In our news wrap Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed the state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the Cornell University rape case, the U.S. is sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East as President Trump weighs further action against Iran and this year's Kennedy Center Honors will take place at Washington, D.C.'s Capital One Arena.
Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.
And we start the day's other headlines in New York.
Governor Kathy Hochul says she is deeply disturbed by the way Cornell University's police department and the county prosecutor handled a student's rape allegations in 2024. At a news conference today, she explained why she appointed the state's attorney general, Letitia James, as a special prosecutor to take over the case.
This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then, at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.
James vowed to see the investigation through and pursue prosecutions if warranted. The local district attorney said today he supports the appointment of a special prosecutor, but defended his decision not to prosecute.
The case has drawn intense national scrutiny since the unnamed accusers' lawsuit came to light last month. She's suing Cornell and seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, among other parties. The men have denied any wrongdoing.
Israel is set to start flights to bring home passengers who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates this week after the Flydubai airplane attack. Commercial travel was suspended between the two countries after the flight's co-pilot stabbed the captain and allegedly tried to crash the plane. An investigation into a possible motive is ongoing.
The captain, who is an Indian national, spoke for the first time today about the incident from his hospital bed. He told India's prime minister about how he managed to open the cockpit door to allow passengers to intervene.
Smit Machchhar, Flydubai Pilot (through interpreter):
I had fallen on the ground, and I realized then that the aircraft was going down. And I told myself, this is the last push. The door is right there. I was, of course, fighting for my own life. But at the same time, I knew I was not going to let others die.
Meantime, the "News Hour" can confirm reporting by The Wall Street Journal tonight that the co-pilot had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views. That's according to people familiar with the matter. The full circumstances surrounding the attack remain under investigation.
The U.S. military is sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East as President Trump weighs further action against Iran. The USS Theodore Roosevelt and its accompanying warships could relieve the two carriers currently deployed to the region or join them. Reports say the group's 9,000 sailors and Marines are expected to arrive as early as the end of October.
Meantime, in Yemen, Saudi-backed government forces released video today saying it shows the latest airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthis in the Southwestern Taiz province. Strikes also hit the country's Houthi-controlled capital overnight. The intensified fighting threatens to drag Yemen back into all-out war.
In France, students clashed with police today as protests over school conditions and university admission policies spread nationwide. In the suburbs of Paris, police used tear gas to disperse the crowds today. Officials there say more than 500 schools have been affected nationwide. Thousands have been arrested.
Meantime, in Spain, protesters in Madrid marched on the Parliament there after lawmakers rejected housing measures today aimed at protecting renters and curbing real estate speculation. The defeat is fueling speculation about early elections there.
This year's Kennedy Center Honors will take place at Washington, D.C.'s Capital One Arena, rather than at the famous arts venue. Although officials provided no official reason for the change, it comes amid a legal battle over adding President Trump's name to the building. Last month, the center's pro-Trump board voted to shut it down, and the administration at one point floated plans to demolish it.
Capital One Arena is home to the city's NBA and NHL teams. And this year's marquee event is scheduled for early December. A spokesperson says that honorees will be named at a later date.
The U.S. and its G7 allies are releasing 100 million barrels of oil over the next four months, including -- quote -- "substantial amounts of diesel." In a statement today, the group said the action would start immediately as nations grapple with sky-high energy prices. AAA says the average price for a gallon of diesel is now $6.37, not far from recent record highs.
Meantime, on Wall Street, stocks ended the week on a strong note. The Dow Jones industrial average added 250 points. The Nasdaq rose more than 1 percent. The S&P 500 pulled within 1 percent of its all-time high.