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Isa Soares Tonight

Inmate on Tennessee's Death Row Survives 2 Lethal Injections; Indian Pilot Smit Machchhar Praised After Flydubai Cockpit Attack; U.K. Police have Arrested a British-Iranian National on Suspicion of Preparation of Terrorist Acts. Case Puts New York's Sex Offense Law into Focus; Renee Good's Family Sues U.S. Government; Trump, Vance Hit Campaign Trail in Red States Ahead of Midterms; Russian Drone Hits School. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired October 01, 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, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, it's being called an unprecedented

failure. An inmate on Tennessee's death row survives two lethal injections. We'll have the very latest for you.

Plus, we are learning more about the alleged attacker on the Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv. We'll bring you the very latest on that front. And U.K.

police have arrested a British-Iranian national on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.

That is in connection with an alleged plot to target a U.K. air base used by U.S. military. That and much more ahead for you this hour. But first

here tonight, the governor in the U.S. state of Tennessee has halted executions there for the rest of the year after a woman survived two lethal

injections.

Christa Pike had been scheduled for execution on Wednesday morning for the killing she committed at the age of 18. Her attorneys say she's now being

treated at a hospital with one death penalty expert telling us this was an unprecedented failure.

We do not know her condition or the potential consequences of receiving, of course, those two injections of Pentobarbital. Before being escorted out of

the area, members of the media who witnessed the event said they had Pike speaking to her executioners. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHERINE SWEENEY, MEDIA WITNESS, NASHVILLE PUBLIC RADIO WPLN: She said that there was a spot that was burning and hurting and asked if that was

normal. I covered all the executions last year and most of the ones this year. We haven't seen anything like it. It went really poorly.

TORI GESSNER, MEDIA WITNESS, WKRN: When the curtains were open, she was kind of inconsistently going in and out of snores and silence. When the

curtains closed the final time at 8:05, we could consistently hear her snoring, and then it kind of developed into a snore squeak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and murder of her 19-year-old classmate, Colleen Slemmer, and it was brutal. Slemmer

was lured into the woods before being stabbed, beaten with a large chunk of asphalt and then having a pentagram carved in her chest Pike sent

boyfriend, is serving life in prison.

[14:05:00]

Now, just important to point out that we are waiting at the top of this hour, any moment now for the attorneys for Christa Pike to give an update

following her failed execution. We are -- they're speaking, in fact, I'm being told. Let's listen in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, that they are not capable of carrying an execution consistent with basic human dignity. Last night was not just an

inefficient, it was cruel and it was torturous. It was also predictable. Christa's legal team told the state of Tennessee and the court that her

medical condition would cause her to suffer an agonizing death.

The state and the court dismissed Christa's concerns. The governor has called for an independent review does not go far enough. After having

endured solitary confinement for more than 20 years and a full attempt to kill her by lethal injection, Christa had endured punishment greater than

any other person in the history of the American death penalty.

The governor must commute Christa's sentence now. Since before(ph) Christa Pike talk, she has suffered in the hands of men and institutions were at

best indifferent to her suffering, and at worst, the direct cause of it.

And last night, the execution team attempted to establish an IV line for an hour. I counted at least seven needles used in her left arm alone, one of

which appeared to be bent when it was pulled from her arm after an unsuccessful attempt.

The state continued this effort despite very complications that we have learned about in four months earlier Christa's spiritual advisor was

repeatedly removed from her side from the execution chamber during the process despite --

SOARES: As you can hear, there is an echo in that sound, so it's not very clear what we were getting for the attorney here for Christa Pike. We are

going to try and clear that because I think that's on their end, because it's important that we will hear what he has to say. So, we'll try and see

if we can get a cleaner version, we'll return to that.

But let's stick with this. I want to bring in, and I want to really look at Tennessee's use of lethal injections. I want to bring in Dr. Zoll -- Joel

Zitod(ph), who joins us now. He's a Professor of Anesthesiology at the Emory University and was retained as an expert by Christa Pike's attorney.

Doctor, really appreciate you coming on the show. We had to break away from the attorney because it just wasn't -- it wasn't very clear. I heard an

agonizing death. I heard cruel, torturous and predictable. I also heard, I'm not sure if you could hear the -- it wasn't very clear.

Something about the use of seven needles. Just explain to our viewers watching from around the world what exactly -- what do you understand

actually happened here?

JOEL ZIVOT, PROFESSOR OF ANESTHESIOLOGY, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Sure. The pronunciation of my last name is Zivot. Thank you. And I'm speaking on my

own behalf, of course. So, lethal injection basically is a technique that is designed to, you know, to cause the death of a person.

It requires the placement of two intravenous catheters, something that, you know, people may be familiar with if they'd ever been to the doctor or know

someone in the hospital who's had something like that. These catheters are then attached to fluids.

And then the chemical in this case, Pentobarbital is injected into one of these catheters. Now, the state places two catheters because of the

possibility, certainly occurred in this case that the first catheter stops working.

Now it would stop working because the catheter is no longer in the vein. The vein has ruptured. And I think that from the description of what

Christa was heard to say, that's really what happened on the first go- around that clearly the barbiturate, -- the barbiturate -- kind of Pentobarbital that was injected did not go into her veins. It went into her

forearm.

And likely that chemical now has caused a significant burn. This chemical is actually prepared as a strong alkali like bleach. And so, basically, she

had bleach injected into her arm. And the consequences, I'm sure, will be quite severe.

So, she was not killed because if the Pentobarbital had in fact, gone into the -- into the vein properly, then she would very likely have died. So,

then they moved to the second intravenous. And again, if the second intravenous was functioning properly, then the second dose of Pentobarbital

would also have killed her.

But it didn't either. So, I can only conclude, you know, that in both instances --

SOARES: Yes --

[14:10:00]

ZIVOT: These intravenous, you know, became dysfunctional. And so, she survived. She lived because very little bit of the Pentobarbital actually

circulated in her blood.

SOARES: Right, because, I mean, Pike's attorney -- attorneys were pointing earlier to the difficulty for the correction officials, doctor, to access

her veins. I mean, wouldn't this be something they would be aware of beforehand?

ZIVOT: Yes, you have to understand that the -- this is not a medical act. It may appear as one. And so, all those kinds of considerations about

modifications, about qualifications, about safety, oversight, all of those things attend to medical acts.

But this is none of those things. It just appears like that. And worse, all of these things are kept secret. So, from -- you know, from the state's

perspective, who does these things? What they know. So, sure, you can put evidence in front of the state and you can say, this is our view.

And the state says, well, you know, we don't agree with you. We don't believe you. You know, we don't care, we think we can do this. You know, in

spite of your warnings, we don't believe that you're impartial or objective. So, why should we listen to you? And clearly, they did not.

SOARES: We are hearing from the attorneys for Christa Pike, that she is alive and receiving doctor, life-saving medical care. You were talking

earlier of the consequences of something like this happening. What do you worry those consequences might be?

ZIVOT: Well, I think that the problem here is that some of this Pentobarbital got into Christa Pike's body, into the circulation and into

the brain very likely. And she did not stop breathing. But by the description, there was some change in the pattern of her breathing.

That sounds to me like she at least had perhaps the effect of a light anesthetic. Now, under those circumstances, it's not clear what she felt,

but she certainly felt pain at the beginning of it. And in that kind of state of stupor, she -- her breathing may have been insufficient to meet

her normal body needs by the loud sound of her breathing, by the sound of her obstructed airway, then it's possible that the oxygen level in her

blood will have -- would fall.

And when the oxygen level falls, you know, the body begins to --

SOARES: Yes --

ZIVOT: Break down. The brain itself is very dependent on ongoing, you know, robust and well oxygenated circulating blood, and any interruption,

even in a matter of moments, can begin the process of brain injury. And sometimes that brain injury can be mild.

SOARES: Yes --

ZIVOT: It can be recovered, but sometimes it can be quite severe, disabling and permanent.

SOARES: Doctor, I was looking at a statement from the Tennessee Department of Correction, basically saying that it acted according to its protocol

throughout the execution. It said, and I'm going to quote, "the lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective and the

protocol does not allow for traditional procedures beyond what was carried out this evening."

But we do understand that seven other people have survived kind of medical problems due to failure of a vein or unable to administer lethal injection.

Just speak to the concerns that you have as we've seen, of course -- it's really shocking, botched execution.

ZIVOT: I mean, I think that, you know, this may strike people as odd, but here in the United States, the prisoners are actually afforded a

constitutional right to health care. So, when a person is in prison, they must receive health care. And the health care must be real.

And so, the question then is, how can you supply health care to someone that you are killing? That's an unanswered question. I myself have raised

this and said that the state should put in place meaningful, you know, able and impartial resuscitative teams that should be present.

If there's any sense that the execution goes awry, that way, there would be no delay because if the execution should fail, then it's clear that the

right to health care that the prisoner, you know, has, should at least be, you know, honored and restored.

And there was a long delay here. So, the state could very well have put in place some resuscitative teams that would have been there in case no such

resuscitative team was present. The state also basically, you know, has an expectation that I think that from their experience that Pentobarbital

kills people, you know, fairly quickly.

[14:15:00]

So, what they don't have any experience or plan for is this. What if the Pentobarbital doesn't kill a person? What if both doses don't? What do they

do? So, what they do -- what they did was basically stand around -- you know, they didn't try to revive her, I believe.

You know, they didn't know what to do. I guess maybe they hoped that she would eventually die. But she did not. And in that time, it was clear that

it seemed, you know, to her defense team that she would not die.

And so, they demanded, you know, an emergency, you know, place, an emergency injunction to stop it. And eventually, you know, EMS was called

and she was resuscitated or at least taken to hospital to undergo intense medical care.

SOARES: Yes, and that's exactly what we -- what we understand. We'll try and see doctor, to see if any more clarity, of course, from the attorneys.

But really grateful for you to come in on the show and giving us your medical perspective. Thank you very much, doctor, appreciate it. As we were

saying --

ZIVOT: Thank you --

SOARES: We were monitoring and continuing to monitor -- you're very welcome. The attorney for Christa Pike, to get more clarity there exactly

on how she's doing and what happened. He said earlier, it was a cruel, torturous, and predictable, and agonizing as well.

So, we'll keep listening to that because the audio, as you heard, wasn't very clear. And we'll come back to it later in the show once they've given

us a better audio. I do want to turn our attention, though, to the Middle East because investigators there are still looking into the motive.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is giving new details about the suspect in the attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight. Now, he says,

the co-pilot who attacked his fellow pilot en route to Tel Aviv had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination.

Mr. Netanyahu didn't give details in an interview with "Fox News". But he also said it's clear the co-pilot was suicidal and wanted to bring down the

plane. Mr. Netanyahu says the whole world is witnessing Israeli heroism, praising the courage of the passengers and crew who rushed into that

cockpit and saved the plane from disaster.

Our Jeremy Diamond spoke exclusively with Tzvika Manes, an Israeli man who helped overpower the co-pilot. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TZVIKA MANES, PASSENGER WHO SUBDUED ATTACKER ON FLYDUBAI FLIGHT: I was covered with blood from fighting with him. I don't know, maybe he was

injured, I don't know how.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: It was his blood.

MANES: It was his blood. Yes. I was covered with blood, and you know, I have some bruises here that I -- only today I just noticed. This is the

adrenaline, you know, when you are in this moment, you don't feel anything. You act like actually a machine trying to solve, trying to control, trying

to be efficient as much as you can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Incredible --

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: U.K. police --

SOARES: I want to bring in our Nic Robertson in Jerusalem and Paul Hancocks -- and Paula Hancocks, as you can see there in Dubai. Good to see

you both. I think we have Nic. Do we have Nic? Yes, we do. Wonderful.

Nic, let me go to you, first. I mean, we heard -- we mentioned that the Prime Minister Netanyahu said that this had been established. The alleged

attack, I think he said, underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. I mean, let's talk about the investigation. What can you tell us about this and any

clear motive here?

ROBERTSON: Yes, Prime Minister Netanyahu seem to -- seem to indicate had come to that assessment or his security or Intelligence teams had come to

that assessment because of personal postings it appears that, that have been found.

You know, in any investigation into a situation like this, one of the first go-to places for investigators is what was this person saying on social

media that day? Did they post regularly? What sort of things were they posting? What was their state of mind that day?

What was their state of mind? What were their affiliations like over the past few years? Was there a trajectory? What were they saying to their

friends? These things, you know, even if they've been taken down from social media sites, can be retrieved in many cases.

So, that will be perhaps it seems, the direction that the Prime Minister is coming from, and I think Paula will have much more detail on this. But of

course, there seems to be a similar assessment, a terror-linked assessment emerging from the prosecutor in the attorney general in the UAE. But what

we're learning about this episode, we knew that it was violent.

[14:20:00]

We knew that it was dangerous, but we're beginning to sort of get a sense that the -- that the Israelis, at least, because they're the only ones

really seeming to speak publicly about this at the moment, and understanding that this attacker is, as best we understand, still in Saudi

Arabia, where he was taken off the plane and given medical attention yesterday.

It's Israeli authorities that are -- and Prime Minister Netanyahu in particular who was speaking about this. But it does get to that issue of

concern, that's widespread is it's that -- I think the best way to frame this at the moment is the Prime Minister is pointing in a particular

direction, a very clear particular direction that would be known and worrying to Israelis.

But again, we do not see that we have not got the evidence of this. The country that we understand has custody of it hasn't put the evidence

forward, and we just know that the United Arab Emirates seems to be taking their investigation in that direction.

SOARES: Yes, let's go to Paula then, Nic, let's -- stay with -- stay with me, Nic. Because, Paula, I understand that the hero pilot who is from

India, who was wounded is in a stable condition. Just bring us up to date on that.

And on that point that Nic was, you know, was bringing up. I mean, what do you -- what are you hearing on the investigation front and the questions

being asked from the part of Dubai Air?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, starting off with the hero pilot, Smit Machchhar, we understand now from Indian authorities that

he is now being treated here in the UAE.

He has been transported by -- from Saudi Arabia where Indian officials say he had surgery yesterday. They then said today that he is, quote, "out of

danger". The ambassador to the UAE did manage to meet him and his family and said he's in good health and recovering well.

Now, he has been called a hero of the world by one of the Indian officials that was speaking about him. So, hopefully, a remarkable recovery for a man

who was described by the dentist who was on board and treating him immediately after this attack as being severely wounded.

Saying there was massive blood loss claims, which were borne out by video that we did see online. So, certainly, that is a bright spot in all of

this, because he is being widely credited with preventing a catastrophic event for those passengers and crew on board.

And the fact that he was able, and it is believed that it was him that did it to open that cockpit door, and then passengers and crew were able to see

what was happening and rush in and try and salvage the situation.

Now, just to turn to the investigation itself, we do know that the Emirati attorney general has opened an investigation earlier today specifically to

look at whether there are links to terrorist activity, and also to see whether it involved prior planning or direction.

They basically want to know whether this is an individual acting on his own or whether there is planning behind this, which of course points to a much

wider problem to be looking at. So, some of the questions for Flydubai are similar to some of the questions for the Israelis at this point.

And one key one is, how did an Omani national have permission to be behind the controls of a plane that was going to land in Israel.

Oman and Israel, of course, do not have any formal diplomatic relations, and it is understood or been told to us by an Israeli security official

that the aviation deal between these two countries was that Shin Bet, the internal -- the internal security agency in Israel would be able to vet

whoever is going to be landing in Israel. So, that's a key question that will be looked at as well.

SOARES: Yes, lots of unknowns at this stage. Paula, good to see you, thank you very much. Our thanks also to Nic Robertson there. We do have some

breaking news to bring to your attention. A British-Iranian dual national has been arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.

And that is in connection with an alleged plot, if you remember, to target a U.K. airbase used by the U.S. military. The 27-year-old man was arrested

in Westminster in London, and it does come a day after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there is strong indications -- those were his

words, that Iran was involved in the incident.

Remarks that appear to support the U.S. assessment that the involvement -- that the incident involved a foreign actor. And we heard that, of course,

from President Trump and also from -- and also from Mike Rubio -- Secretary Rubio.

[14:25:00]

Well, British counterterrorism police said a second man, a 26-year-old British national, was questioned, meantime, under caution. We'll stay

across all the developments on this breaking news story. Still to come right here on the show, the Cornell rape investigation is calling into

question the New York laws around consent.

We'll have that and more details on what happened after the alleged assault at a fraternity house. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, new documents from the Cornell University rape investigation are shedding light on what the accuser told officials and friends in the

weeks following the alleged assault. "The New York Times" obtained documents from the university's Title IX investigation of the alleged gang

rape of a former student at a fraternity house back in 2024.

It reveals the accuser's thinking following the incident and how she discussed it with friends and even communicated with some of the men before

reporting it to university police. Her attorney says she went from shame and denial to acceptance that she had been raped by people she thought were

her friends.

He says she was having a textbook reaction to trauma. While some students at Cornell are now grappling with what they perceive as a lack of

transparency from the university. Have a listen to some of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAARIYA AGARWAL, CORNELL SENIOR & WOMEN'S ISSUES REPRESENTATIVE: I think the most concerning aspect was not knowing if the members who are accused

were still walking on our campus. We didn't know if they were, you know, permanently suspended.

We didn't know if they were allowed to be like sitting in class next to us. If they were still in Ithaca at Cornell, you know, interacting with all of

us, we had no idea. And I think that is terrifying. And I think that's exactly what the student body was terrified and angered about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, coverage of this case has put New York's sex offense statute into focus. In particular, its voluntary intoxication exclusion, which

basically attorneys and advocates have called a loophole in the state law.

For more, I'm joined by civil rights attorney Areva Martin. Areva, welcome back to the show. Great to have you back. And we'll talk about the loophole

in just a moment --

AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Thank you --

SOARES: But first, let me just get your take of the case so far. And this reporting by "The New York Times" that they've obtained new documents of

the investigation led by Cornell University. I mean, what stands out to you first of all, Areva?

MARTIN: What stands out to me, Isa, is that the very critical transcript where this victim says that 100 percent, she believed she was raped, either

was not turned over to the district attorney's office, or it was turned over to the district attorney's office, and they didn't act upon it. So,

there's a lot of finger pointing going on.

[14:30:10]

No, neither of these entities, the district attorney's office, the police department for the university, or the university are standing up and taking

responsibility for what appears to be just the botched handling of this very serious allegation made by this woman involving seven of their

students. Former students or former student members. And you just hear people trying to seemingly cover their own tracks and to support what

they've done rather than take responsibility.

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Yes, we are seeing a ping pong blame game, but you know, a big discussion here in our in our meeting in our

editorial meeting about this loophole. And I think I really want to go into that for our audience is watching around the world or either because the

prosecutor, Matthew Van Houten, speaking to my colleague earlier today, said this, I want to quote, "The young men who engage in that conduct were

morally wrong. It was disgusting. And so, she reported that to the police and the police investigated. That does not mean if it's morally wrong or

disgusting or offensive, all those things, it does not mean that the penal law was violated."

So, just explain that for our international viewers. I mean, I know it has to do with this involuntary intoxication loophole. But what does that law

say exactly, Areva?

MARTIN: Well, basically, there are about 19 states in the United States that have these so-called loopholes for sexual assault cases. And

essentially, it makes it harder for a prosecutor to prosecute someone who's been accused of rape if the victim was voluntarily intoxicated. If they

consumed liquor or drugs that made them incapacitated, that's a higher bar for the prosecutors, because the question becomes, is the incapacitation

caused by the voluntary drinking?

And 19 of these states have determined that if you voluntarily consume alcohol to the point where you become intoxicated, you can't then claim

that your incapacitation led to you being physically or sexually assaulted in the way that this victim has claimed. However, what we are learning is

that this young woman said, yes, I went to that frat house. I had consumed liquor. I was drinking. I was intoxicated. But at some point, she was very

clear that she thought off the alleged defendants, that she made it very clear that she did not want to engage in sexual conduct. She was no longer

consenting. She had the ability to say that I am not consenting to these acts. And that's the troubling part about this case.

SOARES: How then, Areva, I mean, speaking to the law point here, how does the law define at what exact point a person's too drunk to consent?

MARTIN: And that's what's at stake here. And that's the question that clearly should have been further investigated, because you had the

statement, the six-page statement that's come out where the woman says she went there, she had been drinking, but she also talked about then being

given more drugs by these individuals, ketamine, a very serious drug and being given more alcohol and people being invited, multiple guys, men being

invited into this bedroom, many of which she didn't know.

And again, at some point determining that what she had originally consented to, she acknowledged, she did consent to the sexual acts with at least one

or two of the individuals. But at some point, she made it very clear in her transcript that she was no longer consenting and that she believed she was

being raped.

Now, that's for these very skilled investigators, which apparently, according to the victim's lawyer, were not involved in this case, that they

did not do a thorough investigation with trained experts that can make that determination about at what point in that night was her consent withdrawn.

And that's what the issue here is. You can give consent to a sexual act, but at some point, you can withdraw that consent and it becomes a sexual

assault.

SOARES: And like you said, Areva, I mean, this gap in the law, I think exists, I think you said 19 states, right, which then begs the question,

how are assaults prosecuted? I mean, speak to that, the barriers that survivors have to face as they seek justice, basically.

MARTIN: Well, a state like New York, which is the state where this occurred, upstate New York, lawmakers have come out and talked about their

efforts for years trying to close this loophole of victims' rights groups, nonprofit groups and advocates across the state of New York and in states

outside of New York have talked about how disturbing this loophole is and how it disadvantages the victim and basically gives sexual predators a

pass.

[14:35:00]

Because again, you can be intoxicated, you can voluntarily drink liquor to the point of intoxication, and still there is a point in time at which you

could regain your ability to determine that you are no longer consenting to this act, at which point that should be considered rape and the person that

continues to coerce you and force sex upon you should be held accountable for those acts.

SOARES: Yes, yes. I mean, I do wonder what the argument is for keeping the law. It beggars a lot of questions here. Areva, really appreciate it. Thank

you very much. Always great. So, much clarity you bring to this discussion. Much really needed. Thank you very much, Areva Martin.

MARTIN: Thank you.

SOARES: Well, the family -- you're very welcome. The family of an American woman shot and killed by an immigration agent in Minneapolis has filed two

civil lawsuits related to her death. Renee Good's death came during the height of the Trump administration immigration crackdown, prompting

significant protests in Minnesota as well as sparking national outrage.

One lawsuit names the U.S. government, while the other names, the ICE agent and senior Trump administration officials. CNN has reached out to the White

House and the Department of Homeland Security, pardon me, for comment.

Still to come tonight right here on the show, just 33 days out from the midterms, what are the key issues driving declining support for President

Donald Trump among Latino voters? I'll discuss with my next guest, based in South Texas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance are hitting the campaign trail today, making a string

of stops in typically deep red states. With the midterm elections just weeks away and Republicans facing headwinds, which we've been showing you

on the show, the president is heading to Texas and Oklahoma to rally the base.

As Republicans and Democrats compete for control of Congress, the Latino vote is drawing attention. An estimated 39 million Latino voters are

eligible to cast their ballot.

[14:40:00]

Back in 2024, President Trump, have a look at this, made gains with Hispanic voters. Now, he's down 42 points among this group. So, what is

driving this change? Is it the economy, the soaring cost of living, affordability, or immigration policies leading authorities, of course, to

detaining significant numbers of immigrants? Part of ICE, of course, the ICE raids.

Here to discuss all of this, Reynaldo Leanos, a producer and reporter, Latino USA. He's based in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Reynaldo,

welcome to the show. As we were just mentioning, we've got President Trump, of course, heading to Texas today to rally the base. Just give us a sense

of what he needs to say, you think, to convince Latino voters in Texas to support Republicans in the coming up, in the midterms coming up.

REYNALDO LEANOS JR., REPORTER AND PRODUCER, LATINO USA: Yes. I mean, I think what's going to be very key to Trump, you know, kind of regaining

some of the trust is really, I think, talking specifics, right? And I think being able to also talk about some of the errors, you know, that they have

made within these past years because a lot of Latinos right now feel betrayed. You know, they see that costs have not gone down. They see these

immigration rates that are taking place.

And honestly, quite frankly, like, I really do believe that the issue of immigration and the issue of the economy are actually very, very much

intertwined. I mean, there's recent polling that has come out that says that about 82 percent of people who responded to this poll were talking

about how their own households have been affected by immigration policies and how that has trickled into their, you know, household economics as

well. So, there really is a huge tie between both of these two things. So - - and this is something that Latinos, you know, especially on the border where I'm from, are seeing firsthand.

SOARES: Yes, look, trust, you said trust, betrayal, those are all key points. And you just showed -- we just showed our viewers, of course, the

polling difference. I'm going to ask my producer Al to bring it up again because he's now down, opposite Trump, down some 42 points among Latinos.

Can you share with us, Reynald, what some of the conversations are like? I was speaking to a Latino, to a reporter in Texas, basically saying someone

knows someone who knows someone who's been affected by ICE. So, speak to the conversations, be it, you know, economy related, cost of living or

indeed immigration. Speak to some of the color that you've had with people on the ground.

LEANOS JR.: Yes, no, absolutely. I mean, recently, you know, we're talking about the election, you know, related to Trump right now, but there's --

you know, obviously there's like the governor's race that's going on right now between Gina Hinojosa in Texas and incumbent Greg Abbott. Recently, you

know, I was in Amarillo, Texas with Gina and, you know, at one of the moments we stopped by a Mexican restaurant, you know, and to me as like an

outsider to that community, it looks like decent. You know, there was a good amount of people there, but when you were talking to some of the staff

there, they're saying this is extremely slow.

Normally this would be so much more full, but people are scared to go out, you know, and at that restaurant as well, another, you know, precaution

that they had been doing was passing out these flyers to employees about what to do if ICE was to show up. You know, this is in Amarillo, Texas, you

know, hundreds of miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, yet they're seeing this type of enforcement activity, you know, and it's trickling into just

everyday, you know, businesses.

And just a quick other example as well. In South Texas, there's a South Texas Builders Association down there, you know, build houses and stuff,

and they -- you know, the person, the president of that organization was an avid Trump supporter, you know, has voted for him in the previous times

that there's been elections, and something he said was that like his -- you know, the companies that they work with, they have taken a shot at, you

know, being impacted by this because people are afraid to show up to work, you know.

And the issue of housing is extremely important to Latino voters because black people and Latinos, you know, are amongst the lowest in regards to

home ownership. So, there's really so many threads, you know, connecting a lot of these issues together and they really, really impact, you know,

Latino voters every day.

SOARES: And look, Texas, just for international viewers, you know, is particularly interesting because Trump won by, what, 14 points just two

years ago. I think that's the largest margins for Republicans since 2012. Can we talk about the economy, because you're talking about businesses? I

wonder how much of costs of living, filling your car, filling your tank, of course, with petrol, inflation, are you hearing those concerns too?

[14:45:00]

LEANOS JR.: Oh, yes, absolutely, you know, and I bring a really like border experience as well in terms of just like in the last election,

President Trump won the majority of counties on the U.S.-Mexico border, you know, and when you talk to people from those communities, their top issue

is the economy, you know, and we're talking about cost of living, you know, these are things that, you know, everyday people are struggling with.

And when it comes to Latinos and savings, you know, in their household, Latinos rank among one of the lowest demographics, you know, to have a good

amount of savings. So, literally everything, you know, that is happening, like Latinos are filling it in their pocketbooks and specifically, you

know, in the region that I'm from, it's one of the most like economically deprived places in the entire country. So, really, you know, Latino voters

are looking to what solutions Republicans and Democrats are offering because this is real life for them.

SOARES: Right. And so, very briefly, because we're running out of time here, are those who voted previously for Trump, are they, you think,

Reynaldo, from the conversations you had, considering a Democrat here?

LEANOS JR.: Oh, absolutely. Yes, absolutely. I mean, we see it, we see polling in specifically like Gina, the governor's race. You know, she is

leading 60 to 33 percent when it comes to that. And the Senate candidate, James Talarico against Ken Paxton, he's leading the Latino support as well,

63 to 30 percent. So, these are very tangible, you know, things.

But I think just long-term, either party, wherever they go, there needs to be a real investment, you know, and care and, you know, persistent outreach

to these communities to build trust for the long run.

SOARES: Reynaldo Leanos, really appreciate, Reynaldo, you coming on the show. Thank you very much indeed. Joining us live there from New York.

Thank you, Reynaldo.

LEANOS JR.: Thank you.

SOARES: And still to come tonight right here on the show, student protests in France take a violent turn. We'll have the very latest for you from

Paris, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Student protests in France have taken a violent new turn. Officials say a teacher was doused in gasoline and fires were started at at

least two schools today. More than 600 people have been detained by police. Most of them young. Officials estimate about 159 students and teachers have

been injured in the multi-day protests.

[14:50:00]

And the protests began as a nationwide day of demonstrations about the upcoming budget. Students joined unions and civil workers to speak out

against the financial strain they are facing. But the situation has escalated. Some of the country's poorest suburbs have been at the center of

the school protests.

Well, the affordability crisis is also being felt in Spain, where protests over a lack of housing continue. Let me show you these live pictures. We

still have them, live pictures from central Madrid. Yes, it is. Today marks the sixth day, really, of people camping on Madrid's central square. And

the tenants' union has organized a pot-banging protest, as you can hear them there.

Demonstrations are expected to continue through Friday, when the House will then vote on a new housing protection law. So, we'll stay across both of

these protests for you, of course, that we're seeing in Spain and in France.

If you remember the protests in Spain, we're bringing you all this week, they were actually sparked when an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her

home of seven decades. Her case put a spotlight on an increase in rent, as well as lack of affordable housing options for many residents, hence why

we're still seeing many of these protests and the pot-banging still continue in Madrid.

Turn our attention now to Ukraine, because a Russian drone ripped through a school in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, today.

The school's director says more than 100 children were in shelter when the drone hit. None of them were injured, luckily. The drone caused a fire at

the school, and emergency crews responded. The school's director says the attack is no accident, and Russia is targeting education.

And still to come tonight right here on the show, an artist's masterpiece painting could set a new record at auction. We'll show you what that could

be, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, a painting by famed British Romantic period artist William Turner is set to fetch a record price at auction in December. Rome from

Mount Aberdeen will be on the block at Sotheby's in London. Stefano Pozzebon has the details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you look at this painting close enough, you can actually see William Turner's fingerprint nearly two

centuries after he left it there.

[14:55:00]

And that's not even the only trace of him. There are also marks from his palette knife and even hair from his paintbrush still caught in the paint.

That is because Rome from Mount Aventine has survived in extraordinary conditions. In its nearly 200-year history, it's never been restored.

Turner painted it in the 1830s after studying this view from Rome, which has quite changed since Turner's time. It was originally commissioned by

his friend Hugh Munro. And then in 1878, a future British prime minister bought it as a wedding gift for Hannah the Rothschild. It stayed in the

family until 2014. When it was sold for almost $50 million, setting a record for Turner that still stands today. It's back in Rome before going

under the hammer again in December. And this time Sotheby's expect to fetch more than $66 million.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: That is quite something. Our thanks to Stefano. That does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is up

next. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful evening.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

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