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CNN Headlines: CNN's Conversation With Jane Doe Attorney Thomas Giuffra; al Qaeda Images Posted On Flydubai Suspect's Social Media; American Marine Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder In Japan. Aired 5:30- 6a ET

Aired October 05, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:30:45]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.

Happening today, the Supreme Court returns to the bench for a new nine-month term. The justices are set to take up some major cases this term, including challenges over AR-15 style rifle ban, and climate policy, and President Trump's mass cancellation of federal research funding.

Also, Caleb Flynn set to learn his fate just hours from now. The one- time "AMERICAN IDOL" contestant is due in court for sentencing this afternoon. This is after he was convicted in his wife's murder last week. Flynn faces a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

And there's less than one month until the midterm elections and the numbers are not looking good for President Trump as recent polling shows more American disapprove of his work during his second term, and the cost of living is a big reason why.

New polling from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows many U.S. adults disapprove of how the president is handling the economy. That approval rating has fallen to just 26 percent. That is a new low, according to the AP. But the president's director of the National Economic Council disagrees. He claims any reports of Americans being unhappy with the economy are the result of bad polling.

Speaking with CNN on Sunday, he said the economy isn't just doing well, it's booming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: President Trump hasn't failed to deliver at all. The economy is booming and what you have to do is you have to look at the whole picture. And so what happens when the economy is booming is that people feel better about their economic circumstances and then they go out and they spend and they buy houses and they buy cars. And if you look at the housing data over the summer, the income growth is outpacing the mortgage rates and housing starts and purchases and permits are way up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: OK, so those are his words.

On Saturday, Trump was in Ohio, a state that he won by more than 10 points in 2024. But the Republican Senate candidate there is trailing the Democrat, and the GOP is increasingly worried about a blue wave.

At the rally, Trump once again promised to give Americans money if Republicans keep control of Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, I am going to give all adult citizens in the United States, because we're making so much money with the tariffs and other things, $5,000 to every adult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene was there in Ohio and has more on the president's rally.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Donald Trump had a clear message for his supporters in Vandalia, Ohio on Saturday, which was essentially to pretend that he is on the ballot in November's midterm elections. It's really the same message we've heard him deliver multiple times throughout every single state and district that he's visited ahead of the midterm elections. And that's because his advisors have told him the one thing that they believe he can change ahead of the midterms is to drive turnout among Republicans, particularly Republicans who are his fiercest supporters -- the type of people who were in the room at this rally on Saturday night -- and convince them on an election day when typically they might not otherwise do so.

But look, the president, for his part, also stayed pretty on message. He only very briefly touched on the Iran war. He didn't at all talk about the presidential ballroom or his projects across D.C. And he told really this message of get out the vote and spoke a lot about the different candidates who are in Ohio that he was stomping for, specifically Senator Jon Husted, who is vying to hold on to the seat that the vice president, JD Vance, had vacated when he took on the role in the White House. And this is really what his advisors want him to be focusing on, even though at times in recent weeks, he hasn't really talked about that.

Now, the president spoke for roughly 90 minutes. You could tell that he was enjoying the type of feedback he was getting from the crowd.

[05:35:00] But I will tell you, I spoke with a number of voters before the president took the stage on Saturday, many who said that they had voted for the president -- actually all of them, I should argue, who voted the president both in 2016, again in 2020, and then also in 2024. But they acknowledge to me that when it comes to some of those key issues -- things like the Iran war, things like the economy, gas prices -- they aren't necessarily happy with the president's handling of it.

Now you had some people who said they believe that the president is doing things behind the scenes that perhaps voters don't know about, but others who argued he needs to move away from foreign wars. He needs to do more to try and lower gas And this has really been an issue as well that I hear in my conversations with the president's advisers -- that they want the president to try to focus on and try to convince voters to still vote for Republicans in November so that he can get more of his agenda item done.

So, look, this is one of many stops we're going to see the president doing, of course, in the next 30 days before the midterm elections, and one as well that really is in a battleground where he recognizes that the senator running in Ohio is a very tight race with the Democrat and his opponent, and this is one of the ways that the president believes he's able to help Republicans ahead of November 3.

Alayne Treene, CNN, Vandalia, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Thank you, Alayna, for that report.

The president has another item on his wish list. He wants to make daylight savings time permanent so Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year. Most of our phones update automatically.

He took aim at Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, accusing him of holding up a bill that would end the time change. And Trump even posted Cotton's cell phone number on social media, urging people to call the senator and pressure him.

The House has already passed a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, but the state -- well, the Senate, rather, still has not acted. Critics say that the change could have economic consequences, especially for farmers who would have to deal with later sunrises.

All right, now to a new statement from Cornell University's president on those 2024 gang rape allegations that are rocking the campus. He's calling it "deeply disturbing" and adding this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL KOTLIKOFF, PRESIDENT, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: You have my commitment that this will not be a moment that passes. We are listening. We are learning. We are committed to communicating more openly. And where we can do better, we will. That is our responsibility and is one I take personally.

This is a defining moment in Cornell's history. We must lead the way. We owe it to Jane Doe and to survivors of assault to get this right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Jake Tapper spoke with the attorney representing Jane Doe on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" Sunday morning, and here are some key moments from that conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "STATE OF THE UNION": The D.A. relied only on the Cornell police report about your client, which means he did not subpoena the Snapchat text group or the phones of any of the alleged wrongdoers. Now, CNN reported that that text group on Snapchat included a photograph of your client taken apparently that night.

Do you know if there are other photos or even videos from that night that exist?

THOMAS GIUFFRA, JANE DOE'S ATTORNEY: Well, that's the great concern, right? I mean, if this was a normal investigation that was done in New York City, for example, they would have gotten search warrants. They would have grabbed every single one of these phones of these guys. They would have downloaded all this material.

I'm confident, knowing this day and age and the group that we're dealing with, that there were other photos, that there were videos. And you know where I think those photos and videos are now? I think they're in the bottom of Lake Cuyahoga because once they knew there was a problem, they cleared everything out and they got rid of it.

And the fact is that the investigators let that happen. They let that happen. We'd have a lot more evidence. And frankly, I don't -- I'm not even sure we have everybody who participated in this assault because my client was blacked out during periods of time and that's reported in these statements. We don't even know the people we have or the people we definitively know. If you ask me, I believe there were more.

TAPPER: So you think it's more than seven?

GIUFFRA: I think so, but we'll never know. We will never know because of such -- the inadequate investigation that was done. It was not an investigation. I'm not a criminal lawyer, I'm a civil lawyer and I could have done a better investigation than this.

TAPPER: The Cornell Student Assembly held an open forum this week in which another woman another -- student said that she had reported a sexual assault at Cornell and was let down by the university.

Do you know if we're going to see more lawsuits from other Cornell students?

GIUFFRA: That I don't know but I've received many emails from students not just at Cornell, at other schools, saying that they were sexually assaulted on campus. They made complaints and it wasn't followed up on. And that's the real scary part. This isn't just a Cornell problem. This is a college-wide problem.

[05:40:00]

I've heard from women as far back as 40 years ago saying they were raped in a fraternity house, and not at Cornell, at different places.

And I think that's the important part of this case is we're learning as a society that college sexual assault is a huge problem -- a huge problem in this country. And we're finally pulling the -- putting the spotlight on it and learning what actually has gone on for all these years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: CNN's Jake Tapper with attorney Thomas Giuffra there.

Students and other supporters are calling for accountability at Cornell and expressing solidarity with Jane Doe as protesters gathered at a rally in downtown Ithaca. Twenty student organizations there have planned more protests in the days ahead.

If you or anyone you know is struggling after a sexual assault, know that you are not alone. Free, confidential 24/7 support is online at RAINN.org. -- that's RAINN with two Ns -- or you can call 800-656- HOPE.

Israeli sources are saying that the co-pilot accused of attacking his colleague on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv likely acted alone, and there was no indication of a link to any group or any government. The co-pilot is accused of attacking the Flydubai pilot with an axe in an attempt to take control of the plane.

Video posted on the LinkedIn page of that co-pilot includes a photo of a former top al Qaeda leader. CNN analyzed two videos along with thousands of tweets from a deleted Twitter account believed to belong to the alleged attacker.

CNN senior investigative reporter Tamara Qiblawi has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (voiceover): This is the bloody aftermath of the Flydubai cockpit attack that nearly downed a plane enroute to Israel. CNN can reveal the identity of the co- pilot, the alleged attacker, Hamam Al Hammami, an Omani national whose views were so extreme, our source says, that he was removed from a position with Oman Air before joining Flydubai.

Hammami appeared to have posted two social media videos. The first post is a compilation of videos showing multiple planes belonging to EL AL, Israel's national carrier, both on the tarmac and in the sky. We geolocated one of these videos to Dubai. It was filmed in 2023 from

inside the cockpit of an Oman Air flight from Dubai to Muscat. You can see here that date and flight number tracks Hamami's time at Oman Air. The video ends with a tribute to al Qaeda's former leader, Ayman al- Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's successor, as well as a suicide bomber who killed nine people at a CIA outpost in Afghanistan in 2009.

The second video he posted is AI-generated. It shows Islam's three holiest sites from the sky. The videos appeared on LinkedIn and Instagram nine hours after the incident, well after Hammami was detained. We don't know if the posts were scheduled in advance or if they were published by someone else. CNN has reached out to LinkedIn and Meta for comment.

We looked at earlier posts -- more than 3,000 tweets from a deleted account bearing his name. They were published between 2021 and 2022. These portray a murkier mindset, one obsessed with women. Nearly half the posts reference women, including this one. The post brags about putting women through, "slut tests." In other posts, he refers to them as "banging machines."

QIBLAWI: Now, it's still too early to tell what the possible motives were, but the findings raise many questions, namely, how did Hamam al- Hammami pass his security checks, and how did he end up flying a plane on one of the world's most sensitive routes?

QIBLAWI (voiceover): These are questions security officials in the region will be asking as they try to understand what happened.

Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: The search for six people on board a missing air ambulance has been called off. It disappeared Saturday while flying from Bermuda to Boston. Authorities say some debris found in the water near Nantucket has been confirmed as part of the plane. The company operating the jet says the people who were missing are now presumed dead.

Next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, extra money is coming to more than 20 million seniors on Medicaid. We'll tell you exactly who is eligible and when the check will be in the mail.

And a U.S. Marine is arrested, suspected in the murder of a Japanese woman on the island of Okinawa. Details on this developing story straight ahead.

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[05:49:17]

SMITH: We are tracking a developing story. An American Marine is under arrest in Japan on suspicion of murder and robbery. That's after a woman's body was found in a hotel.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery is following the story for us. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're getting more details now about a gruesome murder in Okinawa. Police have arrested a suspect, 20-year-old Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, a U.S. Marine stationed in the prefecture. He was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi. Police say Anna was found collapsed inside a hotel room in the early hours of Saturday and that she died from strangulation.

[05:50:00]

They're also investigating the case as a possible robbery, given that some of Anna's belongings were taken from the room and found discarded nearby.

Investigators have also told us that security camera footage shows a man believed to be a foreign national with a shaved head entering the hotel room with Anna and later leaving with her belongings.

Now, Ballard, the suspect, has denied the allegations, according to the police, and the investigation is ongoing.

Now separately, both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Embassy in Japan have expressed their condolences, with the embassy also adding that the U.S. is cooperating with Japanese authorities over this investigation.

Now, this case has stirred up a lot of anger in Japan, where the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has lodged a rare protest against the United States. She's also called for the "fullest possible cooperation with the investigation, thorough discipline among U.S. military personnel, and measures to prevent the recurrence of crimes and accidents."

And for people in Okinawa, this stirs up painful memories of 2016, when similarly, a woman in Okinawa was murdered. Now, this victim was also raped, and later a former U.S. Marine was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for those crimes.

And many in Okinawa point to the fact that they shoulder what they call an unfair burden -- that a majority of U.S. military bases in Japan are stationed in Okinawa. And they argue that therefore, there are more violent crimes involving U.S. military personnel in the prefecture.

So this case has added to these longstanding issues and longstanding friction between military bases belonging to the United States and Okinawans. It's also added to the frustration that many locals feel over a number of issues involving sex crimes and U.S. military personnel. And they're also calling for a greater accountability over the murder of Anna Yagi.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Let's stay international and go around the globe to see what else is making headlines today.

In England, former Prince Andrew is taking legal action against police over his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in office following revelations from the Epstein files. Mountbatten-Windsor has asked for a judge to determine if the search warrants executed at his current and former homes earlier this year were un -- were lawful. Now, a court hearing is scheduled for Thursday, according to British media. And the former Duke of York became the first senior royal in centuries to be arrested in February. No charges have been, so far filed, and he has vehemently denied any and all wrongdoing.

All right, let's go to Egypt now. That's where a man saved a child who had fallen from a second-floor balcony. You could see in the video the man had only seconds to react, and after another child pointed out what was happening, that's when he sprung into action. The man says he was in the right place at the right time. I'll sure say so.

Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, a Texas man drove around barricades and ended up stuck in high floodwaters. What happened after he left his truck that had rescuers scrambling?

And do you have your Halloween costume yet? We'll tell you the top costume trends for this season. That's next. Keep it right here.

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[05:57:53]

SMITH: In today's Money Express, some extra cash may be heading to a senior that you know if they are on Medicare.

Maribel Aber joins us from the NASDAQ MarketSite with that and the rest of your top Money Express headlines. Hey, Maribel.

MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: Hey, Brad.

So President Trump says he will send $90 payments to around 20 million seniors to help pay part of their Medicare premiums. The administration says the money will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which Congress created in 2008. Medicare recipients who qualify for Medicaid and higher income enrollees are not eligible. The payments are scheduled to go out this month by direct deposit or check.

Equifax has agreed to a proposed $100 million settlement over allegedly incorrect credit scores. A class action lawsuit alleges the credit bureau reported lower scores for about four million people in March and April of 2022, potentially affecting applications for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. Equifax denies any wrongdoing. A final hearing on the settlement is scheduled for January. For eligibility and claim instructions visit Equifaxfaircreditreportingsettlement.com.

And Spirit Halloween has released its top costume trends this season and pop culture is driving the picks. Leading the pack are sporty looks inspired by the Prime Video series "OFF-CAMPUS," including Allie's party jumpsuit, Hannah's bunny costume and Graham's hockey uniform. "Toy Story" favorites of Woody, Buzz and Jessie are also proving popular.

Brad, getting some inspo there?

SMITH: I am. I think I'm just going to wear black and white and be Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, the new ATL Zoo panda bears.

Maribel Aber, thank you.

Well, let's get a check in on another story making news across the country. In Texas, a reporter watched a man nearly get swept away after he jumped out of his truck and into floodwaters. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're coming. They're coming. The fire department is on the -- oh my God. Well, he's in the water now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:00:00]

SMITH: A man drove around barricades in San Antonio and ended up stuck. Now you can hear the reporter relaying a warning from 911 dispatchers telling him to stay inside his pickup truck. But he got out and into the water and was swept downstream. Fortunately, first responders got there a short time later. They were able to rescue him despite him not following instructions multiple times. A good rescue on their part.

That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.