, come together moment whereby people

would realize, wait, we really do want to have a governing body. We do want to have transparency because in the event that a pandemic happens, we know

it affects all of us.

SCIUTTO: Yes, no question. Well, Annie Jacobsen, the book again, "Biological War: A Scenario." Sadly, the topic in the news today. We

appreciate you joining.

JACOBSEN: Thanks for having me.

[18:10:00]

SCIUTTO: Well, the U.S. has now pulled all of its long-range bombers from the U.K., why? Because they received a new threat, this, according to a

U.S. official. Not clear exactly what that threat was, Vice President J.D. Vance said the bombers were removed, quote, out of an abundance of caution.

He suggested the threat originated from Iran, but did not go into detail. The base has been the focus of an existing investigation after British

police arrested five men a week ago in connection with an alleged Iranian plot against the base. They were later released, as was a sixth man who was

detained.

The E.U.'s top diplomat is calling out Russia for ongoing attacks on Europe, including a new one along Moldova's border with Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAJA KALLAS, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: Europe has seen a spike in the Russian hybrid attacks and sabotage attempts and airspace violations in

recent weeks. Russian missiles and drones violated Moldovan airspace again over the weekend. And this is completely unacceptable. The Kremlin is

putting lives at risk across the continent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Kaja Kallas there spoke as she met with the prime minister of Moldova, who as a country aspires to join the E.U. Their talks came after a

projectile hit a border crossing between Moldova and Ukraine in the midst of a Russian attack. It then ricocheted into a civilian bus. A member of

the border police was injured. No deaths reported, thankfully. Yet another in a long line of Russian attacks that were near misses.

Russia launched massive strikes on Kyiv over the weekend. You see one there on a civilian bridge. It is now telling foreign diplomats in the capital,

Kyiv, to leave, saying they would be responsible for any, quote, "adverse consequences."

Joining us now is the E.U.'s ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova. Thanks so much, Ambassador. We appreciate you taking the time.

KATARINA MATHERNOVA, E.U. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Thank you very much for having me again. Great to see you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So, first, I want to ask you to interpret this Russian warning to diplomats, including yourself. Do you believe that Russia is threatening

your life? Are they saying these attacks might kill you?

MATHERNOVA: Well, it indeed does feel very unpleasant. I think it's very much a sign of Putin's frustration with not being able to capture Ukraine

on the battlefield. In fact, over the last several months, Ukraine has been recapturing more territory than losing to Russia. I'm not saying the

situation is easy, but certainly it's stabilized on the front, and there is very, very little movement that would satisfy him.

So, they're lashing out at civilians. They are terrorizing cities, and they are going after not only civilian infrastructure, but now also threatening

foreign diplomats. And I find it particularly callous that they are trying to shift the blame on us for a war that they have started and they are

waging in its fifth year.

SCIUTTO: Do you sense among the diplomatic community in Kyiv, given that the danger is very real? I mean, people die every day there, sadly, from

these attacks. Is there any movement from diplomats to leave, to abandon the city? Just out of fear for their lives?

MATHERNOVA: Not that I would know of. On the contrary, I think that, I mean, we had these episodes before. Half a year ago was the same movie that

we've seen in May, I think in May of this year. And this only determines us to continue supporting Ukraine stronger. But indeed, it is very unpleasant.

And since the end of August of this year, the attacks on Kyiv happen now both at night and during the day.

You mentioned yourself the destruction of the bridges. I mean, Kyiv consists of two parts. I mean, much of Ukraine is in fact divided by the

Dnieper River. And it's like two halves of a city. You can't have one without the other. And now there has been complete chaos and traffic

collapse because two of the key bridges have been repeatedly targeted and hit. In fact, one of my colleagues saw it happening in real time.

SCIUTTO: Goodness, another close call. So, listen, in Europe now, Russia is expanding a whole host of hybrid warfare attacks. And in those attacks,

it's very nearly killed people in Europe, right? I mean, you have this attack along the border with Moldova. Someone's injured? Really, just by

dumb luck, not killed, right? The airport in Germany, you had that drone that had it exploded. It just malfunctioned. People might very well have

died.

[18:15:00]

You have attacks derailing trains. You could very easily imagine people dying in those circumstances. What happens if and when one of these Russian

attacks does cause a loss of life?

MATHERNOVA: Well, in my mind, you know, it's like an electric car is still a car. Hybrid war is a war. And indeed, pressure on Putin's strength and

pressure is the only language he understands. This Palanka crossing with Moldova, I crossed it several times in my life myself, is the sixth or

seventh attack on a border crossing. And one few weeks ago, a different one with Moldova, in fact, two people were killed lining up for crossing on the

Ukrainian side. This was the actual crossing where a border guard was hit.

So, these deaths are going to happen. And I very much hope that the combined pressure, both support to Ukraine, their long-range sanctions, as

they call their long-range attacks, and the sanctions on Russia will create the kind of pressure and language that he will understand.

SCIUTTO: Do you see a sufficient response from Europe so far to these attacks? I mean, we've seen a mix of certainly protests, public protests,

and we've seen additional sanctions. There have been some instances where NATO forces have shot down drones approaching or crossing into NATO

territory. But the attacks continue and they expand. Is deterrence being established?

MATHERNOVA: I think that we are still establishing the real deterrence. But in fact, each of the sanction packages that we put together is stronger

than the previous one. There is now another one being finalized, the sanctions that on the 3,000 people and entities have now been approved for

three years, 36 months. So, they don't have to be re-litigated, in a sense, every six months, as was the case until now.

So, there is certainly a tightening of the situation. Chancellor Merz was just in Kyiv. He brought a very sizable package of support to Ukraine. So,

it's all happening. And I just hope it's going to be stronger than the actual provocation on the side of Russia.

SCIUTTO: Before we go, President Trump has repeatedly criticized Ukraine for striking Russian oil refineries, for contributing to higher diesel

prices around the world. I just wonder what your reaction is to see him using, in some terms, stronger language and demands to Ukraine than he has

issued to Vladimir Putin, of course, striking Ukraine's civilian targets and has been for years.

MATHERNOVA: Look, the price of diesel, the price of oil is determined by all the different crises and wars that we have around the world. So, if

anything, Ukraine's war can only contribute to that. And it's true that the U.S. is still supporting Ukraine. I think in Europe we would wish to see

even a more determined stance, but we just watch and observe.

SCIUTTO: Well, given where you are, please stay safe and thank you so much for joining.

MATHERNOVA: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Great joining you. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead this hour, as we mentioned, diesel prices, they're spiking and that spells trouble in particular for the trucking industry.

Transportation firms across the U.S. fear for their future as the cost of diesel keeps soaring. How rising energy prices could make the affordability

crisis worse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout now, across the board, gains on Wall Street with the NASDAQ closing at fresh record highs. A.I.-

related stocks were outperformers, including NVIDIA, whose market cap is now approaching the incredible $6 trillion. Oil prices fell even as the

head of Saudi Aramco warned that global stockpiles of oil are, quote, scarily thin. He says it will take some two years to build up reserves

again once the Iran war ends.

President Trump is reportedly set to approve new measures to help U.S. industries cope with soaring diesel prices. Sources tell Reuters an

executive order would let truck drivers fill their tanks with so-called red dye diesel, which is exempt from highway taxes. Red dye diesel is typically

used by farm equipment and off-road vehicles. State waivers on diesel taxes are also under consideration. All this after news on Friday that European

countries will release diesel from their strategic reserves over the next few weeks. This is part of a 100-million-barrel agreement by G7 nations to

help stave off a U.S. diesel export ban.

Diesel prices have risen to records this year, surpassing $6.5 a gallon last month in this country because so many items are transported by truck.

Trucks run on diesel. Costlier diesel could trigger even higher consumer prices in the months ahead. It's also causing hardship for farmers and

smaller players in the trucking industry who worry that they won't be able to survive these prices long.

Joining me now, Lewie Pugh. He's the executive vice president of the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association. He himself has been driving

trucks for more than 25 years. Louis, thanks so much for joining.

LEWIE PUGH, EXECUTIVE VP, OWNER-OPERATOR INDEPENDENT DRIVERS ASSOCIATION: Thank you for having me. It's my pleasure.

SCIUTTO: So, listen, your costs are soaring in the cost of your fellow drivers. How are they surviving through this? I mean, I imagine for the

smaller operators, this could bring down a business.

PUGH: Yes. I mean, it is and it has. And most people don't realize that over 90 percent of the trucking industry is made up of small businesses.

This is definitely a mom-and-pop industry. 50 percent of those are just one truck owner operators. And of course, they don't have a lot of cash flow.

They don't have a lot of cash reserves. They don't have the leverage to, you know, work with the oil companies and the fuel stops to leverage lower

prices with volume and stuff like that. So, it's very, very difficult on the small business industry of trucking.

SCIUTTO: So, what do you think about these short term fixes using the red dye diesel, these 90 day suspensions of fuel taxes? I mean, is that is that

a solution in your view, in the view of your drivers?

PUGH: Not really. I mean, we've been through this in the past. We had a bad spike in fuel prices in '08, '09. And, you know, we've seen this kind

of things play out before taking fuel tax money out of the mix, like you're talking about with the fuel is not really a good idea because our highway

trust fund is going broke.

[18:25:00]

That money is used from fuel taxes to pay for roads and bridges and maintenance of those kind of things. So, we don't like to see that doesn't

really make that big a difference. You know, so, again, we what we need is market stability and we need oil prices to quit taking advantage of a bad

situation.

SCIUTTO: I mean, who do you and your fellow drivers blame for all this, for this predicament?

PUGH: I mean, generally, we kind of look at the oil industry because it seems like, you know, every time there's some sort of crisis or so-called

crisis or geopolitical issues in the world, the world companies don't really have any problem jacking up the prices. As we've seen ever since all

this started, their profits have doubled.

So, doesn't seem to be hurting them too much, but it's definitely hurting the American trucker with the price of fill ups and it's going to end up

hurting the American consumer.

SCIUTTO: Yes, no question. Yes. How does -- can you can you explain just to folks at home watching this, how those prices might get passed on and

show up in? I mean, listen, as you say, a lot of stuff gets shipped around the country by truck. So, I imagine it's going to affect the prices of a

lot of things.

PUGH: Yes, you're correct. I mean, the over 70 percent of all goods in this country are moved exclusively by truck and the other, you know, 30 --

or 30 percent there. Most of them touch a truck somewhere along the way. So, trucking is huge in the movement of goods.

Before fuel took this big increase back in February or March, it was costing a guy probably about $1,430 a week to run his truck. Now we're over

$2,500, so over an $1,100 increase in these last few months. Every time the diesel fuel goes up a dollar a gallon at the pump, that's an extra $400 per

week that a trucker has to spend.

Now, the way they can pass these to the consumers is through fuel surcharges and stuff like that. But it still makes it very tough because

you have to pay for the fuel now and you're waiting to get money 30 to 90 days. So, having enough cash flow to keep up, it's very difficult for small

business trucking.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And those tanks and those trucks are big. I don't have to tell you that. Lewie Pugh, thanks so much for joining.

PUGH: Yes, sir. Thank you. And thanks to America's truckers.

SCIUTTO: Indeed. Well, checking some of today's other business headlines in the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments today in a dispute over whether

cities and states can sue oil companies for damages caused by climate change. The case before the court involves a suit filed in Boulder,

Colorado. The decision will affect dozens of other pending cases filed by cities and states around the country trying to hold oil companies

accountable. ExxonMobil and Suncor brought the cases to the high court, arguing that climate pollution is inherently not a state or local issue,

but a federal issue.

McDonald's is being sued in federal court over a new A.I. powered pricing system. The proposed class action suit alleges that the tool violates

antitrust laws by coordinating prices at franchises and company owned restaurants. Suit says independent owners must set their prices

independently. McDonald's calls the lawsuits speculative.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is asking the E.U. to trademark her voice to protect against A.I. Generated deep fakes. Meloni made the

application to the E.U. Intellectual Property Office. Manipulated images of her have circulated online. The move could give Meloni new legal tool tools

to use against deep fake creators. I imagine others might be interested as well.

Still coming up on "The Brief," a right-wing surge in Brazil's presidential election. What an unexpected win for the son of convicted ex-president Jair

Bolsonaro means for this month's upcoming runoff.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. Here are the international headlines we're watching today.

World health officials are keeping a very close watch on a mystery illness that killed a Russian lab worker. The 28-year-old woman died last week in

Siberia from what Russian officials called an unknown infection. She was working at a laboratory that studies the plague. Dozens of people from the

lab and a nearby hospital are now in isolation.

Large crowds are gathering on the campus of Cornell University protesting the school's handling of an alleged gang rape in 2024. Activists vandalized

the university's main administration building overnight, painting messages criticizing the school's response. Spain's prime minister has called a snap

election.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been dealing with street protests for weeks amid calls for more affordable housing in Spain. His minority

government failed last week to pass measures aimed at addressing the crisis. That snap election is set for November.

Well, another election, Brazil's presidential election, is now heading to a runoff. Right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of imprisoned former

President Jair Bolsonaro, secured 47 percent of the vote in a surprising first round win. The incumbent president, Lula -- Inacio Lula da Silva,

garnered 45 percent. Now, there will be a runoff scheduled for October 25th.

Joining us now, Shannon O'Neil, senior vice president of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Shannon, good to have you. Thanks so much for

joining.

SHANNON O'NEIL, SENIOR VP OF STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS AND MAURICE R. GREENBERG CHAIR, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Great to be

here.

SCIUTTO: So, Bolsonaro exceeded expectations. Before I get into questions about polling misses here. What does this tell us about the strength of the

right-wing in Brazil?

O'NEIL: Well, he did outperform polls, so it tells something about his personal candidacy, which is about him and his family. But as important, I

would say, are the other people who are in the ballot and what happened across the country. So, you saw lots of right-leaning governors win their

election or be teed up for the runoffs to be the favorites. You also saw a huge swing to the right in the Congress. So, whomever wins the runoff at

the end of October, they will be facing a much more right-leaning Congress. So, it was a good day for the right in Brazil overall.

SCIUTTO: What's driving that? What are the issues driving the rights gains?

O'NEIL: So, it's both long-term factors. You've seen an increasing move to the right in Brazil over the last generation, in part because of religious

shifts, in part because of just the overall population.

[18:35:00]

But also, what you saw on the ballot were issues of worries about insecurity and crime, and worries about economic stagnation that this

government. And, you know, Lula has faced the headwinds of higher energy prices, other kinds of rising interest rates, other parts of stagnation

that to hit the incumbent president and people are looking for an alternative, which is the rightest one.

SCIUTTO: Yes. So, you get a runoff coming up and a lot of folks are saying, given -- I mean, there's only 2 percent difference between Lula and

Bolsonaro in this race, but the other parties, the other candidates were mostly right leaning. So, most of those votes presumably would go to would

go to Bolsonaro. I mean, is it a done deal? What would Lula da Silva have to do to turn this around?

O'NEIL: Well, I'd say Brazil's elections are never a done deal, but this doesn't look incredibly optimistic for the sitting president. We saw

turnout look pretty much like the last round of elections. So, it's not as if there's a hidden voter base that might come out to the second round.

That doesn't seem pretty likely. I think what might swing this, if we saw a change, would be if there was another big scandal. And these people have

talked about a bomb, a bomba going off in Brazil.

We've seen throughout this campaign a number of corruption scandals. First was one that hit Flavio Bolsonaro back in the spring. More recently, there

have been alleged corruption scandals surrounding the Supreme Court that have hit Lula's campaign. So, you know, three weeks isn't a long time, but

it's probably a long enough time for potentially another type of scandal. That's what I think would be important if we saw a swing in the voters.

SCIUTTO: I suppose we'd call it an October surprise here in this country. Listen, when you look -- I was just in Germany recently where, of course,

the AfD surprise now in two state elections there. You have a lot of speculation about the upcoming French presidential elections and whether Le

Pen's right-wing party would win there. In this country, we've got midterms with its own message about left right split.

Do you see commonalities in these races here from Germany to France, even to the Trump effect in this country to Brazil? And is it necessarily the

worrisome aspects of the right-wing movement, or do you see more kitchen table issues driving this in Brazil?

O'NEIL: So, I'd say to add to the elections that you just mentioned, you've seen elections throughout Latin America, South America, too, that

have gone towards the right in in recent months, whether that was Peru or Chile or Colombia and the like. So, that is an overall trend in the region

and more broadly.

I think what you also are seeing here is not just whether it's left or right, but it -- are you an institutionalist or are you more of a populist?

And that to Flavio Bolsonaro fits more in that populist realm, which I think you're seeing in elections coming up, whether it be France or perhaps

Germany and elsewhere. So, I think that trend, as well as we saw here in the United States.

So, that trend is something we're seeing more globally. And I think the question going forward is what does that mean for Brazil's institutions?

This will be a shift in a number of ways. It's a different party. It's a different set of issues. And it will be a different relationship with the

United States. You know, Lula has been a standout in standing up to Trump on tariff issues and the like. Flavio Bolsonaro has been very friendly with

the Trump administration, as has his family.

So, I think that will be one of the biggest shifts, the relationship with the United States, if we see a Bolsonaro victory.

SCIUTTO: No question. And perhaps some retribution internally as well. Shannon O'Neil, appreciate you joining.

O'NEIL: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, sources tell CNN that the man accused of attempting to hijack a Flydubai flight to Israel last week intended to target Israel's

main airport, Ben Gurion International. An Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the pilot while over Saudi airspace. Investigators believe the

suspect probably acted alone. Jeremy Diamond has been covering the story and has new details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: This is obviously still a developing investigation. And we are seeing that the twists and turns

happen in real time. But the latest information that we have, according to an Israeli official and an Israeli source familiar with the matter, is that

it appears that this suspect, the co-pilot of the Omani co-pilot on this flight, likely wanted to target Israel's Ben Gurion airport.

And so, while initially clearly the plane was starting to go down, there were questions about whether or not he wanted to simply crash the plane

where he was at the moment, which was over the Arabian Desert. Now, investigators are now indicating that it was likely he wanted to take that

plane further and cause more casualties beyond simply the 170 plus passengers who were on that flight.

Now, we know that Israeli officials are receiving regular updates from Emirati investigators. He is, of course, still in Emirati custody. But

there is a close security partnership between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

[18:40:00]

And so, Israel does have some window into how this investigation is proceeding. We also know that the Australian federal police and New Zealand

police have also been looking into this suspect in this case, because apparently, he had spent some time in both Australia and New Zealand.

Here in Israel, the questions are really turning not just to, you know, the suspect and how he got on this plane, but also to the security failures

that led to this situation. Last week, we had a lot of focus on the heroic passengers on this plane who prevented an absolute catastrophe from taking

place, a catastrophe that we're still starting to grasp the potential scale of.

But now the questions are really turning to the failures internally in Israel as well, including at the Ministry of Transportation, which would

have been responsible for vetting the pilots on these planes from foreign aircraft flying into Israel. Apparently, the Israel Tax Authority would

have received the names of these pilots, but the Ministry of Transportation said its procedures did not include checking the names of flight crew

members, which is obviously a glaring oversight here.

So, a lot of questions being asked here in Israel about this Israeli government, the Ministry of Transportation and these clear warning signs

across the board that were missed or simply procedures that were not abided by.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: A January trial date has been set for the Libyan man accused of building the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103. The 1988 bombing

killed 270 people, including 11 on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland. The accused, Abu Mas'ud al-Marimi, allegedly worked for the late Libyan leader

Muammar Gaddafi. The trial was delayed after new evidence emerged over the summer.

Just ahead on "The Brief," North Korean troops in Russia face severe consequences if they're captured. CNN speaks to one North Korean defector

about the deadly methods they're taking to avoid it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: A disturbing story now from Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. South Korean intelligence says North Korean troops have been ordered to

kill themselves to avoid the shame of being captured. Will Ripley has the details.

[18:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): South Korean intelligence says North Korean troops have explicit orders to kill

themselves to avoid capture. They say at least one soldier even shouted General Kim Jong-un before pulling a grenade.

THAE YONG HO, FORMER SENIOR NORTH KOREAN DIPLOMAT: All the people in North Korea are brainwashed.

RIPLEY (voice-over): One of Pyongyang's highest profile defectors says when North Korean soldiers die fighting for Russia, their leader praises

them as heroes. Doors open for the soldiers' grieving families. Brand-new apartments on a special street in Pyongyang. Their children promised places

in elite revolutionary schools, a path to privileged jobs.

YONG HO: The social status of your family would be upgraded to a kind of elite or ruling class. Your house, your parents would be moved from

countryside, a very remote area, to the capital of North Korea, Pyongyang.

RIPLEY (voice-over): But North Korea's former deputy U.K. ambassador, Thae Yong Ho says if a soldier is captured alive, like these two carried out of

Russia's Kursk region last year, the consequences can be reversed.

YONG HO: There would be a very heavy punishment. Their social status would be downgraded.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Of the thousands of North Koreans sent to fight for Russia, only two are known to have been captured alive. In Ukrainian

captivity, with their identities concealed, they told CNN affiliate NBC, I don't know if my mom is alive. I worry she could be in trouble because of

me. If I had a hand grenade, I could have killed myself and not become a POW.

Seoul's National Intelligence Service says they decided to go to South Korea, arriving by their own free will earlier this month. These guys are

not easy to capture alive. South Korea was shocked when Ukraine's president revealed the transfer at the U.N. Seoul wanted to keep it secret, in part

to protect the soldiers and their families. But Ukraine says there was no confidentiality agreement.

YONG HO: I am protected by South Korean border guards 24 hours.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Thae defected with his wife and two sons. I met the brother and sister he left behind in Pyongyang, in what they called a

voluntary interview, they disowned him.

RIPLEY: In South Korea, Thae said that he did this to break the slavery chain.

RIPLEY (voice-over): 100 percent evil propaganda, his sister told me. Thae feared his family was being forced to speak against him. His brother said,

if I don't wash this sin away by myself, my sons and future generations will have to work harder to pay for this.

Now, Thae says Ukraine should target North Korean troops with leaflets and loudspeakers, telling them they don't have to die.

YONG HO: They are very young, in early 20s. They have a very bright future.

RIPLEY (voice-over): But Ukraine says thousands more may soon be headed to battle in the name of their leader.

RIPLEY: The big question now is how South Korea keeps these two men safe. They'll almost certainly need extra security, even 24/7 bodyguards, as they

go through screenings and start building new lives in South Korea. They could even need help protecting their identities long term. And they'll

need more than physical protection. There's also a huge psychological toll of everything that they've been through, adjusting to a completely

different society, a whole new way of life. And, of course, all of it separated from their families and everything they've known.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Dying, they believe, for their dear leader. We'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. Major League Baseball playoffs heating up. Two games in the American League Division Series today. The Chicago White Sox,

they're playing the Cleveland Guardians right now. The White Sox lead the series one game to none. And in about an hour, the New York Yankees and

Tampa Bay Rays will square off. The Rays took game one.

Don Riddell joins me. Don, I mean, that Brewers walk-off was pretty special.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, quite something. A lot of drama on Sunday, Jim. Let's talk about a matchup of two teams that have never won

the World Series, the San Diego Padres. They got themselves to within one strike of levitating their division series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Here's how it played out in game two.

Padres up 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, but Mason Miller walks the bases full. And then Jackson Chourio smacked one up the middle to score in the

runner from third. And then the second base runner scrambled home as well to win the game. That put it to bed. Miller had only blown three saves all

season. That will be hard to take. But shout out to Chourio at 22. He just became the second youngest player in postseason history to hit a walk-off

winner for three Brewers and a 2-nothing series lead.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, two-time defending champions L.A. with a one- game lead over the Braves. Atlanta with a runner on third and Kris Bubic's pitch was wild. Michael Harris II scored. Braves up 2-1. Then in the

seventh, Harris at bat and he was clutch from the Maplewood to the wall, scoring what turned out to be a decisive run. Braves leveling the series at

one apiece with a 3-2 win.

All right. Jim, I've got to tell you about this story. Let's talk about the World Rally Championship, which wrapped up this weekend in highly dramatic

circumstances. A season which began in January and went all the way through to October, which had raced through Europe, Africa, Asia and South America

over 2,500 miles. It all came down to the last few hundred meters of the last stage.

This is the guy who won it most, the Welsh driver, Elfyn Evans. He's been the runner-up no less than five times. He came into the final rally in

Sardinia with a big lead, but his rival Oliver Solberg had closed the gap to just a smidge by the start of the very last stage. Solberg seemed to

have it in the bag until the last few hundred meters when he crashed just two corners from the end. Solberg was able to recover, get back onto the

road, but that was a massively costly mistake. Evans' team watched it in real time and in that moment, he and his team knew that he was finally the

World Rally Champion, but he couldn't quite believe it.

He thought it had gone, but it wasn't. And this is a guy. What's the phrase? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Well, finally. He's wearing

a --

SCIUTTO: I probably would have went hurtling off that road too. Anyway, tough one. Don Riddell, thanks so much.

Well, quite an end to a tennis match. Russian Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from the China Open after he hit a ball at a spectator. The

player was trailing Novak Djokovic and had just lost a point when, as you see here, he smacked a rebounding ball directly into the crowd. That ball

hit a man in the front row in the eye. And as he walked out, he did appear to be in pain. Tournament staff helped him to get medical attention.

Medvedev apologized after the match, saying he felt horrible and that it was not intentional.

Finally, tonight, three scientists who developed a tool for understanding exactly how the brain works have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

They were honored for their work developing optogenetics. It's a revolutionary technique that uses light to study nerve cells and circuits

in the brain governing memory, emotion, and behavior. One of the honorees described what it was like when he got the call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. KARL DEISSEROTH, 2026 NOBEL PRIZE LAUREATE IN MEDICINE: I was very surprised and I found I had a hard time speaking. I sort of lost the

ability to form words for 30 seconds or so.

[18:55:00]

So, but it was very -- not for any lack of courtesy on the caller's part, it was a very warm and friendly phone call, but it was very surprising and

overwhelming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Indeed. Not bad to win a Nobel. Thanks so much for joining. I'm Jim Sciutto in New York. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay

with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:00:00]

END