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Trump and Vance Hit Campaign Trail; Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) is Interviewed about Trump's Suggestion Iran Could Hit California; Trump Approves Firing Squad for Fort Hood Shooter; Cornell Professor Julia Chang is Interviewed about the Assault Case. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired October 06, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Where to go. But that work is so hard. And if you read the book, you get a fuller understanding, I think, of just how difficult it is. And I think anybody that comes to this, I hope a future diplomat who comes to this, can read this book and get an understanding of what they're -- what they're getting into. It is exceedingly, exceedingly complex.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Totally. Yes.

MCGURK: And I just think -- I think about all the lives lost and the hostages.

Just real quick, Kate, you know, those women should have come out in November. Three young women, Daron (ph), Emily (ph), they didn't come out until the last day in the book, when I'm in the White House, the day before the Biden administration -- because Hamas held on to them. They held on to them for leverage. It was just an awful -- that's what hostage negotiations are so hard.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

MCGURK: But the book tells the story, and I'll let readers judge the decisions we made.

BOLDUAN: Thanks for putting it all in there.

MCGURK: Thank you so much.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you. Thanks for being here, buddy.

Brett McGurk. The book "Brink" is out today.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight, President Trump says that Iran could take out Los Angeles or San Diego. Did he suggest it would be a small price to pay? This as new polling shows voters want candidates to talk about affordability and health care.

For the first time in 65 years, the U.S. Army is set to carry out a death penalty on an armed service member. The president signs off on the execution by firing squad.

And new developments out of Cornell this morning. Newly obtained audio of a conversation between Jane Doe and a fraternity member.

I'm John Berman, with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning. President Trump is promising a midterm surprise as new polling shows just what is on voters' minds. He was in Nebraska last night. Tomorrow he'll be back in Texas. In Alabama again Sunday. He's also been to Ohio and Oklahoma in recent days. These are all states that he won by double digits in 2024. But now there's some worry there. The president now says he'll campaign in Michigan, a battleground state where President Obama will also hit the trail this month.

And new numbers are revealing exactly what voters want to hear about. In a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 62 percent said it is extremely important for candidates to talk about the cost of living. And gas prices and the cost of health care are nearly tied as voters top economic worries.

And just in, the president posting this, this morning, "my rally crowds and enthusiasm are unbelievable. Nobody has ever seen anything like it. We are flipping races all over the place." He ends it with, "watch out for the midterm surprise."

CNN's Alayna Treene is live this morning at the White House.

Is there any sense of what that might be, what he is alluding to there?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: From what I believe he's alluding to, and I haven't had a chance yet, because since he just posted this, Sara, to chat with my sources if there is some sort of midterm surprise ahead of the midterms. But I think what he's referencing is that perhaps people will be surprised by how well he's arguing Republicans will do. We'll see. And I'll let you know if I get more from my conversations with my sources on whether or not there is something he's planning as a real surprise.

But look, I think it's an interesting post, this idea that he's arguing that they're flipping races all over the place, that they're doing really great. When you look at just where he has been in the last week, he's gone to states that he won three times, deeply red states. States and places where Republicans just a few months ago would argue were very safe. He's spending his time in places like Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio. Last night he was in Nebraska. That just shows that the president is on defense right now and really trying to do what he can to bring these Republican candidates over the finish line and try to hang on to their slim majorities in the House and the Senate.

Now, one thing I will note as well is that the president, really the strategy that his team has devised, and we know that his -- members of his political operation have really said, this is the key thing that will change the midterms, is all about turnout. That's why you're hearing the president say repeatedly that he wants his supporters to pretend he is on the ballot. That is really what they believe is the only thing that they can do to turn the tide of the elections in Republicans favor.

Now, I will note as well that because of the president's poor polling numbers, you walk through the new ones this morning, Sara, showing, you know, gas prices, affordability, all of the things that Americans really care about, what they believe with the president is, unlike in the past, particularly in 2024 when he was running for the general election trying to get a second term, they were really targeting more independent and moderate conservatives.

[09:05:00]

They're not doing that this time. It's all about really ginning up the base and getting enthusiasm among them.

The problem with that, though, and I've also heard this from the president's advisers, is that sometimes it's a catch 22 because the president's also a great driver of enthusiasm for Democrats, many of whom might look at this election as a referendum on him, even when, of course, his name isn't on the ballot, Sara.

SIDNER: Alayna Treene, thank you for your reporting this morning there from the White House.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: And joining me right now is Democratic Congressman John Garamendi of California for much more on all of this.

Let's talk a little bit about what the president said last night because it relates to, well, a lot having to do with today. Last night, the president suggested that Iran could be striking cities in the United States, specifically in California. And suggesting it's something of a small price to pay for winning the Iran War.

Let me play this for you, Congressman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let them take -- let them -- let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. That's -- this is a very small price to pay, and it's going to be over with very soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: How do you respond to that?

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Well, respond in two different ways. First of all, anger that the president of the United States would even suggest such a thing, but also very, very deep concern that this man is not well. His mind is not working correctly. And he's rambling all over the place. And that rambling can cause severe problems for this nation.

So, we're going to move on. This election is going to be extraordinarily important because it gives the American people the opportunity to put the brakes on Trump, to really stop him in his tracks from the kind of craziness that he has put this nation into. The Iran War, absolutely unnecessary. You go back to where we were in 2018, when he became president. We had an agreement with Iran that they would not ever be able to build a nuclear weapon. And we had inspectors in place to assure that. He terminated that. He killed that, even though Russia, China and the European countries were supportive and part of that agreement. So, here we are today with him rambling about Iran being OK to take out Los Angeles or San Diego. This man is not well.

BOLDUAN: Last night, the president also signed an executive order from the stage while in Nebraska, waiving restrictions on a type of diesel, allowing tax free purchase of red dyed diesel to try to, at least in the near term, bring down some of the price of fuel. Do you applaud the move?

GARAMENDI: Well, he's going to do everything he can to try to deal with the cost of living. The fact of the matter is, it will not really succeed. All of these are little efforts. Maybe they have some momentary success. But the reality is, he started a war that chocked off more of, what, 15, 20 percent of the world's oil, prices soared. Diesel is over the top. Just to fill my F-250, my ranch truck, it's 100 -- it's almost $180 to fill that tank. The American public knows that Trump's war is the result of the high gas prices.

And then the medical services that all of us need, those were significantly cut by Trump's big, ugly or beautiful bill in which the Affordable Care Act benefits were cut. Some 20 million people across the United States saw their prices soar for their insurance and their insurance disappearing. And now the Medicaid cuts are coming in. Another, maybe as high as 50 million Americans are going to see less health care services.

These are all expenses that Trump and the Republicans have specifically brought and laid onto the Americans. Unnecessary, bad policy, but that's what Trump and the Republicans have done. They've caused the American public to pay more and more and to have less and less.

BOLDUAN: You serve on the House Armed Services Committee. There is new reporting on possibly why, though a lot of questions surrounding it, on why the U.S. B-1 bombers were evacuated so fast from the U.K. air base this weekend as the United -- as the U.K. just announced another arrest related to that suspected terror plot. "The New York Times" is reporting that the U.S. bombers were withdrawn because of a risk of a drone attack ordered by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

What do you know of -- do you know about this threat? Do you think it was necessary to fly all dozen of these bombers back to the United States?

[09:10:05]

GARAMENDI: Apparently there is a real threat. I don't know the details. None of that has been released. And the Armed Services Committee, to my knowledge, has not been briefed on what the details are.

But, yes, we take the precaution, move them back to the United States. Clearly, there are -- there are ways in which drones can be used. Ukraine successfully used drones in a container and to attract -- to attack Russia bases of more than a couple thousand miles from Ukraine. So, it's possible. It is possible. And let's be on the safe side. Those are extremely valuable assets. They are -- they cannot be replaced. And we need them. So, bring them back home. Yes, I think that's absolutely the thing to do.

But let's keep in mind, why do we have this problem? The Ukraine war rolls on and on and Russia is looking for ways to inflict pain on the United States and on Europe to cause the United States and Europe to move their support for Ukraine and to lessen that support. And this kind of a threat is one more step along that way.

Also, we do know that Russia is sending drones into the airspace of our allies in eastern Europe, causing considerable concern. And the reality is that those drones could be carrying munitions. So, yes, we need to be careful. But we also need to be aware of where Trump is on the Ukraine war. He's not in. He's not out. He's not clear. But what is absolutely clear is, Putin is his favorite person.

BOLDUAN: Congressman John Garamendi, thank you for your time.

John.

BERMAN: All right, President Trump has approved the U.S. Army's first execution by firing squad since World War II. The proposed execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major who admitted to carrying out the nation's deadliest mass shooting at a U.S. military base in 2009 at Fort Hood in Texas, killing 13 people.

Want to get right to CNN's Brian Todd for the latest on what happens now, Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, what happens is that either Pete Hegseth, the Defense secretary, or the secretary of the Army, is going to set a time and place for this execution. It's not clear whether it would be Hegseth or the secretary of the Army. We're trying to get some clarity on that.

But, John, just so many extraordinary components to this case. You know, the Fort Hood attack itself occurred 17 years ago. Nidal Hasan was found guilty and sentenced to death in 2013. So, it's just now at least nearing some kind of resolution all these years later.

The Pentagon did announce and -- that Pete Hegseth recommended death by firing squad for Nidal Hasan and that President Trump approved that sentence. Again, this is going to be the first time, as John mentioned, that the Army will have executed a soldier by firing squad since World War II, when Private Eddie Slovik faced the firing squad in January 1945 after being convicted of desertion. It's also the first time any Army soldier at all will have been executed since 1961.

Now, Nidal Hasan was a U.S. Army major and psychiatrist, walked into a Fort Hood processing center on November 5, 2009, and opened fire, killing 13 people, wounding 32 others before he was apprehended by military police. He was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder, 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder, and was sentenced to death in this case.

Hasan had been radicalized, and he said he was targeting soldiers who he was set to deploy to Afghanistan with in order to protect the Taliban and its leaders from the U.S. military.

Here is a statement from the Pentagon regarding this case. Quote, "Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has recommended, and President Donald J. Trump has approved, death by U.S. Army firing squad for convicted terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan. The secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution. Judgment day for Hasan has finally come."

Not quite clear whether it will be the Army secretary or the Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who will set that.

Again, John, extraordinary. The last time the Army executed anyone was in 1961 when Private John Bennett was hanged for the attempted murder and the rape of an 11 year old Austrian girl. So, those two cases notable that the one in World War II, and that one in 1961 did not involve murder. This one, of course, does. There are three others on death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, all convicted of murder. So, we'll see how those cases play out as well.

John.

BERMAN: Very unusual circumstances. I remember that day, terrible day, back in 2009 very well.

Brian Todd, thank you so much for being with us.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, ahead, Cornell students demanding accountability and faculty members are preparing a no confidence vote for the administration today. We'll talk with a professor about the crisis on campus surrounding the investigation into that alleged gang rape.

Plus, dozens remain in quarantine after a researcher dies of an unknown sickness at a lab that researches the plague.

[09:15:03]

What we're hearing from the World Health Organization.

And sports legends stepping up to raise millions to help fight paralysis. Later, our interview with honoree and boxing giant Laila Ali.

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SIDNER: This morning, ABC News has obtained new audio tied to the investigation into the alleged gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity in 2024.

[09:20:00]

The audio reveals excerpts of a conversation between Jane Doe and one of the men that was accused. You will not hear Jane Doe's voice in order to protect her identity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, FRATERNITY MEMBER: I'm so sorry about all like the backlash you're getting from this, by the way.

Oh, dude, I'm so sorry. No, I'm very -- like, I feel so bad for you, dude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: In the clips recorded three weeks after the alleged assault at the Chi Phi house, ABC says Jane Doe then says, quote, "I was completely and totally intoxicated and then given multiple sedatives. And then I was surrounded by eight to ten men. This is classified as gang rape."

The fraternity brother's tone then appears to shift.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, FRATERNITY MEMBER: Why? Wait, what's the -- can I -- can I ask, like, what's -- what's the purpose for why you decided to call me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: All of it comes as Cornell University senate faculty members are preparing to hold a vote of no confidence against the school's administration over its responses to those allegations.

I'm joined now by Julia Chang. She is an associate professor of Hispanic studies at Cornell University.

Thank you for being here this morning.

I do want to ask you about what this vote of no confidence actually does. Is it ceremonial or will it lead to consequences for the university leadership?

JULIA CHANG, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: Hi. Good morning, Sara, and thank you for having me.

I'm not a member of the faculty senate, but I unequivocally, excuse me, support the no confidence vote. I think it will be largely symbolic, and I think it's just one of the many things that needs to happen in order to hold this administration accountable, because trust has been broken between faculty, staff and administration. Trust has been broken between the students and administration.

SIDNER: Can you take us back to 2024? You've been on this campus for the past decade. What happened in 2024? What did everyone know about this case?

CHANG: So, in 2024, we received, to our Cornell email addresses, a crime alert from the Cornell University police department saying that a student had alleged that she was raped by multiple men and that she was also drugged. This email was sent out. It also published the address of the location where the sexual assault allegedly occurred. And so, students pieced together immediately where that had happened.

I think amongst the student population, people were shocked and worried and scared. I think that there was the same kind of sense among the -- amongst the faculty, but there was no kind of discourse about it internally, if that makes sense. There wasn't this kind of outcry that there is right now. And the story kind of quietly disappeared.

After being at Cornell for over ten years, we're sort of accustomed to getting news like this because crime alerts are sent out every time that they're filed. So essentially, and this is something I talked about at the rally yesterday, I think that I was shocked and horrified, but to some, some degree, it was sort of like, we're used to hearing news like this. And we didn't receive the same kind of support that we are receiving now after "The Cornell Sun" broke the news in terms of, here are the resources. Here is where you can send your students. And I think that speaks to the degree to which this is kind of normalized on our campus.

SIDNER: What is the biggest failure that you see here from the time that you got that alert and what you know now?

CHANG: I think one of the biggest failures is a lack of transparency, that people don't know what is going on. We also have a lack of training. So, faculty are often the front line, especially faculty like me, who work in gender studies. Students often report sexual assault to us and we don't receive proper training. Many faculty now are asking, are they mandatory reporters? Are they not mandatory reporters? And it speaks to just the lack of knowledge and preparedness around sexual assault and the prevention of sexual assault.

We also have a student code of conduct that has been selectively punitive. And I think this is one of the things people are really angry about on this campus community, that the very year that they were quietly adjudicating this Chi Phi sexual assault, students, international students especially, but students in -- were being suspended and international students were effectively being made vulnerable to deportation. This was very spectacular. This was all over the news. And meanwhile, quietly, this Chi Phi rape was being adjudicated by the same office, the student code of conduct. SIDNER: I do want to talk about what was happening there, because

according to "The New York Times," Cornell's Title IX investigation found that one of the Chi Phi fraternity members was, and I'm quoting "The Times" now, "responsible for sexual assault, judging that he was willing to manipulate, exploit and endanger Jane Doe for his own self- interest and the entertainment of others."

The punishment was expulsion, but it didn't lead to an arrest or prosecution.

[09:25:02]

Why do you think that is?

CHANG: I think there is a fundamental problem with how these things are handled internally. This is considered a crime. If this were to happen in any -- within any organization, let's say a private corporation, a high school, it would be absurd to say this is going to be handled internally by our own internal police force and by our own employees who are trained to listen to sexual assault panels -- testimonies, excuse me.

So, I think that the universities really shouldn't be -- and this isn't just a Cornell problem. This is a problem with universities in the United States -- are really not tasked to handle this kind of thing. And I think we're seeing this system break down in front of us right now.

SIDNER: Do you trust the police department in the future? Do you trust that there will be some responsible reaction, or should that change?

CHANG: Do you mean the Cornell University Police Department?

SIDNER: Yes. Yes.

CHANG: I can't say that I have a lot of faith. Every piece of information that gets leaked to the press, the fact that we're finding out at the same time that you all are about what's happening on this campus about what happened in 2024, I think a lot of us have lost faith in this institution. And as I said, trust is just completely broken.

So, you know, Governor Kathy Hochul called in the attorney general, Letitia James, to investigate the university. And I think that's for good reason, because the institution has proven that it is not capable of handling this.

SIDNER: Julia Chang, I do appreciate your time and walking us through all that at this difficult time there at the university.

CHANG: Thank you.

SIDNER: I do appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: New York's governor declares a disaster emergency to battle an outbreak of measles. How far has it spread?

And then a late-night filing to give the press access to cover the president. Where does this case stand now?

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