Return to Transcripts main page
What We Know with Max Foster
G7 Leaders Agree To Tap Emergency Diesel & Oil Stockpiles; New York Governor: Police, Prosecutor "Failed" To Protect Cornell Accuser; Hero Pilot: I Couldn't Let Everybody Else Die; Lawyers: Death Row Inmate Pike Unconscious, On A Ventilator; U.S. Stocks Rally On Weaker-Than-Expected September Jobs Report. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired October 02, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:23]
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A transatlantic deal on diesel.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
With prices surging, the entire industry is at risk. U.S. President Donald Trump has got his wish. G7 leaders have agreed to release 100 million
barrels of diesel and oil from emergency stockpiles in an attempt to bring down costs.
Now, the move came after leaders held crisis talks today, and follows an ultimatum from the U.S. president, who was threatening to stop or restrict
diesel exports from the United States. French President Emmanuel Macron says the G7 agreed there would be no export bans going forward as part of
this deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We decided to release strategic stocks of diesel and crude oil under the coordination of
the International Energy Agency. It will therefore meet in the coming hours or days to organize this, and enable the release of up to 100 million
barrels of diesel and crude oil. We agreed that there would be no export bans among G7 members, meaning that there would be coordination and
cooperation, and no export prohibitions on any product categories whatsoever. This is a very important point, as there are rumors in the
markets today that drove up prices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, diesel prices have shot up since the start of the war in Iran, and that threatens all kinds of industries, tractors, freight, trains
and trucks, just to name a few. They all rely on diesel, and Europe is particularly exposed to U.S. exports.
Kristen Holmes is in Washington.
Kristen, you know, the concern here, you know, obviously there is a shortage of diesel everywhere, including the United States, and the
president was going to cut off this supply to Europe. So, what was the deal that was done here? What could Europe give back?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean right now what we have been told by analysts is that Europe really had no leg to stand on
in terms of how difficult it would be for them if the United States actually did put a ban on exports. They rely so heavily on diesel from the
United States that when President Trump threatened to put this ban on diesel exporting to Europe that they had no choice but to comply with
President Trump.
Now, of course, there's leaving open a lot of vulnerabilities and a lot of questions particularly as we see what's going on in Ukraine, in the Middle
East. If that continues and shortages across the world continue, how is this going to hurt Europe, particularly now that they're giving up some of
their reserves? Is it going to create a global issue?
Now, President Trump, he cares about one thing really, which is the United States of America and the diesel prices here. We know that they have hit
above $6 a gallon and those prices already fell 5 percent today with the news of this deal that they made with President Trump. He spoke to Macron
on Thursday. He spoke to the leaders of the G7 today, but it also just goes to show you what he is willing to do and threaten to try and get these gas
prices down.
When you talk to Americans, particularly ahead of the midterms and they talk about the things that are hurting them the most, one of them is gas
prices and diesel prices. So, this is obviously an attempt to mitigate that. We'll see how it works and what the consequences could be long-term.
FOSTER: Macron was very clear that this has gotten rid of the idea of any country restricting exports. Is that your understanding from the U.S. side
as well? Because obviously Macron is trying to reassure the market on that point that there might not be --
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: It certainly seems as though -- it certainly -- it certainly seems as though that's where the United States stands. I mean, it seemed to be an
actual exchange in terms of President Trump removing the threat and saying they wouldn't threaten it again if they actually released this.
We also obviously know that the markets took a hit today as these rumors swirled, which is what you hear Macron saying there. So much of what we are
seeing across the world right now has been driven by the markets, but it is the understanding that we have out of the White house that that was the
deal that was made.
FOSTER: Okay, Kristen, thank you so much for the political perspective there.
What we don't know still is how damaging would a diesel price shot be to the global economy.
Joining us now, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
Thank you for joining us, Patrick, because we should emphasize to people that diesel is so central to the global economy, right, because farming and
the transport of all manner of goods relies on diesel.
[15:05:00]
If the price of diesel goes up, all of that ceases to a halt.
PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, the U.S. and really the global economy from ships, as you
said, trains, tractors and trucks, construction equipment, even airlines are having issues because jet fuel is similar from the middle of the barrel
is diesel. So, school districts, police departments, I mean, taxpayers are certainly going to be feeling it. the next time budgets roll around, but
also every aisle at the grocery store, keeping in mind a lot of the things, especially at the grocery store, that's going to be the epicenter for where
the diesel impacts are first felt because of the intensity of these supply chains to get groceries to where they need to go.
So, Americans that fill their tanks with gasoline are going to feel the pinch from diesel as well in the days and weeks ahead.
FOSTER: I know, you know, the administration was frustrated with Europe because they do sit on these stockpiles, which they haven't released yet.
Europe's point of view is there could be another shock in the Middle East if there's a turnaround of events there. For example, you've got China
restricting exports. You've got Russia unable to export because its refineries are being bombed.
But just explain to us the ramifications of the fact that Europe is now going to start using its stockpiles.
DE HAAN: Well, you know, Europe apparently did not yet feel the need. The situation was not as urgent in Europe that the president is alluding to.
Look, I think it's pretty obvious at this point the president really wants to get prices to come down. There is a midterm election. The long-term
ramifications are that if this does -- if the situation does continue, the U.S. and Iran can't find a middle ground, and if Ukraine continues to
attack Russian oil refineries, if there's no middle ground there, this problem could last beyond the midterms, and then it could really pose a
challenge in Europe if this isn't dealt with.
So, I think short term, getting relief at the pump is very important to the president. But long term, I think Europe is correctly concerned that if
these problems drag on, and they have already for seven months, that there could be a need down the road that you're really going to need much more
diesel if things continue the way they are.
So, certainly, I see both perspectives here of Trump wanting to push prices down, but I also do have a real worry that seven months in, I would not
have thought we'd be here still, and the risk is that you may open yourself up for even more potential price shocks and supply disruptions down the
road the longer these geopolitical tensions continue.
FOSTER: These stockpiles are meant to be emergency stockpiles, aren't they, and they could run out? How long until they could run out? As I understand
it, there's only a few months' worth of stockpiles there.
DE HAAN: Yeah, well, certainly. And in Europe, unlike the U.S., some of these inventories are kind of moving them from column A to column B. Not
all of these inventories are necessarily strategic. Unlike the USSPR, which is literally saltwater caverns for when the president authorizes it, some
of the barrels in Europe may not necessarily be specifically reserved for emergencies. That is, some of them may simply be moving from one balance
sheet to another, whereas countries like Germany and I believe France do have strategic reserves that need to be authorized releases.
So, you know, not all of Europe and not all G7 countries have specific reserves like the United States does. So, the worry is that some of this is
simply accounting, moving it from one column to another, and not necessarily a net injection of oil or refined products.
FOSTER: Exactly. And that's the concern, isn't it, once the markets sort of really dig into this. In the past, when this has been tried, it does reduce
prices for a while, but then they come back up again because, as you say, the strategic issues aren't actually being dealt with. It's just a stop
gap.
DE HAAN: Yeah, and exactly right. And to look at the way the market responded today, the wholesale price of diesel did decrease moderately,
only about 12 cents a gallon. The market is probably still going to now be thinking that down the road, there could be an equal or larger problem, you
know? And many of these amounts that are being mentioned, I think 100 million barrels was being mentioned, again, much of that could be simply
moving barrels away from commercial inventories or injecting them into commercial inventories, maybe not actually net additions of oil to a global
market.
So that's the risk here as well. And I think as the U.S. and many in America are concerned about the depletion of the U.S. strategic reserve,
the longer these geopolitical tensions continue to drag out, the more risk that you'll actually need the strategic reserves down the line. And
unfortunately, if Europe uses it, if G7 uses their strategic reserves without solving the bottle problem -- bottleneck of the problem here, which
is the Strait of Hormuz and Ukraine and Russia, there still could be price implications down the road that are even more significant than what we're
already seeing today.
FOSTER: Patrick De Haan, thank you for putting that huge story into perspective for us. Thank you.
Now, state officials in New York are launching a new investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University in the midst of outrage over how
the case was initially handled. Letitia James, the state's attorney general, will now take over as special prosecutor. She says there is an
active criminal investigation now into the 2024 allegations made by a former student against members of a fraternity. New York's governor today
lashed out at officials she says failed to protect Jane Doe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: Think about that. In what world would the police learn from a victim that she'd been literally gang raped while
intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney? In what world does the district
attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Gloria Pazmino has been following all of this from New York.
I mean, it was an incredibly powerful press conference that, wasn't it? Because without getting into the specifics of the alleged crime, she made
it very clear that the very institutions that were set up to protect young people were doing the opposite. There does seem to be some evidence of
that.
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Max. And that is because there has been so much detail that's come out over the past few
days that really suggests that the institutions at play here failed along the way, right? The university, a private Ivy League, one of the top
universities in the United States, the police department, that it's in charge of providing and ensuring safety for students on its campus. Also
the district attorney's office. There seems to be failures from all different institutions all along the way.
And this announcement by the governor, Kathy Hochul, here in New York is a significant one, because what it means is that state of New York is now
taking over this investigation. This is now a criminal investigation being led by the state of New York of a special prosecutor, the state Attorney
General Letitia James, after Governor Kathy Hochul made the decision to appoint her to that job late last night.
And she said she's doing so because she believes the revelations over the past few days simply show that things did not go as they were supposed to
in this case. And she says that what's been publicly revealed about the case so far has eroded the public trust that this district attorney can
actually conduct a transparent and fair investigation.
We have heard from the district attorney today. He is supportive of this case of this decision, saying in part that Cornell University did not
provide him with the full details, the full picture of what he needed to investigate. So, it is a significant development in terms of what's going
to happen next.
Now, practically, in terms of what happens going forward, this means that the attorney general now has the power to investigate. She has the power to
gather evidence. She has the power to gather video recordings, anything that might be out there that could be helpful to this investigation. She
can also interview witnesses, and she can take everything she gathers and potentially presented to a grand jury.
That is likely going to be a long process. There's a lot of people involved here beyond the victim, Jane Doe, and the seven students that she has
accused. So, I expect that this is going to take a while. In fact, it was part of what the state attorney general told us today, that this
investigation would take some time.
But for now, the scrutiny and the focus on Cornell, on the district attorney in Tompkins County, and on the police department at this
university remains, right? People want accountability, they have a lot of questions, and they want some sort of action to happen.
I asked the governor today if she believes that the president of Cornell University should step aside. She said that it was too early to say that.
She said that she doesn't have enough information to make that call yet. But I think we're hearing more and more criticism of this again, elite
educational institution and how they handled this case.
Just one last point, Max. I think also very important because it shows you just the power of these kinds of cases. The governor said today that she's
now backing legislation that would change the laws here in New York in terms of how sexual assault cases can be prosecuted.
[15:15:09]
The reason that's important is because at the heart of this case between Jane Doe, the seven students, is this question of consent, right? We know
that Jane Doe said that she had arrived already intoxicated at the Chi Phi fraternity house where this party was taking place, where she was sexually
assaulted that night. And the law in New York as it is currently written says that when a victim of sexual assault became willingly intoxicated,
meaning they made the choice to drink or made the choice to do drugs, it is very hard to prosecute that sexual assault.
There's been an effort in the making here in New York for years by sex crime survivors and advocates to change that law. It's referred to as a
loophole in the sexual assault law here in New York, and if they close it, it would mean that you would be able to prosecute cases. Like Jane Doe's
case, because remember, it was back in 2024 that the district attorney said he didn't bring charges because Jane Doe described some of her activities
as consensual.
So that is another significant development. The fact that you now have the governor of New York saying I believe we should change this law and we'll
see how that process moves along when the legislative session begins in January -- Max.
FOSTER: Gloria, thank you.
Now, speaking from a hospital bed, the hero pilot who fought off a savage attack from his copilot mid-flight says he had to act because he couldn't
let everyone else die. Smit Machchhar made his first public remark since the attempted hijacking on Wednesday of a FlyDubai flight heading to Tel
Aviv. He had a video call with the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, explaining how he managed to open the cockpit door during the attack.
(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's 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Nic Robertson's live at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport.
I mean, quite an incredible story to hear. What about the copilot, Nic? What's happened?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, so he's been taken to the UAE where the attorney general is investigating if there was
any terrorism activities involved. Also looking at if there was planning or others involved. sort of pushing him forward, if you will. And we actually
heard from a very senior Emirati official today saying they think it's terrorism. This was a terrorism act.
He was giving a lot of praise, obviously, to the captain who then his last sort of gasp of energy, his blood was draining from his body, manages to
open the door, lets the passengers in. They managed to get control of the aircraft. So, a lot of praise by Emirati officials for him.
But when it comes to the other pilot, the one who was doing the attacking, the focus really does seem to be shaping around a terrorism narrative. And
that's what we heard from the Israeli Prime Minister today. He has said that he will be part of Israel, will be part of the investigation that the
Emirates are running. They're leading it. They'll be part of the interrogation. That's what Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
He described this event as something of a scale of 9/11, that this attacking pilot, he wanted to crash the plane into the ground with everyone
on board. Now, it's not clear if the Prime Minister here is indicating that they have some level of knowledge that it would point them in the direction
like 9/11, where the plane was intended to be used to actually target a specific building here in Israel, whatever.
But I think -- we're the picture that emerges is the terrorism narrative. Clearly, it's important to find out if there's anyone supporting him, and
if there's anything else, anything else planned.
But Prime Minister Netanyahu saying very clearly today if someone, state people have been helping, aiding and abetting in this, then there will be a
price to pay.
[15:20:09]
We don't know who it is. We don't know who this pilot is yet. We don't know his neighborhood or his nationality.
We know he was Omani. We know obviously it was flying for FlyDubai and undoubtedly, intelligence agencies will have been searching his social
media records and searching his circle of friends to try to develop this accurate picture of him.
I think we can expect to hear more in the coming days, but at the moment, we still don't have his name, Max.
FOSTER: I think the Israeli prime minister suggested they are investigating whether or not there might be an Iran link. I'm just wondering, you know,
what international repercussions this could have, if it does turn out to be state-sponsored.
ROBERTSON: Look, everyone is aware that Prime Minister Netanyahu really feels that President Trump pulled out of the war with Iran way too soon,
and the Israeli population really felt that it was stopped too soon, broadly speaking, and more should have been done, and the nuclear issue,
what Iran is doing with its nuclear weapons. or plans to make nuclear weapons, rather, that's a concern.
So, look, I mean, I think there's a real sense in this region that the war with Iran may not be done, and they're certainly not compromising with
President Trump to resolve the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, and how this is affecting the global economy in an ever increasingly serious way.
Can this event point towards Iran? No one's put evidence forward that would support that at this time. Is it possible that a version of evidence could
come forward to support that? Yes, it's entirely possible. There are narratives that could support that, but no one -- no one is putting that
forward at the moment. And we're -- the position read at the moment is we don't even know the name of the attacker, therefore who he was, what sort
of person he was, what he was like.
All we know is we're hearing from the Emiratis and the Israelis, that this is some kind of terrorism. Beyond that, the picture is unclear. But yes,
this may well come back in such a way that Iran may seem to come back into the frame. No evidence to support that yet.
FOSTER: Nic Robertson at Ben-Gurion, thank you.
We just had some news in, Christa Pike, the death row inmate who survived two lethal injections in the U.S. state of Tennessee is on a ventilator,
we're told, and remains unconscious after her botched execution. That's according to her attorneys. And it's in a court filing.
We'll have more on that story as we have it. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:25:57]
FOSTER: That news just into us, Christa Pike, the death row inmate who survived two lethal injections in the U.S. state of Tennessee is on a
ventilator, we're told, and remains unconscious after her botched execution. That's according to her attorneys in a court filing.
Ryan Young's been reading through that from Atlanta.
I mean, it's traumatic reading this, Ryan.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is and for those of us who've been paying close attention to this, what you sort of
get is this astounding part of this in terms of how the family feels about this, in terms of even the victim's family and then also what the lawyers
feel. They feel like they basically watched torture on that night.
I'm looking through the filing right now. They're actually for all the evidence in this case to be preserved because they may move through with
more legal guidelines here. We've been trying to work all day long to figure out where her condition is right now. We know she's in critical
condition, but it sounds like she's not even responding to any outside stimulation.
So, at that point, there really comes a question in terms of -- we know this all started 7:30 when they tried to execute her the first time, and it
wasn't until almost eight o'clock when that ambulance arrived to try to save her life.
So, the question is, what happened in between all this? And just for all the viewers out there, her lawyers gave the state a heads up that she
suffered from a condition where she had small veins and all the time she had issues taking needles in her arm. At one point it sounds like she could
feel the chemical being used in her arm, almost like bleach was in her arm and her arm felt like it was going to explode, according to what we've read
and been told.
But then on top of that, she tried to tell these workers where to place the needles in her arm. Take a listen to one of her attorneys talk about what
they witnessed and what they've been going through so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY SPIVEY, ATTORNEY FOR CHRISTA PIKE: Christa's legal team told the state of Tennessee and the courts that her medical conditions would cause
her to suffer an agonizing death. The state and the court dismiss Christa's concerns. The governor's call for an independent review does not go far
enough. After having endured solitary confinement for more than 20 years and a full attempt to kill her by lethal injection, Christa has endured
punishment greater than any other person in the history of the American death penalty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Look at this point, this is an international story and I will tell you this, we've been trying to figure out exactly what state officials
would do moving forward.
The governor has released a statement saying they're going to review using a third party, all the actions that took place that day. And they've also
suspended all other executions in the state. Let's not forget this is not the first time they've had issues. But so far at this point, no one from
the state or no one from that prison system has stepped before a mic so they could be asked questions about how this could go so horribly wrong.
And it's something that we're staying on top of at this point.
But now, the update about the fact that she remains in critical condition and she's on a ventilator at this point.
FOSTER: Ryan, thank you so much for going through that so quickly for us.
Our medical correspondent Meg Tirrell is in New York.
Meg, I mean, so many people are asking this question. How often do these botched lethal injections occur? I mean, this one seems quite unique.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is in the fact that she survived it. And what I heard from experts is that that is actually happening more
frequently. But what's really different about her situation is it does seem like the drug, this pentobarbital, was actually delivered to her. So often
one of the things we hear about is that there's a difficulty finding a place to place an I.V., for example, that can often lead to these really
long delays or them not happening at all, as happened in May with the previous execution in Tennessee that was botched and didn't end up
happening.
But here you know the drug actually did seem like it was getting to her because as you just heard our colleague explaining, she felt pain in her
arm. You know, data from the drug penalty -- sorry , Death Penalty Information Center um shows that botched executions using lethal injection
happen about 7.2 percent of the time, and that is twice the rate of. with other methods of execution.
[15:30:05]
And according to an Amherst College professor, Austin Sarat, who's been studying this, that has been ticking higher since 2010. He says closer now
to eight percent for lethal injection. And there's a few reasons for that potentially.
One is that around that time, there was an advocacy group out of the U.K. called Reprieve which started putting pressure on pharmaceutical companies
first in Europe to not export their drugs to be used in lethal injections in the United States that also led to export controls from the UK and
Europe and then American pharmaceutical companies followed suit and put restrictions in place to try to ensure that their drugs which they say are
used for life-saving medical purposes should not be used to execute people.
And so, that caused states and the federal government to have to turn alternative sources to try to get these drugs. And sometimes experts have
questioned the quality of those drugs and how well they're stored and tested.
Beyond that, we know that major medical groups here in the United States, including the American Medical Association, the American Nurses
Association, they oppose or even prohibit their members from participating in executions. The AMA says in its code of ethics, quote, "an individual's
opinion on capital punishment is the personal moral decision of the individual." They say, "However, as a member of a profession dedicated to
preserving life when there's hope of doing so, a physician must not participate in a legally authorized execution."
So, Max, experts I've talked with have said this is just this sort of terrible, perfect storm of things that could go wrong, possibly not the
best quality drugs. And we don't know who the people are who are actually performing the executions themselves and what their medical training is --
Max.
FOSTER: OK, Meg, thank you so much for explaining that.
So many people are confused by that story and how it happened.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:35:18]
FOSTER: We are seeing more unrest in cities across France. The government says more than 2,000 people have been arrested, most of them young people,
as students clashed with riot police. In some areas, tear gas has filled the streets and officials fear the protests could carry on through the
weekend.
Many demonstrators are angry over a lack of resources as Melissa Bell explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been another day of violence and barricades as student protests continue at high schools
across France. More than 560 impacted by those protests this Friday, according to authorities. At this high school in Paris, students had set
fire to the doors of their school earlier today. Even now, those doors are being repaired elsewhere.
We've also seen violence between police and students at several locations across the country, and again, barricades, fires, more violence and a
determination on the part of the students to stand firm in their demands for better funding.
There's a meeting that's to take place between the education minister and student leaders. But what we have seen from the authorities is they say
there was a sort of ratcheting up on Thursday that what had been a student protest has thrown into more urban violence with nearly 2,000 people taken
into custody over the course of the day on Thursday. The question now whether that meeting with student leaders will manage to bring to an end
this protest, which has only really gained speed and intensity and violence and determination on the part of the students over the course of the last
10 days.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now in the final moments of trade on Wall Street, stocks are rallying. It's a case of bad news. It's good news for the Dow after some
shaky jobs numbers actually changing the market's thinking on interest rates.
This is our Business Breakout.
The U.S. economy added far fewer jobs than expected in September. Twenty- nine thousand jobs were added last month. Economists were expecting around 90,000. Many investors now expect the Federal Reserve to keep interest
rates where they are, which has triggered a rally in stocks.
And the newly merged Paramount and Warner Brothers will be known as Skydance. Paramount's chief executive, David Ellison, says the new name
will allow the combined company's various brands, including CNN, to retain their identity. That merger is due to close on Tuesday after months of
talks with regulators.
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to pick Jay Clayton to be his artificial intelligence czar. Sources tell CNN the decision could come as
soon as today. Clayton was only recently confirmed as Director of National Intelligence and is expected to remain in that role, too. He attended
Tuesday's meeting with A.I. leaders at the White House.
Coming up, the U.S. midterm election is about a month away. and the state of Georgia could hold the key to the balance of power on Capitol Hill.
We'll hear from voters there next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:41:19]
FOSTER: It's exactly one month and one day until the U.S. midterm election, and President Donald Trump's rough numbers in the opinion polls are giving
headaches to Republican candidates in some important battleground states. One of those is Georgia, where Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is hoping to
secure reelection in what was once a deep red state.
CNN's John King is all over the map.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Early to work at Rebel Teahouse, Christine Nguyen first opened these doors four years ago.
Six employees then, 18 now. A success story, but plenty of stress.
CHRISTINE NGUYEN, GEORGIA VOTER: Cost has risen 18 percent across the board for us. It has been a struggle for a lot of people to get out there and to
sort of purchase goods. So we're grateful that we do have such a good local community that will show up for the small businesses.
KING (voice-over): This is Decatur in DeKalb County, the Atlanta suburbs. Decision time as Georgia picks a new governor and decides whether to send
Democrat Jon Ossoff back to the Senate.
KING: And so the cakey at the bottom is the sugar?
NGUYEN: Yes, the cakey at the bottom is the sugar.
KING (voice-over): Likely Ossoff for win. She likes how he mixes it up on social media and sees Democrats in Congress as more likely to help with a
major business goal.
NGUYEN: Right now, for us to afford health care, it's not like I can work any harder to get it. It has to be something that comes from, you know, a
bigger policy change.
KING: Right.
KING (voice-over): Nguyen tends to vote blue, but is less certain in the governor's race. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is the Democrat,
health care executive Rick Jackson, the Republican. Data centers is a big issue.
NGUYEN: Energy costs has already gone up. Being able to differentiate between whether or not it ties in with the data centers would be nice to
know. But the biggest thing is how it affects the community and the people living in those areas.
KING (voice-over): Taxes and safety also on her list.
NGUYEN: I have to wait to see what the debates will say.
KING (voice-over): Georgia's recent history is deep red. A Republican governor for 23 years now, Republican control of the legislature for 22
years. And Georgia has voted Republican in eight of the last 10 presidential elections. In 2020, though, Joe Biden narrowly carried
Georgia.
And in early 2021, Ossoff and fellow Democrat Rafael Warnock won runoff elections for both Georgia's U.S. Senate seats.
So is Georgia still a red state, a purple state or a state about to tip blue? It's a big and legitimate question because of the rapid pace of
demographic change here.
Back in 2000, Georgia's population was 65 percent white. That's down to 48 percent now. Blacks were 29 percent of the Georgia population in 2000.
That's up to 32 percent. Hispanics were 5 percent back in 2000, more than 12 percent now.
And the Asian vote is also growing fast. Just two percent of the population back in 2000, now above 5 percent.
CAREY FULKS, GEORGIA VOTER: So this is Marietta campus.
KING (voice-over): Carey Fulks lives in Atlanta, sees the change every drive to his graduate school studies in Marietta. Suburban Cobb County was
solid red 15 years ago, solid blue now.
FULKS: A lot of the programs were found.
KING (voice-over): But Fulks still sees a lot of conservative Bible Belt outside of the suburbs. And he worries some younger students don't share
his zeal for voting.
FULKS: Gen Z is just apathetic toward all of it. They don't see any sort of feasibility in voting because it's all just going to be terrible anyway,
why are we a part of this. And to some extent, I had that as well as a younger person.
KING (voice-over): The governor's race is his test.
[15:45:00]
FULKS: Like, has there been enough talk, enough push for people to see, oh, we can have a black woman in office. So I think that's where the skepticism
comes in.
KING: Georgia's never had a woman governor. It's never had a black governor and it's never had a former Atlanta mayor become governor. You think she
can knock all those three down in one election?
FULKS: I hope that she can. It would be great if she did.
CHANTA VILLANO-WILLIS, GEORGIA VOTER: We're trying to stay in Cobb County because that's where my son's job is.
KING: Right.
KING (voice-over): Powder Springs is near the western edge of Cobb County, about 25 miles from Atlanta. Chanta Villano-Willis would have voted for
Donald Trump in 2024 had President Biden stayed in the race. But she went for Vice President Harris in the end.
VILLANO-WILLIS: I was really trying to go with the lesser of two evils. Sorry to categorize her that way but, yes.
KING (voice-over): Unhappy now with losses in crypto investments, she blames on Trump, unhappy with the Iran war and with gas and grocery prices.
VILLANO-WILLIS: Why is everything always somebody else's fault? When do you take responsibility for what you put in place?
KING (voice-over): A fan of Senator Ossoff, but Villano-Willis lived in Atlanta when Bottoms was mayor and says she often didn't feel safe.
KING: She would break three barriers in one election if she won. Does that matter to you at all?
VILLANO-WILLIS: Nope. Nope. I want the person who's most qualified, who cares about all the people.
KING: Do you like Mr. Jackson or is it just you can't vote for her?
VILLANO-WILLIS: I like some of the things he's done, but no, I can't vote for her. I won't. Being a black woman, all that, I'm -- she don't get my
vote for that.
KING (voice-over): The Port of Savannah is all the way east, Chatham County.
KING: All aboard.
KING (voice-over): Lifelong Republican Randy Powell lists immigration and taxes as his top issues, and he says it is unfair to blame just Trump and
Republicans for high prices and high mortgage rates.
POWELL: I put the blame on both parties because they're not talking.
No longer than 400 days.
KING (voice-over): A flashback from 2009. I met Powell here 17 years ago, a Savannah police officer who, at the age of 50, was called back to military
service and sent to Iraq.
POWELL: The soldier always does what he's told.
KING (voice-over): That war was unpopular and brought big political change. The current war is unpopular, too, with the big election just ahead.
POWELL: I feel he did the right thing. President Trump loves America. He loves the people. And, you know, granted, there's a short term pain.
Yes, yes.
KING (voice-over): Powell loves retirement. He politely spars with neighbors who are Democrats and, during a lap around the lake, was quick to
point out his Republican friends.
POWELL: There's another two of my Republican friends.
KING (voice-over): He hopes Republicans hold the House and says if Georgia and other blue Senate seats flipped red, maybe Trump could get more done.
POWELL: If we can get 60, you know, we can start passing.
KING: Ossoff's counterargument would be if the Democrats take the Senate, maybe they can force Trump to talk.
POWELL: You know what? Trump's doing the best he can. President Trump's doing the best he can when it comes to the American people.
KING (voice-over): Powell is as upbeat as they come, but he knows his midterm hopes might be unrealistic. Savannah is 250 miles from Atlanta, but
also a big part of Georgia's shift.
George W. Bush was the last Republican to win Chatham County in a presidential race 26 years ago, back before Powell became a grandfather and
was sent off to war.
POWELL: Tides are changing, and getting people from other states that are moving down here because, one, they like the low taxes, they like the
lifestyle and everything. But with that comes change in our voting percentages.
KING (voice-over): John King, CNN, Savannah, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now, there are new developments related to the alleged murder of the British politician Ann Widdicombe. The man accused of killing her has
now been charged with preparing terrorist acts, including against the leader of the Reform UK party, Nigel Farage.
Joshua Kerry has been charged with one count of preparation of terrorist attacks. He was charged with the murder of Ann Widdicombe, who worked with
the right wing Reform Party back in July.
We'll be back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:51]
FOSTER: It's not just diesel. Europe might have a potato problem after this summer's dry conditions and heat waves, too.
Anna Stewart visited a chip shop in London to find out what that means for the future of British chips.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's lunch time at the Fryer's Delight, and the fryers are delightfully busy.
STEWART: Oh, it's really heavy. A lot of potatoes. All right, that was my job done. Whoa. 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 OF FRYER'S DELIGHT: Just the price of the fish, price of the oil.
STEWART: Price of the oil, price of the fish.
MAGALHAES: Yeah, and the potatoes as well.
STEWART: And potatoes.
MAGALHAES: Yeah.
STEWART: Potatoes will likely get even more expensive.
CRAIG ELLIOTT, MARKET ANALYST AT EXPANA: Last year we had a market that was characterized by pretty heavy oversupply.
STEWART: So too many potatoes last year.
ELLIOTT: Too many potatoes last year, which weighed heavily on prices. 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: Yeah.
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.
STEWART: Because this makes a beautiful big chip.
ELLIOTT: Sure does, yeah.
STEWART (voice-over): Three-point-five 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 fish and chips use fish and chips. It's lot of small chips anyway. I like these ones because it's more, you know, it's when you eat
them, you can feel the potatoes crisp outside, inside soft. Yeah, but if you have no alternative, what you can do?
STEWART: Just serve up small 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.
STEWART (voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN. London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: SpaceX made history with its latest mission to the International Space Station, the Crew Dragon space capsule launched on Thursday from Cape
Canaveral in Florida. It carried a Russian cosmonaut, a Canadian astronaut and two U.S. astronauts, including Jessica Watkins, the first Black woman
to lead a space mission.
The capsule also set a record for fastest time from launch to docking, reaching the ISS in just eight hours.
[15:55:04]
Finally, tonight, the end of an era in Hawaii. A colossal sea arch and landmark has collapsed into the Pacific. Holei Sea Arch stood in the
Volcanoes National Park on the southern coast of the Big Island. It was naturally formed by ancient lava, Holei was still standing on September the
23rd when the park closed, but was gone by the 28th when it reopened.
The arch was constantly being hit, as you can see, with strong waves. The park says it knew those waves would eventually take out the arch, but
weren't sure exactly when.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Stay with CNN. More after the break.
END
TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS
