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U.S. Pulls Out Airbombers from U.K. Airbase; Brazil Goes to a Presidential Runoff as Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro Did Not Reach 50 Percent Voting Threshold; Cornell Hold Protests on the Controversial Gang Rape Case. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 05, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome, I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and ahead, right here on "CNN Newsroom."

Yemen's government launches a new offensive against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. A look at who is promising support in a live report.

(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kristie Lu Stout.

LU STOUT: Saudi-led coalition pledges support for Yemeni offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis. This is going to give you -- we're going to give you the very latest news story that we have at this moment. Apologies here for technical disruptions.

But we are going to begin this hour with a major redeployment by the U.S. Air Force. This comes as British authorities investigate an alleged plot that targeted a U.K. air base by the U.S. military. We have this report by CNN's Julia Benbrook.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are still gathering information on this, but according to a source familiar, the United States has moved its long-range bombers stationed in the U.K. back to their American home stations following an unspecified new threat. A U.S. official tells CNN in a statement, quote, "We can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have redeployed to their home stations in the United States." That official did not go into detail on why these planes were moved.

Now, this is happening just days after the British government arrested a number of individuals in connection to an alleged Iranian plot to target the U.K. air base where those planes were located. The arrests were made, but those individuals were quickly released on bail. Iran has denied any connection to that incident. Now, that air base had been used to deploy B-1 bombers used in the war against Iran. We have reached out to the White House for more information on this new threat. A source familiar referred to it as a real-world incident.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, an official familiar with the move says it is unusual that the U.S. brought the bombers home instead of deploying them to another base in the region. Now, earlier, CNN's national security analyst, Alex Plitsas, explained how the decision may be linked to a larger shift in U.S. firepower near Iran.

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ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It's unusual in the sense that we did move all of our aircraft from the base. There was probably several dozen bombers there plus that were been there deployed for quite some time.

So it speaks to the credibility and the seriousness of the threat overall to the base that we're talking about. But this also didn't happen in a vacuum. So at the same time the bombers were sent home, what hasn't been as well publicized is of the two aircraft carriers that have been on station outside of Iran, the Bush has been basically moving towards a port call and will be out of the region for quite some time, leaving only one aircraft carrier there with the third one still inbound.

So it's still several weeks until that second carrier will return, plus the third. And in the face of the ongoing threat plus the long deployment of bombers, in the face of that threat it makes sense to redeploy those forces for right now for R&R back at home in the event that they're needed they'll be redeployed or some other platforms will be redeployed if the President decides that they need to commence combat operations against Iran again, which he has threatened to do and potentially signaled after the midterms if the Iranians don't come to the table to make a deal in good faith.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: CNN contributor Alex Plitsas there.

Now a Saudi-led coalition is pledging its full support for the Yemeni offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis. Now the rebel group has carried out a lightning offensive in recent weeks, taking on a key port in the Red Sea coast and claiming several strikes on vital Saudi energy facilities.

Now CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins us now live from Jerusalem. And Nic, what is known about the scope and scale of Yemen's military operation against the Houthis?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's expected to expand and intensify. This was laid out in speeches by both the head of the Presidency Council, leadership if you will, of the internationally backed government in Yemen, stating very clearly that they were going to retake all the territory from the Houthis, the Iran-backed proxy inside of Yemen, who control the capital.

[03:04:51]

And as you say, in recent weeks had a lightning offensive in the southwest of Yemen to take control of Bab al-Mandab, that vital narrow strait of water where the Red Sea goes out into the Gulf of Oman, vital for international maritime traffic, vital to get oil supplies from Saudi Arabia to the international markets, particularly in Asia. So this has been the Houthis' expansions recently, and current offensive in the southwest of Yemen is causing a great deal of concern.

The current offensive that the Houthis have is around the city of Taiz, the third largest city in Yemen. But the real concern around that city at the moment is that the high mountains are a strategic advantage. And if the Houthis get control of them, it will make it much harder to dislodge them from their control of all of the Red Sea coastline.

So that's sort of the background narrative. But you also have a step up over the past weeks of Houthi offensives inside of Yemen. You have Saudi air support for those Yemeni government, internationally recognized Yemeni government forces on the ground.

The Houthis say that the capital, Sanaa, that they control was struck by Saudi airstrikes over the weekend. The Houthis also say that they've been striking Saudi oil infrastructure inside of Saudi Arabia over the past few days around the capital and in other locations. So the whole temperature around this is heating up.

So the move and announcement this weekend, just last night, by the internationally backed Yemeni government is a very clear signal that they are going to upscale their efforts now, not just to sort of resist the Houthi advances, but to try to take the fight to the Houthis and defeat the Houthis and retake control of the whole country. So it's significant you have those statements. And then sequenced within a few hours later, you have the Saudi statement saying that they will give full operational support, as they have been, to this Yemeni force.

And at the same time today, you have the field marshal, the most powerful military figure from Pakistan, his foreign minister, his defense minister with him in Saudi Arabia, along with the Turkish foreign minister, defense minister and head of the military gathering for a meeting of this Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey military pact and alliance.

And forces have been committed to support the Saudis in whatever they do in their coalition to support the Yemenis. So this conflict in Yemen stands at this moment apparently to expand and get bigger with the aim of forcing out the Houthis completely. LU STOUT: And just as the Yemeni government announces its military operation, the Houthi militants made their announcement of more strikes inside Saudi Arabia, targeting energy installations. What do we know about that and the overall impact of Houthi militant action?

ROBERTSON: The Saudis have been extremely concerned about getting drawn into a conflict in Yemen because their oil infrastructure by its very nature is above ground and therefore it is vulnerable to attack. It has been attacked by the Houthis recently.

It has also been attacked by the Iran-backed proxies in Iraq. Those militias have also targeted Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure. Saudi Arabia is acutely aware that if it raises the tempo of a conflict against the Houthis, this could draw in the Houthis backers in Iran, also potentially to launch strikes.

So the jeopardy here for Saudi Arabia is that their oil infrastructure is vulnerable and it's vital at this time as there is a conflict over the Strait of Hormuz that Iran is trying to control and target shipping. So it really, the temperature was up in the region. This will possibly, likely raise it further.

LU STOUT: Nic Robertson reporting live for us from Jerusalem. Thank you, Nic.

Now, Brazil's presidential race will enter a runoff later this month. Neither of the top two candidates secured 50 percent of the vote in Sunday's general election.

Now, the right-wing Brazilian senator Flavio Bolsonaro won 47 percent of the vote. Just days ago, polls showed that he was trailing sitting president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The leftist incumbent is seeking his fourth non-consecutive term in office, he took second place, which is shy of 45 percent of the vote.

And the two candidates represent very different political visions for Brazil, both domestically and internationally. And they are returning to the campaign trail.

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LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is time for us to show the true picture of Brazil today and the Brazil we want. So starting tomorrow, we are beginning a new campaign, a campaign in which, with only two candidates, we will be able to show the difference between the proposals that exist for Brazil.

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FLAVIO BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): I am very happy about the real possibility that, three weeks from now, Brazil will give a definitive answer that it wants a modern government, a government with fewer ministries, a government that will restore democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LU STOUT: Now, Christopher Sabatini is a director of the Latin America program at Chatham House. He joins us now live from London. Thank you very much indeed for joining us here on Newsroom.

We have a runoff, but Bolsonaro was able to pull ahead. Tell us why.

CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, DIRECTOR OF THE LATIN AMERICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, first of all, we saw this in 2022, when Flavio Bolsonaro's father, Jair Bolsonaro, outperformed the surveys in the first round and the second round by as much as 10 percentage points. This is a chronic problem with surveys being conducted today.

They almost always undercount the vote of the far right, and that's what happened in Brazil, even in this case, by a little less than the margin. But largely what Brazilians are voting for is, first of all, along very polarized lines.

In both cases, the candidates have a majority of disapproval from the voters, so it's really split right down the middle. But second of all, what Flavio Bolsonaro was running on was primarily a get-tough-on- crime campaign. Build more prisons, use an iron fist, maybe even collaborate with the United States on transnational crime, and that's what really won the day.

For many people, there's a certain amount of Lula fatigue, and I think this is what we'll see going into the second round.

LU STOUT: We have a polarized voter base, a very tight race at stake here, Brazil's relationship with many players in the world, especially Donald Trump. So how could this election, how could it affect Brazil's relationship with a U.S. administration that has its eyes on dominance in Latin America?

SABATINI: Yes, you couldn't imagine a starker difference here. Flavio Bolsonaro and the whole Bolsonaro family, both the father, who's referred to as the Trump of the tropics, are very closely aligned with this White House, and for the Trump administration, who's really sort of tried to elevate its doctrine towards Latin America, which is the revival of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, they call it the Donro Doctrine, but it is deeply partisan.

Donald Trump is waiting in the elections in Honduras, in Costa Rica, in Colombia, in El Salvador, in Peru, in Ecuador, in Chile, and in Argentina, and this would just add another, if you will, country or government in his column, and that means two things.

First of all, a tougher line on China, which will be difficult for Brazil, because China is its number one trade partner, but also greater U.S. access in terms of fighting transnational crime, and even collaboration in terms of joint military exercises. And that means, as we've seen in other countries, bringing the military much more into internal security issues, which in Latin America, a land in which there are many coups, and often arrestive military and armed forces, that's really a dangerous precedent, but that is the agenda that the Donald Trump administration is pushing. And it's one that Flavio Bolsonaro has signed on to, even agreeing to,

or pushing for the naming of two of the major gangs in Brazil as being narco-terrorist groups, which opens the field up entirely for U.S., as I would say, kinetic action with the Brazilian government, should Flavio Bolsonaro win.

LU STOUT: But not just the United States, but as you pointed out, China will change depending on who becomes the country's next leader, but what about Brazil's role on the world stage? Because Brazil has been a very vocal participant in the BRICS group, in the United Nations, in the G20. How could that change in the event of a Bolsonaro presidency?

SABATINI: It changed dramatically. First of all, what we're seeing, as you mentioned, this would be the fourth time that, if he were to win, would become the president, and really, since 2003, when he was originally inaugurated, it's been the P.T., his party, the Workers' Party, that set the agenda in foreign policy for Brazil.

That has meant Brazil presenting itself as a representative of the global south, arguing for greater plurality in the government system, in the global system, arguing for multilateral reform, arguing for climate change. If Flavio Bolsonaro's government were to come to power, what that would mean is a complete retraction.

You'd see less participation in the BRICS group, the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa group. You'd see less emphasis on climate change. Brazil has been a real advocate for COP and climate change policies.

That will certainly decline. Flavio Bolsonaro is an aggressive climate change skeptic. And you'd also see less of an alliance, even in trying to reform the United Nations.

[03:14:53]

In many ways, Flavio Bolsonaro and the Bolsonaro family reflect a growing trend within global politics to basically jettison many of the old rules of the past, engage in more unilateral activity, and even engage in spheres of influence that Donald Trump has been trying to push. This will really damage Brazil's role as an international leader in arguing for international law and multilateralism. Although, quite frankly, even under the P.T., under Lula, it wasn't always that much of a champion, except in rhetoric.

In action, often, it failed. But even in rhetoric now, that's about to go out the window.

LU STOUT: And again, this is a very tight race heading into a runoff. But it's not just Brazil that's doing this. This has always happened, or has happened recently, in Peru and in Colombia as well.

Why is this taking place across the region?

SABATINI: It's a good question. First of all, it's because the party system in many of these countries has collapsed. The center has fallen out. And what's happened isn't so much, if you will, a sort of tidal shift in these domestic politics of these countries towards the right.

What we're seeing is a rejection of the incumbents over and over. And as they fail to deliver, basically, the parties on either side, the left and the right, become more extreme.

Now, the P.T. is much more of a traditional social democratic party. But what's happened in Brazil is, basically, the entire party system, in the case of the Bolsonaros, has shifted even more to the far right, to the anti-woke, Trump-aligned right.

And we see this across the elections yesterday in Brazil. The P.L., the Partido Liberal, the party of the Bolsonaros, won a plurality of governorships, won a plurality of senatorships, and it won a plurality of the chamber of deputies. We're looking right now at the shrinkage of the moderate left in Brazil, symbolized by the P.T., and a much greater shift to the right. And that will dramatically change politics.

And, honestly, even if we go to this, there's only two percentage points, as you mentioned, even when we go to the second round, very little is going to change. The other candidates who are competing, the 10 or so other candidates, really were just in the, basically, the single digits or even less. So this is going to be, basically, Bolsonaro's election to lose.

LU STOUT: Well, Christopher Sabatini, thank you for framing the showdown for us and describing what's at stake here. Take care.

SABATINI: Thanks, Kristie.

Okay, there's much more to come right here in "CNN Newsroom," including the concerns and questions over the security failures involved in the FlyDubai incident. We'll go live to Jerusalem for the latest on the investigation.

And Spain's Prime Minister has just called to dissolve parliament and hold new elections, that after protesters continue to double down after a housing bill failed in parliament.

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LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, Reuters has obtained new video from inside the Tel Aviv-bound FlyDubai flight that almost ended in tragedy. In the video, passengers can be seen helping the wounded captain. And a warning, the video you're about to see is graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: David, Huh? My head is --

UNKNOWN: No. Adjust the head.

Adjust the head with the pillow.

UNKNOWN: My head is paining. Yes, it is hurting. Give me the pillow.

Give me the pillow.

UNKNOWN: Yeah. No sleep.

No sleep.

UNKNOWN: My head is hurting.

UNKNOWN: Okay.

UNKNOWN: Give him the --

UNKNOWN: Take this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Israeli sources tell CNN the co-pilot accused of attacking the pilot and trying to hijack the flight probably acted alone. The United Arab Emirates and Israel are both investigating the incident, which has since raised serious concerns about the security failures before the flight and, of course, how it all happened in the first place.

Now, let's go straight to CNN's Oren Liebermann, he joins us live from Jerusalem. And, Oren, this investigation is ongoing. What is the latest on the suspect and his motives?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Kristie, one of the key questions here was whether pilot suspect Hamam al-Hamami was acting as part of a larger organization, whether he had received funding, planning, training from any terrorist cell or any terrorist organization.

One of the reasons this is a key question is that several hours after the hijacking incident, it was posted on his LinkedIn page, a video with former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. And that led investigators and still leading investigators to look at the possibility that this was in some way linked to either al-Qaeda or a different terrorist organization.

But two Israeli sources tell us that from the investigation so far, it seems as if the suspect here, al-Hamami, acted on his own. And that's a key point here.

Now, that being said, both of those sources said that this is still from early in the investigation. And with further information, that may change. But for right now, it seems al-Hamami acted on his own. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have

characterized this as an attempted jihadist attack. There are investigations from Israel, from the United Arab Emirates, and from Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry. That's where the FlyDubai flight made an emergency landing.

So we'll see where these investigations lead and what other information is turned up. Kristie?

LU STOUT: And Oren, can you tell us about the cockpit crash axe, how it should be used, and how it was used by the attacker?

LIEBERMANN: This is a fairly standard issue in a commercial cockpit, and it's intended to be used in the event of a crash or an emergency. It can break through glass.

It can be used to try to rip through the fairly thin metal that's used on airplanes. In this case, the UAE Prosecutor General says it was part of the attack. And the suspect here, according to the Prosecutor General in the UAE, used it to try to subdue, to try to perhaps kill the captain of the airline as part of the hijacking.

With the pilot out of the way, it would have been easy for the suspect to simply control the flight from that point on. So that may well be part of the investigation as well, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right. Oren Liebermann reporting live from Jerusalem for us. Thank you.

You're watching "CNN Newsroom." We'll be right back.

[03:25:00]

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LU STOUT: Welcome back. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, and let's take a look at today's top stories.

An unspecified threat has prompted the U.S. military to move all of its long-range bombers from a U.K. air base back to their home stations. That's according to a U.S. official who did not provide further details. But the redeployment comes amid an ongoing investigation into an alleged Iranian plot that targeted the base.

Yemen's Saudi-backed government has announced the start of a major military offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis, a Saudi-led coalition has pledged its full support of the offensive. The announcement comes after weeks of renewed fighting by the Houthi rebels targeting the Red Sea coast and targets within Saudi Arabia. Officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan will meet in Riyadh today to discuss this and other developments in the region.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will face Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff presidential election, neither took 50 percent of the vote in Sunday's general election. President Lula da Silva is hoping to secure his fourth term in office, and Senator Bolsonaro says he hopes to continue the right-wing legacy of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Now the second round of voting will take place on October 25.

Now Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike is still critically ill and unconscious in the hospital after surviving a failed execution attempt by lethal injection. Attorneys say that she is on a ventilator after the state administered two doses of the typically fatal drug Pantobarbital. And now her medical and legal future remain unclear.

[03:30:05]

One of Pike's lawyers spoke to CNN about her condition and what obligation he thinks the state has to her now.

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STEPHEN FERRELL, CHRISTA PIKE'S ATTORNEY: At the very least, the governor should commute Ms. Pike's death sentence to a life sentence. At the very least.

We had already asked that the governor commute her for many good reasons. I think she's spent over 30 years in prison, most of that in solitary confinement, only to be taken out and not executed, but tried to execute her. And that we don't know right now, and we may never know, what sort of torture she endured during that process, where her consciousness was, what physical pain there was, what mental torture she went through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now over the weekend, Spanish police cleared out thousands from a migrant camp along a beach in the country's autonomous North African city of Ceuta. A Sunday sweep comes as local residents call for a solution to the migration crisis.

More than 72,000 people crossed the border from Morocco back in July. Most went back, but about 10,000 remained in Ceuta. Now Spain's Interior Ministry says the migrants collected on Sunday will now either be processed or returned to Morocco.

Despite a longstanding dispute with Morocco over the enclave's sovereignty, the Spanish king and queen are also expected to make their first official visit to Ceuta next week.

Well thousands of young protesters took to the streets of New Delhi and Mumbai on Sunday in yet another day of demands calling for India's election chief to resign. Anger over changes to voter rolls is fueling the protests, and the demonstrators say that the changes benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party in that the names of millions of eligible voters were purged.

The Electoral Commission says the changes are necessary to remove dead, inaccurate, and duplicate entries. On Friday, it directed officials to re-register eligible voters who were mistakenly missing from the voter rolls.

You're watching "CNN Newsroom." We'll be right back.

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[03:35:00]

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LU STOUT: Welcome back, and here are your business headlines.

Now, crude oil futures are down despite the escalation in fighting between Saudi and Houthi forces. Both Brent, that's the international benchmark, and U.S. crude oil prices have dipped today and the latest shipping data shows Middle East crude exports rose above pre-war levels in four of the seven days of the final weeks of September. That and a release of G7 reserves have mitigated the impact on oil prices, at least for now.

Now, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced leadership for a new AI task force comprised of federal government officials. Jay Clayton, he's the director of national intelligence, will lead that team. The president says the task force will, quote, "ensure that America continues to lead the world in A.I. development." He said on multiple occasions that outpacing China and preserving economic gains driven by A.I. are top priorities.

Now, new research is shedding more light on the public health risks of excessive screen time for children and teens. In fact, a review of 121 global studies found that too much screen time was associated with about 20 percent of depression cases and 15 percent of obesity cases among young people. Other research found the risks were greater for kids with less offline support and lower digital literacy.

Now, Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has called a special election for the end of November after Parliament rejected his housing bill over the weekend. Now, protesters have been calling for a general strike following the defeat of the housing bill, which was meant to protect some tenants from eviction. The outrage was all sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid.

Now, meanwhile, an investigation is underway in Japan after an American Marine was arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman while stationed on Okinawa Island. The Japanese government has filed a rare formal protest with the U.S., calling the alleged killing extremely brutal and heinous. Hanako Montgomery has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're getting more details now about a gruesome murder in Okinawa. Police have arrested a suspect, 20-year-old Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, a U.S. Marine stationed in the prefecture. He was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi.

Police say Anna was found collapsed inside a hotel room in the early hours of Saturday and that she died from strangulation. They're also investigating the case as a possible robbery, given that some of Anna's belongings were taken from the room and later found discarded nearby.

Investigators have also told us that security camera footage shows a man, believed to be a foreign national with a shaved head, entering the hotel room with Anna and later leaving with her belongings. Now, Ballard, the suspect, has denied the allegations, according to the police, and the investigation is ongoing.

Now, separately, both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Embassy in Japan have expressed their condolences, with the embassy also adding that the U.S. is cooperating with Japanese authorities over this investigation.

Now, this case has stirred up a lot of anger in Japan, where the Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has lodged a rare protest against the United States. She's also called for the, quote, "fullest possible cooperation with the investigation, fellow discipline among U.S. military personnel, and measures to prevent the recurrence of crimes and accidents."

And for people in Okinawa, this stirs up painful memories of 2016, when similarly a woman in Okinawa was murdered. Now, this victim was also raped, and later, a former U.S. Marine was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for those crimes. And many in Okinawa point to the fact that they shoulder what they call an unfair burden, that a majority of U.S. military bases in Japan are stationed in Okinawa, and they argue that, therefore, there are more violent crimes involving U.S. military personnel in the prefecture.

So this case has added to these longstanding issues, longstanding friction between military bases belonging to the United States and Okinawans.

[03:39:55]

It's also added to the frustration that many locals feel over a number of issues involving sex crimes and U.S. military personnel, and they're also calling for greater accountability over the murder of Anna Yagi.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Okay, for our next story, hopefully you do not have a fear of heights because if you do, you want to brace yourself for this. Now, the world's largest human tower competition was held in Spain on Sunday.

The event showcased the ability required to build these amazing towering structures. A thousand people packed this arena and cheered on the teams as they completed their human towers. The competition also showcases a regional tradition that calls for children to climb to the top of each tower to crown it. Wow.

Now, a man, meanwhile, in Egypt is being hailed as a hero for saving a child who fell from a balcony. This remarkable rescue was caught on video, shows the man standing outside his shop. A boy runs up and points to the falling child.

He got tangled up in a clothesline, giving the man a split second to run underneath and to catch him. Now the man later described how nervous he was, but thankfully was there, right place, right time.

For our international viewers, "World Sport" is next, and for those of you in North America, I'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after this quick break.

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[03:45:00]

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LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is doubling down on Germany's support for Ukraine as Russia escalates its aerial campaign ahead of winter. Over the weekend, the Kremlin warned that foreign officials are not safe in Ukraine's capital. Despite that, Mr. Merz made an unannounced visit to Kiev on Sunday, where he was greeted by air raid sirens and explosions.

Moscow had targeted a key bridge over the Dnipro River that connects either side of the Ukrainian capital. Now, several German defense company CEOs also joined the chancellor in Kiev to further solidify the country's growing partnerships. In addition to finalizing a drone and missile production deal, Berlin plans to issue over $1.1 billion in military aid to Kiev, as well as nearly $400 million to repair Ukraine's energy systems.

There's less than one month to go until the U.S. midterm elections, and the numbers aren't looking good for President Trump. Recent polling shows more Americans disapprove of his work during the second term, which could have dire consequences for his fellow Republicans come November.

In fact, an ABC Telemundo poll shows the president losing critical support among Latinos, a bloc that helped propel him to the White House two years ago. It also shows a larger amount of Latino voters say they want Democrats to win control of Congress.

Now, it continues this pattern of waning support for the president. Now, CNN's Poll of Polls, this is an average of several recent polls, shows President Trump's average approval rating at 34 percent. Now, the top issue for most Americans heading into the midterms is the economy, which could be thorny for Republicans.

A polling from the Associated Press shows Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of the cost of living by 82 percent.

Now, a shaky performance from Republicans has put many on guard across the country. Traditionally conservative states like Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa are now pouring money into Republican campaigns hoping to keep those states red. Now, CNN's Jeff Zeleny visited Iowa to speak with Ashley Hinson, the

Republican nominee in November's Senate race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Congresswoman, how are you? Good to see you.

ZELENY (voice-over): We're back in Iowa to see Ashley Hinson, who's suddenly emerging as Exhibit A for how Republicans are trying to thread a delicate needle with the President here in Trump country.

ZELENY: As you know, President Trump won just two years ago here by 13 points. It's the third time he won in Iowa. How would you assess his popularity now versus those times?

REO. ASHLEY HINSON (R-IA), IOWA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Well, certainly in a midterm, everything narrows. And I think that's true no matter who's in the White House.

ZELENY (voice-over): It's a remarkable balancing act to watch. From loyalty in the Oval Office earlier this week --

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You're doing a fantastic job. We're working hard and appreciate your agenda.

ZELENY (voice-over): -- to creating some distance back home in Iowa.

I've called for an immediate and successful end to the war in Iran so that families can get some relief at the pump and the checkout line. Yet she didn't vote that way like two of her fellow Iowa Republicans in Congress, who switched their votes to help pass a resolution directing the president to end the war. But even at her own campaign stop in Waterloo --

Oh, my goodness. There you go. Thank you.

ZELENY (voice-over): == she saw that speaking out against an unpopular war can be unpopular with some Republicans.

UNKNOWN: Just saying stop and just walking away is not the answer.

HINSON: No, successful ending: .

UNKNOWN: She qualified.

UNKNOWN: Because when you say stop, it almost sounds like --

UNKNOWN: She qualified.

HINSON: A successful event.

ZELENY (voice-over): In the final month of the race, Republicans are on a red state rescue mission, pouring $20 million more in Hinson ads this week, which could bring the Iowa tally to more than $100 million, with far bigger investments in Ohio and Texas. ZELENY: Why is this race so difficult?

HINSON: I don't think it's difficult. I'm out there in all 99 counties, I run every race the same. So for me, it's always been going out and earning every vote and running like I'm ten points behind, which I don't think I am. I think I'm going to win on November 3rd.

ZELENY: I mean, you were saying that same thing two months ago, running like you're ten points behind. But now some Republicans actually are concerned you may be. And the Senate Leadership Fund, as you know, invested $20 million more this week.

HINSON: When I talk about issues that are affecting families, we do need to bring prices down. We need to figure out how we provide relief to working families.

ZELENY (voice-over): She's locked in a tight race with Josh Turek, a Democratic state lawmaker and two-time gold medal Paralympian. We met earlier this year.

JOSH TUREK (D), IOWA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Seat number 51, it's right here. It's Iowa. And this isn't pie in the sky.

ZELENY (voice-over): A year ago, Hinson tightly embraced Trump as she launched her Senate campaign.

[03:50:03]

HINSON: I am running to be President Trump's top ally in the United States Senate.

ZELENY (voice-over): But her tone has steadily shifted.

HINSON: I have a record of delivering that shows that I don't care about party labels.

ZELENY (voice-over): Now airing T.V. ads stressing bipartisanship. Working across the aisle isn't always easy, but it's how you get results.

ZELENY: How do you square that?

HINSON: Yes, I am a bipartisan fighter, and nothing changes about who's in the White House or who has the gavel. I'm still going to operate that way. I think you can agree with somebody, or you can be a thorn in their side and always do what's right for your state, and that's what I think.

ZELENY: Have you gone too MAGA?

HINSON: What?

ZELENY: Have you gone too MAGA? I think I am pro-Iowa, and I'm pro- American, and that's what I will always support.

ZELENY: In the final month of this campaign, Republicans are trying to defend their own turf. Democrats are trying to pick up four seats to win control of the U.S. Senate. It is clear the battle for the balance of power in Washington runs straight through Trump country.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Des Moines.

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LU STOUT: Pressure is building at Cornell University over the school's handling of an alleged gang rape by several fraternity members in 2024. Demonstrators held a rally off campus on Sunday in support of the accuser, and 20 student organizations have planned on-campus protests in the day ahead.

Our CNN's law enforcement reporter, Mark Morales, has more on the growing demands for accountability.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK MORALES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTER: A large number of demonstrators gathered about a mile away from campus today in just the most recent show of frustration with how this case has been handled.

Now, they spoke at large about how unhappy they were with how the university and the local district attorney has handled this case, but also their message was one of support. They supported Jane Doe, anybody that's in a similar situation to her, not just at Cornell University, but at universities all over. And they're not the only ones that have been expressing how unhappy they were about this investigation.

We've heard from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who has since put in the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, in charge of the criminal investigation on this side. But we also heard from Jane Doe's attorney. His issue from the very beginning was how the district attorney's office was looking at the evidence that they had already had.

And they based most of their decision not to pursue charges on a six- page document that Jane Doe signed. But the attorney says that that document was severely lacking in a lot of real key parts of evidence that it did not have. Take a listen.

MICHAEL KOLITKOFF, CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: I communicated enough about what the university did after the assault was reported, which has led to distrust. There are real legal and privacy limits on what we can say. But we will make a greater effort to explain what we can to provide context about the actions Cornell has taken and to be more transparent.

This message is the beginning of what we hope will be an ongoing, constructive, and dynamic conversation with our community. In the coming weeks, we will create additional opportunities for members of our community to ask questions and hear directly from university leadership. That will include opportunities for Cornell leadership.

MORALES: Now, remember, there's going to be two separate investigations happening here. There's the criminal side. That's going to be done by the attorney general in her office.

And she's going to have the power to go through and conduct interviews, search for evidence, whether that's search warrants. She's going to have the full prosecutorial power that's going to be given to her to find out what happens. But on the other side, there's major questions for how the university handled this.

How did local university police handle this? And that's going to be done by an independent investigator that's going to be hired by the university to do that forensic analysis and to basically figure out what went wrong.

Mark Morales, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, SpaceX's Crew-12 has handed over command of the International Space Station to the newly arrived Crew-13 in an emotional ceremony. Now, the crews are switching roles as Crew-12 prepares for its splashdown back on Earth and Crew-13 begins its long- duration mission. If weather and splashdown conditions are perfect, the returning crew could begin their trip back to Earth as soon as Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSIA MEIR, SPACECRAFT COMMANDER: We are so excited for the continuation of Expedition 75 to see all the incredible things that they will do.

They're going to have a very busy mission. Lots of science, lots of spacewalks, lots of space station upgrades and maintenance. So we're so excited to see what they will pull off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And now for a look at the North American box office.

Tom Cruise's satirical new drama, it's called "Digger," brutally failed to match his previous blockbusters. The Warner Bros. film only grossed about $8 million in its opening weekend and it was no competition for Amazon MGM Studios' adaptation of Colleen Hoover's "Verity," which topped domestic ticket sales over the weekend.

[03:55:03]

The psychological thriller, it stars Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson. It earned roughly $32.6 million across North American theaters.

As CNN's David Daniel has more on Hollywood's upcoming releases.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANCES HAUGEN, WHISTLEBLOWER: My name is Frances Haugen. I used to work at Facebook. The documents I have provided to Congress prove that Facebook has repeatedly misled the public. DAVID DANIEL, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER (voice-over): "Your Attention Please" looks at the movement and events that led to several lawsuits against Meta, one of which resulted in a $17 billion settlement and the company promising changes to Facebook and Instagram. The documentary debuts on Apple T.V. and other platforms Tuesday. "The Social Reckoning," Aaron Sorkin's dramatization of the investigation that became the Facebook files, opens in theaters Friday.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Stray Kids reportedly has joined BTS in declining to submit any music for consideration at next year's Grammy Awards. The boy band's label, JYP, did not explain the decision and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In July, BTS said its members objected to awards being divided by region or language, an apparent response to the new Grammy's category, Best Asian Pop Music Performance.

In Hollywood, I'm David Daniel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Okay, hundreds of dachshunds strutted their tiny legs down Paris's iconic Champs-Elysees for the city's annual sausage walk. The onlookers, they were delighted as pups in a wide variety of costumes and berets paraded down the street.

It is fashion week in Paris, so the catwalk models in town, they had some serious canine competition. Now from the wiener dogs dressed in berets to pint-sized cowboys, the dachshunds, you can see they turned plenty of heads there on that famous avenue.

Thank you so much for watching, I'm Kristie Lu Stout. "CNN Newsroom" continues after this short break. Keep it here.

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