Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Trump Stumps In Red States As GOP Plays Midterm Defense; Report: Worker At Russian Plague Lab Dies Of "Unknown" Infection; Top GOP Super PAC Pauses Spending In NC, Diverts Money To Other States; Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC) Discusses About The Spending Of GOP; Recorded Phone Call Between "Jane Doe," Accused Fraternity Member After Alleged Assault Revealed; Cornell Building Vandalized Amid Sex Assault Investigation. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 05, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: And clearly, what happened in Minnesota motivated Martinez here.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right, Omar, thank you for the very latest there.

And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Back on the campaign trail, we're standing by for President Trump to depart the White House to go stump in another deep red state as new polling shows Republicans are losing ground with a key demographic.

Plus, plague fears. Dozens of people under quarantine after a researcher at a Russian plague lab dies of a mysterious illness. And later, a major military move. Why the U.S. relocated all of its long- range bombers from a critical air base in the U.K. back to the United States.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

At any moment, President Donald Trump is expected to deport the White House and kick up his midterm blitz. He's soon leaving for a rally in Nebraska. And from there, you could say he's following the red brick road as he heads to ruby red Alabama and then Texas.

This week's stops happening as recent polling has been shifting in the Democrats' favor. CNN's Jeff Zeleny is live in Grand Island, Nebraska, where the President will be speaking at a rally tonight.

Jeff, take it away. What -- what are we expecting to hear from the President?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, one month and one day out from the midterm elections. It is clear this race for the fight for control of the Senate and the House is playing out in Trump country, particularly the U.S. Senate.

President Trump will be coming here to Grand Island, Nebraska. The stage is set behind us. People are streaming in. Of course, he is hours away from coming. But this is a deep red part of a deep red state.

President Trump won this congressional district by 52 points. He won Nebraska overall by 20 points. But what he is doing here is trying to fire up Republicans for a key Senate race here. Senator Pete Ricketts is up for reelection, of course. He's running against Dan Osborn. He's a former union leader and independent as well.

There's not a Democrat on the ballot. So, that has added a bit of intrigue to this race here. And Republicans are concerned about a softness in their base of voters and independents as well. So, President Trump is coming here to Nebraska as part of this red state blitz we're seeing to try and impress upon Republicans that they need to come out and vote. But he's also seeking a bit of safe harbor.

He is not going to the competitive House districts here in Nebraska, in the Omaha area, in the Lincoln area as well. The Republican candidates there are not as eager to be seen with him, most likely.

So, coming to safe haven, safe territory, if you will, as we've seen him do in Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas as well. So, Boris, this campaign is playing out with Republicans on defense in red states that Trump won by double digits just two years ago. But we should be clear here, Republicans have a strong spending advantage in the final month of this race. That is one of the things that gives Democrats some anxiety.

But talking to a Republican congressman from one of these states, Boris, he told me this. He said, this is a five alarm fire out here. We're always eager to see the President, but we don't know if he understands what voters are feeling. So, of course, we will see if the President actually hears from any voters when he comes here to give his speech. But again, the final month of this campaign is playing out in Trump country. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Jeff Zeleny, live for us in Nebraska. Thank you so much. Brianna?

KEILAR: Fears of the plague are growing after a researcher at a Russian lab that studies the plague died of what's been described as pneumonia of unknown origin. Russian health officials are now taking extraordinary precautions. The hospital intake unit that treated the 28-year-old patient is under quarantine.

Medical departments have stopped admitting or discharging patients. Other hospitals in the region have also been closed. And unofficial reports say nearly 200 people are now under observation. Officials say there have been no reported cases of infectious disease among institute staff over the past 10 days.

We're joined now by public health and vaccine expert Dr. Michael Mina. He is also the chief medical officer and chief epidemiologist at Invivyd.

Dr. Mina, thanks for being with us. The mayor is saying there have been no cases of infectious diseases reported among the staff over the past 10 days. Recent contacts of this employee are being tested and examined. Do you think they have a handle on this?

DR. MICHAEL MINA MD, PHD, PHYSICIAN AND EPIDEMIOLOGIST: Sounds to me like they're doing -- they're making all the right moves. This bacteria is not -- you know, this isn't going to be the next SARS-CoV- 2. This isn't spread nearly as well as something like SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19.

[15:05:08]

And so, what it sounds to me is that they are taking extreme precautions to ensure that should there be any additional spread, that it remains contained in a very, very small circle.

KEILAR: Yes, and that's, of course, what I think is on everyone's mind when they think of an infectious disease here. So, the Russian agency that's handling infectious diseases downplayed the link between the researcher's death and the workplace here. They said no microorganisms associated with the employee's professional duties were detected in patient samples. Is that credible to you?

MINA: Yes, it's -- it's challenging. It's very challenging to say. Certainly, the early reports would have suggested that this was what people commonly refer to as the bacteria that causes the plague or Yersinia. It sounds like that's probably what -- what this individual is working on. But of course, there is a lot of miscommunication in this regard and -- and a lot of individuals seeming to, you know, speak about it. But I -- I haven't seen any credible reports one way or the other to suggest that it's not.

And certainly, perhaps they're taking a bit of caution in terms of really announcing to the world what actually caused this. But the early reports and the actions and the quality of the actions that are now being taken would suggest that this is likely something quite serious that there is great concern about by the -- by the government.

KEILAR: Yes. If -- if this is the pneumonic plague, what do people -- you know, what should they know? Is it treatable? How -- how quickly can it spread? How severe is it? What do governments need to do?

MINA: Yes, this is -- A, it is treatable. It is a very deadly bacteria if it is inhaled and gets into the lungs. And so, that's one of the reasons that it can be so dangerous. The good thing today is that we have antibiotics that actually do a very good job at treating it. So, it is a treatable infection. The most important thing is to remain vigilant if you think at all that you've been exposed.

Now, I want to be clear, it is very unlikely that this bacteria from this individual has spread widely. There have been no other cases that I've heard of -- of it being infected, of it being transmitted. And so, hopefully, there is just an N of one individual who -- who is infected and unfortunately passed away. And hopefully, no other infections will occur.

I don't think it's time for individuals across the globe to be concerned whatsoever. And it is treatable, and it is not nearly as contagious as some of the viruses that we often concern ourselves with. But it does really point to the need for vigilance, the need to really make sure that we know the precautions we're taking when we're dealing with pathogens, that -- you know, particularly pathogens that are so fatal and lethal. And this should be a wake-up call that these pathogens exist within our walls and -- and governments and others need to take great, great care when working with them.

KEILAR: Yes. Dr. Mina, thank you so much for being with us. Really appreciate it.

MINA: Absolutely. Thank you.

KEILAR: Still to come, new audio reveals a secretly recorded phone conversation between Jane Doe and one of the men accused in the Cornell University rape investigation.

Plus, a study finds that millions of cancer cases may be caused by infections that are either treatable or preventable.

And then later, the Recording Academy says its new Asian pop category will debut next year despite pushback from some of the biggest K-pop names. We have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:13:28]

SANCHEZ: We're keeping an eye on the White House, where the President is about to depart for his next campaign rally ahead of these critical midterm elections. These are live images on the South Lawn of the White House, where we expect President Trump to appear at any moment.

With just four weeks to go, though, Republicans are shifting strategies, including in a key race that could determine who controls the Senate. One of the GOP's top super PACs is now diverting funds away from North Carolina, a move that marks a major pivot as Republicans try to hold on to their slim Senate majority.

Recent polls have North Carolina's Republican nominee Michael Whatley trailing Democrat and former Governor Roy Cooper. Joining us now to discuss, Republican North Carolina Congressman Tim Moore.

Congressman, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

President Trump last week admitted ...

REP. TIM MOORE (R-NC): Hi.

SANCHEZ: ... that he's worried about Michael Whatley, as the party cancels millions of dollars in ad reservations for his Senate race. Do you share the President's concern?

MOORE: Well, I will say this, that Michael Whatley is working very hard. We know what kind of environment that we're dealing with right now, but if I look at the poll numbers, I see that Roy Cooper seems to have a ceiling that he's hitting. And so, I still believe that Michael Whatley can win this race.

And he has a great team. These are folks who are out there working. They're -- they're talking about -- about a very important message. You know, I -- I know Roy Cooper well. He was governor when I was speaker of our state House. And -- and I saw the policies that things that happened during the COVID lockdown, where we were one of the most restrictive states. The -- the fact that he released thousands of dangerous criminals back on the streets. North Carolinians don't like that.

[15:15:03]

And so, the more that Michael Whatley is out there talking about his vision and also pointing out the record of Governor Cooper, I -- I think more and more folks are coming his way. And I've actually seen some of the numbers shifting in the right direction, at least in my congressional district, which is Charlotte, this area, and in points west.

SANCHEZ: I do want to ask you about what you described as the environment that we're in, because with that race, Republicans appear to be deprioritizing a state that the President carried in all three of his presidential runs. And that speaks to something more broadly, right? There's -- there's also a growing number of House Republicans that have told CNN they believe they will lose the majority. I wonder why you think your party is facing these headwinds.

MOORE: We are generally the party who is in power. Whenever you have a midterm election, they -- they -- that party tends to lose ground historically. There's only a few examples where that hasn't happened. But what -- I would actually point out some differences. This Congress, we've actually produced a lot of good results. The working families tax cut that are allowing Americans to keep more of the money that -- that they've earned in their pockets. The road to housing, it really hasn't been talked about a lot, but it's legislation that's going to control how home prices are out of control.

A little stat, I know this isn't on the, you know, subject matter, but I -- I ran across this statistic the other day. About 30 percent of the cost of a home is based on unnecessary regulations. So -- so, the folks who are out there watching this, think about, if you could reduce the amount you would have to pay for a house by 30 percent, how it would allow you to afford things more. The road to housing we passed will do that, but these things take time to implement.

So, to come back around to your question, we've passed a lot of good policy, but a lot of the benefits of that aren't going to be able to play out between now and an election. They have a two, three-year horizon in a lot of that.

SANCHEZ: I understand your point about history, and it's true that the incumbent party typically doesn't perform well during the midterms. There's that, but then there's also the cost of just about everything. Americans are now paying 47 percent, nearly 47 percent more for gas than before the war with Iran began.

AAA says that diesel prices in your state topped $6 a gallon last month. That's up from $3.46 a year ago. We're now seven months into this conflict that the White House said would last four to six weeks, and there is still no agreement for any concessions from Tehran. And on top of that, there's the human toll. Eighteen U.S. service members, at least 18, have been killed, hundreds more wounded. Do you think this war is going to cost Republicans control of Congress?

MOORE: You know, it certainly doesn't help. But I will say this, that the President was confronted with a choice between bad and worse. I mean, you had -- you had radical, evil leaders in Iran who I would have no doubt, if they were to have a nuclear weapon, would absolutely use that on the U.S., our allies, and anyone else.

I mean, just look at how they've conducted themselves with their -- with their neighboring countries by firing missiles and so forth. And so, the President had a tough choice to make, and I'm not going to second-guess a lot of it. I -- I do think that it would be better that we could get this over with sooner rather than later.

But when it comes to fuel prices, I'm actually one of the members who's called on us to not allow the export of fuel. I mean, if you think about it, we get very little of our -- of our oil and our fuel from the Middle East. The reason prices are so high is because it's being exported. And frankly, a lot of the gas companies are gouging the American people.

Right now, these -- a lot of these gas companies are making over $2 a gallon on diesel fuel, where they normally make about $0.35. That's ridiculous. I think we need to deal with that, and I think we need to not be exporting our fuel. We need to keep it here in the United States so that folks can afford it, because to your point, it's tough on people right now.

SANCHEZ: There are economists who think that banning the export of diesel would actually send prices higher. I want to go back to the -- the choice that you said that President Trump had, because back in February, U.S. intelligence didn't back up the claim that Iran was close to a nuclear weapon. In fact, two weeks before the war began, President Trump himself said that the strikes that he launched in 2025 completely obliterated Iran's nuclear capacity.

So, I wonder, what intelligence have you seen that says otherwise, that says that there was an imminent threat coming from Tehran?

MOORE: Well, of course, if I've seen it in a confidential setting, I can't talk about it. But -- but let me just say that I've -- I believe from things that I've seen and I've heard that the threat was actually real, you know, but that's based on the information that's provided to us. I'll tell you this, if -- if Iran had nuclear weapons, we'd have a lot bigger problems right now than high gas prices because of what these guys would do.

SANCHEZ: But -- but Congressman ...

MOORE: And I (INAUDIBLE) ...

SANCHEZ: ... forgive me, but -- but the President himself said that the -- the Midnight Hammer, the operation that he launched in 2025, obliterated their nuclear program. You're telling me that less than five, six months later, they were suddenly a threat to the U.S. mainland with a nuclear weapon that the U.S. had to go to war imminently?

MOORE: Well, I can't -- and -- and I'm not saying exactly that, but I am saying that they have clearly been trying to pick up the pieces and build on that.

[15:20:04]

And we have a regime -- and -- and this is the thing I tell folks, you have a regime in Iran, they don't care whether you're Democrat, Republican, they don't care. The leaders of that country hate the United States. They hate Americans. When they begin their governing sessions, they start off with chants of death to America.

And I think, frankly, it's sad that for four decades, both -- in both parties over the years, have failed to deal with the threat that Iran has posed. So, at least I'm proud of the fact that this president's taken a stand on that.

SANCHEZ: We're limited on time, Congressman, but I do want to ask you about your role on the Budget Committee, because you've expressed serious concerns about the wasteful spending of taxpayer funds. Is it appropriate for this administration to allocate $20 million of taxpayers' hard-earned money to run ads like the ones we've been seeing from the White House, ads like God Made Trump?

MOORE: Well, I haven't seen -- I haven't seen those ads, but I'm a -- I'm a hawk when it comes to the debt, and I'm a hawk when it comes to spending. So, I'd like to take a look at that. But I'll say that when it comes to spending the taxpayers' dollars, it needs to be on things that make sense.

And look, if you look at a lot of budgets, if you look at the -- the Medicaid spending out there, estimates are telling us that roughly 25 percent of it is wasteful spending. So, there's wasteful spending that's happening across the ...

SANCHEZ: So, does it make sense for the President to put out ads touting himself, talking about "God Made Trump" and other things of -- of that ilk?

MOORE: Well, I haven't seen ads, and if there's ads that are -- that are the way you're describing them, I'm certainly not going to defend the use of that money, but that -- because I think that the taxpayers' dollars should be used for things that people actually need. But, you know, without knowing what those -- what those are, I don't want to say any more than that.

But look, I mean, at the end of the day, our national debt's so big, we're paying more in interest every year right now, the national debt, than we do to fund our entire military. So, you know, if there's cuts that need to be made there to -- to keep that from happening in terms of wasteful money, wherever waste is, we need to deal with it.

SANCHEZ: We'll be more than happy to provide you with some links to those ads. Congressman Tim Moore, thank you so much for joining us.

MOORE: Thanks for having me on, Boris. You all take care.

SANCHEZ: Sure. Still to come, new details in the Cornell University gang rape case as an attorney for one of the accused questions the impartiality of special prosecutor Letitia James.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:54]

KEILAR: New details in the Cornell University fraternity gang rape investigation. There is new audio of a phone call obtained by ABC News between the alleged victim, Jane Doe, and one of the Chi Phi fraternity members accused in the case. It reveals a conversation secretly recorded by Jane Doe that happened after the alleged assault. She was speaking to the man who allegedly invited her to the frat house. Here's a portion of that phone call when, according to ABC, Jane Doe asked if she -- if he could help identify all of the men in the room.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have racked my brain for this mystery. You know, it's possible that both of us, like, remember this, and it's not true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: In response, Jane Doe says, "No, because I remember looking up and being like, 'That is too many people.'" According to ABC, she also asks, "Do you remember how any of these guys walked in?" Then, the accused fraternity member says this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The party was sort of, like, crowded, so people started, like, filling up the balcony just because there was nowhere else to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: These recordings are coming out amid growing demands for more accountability from campus and local law enforcement. More community protests are set to begin on Cornell's campus here in about an hour. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is there.

And Gloria, Jane Doe's attorney says he's confident there is more evidence that we haven't seen in this case.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And I will get to the evidence in just a moment, Brianna. But first, I want to talk about some developments overnight, because, as you said, there are protests scheduled for this afternoon now that we are a week in after we first learned the details of this lawsuit filed by Jane Doe. And overnight, some acts of vandalism on the campus of Cornell University.

We have obtained some photos showing one of the buildings that's on campus. It's actually the building that Houses administrative offices vandalized overnight. You can see that there is graffiti painted on the walls. There was a window, a glass door that was smashed.

We walked over there this morning. It was quickly cleaned up. It had been cleaned up. The graffiti -- graffiti had been removed, and the glass door had been replaced by a -- a cardboard, you know, covering for now. But this is certainly, at least for now, the most sort of violent outburst we have seen in reaction to the developments we have been covering over the past week.

Now, let's get to the evidence, because it is really important in this case. And we have heard from Jane Doe's attorney talking about his concern that evidence might not have been properly collected or preserved in this case. Now, you played the phone calls that ABC has obtained between Jane Doe and one of the alleged -- one of the accused students that she has targeted in her lawsuit.

[15:30:03]