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CNN International: Russia Says No Epidemic Risk As WHO Pushes For Transparency; Three Killed In Deadly Attacks By Houthis On Saudi Airports; 87-Year-Old Woman Who Sparked Protests Dies In Hospital; Sources: Maduro And Wife May Face Charges Over Alleged Torture; Trump Campaigns For Republican In Texas Senate Race; Judge Orders State To Preserve Evidence In Failed Execution. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired October 08, 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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[04:00:26]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's go straight to our headlines.

Russia says there is no risk of an epidemic following the death of a lab worker at a plague facility, but the World Health Organization is pushing for more transparency.

Plus, Pakistan confirms it does have troops in Saudi Arabia after vowing to defend its ally against the Iran-backed Houthis. CNN sits for an exclusive interview with the Pakistani military spokesperson.

And President Trump campaigns in Texas for the third time in less than a month, hoping to boost support for the Republican Senate candidate facing a tight race ahead of those November midterms.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: The Trump administration is now pushing to get clear answers from Moscow about the death of a Russian lab worker. This is at a plague research facility in Siberia.

The State Department says the U.S. has requested more information from Moscow. President Trump on Wednesday acknowledged that Russia has not disclosed many details so far, but he says he does not believe the incident is linked to a bioweapon.

(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. 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Russia's health watchdog says, there is no risk of an epidemic following the death of this lab worker last week, but global health experts are still urging caution and asking for more transparency and information from Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities are lifting some public health measures that were prompted by the incident.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Russians are saying that they're essentially starting to wind down some of those quarantine measures that we've seen in that town of Shelekhov, which of course is right next to Irkutsk near the Lake Baikal area. A lot of the hospitals in that area, of course, were under quarantine.

And they say that's because some of the extensive testing that they've done, especially with the people who were in contact with that lab technician who died of pneumonia of an unknown cause, that those tests are wrapping up.

I want to read to you a bit of a statement that they put out. They said, quote, "As of October 7, 2026, medical monitoring has been completed for 90 percent of contacts." Then they went on to say, "No health issues related to infectious disease were detected and the results of nearly 5,000 laboratory tests revealed no dangerous pathogenic microorganisms."

So, the Russians are essentially saying no plague was involved in all of this, no dangerous microorganisms.

However, the World Health Organization is saying, look, they still want answers. They still need more information.

And the key question for them is them is if this lab technician didn't die of the pneumonic plague, what did she die of? I want to listen into what one top WHO official had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, DIRECTOR, WHO EPIDEMIC AND PANDEMIC MANAGEMENT: we have been told is that they had no case of plague registered in this area and that no high threat pathogens were detected.

So, clearly, we would like more information to understand which laboratory tests were conducted, which pathogens were evaluated. And if this individual didn't die from plague, then -- then how did she die?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So, that's one of the questions that's still very much out there for the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization also saying that they have experts and technicians ready in case the Russians need more help with all this.

However, the Russian authorities have been saying that they are on top of the situation and that the situation in that town of Shelekhov where all this happened is, as they put it, stable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Turning now to the Middle East, where Houthi rebels attacked two Saudi airports. This, of course, highlights the growing fallout of the conflict in Yemen. Saudi officials say the strikes this week killed three people and wounded 36 others.

Now, the Houthi controlled armed forces claimed responsibility for those attacks, saying ballistic missiles hit airports in Riyadh and near the Yemeni border. The U.N. is condemning the attacks and warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis inside Yemen.

A U.N. linked organization says that more than 184,000 people have been displaced since August. The U.N. says resources are falling short, as cholera cases triple. Blocked roads are also restricting humanitarian access and resulting in shortages of very essential goods.

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[04:05:09]

STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESPERSON: We call again on all parties to exercise restraint, urge them to uphold their obligation under international humanitarian law and to refrain direct attacks on civilian and civilian infrastructure, and also to take care in sparing of those civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: For more, we're joined now by CNN's Oren Liebermann live from Jerusalem. Good morning to you, Oren.

It seems rather clear now that the Houthis are -- are expanding their target list against the Kingdom, if you will. What are you learning about these latest attacks and -- and how Saudi Arabia is responding?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Saudi Arabia has been carrying out dozens of airstrikes targeting the Iran-backed Houthis, both before and after the attacks on the airports.

As you pointed out, the Houthis attacked two airports, one near the Yemen border, one in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, killing three and wounding dozens of others. That is evidence of an expanded target list and an escalation in the fighting that began back in July when the Houthis started their attacks following the collapse of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

We now see a couple of months later that this conflict is expanding and it's not just Saudi acting on their own. Pakistan confirmed to CNN that they have troops on the ground in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Turkey has said that it will rapidly deploy forces there as part of what's a new mutual defense treaty between those three countries, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey.

Crucially missing here is the United States. And that's the broader point here, because this is a conflict much like the U.S. war with Iran and Israel's war with Iran that doesn't remain in the Middle East. It affects oil prices. It affects the global economy and won't just remain on the Arabian Peninsula.

The Houthis have targeted Saudi oil facilities, and crucially, they also have a tremendous amount of leverage and perhaps even control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. That's one of the other Middle East's critical waterways.

And last month, the Houthis seized critical islands there that gave them control of one of the world's most critical waterways.

Now, recently, the internationally recognized government of Yemen said they would launch an offensive to take back that territory, and they've claimed some successes there. But there is still an ongoing conflict here, and the Houthis have clearly shown they are ready for a fight.

Saudi, Pakistan, Turkey, they will try to -- to play their role in here to try to push back the Houthis. The Houthis have shown their abilities. They have shown long-range drones and ballistic missiles that they've used very effectively here, and that's the broader concern.

If they're able to leverage the same sort of control over the Bab al- Mandeb Strait that Iran has been able to show over the Strait of Hormuz, in recent weeks, then that shows a tremendous amount of control over the global economy and over, frankly, Saudi Arabia's key export of oil, and that's the broader concern here.

Is there an off-ramp? Well, it certainly doesn't look like there is one right now, Salma, as Saudi Arabia will be getting help from its allies to try to help.

The internationally recognized government of Yemen pushed back against the Houthis. That, in and of itself, may well be a tall order.

ABDELAZIZ: Oren Liebermann there on the critical absence in the renewed conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and that is the absence of the United States. Thank you so much for that reporting from Jerusalem.

More student protests are expected in France today. This is over teacher shortages and a lack of resources in schools. The prime minister says lawmakers will review the students' demands and present proposals at the end of the month. Parliament will also debate a budget proposal on November 12th that includes more than $71 billion for education. This is a slight increase from last year.

The French government is also changing its approach to those protests after getting criticism for an initial heavy-handed response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIEN LECORNU, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Contrary to what some people say and repeat, law enforcement have not been instructed to confront high school students. Their mission is to protect property, but above all, people, to enforce the law and to allow access to educational establishments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, in a video that has since gone viral, the mayor of a French town stood facing police at a march in Paris on Tuesday, shielding young protesters and shouting, stop. He said he had been supporting the students in his working class suburb and was asking the police not to charge, but the police did fire tear gas at the group, including the mayor.

Now to Spain, where protesters are in mourning over the loss of an 87- year-old woman who became the symbol of the country's housing crisis. Her story has drawn attention to an issue set to be front and center in the upcoming snap elections.

CNN's Pau Mosquera reports from Madrid for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:10:06]

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The news landed on Wednesday afternoon like a devastating blow. Maria del Carmen Abascal, better known as Mariecarmen, had died at the age of 87 exactly two weeks after she was evicted.

During this time, Mariecarmen became a nationwide symbol of the fight against the housing crisis in Spain. She was evicted on September 23rd from the home where she had lived for more than seven decades, something that made headlines all around the globe.

Many rallied behind her, first in an effort to try to prevent her from being forced out from her home and later to take growing anger over housing emergency to the streets of many cities across Spain.

There is little doubt that her death will be deeply felt by many. In fact, dozens gathered at Puerto del Sol encampment as to light a candle for her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Yes, the fight continues now, but that's seven years of hardship for that person and she hasn't even been able to return home with the happiness we all had.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The community that is being created here around the same objective for a future, basically I think we are going to end up strong, stronger than ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOSQUERA: There were even reactions at the political level. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his condolences to the family through his social media. Now, in the wake of her death, housing rights activists are expected to draw renewed energy from her story and to step up their protests.

And that's particularly significant ahead of the general strike that they have called for November 11.

Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Venezuela's former president and first lady may soon face additional charges while in U.S. custody. Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured during a U.S. military raid in January, but they may not be the only ones prosecutors are targeting.

CNN's Kara Scannell has the details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sources tell CNN that federal prosecutors in New York are expected to bring new charges against ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores related to the alleged torture of U.S. citizens held in Venezuela.

Sources say these new charges could be announced as soon as Thursday and that it relates to the alleged detention and torture of more than a dozen U.S. citizens in Venezuela during the period of time when the Maduros were in power.

Sources also tell CNN that investigators are considering bringing charges against others that were involved in the alleged conduct. Among the Americans that have been unlawfully detained in Venezuela were this group known as the Citgo Six. There were six Americans working for the Houston energy company, Citgo.

Other freed Americans have also filed lawsuits in which they alleged these brutal conditions inside a facility in Venezuela. They have alleged that they were waterboarded, facing electrocution, threats of sexual assault, mind-altering drugs, and solitary confinement.

A U.N. report on this facility said in the facility it took place, they were routinely resulted in torture. Now, Maduro and Flores are currently facing narcoterrorism and gun charges. They are being held in New York on those charges. So, these will be new charges that they will face. Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, is seeking bail. She's saying that she has a heart condition and wants to be released. She will be in court on Thursday for that, though it's likely that they will be arraigned on these new charges in the near future.

Both Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to those charges. Their lawyers did not have any comment on these new charges that are expected as soon as Thursday.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: We have so much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." U.S. President Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail, this time in Texas, hoping to push the Republican Senate candidate across the finish line.

Plus, an update on Christa Pike's legal case days after she survived Tennessee's attempt to execute her.

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[04:15:08]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back.

U.S. President Donald Trump is pulling out all the stops to make sure Republicans keep control of the Senate in the midterm elections. He campaigned in Texas on Wednesday for Ken Paxton, who's locked in a tight race with Democrat James Talarico.

No Democrat has won a statewide -- a statewide race in Texas since 1994. Now, the trip comes amid new reporting from Axios about an audio recording of Paxton saying the Iran war and high gas prices are hurting his campaign.

We have more on this now from CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: This is a state that the president won by 13 points back in 2024. This is all part of an aggressive midterm campaign strategy that is bringing the president to some traditional Republican stronghold.

The goal here is to bolster turnout among the president's MAGA base. We are seeing some signs of that with the content, the president putting a focus here on border security as he invited an Angel mom up to the stage during this rally.

There's also some signs of organization. There was information for rally-goers about mail-in ballots as well as early voting key dates.

Now Paxton, meanwhile, continues to privately undermine Trump. We saw that with that "New York Times" audio where he said that the Republicans' midterm convention was unhelpful for his campaign.

And then "Axios" reporting that he told a crowd of donors and lobbyists that the war with Iran and high gas prices have been a problem for him.

The president, meanwhile, has repeatedly ribbed Paxton and taken aim at his physical appearance. But on Wednesday in San Antonio, very friendly relations between the two. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm very proud of him and I think he's going to be an unbelievable senator.

KEN PAXTON, (R) TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: I am so grateful that you're here and I'm so grateful that he's here. Aren't you guys glad he came to San Antonio?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:20:04]

KLEIN: Now, I have talked to a number of Texas political operatives and asked them why is this race so close? The answer repeatedly was a combination of candidate quality as well as the president's overall unpopularity.

Now, there were some other signs of discontent here in San Antonio. The president was interrupted repeatedly by protesters by our count more than 12, which is very unusual and something to keep an eye on going forward as he continues these red state stops.

Betsy Klein, CNN, traveling with the president in San Antonio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Joining me now for more on all of this is Natasha Lindstaedt. She is the professor of government at the University of Essex. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

There is so much happening in this run-up to the midterms, of course. And as you heard us reporting there, President Trump was in San Antonio last night campaigning for Ken Paxton, his third trip to Texas in a month.

What does it tell you about the Republican position that he is spending so much time defending a state that he won comfortably in 2024?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: I mean, it's definitely not a good sign. Texas has always been a pretty safe red state for Republicans. And his approval rating, Trump's approval rating in Texas is -- is not good. He is struggling not only in Texas, but in 39 states in total in the U.S.

And he doesn't have a positive approval rating in all nine swing states. So, where this should have been sort of like a slam dunk situation or a Texas Republican senator was (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY) Paxton is and he also -- Paxton is not a very likable candidate. He's trailing James Talarico, the Democrat, in the polls by six points. And so Trump knows that he's going to have to try to boost support for Paxton.

The problem is by tying -- by Paxton tying himself to Trump, that seems to be bringing down candidates and we have a lot of other Republican candidates elsewhere that are trying to distance themselves from Trump rather than attach themselves to him.

ABDELAZIZ: And this is an important and -- and very interesting trend that's happening. And CNN has its own analysis which shows that Republicans are losing some support among voters who backed Trump in 2024.

So, looking ahead, what do Democrats need to -- need to do to turn that discontent into actual votes? And what could still derail their chances of winning control here?

LINDSTAEDT: All right. So, the -- the tricky issue for the Democrats is they want to motivate their base to come out and vote in large numbers. And that typically is possible when the opposite candidate is the president, because there's usually some inks there, but they don't want to turn off moderate voters at the same time.

And Democrats haven't always been so great at balancing these -- these two challenges. But if they focus on a disciplined message of affordability, and tapping into the angst that most Americans have about rising gas prices, about rising grocery prices, about issues with healthcare that continue to face most Americans and that they're the party that is best at managing that and that at the same time, Trump has really not fulfilled any of his promises, particularly by getting involved in the Iran war, which has led to, of course, rising gas prices and has had knock-on effects on other issues of affordability.

This is how the Democrats can motivate people. We've seen that the Democrats have been making huge inroads with the Hispanic community, which now 59 percent, according to an NBC poll, show that they would support a democratic-controlled Congress over a Republican one. That's twice the amount that supported this in 2024.

So, there's some key demographics that Trump is truly hemorrhaging. You know, he still maintains a sizable base, and they are motivated to vote often, but they're not as motivated before.

And as you had noted already, Trump is losing some support from Republicans, not just independents who he's desperately trying to win over, but people within his own party.

ABDELAZIZ: If I can very quickly, I want to just touch on a race that I think encapsulates all of these different ideas, which is Michigan. You have Abdul Sayed who is a progressive candidate but needs to appeal, of course, to those moderates that you mentioned.

You have the Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, who is moving away from policies like Trump's tariffs fight with Canada. What does El-Sayed need to do in these final weeks to win over those undecided voters? And how crucial is that specific vote, Michigan, to the overall hope for Democrats to take the Senate?

LINDSTAEDT: I mean, the race in Michigan is absolutely critical for the Democrats. And they think that they can win this. I mean, the polls show that El-Sayed is leading by just a small amount of points. And there's a margin of error there. So, this is really a race that is neck and neck.

[04:25:07]

But he's going to focus on the issues that have helped Democrats win, you know, elections, which is affordability, again and again. I mean, we have to focus on this broad issue of affordability. He also has been emphasizing healthcare issues, Medicare for all.

He's been focusing on trying to get money out of politics. He's been focusing on trying to put some kind of guardrails on artificial intelligence. So, these types of issues are the types of issues that Michigan -- that citizens of Michigan are -- are hoping for, are hoping for a candidate that can -- that can speak to.

And if you were to look at what the polls looked like about a few months ago, Republicans were rejoicing when El-Sayed had won the primary, because in a head-to-head hypothetical matchup, Mike Rogers was leading by double digits, and they were hoping to portray El-Sayed as a radical, as some sort of left-wing extremist.

But he's shown that he's been very, very articulate in being able to focus on these key issues that are resonating with voters. And if he maintains this discipline message, he has a - a good chance. He claims he's going to win by seven points, but we'll see if he's correct.

ABDELAZIZ: And Abdul Sayed and Mike Rogers are set to face off in a debate on Thursday in Grand Rapids. So, we will see all of that play out.

Natasha Lindstaedt there of the University of Essex. Thank you so much for your insights.

The state of Texas has carried out the first execution in the U.S. since the failed lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee. Jamaal Howard was put to death on Wednesday night after a court denied two attempts by his attorneys to stop the lethal injection with the very same drug used in Pike's failed execution.

Now, Howard was convicted of fatally shooting a convenience store clerk. This is during a robbery in 2000. When asked if he had a final statement, Howard apologized to the victim's family who watched the execution.

Texas has now put six people to death in 2026 and has two more executions planned before the end of the year.

As for the Christa Pike case, a judge has ruled the state of Tennessee must preserve all evidence related to that failed execution attempt. That includes physical evidence, 911 calls, and communications between state officials.

CNN's Ryan Young has more from Nashville.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, all eyes were on this courthouse behind me on the fourth floor. The judge spoke very clearly about what she wanted the next steps be.

Christa Pike's attorneys heard what they wanted to hear. They'll be able to get the state to preserve all the evidence that's left in this case so they can go forward with their investigation into exactly what happened.

They're going to be checking the protocols from the state to see exactly what went wrong when it comes to the execution of Christa Pike. Of course, that didn't happen. It was a botched execution. She was given two doses and still survived.

On Monday, they thought she might have to be cut off from life support, but somehow she still survived and she woke up. Listen to her attorney talk about that astonishment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDY SPIVEY, ATTORNEY FOR CHRISTA PIKE: I was not in the room when she woke up, so I -- I -- I don't want to speculate too much. Our understanding was the first thing she said was, where am I and who are you?

There's -- there's still a lot of cognitive confusion. And so I will say that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: And that's not all the judge granted. In fact, she moved forward with giving the lawyers an opportunity to see their client more often, just like if she was at the prison.

So far, we don't know what her long-term aspects of health is going to be. But if you believe that everybody is in Christa Pike's corner, that would be wrong.

In fact, we heard from several different people who showed up to court to say they were upset that the state wasn't able to execute Christa Pike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE NOWELL, TENNESSEE RESIDENT: And the worst part is that Colleen has been forgotten. All we hear about is Christa, Christa, Christa. Today in that courtroom, as I sat in there and listened and then on the steps, just a few minutes ago, the attorney talked about cruel and unusual punishment. And when is enough enough. I would say she, doesn't know cruel and unusual punishment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: As far as next steps go in this case, it's still unclear whether or not the government will ever come forward with an explanation about what may have failed here. We know one state official has stepped down. The governor has suspended executions for the rest of the year, but no one knows what will happen to Christa Pike in the long run.

Her lawyers hope that the governor commutes her sentence, but that's unclear whether or not that will happen, as the international eyes still pay attention to this story and everyone tries to figure out how will Tennessee move forward with executions in the future.

Ryan Young, CNN, Nashville, Tennessee.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Still to come, roughly one-fifth of the hostages taken into Gaza during the October 7th attack never made it back home. CNN examines their stories.

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