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What We Know with Max Foster

FlyDubai Attack: Hunt For Motive As New Details Emerge; UK-Iranian Dual National Arrested Over Air Base Incident; Tennessee Death Row Inmate Survives Two Doses Of Lethal Drug; NYT Report Reveals What Accuser Told Officials And Friends; Renee Good's Family Sues U.S. Government & Trump Officials. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired October 01, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:20]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: New claims about the copilot accused of trying to hijack an Israel-bound plane.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Investigators are still looking into the motive. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is giving new details about the suspect in the attempted

hijacking of a FlyDubai flight. He says the copilot who attacked his fellow pilot en route to Tel Aviv had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination.

Mr. Netanyahu didn't give details, but said it's clear the copilot was suicidal and wanted to bring down the plane.

He also told CNN that investigators are considering whether Iran may have been involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: 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)

FOSTER: Paula Hancocks is in Dubai.

I understand that the pilot and the copilot have been moved to that region.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Max. Yes, this is information that we've just received from Saudi Arabia. Of course, that was

where that FlyDubai flight had its emergency landing. It's the first we've heard from officials there. And the interior ministry has said that the

pilot and the copilot have left for Abu Dhabi. The copilot left with Emirati security team just after he was medically cleared to be to travel.

Now we also understand that he's been questioned by Saudi authorities, they say, in conjunction with the UAE security team, this all part of their

preliminary investigation into exactly what happened. So, they also say that he is suspected of attacking his pilot, which is what we have been

consistently hearing from the very early hours of this incident.

So both the pilot and the copilot are now here in the UAE. We understand this is where the investigation will be based. We heard from the Attorney

General earlier today saying that he'd opened an investigation specifically as well looking as to whether there was a terrorist link to this incident.

Also looking at whether it involved prior planning or direction. Of course, one of the key questions they want to answer is whether or not this

individual act alone or whether there is a wider group or network that they have to be concerned with.

This is where the jurisdiction is, even though the attack happened outside of UAE territory. the airline is registered to this country. So, we heard

there from the Israeli prime minister as well, pointing out that he'd spoken to the Emirati leader and had been assured that the Israelis would

be part of the investigation. So, this is where this is going now. It's moving forward. We understand the pilot who has been hailed a global hero

is doing well in hospital.

We've heard from the embassy here in the UAE saying he's in good health and recovering well. He is out of danger, but clearly, he was severely injured

in that incident, as we heard from the dentist who was looking after him on board -- Max.

FOSTER: Paula, thank you so much.

Well, our Jeremy Diamond spoke to the Israeli man who helped overpower the FlyDubai suspect initially. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TZVIKA MANES, PASSENGER WHO SUBDUED SUSPECT ON FLYDUBAI FLIGHT: I heard my wife screaming and I heard my daughters screaming, we don't want to die.

Father, we don't want to die. And this, you know, this is, I'm getting emotional right now as well. When you hear that your daughters are crying

for help, you do whatever you can to help them. That's the trigger that pushed me.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Do you describe it as instinct?

MANES: It's absolutely instinct. Absolutely instinct. In the end, what we can do, we can sit and pray that something will happen, or we can try to be

active and make the change. And this is what we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Incredible.

Now, meanwhile, a British-Iranian dual national has been arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts in connection with an alleged

plot to target a U.K. airbase used by the U.S. military. The 27-year-old man was arrested in Westminster in London. It comes a day after British

Prime Minister Annie Burnham said there are strong indications Iran was involved in the incident. Remarks have appeared to support the US

assessment that the incident involved a foreign actor.

Joining us now, Richard Kolko, a former supervisory special agent for the FBI.

Thank you for joining us, Richard.

Obviously, the British police being very careful about what they're saying here, but they are confident enough to suggest at least an Iranian link.

And then we have what's -- you know, the Israeli prime minister is suggesting as well in terms of that flight. What does this say to you? I

mean, is there a shift here of some kind?

RICHARD KOLKO, FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT (RET.): I don't think there's a shift. I think there's been a real threat against all Western assets that

may be involved in any way, shape, or form in the operations going on in the Iranian theater of operations. It's fast how quickly the intelligence

moved through. The arrest at the airfield was only just a couple days ago, so whether one of those five men may have talked. We know that there's been

information and intelligence shared from Israel, from U.K., from U.S.

So, somewhere, investigators are putting this together, I think, fairly rapidly. Having worked a lot of these investigations. It takes a little

time to go through those phones, the computers, the iPads to get that information and to assess it and analyze it. But the fact that they were

able to move so quickly to make an additional arrest and an additional interview along with these searches that they conducted, I think that shows

things are moving pretty quickly. And clearly, the Brits would not have gone out ahead of this saying Iran was involved unless they had something

to back that up.

FOSTER: We had a very prominent statement, though, from the Iranian embassy in London absolutely denying any link to this, and it was a

particularly strongly worded statement. What do you make of that?

KOLKO: Well, two things. First of all, it's very conceivable that the Iranian embassy in the U.K. didn't know about it. But second of all, that's

exactly what you'd expect them to say. There's zero surprise there. They're certainly not going to say that one of their people is involved in anything

like this. They may try and provide some cover to them at some point down the road.

But there is nothing that I would have expected to come out of the embassy that helped the British investigation or said there was any validity to it.

So, it's going to be based on the information intelligence and that information sharing. That's what shows us being a big success in today's

world, where different countries, different intelligence services can share the information, because not everybody has everything.

But if the Brits can sit down with the U.S., with Israel, with any other entities that are providing intelligence into the intelligence chain, all

very helpful and resulted in where we're at now. And I'm going to guess it's not the end.

FOSTER: The prime minister of Israel saying that investigators are considering whether Iran may have been involved in that incident. How much

should we rely on what he's saying there? Because we know that the Saudis and the UAE have actually been leading on the investigation, have had

access to the copilot so far.

KOLKO: Well, it's really not going to be an Israeli investigation, even though Israel will open an investigation, just as the FBI will likely open

one as well because there were four U.S. citizens onboard the plane. So, they've got authority to open an investigation that allows them to

different things, provides different authorities and allows them to then share information.

It's an Air Dubai plane, so they get to do the investigation. It landed in Saudi Arabia. They get to do some of the investigation. But since the plane

was not in Israel, it's not going to be their case, even though I'm certainly sure they would like to have it. But they'll be able to provide

information that will be helpful to it.

I think it's going to be very similar to what we were just talking about in the U.K., where it's going to be multiple countries providing information.

The great news here, they've got the pilot, they've got the airplane, they've got the cockpit voice recorder. They're going to have a lot of

information that they can actually analyze, assess, and come up with information, including witness interviews, going back to the co-pilot's

family.

Did he write anything? Did he tell anybody he was going to do anything? What's his history?

There's a lot of work that needs to be done, and Dubai and the UAE will do the investigation at their own pace and in their own way, but I think

they'll be very thorough.

FOSTER: OK, Richard Kolko, appreciate it. Thank you so much, very complex investigations taking place there.

Now, elsewhere in Tennessee, the attorney for the woman on death row who survived two lethal injections says she's receiving life-saving medical

care after her failed execution for a killing she committed at the age of 18. Christa Pike survived two lethal injections on Wednesday morning.

Today, the Tennessee governor halted all executions in the state for the rest of the year. Last hour, her attorney demanded the state immediately

commute her death sentence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDY SPIVEY, TENNESSEE OFFICE OF THE POST-CONVICTION CENTER: The state of Tennessee has shown us again that they are not capable of carrying out an

execution consistent with basic human dignity.

[15:10:00]

Last night was not just inefficient, it was cruel and it was torturous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and murder of her 19-year-old classmate, Colleen Slemmer. Slemmer was lured into the

woods before being stabbed, beaten with a large chunk of asphalt, and having a pentagram carved in her chest. Pike's then boyfriend is serving

life in prison.

Ryan Young joins us from Atlanta.

I mean, the details of this case are horrifying to hear. I mean, what are the repercussions of this?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When you say it's horrifying on both sides, right? When you talk about this murder that

happened in 1995 and you realize the mother of that young lady drove to the prison yesterday to see her daughter's killer pay the ultimate price and

then witness what happened, you understand from both sides there was a lot of pain involved in this.

But let's talk about the Christa Pike situation. She was actually talking to the people who were trying to put the needles inside her arm. Her

attorneys had actually told them that it was very hard to find her veins. And so she was trying to point them to the right direction.

She wasn't saying that she didn't want to be killed. She was just actually saying that she thought this method would not be sufficient for her because

of what she has small veins. On top of that, the second dose was administered. I'm looking at my notes because I just watched this news

conference 40 minutes after that first dose. And so as you can imagine, the people in the room were talking about hearing her gasp talk and even sing

at some point during all this.

Take a listen to what the attorney said just about 20 minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPIVEY: Last night, the execution team attempted to establish an I.V. line for an hour. I counted at least seven needles used in her left arm alone,

one of which appeared to be bent when it was pulled from her arm after an unsuccessful attempt. The state continued its efforts despite the very

complications that we had warned about in court months earlier.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Max, obviously I've done a lot of talking here about what happened, but there was a witness in the room. There's a lot of media members who get

to watch what happens. You actually have to apply to be in the room when this happens.

Take a listen to one of those media members describe what this chaos was like last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHERINE SWEENEY, MEDIA WITNESS: She said that there was a spot that was burning and hurting and asked if that was normal. None of it was normal. I

covered all the executions last year, and most of the ones this year, we haven't seen anything like it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Haven't seen anything like it. So, you can imagine what this has done to people. Now the governor has moved forward and said there'll be no

more executions in the state. This is not the first time they've had issues.

Just a few months ago, another inmate went through something like this, but this is the first ever recorded person to be administered a second dose and

not die. We were really trying to drill down on trying to figure out what her condition is. We're told she's in critical condition right now. Not

sure if her attorneys are going to get a chance to see her, how this moves forward, what she'll remember from all this.

But now, there's a lot of questions and focus on this state that seems to have a problem when it comes to administering these drugs. So, so many more

questions, Max.

FOSTER: Absolutely. Ryan, thank you so much.

New documents from the Cornell University rape investigation are shedding light on what the accuser told officials and friends in the weeks following

the alleged assault. "The New York Times" has obtained documents from the university's Title IX investigation of the alleged gang rape of a former

student at a fraternity house in 2024. The investigation is also calling into question New York's laws around consent.

Our U.S. national correspondent Brynn Gingrass joins us live in New York.

And consent absolutely is the key issue here. When does it get given? When does it get withdrawn? And there are complications here, aren't they,

because of this knight in question?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, there's a lot of complications when you're talking about this New York law, which lawmakers

are now trying to sort of close up this loophole that is being heavily criticized in the wake of all these allegations. And this civil lawsuit

being filed, you know you have to look at the really details of that loophole, which essentially says that you know it defines mentally

incapacitated and basically if you ingest alcohol willingly and you weren't forced to have alcohol and/or drugs, then it gets a little fuzzy as to

whether or not, according to the New York State, if a crime was committed.

So, look, that is something that is heavily being criticized right now, as I said, Max, but certainly something lawmakers are looking further into.

But let's talk about these documents really quickly that you're referring to the viewers. You know, we had heard about this six-page written summary

that Jane Doe had, you know, written to when she had a interview rather with campus police back in 2024 and that six-page summary went over to the

D.A.'s office and he used that as part of his determination on not to press charges back then.

[15:15:11]

Well, that was only a summary, OK? We've learned that there is actually 120-page interview that she gave to law enforcement that is part of a

larger internal Title 9 investigation and you can imagine just knowing those two differences in the size, how much more information that

investigation has that we don't fully know about.

Well, look, "New York Times" and at least one other outlet that we know of got this leaked Title IX investigation, which is typically federally

protected here in the United States. And it really talks to the mindset of Jane Doe. That's one aspect that comes out of it after this incident

happened, basically saying how she took really time to process what happened to her. At first, she was in a bit of a denial and then she

started seeing what happened on the message board. It was spreading around campus.

And then she says in this document, according to the New York Times, that she saw in a message board people talking about the members of the

fraternity Chi Phi where it said they were, quote, "terrible people". They gang raped a sophomore and she says at that point, according to this

document, that's when she really came to the full realization that something horrible happened to her and that she needed to go to police.

And before she went to police, basically says she started preserving evidence. She went to the hospital to try to get help. She went and saved

the dress she was wearing that night. She took pictures of bruising that she had all over her body. So again, this gives a much larger picture of

what is alleged here and had the D.A. had that information. It's possible. that we would be in a different place than we are.

I want you to quickly hear from her attorney who gave us a statement regarding this larger Title IX investigation paperwork that leaked. He

said, "Ms. Doe's internal processing went from denial to shame and ultimately acceptance that she had been raped by people that she thought

were her friends. Her reactions were textbook reaction to trauma."

So, yeah, it's getting more disturbing by the minute, quite frankly. Max, learning more and more information and how much is out there and clearly

wasn't available at the time or wasn't given to the correct people at the time.

FOSTER: Yeah, well, it is coming out now, isn't it, Brynn? Thank you so much.

GINGRAS: That's true. Thanks.

FOSTER: Now, the family of an American woman shot and killed by an immigration agent in Minneapolis has filed two civil lawsuits related to

her death. Renee Good's death came during the height of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, prompting significant protests in

Minnesota and sparking national outrage.

Our Whitney Wild has more on what happened and what's at stake now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: In this search for accountability, there are two lawsuits that are being filed. The first is a

lawsuit against the United States government. In total, it is being filed by under rather the Federal Tort Claims Act. The second lawsuit is much

bigger and it is being filed against several members of the Trump administration, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary at the

time, Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, Greg Bovino, the agent who opened fire, whom CNN has identified as Jonathan Ross, as well several unnamed

agents.

Both lawsuits detail the moments that led up to this shooting, and the lawsuit alleges that as Renee Good was on that street in Minneapolis on

January 7th, she never posed any real threat to any of the federal agents, and that when Jonathan Ross opened fire that he violated several DHS

policies. violated certainly Minnesota state law, as well as the Constitution itself. The second lawsuit is much broader and actually goes

back all the way to November and makes the allegation that Renee Good's death did not happen in a vacuum. And actually, it was the predictable

result of a sweeping, ill-conceived and frankly reckless operation that happened here in Minneapolis, which as we all know was called Operation

Metro Surge, it was that enormous ramp up here in Minneapolis, where we saw thousands of immigration agents descend on the city over several weeks.

For the first time, we heard from Becca Good. She was there the moment Renee Good was shot. And in very emotional statement described how her life

has changed dramatically, how much damage this has caused Becca Good, their son, Renee's two other children and the entire family, here's more from

Becca Good.

BECCA GOOD, RENEE GOOD'S PARTNER: Now, I'll grow old without the love of my life. I think about how we should have had 40 or 60 more years together.

We were all robbed. Her youngest, our son, is six years old and he's already lost more than anyone ever should. And he misses his mama.

Accountability and change, true accountability and change is the only way to make sure that no other family has to go through what we have.

I don't hate the people who took Renee from us. But what I want them to understand is every single day they get to look at their children and their

wives and their sisters and know what they took from our family. They took a mother away from her children. They know that and they will carry it

forever.

WILD: CNN has reached out to those members of the Department of Homeland Security who are named in the lawsuit. We've also reached out to the White

House about the other lawsuit that's filed against the federal government. In total, the search for accountability here continues. And in fact, in

July, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said that they had received volumes of evidence in Renee Good's shooting. They are continuing to

investigate this case. They received those volumes of evidence from the Department of Justice.

So federal, excuse me, state officials here say that they are absolutely committed to continuing to investigate her death.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Whitney Wild for us there.

Coming up, it's being called nothing short of a miracle. We'll take a closer look at how passengers and crew managed to land a fly-dub biplane

after the pilot was attacked inside a locked cockpit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Well, the attempted hijacking of a FlyDubai flight heading to Tel Aviv is raising concerns about threats originating from inside the cockpit.

[15:25:01]

One CNN aviation analyst said the actions of passengers and crew to land the plane were nothing short of a miracle. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu says they were able to get into the cockpit after the co-pilot attacked the pilot because the pilot, while fighting for his life, managed

to unlock the cockpit door.

CNN aviation analyst Alex Plitsas walks us through what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALSYT: The captain somehow had the wherewithal to turn on the transponder and transmit that there was an

aircraft emergency and simultaneously unlock the door to let people in while he was being stabbed. Then you had these passengers come in, subdue

the attacker who was armed while they're unarmed, and then a civilian from watching a documentary pulls up on the yoke and levels the aircraft and

brings in an extra pilot who happen to be on the aircraft. I mean, the amount of sheer luck and tenacity and courage from the folks on board is

almost impossible to describe. This is nothing short of a miracle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: So, what we want to know is will security protocols have to change after this latest incident?

Captain Meidan Barr is the former chair of the Israel Airline Pilots Association. He joins us now from Tel Aviv.

Thank you so much for joining us. I guess we could also argue that the protocols did work.

CAPTAIN MEIDAN BARR, FORMER CHAIRMAN, ISRAELI AIRLINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION: Thank you for having me.

FOSTER: The protocols did work in this situation. It was a potentially very tragic situation, but they did ultimately land safely.

BARR: Yeah, and that's -- that's the best point of the story because first, everyone is safe. Second, we have the plane in one piece, and we can

listen to the recorders and we see the cameras and this investigation will be very quick and thoroughly, that's one thing.

According to the protocols, this crew made it actually all -- I don't know if it's a right, but according to those protocols, the captain, which found

himself in a, let's say, impossible position, managed to set the transponder code so everyone else outside in the airspace will know, and

the shoutings from the cockpit was heard and to the front of the aircraft.

And then people -- passengers came in and he managed to unlock the cockpit door which is locked all the way of the flight. And then they went in in

order to take the co-pilot out, and disarm him and take care of the captain. And they called one pilot which was on board to help them

stabilize the plane. That's correct.

FOSTER: Can I ask you about these other pilots that came on ultimately and flew the plane? Some reports have said they were on duty pilots. Others

have suggested they just happened to be on the flight. Is it usual for backup pilots to be on flights like this in that region?

BARR: No, this is not a backup pilot. These are pilots that are traveling on duty somewhere else in order to pick a flight or to get it back or even

to get back home. It happens all the time, mainly in the States, you know, but they were there.

But I think the miracle, as you said, was that total civilians went into the cockpit, understood this airplane was diving down and they just pull

back the yoke and stabilize the plane. And this is critical because, you know, this plane was diving and exceeding the maximum speed. Actually, a

part of his rudder dismantle on air.

So that could really cause -- if this situation would have last even more like a few seconds, this aircraft could have suffered severe malfunction or

even structural integrity. So, this stabilization of the situation was critical at first.

FOSTER: Yeah.

BARR: And then the other pilot went inside and let's say made it happen until they reach a runway safely.

FOSTER: Yeah. So, they're very fortunate to have those pilots, weren't they? And also they pulled, you know, they knew how to use the equipment as

much as they did the the initial passengers that got in there.

But I wanted to ask you about these reports coming from Israel. I think that an ax was used by the co-pilot. We don't know. We haven't seen it. We

don't know exactly what it was.

But two thoughts there. Could that co-pilot have brought something on board that looked like an axe?

[15:30:02]

Or might this have been something that was already in the cockpit? Some people suggesting it might be the axe, you know, are in cockpits to break

the glass in an emergency. I mean, what's your feeling there?

BARR: All right. So, first, we'll probably know because both pilots are alive and the attacker is alive too and interrogated. So, we will know I

think very soon whether he brought something which was not allowed or let's say created something that will help them. But onboard airplanes there are

like emergency equipment that help us deal with the a door that is not open or anything else.

As you mentioned, I'm not sure and I don't know yet what was in that cockpit that this co-pilot used. But to be honest, I think the thing is

that this was a total surprise. You can imagine that those two men just came in like a usual flight from anywhere in a Boeing 737, and they met,

they brief, they maybe laughed before and talk along the flight.

And over a sudden, a single second, everything just turned upside down. And this shock made everything happen, but it made another thing. The

passengers especially those who are in the front of the cabin, understood that in a split of a second and they act, because if they wouldn't have act

in those seconds, I think we will probably be in a different situation now talking about different things.

So, it is critical for those passengers to understand what happened and to react if needed. And, you know, I tell my crew, and sometimes even the

passengers when something wrong goes or you got to land somewhere that you did not intend, sometimes the passengers are a part of your crew, and

sometimes they are a bigger part than you think.

And if I think that every passengers that go on board doesn't have to walk in front of plane of every flight and think that they're going to for an

emergency situation.

But if there is anything, open your ears, open your eyes. You probably or sometime you might be needed. And sometime like we saw yesterday, you can

really save the day.

FOSTER: Well, yeah, and they were obviously exceptional passengers, weren't they? The real heroes in this situation, saving so many lives.

Captain Meidan Barr, thank you so much for joining us today.

BARR: Thank you for having me.

FOSTER: Now, coming up -- thank you. Coming up, more on the death row inmate in Tennessee who survived two doses. of a lethal drug. We'll discuss

what went wrong and why the state has now halted executions for the entire rest of the year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Let's return to one of our top stories. U.S. death row inmate Christa Pike said to be receiving life-saving medical care. During her

scheduled execution, state officials gave her two lethal injections. Members of the media who were there on Wednesday said they were shocked as

they heard Pike speaking to her executioners.

Joining me now, Robin Maher, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

We've had more details, haven't we, Robin, as the day has gone on. We heard earlier that there might have been seven needles that were -- they tried to

get into her. Have you ever heard of an example like this before. I know there have been similar cases, but this seems exceptional.

ROBIN MAHER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEATH PENALTY INFORMATION CENTER: Yeah, it's been an extraordinary 24 hours, less than 24 hours, feels like a lot

longer than that. As the information has come to us, I think everyone is pretty stunned at what they're hearing. So, this is the first time that

we've ever had someone survive an attempted execution, someone who has received lethal doses of execution drugs. And the details that we're all

hearing about now have really only increased the concerns we have about what the state of Tennessee did to Christa Pike last night.

FOSTER: Where do you think it went wrong fundamentally?

MAHER: Oh, there's so many things. I mean, we really don't know the full story at this point. We know that Christa, as you say, is in the hospital,

she's in critical condition, she's receiving life-saving care. But what we don't know is really what state officials did wrong that resulted in her

survival of an execution that by all accounts should have ended her life. We know that the state of Tennessee has been incredibly secretive about its

protocol, about the training of its staff members, about where it obtained its lethal injection drugs, how they are stored, how they are tested.

And what all of the secrecy means is that when we ask hard questions about what's going to happen to someone like Christa Pike, we don't get good

answers. We get a lot of silence and a lot of refusal.

So, there was an opportunity for state officials, I think, to assure people that there would not be another botched execution last night. They did

nothing. And in fact, her lawyers warned state officials that her physical condition presented additional risks during the execution that something

would go wrong. So, I think we need to start at the beginning, which is to say that Tennessee officials need to be more honest, more forthcoming with

the public about the decisions they're making to use the death penalty and how they're using it.

Governor Lee has announced that there will be an independent investigation now of what exactly went wrong. My hope would be that that investigation,

the results of that investigation will be made public so that the people of Tennessee will understand finally what went wrong and take good steps to

make sure it doesn't happen again.

FOSTER: Because of course there are people watching this, weren't there, including relatives of the original victim here.

[15:40:00]

MAHER: Yeah, that's right.

FOSTER: And the trauma they must be going through, having built up the emotional energy to go and watch this, and then for it to go wrong, and

then for her to have to be saved, and now she's in hospital. I mean, it's such a traumatic experience for everyone involved.

MAHER: Well, right. That's exactly right. There is no escaping the traumatic effect of executions, not only for the victim's family members,

but for the prison guards who participate in executions, for the media witnesses that were there, frankly, for anybody who reads about what

happened.

You know, Christa Pike was a woman, a very young woman when she committed her crime, just 18 years old. And she had suffered a lifetime of sexual

violence and abuse that her jury never heard about before they sentenced her to death. So as a young woman, she'd already gone through a number of

very hellish experiences. And last night was the latest in a lifetime really of really terrible experiences for her.

So, it's a result that no one wanted to see, an event that no one wanted to see and hopes never to have repeated.

FOSTER: Okay, Robin Maher, thank you so much. As you say, let's hope there's true exposure during the investigation here on this about exactly

what went wrong.

Now, in the final moments of trade on Wall Street, meanwhile, stocks trying to snap a three-day losing streak. The Dow has been flat, flatlining for

most of the day, really.

This is our Business Breakout.

U.S. borrowing costs continue to head higher. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury is now at its highest level since 2002. Rising inflation

and energy costs are pushing yields higher, with investors expecting the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates once again next month.

OpenAI has been served with a subpoena by California's attorney general. The state is running an investigation into how OpenAI's model broke into

serve as belonging to its competitor Hugging Face. Attorney General Rob Bonta says A.I. companies have a moral and legal responsibility not to

perpetrate or enable cyberattacks.

Suspected Chinese hackers pretended to be Anthropic employees in order to spy on American A.I. developments. That is according to the cybersecurity

firm Proofpoint. Their report says hackers targeted the email accounts of A.I. experts working at American universities, law firms and think tanks,

and Proofpoint didn't find evidence of successful breaches.

Now coming up, a new CNN investigation will examine Jared Kushner's role as a Gaza peace negotiator as his company holds a large stake in a firm linked

to Israel's military.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The new CNN investigation has found that whilst the U.S. president's son-in-law Jared Kushner acted as a key Middle East peace

negotiator, his private equity firm held the largest stake in an Israeli company backing businesses tied to Israel's military campaign in Gaza. That

includes its largest arms manufacturer.

CNN's Katie Polglase investigates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE RESEARCHER (voice-over): Jared Kushner, president Trump's son-in-law, often seen acting as America's unofficial

peace envoy to the Middle East.

JARED KUSHNER, UNOFFICIAL U.S. MIDDLE EAST PEACE ENVOY: Why can't the world be better? Why can't there be peace? Why can't there be more

prosperity?

POLGLASE (voice-over): But he's also a billionaire private investor.

KUSHNER: The fund is doing great and we've got a great team, great portfolio.

POLGLASE: And a CNN investigation has now found that his firm, Affinity Partners, is the largest shareholder in an Israeli financial giant, backing

businesses that provide equipment to the Israeli military equipment.

Equipment that has been used in Israel's wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, the same wars Trump sent Kushner to resolve. His Israeli investment is the

latest in a series of examples where Kushner has blurred the lines between business and politics. The dual roles have drawn sharp criticism from some

but Kushner has wholeheartedly embraced it.

KUSHNER: When you get an Arab and Israeli together and they start talking about a business opportunity, they forget about everything else.

POLGLASE (voice-over): It all begins back in January 2021. President Trump leaves office. The next day, Kushner sets up a firm that would become

Affinity Partners with financial backing later coming from the Saudi state and then later Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Fast forward to July 2024, Affinity buys a stake in Israeli financial institution Phoenix Financial. Then, in January 2025, days before Trump

returns to the White House, Affinity doubles its stake in Phoenix, making it the largest shareholder.

By October 2025, Kushner is publicly involved in politics, standing in Tel Aviv, celebrating the release of the hostages after weeks negotiating a

ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

POLGLASE: This is perhaps one of the most prominent moments when Kushner is performing both roles as a businessman and a diplomat at the same time.

Here he is, negotiating a peace deal for Gaza while also holding an investment in an Israeli company that is backing some of the very

businesses linked to the war in Gaza.

And thanks to Israeli transparency laws, we can see what some of those businesses are.

POLGLASE (voice-over): CNN went through thousands of financial records and amid the hundreds of companies Phoenix invests in. We identified at least

nine supplying military equipment for Israel.

Affinity doesn't directly hold a stake in the nine companies CNN identified but it does stand to reap rewards when Phoenix makes a profit from such

investments. All nine companies saw their stock market value rise last year. And many said they've seen a material increase in business as a

result of the war in Gaza.

Phoenix shares in these companies are worth more than $456 million. One of the nine companies was Elbit Systems --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): The IDF also made operational use of the Lahav launcher.

POLGLASE (voice-over): -- Israel's largest arms manufacturer.

We've previously traced Elbit weapons to multiple Israeli strikes that have killed civilians. We also found Israel shipyards on Phoenix's books. They

supply warships to the Israeli navy, ships that have repeatedly fired on Gaza.

Further companies include one making gearboxes for Israeli tanks and another making electronic fuses for shells used in Gaza.

POLGLASE: An attorney for Kushner told us Kushner is not involved in Phoenix's decisions on where to invest. He's not on their board and he's

never held a management role at the company.

But we found Kushner's relationship with Phoenix is actually a bit more complicated.

POLGLASE (voice-over): He told "Forbes" in September last year he had a very active dialogue with Phoenix, meeting with their team every few weeks.

And an attorney for Kushner told us this was true at the time and that Kushner regularly spoke with Phoenix about the company, broader market

trends and potential strategic opportunities.

[15:50:03]

Here he is talking about how he's encouraged Phoenix to invest in the Gulf.

KUSHNER: Phoenix, which is a monster company, is now looking at investments in Saudi Arabia, investments in UAE.

POLGLASE (voice-over): This encouragement, in fact, goes both ways.

KUSHNER: My investors from the Middle East are now looking at Israel and they're saying, wait a minute, maybe there's a benefit to having these wars

done. And they're seeing a good example there.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Around the same time this podcast published, Kushner was working on Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan. Kushner's attorney

told us that Kushner has significantly reduced his interaction with Phoenix management since becoming substantially more engaged in volunteer public

service and diplomatic efforts.

Nevertheless, Kushner's held this Israeli investment amid his diplomacy.

In July this year, Kushner's firm cashed in a quarter of its stake in Phoenix for more than $340 million, a return of more than five times its

original investment. Kushner's firm, Affinity, still remains Phoenix's largest shareholder.

Katie Polglase, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Phoenix Financial declined to answer CNN's questions, but a spokesperson said the firm is regulated and that shareholder value is

derived primarily from operating performance rather than investment returns. None of the nine companies seen and identified commented for this

report. The White House said Kushner's personal business activities have nothing to do with his diplomatic engagements.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: U.S. President Donald Trump has defended his recent renovations to the White House, saying the building was a disgraceful dump and a

disgusting mess that he has fixed. In a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine, the president defended a host of construction projects. They

include paving over the Rose Garden, remodeling the Lincoln bathroom in marble, and of course, building a new ballroom, which is the subject of

much criticism from some lawmakers.

Mr. Trump also claimed he stopped the Secret Service from tearing down and rebuilding the Oval Office. The U.S. president said he finds the building

projects relaxing and says the White House is now flawless.

Meanwhile, in the case relating to another of Mr. Trump's renovation projects, a federal judge has permanently dismissed charges against a

former American Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. The judge said the case against David Hearn should never

have been brought forward and pointed to pressure from President Donald Trump. His ruling bans the government from bringing charges against Hearn

in the future, something Judge Todd Edelman said was a unique possibility owing to political pressure by the president.

Finally, tonight, we're getting our first look at giant panda Fu Shuang, the five-year-old female, enjoying a snack looking around her new home in

Atlanta. She arrived on Sunday with a six-year-old male, Ping Ping. Zoo Atlanta says both pandas are eating well and adjusting more each day.

They're part of Beijing's long tradition of panda diplomacy.

That is WHAT WE KNOW. I'm Max Foster. Please stay with CNN.

END

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