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Isa Soares Tonight
Five Men Suspected Of Plotting An Attack On A U.K. Airbase Used By American Bombers Has Been Released On Bail; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Makes An Unannounced Trip To The UAE; President Trump Poised To Hit The Campaign Trail For The Midterms; CNN Goes Inside Trump's Strategy For November Elections; Investigation Reopens Into Alleged Gang Rape At Cornell University; Nepal Hit By Fresh Disaster Weeks After Deadly Floods. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired September 28, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, five men suspected of plotting an attack
on a U.K. air base used by American bombers has been released on bail. We'll have the very latest for you on that story.
Then a secret visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UAE this weekend, and it comes amid a heightened political controversy. More on
that coming up. Plus, with just five weeks to go until the U.S. Midterms, many Republicans are feeling the fear over what may come.
We'll take a look at the U.S. President's plan to help his GOP allies. That and more for you this hour. We do begin the hour with a new twist in an
alleged terror plot that's raising concerns from Washington all the way to London.
Counter-terrorism police says five British nationals arrested Sunday near a U.K. airbase are being released on bail. They had been taken into custody
on suspicion of a plot to attack the base, which has been used by U.S. bombers in the war with Iran.
Officials stress that the investigation is far from over. Our Nic Robertson has been reporting from outside the base in western England and has the
very latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): Yes, surprising developments, I think for a lot of people, certainly around
here. The head of the British counterterrorism policing said that these five men that were arrested here a little over 36 hours ago are now being
released on bail.
They remain under investigation. The four men have been identified in the - - five men, rather, have been identified in their 20s, all of them living in London. But they are now out on bail. The investigation into them
continues.
The head of the counterterrorism policing spoke about the possibility and motivations that go behind incidents such as this. And this is a pretty
rare and unusual incident.
He said perhaps the focus was less on terrorism and more on financial gain, which sort of leads the thinking about what propagated this, what appeared
to be a potential terror threat at this base over the weekend, and the base going on to what appeared to be a sort of a high level of security.
Following that, the evacuation of about a couple of hundred residents from a village not far from where we are standing. All of that seemed to
indicate an imminent terror threat. But now, the narrative seems to be perhaps, that these were young men working for financial gain, and the head
of counterterrorism spoke about not ruling out the idea that they were wittingly or unwittingly, potentially involved or working for a foreign
state.
It does seem that this investigation is still at its very early stages, but I think a lot of local residents around here, when the alarm was raised in
the early hours of Sunday morning, helicopters came in, the area was sealed off, families evacuated, the bomb squad coming in, the sounds of controlled
detonations late yesterday afternoon, five men arrested for suspicion of explosives and suspicion of being involved in the preparation of acts of
terrorism.
The sense here was that these men who were spotted by a local resident, a farmer late at night, called in to the police, then picked up, that they
were involved in something nefarious. Now, this really sort of throws a question a little wider.
If they were really involved in such serious offenses, they're now out on bail, but still under investigation. So, there's far more, far more to know
about this. And as you can see, the security cordon around the base here is still in place.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our Nic Robertson for us there in Fairford, England. He's right. There's so much for us to know and so many questions at this moment.
[14:05:00]
I want to welcome in counterterrorism expert Malcolm Nance. He's the Executive Director of the Terror Asymmetrics Project. Malcolm, welcome to
the show. It's -- I want -- I'm hoping you heard our Nic Robertson there because the very latest we have is that these five men have now been
released on bail, but there are stringent conditions from what we heard today from that. And they're still under investigation. How do you
interpret where we are right now, Malcolm?
MALCOLM NANCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TERROR ASYMMETRICS PROJECT: Well, this is a peculiar case and principally because, one, you not only have a large
group of men, right? All about the same age, three of them from the same district in London.
Two, you know, all from the city of London. And so, you have to ask yourself one or two questions. One, is this an organized group who was
brought in by a state as a state-sponsored terrorist group, or through a false flag or an open flag, or was this an organized terrorist cell that
was operating?
On the other hand, you could have radicalized activists who have moved from protest to direct action. These are the two types of groups that we're
going to have that I'm sure law enforcement in England are investigating.
But I find the fact that they all came out at night, they're wearing black kit, they're in balaclavas. They were in three vans, which apparently had
extensive, you know, disguise related to it, putting on the names of businesses that didn't exist in the United Kingdom.
That leads to a level of organization that is surprising, that I'm certain is going to lead to the Intelligence side of this to either find a state
sponsor or self-radicalizing terrorists, if they are that.
SOARES: Right, so, given that, and given the questions, the points you've raised there, Malcolm, why release them on bail then if they're still being
investigated, right?
NANCE: Well, you know, the initial --
SOARES: Because after they said they're still under investigation.
NANCE: You know, the initial report said that the person who called in the complaint against these gentlemen, had seen between eight and ten people.
So, it's quite possible that --
SOARES: Yes --
NANCE: There are other --
SOARES: It's the farmer --
NANCE: Conspirators --
SOARES: Yes --
NANCE: Or support personnel -- right, who were involved in this, that law enforcement does not know about. Now, of course, the United Kingdom has a
set of laws that are quite different from the United States, but it may also be in terms of counterintelligence, which is where you want to
actually go after the network of people that have put this together.
That they may feel that letting them out, keeping them on a short leash, having them under surveillance, or worse, having not just them under
surveillance, potential people who have been controlling them under surveillance and seeing if in their panic, they connect together either
directly or through, you know, some form of communications. That's -- that requires real professionalism on your part.
SOARES: Right, so, let's take a step back. And then why? Because there are so many questions like you were saying, like our correspondent, that we do
not have answers to. What we don't know is what they were doing, you know, in Whelford in the early hours of the -- of the morning.
What was their motivation? What was their intent? What would police then be considering from your professional expertise here as they continue their
investigation? Potentially, like you said, the farmer did say -- the female farmer had said that she thought she saw more than five. But we've had very
little on that front from the authorities. So, what will they be looking at now?
NANCE: Right, you know, when we start counterterrorism operations and investigations, you always start with the target. The target determines the
tactics, right? This is RAF Fairford. This is a very large base. It is a large perimeter.
And you have to look at what do they do there, which would elicit someone wanting to penetrate the facility and carry out any kind of act, whether
it's act of protest or whether it's an act of terrorism. So, that base is noted for carrying out B-52 raids and B-1 bomber raids --
SOARES: Yes --
NANCE: On Iran during this most recent conflict. Most noteworthy, early on in this war, and I was quite surprised at this. I guess it was a publicity
action on behalf of the Pentagon that they started loading bombers right on the edge of the flight line, right in front of the -- of the, you know, the
airport watchers, the people who are always taking pictures of the aircraft.
And the first thing I thought was, OK, this is a very in-your-face action and it's going to elicit a negative response at some point. So, it's quite
possible that, you know, this bit of propaganda that they were doing there, uploading B-1 bombers out in public may have given someone who is
organizing an action or a terrorist action, may have given them the opportunity to say, hey, you know, this needs to be our target.
[14:10:00]
There are many other bases in the United Kingdom. I've worked on them, Mildenhall --
SOARES: Yes --
NANCE: Other sites that they could have chosen. But this is a real in-your- face one that appears to be related to the aerial bombing campaign in Iran. But that doesn't mean it's Iran. They may have been false-flagged by other
countries who may have been --
SOARES: Correct --
NANCE: We've got a lot of hybrid warfare activities from Russia. So, we need to be careful about what we speculate on.
SOARES: Indeed, there's a lot of conjecture, there's a lot of speculation. We are waiting for authorities to give us more. What we do know is that
what we've heard from President Trump when he said we had them under view for a long time, it doesn't seem to at least correlate for -- with what
we're hearing from authorities here.
But we will continue to see if we can get some clarification. Malcolm, as always, great to have you on the show. Thank you so much, Malcolm. Really
appreciate it. Live for us there in Los Angeles --
NANCE: Right --
SOARES: Well, the future of the war with Iran is in limbo yet again as U.S. President Donald Trump suggests a new round of diplomacy could happen this
week. Mr. Trump rejected Iran's latest offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.
A U.S. official now tells CNN that President Trump is willing to give Iran sanctions relief and release frozen funds for, quote, "concrete progress on
a nuclear deal." The official says positive and constructive discussions are underway through mediators.
Meantime, an Israeli source says Iran dominated the agenda when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the UAE on Sunday and met with
Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed. But the timing is raising eyebrows because it comes as "Haaretz" and the "New York Times" reports, Sheikh
Mohammed warned Mr. Netanyahu of a major Hamas operation just days before the October the 7th attack back in 2023.
Jeremy Diamond is following developments from us -- from Tel Aviv. There's a lot for us to discuss. So, Jeremy, let me start, first of all, if I may,
with these potential talks that we're hearing "Axios" reporting on this at this moment.
Both sides, as we know, have been somewhat entrenched in their positions for some time. So, talk us through what the expectations are here.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, we are getting some, you know, positive indications from U.S. officials who are speaking
about the state of these current negotiations. We know, of course, that over the weekend, President Trump appears to have rejected the latest
proposal from Iran that would have potentially reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
And he is indicating today that what he is looking for is a comprehensive deal, and one that goes beyond something that he would have perhaps
accepted a year ago. But nonetheless, a U.S. official is indicating that there has been some concrete progress, and that there are positive and
constructive discussions happening between the U.S. and Iran through the mediating countries.
We know that Qatari diplomats were very active over the weekend, and in particular around the United Nations General Assembly. So, you know, there
does seem to be some real there, there, to the notion of diplomacy getting a jumpstart here.
But as always, you know, it does seem like we've been here before in many ways, and we have to be extremely cautious about the extent to which this
progress is indicative of us marching on the way to peace and towards some kind of real, lasting agreement between the United States and Iran, because
these two sides are still very far apart.
Both have hardened in their stances in many ways. The x factor, of course, is the economic pain that both sides are dealing with in different ways. On
the U.S. side, it's more political, of course, as it relates to gas prices and the effect that that's having on President Trump in the Midterms.
And on Iran's side, of course, some very real financial pain for the Iranian population and its government as well.
SOARES: And let me bring it closer to home. We mentioned this before we came to you, and because we are less than what? A month away or so from
elections where you are in Israel, and according -- I was looking, according to an Israeli source, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said
secretly visit the UAE.
I think it was this past Sunday. What more do we know about this, first of all, and what kind of question, more importantly, is this raising Jeremy,
there in Israel just ahead of these elections?
DIAMOND: Well, according to an Israeli source familiar with the meeting, the Prime Minister traveled secretly to the UAE, primarily to speak about
Iran and the situation in the region with the UAE's President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
But of course, the backdrop to all of this, on the domestic political front for Netanyahu has been the blowback that he has been facing as one story
after the next has emerged over the course of the last week or so, indicating that the Prime Minister received multiple warnings from not only
the UAE, but also the Egyptian Intelligence chief in the weeks leading up to October 7th, that something was about to happen, that Hamas was
preparing some sort of attack.
[14:15:00]
And of course, as I said, one of the central aspects of this is a call between the UAE's MBZ and the Israeli Prime Minister that took place days
before October 7th. Now, the Israeli Prime Minister's office has denied that the Prime Minister received such a warning.
We know that in the past, the Israeli Prime Minister, his office, has sought to get the UAE to deny this story outright. All they secured was,
the UAE's Foreign Ministry saying that they do not comment on these types of media stories and saying that, quote, "when necessary, all relevant
Intelligence has been and continues to be communicated very far from the kind of denial that the Prime Minister himself was certainly seeking."
So, was this visit, you know, another effort by the Prime Minister to get the UAE to push back on some of this reporting that's been out there. You
know, it's really not clear at this point. What is clear is that we're less than a month away from an election that has very much been defined by what
the Prime Minister did and did not know leading up to October 7th, the failures of that day, and of course, all that has followed since then.
This election is very much been framed, especially by the opposition, as a referendum on the Israeli Prime Minister. And as of now, if the polls are
correct, the Israeli Prime Minister's coalition is falling well short of the 61 seats necessary to form another government. Isa?
SOARES: Important context there from our Jeremy Diamond, thank you, Jeremy, appreciate it. Live for us in Tel Aviv. And still to come tonight on the
show, Pope Leo XIV has just wrapped up a visit to France. Our Vatican correspondent has a look at his historic trip.
Plus, three separate shootings in one week can leave more than 30 people dead in South Africa. We'll have the latest on the wave of violent crime
gripping the country. You are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: A SpaceX starship rocket has returned to earth after successfully launching into space.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All three lit, down to two.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: The rocket was able to deploy all 26 of its Starlink satellites before splashing down, as you can see there in the Pacific.
[14:20:00]
The mission was meant to include six laps around the earth and remain in orbit for ten hours, but the trip was cut short. This mission comes as
SpaceX is under pressure to prepare for a new moon landing. Former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao spoke to CNN's Pam Brown, he explained how this
SpaceX mission differed from the previous ones. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEROY CHIAO, AMERICAN CHEMICAL ENGINEER & FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: The past missions were suborbital. That is, the ship almost made it into orbit, but
intentionally did not go intending instead to coast and splashdown where it was planned to do so in the Pacific.
This time, they did the burn. They assessed that the system was healthy and they got into orbit, deployed those satellites, and now it's going to come
down and kind of do what happened with the other ships, come down in the same area of the Pacific, hover over the ocean, demonstrating that in the
future, it could also be captured by the so-called chopsticks aboard a drone ship or something like that, and be successfully recovered to be
refurbished and reused.
And that's the beauty and the disruptive part of this starship system. It's designed to be fully reusable. It's going to dramatically bring down the
cost of launching things into space.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Leroy Chiao, speaking to us earlier. Well, Pope Leo XIV has concluded his trip to France, the final stop of his four-day visit was in
the city of Metz. The Pope celebrated mass at the Cathedral of Saint Stephen before departing for the Vatican.
His trip focused on revitalizing faith in France, addressing clerical abuse and political topics such as A.I. advancement. Our Vatican correspondent
Christopher Lamb has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, Pope Leo is wrapping up his four-day visit to France, a trip where he is at times
received a superstar's welcome with big crowds turning out for the major events.
Around 800,000 turned up for an open-air mass in Paris, and 150,000 for another liturgy in Lourdes; the major Catholic pilgrimage site in the
southwest of France. His final stop is in Metz, on the France-Germany border.
He'll say a mass here at the Cathedral, and beforehand, he gave a speech to European leaders, where he called for greater unity on the continent and
lamented a lack of cooperation between governments. This is what he had to say.
ROBERT PREVOST, POPE, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): Today, relations between individuals and states are becoming increasingly
uncivilized. The value of keeping one's word is dismissed. Instead, people boast of lies and deceit.
LAMB: The French President deciding as well to attend a mass here in Metz, a very unusual decision by the President, given France has a very strict
church-state separation. But despite that, Leo has been received extremely warmly.
The Pope during his trip, addressing big political topics such as Artificial Intelligence, assisted dying. This has been a jam-packed visit,
lots of different events, lots of different messages. But the Pope will later on Monday be heading back to Rome.
He's expected to give a press conference on board the papal plane. The last trip the Pope did in Spain, the papal plane due to take him back,
malfunctioned, and the Pope had to get a jet from the King of Spain to get back to Rome.
Leo will be hoping his flight back to the eternal city will be smoother this time round. Christopher Lamb, CNN, Metz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, at least, one person is dead and more than a dozen injured following a devastating Russian strike in Ukraine. The building hit an
academic institution; a facility very significant to Kyiv's history. Russia has been ramping up its aerial campaign on the Ukrainian capital.
As you know, Russian strikes have killed at least 91 people in the city just in the last month. We'll stay across that story for you. Meantime, in
South Africa, more than 30 people have been killed in a wave of shootings.
There are at least three separate incidents just over the weekend. It is the latest deadly episode in a rash of violent crime gripping the country.
And it comes as authorities are still searching for answers after the bodies of 11 different women were found across the city of Johannesburg.
The killings have left many there fearful for their safety, and police are continuing to investigate whether the deaths are connected. Larry Madowo
has more on this latest outbreak of violence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Residents of the Lwandle township on the outskirts of Cape Town, holding an emotional prayer
service on Monday after a mass shooting killed at least ten people in that community.
Gunmen opened fire at an entertainment venue that also sold braai meat, barbecued meat in what is known in South Africa as a shisa nyama. Video
shared on social media showed residents having fun, enjoying themselves.
[14:25:00]
And then shots ring out and people scattering for safety. Police have launched a manhunt for the gunman, but so far none have been arrested.
There's no motive which has been given so far, but they suspect business rivalry. Here's the pastor and community leader that led this service,
explaining why?
SOMIKAZI MTIYA PANYANE, PASTOR: Everyone is still -- it amazed and in deepest shock and pain. So, why we are here today just to have this service
of prayer to strengthen them, to support them, and just to pray for them that God may intervene in their lives, restore them, protect them, like
comfort them.
MADOWO: There were two other shootings in the Western Cape this past weekend, making it a very bloody weekend in the Western Cape Province. And
a bloody weekend in South Africa, because the worst mass shooting of this past few days happened in Wedela, just outside Johannesburg.
At least, 18 people were killed after eight hooded gunmen entered this tavern, started shooting. Those who were drinking inside and outside, and
at least, five people remain in critical condition. So far, police have only identified four of the victims.
Two South African nationals and two from Lesotho. This is an area that has been plagued by violence connected to illegal mining, illegal gold mining
is an issue in South Africa. The tavern owner says she is distraught and is not sure if she will continue operating this business, because there had
been another shooting at this same location.
Investigators are looking into the identities of the gunmen. The tavern owner has told local media that CCTV footage was available, and that would
be a useful clue as they figure out exactly what happened here. South Africa has a violent crime problem.
Police statistics say as many as 58 people are killed every day. That's from statistics from the first three months of the year. Part of the
violent crime problem in South Africa faces is because of the easy access to both legal and illegal firearms connected to organized crime, to gang
violence, extortion or illegal mining.
And this bloody few days in South Africa, coming after the country was already reeling from the discovery of the bodies of 11 women in the
Ekurhuleni part of South Africa. South Africa also has a major femicide problem.
Violence against women is a problem that the government is aware of and overall, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa now saying, this level of
crime and violence has to stop, asking authorities to pull out all stops to make sure that people can feel safe in South Africa. Larry Madowo, CNN,
Nairobi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight on the show, hit the road Mr. President. CNN learns that Republican strategy to win the Midterms and it involves
Donald Trump spending a lot of time away from the White House.
Plus, a former Cornell University student sexual assault claims are reigniting a criminal investigation. We have the latest from New York on
that just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Well, if you're counting, Tuesday will mark exactly five weeks until the U.S. midterm elections, and CNN has learned
details of the U.S. president's plan to help his Republican allies. He thinks what voters need is more Donald Trump. Trump advises plan to send
the president and vice president, J.D. Vance, to a number of key states in an effort to build enthusiasm among the base and drive higher turnout.
One problem with that plan is that Mr. Trump remains deeply unpopular. Some Republican candidates have openly broken with him in an effort to win back
skeptical independents.
Our Jeff Zeleny has more on all these strands for us. So, Jeff, good to see you, first of all. I mean, talk us through this strategy, because, as we've
been saying for several weeks now, that Trump -- President Trump's approval ratings are at an all-time low, and there is genuine concern within the
Republican Party. I did see one Trump adviser telling our White House colleagues, and I'll quote here, "It's obviously going to be effing rough."
So, I mean, what is the strategy?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I mean, that pretty much is the bluntest way to put these -- the fact that,
like every president, the president's party faces just remarkable headwinds. But unlike every president, President Trump is still trying to
put himself out there as though he's the most popular man around.
And, of course, he is anything but that. So, when you look at the president's travel schedule, he is limited in some places where he can go.
He is scheduled this week alone to go to Alabama, of course, a deep red state. Oklahoma, a deep red state, hardly the places where these races are
really playing out, but clearly wants to try and remind some of those Trump voters out there, who may not be paying attention to the midterm elections,
that he's on the ballot.
Well, the people who know that he's on the ballot or his policies are on the ballot are independent voters, Democrats and others, who are
frustrated. So, every time the president goes out there and sort of sticks his neck up and becomes more prominent, it could just as well enthuse the
other side as well, Isa.
SOARES: Yes. And I was looking, because the White House seems to have launched a television ad, interestingly enough, for our viewers, just for
context, it's been funded by taxpayer money. And this features President Trump. I do want to play a little clip of it, Jeff, just so our viewers, a
little snip of it so our viewers could see. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: And we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Right. He's calling this a final battle, his words, in one of the ads, right? Critics in the meantime are calling it taxpayer funded
propaganda. I mean, how, first of all, how is this landing with taxpayers? And what has been the White House response to this?
ZELENY: Look, it's deeply unusual. I mean, if this ad sounds familiar and when I first heard it, I thought that does sound familiar. It's the exact
video that his campaign produced in 2024, just two years ago. But now it is being repurposed and the advertising time on college football, professional
football over the weekend is being paid for by the U.S. government.
It's extraordinary. We've never seen anything like this, the terms of propaganda that the government and taxpayers are paying for. Some
Republican senators are saying it's inappropriate. My guess is that others will join suit. But there's no sort of mechanism to rein this in. I mean,
the Department of Justice is certainly not going to look into this.
But the fact of the matter here is that the White House is trying to say every president use what's called a public service announcement. And they
put out a list of previous ads that have been a run in this vein. But they do not match this at all. One example was during the Biden administration,
where to get your COVID shot during the Obama administration, where to sign up for health care during the Bush administration, where to sign up for
Medicare. Those are very different things than the president literally promoting himself.
[14:35:00]
But, again, for all the unorthodoxy of this, for all the waste of taxpayer money, the reality is he's not addressing, these spots are not addressing
the concerns that are on the minds of Republicans of all political stripes. That is the Iran war, which has led to high diesel prices, record high
diesel prices, high gas prices, higher mortgage rates, et cetera.
So, for all the thrust of these ads, again, they're not really answering the questions that voters have or certainly not easing their frustrations.
SOARES: Yes. And a lot of it is around economy, inflation, or much of it caused by the war in Iran. Jeff, really appreciate it. Jeff Zeleny, thank
you very much.
ZELENY: My pleasure.
SOARES: As Jeff and I were talking, I just want to show you these live images. You're very welcome. We are keeping an eye out for President Trump
because, as we showed you, I'll ask my producer, Anna, just to bring the shots up. We are monitoring President Trump there. The Oval Office is
announcing plans for a new Iowa steel plant, something like -- Mesabi Metallics is the company, is going to put about $15 billion into that steel
plant with first production, I believe slated for 2030. We are listening in. We are monitoring any key lines, of course. We will bring it to your
attention.
I want to leave Washington for now and turn our attention to New York. Prosecutors there are reopening an alleged gang rape investigation at
Cornell University. The accused's lawyer filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month after the original investigation resulted in no criminal charges. The
suit alleges the seven fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted a former female student at Cornell.
Our Gloria Pazmino joins me now in New York for more. So, Gloria, just talk us through, I mean, some of the allegations here are incredibly disturbing,
right? So, talk us through that and what led Jane Doe to actually file this.
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Isa, we should start there. The allegations that are laid out in this lawsuit are disturbing. The details
are graphic. And it's once again putting a spotlight on how universities and colleges handle accusations of sexual assault on their campuses.
Now, I want to bring you back to the beginning of all of this because it started in October 2024. That is when the alleged incident happened. And
following an internal investigation by Cornell University, seven fraternity students, seven fraternity house students were accused. Others received
lesser punishment, including suspensions and written assignments following this investigation. And the fraternity was barred from the campus. That's
all according to this latest lawsuit.
The initial investigation carried out by the university, as you mentioned, resulted in no charges and no arrest. And Jane Doe, the alleged victim in
this case, has since left the university. But now, there's some new information. And that's how that brings us back to today. The Tompkins
County District Attorney has said that he is reopening the investigation, presenting new evidence to a grand jury and potentially bringing new
criminal charges because of this lawsuit.
Now, he's also defending himself and how he handled the investigation back in 2024. And a very important detail in all of this is that the D.A. is
saying that when Jane Doe first reported the incident, she did not allege that she had been drugged or that she had been sexually assaulted. I want
to get right to a statement from the district attorney who said, quote, "Jane Doe's sworn statement in November 2024 did not allege that she was
drugged against her will or gang raped. On the contrary, Jane Doe's statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as
voluntary, conscious and consensual."
That is going to be a pivotal part of this investigation because there are laws here in New York that make it very clear it is difficult to charge a
person when it comes to an alleged victim who was intoxicated but willingly consumed either alcohol or drugs.
Now, to the facts of what's laid out in this lawsuit, Jane Doe alleges that the night of the incident, she was 20 years old. She started out the
evening at her own sorority house where she had been drinking. Then she traveled to the fraternity house, Chi Phi's fraternity house. And it was
once she was inside that fraternity house that the seven members of the fraternity assaulted, sexually assaulted her, gave her drugs and alcohol.
[14:40:00]
And there's also additional evidence presented in this lawsuit, which shows a group chat among the fraternity members talking about the sexual assault
and appearing to invite others at the fraternity to partake in what was happening in that moment.
We got a statement from the attorney for Jane Doe, the alleged victim in this case, who said, quote, "Other than her initial contact with Cornell
police, she was not contacted by investigators from the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office or any investigators trained in interviewing
rape survivors."
So, Isa, as you can imagine, this case, because of the graphic nature of it, because of the disturbing allegations, it has gotten a lot of
attention, a lot of people reacting. We should also mention Cornell University has issued a response defending their actions back in 2024,
pointing out that they conducted an internal investigation and dismissing the fact that there was sort of this minor punishment administered to the
students that were involved. This is certainly going to be an ongoing story, and we will be following it right here. Isa.
SOARES: Yes, that group chat definitely makes very difficult reading. Gloria Pazmino, I know you'll stay across this for us. Thank you very much
indeed.
We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, new disastrous weather in Nepal, just weeks after catastrophic flooding there killed more than 1,300 people. The heavy rains
and storms triggered more deadly flooding just over the weekend and four are dead and several others missing after an avalanche hit a base camp. Our
Hanako Montgomery has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More extreme weather is battering Nepal. Just weeks after at least 1,400 people were killed and thousands
more were left missing by deadly floods. Now, over the weekend we know that 14 people were killed in Nepal due to heavy rain and flooding.
You can see in this video a multi-story building falling into a gushing river. And separately in this video you can see residents taking shelter on
their roofs because their homes were partially submerged in flood water. Now, rescuers have been trying to get people to safety using inflatable
rafts and also ropes to rescue these individuals.
[14:45:00]
Now, separately also in Nepal on Sunday an avalanche hit a peak called inflatable rafts Himlung Himal. According to some of the rescuers on the
ground there, there were several people at base camp setting up for an expedition that was set to take place from October 1st. These individuals
were all Nepali nationals, there were Sherpas and kitchen staff fixing ropes and setting up tents when again a torrent of rock and sand hit the
base camp.
Now, according to rescuers at least four bodies were recovered but 12 people still remain missing. We've seen helicopters dispatched to this
region but according to the rescuers on the ground there, due to the inclement weather it has been difficult to get those helicopters to land.
We also have to remember this is a remote part of the Himalayan country meaning communication is just that much more difficult.
And again, for context, this is yet another climate disaster to hit Nepal, weeks after it experienced deadly flash floods, Nepal is still reeling from
that disaster, it still hasn't recovered from it and yet it has to deal with yet another extreme weather event and this all comes amid tourist
season. Revenue from tourist season is a huge part of the Nepali economy and there's very real concern in Nepal that will continue to hurt the
country's economy as it again has to spend so much to recover from climate disasters.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: I'm going to take a short break, see you in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Joining our Book Club today is Karan Mahajan with "The Complex." Welcome to the show.
KARAN MAHAJAN, AUTHOR, "THE COMPLEX": Thank you so much for having me.
SOARES: So, good to have you here. This extraordinary book, it's so multilayered and compelling. And it is about a multigenerational Indian
family, major saga, right, right from the beginning. I don't want to describe it. I would like you to give us a synopsis to our viewers without,
Karan, giving away a lot of it. Go for it.
MAHAJAN: So, it's a novel that is about this very large clan in New Delhi, in India, that lives in the single pressure cooker of a compound, the
complex of the title, and the ways in which their dynamics and family change as members of the clan go abroad and then come back.
[14:50:00]
But it's also a novel that is deeply concerned with the ways in which reactionary thinking take root in a family before they burst onto the
national stage. And I think it combines elements of a family saga and a political tale.
SOARES: Let me start with the beginning, because I was really taken aback just right off the first sentence. And as I said, it's a novel that is
about this very large clan. And it was stunning, because it reminded me of something else. Your chapter zero, you say, then I received news that my
father will be released from prison. I had known this was coming, had known his 25-year sentence was concluding. But still, the date exploded upon me.
So, we go on right from the beginning to find out that a crime has been committed. And this reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "A Hundred
Years of Solitude," with, you know, Buendia right at the beginning. He's been shot. Why did you decide, Karan, that that's how you wanted to start,
almost giving that away from the beginning?
MAHAJAN: It was a question that perplexed me for a long time as a writer, too, how to begin this book. And one of the reasons was that it is a very
complicated, complex novel with many characters. And I wanted to show that everything in this novel actually interlocks and leads to this crime at the
end, which is going to be a major rupture in this family.
But also, and this is another thing that the beginning kind of gives away, is going to show the ways in which a character who's been considered a bad
person in the present, in this novel, is going to end up being venerated almost like the patriarch. He's going to become a second patriarch. And
that is, in my mind, the way myths work. National myths also work, that over time, people forget the crimes that people have committed and they get
behind a figurehead.
SOARES: Oh, there's so much there that we can even bring it to today.
MAHAJAN: Yes.
SOARES: Let's pick up then on Gita, the female character. She comes into this family. She travels to Delhi, right, for a wedding. And she's raped by
one of the main characters here, the character that is then going to be going to become a politician, a leader of this political party.
Why did you feel, Karan, that that was important to put that rape as part of your book? Was this a pointed social commentary?
MAHAJAN: It is very much a pointed social commentary because the crisis of sexual violence in India was on my mind. And I was very much thinking about
the ways in which a man could write about it. Because men are clearly extremely implicated in this in every way. And I was also thinking about a
major political figure in the U.S., I don't need to name him, who has committed sexual assault several times and has risen to the top of the food
chain.
SOARES: Though he denies it.
MAHAJAN: Though he denies it. Yes, yes.
SOARES: He denies everything.
MAHAJAN: He denies it. And I wanted these two characters, Gita and Laxman in this case, to be linked by a violation that is never spoken about.
Because at the time, in 1980, unfortunately a woman like Gita, who is middle class, educated, would still not have had recourse to talk about it
with her relatives or her husband. And so, she would be carrying the shame of the secret while also watching this man fail upward.
SOARES: But they all knew. All the family knew. And, you know, one of them, because she was childless, was like, it's a blessing, almost counting it as
a blessing.
MAHAJAN: So, this is one of the things that the novel is really interested in, is the ways in which power is maintained in a family and consolidated.
So, you have Laxman Chopra, who is essentially wielding this power over the women in the family. He has no power in the outside world, but he's able to
bully the women. He sexually assaults one. He has an affair with another woman in the family.
And actually, it's many of the other women in the family who defend and protect his reputation because they are concerned with the reputation of
the patriarch, right? So, he realizes that this is a way in which he can get away with things. And the other family members are willing to look the
other way. And it is that dynamic, in my mind, that leads him into politics eventually, because he realizes that --
SOARES: He can get away with it?
MAHAJAN: -- he can get away with things.
SOARES: You are, as well as viewers might not know, professor at Brown University. Can you, what kind of advice for our viewers, if they're
watching, they're listening, would you give to your students? I mean, I don't know how long this took you to write, but in terms of the piece --
MAHAJAN: Too long. Way too long.
SOARES: Too long. How long did it take you?
MAHAJAN: All in all, about 10 years.
SOARES: 10 years.
MAHAJAN: 10 years of suffering.
SOARES: And 10 of -- and what about the research there? Because the -- you know, how did you manage this alongside the teaching? Any kind of advice
that you can give to those who want to venture into this?
MAHAJAN: Yes. I mean, I think one piece of advice is that you should love doing research, because to me, that's the great pleasure of writing novels,
is this opportunity to go out and absorb entire worlds.
[14:55:00]
For me, it doesn't feel like work. I love talking to people. I mean, kind of like a journalist. Yes. I love interviewing people. I went back and
asked them what it was like to participate in an anti-affirmative action protest. I spoke to a lot of Indian immigrants about their initial
experiences in the 1970s, and, you know, a lot of it was amusing.
There was a lot of dark stuff, but, you know, you would hear things like, oh, you would sometimes get a call in the middle of the night if you were
an Indian in New York, and it would be a student who was stranded at JFK, an Indian student, who didn't know what to do, and so he picked up the
yellow book, yellow pages, and placed a call to the first Indian he could find. So, details like that are so wonderful and, like, are great in
novels.
SOARES: Really, really fascinating. So, glad that you could join us. I would want to get a sense from you once you've done your press tour in
India how this is received. I am intrigued.
MAHAJAN: You can have me back anytime.
SOARES: Thank you, Karan. Karan, thank you very much for coming. I'm going to pass you the book.
MAHAJAN: OK, great.
SOARES: And I'll give you the pen. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Grateful to Karan Mahajan. That does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with C-Max after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
