Maine Senate Race Tightens, OpenAI Engineer Arrested, Diddy's Alleged Prison Fight: AM Update 10/15

(upbeat music) - Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Gershinsky, host of Afterparty and the Megan Kelly Wrapup Show on Series 6M, Channel 11. It's Thursday, October 15th, 2026, and this is your AM update. - Susan Collins, look at what? - She has a tendency to outperform her polls. - Republican Senator Susan Collins holding her own in Maine, despite President Trump's unpopular standing in the state and Democrats gaining ground in other Senate races nationwide. - An executive conference room, this conference room was only used by leadership and people related to the leadership at OpenAI. - An OpenAI engineer arrested after allegedly planting a secret recording device inside a company conference room. Sean Diddy-Combs, reportedly injured in a prison fight with a notorious Jamaican drug lord, and Pope Leo recovering from successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. All that more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. 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You go to armra.com, armra.com/megen, or enter my name Megan to get 30% off your first subscription order. That's armra.com/megen. Check it out. Republican Senator Susan Collins remaining remarkably competitive in Maine, even as Democrats gain ground and traditionally Republican states across the country. Senator Collins is the only Republican Senator up for re-election this year in a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024, making her seat one of the Democrats' most important targets in their effort to retake control of the Senate. Yet a new Suffolk University poll finding Senator Collins in a statistical tie with Democrat former Maine Senate president Troy Jackson. The survey showing Jackson leading Senator Collins 49 to 47%. Well within the polls, 4.4 point margin of error. The real clear polling average showing an even tighter contest, Jackson ahead by just 1.3 points. Perhaps most striking, President Trump's approval rating in Maine standing at just 37%. Compared to 57% who disapprove, while 64% of voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. Senator Collins holding a narrow advantage among independent voters, according to USA Today and winning support from 14% of voters who disapprove of the president. Senator Collins also attracting support from 5% of voters who backed Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, while Jackson is winning virtually no crossover support among voters who backed President Trump. CNN Chief Data Analyst, Harry Enten, on Sunday, highlighting the unusual dynamics of the Maine Senate race. Troy Jackson, the Democrat's chances, they're actually declining. As the Democrat lead nationwide is getting larger, Troy Jackson's chances are actually going down. They're going down, they're going down into the Atlantic Ocean. You know, you'll look back a few weeks ago. Look at this, he had a 68% chance, according to the couch prediction mark. Look where it is now. It's just a 57% chance. Susan Collins chances, they're going up. They're going up, she's now up to a 43% chance. That's basically very much within the margin of error. And more than that, Susan Collins, look at what? She has a tendency to outperform her polls. Look at through history, polls underestimate Collins and made. In 2008, the final polls, they underestimated her by eight. How about 2014, by eight? Jackson attempting to make the race a referendum on Senator Collins' record in Washington, particularly her support for President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, who subsequently voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. During a debate last week, Jackson confronting Collins over her refusal to express regret for that confirmation vote. You know, eight years ago today, main women, I know many of them came to your office and begged you not to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, but you did it anyways. And then he overturned Roe, and you still say that you don't regret that vote. So I guess what I'm curious about is what will it take for you to admit that you were wrong? You know, especially whatever Kavanaugh went out and did what he did. I mean, and you don't regret that today. So what will it take for you to admit that you're ever wrong? Senator Collins defending her record by pointing to her votes to confirm three Supreme Court justices nominated by Democrat presidents, Helena Kagan, Sonya Sotomayor, and Katangi Brown, Jackson. The Republican also emphasizing her independence from President Trump, noting she has repeatedly broken from her party on major issues, including his terror policies and the war in Iran. Senator Collins telling moderators during an earlier debate that the president would not be traveling to Maine to campaign on her behalf, describing herself as far from one of his favorite senators. The five-term senator also making her experience and seniority in Washington a central argument for reelection. While questioning Jackson's legislative record during more than two decades in Maine state politics, here, a moment from last week's debate. - Try, you've served and it got stuff for more than 20 years. You said that Governor Mills vetoed 40 of your bills and that Governor LaPais vetoed 60 of them. But your trouble in getting bills passed goes far beyond that. In your more than 20 years in the legislature, more than one-third of your bills were unanimously rejected in committee. You couldn't even find one Democrat on the committee to support a third of your bills. If you can't find one person in your own party to vote for your bills when you were the Senate president in Maine. - It gets your question. - How do you think you're gonna get things done in a closely divided Senate as the most junior senator? - Saudi National Working as an engineer for OpenAI, now facing federal criminal charges, accused of secretly planting a sophisticated recording device inside an executive conference room at the AI company San Francisco headquarters. According to the DOJ 35-year-old Abdul Rahman, Al-Fazan was arrested by the FBI Friday appearing in federal court Tuesday on charges of illegally intercepting or attempting to intercept private conversations. Al-Fazan joining OpenAI in July of last year, allegedly targeting a conference room reserve for company leadership, where employees regularly discussed highly confidential research, technology, and business plans. The company discovering the hidden recording device during a routine security sweep late last month, prompting an FBI investigation that ultimately led to Al-Fazan's arrest. CNN reporting on how investigators uncovered the alleged surveillance operation. - This device was hidden in the back of a TV screen in the USB port of an executive conference room. This conference room was only used by leadership and people related to the leadership at OpenAI. This device monitored audio, it had advanced encryption, and a mechanism for transferring data designed to evade moderating, a monitoring. OpenAI says there was evidence he planned to install more of these devices throughout OpenAI offices in San Francisco. As you noted, this was found during a regular security sweep that OpenAI conducted, they reached out to the FBI and worked with them to install actually a camera to be able to spot Al-Fazan going back into the conference room and looking behind the TV screen. OpenAI is saying that at this point, they have no indications that he was able to inappropriately access or exfiltrate sensitive things, like model weight, source code, or customer data. - Federal prosecutors revealing additional evidence they say connects Al-Fazan to the alleged scheme, including his use of an AI productivity tool to research OpenAI's building's executive meeting locations and conference room schedules. According to the criminal complaint, investigators also identifying a chatbot account associated with Al-Fazan's wife, which was used to ask detailed questions about building, concealing, and remotely accessing audio recording devices. They count also making inquiries about encrypting recordings and improving live audio monitoring, including questions specifically related to the device later discovered inside OpenAI's offices. Investigators uncovering another potentially significant piece of evidence on October 5th when Al-Fazan allegedly left a bag unattended inside another company conference room. OpenAI security personnel searching the bag, discovering his wallet, identification, and a second recording device similar to the one found behind the television. In a statement, OpenAI confirming Al-Fazan has been fired while maintaining there's currently no indication that he improperly accessed or stole the company's sensitive AI technology, source code, or customer information. Al-Fazan's attorney, William Pernick, urging the public not to jump to conclusions telling CBS News his client is presumed innocent and warning against politicizing the case based on his nationality. Al-Fazan remains in federal custody ahead of a detention hearing scheduled for Monday, facing up to five years in prison and at $250,000 fine, if convicted. (upbeat music) Coming up, a notorious Jamaican drug lord reportedly attacking Sean Diddy-Combs behind bars, sending the music mogul to the hospital. And, hopefully, a recovering from undergoing surgery for lung cancer already up and celebrating mass. (upbeat music) - Our sponsor, the Electronic Payments Coalition, as Washington. politicians are always getting in your wallet and now they're messing with your credit card. They say your credit card and the security it offers are under attack and that senators Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall want to change the nation's payment system to benefit corporate megastores like Walmart and Target at the expense of everyday Americans. Credit cards can keep your payments secure and provide rewards that families use to help make everyday purchases more affordable. The electronic payments coalition says the Durbin Marshall mandates would let corporate megastores cut corners on credit card processing on routing transactions over cheaper, untested networks with weaker security and fewer protections. Find out more for yourself at guardyourcard.com and consider telling Congress to guard your card. Sean Diddy-Combs suffering a head injury during a prison fight with a notorious Jamaican drug lord amid growing tensions over allegations the disgraced music mogul has been receiving special treatment behind bars. According to TMZ, multiple sources inside the Fort Dick's federal prison in New Jersey say Combs got into a physical altercation Friday with fellow inmate Christopher Dutus Koch, a former Jamaican gang leader serving a 23-year prison sentence. Koch once leading the violent international drug trafficking organization known as the "Shower Posse" before being sentenced in 2012 on federal racketeering and conspiracy charges according to the DOJ. TMZ reporting the confrontation stemmed from anger among inmates over a recent NBC news investigation exposing Combs' privileged lifestyle behind bars, prompting prison officials to conduct at least two raids and confiscate contraband cell phones. Koch among those losing access to the prohibited items, landing Combs for the crackdown. Texas telling TMZ Combs suffered a significant head injury during the fight, prompting prison officials to transport him to an outside medical facility for emergency treatment early Saturday morning. Both men reportedly receiving two weeks in solitary confinement following the altercation, although Combs was already being held in the prison's special housing unit when the fight occurred during his daily break. The latest account contradicting report published Tuesday by Page Six, which cited a source claiming Combs injured himself by striking his head on an upper bunk bed. The 56-year-old conscious and speaking following the incident and later returning to prison. A spokesperson for Combs telling People Magazine that his health remains there immediate concern, although his representatives have not independently confirmed the circumstances surrounding the injury. Combs currently serving a 50-month federal prison sentence after being convicted last year on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. His projected release date recently pushed back by 41 days from January 21st to March 2nd of 2028, following reports of his alleged preferential treatment and disciplinary violations. Pope Leo XIV, recovering from a successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung, as the Vatican provides encouraging new details about the 71-year-old Pontev's condition. According to the Vatican's Medical Report, doctors at Rome's Jamali Hospital removing the entire lower lobe of the Pope's right lung Tuesday and procedure lasting approximately 90 minutes. The Vatican confirming the operation was completed without complications, although testing during the surgery revealed the tumor was a form of lung cancer, known as pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Diagnosis coming just two days after Pope Leo publicly revealed during his Sunday on-hallice blessing that doctors had discovered a small nodule in his lung during a routine examination. The Pope explaining the abnormal growth had been detected very early and appeared confined to a specific area up the lung. The Chicago-born Pontev announcing his plans to have it surgically removed, while asking Catholics around the world to pray for his recovery. CNN Medical Analyst Jonathan Reiner explaining more about this particular type of cancer. We've been told that the Pope was found to have adenocarcinoma of the lung, which is the most common form of lung cancer. Most of the lung cancers that are diagnosed are adenocarcinomas which found sort of equally in smokers as well as non-smokers. Lung cancer caught very early can be completely cured. Even more extensive lung cancer now can be very effectively treated with a variety of modalities such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and now increasingly immunotherapy. Lung cancer today does not have nearly the kind of dire prognosis that it had even as recently as 10 years ago. If this indeed was an early cancer and the lobe was removed and lymph nodes turned out to be negative and advanced scanning such as PET CT imaging, don't suggest any evidence of distance spread, then the Pope may very well be cured by this. Following the procedure, Vatican officials reporting Pope Leo regained consciousness normally and returned to the hospital room to begin recovering. According to the Associated Press, the Pope are already walking around his room, eating normally undergoing respiratory therapy and even celebrating mass from the hospital. The Vatican expecting the 71 year old to remain hospitalized for approximately one week, cancelling all public appearances through October 20th. The Pope's diagnosis raising questions about his upcoming trip to South America, where he scheduled to visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, beginning November 6th. Secretary of State Mark Rubio among those offering prayers for the Pope, posting on ex that he and his wife, Jeanette, are praying for the Holy Father's health and asking God to give him strength and guide the medical professionals overseeing his recovery. [BLANK_AUDIO]