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Caleb Flynn to be Sentenced for Wife's Murder; U.S. Removes Air Force Bombers from U.K. Base After New Threat; Trump Names Top Spy Boss to Head New A.I. Task Force; Dozens Quarantined After Russian Plague Researcher Dies. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 05, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, a former pastor prepares to be sentenced in court today for the murder of his wife. Last week in Ohio, a jury found Caleb Flynn guilty of murder and nine other charges. Prosecutors argue that Flynn fatally shot his wife, Ashley, and staged the scene. Now, he faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Let's go to CNN's Jean Casarez. Jean, the jury deliberated, what, for about two hours before reaching a verdict. What do you expect from the judge later today?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the judge has a couple of options. It's not automatic that it's life without any possibility of parole. This is the highest offense in Ohio. It's a capital murder conviction essentially, and it is aggravated murder, and the judge has we'll hear argument on the aggravating and mitigating factors we believe.

And, you know, this murder that he committed, two bullets in the back of the head to his wife as she slept. This was an ambush. She didn't have a fighting chance. She couldn't have stopped this at all. So, that will be taken into consideration as an aggravating factor. And of course, the defense will be that he didn't have a criminal record, and he should be afforded 30 years from now to go before a parole board to try to be able to redeem himself and seek life.

But today is also about Ashley Flynn, because this was a mother, we heard through the evidence, that she loved her two pre-teen daughters. She nurtured them. She was a substitute teacher. She was the seventh- grade volleyball coach in Tipp City, Ohio, and she was so active in her church, participating and also leading the Bible camp every June.

I want you to listen to some testimony of what her mother, Jill Smith, said about the person that Ashley, the victim, was

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL SMITH, ASHLEY FLYNN'S MOTHER: We were best friends. We talked every day, encouraged each other every day. And it -- her whole life we just had a wonderful relationship. She was an excellent daughter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And this sentencing hearing will be emotional because the family of Ashley Flynn, and victims' rights are codified in Ohio under Marsy's Law, they, we believe, will give statements of who Ashley was, what she will not be able to experience in her life. She was only 37 years old, and that will come first, and then ultimately, after we believe some arguments, the judge will pronounce the sentence. But this is also Ashley Flynn's day.

BLITZER: All right. Jean Casarez reporting for us. Jean, thank you very, very much.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

BLITZER: Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Wolf, Vice President Vance says the U.S. relocated U.S. Air Force bombers from a major base out of, quote, "an abundance of caution." We'll be joined by Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, to discuss the major move.

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[11:35:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, we just heard from Vice President J.D. Vance about the U.S. removing all of its long-range bombers from a British Air Force base, removing them, and sending them back to the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: So, what you saw there is the Secretary of War out of an abundance of caution trying to protect our guys. We do feel with some confidence that the Iranians are, you know, they're trying to do what the Iranian state has done for 49 years, which is engage in acts of terrorism against the United States and against a lot of other people as well. So, we are being extremely cautious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: This comes just days after British authorities arrested six people in an alleged Iranian plot targeting that base. One of them has dual citizenship in Britain and Iran.

Joining us now is Democratic Congressman from New Jersey, Josh Gottheimer. He's a key member of the House Intelligence Committee and just returned from leading a bipartisan delegation to Lebanon. Congressman, I'll get to Lebanon in a few minutes, but let me get your sense, first of all, what do you know about the level of this threat that forced the U.S. to remove those bombers from that base in Britain?

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Well, I don't want to speculate beyond what's been in public. I've asked for a classified briefing, but we know, as the vice president just said, that Iran has historically targeted our bases, our servicemen and women, attacked our bases. These are not our friends. And so, the Iranian government continues to do what they do.

And I think our goal is to protect our servicemen and women and ensure that our bases are safe. So, I think that this seems to reflect that objective, as always, to protect our people. And again, I think, Wolf, no surprise here. The Iranians have long targeted our servicemen and women under the banner of death to America. And obviously, we're in a very intense conflict with them right now.

BLITZER: How unusual is this for the U.S. to remove these sensitive bombers from a facility in Britain, a close ally, a NATO ally? How unusual is this, out of potential concern that it could be targeted by Iranian terrorists?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, without getting to the specifics of this particular instance, I'll say, Wolf, we know that historically, if we believe there are plots, and our servicemen and women and our bases are at risk, we take action. And given that we have, across the region, serious military presence to both defend America and our allies and also for offensive purposes, we look at the map broadly. And if we see there's a threat to a particular base, obviously, we make decisions accordingly.

[11:40:00]

You know, our objective is to make sure that we can protect our country at all times and to protect our assets. And if we see a threat, obviously, we take action. Again, we're not pulling out of the region. We have a lot of forces across the region, but we will protect our servicemen and women if we see threats.

BLITZER: On this issue of Lebanon, I know you just returned from a visit to Lebanon. To press Lebanese leaders to fully disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon and to follow through on a U.S.-brokered agreement with Israel that was reached back in June. What was the result of your trip, this bipartisan trip you led to Lebanon?

GOTTHEIMER: Exactly, Wolf. I mean, there's a trilateral framework that dates back to June and an earlier one, an MOU in April, and it's between the United States, the Lebanese government, and Israel. And the focus is to disarm Hezbollah, to defund Hezbollah, to return Lebanon to the Lebanese people. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization designated by the United States. They also have members of the parliament who are there on the political side of the house. So, it's a complicated, tricky situation there on the ground.

But I'll tell you, the government officials we met with, including the president and the head of Lebanese armed forces, all have one objective, which is to disarm Hezbollah. We know they've had a significant presence in the south where they've sent missiles and drones attacking Israel, you know, over the last years. We know that. The key is for Lebanon to succeed long-term, Lebanese people and Lebanese government to be part of the region. They've got to push Hezbollah to disarm. They've got to make sure they defund them from having resources. And I think that's really what the focus of our trip was.

And -- of course, we're on the Intelligence Committee. We are -- you know, our goal on the ground in the United States is to make sure we disarm Hezbollah and disarm the threat. These are -- it's an Iranian -- you know, Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy, going back to Iran, Wolf, right. Again, they have proxies throughout the region, like Hamas and Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Hezbollah has been a huge proxy of Iran. And Iran has been funding Hezbollah for many years.

BLITZER: There are reports that Lebanon and Israel potentially could hold yet another round of direct talks, this time in Tampa, Florida. And maybe that could happen later this month. Is that an indication that an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, formally establishing relations, if you will, along the lines of the Abraham Accords, Israel establishing various diplomatic relations with a bunch of other Arab countries, is that possible, that President Aoun of Lebanon and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel could both meet together and work out some sort of new deal?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, I think the goal is to keep that moving forward, Wolf, which is to keep the trilateral framework and these conversations moving forward. You know, there was a lot of momentum in the beginning. The key and part of why we were there, and I was there with Congressman LaHood, both of us serve on the Intelligence Committee.

You know, our goal is to keep the pressure on all the parties to make sure that they stay at the table, they find an agreement that Lebanon not only agrees with pushing Hezbollah out, but the Lebanese Armed Forces moves in after Hezbollah moves out. That's happened in three regions. They call them pilot zones in three regions in southern Lebanon to make sure that the Lebanese Armed Forces moves in where Hezbollah moves out so that Hezbollah doesn't come back in.

And also, Wolf, it's key that the Lebanese government provides education and health services and other support to the Lebanese people so that they don't turn to Hezbollah for support as they have in the past. These are all the kinds of topics that are key for conversations for these trilateral discussions. And yes, there have been talks. The key is to make sure those talks continue moving forward at all levels of government here.

BLITZER: Yes, trilateral talks, the U.S., Israel, and Lebanon. Let's see what happens on that front. You're also a member, Congressman, of the House A.I. Caucus, and you've called for A.I. guardrails. What's your reaction to President Trump creating what he calls a superintelligence task force and naming National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton to lead it?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, I think very highly of DNI Clayton, and I'm hoping that this turns into serious discussions and outcomes with the major labs and obviously others who were part of the ecosystem. You know, Wolf, especially on the national security front, it's critically important, and I've said this, that there are pre-deployment testing before a model is released to the public. The government should be involved in a very time-constrained review of the latest models.

[11:45:00]

We saw OpenAI actually pulling back their model before release in the last weeks, which, by the way, is an indication that if left to their own devices and there aren't checks, you could have a lot of downside threats to the United States, to our national security, to our critical infrastructure, to our biosecurity.

So, to me, what's very important is that we actually have very clear rules of the road and guardrails to make sure that we both innovate, that we win, that we're able to make sure against China that we remain, we continue to be in the lead, but that we do so in a way that protects the country, protects Americans, protects our biosecurity, our national security, and our critical infrastructure. This has to be done well.

I hope that the White House brings all the parties to the table, including, by the way, Congress, their first bite at the apple. They put out a framework. Their first bite at the apple was more of a leaflet, Wolf. It wasn't serious. So, I'm hoping now that actually they take serious action. And I'll tell you, as co-chair of the A.I. Commission in the House, under Hakeem Jeffries' leadership, we are very focused on putting forward smart rules of the road that let us innovate and win, but do so in a way that protects our country.

BLITZER: This is such a critically important issue. Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Democrat of New Jersey, thanks, as usual, for joining us. Appreciate it.

GOTTHEIMER: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Wolf, coming up, dozens of workers at a Russian labyrinth isolation after a researcher dies from an unknown illness. How concerning is this? We'll discuss with an expert up next.

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[11:50:00]

BROWN: Happening now, dozens of people are in quarantine after an unknown illness killed a researcher at a Russian lab that studies the plague and other infectious diseases. Russian authorities say the 28- year-old researcher died after being diagnosed with a pneumonia of unknown origin. And now, investigators are working to determine if a dangerous infection like pneumonic plague was accidentally released. And now, officials in the region are taking anti-epidemic measures.

Joining us now is virologist Angela Rasmussen. Angela, around 200 people are reportedly under medical observation. Now, what can you tell us about this?

ANGELA RASMUSSEN, VIROLOGIST: So, this is actually, I think, a pretty reasonable response to an exposure like this. The pneumonic plague is transmitted by the airborne route and you get it from inhaling a lot of the bacteria that causes the disease. This usually doesn't happen unless you are in a household or a hospital-type environment. It's actually not that transmissible.

So, when you have somebody who has full-blown or at least symptoms of full-blown pneumonic plague, because I don't think that it's been confirmed that this person had the plague, but there was a very high- risk exposure, it's very reasonable to trace the contacts of that person and then make sure that they're under observation or quarantine to make sure that they haven't been infected. Because if they have been infected, it would be very important to start them on antibiotics as soon as possible. Plague is treatable with antibiotics, but it's critical that those antibiotics be administered as soon as possible after exposure.

BROWN: But bottom line, how easily does it spread?

RASMUSSEN: So, you know, there's a lot of information that is not completely detailed and confirmed about this situation. There have been reports that there was a test tube of Yersinia pestis, which is the type of bacteria that causes plague, that was broken that the researcher was handling. Now, that would be a very, very high-risk exposure because you would be exposed to aerosolized bacteria and a large quantity of it, potentially. That's what you're going to be handling in the lab.

In the real world, it's a lot less easy to do that, because when people have pneumonic plague, they actually are shedding bacteria in their lungs, but they're not shedding it the way that we would shed COVID, for example. So, if you have COVID, you're constantly exhaling virus all the time.

When you have pneumonic plague, you are not constantly exhaling a ton of bacteria. So, people have to be in really close proximity to you, and that's why it doesn't usually transmit very much outside of these household and hospital-type environments.

BROWN: Just for context, as we try to piece this together, one official said that the employee possibly died from the plague and noted that there had been no outbreak of the disease in the region. In your view, what verifiable data should the international scientific community demand from the Russian agency in charge to independently verify the threat level here?

RASMUSSEN: Yes. I think it's really important to understand more about the circumstances under which this occurred. I mean, to me, this reveals possibly the presence of a number of biosafety failures. So, when you're handling a dangerous pathogen like this in the lab, you should always be wearing secondary protection. You know, you would be handling this inside a biosafety cabinet, which would reduce your exposure risk. You should be wearing a respirator any time you're handling this pathogen at all. You should be using secondary containment, for example.

So, if you drop a vial, it's already contained somewhere else so that if it breaks, it's not going to get out and potentially expose you. And what it sounds like to me is that there were a number of failures in these standard procedures for handling dangerous pathogens in a containment laboratory. In addition to that, the reports say that the person who died reported to clinicians when she showed up at the hospital for treatment that she had been exposed this way a week earlier.

[11:55:00]

So, that to me suggests, and again, this is unconfirmed, but it suggests that it perhaps wasn't recorded at the time of the exposure, which could have led to the person taking prophylactic antibiotics and being alive today and not actually getting sick. So, it's really important to understand the containment and biosafety procedures that are being used at this institute to make sure that something like this never happens again.

BROWN: Yes. Angela Rasmussen, thank you so much.

RASMUSSEN: Thank you so much for having me.

BLITZER: And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning, 10:00 a.m. Eastern. Inside Politics today with Manu Raju starts right after a quick break.

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