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Judge Sides with Christa Pike's Attorneys, Orders Evidence from Botched Execution be Preserved; Federal Prosecutors Charge 18-Year-Old with Terrorism After He Discussed Targeting the Mall of America; Trump: U.S. Doesn't Believe Bioweapon Killed Russian Lab Tech; AP: Army Found Shock Gloves Cause "Intense" Pain, "Excessive" Fear. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 07, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: ... moisture, then also starts to spread eastward into even some surrounding states like Georgia and the Carolinas as well as Tennessee. Storm surge is going to be a big concern, especially through this area right through here Pensacola down through Panama City and even Mobile looking at five to seven feet of storm surge and even the surrounding areas could still pick up several feet as well.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right, Allison, thank you so much. We'll be following that.

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

A plot to attack the Mall of America: federal prosecutors charge an 18-year-old with terrorism for allegedly planning a shooting at the country's biggest mall.

And Russia winds down anti-epidemic measures as the White House and the World Health Organization keep pressing the Kremlin for answers about the mysterious death of a researcher at a plague lab.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And Intense pain and fear. An army study revealing the severe impact that shock gloves can cause. The same gloves immigration agents could soon start using.

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

KEILAR: We do begin with breaking news, a hearing just wrapped up in the case of Christa Pike. The court has ordered that the state preserve relevant evidence in Pike's botched execution.

SANCHEZ: Pike, you may recall, was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She was set to become the first woman executed in Tennessee in 200 years. CNN's Ryan Young is in Nashville for us where that hearing took place.

So Ryan, what did you learn in court?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a lot of questions still surrounding this and how this moves forward. One thing Christa Pike's Attorneys were really pushing for is more access to their client while she's receiving medical care. They believe she was actually not going to make it this long and they were shocked by the fact that she woke up and started talking.

But let's talk about what happened on the fourth floor inside that court case. They were pushing to make sure all the evidence is preserved. They believe the state is not being as clear as they need to about what may have gone wrong here. We know there's a state investigation. We know the governor has paused all executions for the rest of the year.

But let's not forget, this is the second botched execution in this state, so people are still focused on how that will move forward. But her attorneys got a little bit of a victory today because the judge said they have to preserve the evidence moving forward. And on top of all that, they will get access to their client just like she would be if they were going to the prison. So, that was all new this afternoon.

But take a listen to one of her attorneys talk about her current condition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDY SPIVEY, ATTORNEY FOR CHRISTA PIKE: UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Monday night, it was our understanding that Christa was brain dead and that life support would be removed the next day. But on Tuesday, to the shock of everyone, including me, including her team and including the medical team, Christa woke up and began talking.

I do not have an explanation for what happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning. But what we do know is that Christa has a long road to recovery.

She has a blood clot in one of her arms. She has pneumonia. She is not able to swallow yet. So, she has not eaten. She cannot move either of her arms. Both of her arms and hands are tremendously swollen. And we do not know what, if any, function she will regain in her arms. But we do know that there's a long road ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Guys, my follow-up question here to the attorneys was basically about her current condition and how she's being held inside that hospital room. And we're told that she is shackled on her legs and one of her arms is shackled, because according to the state, she has a history of trying to escape. So, that is something they talked about today in court.

But moving forward they also said one of her arms is kind of blown up like a balloon because of all the chemicals that were put in her arm. But not everybody is satisfied with what's happened so far. Some people believe the victim in this case is being forgotten and one woman came here to the courthouse today to let her voice be heard and to say that she's upset with the state of Tennessee for not getting this job done. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we have paid enough for Christa Pike. We've paid enough and our -- our state could not even pay to bring May Martinez here. She had to raise a GoFundMe, yet we have paid for Christa Pike, and now we're paying for attorneys, and now we're paying for hospital bills. It's -- and now they're talking about lawsuits. It's -- it's disgusting and the -- and the worst part is that Colleen has been forgotten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Guys, we continue to press state officials about this, hoping to get some sort of interview for somebody on the record to talk about this. Yes, there have been statements. But people want to know how this investigation is moving forward and what will be done next. That is something that we continue to make calls on, guys.

SANCHEZ: Ryan Young live for us in Nashville. Thank you so much, Ryan.

[15:05:04]

Now to breaking news out of Minnesota, federal prosecutors just unveiled new terrorism charges for an attack allegedly planned against the Mall of America. Federal prosecutors say the 18-year-old suspect, Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, was arrested yesterday. Investigators say he acquired a weapon and ammunition to cause a mass casualty event in support of ISIS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER DOTSON, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, MINNEAPOLIS FIELD OFFICE: The messages this defendant allegedly sent to others were chilling. They document the idolization of ideologically motivated violence, a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life, a blind hatred of people of other faiths and a cold commitment to carrying out his vision of violence in our community.

According to court documents, Mohamud pledged his allegiance to ISIS leaders and claimed to have joined ISIS over a year ago. Mohamud allegedly sought martyrdom in carrying out his plans to murder innocent civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: With us now to discuss is retired FBI supervisory special agent Richard Kolko.

Rich, thanks for being with us.

So, the -- the FBI says that it determined Mohamud knowingly received a firearm and ammunition Including an AK-47 assault rifle and some 200 live rounds of ammunition. Does -- does that shine a light to you about his possible intent?

RICHARD KOLKO, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: It certainly does and not only picking up the rifle which thankfully was unable to work because that's what FBI does when they do these kind of cases. And it looks like there's a long history of communication between him and an undercover agent or undercover agents. And that's going to just lay out a long path of exactly what this person was thinking about, planning for and likely to carry out.

SANCHEZ: To that point, in those communications with a confidential human source that took place through not only social media, but also some encrypted messaging apps. He expressed the desire to travel to Somalia and join a foreign terrorist organization. How are you expecting the FBI is going to use those communications?

KOLKO: Oh, that's going to be sign, sealed and delivered in court. This will be very helpful to the prosecutor. We heard -- I listened to the U.S. Attorney's press conference on this matter. So, they've got the evidence in place. What's interesting here Boris is this one on for a couple of years. This was a long-term investigation. Not just the terrorism side of the investigation being very complex for the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force working this, but it also works what's called an intelligence cover -- investigation.

They wanted to see, are there other people he's talking to, are there other people recruiting him, is he trying to recruit others. So, where does the money come from. That's all part of it that goes side by side with this overall investigation. And what that means is once you know, this person is thinking about doing this, you've got to keep them in pockets.

So, there was probably a fairly complex and busy surveillance schedule on this young man as well.

SANCHEZ: Interesting. So, the -- to -- to your point about the investigation being ongoing for some time, an FBI agent alleged that the investigation began back in December 2024. Mohamud is now 18. I wonder if you think his representation, his defense team could use the fact that he was a minor at the start of this investigation as part of his defense.

KOLKO: The defense team is going to use every tool they've got in their toolbox to try and get him off. That would be expected. Federal system is certainly more complex to prosecute minors, but there could be local charges as well if necessary. So, the U.S. Attorney could deal with the state's attorney or district attorney as required.

But the issue is once those conversations started electronically or via the gaming apps or however they were, you had to keep him in pocket because while he was expecting to and did successfully purchase a firearm from a FBI undercover at some point, he could have gone rogue at any time and decided to do something long before we got to October 6, yesterday, when he actually purchased the weapon.

So, that would have been a very high stress, high-profile investigation inside the Joint Terrorism Task Force to make sure that they knew where this person was at all times and what his intentions were.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Rich Kolko, we have to leave the conversation there. Appreciate the expertise.

KOLKO: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, world health officials are demanding answers after the death of a researcher working at a Russian plague lab while the Kremlin downplays any link between the woman's death and her work. We have the latest on that story.

Plus, the Gulf Coast bracing for Isaias. The storm expected to strengthen into a dangerous hurricane before it makes landfall.

And later, the U.S. Army says that shock gloves purchased for use by ICE agents can inflict severe pain and fear. More on that report in just a few minutes.

[15:09:50]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:12]

SANCHEZ: New today, President Trump says the U.S. does not believe that a Russian lab technician died from exposure to a bioweapon. His comments come as questions intensify about what killed the 28-year-old who worked at a plague research facility. And as U.S. and global health officials say they still have not gotten many answers from Moscow. Russia said today that it is winding down anti-epidemic measures. CNN's Kylie Atwood is monitoring all of this.

So, Kylie, does it sound like the White House is getting the information that it needs from the Kremlin?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No, absolutely not from what we've heard from U.S. officials, from President Trump himself, from the Secretary of State. It's clear that the U.S. has been trying to get information from Russia and hasn't been getting a full-picture assessment here.

We did hear from the Secretary of State yesterday Marco Rubio saying it is incumbent on Russia to share more information. He wouldn't have said that if Russia was outwardly sharing what the U.S. had been asking for.

[15:15:08]

And according to a State Department official Russia, as early as last Friday, the State Department, U.S. officials had been in touch with the Russian government on this incident asking for more information. And then, he came out four days later saying that we needed more information. Then, just yesterday the State Department elevated its ask to Russia for more information issuing a formal ask, a diplomatic note. It's called a demarche asking for that information. So, we'll watch and see where this goes.

But it's important that President Trump was asked in the Oval Office just in the last hour or so here if this incident was the result of a bioweapon. And the important part to note there is that it's a critical question because Russia does have a history of having a bioweapons program.

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

ATWOOD: The State Department has said that in recent reports. So, listen to how he answered that question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the plague in Russia a bioweapon?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, we don't think so and we're going to find out soon enough, but we don't think so. And if you listen to them, it's under control. You know, people have said that before about other things. So, we hope it is very sophisticated, very smart and they're -- they're saying it's very much under control. So, we hope not, Peter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: We hope not being the critical part of that answer. You know, the U.S. is obviously hoping this isn't the result of a bioweapon's accident here or something of the like. But I also think it's worth noting that the U.S. intelligence community is actively working here. It's not just the diplomatic channels, of course. And sources tell me that the IC, the intelligence community, still doesn't have a full picture of what happened here. And so, they're watching to see for that before they take further action on the U.S. government side.

SANCHEZ: What is the World Health Organization saying about this?

ATWOOD: They are also asking Russia for more information. They are saying at this point, they don't have the information to do a full risk assessment. And so, we'll have to watch and see where that dialogue goes between that critical body which, you know, oftentimes in situations like this would actually like to have people on the ground to collect information, to see, you know, what happened at this incident. So, we'll watch and see for that.

The other thing, of course, it's important to note is that Trump did say again today that he's going to be speaking with President Putin on this. He said that yesterday. the Russians said it hadn't been scheduled. So, we'll watch and see when that conversation actually happens.

SANCHEZ: Kylie Atwood, thank you so much for the update.

Coming up, an army study finds that shock gloves that immigration agents could soon be using can produce intense pain and fear. The details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:17] KEILAR: We are learning some new information about those electric shock gloves that immigration agents could soon use to control detainees and protesters. According to the Associated Press, the federal government signed a contract worth more than $16 million to purchase 6,000 pairs of these gloves. And now, a previously unreleased study is shining new light on how powerful the gloves can be, how they can cause pain, compliance and fear. CNN's Brian Todd has been following this story for us.

Brian, what are you learning here?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna as you remember in August, we reported that ICE was planning to spend about $10- to $20 million for the purchase of these gloves. They are called, quote, "CTG-5 GLOVE." And glove is an acronym for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. They can deliver voltage of up to 380 volts. The company says it can set -- it can end a struggle within three seconds or less. You see it being tested out there in that video.

It's manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC. The company says these gloves are intended to de-escalate situations in the field for ICE agents. But we have new reporting now from the Associated Press on a previously unreleased study by the US Army, which found that the gloves worked so powerfully during a military exercise that the participants testing out the gloves felt intense pain, that they stopped fighting immediately and that they feared additional exposures from the gloves.

So, these gloves really had a painful effect on the people testing them out. The shocks had a profound impact on army employees who were playing the role of combative prisoners during the exercises which took place at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas in October of 2024. Now, the authors of the study wrote that after experiencing the effects of the glove, participants stated just seeing the glove was enough to make them want to comply.

So, these -- these gloves had just a -- a painful and fearful effect on the people testing them out. According to the reporting here, ICE leaders were aware of these findings in this test. Again, the tests were conducted in October of 2024. ICE signed the contract to purchase the gloves just this past August of 2026. And ICE leaders were aware of the findings before signing a $16.7 million contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of these shock gloves. That is according to documents obtained by the watchdog group American Oversight and shared with the Associated Press.

American Oversight had this quote in a statement, quote, "Everyone should be alarmed that ice is preparing to deploy a tool designed to inflict, at best, intense pain, without showing that it is safe for the people who will be subjected to it," end quote.

ICE though has defended the use of these gloves, calling it distracting -- a distraction and a de-escalation device which will be safer than other non-lethal methods that would be used to subdue targets for arrest test.

[15:25:12]

Critics are warning that ICE -- this is going to give ICE another tool to intimidate and inflict pain and brutalize people. The National Immigration Law Center back in August when we reported on this, Brianna, they had this to say about ICE. This is a rogue agency with an $80 billion slush fund that allows them to concoct and fund new ways to visit cruelty upon our communities. They called the use of this device disgusting and barbaric.

Now, according to the AP, the owner of the company which makes it was not available for an interview regarding the new test results and -- and to talk about -- you know, to talk about the latest study by the Army.

KEILAR: Yes, it sounds like that was kind of an incarceration setting, right?

TODD: Yes.

KEILAR: Whereas this is -- and there are warnings against them using this on pregnant or disabled ...

TODD: That's right. Correct.

KEILAR: ... or minors ...

TODD: Yes.

KEILAR: ... people who are minors, and also questions about can you always tell when people are pregnant or disabled ...

TODD: Very good point.

KEILAR: ... or they're minors. So, in this case, when we're looking at this being implemented, what's the timetable here for ICE using them?

TODD: Well, the contract, Brianna, calls for ICE to deliver the gloves within six months, but border czar, Tom Homan, has said that it could be, quote, "a while" before they're out there and in the possession of ICE agents in the fields because ICE is still ironing out the training and the policy issues. There was a statement that ICE released yesterday that did not address the status of the rollout or the -- the findings of that new study.

So, it could be a while before these are rolled out. If they're rolled out at all. Let's see if there's enough brushback on this to maybe make them not want to do it.

KEILAR: Because, again, they've also had issues with training.

TODD: Yes.

KEILAR: So, that's been another issue, obviously, with ICE.

TODD: Yes.

KEILAR: Brian, thank you so much for the great reporting.

TODD: Sure.

KEILAR: Ahead, President Trump on his way to Texas for a rally in San Antonio ahead of the midterms, but a White House ally tells CNN there are concerns the elections could be a bloodbath. That is the word being used there for the GOP. We'll have that next.

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