The Fight To Survive at 34,000 Feet

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1:02Right now on CNN this morning, the fight to survive at 34,000 feet. Passengers prevent disaster after the co-pilot stabbed the pilot. What we're learning about the alleged attacker. Plus Pete Hegset says, quote, the clowns are out and the cowboys are in at the Pentagon. What could more leadership cuts mean for America's troops? And later today, the president is supposed to stand next to the Senate candidate who privately said Trump's midterm convention hurt the party. Awkward. In California, Gavin Newsom reveals he's been getting advice from former President Bill Clinton. So how will that shape a possible run for president in 2028? Good morning, everyone. I'm Audit Cornish and here's where we begin new detail about the remarkable story of survival in the skies after a co-pilot allegedly stabs the pilot, sending the plane into a

2:08nose dive. Check it, check it, guys. Those were just some of the more terrifying moments on board as passengers on the flight to Israel tried to figure out what was happening. So this fly-dubai flight plunged more than 17,000 feet and less than two minutes at one point approaching the speed of sound. Now the pilot, who is attacked, somehow managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to storm the cockpit, subdue the attacker, and take back the plane. When I got inside, I saw the attacker on the instrument panel between the two seats. There were no pilots in the seats. One was on the floor, one was on the instrument, and someone else had come in with me. I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and dragged him out first. It all happened in seconds, and the plane's nose was pitched like this. I called out to a bunch of Israelis on board, and two other guys came over.

3:13They pinned him down. I jumped back, grabbed the controls, and started pulling back the handles. Joining me now to discuss is Alex Plesez, CNN, National Security Analyst, and Alex, that passenger went on to tell the Prime Minister that the reason he knew what to do was from watching television series about error disasters. Can you talk about what you were thinking as you were hearing him describe how they took back the plane? This is nothing short of a miracle. What transpired on that aircraft and what the passengers did, the sequence of events, they had to get everything right to basically make sure everybody survived, and somehow they figured it out as lay persons with no real training. There are a couple of things that really stood out here. First of all, without getting into the mode of an exactly what happened, just as you mentioned, the plane is now pitched headed down. It was done on purpose by the co-pilot after stabbing the pilot. The cockpit door is closed from the inside of post-911 security measure.

4:14The captain somehow had the wherewithal to turn on the transponder and transmit that there was an aircraft emergency and then the high... 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 happened to be on the aircraft. I mean, the amount of sheer luck and tenacity encouraged from the folks on board is almost impossible to describe. This is nothing short of a miracle. You know, I had just described to my kids what happened on 9-11, and their first question is, could this happen again? Can you talk about what we're looking at here based on what we're hearing from the Israeli government or fly Dubai? Sure. Sure, absolutely. So what we're looking at here is, one of the people say are their security failures. A lot of the post-911 security measures that were adopted were meant to prevent an external threat, loading bombs or things onto an aircraft, preventing a threat from amongst the passenger

5:18base from getting access to the cop. Never anticipated that it would be a pilot or a copilot that would be the threat. So in terms of that, and if there wasn't obvious signs on the copilot that he was in distress, it may not have been caught. From so far, there hasn't been either a manifesto released a claim of responsibility from a terrorist group or sort of a state sponsor. And so when we talk about terrorism, terrorism is politically motivated violence against civilians. So if there is no claim of what your political causes, you're committing the violence on behalf of, it doesn't really work. So if you put all those pieces together, we still don't know for sure if the motive's out, but this will be investigated as an act of terrorism, likely with a running theory that this is a lone wolf that's been radicalized, unless evidence surfaces of a state sponsor or a terrorist organization's involvement. Lastly, what does this mean for fly Dubai? I mean, are you going now and talking to every single pilot in the fleet? Help us understand how you would even assess any further danger?

6:20Sure, well, in some cases, it's hard to predict, right? This copilot wasn't caught. So if there is no outward signs, if there's no mental health issues, if there's no signs of radicalization, this can become difficult. Yeah, you'll go back to the personnel records. You'll probably review who else is there. There's only two airlines that fly Israelis in the Middle East out of some of these Abraham countries, Abraham Accords countries like Dubai, which has a good safety record. We did see, there was one murder of Israeli citizen who happened to live in UAE through the course of the war. Now we've seen this hijacking. So there is or attempt to hijack that is, so there are some security incidents that have risen as a result of responses to ongoing geopolitical events like the Al-Morang Gaza war in Iran. They can do the best they can, but to a certain extent, if they're hiding it, you don't see those outward signs, it can be difficult to find. And again, right now, we're still unclear on what, if any mode of there were, as you mentioned, haven't seen any manifesto type materials or statements. So Alex, thanks for that detail. I'm sure we'll hear from you soon.

7:22Coming up on CNN this morning, we're digging deeper into this suspected hijacking attempt. So I'm going to speak with a former Israeli intelligence official about how the investigation will move forward. Plus, the candidates for the California governors race clash in a CNN debate. They sparred over policy differences and traded a few personal jobs. But first of all, I just want to say thank you to CNN for bringing Havia out of hiding. He's barely been seen in public since the primary four months ago. At Peloton, sometimes thinking big means thinking small. Introducing the new Peloton tread flex. Our first foldable and movable tread that's just about three feet stowed so you can roll it away, with an ultra quiet and comfortable belt that whispers while you run, made to fit however you move and fit to move wherever you like. Let yourself run.

8:23Peloton. Explore Peloton tread flex at 1peloton.com. I am Ben Mankowitz and this one's special. Stanley Kubrick was a hero to so many filmmakers and artists. It's tough to overstate his influence. We're thrilled to go behind the camera with some of his closest friends and collaborators to examine his legacy. TCM and criterion present the plot thickens Stanley hosted by me, Ben Mankowitz. Featuring an exclusive newly released audio interview with Stanley, available now wherever you get your podcasts. So the candidates for California governor faced off in a CNN debate just over a month before voters will determine who will lead the nation's most popular state. So you've got Democrat, Javier Bacera and Republican Steve Hilton trading personal jabs and sparring over policy differences on affordability, AI and immigration.

9:24What I wouldn't do Steve is try to convince the people of California that proposing Trump tax policies, promising Trump tax cuts, believing you're going to get better results than Trump has gotten so far to date, that that is what isn't it definition of insanity. You do the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Yes. You're using Trump's like closing Democrats promises. You expect different results. You're going to end up with Trump results if you follow Steve Hilton's plans. If you're Javier Bacera and you're the candidate who is supported by the machine in Sacramento, the unions, big business, all these people, that for 16 years have given us the highest cost of living in the country, made it impossible to build anything given as the highest unemployment rate, the highest poverty rate, then we're not going to get the jobs in this state that we so desperately need. And that's why we've got to try something different this time instead of voting for more of the same and expecting a different result.

10:27Joining me now in the group chat, we've got Jasmine Wright White House correspondent for the Washington Sun, Mike Dubkey, former communications director for the Trump White House and former director of message planning in the Biden White House, Megan Hayes. I want to start with you, Jasmine, because this is a race that in the primaries was taken wild turns, right? There was the swell well controversy. People thought a person like Katie Porter was going to be at the forefront in the end, it's Basera, and how is he fairing heading into the final stretch? I mean, I think if you asked most people, they wouldn't know, because now in the general, it's kind of been quiet. I think when you watch that debate, two things stand out. One, he didn't make any drastic mistakes. Obviously, he's up about 18 points, according to a multitude of different surveys. And so the one thing that I'm sure that his advisor say, we don't make a major gap, he did it. You could see in some of the clips, and if you watch the whole thing, just the amount of prep that he went into, he had some can lines, but some of them were actually zingers. Look, I think that California is a state in which they may have differences in the primary,

11:32but when it comes to the general, when it comes to Republican and a Democrat, even though their system is a bit different, typically people expect it to go to Democrat. They do. We just have to say that there's obviously, there have been California Republican governor. That's the thing. Some with an accent. But Trump's approval rating in California right now is 76%. And I hear Basera just saying, look, it's another Trump type guy. And if you like those policies vote for him, but if you don't, now's the time not to. It's a line that Democrats across the country are using. Megan? I mean, look, my mom was in California. I said, mom, are you going to watch the debate? She said, what debate? So I'm quite certain that most people are not made to this great, because it's already been a done deal. But I do think one thing I think that was interesting that Steve Hilton said is Democrats have the support of the machine in Washington, including big businesses in Union. Unions, isn't that what people want? Don't they want people to be working with businesses? That's what Trump is doing. You want the working class. So I am a little confused how that is an attack on. I'm interested in Hilton, because he reflects arguments we often hear on what I'll call

12:36the tech right. The people who own those businesses, the people who will say, we're going to leave and we're going to take our businesses with us because it's cheaper to be in Texas, a blah, blah, blah, blah, and seeing them having a candidate like this is a proxy for their ascendance, I think, in politics, like the fact that he's as close as he is at 38%. Right. I mean, it's a proof that money does work in the state of California, even if the politics are not inherently on your side. You have so many tech bros in Silicon Valley who are pouring money into this, the Google founder pouring money into defeating the billionaire tax that will be on the ballot come November. And so there's so many different forces in California. But the fact is, is that is this the election that it's going to go to Republicans right now when the White House has such disapproval numbers when the feeling is against the Republican elite and those who are in power? This is where candidate selection matters. Steve Hilton is not a good candidate for Republicans. The Republican can win in California.

13:36I worked for Gray Davis. We got recalled by Arnold Schwarzenegger I. So it's not unheard of that there are Republicans there. This is where candidate selection matters and they're going to make that Republican. We have a little bit more California coming up. Gavin Newsom. After the break, we're going to talk about him. He's been, of course, feeding speculation about a presidential run with something he calls Project 2029 plus Pete Higgsf and his plan to deploy AI on the battlefield and his latest controversial message to the troops. Defense Secretary Pete Higgsf confirming that the Pentagon is terminating 20% of its generals and admirals by the end of this year. He made the announcement in a, quote, state of the force address at Quantico on Wednesday. The media calls that a purge. I call it accountability and long overdue.

14:37Higgsf also announced something he called Project Meridian, a program that will examine and identify weapons and technologies for future wars. He's tapped Elon Musk and Newt Gingrich to lead it. And he continued his tough talk against woke culture. We are no longer the woke department or the weak department. Simple translation of that. No fatties, no tranny's, no beardos, no weirdos, no whims, no radicals. Just warriors. Former US Army Major Harrison Mann joins the group chatty's also a former executive officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency's Middle East Africa Regional Center. Thank you so much for being here. You've actually read some of the memos he's put out. And some of the ones I'm interested in are kind of creating new paths for those outside of the military or they are creating a kind of new, like an American heritage program.

15:37Can you talk about what you found? Yeah, so one of his new initiatives is creating a new core of cadets at several civilian universities, which on its own wouldn't be worrisome. But two of the five he chose are conservative Christian private universities. And the memo establishing explicitly states that he wants a commissioning program to put new officers in the military that's focused on American heritage. That's a pretty shallow dog whistle for white people. And he's saying the current service academy is like West Point or the Naval Academy are not doing a good enough job at commissioning officers who value American heritage. So it looks like he's trying to put his own imprint, his own Christian supremacist imprint on the future leaders of the military because the ones he's got right now are not sufficiently subservient. One other thing he says though is it's about accountability, that a lot of the people that he is, they've always said, I think on the right we have heard, it's too bloated at the top. And so I don't think it's that much of a surprise that he's fired people just to give

16:38people a sense of this 20 plus generals and admirals either terminated or resigned. That included the joint chiefs of chairman, top officers in the army, Navy, Air Force out. And the goal, the stated goal was to out 800 top officers by January 1st. So firing general officers who don't perform is a good thing, right? That's a gap that Hegseth has seized on firing officers because they're black, because they're women or too frequently because they've tried to follow the law in contravention to Hegseth's orders. It's not a good thing, right? We've seen him catch your officers who pushed back against the illegal murder of spoked strikes in the Caribbean who had concerns about him repositioning forces in Europe and who otherwise seemed to have tried to follow the law and maintain the professional culture of the Pentagon. So I wish this was a performance bloat campaign. It really seems like it's about streamlining his personalized control over the DOD. One of the things that's interesting is hearing people like Tom Tillis suddenly kind of

17:40speak out. I mean, obviously Tom Tillis approved this cabinet position. Here is an example of him kind of calling for reassessing of the Secretary of Defense. I think I'm pretty well staked out on my assessment of Mr. Hegseth. This is not personal. I mean, people need to realize I worked as a management consultant. I went into companies and identified areas where they needed to improve. We've got a management problem here. He needs to go whether it's impeachment or the most expedient route. It's just a prosum of replaceable would be great. And then one more, Thomas Massey in the House said this just to think about a week ago. Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth by such conduct has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to civilians, the lawful conduct of United States military operations, the integrity and credibility of the United States armed forces and the Constitution. It doubt he's going anywhere.

18:42So why do you think they're coming forward? I don't know. It's been so specific in their criticism. Well, I think that because Hegseth is given them the ability to be that specific about their criticism, there's a lot in this running management of the Pentagon that I think people can point to. And I do think it's interesting that Republicans feel like this is a safe place to go and criticize the administration. But here's the thing. Do you mean the floor of the House? Yeah, or in the halls of Congress. And this going after Hegseth is a safe avenue for Republicans to criticize the administration because Hegseth has been out there. And I'm not here to defend. Let's give these people too much credit. They are also on their way out so they don't have a lot of money. Exactly right. And that's the other point I want to make. Especially with Tom Tillis, Tom Tillis was the deciding vote on Hegseth. So some of this might be Bios remorse coming from Tom Tillis. But it doesn't mean that they don't actually have. And I think, Massey, that's more of a publicity stunt on the floor.

19:46And he's taken swings on his way out. But legitimately, you do need to look at the Pentagon and see how it's been run. What the Esprit de Corre is, what our armaments are, all of this thing. Now I will say this one thing on the 20%. I don't know if we have a bloated military. I think there's been calls for this for years. But this call has been made for years. And if we're finally going to right size the Pentagon, I would like to just look at that from an optics and say, well, is it the right time to right size the Pentagon? It may be. You did also create a new four-star command with these announcements, Ford Drone and Autonomous Warfare, which is going to create a bunch of new General Officer positions. Well, good. I mean, we need to modernize the military as well. Because too often we have these old weapon systems that just don't perform in this theater anymore. Look, I'm all for that. The question is the management. And I think Tom Tellus is straight up on management. Not be fired for not cause.

20:47You know what I mean? Especially if you've worked your whole life in the military, but I don't know. I think one of the things I'm struck by is I thought it was going to be Doge, but in the end, Pete Hegseth will probably have the most profound effect and legacy on his corner of the government that this country has seen probably since the integration of the military itself. I wish that wasn't true, but increasingly looks like the direction he's moving in. It's the biggest bureaucracy in the country, I think, in the world. And it's one that by design has to be obedient. And so he's got incredible power to reshape this institution in his image. We've seen him cashier generals who don't agree with him. We're seeing him now find ways like through policy to inject. And hopefully not in a permanent way, but inject legally Christian nationalist ideology into the industry. Like a lot of temporary positions here and there with each other. He's trying to create new offices.

21:47He's trying to create new permanent roles in the military that are going to try and maintain this ideology for him. And I just want to add, it's not totally hopeless, right? We do still have a Congress and it's up to them to vote whether to fund a lot of this stuff. I worry that we have a tradition of reflexively voting for defense authorization. So much so that we attach things to it that need to be done. Exactly. But it's ultimately not a excess decision. Okay. Did you have one more question? Yeah, I would just add that he is operating not by himself. He is operating with the permission and acceptance in a lot of times the encouragement of President Trump, right? He serves at his favor. And President Trump may be furious questions about munitions that have been reported privately and all those things. Still likes Hegseth and still puts him in his role no matter if people are in his ear complaining about him. All right. Thank you very much. I always appreciate your time. Straight ahead on CNN this morning. We're hearing from Israel saying that it's going to investigate an incident on board a fly-due-by-flight to Tel Aviv as a terrorist attack. So I'm going to speak with a former Israeli intelligence official.

22:49And later on CNN, a lethal injection failure. An inmate is alive after not one but two execution attempts. We're going to find out what went wrong on Tennessee's death row. This episode is brought to you by TickTack. Lay something, get your game on because the TickTack lineup just got a new teammate. Dr. Pepper TickTack. This new double threat puts two of your favorite flavors into one box of mince. And when two iconic flavors come together, the result can only be iconic. Score big. Try Dr. Pepper TickTack today. The real cost of a break-in isn't your valuables. It's the feeling that your home stopped being safe. Simply safe keeps danger away from your family with three layers of protection. One, smart AI cameras and live U.S. based agents help stop intruders before they break in. Two, we sound the alarm at points of entry. Three, our agent's request emergency response. Play and starting around a dollar a day.

23:49Right now get 60% off your new system with professional monitoring at simplysafe.com-slaft-spawnify. Outdoor deterrence plans start at $49.99 a month. Visit simplysafe.com-slaft-licences for alarm-licensed information. We are continuing to track the latest on the attempted hijacking of a fly-to-by-flight heading to Israel. Officials say the copilot allegedly tried to crash the plane after stabbing the plane's captain. And then that sent the flight into a nose dive. We are now learning more about the captain who is being hailed as a hero. And Israel's foreign ministry says the captain was able to unlock the door after being stabbed, allowed passengers in to storm the cockpit and give him help. Two reserve pilots were then able to save the plane from the nose dive before safely landing in Saudi Arabia. The alleged attacker is now being interrogated as investigators try to uncover a possible motive. CNN asks Israel's prime minister who might be responsible and if there were any warnings

24:51of a possible attack. No, not specifically. What we had is a lot of information streaming in that Iran's proxies in particular, Hizbala and Hamas were planning attacks against Israel and Israeli civilians abroad. But I can't tell you that we had any specific warning about this. This is being interrogated right now. So we'll find out very soon if Iran had anything to do with it. Joining me now to discuss is Odead Islam, the former head of Masad's counterterrorism division, which is Israel's intelligence agency. He's talking to us from Tel Aviv. First I want to start with a statement from Netanyahu. He mentioned Iran there, but right now, as of the reporting, there is no announced motive and nobody has claimed responsibility. Is that right? This is the usual pattern in such cases. Nobody wants to take any source of responsibility, especially when it failed operation.

25:56But nevertheless, the Iranian, of course, are the usual suspects. But in that case, I am not that certain that Iran is standing behind in that certain case. It looks more and I have to be very cautious with what I'm saying. Because right now, the investigation is going on, but it looks more like the long-ranger operation, which means the co-pilot was inspired by Iran, inspired by the events. But not necessarily was Iran conducting this sort of operation. Because I see, at that point, no reason for Iran to take such an extreme measures in their confrontation with the US and Israel. So what sorts of intelligence would agents be looking for now to try to piece together how this person ended up on this flight in the cockpit?

26:59The most significant information that right now all the authorities and when I mean the authorities is the Saudis, is the Emirates, and of course, is the Israelis that are working together is to find out whether there are accomplices and to find out whether there are more of the same in order to fornap. It is the immediate task of everyone to make sure that there aren't any others. Now, another thing is very important is to try to trace and to follow the co-pilot behavior and activity before the event in order to understand better. First of all, his motives and of course, the most important thing is he affiliated with any sort of country or organization. This is the immediate task of the joint team.

27:59And of course, the repercussions could be horrendous if he succeeded. So right now, it is very important to understand it better in order to eliminate and for future events like that. Okay, that's Oded Alam. Thank you so much for I appreciate you. And next on CNN this morning, Ken Paxson hits the campaign trail with President Trump. After reports, he blamed the President's convention for his sagging poll numbers. Plus, West Virginia Senator Jim Justice calling on ICE to dial back its enforcement sweeps is he saying what some Republicans are thinking. Breathe in. Now let it all out with Lincoln Rejuvenate, a multi-sensory feature available in the 2027 Navigator SUV, experience a gentle massage, expansive visuals and digital sense to help you relax in the driver's seat.

29:00It's your time for a reset. Visit Lincoln.com to learn more. Lincoln Rejuvenate is not operating unless the vehicle is in park when the vehicle is off or if any doors open. Do not use the feature in a closed garage or another in closed areas, a C-owner's manual for important operating instructions. So Texas Attorney General and Senate candidate Ken Paxson expected to join President Trump at an event in Texas today. And it's going to be the first face-to-face meeting between the two since there was leaked audio of Paxson complaining that that Republican midterm convention, Deb Trump of Paloza, actually hurt him and other Republican candidates in the state. Now we should say that Paxson seemed to have to respond to all this and an assatement to CNN at least senior advisor Nick Maddix called the time story quote, manipulated

30:05nonsense. He went on to say that Paxson looks forward to closing strong alongside President Trump including when he comes to Texas this week. So here we are. Was a convention worth it for Texas Republicans? Was it worth it? No, I think Paxson's putting a lot more emphasis on a convention that no one remembers happened two weeks ago or three weeks ago or four weeks ago. I mean, there's a big reason why. Well, and if I'll pick off probably something to do. So he's putting way more emphasis on this convention that it deserves. I think this is more about Ken Paxson and his campaign that it is anything about the President. Which is, but it's not though. It's super humiliating for the President, but he went down there and tried to save Paxson and now Paxson's failing campaign and so he tries to blame the President. Ken Paxson's not winning because he is corrupt. Ken Paxson is not liked in Texas and he's a corrupt politician and he's in bed with another corrupt politician in Donald Trump and the two of them can have a little corrupt convention down there in Texas today.

31:05Look, every other Republican statewide on the ballot is winning their races except Paxson. That's true. Greg Abbott is up. Greg Abbott has been down in the nine polls. He has been either tied or down in the last nine polls. Can I follow up on the other two that are going to be in this? We should go back and fact check that. Because you did say something that is significant there, which is they had it in Texas on purpose. They had it in Dallas on purpose to help. So if it didn't help, why were you even there? I mean, and you're going to see Trump there, not just today, but again and again and again, as he tries to drag Paxson across the finish line here. But what Paxson said was not fundamentally different than what we had been talking to Republicans who were privately saying to us at the Washington Sun, which was questioning why they were there and whether or not it was worth their time and also additionally worth their money, which some candidates had to pay. Because they were coming off their own campaign trails to be seen there. So like, obviously Paxson in the Trump aspect is interesting, slightly embarrassing or whatever. But it is a real reflection of I think a lot of what Republican candidates felt like

32:10on the ground, which is why are we here? And we did hear that in time and time again, it's reflected in our report. Well, the money is following right now. I think Politico was reporting that Paxson is launching a $20 million ad campaign starting on Friday. So this could turn out to be one of the most expensive races in history. We're talking $300 million for a state that shouldn't be competitive by measure of the last 40, 50 years of Republican dominance in the state. Absolutely. And that's part of the problem with what's going on right now because this will become, Texas is an incredibly expensive state to run a campaign in. And that money that's going to Texas is not going to other states where it may be better spent Iowa, Ohio, other places. Because the president made it decision because he didn't like Cornyn and went with Paxson who is a corrupt candidate. And so now you guys are all having to pay the price and it's horrible. Okay.

33:10I want to turn to something else where you're seeing some descend from Republicans. This time, it's Jim Justice of West Virginia. He's calling on the Trump administration to shift their tactics when it comes to immigration enforcement. And he's joining a growing chorus of anger and concern over an increasing number of low profile raids that are taking place in rural communities ahead of the midterm. So just to give you a sense of the numbers, ICE made more than 140,000 arrests from June through August. So that was just this summer and it's a record. The difference from what you saw in the winter is the agency is not trying to publicize it the same way. So you have the senator from West Virginia saying, quote, before you know it, you get people that get carried away in their job and whatever it may be in all of a sudden, then you're dragging people away that have lived on your street corner for 15 years. And he says, I don't know that we need to be doing that stuff. The group chat is back. This comes on the heels of that ad from the Florida Republican Maria Salazar saying, your

34:15immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. Yeah, it comes on the heels of that. It's also come on on a different topic. The heels of a multitude of Republicans saying that the Ron Ward needs to end in a more forceful way. And I think that there is obviously the immigration aspect, which is that people have been concerned that they're seeing folks who've been in their neighborhoods and environments for 20 plus years being taken off the streets, even though they are not criminal like constituents. So we've moved from criminal felony. These are the people who are going after to the criminality is inviolating immigration orders for an expanded number of people who are here legally and therefore they have to leave. And I also think that you're seeing that probably most importantly that concern in polling in surveys for when we're talking about the midterm elections. And so it's not just happening. I think people are seeing this and like, oh my gosh, Jim Justice is having this kind of epiphany moment. It's also happening in the context of a midterm election. Yeah, I was going to ask how it shifted the story also from cities.

35:15So before it was like big bad Chicago, it's run by Democrats, it's bad and therefore we're there. Hammer. And now you've got your mains and your West Virginia's and your places where people are seeing it and it's sort of introduced it to the rural voters and communities that actually are pretty Republican. Well, they have quotas, right? We've all heard about the quotas that they've been given. So they have to find people somewhere. But it's interesting to me that all these sudden these people have a backbone now that they're running for something else or running for reelection, that they're willing to speak out now. It's like, where were you when they were dying in the street? But they're willing to speak out because they think the voters agree with that position. I think. Because if you thought the voters thought this is great, he's doing his job and this is what he promised. You wouldn't come out and say this. I think the evidence to show that the voters agree with that position, that yes, you want to remove criminal illegal migrants from the interior of your country, but do you want to remove outside of maybe coming here illegally or overseeing your visa, non-criminal migrants from the country that?

36:15That is a key difference. Right? That is a key difference. Why are you removing people who do contribute to the niceness of my neighborhood versus removing people who don't? And I think to Megan's point, 33 days out from a midterm election, these are politicians. What do they do? They read polls. They try to figure out the vibe of the community. And I think the vibe of the community, whether it be rural or whether it be urban, is that we're all for getting rid of violent criminals. We're all for that. But now you're going after a different group of individuals. Wait a second. We didn't vote on that. And or my community isn't happy about that. And I think that goes to you. Yeah, it's interesting. That's because I have to remember. That's because I have to remember. Yeah, that's because I have to remember. Are we surprised politicians are doing things that are good for themselves? No, it's not good. You know, I think shifts public perception or at least can affect people. We're doing some reporting at CNN about the people who are like on accompanied minors

37:18who are now having to appear in court by themselves. Meaning you're a seven year old who is now in a court proceeding. You're a 13 year old in a court proceeding. And I think in the past, the conservative argument was, well, that's their parents fault for bringing them here. But now I got to explain to my kids why a kid that looks dare age is in a courtroom sketch. Yeah, this is all about how we're doing it, right? This is inhumane. People are tired of the, they're just the cruelty behind all of this. And these people are now, these Republicans are standing up because the people in their community are pissed about it. And they want to win their election. It's so transparent. And it's just, it's so gross because there is an actual policy of immigration and securing our borders that is important to the United States that most people do agree with. The way that they have been doing this, killing people in our streets, taking people out their homes, waiting for people at schools when they're dropping their kids off, waiting at churches, nobody wanted that. And now these Republicans finally are speaking up 33 days before and a lot. Here's what concerns, man. This is where I think the president actually in the last two years of his, of his second

38:18term can really make a difference here. And to be clear, this is Texas, right? The state of the United States. No, absolutely. But we need immigration reform. We've been talking about for 20, 30, 40 years. Part, part one of immigration reform is closing the borders. And the next success the president has done that. Part two is actually figuring out the next steps forward for these individuals that have lived on your street corner for 15 years. That part, if the administration can work with Congress and get something done on that, that's like Nixon going to China. Yeah, I don't think they have to. They have to make a difference. Well, I wish they would. I know. Because they would agree. It is exactly what this country needs. We agree. Okay. I think what happens is, we're agreeing on everything. No, everyone, like the argument always goes in circles, right? It's like, well, I don't think it should happen this way, but reform is needed. And then I'm like, okay, well, that's a drawing of it anywhere. It's a form of administration. From the administration's perspective, they have been incredibly successful in closing down the border at now, moving mass amounts of people out of this country who they feel that shouldn't be clear.

39:19At what point do you actually go through? And so why would they go through? Yeah. What do you mean to? What's the way that you don't? At what point do you look in the public in the eyes? I look so soon. These numbers are huge. I'm doing my job. Pleasures. We never close the border. We have now. That's important. We know I'm not taking tech. We know I'm not taking tech. People believe that there are 20 million plus people to remove from this country. I don't think 100% of you never made it. You just think they just aren't high. The numbers are all inflated. But also, this is impacting Texas. Those people in the valley are moving away from the Trump coalition and moving away from Republicans. And that really could cost them the election. Okay. I want to talk about the people who are eyeing all the way to 2028, right? We're talking about all the problems that some Republican candidates are having. But let's say you are a Gavin Newsom. And you're, you know, he isn't saying he's running for president. He's not exactly ruling it out. I'm a doer and I want to be an entrepreneur in my life in every way, shape, or form in public policy. And to the extent it brings me down a path of right for president, we'll see.

40:21Now as he thinks about what comes next, one of the politicians he's been studying is Bill Clinton. Newsom tells Vanity Fair I watch videos of Clinton. I seek his counsel, his advice. I've been a student of his from day one. He's also putting together a collection of policy ideas he calls project 2029. Now Clinton, of course, won the White House twice by building a coalition that reached well beyond the Democratic base. So did Barack Obama. Why does Newsom think he can win with Clinton's playbook? The group chat is back. Megan, I feel like you might have thoughts on this. Gavin Newsom has been a supporter of the Clinton's from day one. He was a surrogate in the 2008 campaign for Hillary. So it's not surprising that he has an affinity for the Clinton's over anybody else. But I also think he understands that he comes from a state that it's more liberal than the rest of the country and might be more to the left. And so I think that following the Clinton playbook of being able to capture Southern Democrats, working class, Midwesterners, I think is a playbook that he should follow.

41:22I was going to say the whole point. So I'm not saying he's going to be successful in this thing. We're not just keeping too successful. I'm just saying that this is what he's going to do. It's not my thought, right? But it's interesting because Bill Clinton ran his whole persona was, I'm not a blow-dried type, California Democratic liberal. I'm not a sexist. I'm not a sexist of a, right? Exactly. He's literally one of these things is not like the other. But what can he take away from it that you think we will see? I mean, I think that he's going to have to spend a lot of time in these states. But what about having a plan? Project 2029? I mean, it's nice to hear someone say, here are the policies. This is what I'm thinking of. Part of that, well, well, one, Gavin Newsom seems to just steal things from everybody else. I'm glad he's such a doer. I'm glad he's such a doer that he had a clean desk when he was talking about that. I'm just saying he's sitting like 2029 is obviously he's playing off of Project 2025. So that's where I'm, you've heard of it and that's where I'm saying he's.

42:23We're all living it. Here's exactly. Here is the thing though. I mean, with him running, he is the definition that Republicans use to push back against liberal policies. We always talk about do you really want to become a California? Clinton was from Arkansas. He had the stick down. Gavin Newsom's never going to fill those shoes and you know, he would be much better saying Barack Obama is his political. He's a political hero. Maybe. Then if he said Bill Clinton's political. I think I'm going to politically translate this and say which version of the Democratic Party coalition do you think would turn out in 2028? Do you think it is a multicultural, slightly younger, still with white voters, one like Obama? Do you think it's the Clinton Carville? We got to get the heartland and make these work. You know what I mean? Like there's still a decision going on about what coalition can be rebuilt. I'm not going to be a predictor. I probably think it's a former, but I think this will only be decided when you see Gavin Newsom

43:25with his shirt rolled up at the Jim Clyburn, Fish Fry and Southkick. Fish fry. Fish he caught, by the way. Fish he caught. I'm not sure about that. Where have you been? There were producers putting fish on those hooks. You know that. We know that. Let's don't be getting me in trouble. Okay. So tell me about your group chat. Okay. My group chat is Tenashi's new album, Pop Star. It's amazing. And her story is amazing because you know she went through all these struggles with her former label and she decided I'm going to do it my way. I love it. Come back. And it took some time and the album is perfect. And you're also supposed to say the Washington Sun. Oh. Yes. The Washington Sun. Go and subscribe. Formerly known as Notice. Now we're the Sun. I'm the White House correspondent, Newsletter, all those things go ahead because we are back. Okay. Okay. If we're talking things close to our heart like the Washington Sun for you. For me, this is an Easter egg that I discovered this morning on Google. If you type Buffalo Bills into any into Google on any browser, you will be able to play this

44:31game. Look in the lower right hand corner. Try to hit the table. It's incredibly hard. But I plan on doing this on Sunday. So that's mine. Love that for you. I'm so happy. Yeah. Like Google animations are always for someone. I, Drew Cha, is a plea to the new bosses here, the Paramount to fall to please, please sign and renew Lionel season four. I am done with season three. And now we need season four. And it has not been renewed. So Paramount bosses, if you are listening, please do this. There's a lot of like heartbreaking cancellations that have happened here and there. Mine was a show called Writer Die with Hannah Waddington and Olivia Spencer. I think it was on Amazon. But you're just like, we watched, we supported, we sat on social media. Why are you canceling? I just sent it on a cliff. A cliffhanger. So unfortunately, you're going to have to pay out my girls' owey and get her back. I'm great. Let's do it. Paramount, you got lots of money. Let's go. Oh my god. Come on, guys. Okay. One of the things that we are also looking ahead today is more serious. We are talking about that flight, that flight that was diverted from Israel into Saudi Arabia.

45:35And there's a couple of details that are coming out now. The pilot has been speaking. We're going to be hearing him speaking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There's also an investigation on going into how that co-pilot ended up in the cockpit. The other thing we've been talking about today is Texas, Senate race, governors race, and whether or not Donald Trump is helping either. He's going back to the state today. You're going to be seeing images of him out of the state side by side with Ken Paxton, who in leaked audio revealed he's been a little disappointed. So stay with us for all of these headlines. I know you could choose to be anywhere and I'm glad you're here with us. I'm Aadi Kornish.

46:38Together. Aadi, I think I feel. Do you have I got news for you crew is back to keep you safe? Do you think anyone here knows what you're talking about? Nope. I've got news for you now streaming on the CNN app.