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Trump Hits Campaign Trail as New Polls Show Tight Senate Races; New Bodycam Video of Luigi Mangione's Arrest Released; New Disturbing Details in Investigation of Alleged Cornell Gang Rape; Christa Pikes Attorney Calls for Her Death Sentence to be Commuted. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired October 02, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: But Deshaun Watson, for a third week in a row, leading the Browns on a game-winning drive. They'd kick a 56-yarder with 10 seconds left to win it, 27-24. So Sara, can I see a show of hands of how many people had Deshaun and the Browns at 3-1 to start the season?

I don't think anybody's hands are up anywhere. Even Cleveland fans are quite surprised.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think I know? Hold on. Let's look at John. John's hands are very down. That's the key.

SCHOLES: Hey, but you know what? It's fun that Cleveland, they need some joy. They've suffered for quite a long time.

Hopefully the Browns have a fun season for them.

SIDNER: Their fans are very loyal. It is incredible because they've had such a heartbreaking time over the years. Andy Scholes, they finally have something to celebrate. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the stark reality facing President Trump on the campaign trail. He says he would win by 25 points if he were running. The thing is, his approval rating is only in the 30s.

First on CNN, new video of the arrest of Luigi Mangione that we had not seen before. What happened at the end of the five-day multi-state manhunt for the healthcare CEO killer?

And in the next few minutes, we will see the brand-new jobs report, so important with just weeks to go until the election. What does it say about wages keeping up with inflation?

Kate is out today. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: Right now, President Trump gearing up for day two of his red state campaign tour, stumping for midterm candidates in states he won in a dominant way just a couple of years ago. He heads to Alabama this morning after stops in Texas and Oklahoma in the last 24 hours. They're trips that suddenly feel very necessary as new polling shows GOP candidates in some red states are in some danger just one month out from Election Day.

In Iowa, there's no clear leader when you look at the numbers here in the Senate race with Democrat Josh Turek ahead two points against Republican Ashley Hinson. It's a similar story in Texas. Again, no clear leader with Democrat James Talarico two points ahead of Republican Ken Paxton.

The narrow margins show the battle for control of the Senate is up for grabs. The big question this morning, can the president and his increasing unpopularity push them over the finish line? CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House this morning, maybe giving us a sense of the thinking here as to why the president is going into what have typically been ruby red states.

They certainly were a couple of years ago.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, absolutely. And I think the polls that you pointed out, Sara, are exactly why the president is there. Even as we heard him yesterday tell supporters at some of his rallies in Texas and Oklahoma that he's there to thank them, that they've been loyal to him, and that he's making these visits to show his appreciation for them, these are also places where some of these candidates need his help.

You mentioned Ken Paxton, somebody who's deeply unpopular in Texas. He's, of course, running for that Senate seat. And the president is hoping to try and boost him across the finish line.

I should note the president is also largely responsible for him having even won the Republican nomination for that Senate seat after many politicos and Republicans across the country had wanted the incumbent, John Cornyn, to instead run in his place. But look, today the president's also heading to Alabama, again, another deeply red state. From the conversations I've had, Sara, with some of the president's political advisers, they argue that these are more outliers for what you're going to see in the president's travel over the next couple weeks in the lead-up to the midterms.

They've told me that he is going to be going to a lot of these battleground states. But even in those states, in places like Michigan, in Iowa, in many of these -- Nevada, all these other places that he's going to be visiting, they're planning on sending him to more conservative districts. And that's partly because of his polling right now.

You mentioned it, but his approval rating has dropped to 33 percent. That's according to CNN's latest poll done in September. And that's the lowest job approval rating across his two terms as president.

If you go deeper into the numbers and you look at his approval ratings on the economy, on his handling of foreign affairs, on gas prices, his approval rating is even lower. And so part of the reason that they're sending him to more of these redder districts is because there is a concern that going to some of the more battleground, swingy districts could actually create more harm than good. But I do want you to listen to what the president said in his closing message last night while in Oklahoma, essentially arguing about his need to get out there and try to help these candidates win these races.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're worried about Michigan. We're worried about Texas. We're worried about a few states.

[08:05:00]

But it's all about 35 different contests. Not states, contests. And I'm going to -- just about all of them.

TREENE: Because you heard the president saying -- acknowledging that they are worried about these. Now, of course, the goal of having the president visit these different places because they believe that one of the key things he can help with is turnout and especially a driving enthusiasm among his fiercest supporters. But there's also a catch-22, advisers say, when it comes to that.

He's not just a good driver of enthusiasm among Republicans. He's also a good driver of enthusiasm among Democrats. So we'll see how this plays out.

But he has a lot of travel ahead over the next 30 days or so -- Sara.

SIDNER: Thank you so much. Good to see you on this Friday, Alayna Treene. We finally made it -- John.

BERMAN: Almost.

SIDNER: Almost.

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, we are getting an exclusive first look at the moments police captured Luigi Mangione ending the five-day manhunt. Hours of newly unsealed body camera video at CNN's request shows officers questioning him inside a Pennsylvania McDonald's.

CNN's Kara Scannell is with us now. I still remember talking to you the morning that Brian Thompson, the healthcare CEO, was killed. So many twists and turns in this investigation.

Now a view we've just not seen before.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, we've never seen this view before publicly. It is a key piece of evidence that his lawyers were trying to use to convince a judge to throw out some of the critical evidence against him, the gun, the diary, because they were trying to argue that the search of his backpack in the McDonald's and at the police station was illegal. It has been under seal, but CNN requested the unsealing, and now we're seeing more publicly this first look at what unfolded and Mangione was approached after this five-day manhunt. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just do me a favor. Stand up. I want to pat you down.

Stand up.

LUIGI MANGIONE: This is the jar of peanut butter, by the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can take that, but I'm just letting you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yep. Just put your hands on the wall. I'm going to pat you down.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Newly unsealed police body cam footage first seen on CNN shows the moments Altoona, Pennsylvania, police officers handcuffed Luigi Mangione and took him into custody, ending a five-day manhunt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your hands on the wall. Left hand first and your right hand back.

SCANNELL (voice-over): A New York state judge unsealed the footage at the request of CNN after Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges and admitted to fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The videos were played during a suppression hearing last December but have not been publicly released until now. Officers responded to a 911 call on December 9, 2024, that the suspected New York City CEO shooter may be in a McDonald's restaurant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How you doing? Can you put your mask down real quick for me?

MANGIONE: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Appreciate it. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

SCANNELL (voice-over): The officers immediately thought it was him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's 100 percent him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I told you, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That shooter checked into a hostel with a fake ID.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Officers confront Mangione about a fake driver's license bearing the name Mark Rosario.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that your name, Mark Rosario? Rosario?

MANGIONE: No, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your real name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luigi?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luigi?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mangione.

MANGIONE: I'll write it down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me the date of birth, then, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you spell your full name? L-U-I-G-I?

MANGIONE: L-U-I-G-I.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mangione, M-A-N-G-I-O-N-E.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you lying about your name?

MANGIONE: I clearly shouldn't have.

SCANNELL (voice-over): A search reveals a gun magazine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's f****** him, dude.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's f****** him. 100 percent.

SCANNELL (voice-over): About 10 minutes later, Mangione is taken to the police station. Mangione is asked to remove layers of clothing so he can be searched more thoroughly, while another officer unzips his backpack and finds a gun that authorities later link to the crime scene.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a weapon. So, you want me to clear it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's just clear it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clear it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. There's another magazine that was hidden in his underwear.

F***. Silencer.

SCANNELL (voice-over): She also finds Mangione's handwritten notes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a journal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bag it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would.

SCANNELL (voice-over): While a different officer ticks off the evidence, including a checklist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has a handgun, suppressor, his cell phone is in a Faraday bag.

He has a checklist for today. Tomorrow, he's supposed to do an intel check-in and get a survival kit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCANNELL (on camera): So, John, as you see, that is the first time we're seeing how everything unfolded after this five-day manhunt.

[08:10:00]

Just how common it is within the situation in the McDonald's and then how they discover the evidence that they are so certain he is the New York City shooter.

BERMAN: I have never seen anything like that. I just haven't seen anything like that. You have the perspective from the officers as they're going there.

They have a suspicion. And then to see them going through the bag like that, what an unbelievable perspective to have on such a now, sadly, historic moment.

SCANNELL: Truly. And this was where you had two officers arrive at the scene. You have eight ultimately there.

And so we're able to kind of get a 360 view of it by piecing together all the different angles from the body cam footage.

BERMAN: Kara Scannell, thank you very much, and to the whole team from CNN who pushed to get this image and these images, it really is remarkable. Thank you.

All right, we're standing by for an update on the investigation into the alleged gang rape at Cornell University. The New York governor just appointed the attorney general of the state as a special prosecutor. They are both set to speak shortly.

Plus, new this morning, astronauts arrive at the International Space Station. How long do they intend to stay up there?

And for the first time, we're hearing from the pilot who stopped a would-be hijacker and saved more than 100 lives.

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[08:15:00]

SIDNER: All right, we are now learning what the male students accused in the alleged gang rape at Cornell Fraternity House told investigators. Their accounts are from records exclusively obtained by the New York Times from the university's formal Title IX investigation. In those documents, the men all denied wrongdoing.

Their accounts sometimes differed and sometimes contradicted each other. Four acknowledged they had sexual contact with Jane Doe but said it was consensual. Three others said they did not engage in any sexual activity.

Most of the male students said they did not think she appeared intoxicated. CNN obtained a document summarizing key evidence that was included in the Cornell disciplinary panel's decision.

In that document, Jane Doe did tell investigators, "I feel like bait. I felt like lions around me. It was just a totally debilitating place to be in."

But in the New York Times reporting, the investigative report also revealed that days after the assault, Jane Doe planned to go to a Halloween party at the same frat house and texted with one of the boys who apologized for how the night played out.

And then Jane Doe replied, quote, none of the sexual stuff was illegal. All of those details come as New York's governor, Kathy Hochul, named State Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over this case.

Joining us now, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. Look, the AG's office says it is taking on this investigation. How big of a development is this?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, this changes the whole dynamic around the case, Sara. Now, ordinarily, the New York State AG actually only has limited criminal jurisdiction and could not investigate a sexual assault case unless we have an appointment like we're about to see from the governor, which does empower the AG to take over. Now, here's why this is so important.

The DA, the Tompkins County DA, Van Houten, who originally had this case, is already publicly on record twice in 2024 and earlier this week saying his conclusion was there was no crime. And now the attorney general will come in. We don't know what she's going to do.

I suspect we'll hear her say shortly that she doesn't know what she's going to do because her job is to take a fresh look at this case, consider all the evidence carefully, and come to a conclusion.

SIDNER: Look, legally under New York law, what does this case hinge on here?

HONIG: So, New York law is very specific when it comes to these cases. So first of all, a prosecutor must prove non-consent beyond a reasonable doubt. That's the highest burden in our legal system.

Now, there's a few ways under New York law that prosecutors can do that. First of all, forcible compulsion if the person was forcibly restrained or if a weapon was used. Second of all, if the person stated verbally and clearly that there was no consent.

Third of all, physical incapacitation. And finally, and this is the tricky one, mental incapacity. Now, under New York law, it does not count as mental incapacity if a person voluntarily intoxicated herself. If a person drank or took drugs voluntarily, that does not count. So, a prosecutor in New York cannot stand in front of a jury and say she was intoxicated, therefore she didn't consent if she drank the alcohol or took the drugs herself. And I should note, about half the states in the nation have the opposite law.

New York does not. There have been movements over the years for New York to change its law, but that has never passed. So, that is the status of the law in New York.

And again, prosecutors have to prove non-consent beyond a reasonable doubt. That's a very high burden.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about some of these reports that you're seeing now, where you're seeing a lot of these text messages in the days after the incident at the frat house and all these different exchanges, many of which have Jane Doe's own words in there, as well as the words of the male student that she later accused of raping her. What did you learn, and does it complicate any potential prosecution in this case?

HONIG: Well, this is key evidence, first of all, Sara, and it's just one of many examples why the DA's original investigation was completely insufficient and abysmal. These texts existed. He never even tried to get them.

Now that these texts have started to come out from the New York Times reporting and other places, it presents a mixed picture. On the one hand, as you said in the intro, in the hours after this incident, Jane Doe texted with some of the males. I want to get it exactly right.

She said to one of them, quote, at the end of the day, none of the sexual stuff was illegal. And honestly, I really like being with you and the name of another male. And as you said, Jane Doe in these texts wants to go to their next party, a Halloween party.

And when they invite her, she replies, quote, thank you. I really appreciate that heart emoji. I'll bring my cigs (cigarettes) tomorrow.

[08:20:00]

OK, so that's what the text show in the hours after the event. However, the text also showed that later she came to reconsider what had happened, to look at it in a different light and ultimately told the Cornell police that she was 100 percent certain she was raped. Now, look, I've dealt with sexual assault victims, survivors, accusers. Trauma and shock is absolutely a real thing.

It can take people a while to process these events. But those texts, all of them are inexorably part of this record. And prosecutors are going to have to contend with all of them.

And again, I want everyone to keep in mind that burden of proof. Prosecutors have to prove non-consent beyond a reasonable doubt. That is the highest legal standard in our system.

So it's a tough climb for prosecutors. And New York law makes it tough as well.

SIDNER: Elie Honig, thank you for breaking this down. This is becoming more and more and more complex with all of the details starting to tumble out. Appreciate it.

All right, ahead, Tennessee suspends executions in the state after a death row inmate survived two lethal injections. What her attorneys are now saying about her condition.

Plus, we're standing by for a brand new jobs report this morning. The last report ahead of the midterm elections. We will bring you those numbers just as soon as we get them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:25:00]

BERMAN: All right, new reporting this morning after the failed execution of Tennessee inmate Christa Pike. Her attorney is asking the courts to commute her death sentence following what he described as the worst punishment endured by any American on death row.

Pike survived two would-be lethal injections and remains in critical condition. CNN Senior National Correspondent Ryan Young is with us with the latest on this. Ryan, good morning.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John. Look, so many questions about this. Like you said, she's still in critical condition.

And we haven't had a chance yet to really talk to officials to ask them these questions about what actually happened here. Think about this. This played out for more than an hour, and it happened worse than anyone could ever imagine.

Think about this. Christa Pike and her attorneys actually told them before this execution even started that they weren't even trying to stop the execution. They just thought this was going to be really tough for her because she has small veins.

And that played out exactly like they thought it would. And then on top of that, when things started going wrong, and they tried to call the governor's office or the state supreme court, none of that worked either. Take a listen to one of our attorneys talking about the mess that unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDY SPIVEY, CHRISTA PIKE'S ATTORNEY: Christa's legal team told the state of Tennessee and the courts that her medical conditions would cause her to suffer an agonizing death. The state and the court dismissed Christa's concerns. The governor's call for an independent review does not go far enough.

After having endured solitary confinement for more than 20 years and a full attempt to kill her by lethal injection, Christa has endured punishment greater than any other person in the history of the American death penalty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, John, a couple things that stood out to me in this situation is once things started going wrong and that first injection was done, they did a second one probably 40 minutes later. So then when she was still suffering, no one in that room was trying to save her life. They called an ambulance.

Then they started doing care for her with that ambulance as they took her away. We believe she's in critical condition right now, but we're still waiting to see what the next steps are. Now, the governor has suspended all executions for the rest of the year.

They're promising to do an investigation to see how this happened. But this is not the first time the state of Tennessee has had issues with executions. So people are really having that question about what's humane here.

And this is getting so much attention, especially even internationally. People wondering exactly what the next steps should be.

BERMAN: John, look, this planned execution was already under the spotlight, getting so much attention. And then when it failed, it really made it all the more so. Ryan Young, thank you very much for sharing your reporting on this.

We are just minutes away now from the brand new jobs report. One thing we're to look at very closely is wage growth. Is it keeping up with inflation?

And House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, weighs in on a possible presidential run for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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