TN Inmate Who Survived Execution Attempt is Awake

0:00This briefing is brought to you by Easter Seals Disability Services. Real belonging begins with all of us. Good morning everyone, I'm Kate Baldwin. It's Wednesday, October 7th. Here are your five things. Number one, the failed execution. Christophe is now conscious and speaking. And that is news because six days ago, she was set to be executed by the state of Tennessee. But the execution attempt by lethal injection failed. Her attorney say the death row inmate is still receiving critical medical care now and suffered severe damage to her arms. In a statement, they said that her prognosis remains unclear, but at a minimum, we expect a long recovery. Also according to her attorneys, the executioners struggled to place the IV lines on the day of her planned execution. They had warned the state of her history of difficulties with finding vein access and they eventually used at least seven needles to try and get it right.

1:00Well, today, her lawyers are headed court to ask a judge to order evidence be preserved from the failed execution. Her legal team is also asking Tennessee's governor to commute her sentence now to be life without parole. In light of the botched execution, the governor has already halted all other executions in the state and ordered an independent review. Now, Christopher Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemer. Number two, the Russian researcher. So President Trump says that he has a call scheduled with the Russian president very soon. The topic, a mysterious death. A 20-year-or-eight-year-old woman worked at a Siberian lab studying the plague and just died of what the Russian government has so far only described as a pneumonia of unknown origin. And it's also the government not answering questions of whether it was pneumonic plague or some other infectious disease. Overnight, a source confirmed to CNN, the US issued a formal diplomatic communication

2:02over this escalating its request for information. Here's the Secretary of State. It's incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world. Now more we can learn about what happened, then the better all of us can be in a position of responding. And maybe, you know, there's nothing there. Maybe it's bigger than we thought we don't know. What we do know is that Russian authorities have put dozens of workers from that same lab in quarantine. Isolated the woman's contacts and is putting patients at nearby hospitals under new disease control measures. One woman in a maternity ward says that she had to fill out a questionnaire titled this, checklists for suspected highly dangerous infectious disease plague. Staff at the lab, in question, study a range of other dangerous diseases as well, including cholera and amphorax. Number three, the South Carolina race. So file this one under warning lights are flashing if you have to pump millions of dollars into a race that hasn't changed parties in nearly three decades. That is what is happening for Republicans right now in a fight for the Senate seat in

3:05South Carolina, with a top Republican super PAC now planning to spend $5 million to boost the campaign of Darling Graham. Cook political report now lists the races likely Republican rather than solidly Republican and Trump allies have told CNN they are worried about Graham's polling against Democratic challenger Dr. Annie Andrews. Graham was appointed to the Postal remember after the sudden death of a brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, and is now running for the full new term. Trump has taken a keen interest in the race, putting his own super PAC money to work to help her win the primary earlier this year. And then this week went on attack against the Democratic challenger, Trump using anti-trans slurs against Dr. Annie Andrews in a social media post. Here is how Dr. Andrews now responds. You know, if name calling could lower gas prices and diesel prices, then call me whatever name you want to call me, but that's not going to get the job done.

4:07We'll have another story for you right after this break. Whenever fall comes back around, it always feels like a fresh start. This year I've been layering in some styles from the new Louis Leman fall drop, because the weather is shifting and I find I have to be ready for the entire day and not just one part of it. Louis Leman's fall line has some really versatile transitional pieces, so I can just wake up, throw on a matching set, add a jacket or a fleece, and head out, knowing that I'll feel comfortable enough to go wherever the day takes me. Check out the new fall arrivals in store and online now at LouisLeman.com. Number four, the CIA scammer. A former senior CIA official now admits that he used his position to steal nearly $200 million from the US government. David Rush is his name. He pleaded guilty in Virginia yesterday. After prosecutors say he lied about his education and military background to gain top level clearance. He then fabricated a highly classified program, apparently to move roughly $145 million into a company he controlled.

5:09And then used the money to buy four luxury properties in Florida. Investigators also seized about 300 gold bars, $2 million in cash, and 35 luxury watches from his home. With the guilty plea, Rush now faces up to 20 years in prison with sentencing set for January. And one last thing, there are plenty of ways to travel. Luxury, budget, pack everything, or pack light. Extreme Explorer-Ash Dikes. Well, he brings an inflatable kayak and a plan for dodging hippos in crocodiles. The Welsh adventurer plans to embark on his latest quest today, paddling over 400 miles, navigating the remote African Congo River Basin. It will take him through one of the most dangerous and remote places on the planet, filled with not only unpredictable currents, but also plenty of crocodiles and well-disease and much more. And while it may seem an inflatable kayak is a questionable choice in this scenario, he explains it's quite intentional. If we come across a pod of hippos, for example, further down the way, and we're like,

6:13it's suicide to continue paddling, we can deflate it, pack it into a backpack, chuck it on our back, and then we can actually walk a huge detour around them to inflate the kayaks and continue. It makes total sense to me. This is the first in a series of expeditions that he is calling Project 6 to take him to extreme environments around the globe. And millions of people are following along on social media. On past adventures, Dykes has been well held up at gunpoint, survived malaria, and dealt with leech infestations on his way to five Guinness World Records. Well, I think he's found a new travel companion. I'm Kate Baldwin, those are the five things you need to know to get your day going. Take it, go. And every weekday until the midterms, check out one thing in this feed, the in-depth look at the most important political headlines drops at noon eastern. When fall comes back around, there's a sense of a reset.

7:14And new pieces from Lululemon's fall drop are an inspiration to push your goals and elevate your routines. As your calendar fills, easy to layer styles meet the demands of your day. And as you challenge yourself to try even more, versatile sets transition with you. The Lululemon fall lineup brings new levels of comfort and confidence, whether you're starting something fresh or starting something over. Check out the latest arrivals in store and on Lululemon.com now. I'm ready to learn to control it. In the face. I have no idea who you are anymore. Tell me who you want me to be. This only appears October 23rd. We did all.