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Fort Hood Shooter to Face Firing Squad Execution?; Protests Grow at Cornell University; Trump Continues Campaign Push. Aired 1- 1:30p ET

Aired October 06, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: A focus on affordability. New polling shows voters want -- what voters want to talk about, including the cost of living and health care. Ahead, what this means for both parties with just four weeks until the midterm elections.

Plus, a crisis on campus, Cornell students demanding accountability, while faculty members prepare a vote of no confidence for the administration over its handling of an alleged gang rape case.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And calls for transparency. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is urging Russia to share more information on the death of a researcher who worked at a lab dedicated to studying the plague.

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

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much for joining us this afternoon.

The countdown to midterms now hitting T-minus 28 days, as President Trump gets ready for a big speech in Baltimore today. A new snapshot is now out on the issues that voters want to hear more about. There's really no surprise here, the cost of living topping the list at 62 percent, followed by health care, government fraud, Iran, immigration, all of this according to KFF tracking.

With Republican support slipping, President Trump posting today -- quote -- his "rallies are saving the Republican Party again." Just last night, he signed an executive order on stage in Nebraska that he says will lower diesel prices.

Let's discuss with CNN's Alayna Treene, who's live for us at the White House.

So, Alayna, what can we expect today from the president?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, the president has been in really just the last couple of hours talking repeatedly about he believes how he is saving the Republican Party ahead of the midterms.

I do want to read for you what we heard from the president. In one of those post, Boris, he wrote -- quote -- "My rally crowds and enthusiasm are unbelievable. Nobody has ever seen anything like it. We are flipping races all over the place. Watch for the midterm surprise."

Now, I had a lot of people asking me this morning what the midterm surprise was. From the conversation I have been having, they are insisting they think that the president's referencing to perhaps Republicans will turn out a surprise win on November 3 in the midterms.

But I think what's important is the message that he's been using. You just talked about some of that polling that we have seen this morning, this new poll that's showing affordability, gas prices, the economy, all of that really being a key priority and focus of voters ahead of the elections.

You can hear the president actually in some of his recent rallies kind of more bluntly addressing some of those issues, at points even arguing that, yes, prices are high, specifically talking about the high cost of gas in the country.

But he's also tried to continue to blame that on the former President Joe Biden. He did that last night in Nebraska to a bit of a tepid reaction from the crowd. But something I think is really interesting, he is going to Baltimore this evening. It is more so to announce the $6.6 billion partnership with a facility that will be making new submarine parts.

But that's different from where we have really been seeing him spend his time in recent day -- in recent days, Boris. I just want to point out some of the places he's been visiting. He was in Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio, last night Nebraska. These are all very red states, particularly states that he actually won three times in 2016, in 2020, and in 2024.

What this shows is that he's going on defense, and defense in places where, if you talk to a Republican strategist six months or so ago, they would have argued these are all likely to be safe seats in some of these states.

But the president is being forced now to go on defense and defend his administration and the Republican Party overall. And then it all comes down to this one issue that his advisers are telling him is really the only thing they believe he can help with ahead of the midterms, which is turnout.

This is all about trying to get as many of his fiercest supporters to actually show up and vote on Election Day as possible. That's what they believe could potentially turn the tide for them.

SANCHEZ: And, Alayna, you have been tracking a reversal from Trump on these taxpayer-funded ads that the White House has been putting out. There's been bipartisan backlash, ads like "God made Trump."

Now he's saying it's no longer going to be taxpayer-funded, right?

TREENE: Yes, these ads have been incredibly controversial, and you haven't even just heard some of this criticism from Democrats.

You have heard it from a lot of Republicans, who are saying these ads, which I should say the White House has argued were public service announcements and not ads, but saying that they shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer money, that this is not something that taxpayers should be footing the bill for.

And all of these different ads, we have gone through many of them, all of them really. If you look at them, they're all about boosting and promoting the president and his image. Now, the president said on TRUTH Social last night, he said -- quote -- "I have decided to do the patriotic ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA Inc."

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MAGA Inc., of course, being the president's super PAC. They have hundreds of million of dollars in their war chest. The question is, of course, why didn't they do this in the first place? Why did they use taxpayer money in the first place? And what actually spurred the president to acknowledge this and make such a big reversal on this issue?

I think part of it has to do with those polling numbers, again, that you showed at the top, Boris, about affordability and the economy being some of the key concerns that Americans are having in this moment -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Alayna Treene, live for us at the White House, thank you so much -- Brianna.

KEILAR: We're joined now by Scott MacFarlane. He's chief Washington correspondent for the MeidasTouch Network. There's a lot to talk about...

SCOTT MACFARLANE, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, MEIDASTOUCH: Yes.

KEILAR: ... as we're a little less than a month out here.

The president says he plans to campaign in Michigan. Yesterday, the Democratic Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, dared Trump to come to Michigan. He said he was too afraid to come. Well, now he's coming. And I wonder how you see this visit. Is this actually going to help the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers, or do you think it could hurt him?

MACFARLANE: There's the possibility that there's some distancing that happens between now and then. We have seen a little bit of it, but it's subtle, Brianna. The Democratic nominee in the Seventh District is trying to tie the Republican nominee in the Seventh District to Trump. And that Republican nominee, Tom Barrett, voted against Trump's war authorization, so a subtle distance. Will Mike Rogers do the same? I know Democrats are keen on Trump being here because they're trying actively to tie Mike Rogers and the gubernatorial nominee, John James, to Trump.

This makes things easier. It's going to be important to note who's in the room and who skips down.

KEILAR: And I wonder, as you're looking at Trump going after FOX News today, he's upset because they interviewed El-Sayed, because they also interviewed the independent Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn. What does that say to you about -- I mean, is Trump worried that those candidates are going to appeal to FOX viewers?

MACFARLANE: It's all capitalistic. FOX is platforming Abdul El-Sayed because it seems to do well for their ratings. It engages their audience, for better or for worse for El-Sayed. People on FOX seem to want to hear from him.

It's not necessarily the case that they want to hear extemporaneous remarks at rallies right now from Trump. Trump's rallies have been going through this void on FOX News. They haven't been platformed, Brianna. That frustrates the president.

But I'm also not sure he's got a cure for that because it may not be engaging their audience. But, simultaneously, we know Trump's wars against the media sometimes end up being very meaty and substantive. Just now, in the Washington, D.C., federal court, ABC television has been asking a judge to intervene and stop Trump's FCC from investigating ABC over their speech and their late-night show and their midday show.

Trump doesn't just sometimes holler at media. Sometimes, he does take actions that can inflict pain on his media enemies.

KEILAR: Yes, we have seen that.

So, obviously, right now, this political environment, we're seeing this in states that we normally don't talk about, it is very much favoring Democrats. And they're relishing the -- they haven't seen this in cycles and cycles, right?

But, at the same time, they have this big money disadvantage. Right now, you have got Republicans with $682 million worth of ads reserved through Election Day. Democrats have $491 million. Top Democrats, I think, are worried that they're squandering this advantage on one hand because of the money disadvantage.

How big of a problem could it be?

MACFARLANE: Sherrod Brown, the Democratic nominee in Ohio, told me yesterday that he expects tens of millions of dollars more to pour in against him. And it's a problem. He's out there banging the pots and pans trying to get small donors, but it's hard to match fire with fire when it's tens of millions of dollars coming against you. Two data points that are important, Brianna, in my latest reporting.

Democratic pollsters and operatives think the data point that shows Democratic enthusiasm and energy is higher. You can't buy that with money. So that's something that is somewhat immune from the financial disadvantages.

Secondly, they think, as polls continue to show them advantaged in certain states they thought were going to be long shots, money will start flowing into places like Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa.

KEILAR: Alayna was just reporting from the White House about how MAGA Inc. is now going to be paying for these controversial ads that taxpayers had been paying for. Even when you looked at the ads, they didn't seem like the kind of ads the taxpayers should be paying for.

To what do we owe this change, do you think?

MACFARLANE: It could be backlash, political backlash. These weren't landing well with football viewers, who were saying, why is my taxpayer money going for any political ad, whether I support the candidate or not, whether I support the president or not?

There's been blowback. I think some of it's coming in to the White House and coming to the president's ears. We will see if he actually shifts over to super PAC money, if he keeps his word on that. But there's also, Brianna, some level of heartburn about big donors putting money in the president's pocket to pay for these ads with some expectation of something in return.

KEILAR: Yes. We will keep an eye on that, as you will with your reporting.

Scott, thank you so much.

MACFARLANE: Thank you.

KEILAR: Always great to have you.

And still to come: growing fallout. Faculty at Cornell University are preparing to hold a no-confidence vote, as at least one accused fraternity member in an alleged rape case hires a high-profile defense attorney.

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Plus, America's top diplomat says Russia needs to be more transparent after a researcher working inside a plague laboratory mysteriously dies.

Then, later: Hundreds of schools are closed across France. Thousands of young people have been arrested. Why students and teachers are protesting in the streets in unprecedented numbers.

We have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: There's new fallout from the alleged gang rape at Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity house. Members of school's faculty senate are now calling for a vote of no confidence against the administration. The full faculty senate could vote at a meeting next week.

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Meantime, ABC News has obtained and released audio of a second recorded phone call between the alleged victim, Jane Doe, and another Chi Phi fraternity member accused in the case. ABC says the conversation happened after the alleged assault and is dated November 7.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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.

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SANCHEZ: ABC reports Jane Doe responded by saying -- quote -- "I was completely and totally intoxicated and then given multiple sedatives. And then I was surrounded by upwards of eight to 10 men. This is classified as a gang rape.

That's when, according to ABC, the fraternity member said this:

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

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SANCHEZ: Last night, thousands turned out for a protest where there were calls for Cornell's president to resign. A student-led town hall is set for tonight, followed by a sit-in tomorrow.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is following new developments in the story.

So, Brynn, Cornell's president has already spoken to some students. What did they say?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so he released a video statement not too long ago, Boris, and also has sat down, to our understanding, with some students, essentially assuring them that he understands the response to all of this, the anger that people are feeling, and says he's really going to work his best to get to the bottom of it, and also says he's going to make a commitment to many things, among them looking at Greek life on Cornell University's campus.

Now, as you said, this is coming as there are a number of faculty members who are putting together a resolution and bringing it to their sort of Senate board, as they call themselves, for a vote, a vote of no confidence in the administration running Cornell University.

Our understanding is that 40 faculty members, many of which have had people come and voice their concerns to them, are going to vote in favor of this resolution. There's about 75 or so that are in total on this board. They're going to take up this resolution next week, but all of this to say, Boris, that there is some serious concern about how this administration not only is going to handle incidents possibly in the future, but certainly this 2024 incident and possibly others that might have taken place in the past.

SANCHEZ: Brynn, CNN has learned that a former deputy U.S. attorney general has been looped into the investigation. What can you tell us about that?

GINGRAS: Yes, so Sally Yates, serving under President -- former President Barack Obama, she is now going to be leading this independent investigation by Cornell University.

This is something, of course, New York's governor asked Cornell to do, was to find an outside independent investigation. And this review is going to compromise of a lot of things, some of which is going to be just seeing how Cornell follows its policies and procedures in the wake of some sort of accusation of sexual assault, sexual misconduct.

They're also going to be looking at the campus police, how do they handle reports? Again, this is just small little bullet points of what they will be looking at, and their task is very large, as they really take this broad approach at looking into the guts of Cornell University and how everything was handled, again, not only with this 2024 incident, but other possible incidents that have happened in the past and what sort of reforms can happen for the future.

SANCHEZ: Brynn Gingras, thank you so much for the update in that story.

Up next, President Trump approving a firing squad execution for the Fort Hood shooter. How is this going to work?

Plus, the latest from Russia, after a researcher working at a plague lab dies. Now the U.S. pushing the Kremlin for more information.

Stay with us.

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SANCHEZ: President Trump has approved the U.S. Army's first execution by firing squad in more than 80 years.

Nidal Hasan, a former Army major, carried out the nation's deadliest mass shooting at an American military base.

KEILAR: The 56-year-old killed 13 people and wounded dozens of others at Fort Hood in Texas back in 2009 as his Army unit was about to be deployed to Afghanistan. He will now be the first U.S. soldier to die by firing squad since the final months of World War II in 1945.

CNN's Brian Todd is with us now on this story.

Brian, what are you learning here about this decision and how this would work?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, how it'll work is kind of yet to be determined.

We do know that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or the Army secretary are going to determine the time and the place of the execution. Where it will happen, not clear yet. How it will unfold, there isn't much precedent for this, obviously. We do know from some of the publications about the death penalty that, when there was an execution of an Army soldier in 1945 that you guys were just alluding to, there were 12 people in the firing squad.

Eleven of them had bullets in their guns so that they could have -- quote -- "psychological deniability" for his death. So that's interesting. Is that going to be playing out in this case too? We don't know. What we can tell you about the Hasan case as of now is that, according to our reporting, Defense Secretary Hegseth recommended the death penalty for Nidal Hasan. President Trump approved it.

The Pentagon issued a statement saying -- quote -- "Judgment day for Hasan has finally come." This is again -- again, the time and the place are to be determined. Hasan was a U.S. Army major and psychiatrist who walked into a processing center at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009 and opened fire. He killed 13 people. He wounded 32 others before being apprehended by military police.

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He was convicted in 2013 on 13 counts of premeditated murder, 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. Hasan had been radicalized and said he was targeting soldiers who he was set to deploy to Afghanistan with in order to protect the Taliban from the U.S. military.

Again, guys, the precedent for this is interesting because the Army has not executed a soldier by firing squad since the end of World War II in January 1945. Private Eddie Slovik was executed for desertion, not murder, desertion. There were about 50,000, an estimated 50,000 U.S. Army troops who deserted in World War II.

He was the only one executed for desertion, because, according to publications that we have read, the commanding general, Dwight D. Eisenhower, wanted to make an example out of him as to what could happen to soldiers if they deserted while World War II was still going on.

The only other soldier, though -- excuse me -- not the only one, but the last soldier to be executed by the Army was 65 years ago, 1961, in April of 1961. That is when Private John Bennett was hanged for the rape and attempted murder of an Austrian girl in April of 1961. As of now, guys, there are three other soldiers on death row at Fort

Leavenworth, Kansas, aside from Nidal Hasan. All three of those soldiers were found guilty of murder. But, again, interesting, these other cases historically, 1961, Private John Bennett hanged, that was not a murder. It was an attempted murder. The girl survived.

Her -- she and her family even issued statements to the Pentagon asking for his life to be spared. It was not spared by President John Kennedy. The only other one, Private Eddie Slovik, January 1945, executed when he was made an example of. Very interesting historical cases here -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, it has been some time here.

Brian Todd, thank you so much for that report.

Next: a pretty big sign that Republicans may have already given up on at least one congressional race. We will have that story after a quick break.

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