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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Israel Says Pilot Stabbing Was "Attempted Terrorist Attack"; Xavier Becerra And Steve Hilton Face Off Ahead Of Election. Andy Burnham Says Strong Indications Iran Played a Role in the Fairford Plot; Trump Threatens to Blow Up Iran If It Doesn't Make a Deal; Families Reunited After Attack on Flydubai Pilot; Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton Face Off Ahead of Election; New Drug Can Extend Lives of Pancreatic Cancer Patients. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 01, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:31]

ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles. THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson, live in Los Angeles. We're on with a special extra hour of THE STORY IS as we're following two major stories, the attack on the pilot of a FlyDubai plane in the California governor's debate. Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton trading personal jabs and sparring on artificial intelligence, immigration, and the economy exclusively here on CNN. We'll have more on that in just a moment.

But we go to this first, Israel saying it is investigating an incident on board a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv as a terrorist attack. The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, praising passengers who rushed the cockpit to regain control of the plane after one of the pilots apparently stabbed the other. The Prime Minister is praising the hero pilot, who he says prevented a 9/11 type disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: So, the amazing heroism here of the Indian pilot, the Israeli passenger, and his colleagues, and those pilots managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster because that's what it looks like was happening.

I can't tell you that we had any specific warning about this. This is being interrogated right now. The pilot -- the attacking pilot, is now being interrogated in Saudi Arabia. I assume very soon he'll be taken to the United Arab Emirates. I spoke to the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and he agreed that Israel would join the interrogation. So, we'll find out very soon if Iran had anything to do with it, but I can't say that in advance of the conclusion of the interrogation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: That flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The Israeli Prime Minister says the attacker was trying to crash the plane on purpose. He's not been identified. We do not have any information on whether he has any ties to terrorist organizations.

Let's go live now to Jerusalem. CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is there. It is now Thursday morning in Jerusalem. Nic, good morning to you. What are folks saying about this as they wake up this morning in Jerusalem?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Wow, 174 lives saved by the heroic, brave, resourceful actions of a few Israelis on board the flight, as well as, of course, the Indian captain of the plane. He was the one who was being stabbed by the other pilot. Managed to open the cockpit door, at least unlock it, because we all know how fortified cockpit doors on planes are to stop hijackers getting into the cockpit.

Well, in this instance, it does seem that the captain has been the hero of the situation. Although, you know, we've heard from an Israeli dentist who was on board the flight who treated him and said the captain almost didn't make it. He was losing so much blood, his blood pressure was dropping, and so when they got some treatment and intervention going with him, that's really what kept him alive.

But I think that's the big takeaway right now is how incredibly bad this could have been. Aviation experts are talking about the kind of loss of altitude, that rapid loss of altitude, 1,700 feet in a minute or so. That that was, if it had gone on any longer, it would have brought about the sort of further disintegration and destruction of the aircraft, catastrophic therefore.

And then you know how resourceful and brave these passengers were to tackle the -- well, to save the captain, to tackle the other pilot, to restrain him, but you know, for the people on board in all of that there's 174 people you know on board, there's a couple of them are in that fight, trying to regain control of the aircraft, but a lot of others are just sitting in their feet, going, sitting in their seats, going through pure panic. This is how one of them explained the experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKA BAUMAN, FLYDUBAI PASSENGER: We just felt the plane drop completely and start spinning a little, and everyone was screaming. There were children crying, and it was just like a death in front of our eyes moment. Like, I was just sure I was going to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:05:07]

ROBERTSON: So, you know, the other pilot, obviously, the captain is getting his medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. The other pilot, the attacking pilot, is being held by the Saudi authorities. He required medical treatment as well. And the prime minister indicating that he thinks the other pilot, the attacking one, will get handed over to the Emiratis.

And you heard the language there. The prime minister of Israel was using an interrogation. That's what he expects to happen to get to the motivation or whatever it was, that triggered this action that, you know, officials here are calling a terrorist act in an effort to crash the plane.

MICHAELSON: And figuring out what that motive is is so so important, especially for folks in in Israel who are used to so many security threats, and of course, what a story. Nic Robertson live for us in Jerusalem. Thank you so much.

We want to talk now to one of the passengers. Almog Italie was on board the FlyDubai plane when the chaos erupted. He's now live in Israel. Thanks so much for being with us. Walk us through your experience.

ALMOG ITALIE, FLYDUBAI PASSENGER: Thanks for having me. First, I would like to wish a very very fast recovery to our hero, our world hero, the Indian pilot. Wishing all the best.

We can -- we arrived to for -- to Dubai from Tokyo. We were on connection flight to Tel Aviv, and it was quite a regular flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, but after two hours, suddenly the aircraft, without any alert, started dropping down like a roller coaster, like for 30 seconds, very -- descend very very fast in a high speed, and then balanced, and then once again started to drop down suddenly for 15 minutes, for 50 seconds, and then balance, and then we saw people rushing to the -- towards the cockpit, to the front part of the aircraft, and for three, four minutes we didn't know what is happening, and but after that, we understood that one of the pilots were stabbed, and crew members covered the plane, and now another pilot is flying the plane looking for a security secure landing.

MICHAELSON: How did you know that that what was going on? I mean, was there somebody come out and explain to the crowd? I mean, how did that -- how -- I mean, you're sitting there. Describe what that was like.

ITALIE: We took over the airplane. We know -- we knew what is happening because you know, the pilots were -- the new pilots were now piloting the aircraft, and the other two pilots were -- we were taking them to medical care in the airplane, and most of the people, most of the passenger were relaxed, stayed in the position, in the seat -- in that seat, and this is what help us to save our life. There were -- there wasn't much panic.

I saw the other description that there were -- there was a lot of panic. I didn't notice a panic. Maybe during the fast descending, but afterwards the people stay -- the passengers stayed in the -- in the seats, remain relaxed, and following our -- following the -- it was in order, but it was like we knew what we need to do. We had to keep it calm and to control the situation and to wait until we get to a safe landing.

MICHAELSON: So, as that plane was rapidly descending, you weren't worried? You didn't think you were going to die?

ITALIE: It was so fast and without any notice, without any alert, we were just trying to buckle up because we didn't have any alerts. So, it end up after 30, 40 seconds, and then we try to understand what is going on. And from the minute that we control the airplane, we knew that we are safe.

MICHAELSON: What did you make of the folks who rushed towards the cockpit? How did they even know to do that? And those folks who stepped up.

ITALIE: Those folks they were sitting on the front rows, and they understood that there was a fighting going on in the cockpit, and eventually one of the pilots, our hero, managed to open the door. So, they rushed in and took over the other pilot, took care of the wounded pilot, and the third pilot that was sitting outside the cockpit took over the airplane. So, there are real heroes that they jump in in no time, jumped in to rush into the cockpit and took over.

[02:10:28]

MICHAELSON: And lastly, describe what it felt like when that plane landed, and you all got off the plane.

ITALIE: First, I want to thank the Saudi Arabian authorities. We had a very very warm welcoming, like with medical staff and food and whatever we needed, they supplied us. So, it was a very very very positive experience for us. And hopefully we get to be back to Saudi Arabia as a tourist. And you know it was a long day, and we got to Tel Aviv, and there was some kind of ceremony over there. But we were very happy and very tired to end up this long day.

MICHAELSON: Well, we're glad. Hopefully, you got a little bit of rest. We are so glad that you're safe, and thanks for joining us on a day when I'm sure you've got a new appreciation for life. Thank you very much for being with us.

Now to the other big story we are following. On THE STORY IS CNN's California gubernatorial debate. Republican Steve Hilton, Democrat Xavier Becerra facing off Wednesday night right here on CNN in our usual studio, where we host THE STORY IS. They traded personal jabs. They clashed over a range of issues, from artificial intelligence and immigration to affordability.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XAVIER BECERRA (D), GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE OF CALIFORNIA: What I said, Steve, is that you shouldn't give the tax breaks to the folks who are making the most money in California. That's your plan. If you look at your plan, you're going to make across-the-board tax cuts. You're going to end up giving the wealthiest Californians, billionaires, a 40 percent tax break, the biggest in California history,

STEVE HILTON (R), GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE OF CALIFORNIA: As well as helping working people, we need to bring jobs back to California. Right now because of your policies, we have the highest poverty rate and the highest unemployment rate in America. That's because high taxes have driven business out.

So, we need to incentivize jobs to be created in California instead of sending them to Texas. What I didn't hear was a single thing from Xavier about how he would actually help people with the cost of living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Joining me once again, our panel, Democrat Katie Porter, former member of Congress, former candidate for governor in this very race, and Matt Klink, Republican strategist as well as the owner and president of Klink Campaigns Incorporated.

Matt, coming into this, Steve Hilton trailed by double digits in this race. This was the only debate that we know of. This was the biggest opportunity for him to change the dynamics of the race because when you're down by that much, you need to change the dynamics. Is the race fundamentally different tonight than it was at the beginning of the day?

MATT KLINK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: No. And Steve Hilton was not successful in throwing Xavier Becerra off his game, much less talking about what he would do for the state of California. I mean, he didn't do a bad job of communicating, but he wasn't successful in communicating where people would say he makes a point, I'm going to give him a second look, and he -- that was the bare minimum he needed to do, and he didn't accomplish that tonight.

MICHAELSON: Well, and as we know, in the way that politics is watched now, people watch on T.V., but then there's also people that watch viral moments that can get a tremendous amount of eyeballs and sort of cross through the cultural divides in our country. And Hilton kind of needed something like that from Becerra, right, to sort of fall on his face, and it didn't seem like that happened.

KATIE PORTER, FORMER CALIFORNIA U.S. HOUSE MEMBER: No, definitely not. I think actually the viral moments, to the extent I think there are many viral moments that came out of here, actually belong to Becerra. I think what he had to say about immigration, the way he took Hilton to task for Donald Trump's immigration policy, leaning on his own immigration story, I think that was pretty powerful. I think that we'll see the Becerra team pushing that out and hopefully putting that on air.

I think Becerra came out the big winner tonight, in part because he stepped up and did this debate. In other words, to people saying he's not actively campaigning, we're not seeing, we're not hearing from him. He went on national T.V. with two tough moderators, went toe to toe with Hilton for an hour, and didn't make any big mistakes.

And so, I actually think he came out really pretty strongly. I think he probably picked up ground actually tonight from where he was.

MICHAELSON: To that point, he was sitting in that chair right after the debate, and I asked him about whether there would be more debates. We know that Steve Hilton wants there to be more debates. Here's his answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:15:04]

MICHAELSON: Is that it for debates?

BECERRA: You know, it's unfortunate. Debates these days, you don't really have real conversation on the substance. You know, Steve kept using facts that are untrue, making up stories. You know, you can only respond so much. But I've got a record. I've got a website. Most people know what I did as secretary and as attorney general. And the fact is, I got more votes than any other candidates in that primary. So, somebody knew the truth and didn't fall for those alternative facts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So that didn't sound like more debates.

PORTER: I don't think we'll see more debates. I think that -- but I -- you know, I want to give Becerra credit for doing this one, given that he has a double-digit lead. A lot of candidates wouldn't even have done this one. I think the last several governors' races, actually, if you look back with Governor Newsom and Governor Brown, when they were candidates, there weren't many debates either.

MICHAELSON: Wow. Governor Newsom, let's -- I mean, Becerra gets a lot more credit than Governor Newsom. When Governor Newsom was running in the general election against John Cox, he had said that he would do a debate, so he did it on public radio at 10:00 a.m. on a Monday, with no cameras allowed. So, coming on CNN in prime time across the country.

PORTER: With two tough moderators, Tapper (INAUDIBLE).

MICHAELSON: Right. It's a whole different deal than what Governor Newsom did.

PORTER: So, I think Becerra -- I mean, that's my point. I think Becerra really came out a winner tonight. I think this was a better performance from Becerra with up against Hilton one on one than we saw him on a larger debate stage during the gubernatorial primary. I think he came out tonight quite strong, and I think he's -- you know, I wanted more policy specifics. I'm always going to want more policy specifics. I'm looking -- I would like to see Becerra now in this intermeeting time between now and Election Day roll out some concrete policies on those affordability promises. He's saying things like I'll get her done, and I think Californians would like to know how, when, and sort of the specifics of it.

KLINK: If you evaluate what Mr. Becerra said tonight, you know, he says he's going to cut red tape, and what's his solution for that? Well, I sued Huntington Beach? Clueless that the sac -- the people in Sacramento have no idea what it takes to get housing built in this state. The Democrats in Sacramento have created this problem. That's not Donald Trump's fault, and Xavier Becerra can say that that word 15 times. But the housing crisis that exists in this state rests on one party, and Xavier Becerra is going to do nothing different than has been done in the past.

MICHAELSON: And yet --

KLINK: And likely he's going to win by 20 points.

MICHAELSON: 20 points.

KLINK: Yes.

MICHAELSON: So, and a race where there is not a debate is in Michigan. This Senate race, Abdul El-Sayed went on a debate and debated a podium at one point on the local Fox station.

We got some new poll numbers from Fox News Channel that just came out, and it shows just how close this race is. Look at this, Abdul El-Sayed 50, Mike Rogers 49. That's as close as it gets, and Democrats really need Michigan.

PORTER: Well, and I just want to say, like, I was sitting here with Matt and with you on the Michigan election night, and there was all this hand wringing about how Abdul El-Sayed couldn't possibly beat Mike Rogers, and you want to flash that poll number back up there. He is in fact in a statistical tie, slightly leading Mike Rogers.

So, I think this is a good reminder for Democrats to understand that a strong candidate is a strong candidate is a strong candidate, and so I think pretty quick evolution from oh my God, El-Sayed could not possibly beat Rogers to he is actually beating Rogers.

MICHAELSON: Would Haley Stephens be a stronger candidate?

KLINK: I think Haley Stephens would be up by five points. It's a tough year for Republicans to run, and I think that El-Sayed people are really happy to talk to pollsters, and Mike Rogers' people are probably not.

PORTER: Well, Mike Rogers isn't happy to talk to voters, so that's another problem.

KLINK: I think he's still going to win.

POLANTZ: Apparently, everybody who's a Republican in Michigan is hiding, which is not usually a winning strategy.

MICHAELSON: One of the questions, if the Democrats are able to win back the Senate, is who would be their leader? Chuck Schumer has been the Democratic leader for a long time. He talked about that on camera some, watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Our caucus is totally unified. We're in great shape. Everyone is really very very pleased with where we are today compared to where we were 20 months ago, under our leadership, and we're fighting hard, and we're on the edge of taking back the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Does Chuck Schumer, as the face of the Democratic Party in the Senate, help them in places like Texas and Michigan and Iowa and Alaska and other places like that?

PORTER: I don't think it's going to matter to those races, but I do think it's going to matter to whether the Democrats winning back the Senate actually lays the groundwork for the Democrats to continue winning, right?

[02:20:07]

So, I think we're going to win the Democrat. Democrats are going to win the House. I think -- I think we might win the Senate. But if we're going to win again in '28, and we're going to hold the House, we're going to win the presidency. We're going to have to have a really effective, strong Senate leader. And I think that Chuck Schumer is he didn't say he was running again. He didn't -- he hasn't said -- he says he doesn't said either way whether he's going to continue or not, but I think we are seeing like after Nancy Pelosi exited in the House that Hakeem Jeffries took over. It's been a steep curve. It's been bumpy for him. I think we should expect to see some of those same bumps and hiccups for the Democrats if Chuck Schumer steps down. And I think that's a tough time.

MICHAELSON: So, I'm trying to read between the line of what you're saying. Are they better off with Schumer as leader or not Schumer as leader?

PORTER: I think --

KLINK: I could interpret Katie.

PORTER: Yes. What do you think?

KLINK: Chuck Schumer, that energy that you saw the barely raising the arms above the shoulders. That's not going to get it done. I would expect if the Democrats, even if they don't win the majority, that there will be a new minority leader in the Democratic Party -- Democratic Senate.

MICHAELSON: You agree with that?

PORTER: Yes, I do.

MICHAELSON: And who is that?

PORTER: I have no idea.

MICHAELSON: Who do you think that's going to be?

KLINK: I think it's Chris Van Hollen from Maryland. MICHAELSON: Interesting. Yes.

PORTER: Not so sure.

MICHAELSON: Or maybe Brian Schatz from Hawaii. I know he's potentially interested in as well.

PORTER: I mean, I think it's the United States Senate.

Brian Schatz from Hawaii Too far away.

PORTER: If Democrats win 50 seats, there will be 50 people interested in taking Chuck Schumer's job, and they will discover just how hard it is to do Chuck Schumer's job.

MICHAELSON: And of course, they got to get 51 because J.D. Vance would be the tie-breaking vote if it's 50-50. That's the difference in this Senate race as well.

Katie Porter, Matt Klink, big night in politics in the history of California. Great to experience it with both of you.

Still ahead here on THE STORY IS, much more on the attack on that FlyDubai pilot. We'll hear from another hero passenger who helped to avert a disaster. Plus, we'll go back live to the region. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:26:28]

MICHAELSON: We are following a developing story out of the Middle East. Israel says it's investigating the stabbing of a FlyDubai pilot as a terrorist attack. CNN Aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has details, and a warning his report contains some graphic video.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the passengers on FlyDubai Flight 1073, this was the moment of relief after their trip turned terrifying. The Boeing 737 Max left Dubai for Tel Aviv and climbed normally to 34,000 feet, but two hours into the flight, the plane suddenly plunged. Flight radar 24 data shows a steep descent, a sharp climb, then another dive. The jet ultimately losing nearly 20,000 feet of altitude in 35 seconds, reaching speeds of nearly 700 miles per hour.

BAUMAN: We just felt the plane drop completely and start spinning a little, and everyone was screaming. There were children crying.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Israeli officials say the flight's first officer stabbed the captain, identified as Smit Machchhar from India, and then tried to crash the airplane. Passengers and off-duty FlyDubai pilots rushed forward, forced their way into the cockpit. The injured pilot, apparently able to unlock the door. I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold and dragged him out first, Passenger Yaniv Hayun told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his shirt still stained with blood. Two other guys came over. He said, I jumped back, grabbed the controls, and started pulling back the handles. The plane started to level out a bit, and then the pilot told me he was taking over the controls from there.

Hayun told Netanyahu he knew what to do because he watched documentaries about plane crashes. Disturbing video shows passengers providing first aid to the stabbed pilot. His blood smeared on a door nearby. The attacker also apparently injured in a blood-soaked shirt. They tried to murder the pilot, and we took over the crew. One passenger says, by then, the flight had declared an emergency. First, transmitting the emergency transponder code, then the code for a hijacking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We have taken control of the terrorists. We are about to land. Anyone who hears me, we need help.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): The plane landed in Saudi Arabia, apparently damaged by the force of the sudden dive, ultimately arriving at Tel Aviv's airport on a different FlyDubai flight, Israeli passengers chanted, the people of Israel live. After a brush with death that apparently originated from inside the cockpit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt that I'm losing it and I'm going to lose all my family. It was very very terrifying.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MUNTEAN (on camera): Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin says this incident triggered no credible threats in the U.S. Even still, the agency says it's reviewing policies to make sure Americans are safe. There have been successful cases of what's known as suicide by pilot, like the Germanwings crash of 2015, that sparked renewed calls to reform pilot mental health screening. It's a major stigma for commercial pilots who say treatment can jeopardize their livelihood. The U.S. Senate just passed a bill that would increase options for pilots, but it has yet to pass the House.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.

MICHAELSON: Pete, thank you. President Trump says that he is studying a potential response against Iran after a suspected terrorist pilot at -- plot at an airbase in England. Five men were arrested near the Fairford base on Sunday and accused of terrorism and explosive-related offenses, but they were later released on bail because authorities said no explosives were found.

[02:30:00]

The base has been used by U.S. Bombers in strikes against Iran, and British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, says Tehran could have been involved in the alleged plot to target that base.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDY BURNHAM, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford. But, of course, it remains an ongoing complex and serious police investigation. And of course, we are working closely with our colleagues in the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, President Trump says that the war with Iran will end soon -- not the first time he said that. He says there were two ways that can happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You described the Iranians that the U.S. is dealing with as crazy. How do you get a deal done when the counterparts to the U.S. are crazy, irrational, whatever you want to use to describe them?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Maybe you blow them up. Maybe you blow them up. We have to make that decision. We blow them up, make a deal, but the time is coming. It's going to end very soon one way or the other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Earlier, Iranian state media said Tehran had received a formal response from the U.S. to its latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump had publicly rejected it over the weekend, but Iran says it didn't get an official response until now.

Next on "The Story Is" an update on that Flydubai attack. The latest from the Israeli prime minister and a live report from our Eleni Giokos in Dubai. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:35:56]

MICHAELSON: Let's get up to date on our top story this hour. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu praising passengers on that Flydubai flight where one of the pilots allegedly stabbed the other. They rushed to the cockpit, subdued the attacker. Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, says the pilot is a hero who prevented a 9/11 type disaster. The families of the passengers on board the plane celebrated the arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.

The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after Flydubai crew members took control of the plane and landed it safely despite a broken rudder. Tracking data shows the plane plunged thousands of feet in just two minutes. A passenger says he pulled back on the controls to stop the descent. Thanks to watching a T.V. show on air crash investigations.

CNN's Eleni Giokos is live in Dubai with the latest. ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Elex. I mean, honestly, it's just such an extraordinary story. 24 hours ago, this is this harrowing experience that passengers had to endure. And you're talking about losing altitude, 17,400 feet in the span of two minutes.

This is when we heard the news of this violent altercation between the two pilots. More details starting to emerge where Israeli officials say that the co-pilot attacked the pilot. Now we have details about who the pilot was, and he's been held as a hero. And his name is Smit Machchhar. He is an Indian national.

Despite being injured, he was able to open up the cockpit door. There was a lot of talk around how they got out of the cockpit, and how passengers and Flydubai crew were able to enter to subdue the co- pilot.

And, of course, because of safety protocol, since 9/11, the only way you can get out of the cockpit is from the inside. So, really an important development on that front. A lot of the passengers, as we hear some of their testimonies, stepping in to assist.

And of course, as you described, the one passenger saying that he was able to stabilize the plane. Flydubai says there were two other pilots on board that were able to land the plane safely. I also have to reiterate, and this is, again, from aviation experts.

I want you to think about a two-minute nosedive, a huge descent in that two-minute window. That can cause major damage to the frame of the plane. That is why we saw that image of the back of the plane being slightly damaged.

So, again, by all accounts, literally a miracle here that could have ended in immense disaster. We have spoken to some of the passengers, their experience. I want you to listen to one of those accounts, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Apparently, we may not. Do we have that sound bite?

GIOKOS: Oh, OK.

MICHAELSON: Let's listen.

GIOKOS: So, I mean -- OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALON MARGONINSKI, FLYDUBAI PASSENGER (through translator): When we landed in Saudi Arabia, we were a bit in shock. The Saudis were amazing, truly wonderful. They treated us with respect and took care of everything, including food. As for landing the plane, there were two other pilots on board, British pilots. We knew there were pilots that were sitting in the row ahead of me, Row 6, and I was in Row 7. They were the ones who stepped up to land the plane.

There was one pilot who went into a state of shock for about 10 minutes. He lost it, and the other pilot took over. Thanks to him, he managed to stabilize the plane with his teeth. Meanwhile, we subdued the attacker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: All right, so passengers now safely in Israel. We saw some of the images of them landing. Latest from Flydubai, they have suspended all Flydubai flights from the UAE to Israel, and we know that Israel is now working on relief and repatriation flights for Israelis that are currently here in the UAE, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Eleni Giokos, live for us in Dubai. Thanks so much for your reporting.

[02:40:00]

This is a wild story that broke late tonight as well. A Tennessee death row inmate is still alive after state officials attempted to execute her and they failed. Attorneys for Christa Gail Pike says she was loudly snoring after being injected with two doses of a lethal drug.

The governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, has now halted executions for the rest of the year and ordered what he calls a comprehensive third-party review. This comes after an appeals court stopped the execution at the last minute, saying a delay was needed to consider whether Pike's allegations of childhood sexual abuse were fully considered at her sentencing.

Hours later, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that stay, paving the way for what would have been Tennessee's first execution of a woman in at least 200 years. Christa Pike was convicted in the 1995 killing of a teenage classmate, but it does not sound like she is going to be executed any time soon.

Next on "The Story Is," I sat down with the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor of California to get their reactions to their first and likely only debate before the November election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00]

MICHAELSON: We're turning now to one of our top stories, CNN's California Gubernatorial Debate. Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton facing off a few hours ago in the studio that usually houses us for "The Story Is." The candidates sparring over the job done by President Trump, as well as their differences on affordability, artificial intelligence and immigration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE HILTON, (R) CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE: My whole aim here would be to lower the temperature. We've got to get this whole debate back to where most people want it to be, which is to prioritize the removal of dangerous criminals. That's not happening in California today.

And that's because they're playing politics with the issue instead of protecting public safety. And that will be my priority.

XAVIER BECERRA, (D) CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE: Steve, you're running for governor of California and you'll enforce Trump's laws at the federal level, but you won't enforce state laws at our level.

California welcomed you into California and you welcomed ICE mercenaries into our state in return. How does that -- how do you square that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: After the debate, I asked both candidates what surprised them most.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Was there anything he said that surprised you?

HILTON: No. I was entirely expecting him to do exactly what he did, which is to blame President Trump for everything.

MICHAELSON: Biggest surprise of tonight?

BECERRA: We actually got through an hour without knocking each other to the mud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: They got through it. Likely, no more debates after that.

Coming up on "The Story Is," a new drug is offering some pancreatic cancer patients the chance at a longer life. We'll hear from one couple who are hoping the pills will give them more precious time together.

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MICHAELSON: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly diseases in the world. The American Cancer Society puts the five-year survival rate at just 13 percent. That number plunges even further in the Stage 4 of the disease when the cancer has spread to other organs. But a promising new drug could change that for some patients. Our Randi Kaye spoke with one couple who are hoping that the pills could give them some precious extra time.

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(APPLAUSE)

RUSS REED, PANCREATIC CANCER PATIENT: I got to ring the bell.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In August 2025, Russ Reed celebrated being cancer free. But just four months later, Russ' pancreatic cancer had returned and this time had spread to his liver and intestine.

R. REED: My mutation is so aggressive. It's the most aggressive mutation for pancreatic cancer.

KAYE (voice-over): He tried chemotherapy, but nothing worked. Then came word of a brand new drug called Rasonque showing promise, but not yet approved by the FDA.

KAYE: How frustrating was it for you, for your husband, to not have access to a drug that was out there?

MARNIE REED, WIFE OF RUSS REED: It was beyond frustrating.

KAYE (voice-over): Marnie Reed's father died of pancreatic cancer at 63, the same age her husband, Russ, was when he was diagnosed.

M. REED: I was determined this was not going to repeat itself.

KAYE (voice-over): So she took action.

M. REED: My name is Marnie Reed and I'm trying to save my husband's life.

KAYE (voice-over): Marnie posted on social media about her husband's cancer battle and lack of access to the new drug.

M. REED: It went everywhere. The FDA called the house.

KAYE (voice-over): In the end, Russ got the medicine through the FDA's expanded access program. It took 63 days and with pancreatic cancer every second counts.

KAYE: So this is what you take?

R. REED: This is it. This is the Rasonque. It is 150 milligram pills. They're pretty large.

KAYE: Oh, wow.

R. REED: I take two of those every morning.

KAYE: What does it feel like to actually have this in your hands? You waited so long.

R. REED: It feels great. You know, it's hope. It's hope in a bottle.

KAYE (voice-over): Within just 12 days of starting the new drug, Russ says his pain was gone.

R. REED: Not even a Tylenol. So, it was --

M. REED: Watching his energy come back was amazing.

R. REED: It was great.

KAYE: And what about the side effects? R. REED: The rash, we talked about it. It's real. It's difficult, especially because you can't put a lot on your scalp, you know, so your -- the scalp is probably the most itchy and broken out, if you will. I think it was -- it was -- it's been worse on my face.

DR. JESUS FABREGAS, ONCOLOGIST, MEMORIAL CANCER INSTITUTE: How's it going?

KAYE (voice-over): The rash is on his face, torso, arms and legs, but he's still grateful for the medicine.

R. REED: I wouldn't be sitting here today or if I did, I'd be writhing in pain because of the tumors. It's a game changer. It's the best thing that's happened in pancreatic in 40 years.

KAYE (voice-over): A game changer indeed. But as Russ' oncologist told me, Rasonque will not save Russ' life.

FABREGAS: It doubles the survival rate in patients with pancreatic cancer. This is not a cure, unfortunately, but it's a step in the right direction.

R. REED: Not only is it going to give a little bit more quantity, but it's quality as well.

M. REED: Yeah. He promised me 50 years.

KAYE (voice-over): Rasonque is now approved by the FDA, but only available to patients with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer that has spread.

FABREGAS: I would like to give this medicine to every single patient with pancreatic cancer.

R. REED: I'll take every day that I can get. We've had very difficult conversations about what's to come and we know that that day is going to come. We just don't know when. I tell people jokingly that the Dolphins need to win the Super Bowl.

M. REED: Before he's able.

(LAUGH)

[02:55:00]

R. REED: Could be a while.

(LAUGH)

KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN, Port St. Lucie, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Love to hear that great story, Randi.

Before we go, let's take a look at today's top stories. The Pentagon has confirmed that the U.S. military will cut 20 percent of its generals and admirals this year, double the reduction ordered last year. The revelation came in Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth's so- called State of the Force address, where he also announced the creation of a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command, or AutoWarCom, to expand drone, robotic, and A.I. capabilities.

Texas Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate candidate, Ken Paxton, is expected to join President Trump at an event in Texas on Thursday. Paxton's expected attendance comes a day after The New York Times reported that he criticized the Republicans' midterm convention. In leaked audio, Paxton said that the event, quote, "dropped our numbers."

Paramount says its merger with Warner Brothers Discovery will take effect on October 6th. A U.S. federal judge has approved the settlement of an anti-trust lawsuit that was blocking the deal. The merger will create one of the biggest media companies in the world, which includes our parent company, CNN.

Thanks so much for watching this special extra edition of "The Story Is." Tomorrow, Fareed Zakaria is with me to talk about global affairs. We'll see you back here for "The Story Is" at our normal time, midnight Eastern. Thanks for watching.

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