Friday, October 2nd

What happened

Tennessee tried to execute death-row prisoner Christa Pike by lethal injection, but she remained alive after two doses of pentobarbital and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. Gov. Bill Lee then halted the state’s remaining executions for the year and ordered an outside review of the failed procedure. Pike was convicted of murdering classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995, when Pike was 18, and would have been Tennessee’s first woman executed in more than 200 years. Her lawyers called the attempt cruel and predictable, while the prison agency said it followed lawful protocol. The review now must determine what went wrong.

What happened

Investigators in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, the US and Oman opened probes after a Flydubai co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash a Tel Aviv-bound flight carrying about 174 people. Indian captain Smit Machchhar was badly wounded but unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to break in, subdue the attacker and help stabilize the aircraft for an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Officials said they were examining terrorism, mental illness and prior planning. Israeli officials called it terrorism, and Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination. Trump said Iran was “likely” involved, based on what he was hearing, and vowed to hit Iran hard if a link is confirmed. Flydubai suspended its Israel flights while the motive is investigated.

What happened

New York Attorney General Letitia James is reviewing Cornell University’s initial response to a former student’s 2024 rape allegation, as prosecutors reopen the criminal case. Cornell also agreed to an independent outside review after Jane Doe sued the university, Chi Phi and seven fraternity members. Doe says she was drugged and raped at the fraternity house after drinking and later taking ketamine. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said the statement he received described voluntary, conscious and consensual conduct. Doe’s fuller police interview said she was “100% confident” she was raped and too intoxicated to consent. Van Houten now plans to present evidence to a grand jury.