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CNN Headlines: Trump Aims To Boost Republicans With Midterms Weeks Away; Outrage On Campus Ramps Up As Faculty Plan No-Confidence Vote; Caleb Flynn Sentenced To Life Without Parole For Murder Of Wife Ashley. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired October 06, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: Midterm countdown. Less than a month remains until Election Day. And President Trump is campaigning in deep red states. Hear what he had to say about the new executive order that he just signed.
Plus, demanding change. Protests rocking Cornell University. The faculty senate is preparing a no confidence vote against the administration over the handling of the alleged gang rape case. What newly obtained documents reveal this morning.
Plus --
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CALEB FLYNN, CONVICTED OF MURDER: I will continue to fight for my innocence as long as the Lord allows me to. As I did not kill my wife.
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SMITH: Caleb Flynn maintains his innocence. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in his wife's murder. The powerful messages from his daughters read in court.
And FlyDubai chaos. More details being revealed about the copilot accused of trying to hijack that flight, where he was likely targeting. We've got those details and much more coming your way.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Brad Smith, this is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Glad that you're with us this Tuesday. Let's get started.
We begin on the campaign trail, which is heating up with just four weeks to go until the midterm elections. President Trump pulling out all the stops to secure wins across the country for Republican candidates. But it comes as his own approval ratings continue to slip.
The president and vice president, J.D. Vance, hit different parts of the country on Monday. Trump was in Nebraska stumping for Senator Pete Ricketts. Vance went to Alaska, where he tried to boost Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. At his Nebraska stop, Trump tried to show voters that he's doing
something to relieve the economic pain that theyre feeling from his war with Iran. He signed an executive order aimed at bringing down the near record diesel prices. Trump had his personal aide, Natalie Harp, bring the order to the stage, comparing the moment to "The Price is Right".
He said the order will lower the costs of all goods, including groceries. He also said prices will go down once the war with Iran ends, which he says will happen soon.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're kicking Iran's ass, you do know that, right? And that it's going to end one way or the other. It's going to end very soon, and your prices are going to come tumbling. All your prices have been tumbling down, but it will end very quickly, and prices are going to come down very sharply. You might say, please, please, sir, its going down too fast. You watch, you watch what's going to happen in a very short period of time.
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SMITH: CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more from Nebraska.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump gave those remarks here in Grand Island. You can see his supporters trickling out of this rally now. Now, there is no doubt that they are firmly with him. I mean, thousands stood in line here in deep red Nebraska. The concern of Republicans, of course, are the people who are not here, the people who are concerned about the rising cost of gas, the rising cost of diesel.
Now, President Trump acknowledged the cost directly in ways more than I've heard him do recently. He said yes, the Iran war has cost -- has caused costs to go up, but they will come down soon. But we have heard that pledge that the Iran war will end soon. The question is, do voters believe it?
But there's no doubt in the final month of this campaign, the presidents red state blitz is not simply a vanity tour. It is a necessity for Republicans to try and maintain their control in the Senate. It's remarkable how many of these competitive races are playing out in Trump country here in Nebraska, in neighboring Iowa, in neighboring Kansas, in Texas, other states as well.
Now, there's no doubt that Democrats are concerned about the Republican spending. They're outspending Democrats in virtually every state. But it's also clear that the economy is a big drag on this ticket.
So we will see, as the president marches on, he implored supporters here to vote for him one more time. Many Democrats also want their voters to believe Trump is on the ballot, as well. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Thank you, Jeff.
Demands for changes at the top of Cornell University from students and faculty as outrage is growing over the schools handling of an alleged gang rape two years ago. Protests continued Monday. Crowds demanding that university leaders step down. Tomorrow, a seven hour sit-in is planned.
Last night, some faculty introduced a resolution for a vote of no confidence against administrators. That goes up for a vote next week.
Now, all of this just days after Cornell's president vowed in a video statement to find the answers the community wants. Observers wonder, is that too little, too late?
Here's CNN's Reid Binion, with more.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ultimately, trust is broken
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame!
CROWD: Shame!
REID BINION, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Outrage and demands for action at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, over the school's handling of an alleged sexual assault by several fraternity members in 2024.
EMMA MCDERMOTT, CORNELL UNIVERSITY STUDENT: We stand with Jane Doe, but also we stand with taking more measures to prevent this from happening in the future.
BINION (voice-over): Tensions on campus reaching a boiling point with an administration building vandalized, a spray painted message highlighting the outrage. Hundreds of students gathered for a demonstration on the schools campus Monday to show solidarity with sexual assault survivors.
EVIE ALBRECHT, CORNELL UNIVERSITY STUDENT: When someone comes forward with a story like Jane Doe did, it should be taken with the seriousness that it's being taken with now.
BINION (voice-over): The former student known as Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit last month against the school and seven fraternity members accused in connection with the assault. The men named in the lawsuit have denied any wrongdoing. Cornell's faculty also taking action. The school's faculty senate preparing for a no confidence vote against the university's administration.
The local district attorney reopened the case after the lawsuit was filed.
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: I called on Cornell --
BINION (voice-over): But last week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressing disapproval of the D.A.'s handling of the investigation, appointed the states attorney general as a special prosecutor.
I'm Reid Binion, reporting.
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SMITH: A lawyer for one of the accused men is urging James to recuse herself, citing a social media post that he says favors Jane Doe. Another defendant, has hired a prominent defense firm that previously represented Harvey Weinstein and Sean "Diddy" Combs,
Former "American Idol" contestant Caleb Flynn will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. Flynn was sentenced Monday in Ohio for the aggravated murder of his wife, Ashley. Prosecutors said Flynn killed his wife so he could be with his mistress, with whom he spent years in an affair.
In the courtroom, Flynn cried as relatives read letters written to him by his two daughters as part of the family's victim impact statements.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dear Daddy, I don't even know where to start. How could you do such a thing? I looked up to you. I loved you with all my heart. And then you lied to everyone.
Mommy was the perfect person, the absolute perfect person. What did she ever do to make you hate her so much? She loved you and she cared for you. She took care of you. She loved you with all her heart.
She was my best friend. And then you chose to kill the only mother I ever had. I miss her so much. So, so, so much. You have no idea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have already caused so much pain to your family and the world. The least you could do is tell everyone you did it and receive your outcome. Did you really even think about how much pain you would bring your own two daughters? By the way, Ashley Flynn was the best thing that ever happened to you. You had the best life ever, and you decided to throw it away for a girl who was half your age.
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SMITH: As the judge handed down the sentence, she condemned Caleb Flynn for the murder of his wife, calling his actions abhorrent and saying that he didn't have to end his marriage through murder.
The Supreme Court appears divided over a major climate change case as it opens a new term. On Monday, justices heard arguments in a lawsuit from the city of Boulder, Colorado, saying two oil companies should be held responsible for the growing damage from climate change. The city is suing ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy for billions of dollars to help offset the cost of fires, floods and public health impacts linked to global warming. Dozens of other cities have filed similar suits against oil and gas companies.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, referring to the case as a wall of precedent. The court's decision on the matter is expected next year.
Well, we've got lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. A Chicago woman shot five times by a federal agent during immigration raids last year is now suing the government. Her story straight ahead.
And police in Ohio arrive at a boarded up house and find five young children alone, hungry and in the dark. We've got the full story coming your way.
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You are watching CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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SMITH: Tech insiders from several leading A.I. companies brought their warnings to the New York City Council Monday. The city held a landmark oversight hearing on artificial intelligence safety with whistleblowers and some industry leaders calling for greater oversight. City Council Speaker Julie Menin asked each of the A.I. execs to quantify the risk posed by A.I.
And here is how OpenAI's Morgan Dwyer responded.
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MORGAN DWYER, HEAD OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS, OPENAI: I don't know. I also don't think it matters whether it's one percent or 10 percent or 20 percent chance that something catastrophic will go wrong. None of these levels is remotely acceptable. We should not train models that we cannot make an extremely strong case that we can keep under human control.
JULIE MENIN, SPEAKER, NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL: I'm sorry, but to say you don't know and it doesn't matter is flippant at best.
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SMITH: Several A.I. safety bills are before the council and representatives from OpenAI, Google, Meta and Anthropic agreed to testify under oath. But Elon Musk's SpaceX A.I. was a no show, prompting City Council Speaker Menin to threaten legal action.
CNN, MS NOW and "Politico" have submitted a new court filing in their battle to maintain White House access after President Trump barred the outlets last month for what he called negative stories. A judge temporarily restored the credentials, and in the new filing, the outlets say the administration has offered shifting reasons for the ban, including national security concerns, but hasn't provided evidence to support those claims. The filing comes after "Politico" was barred from Air Force One
yesterday, leaving the flight without print pool coverage after other outlets refused to take its place. A hearing is set for Thursday.
Now to an update on a disturbing story out of Philadelphia. Federal investigators returning to the home that they're calling a house of horrors, and they're confirming that they think the man who used to live there might have been a serial killer. Authorities believe the home where Raymond Horsch and his son Eugene, lived is connected to the disappearances of at least five women, all feared dead. The father died last year and his son is now in police custody. Investigators are expected to bring in heavy equipment to take apart sections of the house as they search for more evidence. So far, no human remains have been found.
We'll continue to track any updates for you there. Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, the family of Mississippi teen Nolan Wells continued to demand answers surrounding his mysterious death and now want the federal government involved. We'll explain straight ahead.
And one state is declaring a state of emergency over a measles outbreak. What's happening there, coming up.
Stay with us.
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SMITH: A Chicago woman shot multiple times by a border protection agent has filed a federal civil lawsuit against the U.S. government. Marimar Martinez is seeking damages alleging negligence, battery assault and malicious prosecution. Federal authorities had initially accused Martinez of ramming an agents car before she was shot. That case later fell apart, and prosecutors dropped all charges. Her attorneys say a forensic reconstruction shows the CBP agent, Charles Exum, was not in danger when he fired his weapon. The lawsuit comes almost exactly one year after the incident occurred.
And at a news conference yesterday, Martinez and her lawyer said other fatal shootings involving federal immigration agents motivated her suit.
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CHRISTOPHER PARENTE, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING MARIMAR MARTINEZ: When the indictment was dismissed, we were done. She's like, Chris, I'm done. I don't want anything to do with this. I'm done. And it wasn't until Minnesota happened when Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed where she said, we have to do something.
MARIMAR MARTINEZ, SHOT BY BORDER PATROL: Right now, we're just focused on moving forward with the civil case and just heal emotionally and physically. What's happening is not normal. We shouldn't stay here and normalize what's happening.
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SMITH: While this is a federal civil lawsuit, Martinez and her legal team say they hope their analysis leads to eventual criminal charges. Nolan Wells's family is renewing calls for a federal probe into his mysterious death. During a press conference on Monday, Nolan's parents called on the FBI and the Department of Justice to launch an investigation. The 18-year-old died after a Fourth of July boating trip with friends off the Mississippi coast.
Last month, a grand jury unanimously found no evidence warranting criminal charges and concluded his death was consistent with drowning. But the Wells' family says that isn't stopping them from seeking answers.
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BEN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR NOLAN WELLS' FAMILY: The Mississippi district attorney said after the grand jury proceeding that they have closed their case. And so, but we have not closed our case, and we refuse to close the chapter on Nolan Xavier Wells.
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SMITH: The state autopsy and a separate one requested by his family, described Nolan's manner of death as undetermined.
New this morning, televangelist Jim Bakker has passed away at the age of 86. Jim Bakker, he rose to prominence in the '70s and '80s, along with his then wife, Tammy Faye. Their Praise the Lord or PTL ministry empire, was at one point bringing in $128 million a year. But later, Bakker had to step down after a financial and sex scandal involving his secretary, who he paid to keep quiet about an affair. He also went to prison for fraud.
After being paroled, Bakker returned to TV in the 2000 with "The Jim Bakker Show".
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Well, straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, the man sentenced to death row for the mass shooting at an army base in 2013, will be executed by firing squad. That is the first carried out by the army since World War Two. Those details coming up.
And at Cornell University, the demands for change at the top grow louder amid the investigation into an alleged gang rape case on campus. The latest, next. Keep it right here. You're watching CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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