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Yemeni Government Announces Major Offensive Against Houthis; U.S. Pulls All Bombers From U.K. Air Base After New Threat; Israeli Sources: Co-Pilot Accused Of Attack Likely Acted Alone; Spanish P.M. Announces Snap Election For November 29. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired October 05, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:29]

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. We'll look at who is promising support in a live report.

Plus, the U.S. removes all its Air Force bombers from a military base in the U.K. What we're learning about the threat that prompted this highly unusual move.

And an OpenAI safety employee quits warning of dangerous company culture. This as Donald Trump unveils his new superintelligence force.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Hong Kong, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kristie Lu Stout.

LU STOUT: A Saudi-led coalition is pledging its full support for the Yemeni offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis. Here's more now from Yemen's government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RASHAD AL-ALIMI, HEAD OF YEMEN'S PRESIDENTIAL COUNCIL (through translator): Today, I announced the start of military operations to retake the remaining territory of the republic and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across all national soil.

We have issued directives to the armed and security forces and all military formations to begin executing their assigned tasks according to approved plans until the country is liberated from the grip of the terrorist militia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The Houthi-controlled armed forces said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had carried out 106 air and missile strikes over the previous 24 hours, targeting the capital Sanaa and other areas of the country. In retaliation for those strikes, the Houthis claimed that they had attacked vital Saudi energy targets, including an Aramco facility in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Our CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins us now live from Jerusalem with more.

Nic, tell us and just what's on the table for Yemen's military operation against the Houthis.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, they say that they plan to retake the whole country from the Houthis. That is a very tall order. The Houthis control the capital. They control all the Red Sea coast.

That lightning push they had, just a few weeks ago, took control of the port city of Mocha and then all the way down to that very narrow part of the Red Sea waterway, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key and vital maritime trade, global maritime trade route.

And that does seem to be where the international Yemeni government is pushing the beginning of its offensive at the moment to retake that Bab al-Mandeb area, that bottom of the -- the Red Sea, if you will. That does seem to be a -- a primary focus.

They've been very concerned because the Houthis have been appearing to make gains around the Yemen's third largest city of Taiz that is in the southwest of the country, the mountains around there, and the sort of dominant military feature, if you will.

And it was felt that if the Houthis took control of those mountain tops, therefore, they'd be able to hold on to control of the Red Sea for much longer, but it does seem, at the moment, that the -- that the main focus, at least in one area that we can see, is to get those Yemeni forces, Yemeni internationally recognized, the -- the forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, to get them, to get control of Bab al-Mandeb Strait and likely try to push further up the coast there.

The -- the importance, if you will, of hearing from the Saudi coalition that they will continue full operational support for the Yemeni government is significant, because they're the ones that have been providing the air support to try to hold back the Houthis over the past month or so.

And the Houthis, they're saying 106 strikes in the past few days on targets, also on the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis also saying that they've struck back at Saudi oil facilities. And that is where Saudi feels it has a vulnerability.

Saudi Arabia has been pulling together an international coalition to support the Yemeni government. They obviously have recently signed a -- a three-way alliance with Turkey, with -- with -- with Pakistan as well, and the military chiefs, defense ministers and foreign ministers of those countries are meeting in Saudi today to look at the current situation. So, it does seem, at the moment, as if we are in a moment where the Yemeni government has committed itself to a major operation that won't be easy given the nature of their forces, but does appear to have the backing of Saudi and this broader coalition.

[04:05:09]

LU STOUT: Yes. Appreciate the update on this announced offensive on the back of those, as you reported, advances in Yemen and beyond by the Houthi militants.

Nic Robertson reporting live. Thank you.

The U.S. military says at least four people have been killed in a strike on an alleged drug-running boat in the Caribbean. U.S. Southern Command cited, quote, confirmed intelligence that allegedly linked the boat to narco trafficking.

Sunday marks the latest strike in the Trump administration's ongoing campaign to curb the flow of drugs into the United States.

Now, since the regional operations began in September of 2025, the U.S. military has killed at least 238 people and destroyed about 80 vessels.

We are also following a major redeployment by the U.S. Air Force. This comes as British authorities investigate the alleged plot that targeted a U.K. air base used by the U.S. military.

CNN's Julia Benbrook has the latest from the White House.

(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 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: Earlier, CNN spoke with military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. And this is interesting. This is his assessment of the possible threats that RAF Fairford and other U.K. bases could be facing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Bases in the U.K. have often been under surveillance. And Iranian sleeper cells are active in the United Kingdom. These sleeper cells are basically intelligence-gathering efforts by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and other elements of the Iranian regime. And what they do is they can collect both intelligence as well as conduct potential sabotage operations.

And the big fear in this particular case was that they would actually be conducting some kind of sabotage operation, which would have been directed not just against the base itself, but against these aircraft, because they can be seen directly from the perimeter of the base.

You can see these -- these B-1s when they're deployed there. And it's -- it's not a -- a big distance from a perimeter road to actually strike these aircraft with, you know, an RPG or anything like that.

So, I -- I think they took a prudent course of action in this particular case to bring these aircraft out of potential harm's way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Reuters has obtained new video from inside the Tel Aviv- bound Flydubai flight that almost ended in tragedy.

In this video, passengers can be seen helping the wounded captain. And a warning, this video you're about to see is graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My head is --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Adjust the head. Adjust the head.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My head is in pain. It is -- it is hurting. It is hurting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me the pillow. Give me the pillow. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No sleep. No sleep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No sleep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My head is hurting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me that.

(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 happened in the first place.

Now, let's go straight to CNN's Oren Liebermann. He joins us live from Jerusalem.

And, Oren, you're learning more details about the co-pilot behind this attack. What's the latest?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Kristie, one of the key questions going into this, and as this investigation continues is -- is, whether the pilot suspect, Hamam al-Hammami, had acted on his own or whether he was working, organized, trained, funded by a terrorist cell that was -- that was working essentially with him.

[04:10:05]

Well, we've learned from two Israeli sources that at least as of right now, they believe he was, in fact, acting on his own, that there wasn't a larger cell here at work or a larger organization.

Now, that was a key question because several hours after the hijacking incident on Al-Hammami's LinkedIn page, there was a post with a photo of former al-Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. And that led investigators to wonder whether Al-Qaeda was in some way linked to this.

Well, at least as of right now, investigators believe that Hamam al- Hammami had acted on his own.

Now, both sources with whom CNN spoke says, this is still early information. And further information as the investigation unfolds could lead investigators to conclude that he was perhaps potentially part of -- a part of a larger cell.

But as of right now, the -- the belief and the suspicion that investigators are working with is that Al-Hammami acted on his own.

Now, it's not just Israel that's conducting an investigation here, the UA -- UAE is, as is Saudi Arabia's interior ministry, and that's because the Flydubai flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

So, we're still in the early stages here, but it is interesting to learn this so far as investigators are still very much working on piecing all of this together. Kristie.

LU STOUT: And we're also learning more about what was used as a weapon in this attack, this cockpit crash axe. What can you tell us?

LIEBERMANN: It's not uncommon at all for there to be a crash axe in the cockpit for the use by the pilots on board a flight. It is exactly what you would think it is. It's used to break open windows or cut through the relatively thin metal on board commercial aircraft.

In this case, investigators say, and the UAE's attorney general says the crash axe itself was used as a weapon and wielded by the suspect here, Hamam al-Hammami, to attack the pilot in what looks like an attempt to take over the flight.

Had that worked, that means Al-Hammami would have had the cockpit to himself. It would have been virtually impossible to get inside the cockpit. And that means he would have been able to do whatever he wanted.

LU STOUT: CNN's Oren Liebermann joining us live from Jerusalem. Thank you.

Now, there is less than one month to go until the U.S. midterm elections. And you have to wonder about the wisdom of President Trump telling voters to imagine that he is on the ballot. At polls are consistently showing Americans disapprove of what he's done during his second term and that could have dire consequences for his fellow Republicans who are on the ballot.

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

It continues a pattern of waning support for the president. In fact, CNN's poll of polls, it's an average of several recent polls, shows President Trump's approval rating at 34 percent.

But this is what he told voters over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, I'm just saying we win when I'm on the ballot. And I've never really done this, certainly to this extent. I don't think anybody has. I don't think any of the president has, certainly, but I'm really into winning. We want to win the midterms. If we can, we want to win the midterms. And we have great people. So if you don't mind, please pretend that I'm on the ballot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The top issue for most Americans is the affordability crisis. And polling from the "Associated Press" shows Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of the cost of living by 82 percent.

But the head of the U.S. National Economic Council, who is appointed by President Trump, says bad polling doesn't accurately reflect the state of the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: Ahead of an election cycle, the fact that there's, you know, possibly partisan pollsters telling us that the people are really, really depressed, it's a classic Democrat move, and I just don't buy it. Because if it were true, if the polls were any value for thinking about what's going on with consumers, then we should look at the consumption data and say geez, yes, that's right people -- people aren't spending.

But in fact, the retailers are doing well. I talk to the banks all the time. They say that their consumers are happy and they're paying back their loans. And so -- and so the data, the hard data are radically inconsistent with the polls.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: But it's not a done deal for Democrats, according to CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. He says, Republicans will continue to keep up appearances until the very end and are going to exhaust every option for their candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: They are putting on a brave face, but if you look face, you look where MAGA Inc. is packed, is spending its money, it's to fortify places that Republicans could not have imagined they would need to fortify.

A few weeks ago, districts that he won, House districts that he won by 10 or more points. You know, they are competing now, not only in Ohio, Alaska, Texas, and Iowa, all states that he won by double digits, and where polls this weekend put his approval rating at only 40 to 41 percent in states where he got 55 percent of the vote, Kansas, the Republicans are shifting money into Kansas where Democrats haven't won a Senate seat in over 100 years.

[04:15:17]

Now, the fact that almost the entire battlefield is unfolding in red places, places that voted for Trump in '24 means this is not a done deal for Democrats. There may be reversion to the mean in some of these places. They still have to struggle to secure voters, to lock down voters who are down on Trump but still dubious of them.

But again, the fact that we are talking seriously about places like Kansas and Nebraska gives you an idea of what the election is like in places that are more marginal or swing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Ron Brownstein there.

There is much more to come right here on "CNN Newsroom." Brazilian voters will head back to the polls in a few weeks for another round of presidential elections. And we'll show you what's at stake in this race.

Protests continue in Madrid after a failed housing bill. Ahead, the decision the country's prime minister is making, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:04]

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

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

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

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

FLAVIO BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): I'm 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, earlier, I spoke with Christopher Sabatini, director of the Latin America Programme at Chatham House. And I asked him how Bolsonaro was able to pull ahead after polls showed him behind President Lula da Silva.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, DIRECTOR OF THE LATIN AMERICA PROGRAMME, 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 conducting today, being conducted today. They almost always undercount the vote of the far- right. And that's what happened in Brazil, even this case by -- by a little less the margin.

But largely what Brazilians are voting for is, first of all, along very polarized lines. In both cases, the -- the -- the candidates have a majority of disapproval from the voters. So, it's really split right down the middle.

But second of all, what Jair -- 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, and 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 is referred to as the Trump of the tropics, are very closely aligned with this White House. And for the Trump administration, who's sort of really sort of tried to elevate its doctrine towards Latin America as the revival of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, they call it the Donroe Doctrine.

But it is deeply, deeply partisan. Donald Trump has weighed in, 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 would 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 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 they would say kinetic action with the Brazilian government, should Flavio Bolsonaro win.

LU STOUT: Yes, 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 Lula, if he were to win, would become the president.

And really, since 2003, when he was originally inaugurated, it's been the PT, 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 multi- plurality in the government system, in the global system, arguing for multilateral reform, arguing for climate change.

[04:25:18]

If a Flavio Bolsonaro government were to come to power, what that 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 a more -- less of an alliance even in trying to reform the United Nations. In many ways, Flavio Bolsonaro and the Bolsonaro family reflect a growing trend within global politics to basically sort of jettison many of the old rules of the past, engage in more unilateral activity and even engage in some -- some spheres of influence that Donald Trump has been trying to push.

So, this will really damage Brazil's role as an international leader in arguing for international law and multilateralism. Although quite frankly, even under the PT, 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: OK. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for a special election for the end of November, this after parliament rejected his housing bill over the weekend.

Protesters have been calling for a general strike, following the defeat of the housing bill, which was meant to protect some tenants from eviction. Public outrage was sparked by the eviction of an 87- year-old woman in Madrid.

Now, let's bring in CNN's Pau Mosquera, who's standing by for us in Madrid.

And, Pau, Spain's prime minister has called for a snap election. How could this play out for him and his government?

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, many say that he has decided to bring the elections forward because he intends to capitalize that discontent that we have seen taking to the streets over the last few days. This is the discontent from the demonstrators that has been protesting over the housing crisis in the country. Now, it is not really clear how he would really benefit from it. There are some doubts.

Nevertheless, Spaniards will be going to the polls in just eight weeks. That's how Pedro Sanchez announced it in a televised speech, recognizing that during the last three years, the government has made some mistakes, but he also asked the people, the citizens, to renew and to broaden the public support in order to undertake the necessary reforms to reduce the inequality in housing, as in many other areas.

This decision, Kristie, comes just less than 72 hours since the parliament failed to pass the two decrees that the government presented in order to handle the housing emergency.

Most of the members of the parliament voted negative when it came into giving the green light to those decrees. So, this means that they won't come into effect.

And this situation triggered the demonstrations and the protests over the country. Just in Madrid on Saturday, we saw how thousands of people took Central Madrid, the center of the city, has to again take their demands on housing. In Cibeles, the square where normally the Spanish selection, the Spanish football team celebrates its victories.

Now, it will remain unclear on how the parliament may look after these elections. But as we were saying, it is pretty clear that Sanchez will try to capitalize the discontent that we have seen on the streets. Kristie.

A snap election in Spain called amid a housing crisis. Pau Mosquera reporting live from Madrid for us. Thank you.

Still ahead right here on "CNN Newsroom," an update on the medical condition of death row inmate Christa Pike after her failed execution by lethal injection.

And frustration is growing at Cornell University over the school's handling of an alleged gang rape. We'll have a look at the ongoing protests and the renewed criminal investigation, next.

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