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The Situation Room

Attorney Says, Jane Doe is Receiving Multiple Threats; U.S. Removes Bombers from U.K. Base After New Threat; Trump Stumps in Red States Where GOP Seats are At Risk. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired October 05, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news, CNN has brand-new audio of a phone call between Jane Doe and one of her alleged assaulters. This morning, as calls for accountability grow louder, her attorney says she is receiving threats for coming forward.

Also ahead, the culture of drugs on college campuses, we're digging deeper into the rise in the use of ketamine and kratom among students.

Plus, unprecedented move, the U.S. is removing all of its Air Force bombers from a major U.K. base after a new threat. What we're learning.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And suspected plague death. Dozens of workers at a Russian infectious disease lab are now in isolation after a researcher dies from an unknown illness.

And 29 days to go, it's an all-out push for the midterm elections, the about-face from President Trump on the issue of mail-in ballots.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

We're following the breaking news. Cornell University now faces growing anger over its handling of an alleged gang rape two years ago. The attorney for the accuser, who's identified as Jane Doe in court documents, says she has received threats, threats if she doesn't drop her civil lawsuit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS GIUFFRA, ATTORNEY FOR JANE DOE: They're saying to Jane Doe, there are people out there trying to track her down. They've tracked down the wrong women, at least three of the wrong women that I've heard about. They said, we're going to shut you up. You're going to be, still get hurt by us. You're going to pull this lawsuit out or we're going to do something to hurt you even more.

She's received multiple threats and women who aren't even Jane Doe have received threats about what they're going to do to her. And, in fact, this morning I received a threat. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And there's more breaking news, portions of a recorded phone call with Jane Doe and a fraternity member surfacing this morning. That call took place about three weeks after, after the alleged attack.

Let's go live right now to CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll. First of all, Jason, tell us a little bit more about this new audio.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this information coming to us from ABC News, which reported this morning that there was some sort of a phone conversation that that took place between the Jane Doe in this case and one of the Chi Phi fraternity members.

Now, apparently, this conversation happened three weeks after the alleged assault. The phone conversation was secretly recorded by Jane Doe, and let me just go over just a little bit here of what ABC News has reported about said conversation. Again, at one point during the conversation, Jane Doe said, there's so much damage on my body and my brain.

Apparently, she said that to the young man that she was talking to, the Chi Phi fraternity member. And then also at one point during the conversation said, if I wanted to take this somewhere, what you all did would be classified as gang rape. You already knew when I came in I was ten shots deep, of course, referring to all of the alcohol that she had consumed that night. In addition to the alcohol there are allegations that she also had received the drug ketamine as well as marijuana during that evening.

Now, through all of this, Wolf, as you know, there has been a lot of -- a great deal of criticism on all fronts of this case, criticism against the district attorney for his handling of the case, criticism directed at the Cornell Police Department. I just want to get in from the defense -- one of the defense attorneys here representing one of these students who has grave concerns, Wolf, about the special prosecutor who the governor has appointed to take this over. This, a defense attorney saying that Letitia James should recuse herself from the case based on previous comments she had made about the case.

She, Wolf, on Facebook, had said about the -- about Jane Doe, quote, we stand with you. And in the eyes of this defense attorney, this means, in his eyes, that she cannot be objective in terms of prosecuting this case.

Now, just a few moments ago this morning, we got a response from Letitia James specifically about that request to recuse herself saying, quote, my office enforces our state's laws to protect all New Yorkers. I am committed to leading a comprehensive investigation they can trust, guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law.

[10:05:06]

Wolf? BLITZER: All right, Jason Carroll reporting for us, Jason, thanks for that update. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Happening now, all U.S. long-range bombers that were stationed at a U.K. air base are now back at their home stations in the U.S. The sudden move follows a new unspecified threat. That's according to a U.S. official.

So, they were at Fairford Air Force Base in England, these bombers, and that's where five men n- right nearby were recently arrested in connection with an alleged Iranian plot to target U.S. aircraft at the base. They were released, but a sixth person was recently arrested, a 25-year-old Iranian-British dual citizen. The bombers had been used to strike targets in the Iran war.

So, here with us to help us better understand how unusual this is CNN Senior National Security Reporter Zach Cohen. What can you tell us?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Pam, I'm told that this move to move these bombers from this U.K. air base back to the United States was prompted by what a source described as a real-world incident.

So, this is a threat that was verifiable enough to where the U.S. military quickly and abruptly, frankly, making a decision to transport all of its long-range bombers that were based in the U.K. back to the United States. And, really, the unusual part of this is that, typically, the U.S. will redeploy its assets to other bases around the region, whether it's in response to a threat like this or it's for need, like an exercise or some sort of other priority that might be happening in a different part of the world. In this case, moving them back to the U.S. is what my source qualified as the unusual piece of this.

And it does come as this is the base where this incident last week took place, where these five individuals were arrested and subsequently released over this what officials have described as an Iranian-backed terror plot both British and U.S. officials alluding to this threat last week.

But Marco Rubio, the secretary of state/national security adviser really downplaying any connection between the two decisions this morning when he was asked about it. Take a listen to what he said when he was really emphasizing the cooperation between the U.K. and the U.S. while minimizing the connection between the incident last week.

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MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: The only reason why you guys are focused on how many planes are at Fairfield is because of the threat that happened last week. But it's not unusual to see rotations happen and movement of assets to different parts of the world based on exercises redeployments people changing out and new people coming in, new planes coming in, old planes going out. We have confidence in the security of all of our bases, because all of our bases are theoretically could be threatened at any moment. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, while Secretary Rubio is correct that the U.S. does regularly move its assets around to different bases around the world, in this case, again, the fact that they're moving, they are moving these bombers that are used to project power globally back to the United States does have the is the unusual piece of this, and does have an impact on the U.S.'s ability to project power.

And it's also notable this was a place where the U.S. was launching strikes against Iran. So, all of that tied together is still raising questions as an investigation into the incident last week continues.

BROWN: And from what I read, there was one U.S. bomber who was recently deployed over there to be stationed, and then they pulled him back. So, all together, it is clear that this is an unusual move.

Very quickly, is it -- do we understand why they released the five men and --

COHEN: We don't --

BROWN: -- they made that other arrest? It's all confusing.

COHEN: Yes. British officials and U.S. officials are very cagey about the status of this investigation. We're hoping to learn more information as it comes out. But, yes, more questions than answers on that front at this point.

BROWN: All right. Zack Cohen, thank you.

BLITZER: Very worrisome development indeed.

And still ahead officials in Russia are now implementing what they're calling anti-epidemic measures after a researcher in an anti-plague lab dies from pneumonia that potentially could be linked to the pneumonic plague the U.S. is now monitoring.

BROWN: And up next, midterm blitz. Why President Trump is now fighting to defend territory that's typically red, as Republicans fear over next month's elections mount.

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BROWN: Happening now, President Trump is taking his midterm message back to the streets today. It's all part of an aggressive 32-day blitz to fire up voters in traditional Republican strongholds, places like Texas and Alabama, where the GOP has dominated for years.

But recent polls show Democrats are gaining significant strength in these red bastions, even as the president publicly declares an incoming victory for the GOP.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We need the votes, and I'm here for that, and I think we're going to win.

We're worried about Michigan. We're worried about Texas. We're worried about a few states.

You're going to think of me as on the ballot, right? Everybody promise?

Just get out and vote. If you do that, we're going to win, and we're going to win big, and we're going to shove it up their ass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And with Election Day now less than a month away, President Trump is making a major tactical pivot. He is now changing his tune on early voting and mail-in ballots, urging his supporters to vote early to secure the win.

So, let's go live now to CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kevin Liptak. What's behind this shift in messaging, Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Clearly, President Trump and Republicans know that they're going to need to find votes wherever they can get them if the midterm elections are not to be a bloodbath, as many polls are now predicting.

And the president encouraging his supporters to mail to vote by mail certainly i- is a shift. You know, he has spent the last several years claiming unfoundedly that mail-in voting is rife with fraud. He tried to make major changes to mail-in voting, only to be stymied by the Supreme Court.

And now the president is encouraging his voters to do just that, I think, with a mind that in order for Republicans to win, they will have to rely in part on mail-in voting. And you see in the president's travel schedule both last week and this week as well some real concerns that Republicans will not fare well unless the president's supporters get out to vote, and unless he can convince them to turn up at the ballot box in November.

[10:15:11]

You know, Alabama, Texas, Ohio, all these states that the president was in the last several days are places that he won by double digits in 2024. Nebraska, where he's heading today, the president won by 20 points.

So, a real reflection, I think, of the concerns among Republicans that they will not fare well unless the president's base is motivated to go out and vote.

Now, the president said over the weekend that the polls don't necessarily reflect that enthusiasm that will be stoked by his presence on the campaign trail, but, certainly, Republicans' concerns growing in this month before Election Day. Pamela? BROWN: All right. Kevin Liptak live for us at the White House, thanks so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: And coming up, it's the, it's the drug at the center of the Cornell University case. We'll speak to an expert about the rise of ketamine and other substances on college campuses.

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[10:20:00]

BLTIZER: Happening now, an emergency response is underway in Russia after the mysterious death of a researcher at a plague laboratory in Siberia. Russian health officials now say the 28-year-old worker died after being diagnosed with a severe pneumonia of, quote, unknown origin.

Now, investigators are working to determine if a dangerous infection like pneumonic plague was accidentally released.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen is following all the late-breaking developments for us. Fred, first of all, what are you learning about what's actually happening on the ground right now?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf. Yes, this is happening near the border with Mongolia, just south of Lake Baikal, in a town called Shelekhov. And you're absolutely right, the Russians are saying that a 28-year-old lab researcher there died of severe pneumonia of an unknown cause.

Now, I do want to read from you a quick statement that was put forward by Russia's infectious disease agency. They say, quote, No microorganisms associated with the employee's professional duties were detected in samples taken from the patient. So, that's the Russian infectious disease agency, however, the head of that agency did immediately go to that region, and the governor of the neighboring region came out and said that the person who died may have died of the plague, as that person put it.

As you've stated, Wolf, there are some measures in place where the Russians are trying to quarantine a lot of that area, specifically hospitals. First of all, they're quarantining all the people that this lab researcher had contact with. They also say that the hospital that she was in, all the in-patients there have been quarantined and no new patients are being accepted, some other hospitals in that region also under quarantine as well.

We have had a reaction from the Kremlin already. They are saying that their authorities are on top of it, and not to believe in what they call speculation and rumors. The World Health Organization also says that, as of right now, the threat level seems to be low. U.S. secretary of state also commented on this earlier today, saying that this was not cause for concern, but certainly cause for focus.

However, Wolf, some people that we've been speaking to on the ground in that town obviously say that they do feel some concern for their situation. Wolf?

BLTIZER: Which is totally understandable. Fred Pleitgen reporting for us, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Coming up here in the Situation Room, happening now, the Supreme Court is hearing its first case of the new term. A look at the major topics the justices will weigh in on, up next.

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[10:25:00]

BROWN: Happening now, the Supreme Court is kicking off a new nine- month term, and the justices are jumping straight into some highly consequential cases. They're starting today with the most significant climate change case to reach this court in nearly two decades, deciding whether state and local governments can sue oil companies for environmental damage caused by climate change.

So, let's go live now to CNN Crime and Justice Correspondent Katelyn Polantz, right outside the Supreme Court. Katelyn, what are you watching for as you look at the cases already lined up for this new term?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, one of the things I'm watching for this term is what is not yet on the docket for this Supreme Court, how fast are cases going to move? There are already a couple big cases lined up for the Supreme Court to hear this term, cases about immigration, cases about gun rights. Can the Supreme Court strike down assault weapons bans across the country?

There are some other very notable cases, including one that already is being heard in oral arguments today. This is a case about energy companies and the ability of states, counties, cities to sue them because of greenhouse gas emissions that they say are hurting states, cities, counties, the people in those areas, because of the effects of climate change, that it's costing states and cities and counties very, very much money.

Now, the energy companies say that if the Supreme Court lets cases like that go on at the state level in state courts, it could be catastrophic for them as businesses. ExxonMobil is one of the companies that's arguing. The other is the Canadian oil giant Suncor Energy.

Already this morning, though, the discussion at the Supreme Court, Pamela, has not been about climate change. It has been about the role of the Supreme Court at this time. There's already been a lot of tough questions, and Justice Sotomayor, during oral arguments, was acknowledging what some of her other colleagues, including Chief Justice Roberts, have already been asking about as they're quizzing the lawyer for the energy companies, asking, you're not going to be successful in this case in getting our intervention if there isn't a way that you can argue successfully that the Supreme Court should be involved here, that this is a question of federal law rather than states potentially holding energy companies accountable.

It's a big case. Arguments would come weeks or potentially many months from now.

[10:30:00]

BROWN: I also want to ask you about the rumors surrounding conservative Justice Alito and the fact that he might retire.