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Suspicious Letters with White Powder Sent to Election Offices; Judge Limits Access to Rep. Omar Documents; Trump: Ft. Hood Shooter's Execution Won't Be Livestreamed. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 15, 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]

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: -- question, I don't believe investigators have disclosed any leads. I'm sure they're looking. This is a very familiar tactic, unfortunately, that we see around election season where mass mailings go out containing powdery substance. It could be -- it's an unknown substance right now, but it could be something harmful. I mean, it evokes the anthrax scares of years past.

Election officials really prepare for this kind of thing, but unfortunately when it happens, as we saw this week, they often have to evacuate the offices. And that hasn't disrupted, prevented anyone from voting, but there's always this perception of something going wrong that they have to manage. And for people that are really conspiratorial, they'll say, oh look, they left the office. Was anyone watching the ballots while they were gone? Of course, they were, but you know, we have to account for the information environment in which this is received.

So, the FBI is investigating, they told CNN last night that there is a lot going on, that they're looking into all these letters. Some of them didn't go to election offices, some of it went to non-election offices. But it's really just a few weeks away from the midterms, Wolf. Voting are already underway. So, it's a wrench in the plot, but people are ready for this. They're prepared.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, midterm is November 3rd, what, three weeks or so?

LYNGAAS: Yes.

BLITZER: Very, very close. And with these midterm elections approaching, what's being done right now? What are you hearing to try to protect, potentially, election offices?

LYNGAAS: Well, there's a lot that goes in months prior. We've reported in the past, Wolf, that some of these election offices are really cash-strapped. They require, you know, they have to move funds around sometimes, they get security support. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have for years helped them. That continues.

In this case, it's the U.S. Postal Inspection Service that is responsible for intercepting the mail, and they're actually pretty well resourced to do that. So, we're keeping a close eye on that, Wolf.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you so much, Sean. Appreciate it.

BLITZER: Good analysis. Appreciate it very, very much. And just ahead, days after federal agents raid the home of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a judge is now limiting how the U.S. Justice Department can access those documents. We'll be right back.

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[11:35:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, 32 children and a teacher are killed. Dozens more are injured after a roof of a school in northern Pakistan collapsed. Heavy rain overnight caused the roof to become unstable. Police say the school's owner has been arrested, and an investigation into the incident is now underway.

Meanwhile, in Istanbul, heavy rains and flooding forced residents to be carried to safety in the bucket of a front loader on an inflatable raft. Cars were submerged and roads collapsed.

And for the first time since moving back to the U.K., the Duke and Duchess of Sussex make their first public appearance in Britain. Supporters greeted Prince Harry and Meghan with flowers and balloons at the community recording studio in Nottingham, a charity that teaches film, video, and music to young people.

BROWN: All right. Wolf, happening now, new exclusive details on the Trump administration's search of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's house as part of an immigration fraud probe. People familiar with the investigation tell CNN a federal judge limited how the Justice Department could access Omar's documents in Monday's search because she is a member of Congress, and that provides certain constitutional protections.

Investigators are looking into whether the congresswoman's father changed her age when she obtained citizenship in 2000. She has denied any wrongdoing.

Joining us now is CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. He is also a former state and federal prosecutor. All right. So, Elie, let's start with these restrictions the judge put on the Justice Department. What is the legal basis and the purpose of this?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST AND FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Well, Pam, the judge's purpose is to protect both Ilhan Omar as the subject of the investigation and the investigation itself. Now, this all comes from something called the Speech and Debate Clause, which is in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution, and that says that any member of Congress, including Ilhan Omar, of course, cannot be prosecuted for statements they make or conduct that they engage in that relates to their legislative responsibilities in Congress, and those activities cannot even be used against a sitting member of Congress in any way. So, what the judge has said here is, OK, DOJ, before you start going through all these materials that you've seized from Ilhan Omar's house, you have to have a separate team of prosecutors that will review the documents to decide, do they fall within speech and debate? If they do fall within speech and debate, then they get plucked out and not given over to the investigative team. And all the other documents that do not fall under speech and debate, those can go over to the investigative team. So, it's sort of a filter, you can think of it that way.

And again, it's intended to protect Ilhan Omar and her speech and debate rights as a sitting member of Congress, and to protect the investigation, to make sure that the team investigating this is not seeing and using documents that they shouldn't have access to.

BROWN: So, let's talk about the timing of this surge, being just weeks ahead of the consequential midterm. Does this violate any rules?

HONIG: Well, it does not violate any law. However, our viewers may well have heard of this thing called the 60-day rule, which has long existed in DOJ as a prudential practice, as something that DOJ itself has decided to do, going back decades under both Democratic and Republican administrations. And the basic idea is if we're within that 60-day or so window before an election, we're not going to take a public move like executing a search warrant that could impact on that election. Of course, Ilhan Omar is on the ballot.

[11:40:00]

And so, it could be that DOJ has decided there's some exception here, there's some need to do this now, we can't wait, we don't know, or it could be that this Justice Department under Todd Blanche simply doesn't care and simply doesn't choose to abide by that rule. But yes, it is unusual to see this type of overt law enforcement action directed at a candidate about three weeks before an election.

BROWN: And it's no small thing to search the home of a sitting member of Congress, right? From what we know about this investigation, where investigators are looking into whether her father changed her age in order for her to obtain citizenship in 2000. Do you think, again, just what we know so far, any of it justifies this, what could be perceived as heavy handedness that investigators are taking?

HONIG: Well, we have not seen the affidavit, but we know that prosecutors, in order to get this search warrant, I've done this many times, had to write out, in usually a detailed document, establishing their probable cause to believe that a crime had been committed and that some evidence would be found.

So, prosecutors had to write out that document, bring it over to this magistrate judge, we know the magistrate judge reviewed it and agreed there is probable cause that a crime was committed and that evidence would be found at that location. But the key thing to keep in mind is probable cause is a low standard under the law. It's not nothing, but it's not even close to the proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which is a much higher standard that you need in order to charge a case and ultimately to get a conviction.

So, this is not a unilateral action by DOJ. They did have to get a judge to sign off. It tells us something, but not everything.

BROWN: Big picture. What are you watching for as this case plays out?

HONIG: Well, I want to see, first of all, what exact charges DOJ is looking at. We've seen reporting, as you said earlier, that relates to something to do with immigration paperwork. One of the big questions I have, though, is, well, if Ilhan Omar came to this country in the mid- 90s and then was naturalized in 2000, how are they still within the five-year statute of limitations? There could be answers to that. There could be more recent paperwork that was submitted. There could be paperwork relating to other members of the family or reapplications or renewals.

The other possibility as to how this could be within statute of limitations is if there's some effort to obstruct, if there was some effort to get rid of evidence, to delete emails or texts, to convince people to shape their testimony a certain way. One of the big questions I have right now, Pam, though, is how are they going to get anything that relates back to 20-plus years ago within the statute of limitations? There are ways to do that, but it's not clear to me at this point.

And of course, the big question is, do they proceed with a charge or not? We know this investigation dates back, and in fact, there was an investigation opened of Ilhan Omar under the prior administration, the Biden administration, which did not result in charges. But that's the big question in this case. Will there be enough to bring a charge eventually?

BROWN: I want to turn to another topic here. President Trump just this morning announced that he is calling off the live stream of the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. From your perspective, do you think legal considerations had anything to do with this decision?

HONIG: There would have been arguably a way that somebody could have legally objected to this, starting with the individual himself, the defendant himself. It's not clear he would have objected to this. But clearly, this was a political decision. I think earlier on the show, we saw Republican and Democratic commentators alike agreeing that this was the right decision, that it was barbaric to even consider live streaming an execution. I think there will be wide political agreement across the spectrum that it was a ridiculous, barbaric idea in the first place and that it's the right move to abandon this effort now.

BROWN: All right. Elie Honig, always great to have you on. Thank you. Wolf.

HONIG: Thank you, Pam.

BLITZER: And with just 19 days until the midterm elections, the race is on for clues of whether Democrats will flip control of the House or the Senate, or maybe even both. North Carolina will be one of the first tests of a possible blue wave. CNN Chief National Correspondent John King is speaking to voters all over the map.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bigelow Brewery was among the first Hot Springs businesses to reopen.

AMY RUBIN, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: It's beautiful.

KING (voice-over): Owner Amy Rubin is an independent who leans blue, calls Trump classless and corrupt, makes clear she wants big change.

KING: Have you ever been this close to an election in recent years thinking a Democrat could win this House seat?

RUBIN: No.

KING (voice-over): Why the Democrats have better odds even here this time is no secret. Higher prices make recovering from the flood even harder.

RUBIN: We had hoped for a busier summer this year than last year, and that didn't happen. I think the economy has been really hard on people for travel this past summer.

KING: The history in North Carolina in recent years is overwhelmingly Republican when the winner of an election goes off to work in Washington.

[11:45:00]

Republicans, for example, have won nine of the last 10 presidential elections here. North Carolina last elected a Democrat to the Senate 18 years ago, back in 2008, and Republicans have easily won all seven elections here in the 11th Congressional District since the lines were redrawn and the district was made more red after the 2010 census. Republicans in those elections here averaging 58 percent of the vote.

KING (voice-over): But the 11th district is a toss-up in the final days this year. This isn't the only North Carolina House race critical to the balance of power in Washington. A second is 400 miles east along North Carolina's Atlantic coast.

KING: It's a big late campaign question because the president's poll numbers are simply so bad. A Democrat's going to have a good midterm election night, or is there a big blue wave brewing? Well, where I'm standing right now will be a big part of the answer. This is North Carolina's first congressional district. Democrat Don Davis is the incumbent. Back in 2024, Congressman Davis narrowly won re-election, but at the same time, President Trump carried his district by three points.

So, Don Davis was going to be a top Republican target this year anyway. But then North Carolina Republicans redrew the lines. They took away from the district several predominantly black Democratic counties, and they added a handful of Republican counties, like this one. Under the new lines, President Trump would have carried the district by 11 points. So, by that new math, in 2026, Congressman Davis should be toast, right?

KING (voice-over): Laurie Buckhout is the Republican candidate.

NICK MCFERRAN, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: It's a side chart.

BLITZER: Nick McFerran bought this gun shop in Moorhead City ten years ago, says business is pretty good. His politics could not be clearer.

KING: What is it you like about him?

MCFERRAN: What's not to like about him? I think he's straightforward. I like what he does.

KING (voice-over): He's confident Republicans will turn out and flip the House seat.

MCFERRAN: Constantly people talk about the election. I think definitely she will win.

KING (voice-over): Moorhead City is in Carteret County. Trump won 71 percent here two years ago. Local Democrats, though, insist that even here, the midterm mood is change.

LISA HOLMAN, 1ST VICE CHAIR, CARTERET COUNTY DEMOCRATS: We're going to roll it blue. We are going to roll it blue. And what's interesting is the people that we're talking to, we have a lot of unaffiliateds that in the past have potentially voted red. People are angry. They're ready for a change.

KING (voice-over): Be skeptical, especially when it comes to this House race. But North Carolina hugging the Atlantic coast has two big pluses. One, it's gorgeous. And on election night, it gives us a giant early test of the midterm blue wave debate.

John King, CNN, Moorhead City, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And our thanks to John King for that. Coming up, government records reveal reports of mechanical failures, faulty restraint bars and broken bones at Six Flags theme parks. A new CNN analysis is next.

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[11:50:00]

BROWN: Broken bones, concussions, faulty restraint bars, a CNN analysis of public records and court filings has uncovered years of reported injuries and ride malfunctions at Six Flags theme parks.

BLITZER: Earlier this week, a man fell to his death from the Goliath roller coaster in Georgia. In response, Six Flags has temporarily closed 10 similar rides across seven states as investigators are looking into the fatal incident. Let's go live right now to CNN Correspondent Isabel Rosales in Atlanta for us. So, Isabel, what are the safety records tell us about how often these incidents have happened?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Pam, it shows that years before this deadly Georgia incident, Six Flags had already been facing accusations of failing to maintain its rides and keeping rides, certain rides open despite a pattern of rider injuries.

Now, Six Flags is the nation's largest amusement park operator. They've got over 30 water and amusement parks across 13 different states. But the company has been struggling financially, according to statements. This is due to weak attendance and then this crushing debt after a merger back in 2024.

So, let's get into the reporting from CNN investigates. They have scoured through public records and court filings, and they found that in the state of California alone, there's been nearly 300 accident reports since 2021. And in the last five years, safety records covering 12 plus different parks across three different states reveal maintenance issues, things like bolts that have been broken, train derailments, faulty restraint bars, and also guest injuries, dislocated joints, concussions, broken records.

And you'll remember, Wolf and Pam, that Six Flags has already been under fire this summer. The safety of the rides after a different CNN investigative report found that one of the most famous roller coasters over in Magic Mountain in California, the roller coaster known as X2, had been linked to over a dozen brain injuries, serious hospitalizations, even deaths.

Within the span of six days, two different women were rushed to emergency brain surgery. Over 100 riders, they came forward saying that they also had brain injury claims. And that ride was kept open for over two decades, despite this history of problems. But now, it has been closed permanently.

BROWN: So, how is Six Flags responding to all of this?

ROSALES: Yes, they're saying that they take all of these guest injuries seriously. They review every single one of them. They also said this, that incidents reviewed by CNN span multiple parks, attractions, years, jurisdictions, circumstances. They may reflect differing state reporting requirements on a wide range of incidents and outcomes.

[11:55:00]

As a result, broad conclusions drawn from a compilation of reports may not provide the full context surrounding any individual event or our overall approach to safety. They also said this, that they are committed to rigorous ride inspection, maintenance and safety procedures that meet or exceed industry standards. And by the way, the park here in Georgia reopens tomorrow at six. BLITZER: All right. Isabel Rosales with that report, thank you very, very much. And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. You can always keep up with us on social media, @wolfblitzer and @pamelabrowncnn.

BROWN: And we'll see you back here tomorrow morning and every weekday morning at 10:00 Eastern for two hours. Inside Politics with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts after a quick break. Have a great rest of your day.

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