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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Flydubai Pilot Speaks Out; Top UAE Official Calls Incident A "Dangerous Terrorist Act"; G7 Leaders Agree to Tap Emergency Diesel and Oil Stockpiles; Violence Erupts as French Government Aims to Reduce Budget; U.S. Added a Weaker than Expected 29k Jobs Last Month; Ukraine Touts Daring Counteroffensive; Judge Unseals Footage of Luigi Mangione's Arrest; Putin: Russia Will Use "All Weapons" to Protect Kaliningrad. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired October 02, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in
Washington, and you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, the hero pilot from the Flydubai attack speaks out, recounting his harrowing experience inside the cockpit. The G7 agrees to
tap into its diesel and oil reserves after President Trump threatened to cut off supplies from the U.S. ahead of midterm elections. And President
Putin threatens to use all weapons in Moscow's arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if the Russian territory of Kaliningrad is ever attacked. Just as
Ukraine says, it forced 250 Russian soldiers to surrender.
The suspect in this week's Flydubai attack is now in the UAE, where investigators are trying to understand exactly what happened in advance of
that attack. Our sources tell us the suspect had been removed from a previous job at Oman's national airline last year due to concerns about his
extremist views. The Flydubai pilot from India, who fought off the attack from his co-pilot mid-flight, says he had to act because he couldn't let
everybody else die.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the father of two, Smit Machchhar, described exactly what happened inside the cockpit during a video call with
the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SMIT MACHCHHAR, FLYDUBAI CAPTAIN (through translator): I was fighting for my life. But there was a moment where I realized if I don't do anything
because I'd fallen down, I was so severely wounded that I had fallen down. At that time, I was thinking, what if I don't get up? And sir, I've been
flying planes for the last 17 years. And I've been a captain for the last 11 years. And even if I shut my eyes, I know what is happening in the
plane. And when I was on the ground, I realized that the aircraft was falling down. And I knew in that moment, one last push, Smit. Just do it.
The door is right there. And even at that time, he was beating me up.
And then I just opened it, sir. And then everybody came. And everybody else also played an equal role in this. I was telling sir that I was doing this
for my life. But at the same time, I knew that I cannot let everybody else die. That's it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: It really is a remarkable story, the pilot describing there the passengers and crew who then rushed into the cockpit, of course, after he
opened the door, then restraining the attacker, and then stabilizing the plane.
Jeremy Diamond joins me now from Tel Aviv. And, Jeremy, this latest news certainly qualifies, it seems, as a warning sign missed in that this co-
pilot had extremist views to the point where he was removed from his previous job?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right, Jim. This is critical new information. According to multiple sources familiar with
the matter, this co-pilot, the attacker on that flight, was removed from a previous job at Oman Air over concerns about his extremist views. Oman Air
is Oman's national airline. A regional diplomatic source also said that he had been removed from training from that airline over concerns about his
radical views. That source said that he was given another role at that airline. But at some point, apparently, you know, within the last year,
this co-pilot got a job at Flydubai.
And so, major questions are going to be raised now about how he could have gotten a job as a pilot with a different airline, despite the fact that he
had been removed from his role over these reported radical views. One source told us that he had only been working at Flydubai for about eight
months before this incident took place earlier this week. We've also learned, we've been reporting previously that he was an Omani citizen. Now,
we've also learned that he was an Omani citizen born actually in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and a Syrian mother. He has now been
transferred back to the UAE after undergoing initial interrogation inside of Saudi Arabia.
[18:05:00]
One source also told me, I should note, that he also previously worked at Royal Air Maroc, the Moroccan airline as well. So, questions are being
asked of all of these various airlines at this point. Flydubai, we've asked them for comment. They've said they cannot provide comment as this is an
ongoing investigation. So, major questions again about how he got this job at Flydubai, given there had been previous concerns raised over his radical
views.
And of course, also questions here in Israel over how this Omani pilot was able to get on a plane and actually fly a route to Israel. First of all,
because Oman and Israel don't have diplomatic relations, but also, of course, because there are, again, these troubling aspects of his background
that could have potentially been revealed in some kind of a background check.
SCIUTTO: No question. Just quickly, Jeremy, is Israel -- are Israeli security services typically involved in vetting the staff, the air crews,
et cetera, of non-Israeli airlines flying into Israel? I mean, does the security check go that far? I mean, I know they, of course, screen
passengers coming into Israel, but how about flight crews?
DIAMOND: Well, what we do understand is that when it comes to the United Arab Emirates in particular, and this is important because it's only been
in the last several years, right, that you've started to have these flights between the UAE and Israel following the Abraham Accords, the normalization
of relations between these two countries.
But based on that new process, apparently the burden falls on both sides. Both the Emirates and Israel would have to carry out a security
verification and approvals in order for pilots to fly to Israel from the United Arab Emirates. That would likely fall to the Shin Bet here in
Israel, Israel's domestic intelligence service, as well as the transportation ministry.
So, again, that's one of the aspects that Israeli officials are certainly looking into is how he managed to get through those checks, if those checks
even happened, and get on this flight as a co-pilot, which all led to this incident we saw just a few days ago. That's such, the more you learn about
it, the closer recall it clearly was.
SCIUTTO: Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, thanks so much. Well, the Group of Seven, the G7 as it's known, has agreed to release diesel and oil from
their emergency reserves after mounting pressure from the U.S. President Trump promised a short time ago not then to impose an export ban on diesel
in this country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: There's a lot of diesel, and they're going to be making a major world contribution, and so are we. And we're not going to
be doing the export ban. We're going to be doing what we're supposed to do. But I did ask them, and they're going to, we're going to have a lot of oil.
Very shortly, as soon as Iran ends, which won't be long, it's not going to be long, you're going to have oil go down to the price it was before, maybe
even lower than I got it at the beginning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: He's been promising that for some time. Before that, G7 leaders had said, quote, "We will implement our commitments with a coordinated
release through the IEA of 100 million barrels to begin immediately over the course of four months."
The Trump administration is trying to bring down fuel prices ahead of November's midterm elections. The average price of diesel in the U.S. is
now at $6.50 a gallon, according to AAA. It's about double where it was a year ago.
Joining me now, Jason Bordoff, founding director of Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy. He served as senior director for energy and
climate change for the White House National Security Council during the last administration. Jason, good to have you. Thanks so much for joining.
JASON BORDOFF, CENTER ON GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY FOUNDING DIRECTOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK
OBAMA: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: So, this is another market intervention by this administration. We've seen it in the bond market, we've seen it elsewhere. How much of an
impact can the release from the European reserves have on diesel prices? Is it a short-term fix or something more lasting?
BORDOFF: Well, we don't know yet, and that's probably why the immediate price impact hasn't been stronger. We don't know yet, meaning it was a
pretty vague press release. It said up to 100 million barrels. It didn't specify what the breakdown would be between crude oil and products we're
short of, like diesel and gasoline.
It didn't specify the timing, exactly how quickly and over what timeframe in four-month period. Would it be front-loaded, would it be back-loaded?
And when there's not specificity in agreements like that, I think the market reads it with some skepticism, especially since the International
Energy Agency with all the Europeans announced 400-million-barrel release back when this crisis first started, and not all of that has been brought
to market yet.
If it all came to market quickly, it would have some impact, maybe 20, 25 cents a gallon. But as you said, because in your opening, you said Trump's
been promising the Strait's going to reopen for a while now. It's a short- term fix because we know in the long run, the only way to get this back to normal is for oil to start flowing again.
[18:10:00]
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this because you published a column in Foreign Policy which argued that the previous option the president had considered
banning diesel exports from the U.S. would backfire. Can explain why and do you have similar concerns about this move?
BORDOFF: Much less about this move. I mean, I think restricting exports. We've done this before. We did it in 1973 with refined products and then a
few years later with crude oil. And you saw what happened. You trapped a lot of energy oil in the United States that had a very brief effect of
depressing prices. But then it also depressed all the economic incentives for people to refine crude oil for people to produce oil. And it severely
damages your relationships overseas.
For the last half century, the U.S. has benefited, as has everyone else, from an interconnected well-functioning energy market. So, when there's a
supply disruption somewhere else, flows can shift around in an interconnected global market.
And that's one of the things that makes me worried. I don't have a problem with the Europeans saying they're going to release more stocks in a time of
shortage, but the way this happened was that -- it was coercive. I wrote a piece in Foreign Affairs last year about the return of the energy weapon
when Europe is highly dependent on American energy. And President Trump says we're going to cut you off causing huge damage to Europe. Unless you
go along with our demands to release oil from your strategic stocks, it's pretty coercive and it makes Europe more worried about depending on the
United States.
SCIUTTO: I mean, did that part of it, that the extortionary part of it you might say, is a common theme with Trump economic deals national security
deals certainly trade deals, right. I mean, that's basically the approach to Canada. You know, concede or we will break your economy here. I mean, I
imagine to your point that that could have lasting damage to those energy relationships.
BORDOFF: And it undermines the investment that the Trump administration wants for an energy dominance agenda. They want to be a huge LNG exporter.
They want to attract foreign investment. They want foreign countries to sign long-term contracts for American energy. But if Europeans can't depend
on Russia and they're worried about Qatar now with the Strait of Hormuz, are they going to be worried about the United States if Biden puts a pause
on new LNG permits and then Trump is threatening to cut off diesel exports to extract a concession?
SCIUTTO: Yes. Let me ask you about the Strait of Hormuz because administration officials and others including the Wall Street Journal
editorial page are now claiming that it in fact the U.S. has won the Strait of Hormuz war, the front of that war, if you want to call it, that oil is
flowing near to levels it was prior to the war, and that at the same time, the U.S. Navy, the operation has managed to almost bring to zero Iranian
oil exports. Do you agree with that assessment?
BORDOFF: Well, the facts are true that the amount of oil flowing out of the Gulf has returned not to pre-war levels but a few million barrels maybe 2
or 3 million barrels short of that. It is remarkable how the oil industry is able to find workarounds when there is an economic incentive to do so.
Everything ship to ship transfers and finding ways to move oil through the strait and Iranian oil exports have been brought down dramatically. So,
that is true.
It's not a long-term fix. I mean, eventually we need to bring this conflict to an end and we need to get energy flows going again. And we're reminded
every day that even these workarounds are vulnerable. We saw attacks to the pipeline. The most important piece of energy infrastructure on the planet
the last few months has been this pipeline where Saudi Arabia can move oil around the strait. And that was attacked and they had to bring it back
online. So, we've got to bring this conflict to an end. We can't keep relying on band-aids.
SCIUTTO: Jason Bordoff, thanks so much for joining.
BORDOFF: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Well, there is some news just in to CNN. British officials have now charged two Iranian nationals with terror offenses. This over an
alleged plot to attack the Jewish community in Manchester on the eve of Yom Kippur. This comes one year after a deadly car ramming and stabbing attack
outside a Manchester synagogue killed two people.
In this latest plot the two men have been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts according to police. This comes just
after another Iranian national one with dual British citizenship was arrested on suspicion of terror offenses linked to an alleged plot
targeting a U.K. airbase.
Well, there are protesters in several countries tonight losing patience with the state of the public sector in Spain. Parliament rejected the
government's attempts to address the housing crisis. Their chance of your profits our misery were heard in Madrid after lawmakers voted down the
decrees. Thousands of protesters marched toward the Puerto Del Sol a short time ago with the tenants union planning more mass rallies on Saturday.
And in France, demonstrations over a lack of education funding have turned violent with police and students clashing in the streets. You see there.
[18:15:00]
More than 400 schools across the country were closed on Friday as a result. In some areas tear gas filling the streets. The government says police have
arrested more than two thousand people most of them teenagers. Many demonstrators especially angry about teacher shortages and aging school
infrastructure. Nationwide union led protests of support are now planned for Tuesday. CNN's Melissa Bell has more from just outside a school in
Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yet another day of barricades and protests at high schools across France. This is a student
protest that has really gained in strength and intensity over the course of the last 10 days. What authorities are saying is that by Thursday it really
transformed into instances of urban violence with nearly 2,000 people taken into custody.
At this high school here in Paris, this Friday morning students have managed to set the doors alight. Those are now being repaired. But again,
this Friday morning, more instances of violence and scuffles between the police and the students determined to hear their demands met.
There was a meeting between the education minister and some of those student leaders but no sense yet of whether authorities will make
concessions that go far enough to appease their demands particularly now that this whole protest movement has taken on such a political aspect with
the far-left accused by the government of fanning its flames in the far- left insisting that students have the right to protest.
Melissa Bell CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Still ahead the last U.S. jobs report before the midterm elections what the labor market says about the state of the U.S. economy. That's
coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout now, U.S. stocks rose across the board Friday with the Nasdaq up more than 1 percent. Stocks
getting a boost from a weaker than expected U.S. jobs report which could give the Fed room to keep interest rates steady at its next policy meeting
later this month.
Today's report shows only 29,000 jobs created in September. Analysts were expecting growth three times that 90,000 jobs. July and August numbers
revised down to the U.S. unemployment rate ticked higher to 4.2 percent.
Areas seeing jobs losing job losses last month include those facing disruptions from A.I. such as information financial and business sector
services.
[18:20:00]
Ryan Nunn joins me now, director of the research -- director of research at the Yale Budget Lab. Ryan, good to have you. Thanks so much for joining.
RYAN NUNN, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, YALE BUDGET LAB: Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: So, last jobs report before the midterms and significantly downward revisions to the two previous job reports. What does that say
about the state of the job market, well, a little less than a month or about a month before the midterms?
NUNN: I think two different characterizations of this job support are both right. The first is that it was underwhelming. Just as you've said we came
in well below the jobs growth that we saw last month. It was quite strong and below the consensus expectations. But at the same time, you know, this
is still a fine report. It's consistent with a stable labor market that features low unemployment relative to any historical standard.
SCIUTTO: OK. Wage growth however not keeping up with inflation. And that's been a consistent theme, has it not?
NUNN: That's right. So, wage growth did come in weak this month. And over the last year, it's below the most recent read that we have on inflation.
So, ever since the Iran conflict began and oil prices have spiked we have seen faster inflation, and it's been difficult for workers to keep up on
that inflation adjusted basis.
SCIUTTO: So, we got another meeting the Fed of course coming up later this month. They of course watch the strength of the economy. This indicates
perhaps not the hottest economy in the world. but inflation is still quite troubling to the Fed. Where do you think this moves that decision? I mean,
there was some hope in the market it seemed today that that made another cut -- another, sorry, increase in rates less likely.
NUNN: Yes. If you watch the prediction markets essentially for what the Fed is going to do you can sort of watch how this -- how folks are betting on
what's going to happen. And, you know, in recent weeks you had a much higher predicted probability of a cut -- of a raise, rather, at the
upcoming meeting. That had actually been falling quite a bit even before today's jobs report on the backs of some statements from Fed officials that
were more dovish. But the news today being a little softer did push that chance down a little bit further.
SCIUTTO: Folks have been watching the job market for some time now for impact from the advent and acceleration one could say of A.I. Do we see any
evidence of that in this report given the sectors that were particularly hard hit?
NUNN: It's a tricky question. I don't think any one jobs report gives you a whole lot of information about this. But this is something that we've been
analyzing. Of course, there's a great deal of new research coming out on this. I think it's fair to say there's no clear evidence of large-scale
labor market disruption from A.I. yet.
There are folks that are starting to see some indications when it comes to really specific groups like recent college graduates going into occupations
that are especially exposed to A.I. But if you look at the overall labor market, you're still seeing one that has quite low layoffs, admittedly low
hiring as well, but a low unemployment rate that's been pretty robust to the shocks that we've seen over the previous months and years.
SCIUTTO: OK. And before we go, just digging down to some of the data on this report, the unemployment rate for African-Americans rose
significantly, 6 percent up to 7 percent. Fastest one month increase since 2020. How significant is that and is that part of a larger trend?
NUNN: I think it is tough unfortunately to get a whole lot of precision from the smaller subgroups in the jobs report. You really need to look at
longer periods of time. The samples just aren't quite large enough to make really clear statements there. But certainly, it's not what we want to be
seeing. And it is the case that folks that are more at the margins of the labor market starting to see more distress can in some cases be a sign of
broader distress to come. But I think, really, we need to wait and not over torque on one jobs report.
SCIUTTO: Understood. Ryan Nunn, thanks for walking us through it all.
NUNN: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Checking some of today's other business headlines, sources tell CNN President Trump is set to appoint national intelligence director Jay
Clayton as his new artificial intelligence czar. Clayton expected to remain in his current role as well. Trump announced last month he was planning on
creating a new A.I. force with an A.I. czar.
President Trump says he did not jump the gun when he announced South Korea's readiness to invest in a multibillion-dollar natural gas project in
Alaska. Seoul however says it is not yet firmly committed to that project which President Trump announced on Wednesday himself along with other South
Korea energy investments. Trump says South Korea agreed to invest $200 billion in the U.S. in total.
[18:25:00]
The U.S. Justice Department says it will not reopen a criminal probe into former Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The Fed's inspector general said earlier
this week that there is no basis for a criminal referral into Powell's role in the renovation of Fed headquarters. President Trump blasted the report
and said Powell should be forced to resign from the Fed board.
Still coming up on "The Brief," Ukraine is touting a new battlefield success while Vladimir Putin issues a stark alarming warning. We'll have
the details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
Sources tell CNN the suspect in Wednesday's apparent hijacking attempt of a Flydubai flight had been removed from a previous job at Oman's national
airline last year over concerns about his extremist views. The suspect is now in the UAE where he faces a terrorism investigation.
G7 leaders have agreed to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from their emergency reserves. French President Emmanuel Macron says G7
leaders agreed they will not ban energy exports going forward. That measure had been considered by the Trump administration in response to record
diesel prices in the U.S.
The France students clashed with police as protests there became more violent. Authorities report nearly 2000 arrests so far. Most of them
teenagers. Many demonstrators say France's education sector is underfunded. Protesters also gathered outside the Spanish parliament there over the
rising cost of living. Lawmakers on Friday rejected a government package containing a number of housing measures.
[18:30:00]
We do now have newly unsealed body camera footage of Luigi Mangione's arrest inside a Pennsylvania McDonald's. The video taken just days after
Mangione, you may remember, shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York.
The video shows the moment an officer found a gun linked to the crime scene. Mangione pleaded guilty in August to federal charges in the killing.
CNN's Kara Scannell takes us through that disturbing footage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just give me a favor. I want to pat you down. Stand up.
LUIGI MANGIONE: This is a jar of peanut butter by the way. You can take that but I'm just letting you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Just put your hands up on the wall. I'm going to pay you down.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Newly unsealed police body cam footage first seen on CNN shows the moments Altoona, Pennsylvania, police officers
handcuffed Luigi Mangione and took him into custody, ending a five-day manhunt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your hands on the wall. Left hand first and your right hand back.
SCANNELL (voice-over): A New York state judge unsealed the footage at the request of CNN after Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges
and admitted to fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The videos were played during a suppression hearing last December but have not
been publicly released until now. Officers responded to a 911 call on December 9, 2024, that the suspected New York City CEO shooter may be in a
McDonald's restaurant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How you doing? Can you put your mask down real quick for me?
MANGIONE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Appreciate it. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
SCANNELL (voice-over): The officers immediately thought it was him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's 100 percent him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I told you, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That shooter checked into a hostel with a fake ID.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Officers confront Mangione about a fake driver's license bearing the name Mark Rosario.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that your name, Mark Rosario? Rosario?
MANGIONE: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your real name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luigi?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luigi?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mangione.
MANGIONE: I'll write it down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me the date of birth, then, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you spell your full name? L-U-I-G-I?
MANGIONE: L-U-I-G-I.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mangione, M-A-N-G-I-O-N-E.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you lying about your name?
MANGIONE: I clearly shouldn't have.
SCANNELL (voice-over): A search reveals a gun magazine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's -- him, dude.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's -- him. 100 percent.
SCANNELL (voice-over): About 10 minutes later, Mangione is taken to the police station. Mangione is asked to remove layers of clothing so he can be
searched more thoroughly, while another officer unzips his backpack and finds a gun that authorities later link to the crime scene.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a weapon. So, you want me to clear it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's just clear it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clear it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. There's another magazine that was hidden in his underwear.
F--. Silencer.
SCANNELL (voice-over): She also finds Mangione's handwritten notes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a journal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bag it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would.
SCANNELL (voice-over): While a different officer ticks off the evidence, including a checklist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has a handgun, suppressor, his cell phone is in a Faraday bag.
He has a checklist for today. Tomorrow, he's supposed to do an intel check- in and get a survival kit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Amazing video from the arrest of Luigi Mangione there. Our thanks to Kara Scannell.
Overseas now, Ukraine says a military operation using robots dropped behind enemy lines, forced more than 250 Russian soldiers to surrender. The
Ukrainian military says this video shows the captured forces led away. CNN cannot independently verify the video or the claim about those surrendered
Russian soldiers. This, as Ukraine says, it has deployed its first domestically produced ballistic missile, the FP7. President Vladimir
Zelenskyy has not revealed exactly what the missile was targeting.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin is warning that he is prepared to use all his weapons, including nuclear arms, if Kaliningrad comes under attack.
That is Russia's Baltic Sea enclave located between Poland and Lithuania, separated from the Russian state.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Mark Cancian joins me now as a senior advisor with the Defense and Security Department at the Center for
Strategic and International Studies. Mark, good to have you on. Thanks so much.
COL. MARK CANCIAN (RET), SENIOR ADVISER, DEFENSE AND SECURITY DEPARTMENT, CSIS AND U.S. MARINE CORPS (RET.): Thanks for having me on the program.
[18:35:00]
SCIUTTO: So, first, let me get to this Putin threat here because, you know, anytime a leader of a nuclear power threatens to use nuclear weapons, you
want to listen. Why is Vladimir Putin saying this now about Kaliningrad?
CANCIAN: We have to keep in mind that Kaliningrad is this enclave that's surrounded by Poland and the Baltic countries. So, it's very isolated. It's
very vulnerable. And I think as tensions increase in the east there, that Putin wants to ensure that NATO does not make an attempt to capture
Kaliningrad. Very unlikely that that would happen short of a general war, but he recognizes just how isolated it is.
SCIUTTO: Well, what is he trying to accomplish here? Because there is no evidence that NATO wants to attack Kaliningrad. Is he trying to pre-
justify, create a justification for other attacks on NATO? I mean, we know he's already expanding a hybrid war across Europe, acts of sabotage. I
mean, there was a drone that nearly blew up a plane in Leipzig in Germany.
CANCIAN: I don't think he's setting the conditions for any attack, but I think he's worried about the NATO buildup and recognizes this is his
vulnerability. Our vulnerability is the Baltic states, which are very difficult to defend. And we've seen the tensions rising in the east.
And also, in the past, when Putin has made these kinds of veiled nuclear threats, it's been fairly effective. The Europeans have been nervous. The
Biden administration was nervous. And I think he's trying to put NATO on notice that he does have this ultimate weapon.
SCIUTTO: So, Ukraine, as always, finding its own way to defend itself now for the first time, it's announced the combat use of a domestically
produced ballistic missile. Russia, of course, is overwhelming Ukraine with missiles by the hundreds. Is this potentially a way for Ukraine to, I don't
know if right to balance is the right word, but at least respond to those just relentless Russian missile attacks?
CANCIAN: Well, it will be helpful. Keep in mind that the Ukrainians have been able to produce domestically their own cruise missiles, their own
drones, and many other capabilities as well. This is another step in that direction.
The advantage of a ballistic missile is that it's harder to shoot down. It may be harder than for the Russians to defend against it. There's also talk
that they will use this as a defense against Russian ballistic missiles. This first use is apparently ground to ground, you know, like a long-range
MLRS or ATACMS, U.S. equivalent.
If they can use it as defense against ballistic missiles, that's an inexpensive Patriot, for example, that will be huge because right now
they're extremely vulnerable against Russian ballistic missiles. Those are landing. Ukrainians have run out of Patriots, so it would be very helpful
in that regard.
SCIUTTO: Russia is not just hinting at it's quite publicly threatening regarding its plans for the winter in Ukraine, ratcheting up significantly
the attacks we've already seen underway with the intention, it seems, of freezing the Ukrainian people in the depths of winter, taking out energy
infrastructure, et cetera. Given Ukraine's shortages already today of air defense missiles, et cetera., what's the response and how can Ukraine
survive that?
CANCIAN: Well, Ukraine's response is clear. They are attacking the Russian homeland. They're going after refineries, particularly making it difficult
for Russian motorists and its economy and also the exports because Russia uses those exports to finance the war machine. And they've been going after
a variety of other targets, too. They have struck the equivalent of Amazon.
It's going to be a long winter, though, for the Ukrainians. They don't have good defenses against the ballistic missiles. They do against the cruise
missiles and the drones, but not against the ballistic missiles. Those are being fired in the dozens and they get through. Ukrainians have gone
through four winters now of Russian attacks on their infrastructure. They've had cold winters. They've suffered terribly, but I'm confident
they'll get through this winter, though. It's going to be a hard one again.
SCIUTTO: No question. Yet one more. Mark Cancian, we appreciate you joining.
CANCIAN: Thanks for having me on the program.
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: Coming up now on "The Brief," President Trump in full campaign mode as he prepares to rally in Republican stronghold Alabama. He says it's
his way of thanking them as the midterms approach. We're going to be live in Mobile. Coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: With the midterm elections just 32 days away, President Trump is making campaign stops for Republicans in deeply red states. The president
about to address a rally in Mobile, Alabama, after back-to-back stops on Thursday in Texas and Oklahoma. His message to voters, pretend I'm running.
This comes as a new Associated Press poll shows just 26 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy. 73 percent
disapprove. Three to one.
Arlette Saenz joins me now. She is with the president in Alabama. So, Arlette, why is the president spending so much time so close to an election
where the polls don't look good for him and Republicans in a reliably red state of Alabama?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, President Trump is trying to put himself front and center as he is hoping to potentially reverse some of
the woes facing Republicans heading into this November election. Trump has argued that the issue that is plaguing the GOP is a messaging problem,
essentially saying that they need to have a better PR campaign to talk about what the administration has accomplished. And he believes that
hitting the campaign trail himself will help do just that.
Now, Trump will be campaigning in just a short while here in Mobile, Alabama. This is a state that he actually won by more than 30 points back
in 2024. And Mobile is quite nostalgic for the president because this was actually the site of the first real mega rally back in 2015. 30,000 people
turned out here in Mobile, Alabama, which really gave him a lot more legitimacy in that 2016 campaign.
Now, turning out those types of voters is why Trump is here in Alabama. Republicans will need those low propensity Trump voters who don't always
turn out when his name is not on the ballot to be there at the ballot box in November if they want their GOP candidates to have a chance in this
election. What the White House is hoping is that this will not just invigorate supporters here, but also in other places across the country.
[18:45:00]
Trump is spending a lot of time these past two days in red states, but he is expected to head to some of those more battleground states in the Senate
map over the coming week. Tomorrow, he will be in Ohio, where incumbent Senator John Hughes said is in a very tough fight against the Democrat
Sherrod Brown, who has been leading him in the polls. But for the president, he believes getting out there will help drive up some of that
Republican support.
But it does come at a time when there are a lot of odds against Republican candidates. The president's approval rating is low today. They got lower-
than-expected jobs numbers. The unemployment rate rose. That all matters at a time when many voters have cited the economy and cost-of-living issues as
their top concern in this election.
Democrats are feeling good right now. They feel like the environment is on their side. But a lot of the places, especially in the Senate map, where
they have to win are those deep red states. And Trump is hoping that he can drive out his base supporters there to get those GOP candidates across the
finish line.
SCIUTTO: So, when you've been speaking to voters there, because the numbers aren't good for the president, even in red states, right? I mean, they're
better in red states, but not great in red states, particularly on issues like the economy, cost of living. Are they still behind the president? Do
they still give him good grades?
SAENZ: Yes. I mean, there are supporters here of the president. In fact, as the rally was getting underway, someone asked people to raise their hand
who was here in 2015 and who is here again today. There is some frustration with the fact that costs are high. Gas prices especially are something that
have been a ramification of the war with Iran that is hitting voters quite hard.
But in deep red states like Alabama, they do believe that they still have the president on their side. The question is whether people in other red
states will, in fact, decide to turn out for the GOP candidates come November.
SCIUTTO: Arlette Saenz, thanks so much for joining. Well, still ahead, this hour, stormy weather for the sky blues. Manchester City appeal findings
that the club broke the Premier League's financial rules. We'll have more on what happens next for the club and for English football.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: In our Field of Play tonight, new development in a case that could have major repercussions for all of English football. Manchester City has
confirmed it is now appealing the verdict of an independent commission which found the club guilty of breaching Premier League's financial rules.
Man City stated in a statement that the commission's findings contained, quote, "clear material errors."
Patrick Snell with us from CNN World Sports. Patrick, what do we know about the appeal, and do they have a shot?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Jim, thank you very much indeed. This was absolutely expected. This has just been a story across the world of
football. Do they have a shot? I'm not going to get into that.
[18:50:00]
I don't know is the honest answer, but it doesn't look good for them because I will say this, Jim, that City, they are absolutely adamant that
they are innocent of those breaches. The period in question, just to recap for our viewers, is from 2009 to 2018, when the English Giants won eight
trophies, including through Premier League titles during that time.
Following the independent commission, which we then had, the English Premier League saying that the Abu Dhabi-owned club systematically broke
rules for nearly a decade, creating what they described as sham contracts as part of a disguised funding scheme. But having denied any wrongdoing
throughout and described it as a Premier League conspiracy earlier this week.
City have issued a statement saying that they have, quote, irrefutable evidence that they haven't broken rules, saying Manchester City Football
Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday, the 1st of October 2026, the club lodged its comprehensive appeal against the opinion of the Premier League
commission in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter. The club's firm position is there are multiple grounds, the opinion contains
clear material errors of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.
What the specifics are remain to be seen. I will say this, though, Jim, if City lose the appeal, they could be looking at some really serious
penalties, possibly even including expulsion from the top flight, the highly lucrative English Premier League. And it's not just City, of course,
who are embroiled in this one. On Wednesday, the club's Dubai-based sponsor, Etihad, saying they were seeking legal advice after criticizing
the league's handling of the case.
Meantime, in international football, a big, big occasion for France and Italy. They met Friday in Paris, a rematch of the famous 2006 World Cup
final in Berlin. Zinedine Zidane sent off a head-butting Marco Materazzi 20 years ago on that occasion. The Italians went on to be crowned world champs
after a penalty shootout. Two decades on, let's get to the Stade de France in Paris for Zizou's first match as manager of France on home soil.
The first goal was well worth the wait, and it comes just 10 minutes into the second half. A beautiful free kick from Michael Ulisse there, just
brilliantly struck, and France 1-nil up at that point. Sensational opening goal of the match. So, good. Let's have a look again. No saving that one.
Brilliant left foot. Zidane loves it. Donnarumma, the goalie, can only stand and admire.
The French will be disappointed, though, I will say, with the way they conceded. It's poor defending. We're just over 20 minutes to go. Les Bleus
playing with fire. Really bad defending, I will say. The Italians levelling through the Inter Milan player, Alessandro Bastoni, who finishes very
nicely. A little deflection in the way there into the goal. Another goal for Bastoni, because he also scored in the 4-1 victory over Turkey. It
finishes one apiece. Zidane denied a third straight win as France's new head coach.
Meantime, Belgium star Kevin De Bruyne rolling back the years on Friday night in his country's clash against Turkey. Ten minutes in, a really nice
goal from the 35-year-old. Both of his goals on the night coming with his right foot. A little nutmeg in there as well. Lovely strike, but there was
more in the second half. An absolute beauty here from the former Man City player. Another right-footed effort. That one is absolutely sublime finish
into the back of the net. Again, no keeper is saving that one. Belgium beating Turkey by three goals to nil on Friday night in the UEFA Nations
League, Jim, as I send it back to you.
And I promise we'll stay across all things Manchester City. They've lodged the appeal, just to recap, what comes next, everyone wants to know as soon
as possible.
SCIUTTO: Well, you had to bring up Belgium to this USA fan there, you know, just still bitter after the summer but --
SNELL: Oh, Jim, I'm so sorry. If I -- yes, my bad, bad choice.
SCIUTTO: No worries. Patrick Snell, thanks so much.
SNELL: OK.
SCIUTTO: Before we go, Europe may have a potato problem after this summer's dry conditions and heat waves. Anna Stewart visited a chip shop in London
to find out what that means for the future of French fries.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's lunchtime at the Friar's Delight. And the friars are delightfully busy.
STEWART: Oh, my, it's really heavy. That's a lot of potatoes. All right. That was my job done. Well, that's kind of simple. That's the kind of
cooking I could do.
STEWART (voice-over): The business isn't so simple. Joao has been running this chippy for 36 years, and not for the first time, he's feeling under
pressure with costs rising.
JOAO MAGALHAES, MANAGER, FRYER'S DELIGHT: It's the price of the fish, price of the oil.
STEWART: Price of the oil, price of the fish?
MAGALHAES: Yes, and the potatoes as well.
STEWART: And the potatoes?
MAGALHAES: Yes.
STEWART (voice-over): Potatoes will likely get even more expensive.
CRALG ELLIOTT, MARKET ANALYST, EXPANA: Last year, we had a market that was characterized by pretty heavy oversupply. So, too many potatoes last year.
Too many potatoes last year, which weighed heavily on prices.
[18:55:00]
Heading into this year, growers reduced their acreage. And then we had a series of heat waves, which has possibly resulted in a pretty massive crop
loss.
STEWART: So, this is an average potato that I got from downstairs.
ELLIOTT: Yes.
STEWART: Are we less likely to see that as being the sort of normal size?
ELLIOTT: Market sentiment is that we're going to have smaller products this year. Yes.
STEWART: Because this makes a beautiful big chip.
ELLIOTT: It sure does, yes.
STEWART (voice-over): 3.5 million metric tons of potatoes could be lost this year across Europe and the U.K., according to the Energy and Climate
Intelligence Unit.
Joao gets through six sacks of potatoes on a busy day. Around 150 kgs. And they all need to be washed, peeled and chopped.
STEWART: How are you going to feel if the potatoes are getting smaller? How will you feel if your chips are short? You might end up with little tiny
chips.
MAGALHAES: Most of the fish and chips use fish and chips, small chips anyway. I like these ones because it's more -- you know, when you eat them,
you can feel the potatoes. It's crisp outside, inside soft. Yes? But if you have no alternative, what can you do?
STEWART: You can just stand up and see your chips.
STEWART (voice-over): For now, this hard-working chippy is absorbing increased costs. But the spud squeeze is to come, as this year's harvest
comes to an end.
STEWART: The chips aren't just down. They could be getting pricier and on the short side.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Thanks so much for joining us this week. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Hope you find some chips this
weekend. Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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