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CNN Live Event/Special
CNN Headlines: Governor Hochul Appoints Letitia James To Oversee Cornell Rape Probe; Failed Execution Leaves Christa Pike In Critical Condition; New Video Shows Dramatic Moments Passengers, Crew Seize Control of FlyDubai Plane; Trump Rallies Support In Oklahoma And Texas. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired October 02, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:20]
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EESHAAN CHAUDHURI, PRESIDENT, CORNELL STUDENT ASSEMBLY: I think I can speak for every single one of us who I can say who are absolutely ashamed of the events that happened on our campus, and we don't stand for it whatsoever.
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BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: Cornell University students demanding change. It comes as New York's governor appoints a special prosecutor to look into the alleged gang rape. We are following the latest developments.
And Christa Pike is still in critical condition after surviving a botched execution. Now, her lawyer is urging Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to commute her sentence.
And --
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SMITH: Seizing control. New video inside the FlyDubai 737 as passengers overpowered the copilot after he allegedly stabbed the captain. CNN spoke exclusively with one of the passengers who helped stop the attacker.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Brad Smith. This is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Glad that you're with us this morning.
Let's get started.
We begin with the latest on those gang rape allegations now rocking the Cornell University campus. New York's governor says that she's lost faith in the local D.A.'s handling of the case, which goes back to 2024. Governor Kathy Hochul says Attorney General Letitia James will be taking over the investigation.
Meanwhile, Cornell students demand answers and action as lawmakers call for changes to New York's rape law.
CNN's John Lawrence reports.
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JOHN LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cornell University caught in a scandal over an alleged gang rape in 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house.
EESHAAN CHAUDHURI, PRESIDENT, CORNELL STUDENT ASSEMBLY: I think I can speak for every single one of us when I say we're absolutely ashamed of the events that happened on our campus, and we don't stand for it whatsoever.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Cornell student assembly held a public hearing Thursday to address the way officials handled the matter. The alleged victim, a former student referred to as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit against the school and fraternity members last month. Students expressed their shock at what happened.
SOPHIA RILEY SIM, CORNELL UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I cried about it then and I am still equally devastated and pained about it now, and I am terribly disappointed in our university.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed New York State Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case.
LETITIA JAMES, ATTORNEY GENERAL, NEW YORK STATE: We are possibly looking at how Cornell handled this situation and whether or not they could update their protocols and provide security to all of the students, and particularly individuals who have been -- who are the victims of sexual assaults.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Cornell University closed that chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024 and said it established a task force last year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are just like, really frustrated that its taking a whole lawsuit for these people to be held accountable.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): I'm John Lawrence, reporting.
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SMITH: Thank you, John. The Chi Phi national fraternity said it condemns sexual assault and
that the accused men were voted out back in 2024. "The New York Times" is reporting that four of the men acknowledged having sexual contact with Jane Doe, but said it was consensual. The others denied participating. None of the men accused in the alleged gang rape case have been criminally charged.
CNN has also learned that the Snapchat messages exchanged during the alleged assault include a photo of Jane Doe in a room at the frat house. The conversation is taking place on the fast erasing messaging app. Suggest other photos or videos might have been recovered had there been a more thorough criminal investigation, according to a source close to the case.
And if you or anyone you know is struggling after a sexual assault, you are not alone. Free, confidential 24/7 support is available online@rainn.org. That's Rainn with two N's. And in the U.S., you can text "Hope" to 64673 or call 800-656-HOPE.
Christa Pike, the first woman set to be executed in Tennessee in 200 years, remains in the hospital after surviving a failed execution. Pike survived two doses of a drug administered Wednesday night, an outcome that death penalty experts say is virtually unheard of. Witnesses say that she could be heard snoring loudly after the injections. Pike's attorney is urging the governor to commute her sentence, saying she has already endured a punishment unlike any other inmate in the modern history of the death penalty.
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RANDY SPIVEY, CHRISTA PIKE'S ATTORNEY: The state of Tennessee has shown us again that they are not capable of carrying out an execution consistent with basic human dignity.
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Last night was not just inefficient, it was cruel, and it was torturous.
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SMITH: Now, Governor Bill Lee is putting the states last scheduled execution of the year on hold and ordering an independent review of what happened.
This morning, we are hearing from the injured pilot of that FlyDubai flight for the first time. In a video call with India's prime minister, the pilot said he was fighting for his life after being attacked by his copilot. Smit Machchhar, who is from India, is now recovering in the United Arab Emirates.
He said he simply could not let everyone else on the plane die.
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CAPTAIN SMIT MACHCHHAR, INJURED FLYDUBAI PILOT (through translator): And sir, I've been flying planes for the last 17 years and I've been a captain for the last 11 years. And even if I shut my eyes, I know what is happening in the plane.
And when I was on the ground, I realized that the aircraft was falling down. And I knew in that moment, one last push meet. Just do it. The door is right there. And even at that time, he was beating me up.
And then I just opened it, sir. And then everybody came and everybody else also played an equal role in this. I was telling, sir, that I was doing this for my life, but at the same time, I knew that I cannot let everybody else die.
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SMITH: Wow.
Meanwhile, new video obtained by CNN shows the dramatic moments after passengers rushed into the cockpit and subdued the copilot.
He is suspected of attacking and injuring the pilots you just heard from before the plane plunged 17,000 feet.
CNN also spoke exclusively to one of the three passengers who helped overpower the attacker. And here's part of his conversation with our Jeremy Diamond.
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TZVIKA MANES, 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. Yeah. I heard my wife screamed, screaming, and I heard my daughters screaming. We don't want to die, father. We don't want to die. And this, you know, this is -- I'm getting emotional right now as well. When you hear that your daughters are crying for help, you do whatever you can to help them.
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SMITH: The motive behind the attack is still under investigation.
President Trump spent Thursday on the campaign trail holding rallies in Texas and Oklahoma as Republicans make their final push ahead of next month's midterm elections.
In Texas, Trump showed up to support Attorney General Ken Paxton. It comes after leaked audio surfaced of Paxton privately questioning whether the president's support is helping his Senate campaign. But on stage in Denton, Trump praised his loyalty, saying he stood by him through some of his toughest political fights. Then the president followed up with this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I was being hit by the radical left, very hard, harder than very few people could have withstood it. I was being hit, Ken Paxton was at my side more than anybody, and I have to always remember that because he can be a pain in the ass sometimes, I'll be honest.
Is he here, by the way? Oh, there he is. Good. I didn't even know if he's here. I don't care.
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SMITH: Today, Trump is expected to travel to Mobile, Alabama for another rally.
Well, a federal judge will hear arguments next Thursday on President Trump's White House media ban. CNN, MS NOW and "Politico" want a two- week restraining order extended, maintaining their access to the White House. Right now, that access is limited.
In fact, CNN was barred from traveling with the president on Air Force One yesterday. The media outlets say the ban is unconstitutional, but the White House claims reporting by outlets is a threat to national security.
We'll continue to track and give you any developments there.
There is lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. More on the two lawsuits filed on behalf of Minnesota mom Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent at a protest earlier this year.
And dozens gather in D.C. for a protest over the president's proposed triumphal arch. Why they don't want it built.
That story, and more straight ahead.
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SMITH: The family of a Minnesota woman killed by ICE suing the U.S. government over her death. Renee Good was killed in January by ICE agent, Jonathan Ross, in Minneapolis during the height of DHS's Operation Metro Surge.
On Thursday, two civil lawsuits over her death were filed in federal court in Minnesota. One of them names the United States as the only defendant. It's one way to sue the federal government over death, personal injury or property damage.
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ANTONIO ROMANUCCI, ATTORNEY FOR GOOD FAMILY: ICE and CBP are not above the Constitution. Federal agents do not get a free pass to use excessive force against ordinary people exercising their rights. There is no such thing as impunity when it comes to violating protected rights. When government power crosses the line, there must be accountability, and our government is not exempt from the rule of law
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SMITH: The other lawsuit filed alleges conspiracy to interfere with civil rights by senior federal officials and others.
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Now, according to the Good family attorneys, that includes White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and White House Border Czar Tom Homan as defendants.
Meanwhile, there is new internal guidance from ICE about vehicle stops. The guidance reviewed by CNN reveals officers must complete certain training before conducting vehicle stops. Those who have not completed it can only serve in a support role. Officers must use vehicles equipped with lights and sirens, activate body cameras and cannot pursue drivers who fail to pull over. Instead, they are instructed to gather information and continue the investigation.
Former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger has been granted parole after serving seven years of a ten-year sentence for murder. Guyger was convicted in the 2018 killing of Botham Jean, who she shot inside his apartment after mistakenly entering the building in the unit and believing he was an intruder. Texas parole officials say that they approved her release after reviewing her prison record, including her conduct behind bars and the program she completed while incarcerated. The decision was strongly opposed by the victim's family.
New details now about that fiery Amazon cargo jet crash in Miami last month. Now, it turns out it was the captain at the controls when the plane careened off the runway. Coming in at an abnormally high speed amid gusty winds, according to NTSB investigators. The crash killed five people and left three others seriously hurt. The two pilots had minor injuries, and a final report could take more than a year.
We'll keep you updated on any more elements from that investigation and the report.
Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, mortgage rates are high, but there are some ways to get a lower rate so that you can still get that dream home. We'll tell you how later in the hour.
And if you're looking for some extra work over the holidays, why you need to start applying now for those temporary positions.
Stay with us.
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SMTH: Veterans and several members of congress are pushing back against president Trump's plan to build a 250 foot memorial arch in Washington, D.C. They gathered near Arlington National Cemetery yesterday, calling on the administration to scrap the project altogether.
The proposed arch would sit between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington. And according to Trump, it would also serve as what he calls a top grade military complex with space for drones, snipers and ammunition.
New CNN reporting also showing elsewhere in D.C., donations to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts fell sharply after President Trump's name was added to the building, according to records and internal presentations obtained by CNN. Gifts dropped 42 percent, while donation pledges fell by more than 100 percent in the months that followed.
Internal documents also show that the center was already struggling financially as audiences stayed away after the pandemic. But those problems got worse after Trump took over as chairman and installed a new board. The centers main building is now closed while officials conduct a safety review.
In today's Money Express, no break for home buyers when it comes to rising mortgage rates. Right now, they're at the highest level in nearly three years. New data released Thursday says that the average 30 year fixed mortgage rate was 7.28 percent this week. For buyers who need a mortgage, that means that your monthly costs will likely be higher than just a few months ago.
Now, experts recommend getting quotes from several lenders to compare your options and later, Maribel Aber is actually going to join us to tell you how you can get a lower rate.
Well, if you're wanting to make some extra cash for the holidays, now is the time to apply for that seasonal job. Experts are saying that opportunities could be limited this year.
CNN's Karin Caifa explains.
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KARIN CAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The calendar says fall, but career experts say 'tis the season to apply for end of year holiday jobs.
VICKI SALEMI, CAREER EXPERT, MONSTER: October is the peak hiring season. It doesn't mean that seasonal hiring stops in November and December, but it slows down because October is the sweet spot for seasonal hiring.
CAIFA (voice-over): But global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas observes that heading into the peak period for holiday hiring, only a handful of major retailers have made their hiring targets public, and Challenger forecasts retail jobs will fall below last years level of 461,500 jobs to 450,000 during the fourth quarter of the year.
Challenger does note retailers may take a wait and see approach to hiring as they gauge consumer appetite for holiday spending and whether they need more hands on deck through the season.
That's one reason that Vicki Salemi, career expert for Monster, says even though their data shows October is the peak hiring month, job hunters should keep applying through December.
SALEMI: If you miss October and this sweet spot, you're still not too late because there's attrition. Sometimes companies need more, just more workers. So you're not too late.
CAIFA (voice-over): Salemi also says workers who snag a role should maximize the opportunity beyond the paycheck.
SALEMI: You probably want to pursue it to earn, to earn more money, but also acquire new skills, make new contacts, potentially get your foot in the door so it could be a win-win.
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SMITH: Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, it looks like some slight relief at the gas pump ahead. What you can expect to see over the next few days.
Plus, take a look. Can you guess who this is? One very famous actor undergoes a major transformation for a new role. So much so that people can't even tell who it is. We'll see if you know after the break.
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SMITH: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.
