BBC News Briefing

7 October, 2026

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. Death row inmate Christa Pike is "conscious and speaking", her lawyers have said. Our North America correspondent examines a difficult choice for Republican candidates ahead of the midterms. And find out how a diary discovered in a skip helped uncover a WWI story.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Expert 'absolutely astonished' that Pike regained consciousness

A close-up, grainy image of Christa Pike's face. She has brown eyes and curly brown hair. She has a neutral expression on her face and is standing in front of a white and black height chart.

Pike's lawyers have said her prognosis remains unclear. Credit: Tennessee Department of Corrections

Christa Pike's apparent recovery following two lethal injections is unprecedented, experts have told my colleagues. Criminologist and professor at Fordham Law School Deborah Denno said she was "absolutely astonished" the 50-year-old was conscious and speaking. Dr Joel Zivot, an anaesthesiologist advising Pike's defence team, said there remained many unknowns, including how much of the chemical pentobarbital entered Pike’s system and what her recovery will look like. On Tuesday, Pike’s legal team said she continued to receive critical medical care in hospital. Authorities have not yet offered an explanation for what went wrong and have not said whether they will try again to execute her.

Watch: What we know about Christa Pike’s "unprecedented" recovery.

The case: What happened in Pike's failed execution, and what happens next?

Explained: How widely used is the death penalty in the US?

WORLD HEADLINES

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