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The Battle for Mosul; Syria Negotiations Continue in London; Trump Sexual Assault Allegations Examined; Debate Preparations; 21 Chibok Girls Freed; CNN Visits Key Swing State Voters; The Push to Cast More Black Actors in Film. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired October 16, 2016 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: Getting ready for battle, joint Iraqi forces prepared to take back one of the country's largest cities from ISIS.

Back to the drawing board, talks on Syria move to London after no major breakthrough in Switzerland.

And Donald Trump says he and Hillary Clinton should go through a different kind of test before the next debate. I want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world.

I'm Paula Newton. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

The battle for Mosul appears imminent in Iraq. ISIS has held the city for more than two years now. Government troops, Shia paramilitaries and Kurdish Peshmerga are poised now to try and take it back.

The Iraqi air force has dropped leaflets on the city, warning residents to stay in their homes and to avoid ISIS positions. Now, the leaflets also promised, quote, "It's victory time."

Our Ben Wedeman is in Erbil in Iraq, Kurdistan and joins us now with the latest on the operation to try and retake Mosul.

Ben, what is different this time there going in a very complex terrain, ISIS a hardened enemy and yet, they seem much more confident?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you have to keep in mind what's happened over the last two years in Iraq. Back in June of 2014, when ISIL took over Mosul, it was an absolute utter defeat for the Iraqi armed forces.

And they lost one city after another -- Tikrit, Baiji, Ramadi, Falluja. But now, the tide has turned. The Iraqi armed forces joined by Pesmerga, Kurdish fighters, supported by the U.S.-led coalition, have retaken all of those cities.

The army -- the Iraqi army, what I've seen in the field, is much better prepared, experienced. They are battle-hardened. And of course, this is, in a sense, the final battle for ISIS in Iraq.

They still hold Hawija, a town south of Kirkuk. But mostly, it's hugely important because let's not forget, it was there that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the so-called caliph of ISIS announced, pronounced his caliphate.

And you have also at the same time going on in Syria. You have the town Dabiq, which, according to a hadif or a sage (ph) of the prophet Muhammad, was where a battle will occur at the beginning of the end of days. There, Turkish bask to free Syrian army fighters, are about to retake the city.

So ISIS is really about to receive a body blow to its global jihadist ambitions. Now, the Iraqi army, the Kurdish fighters are a raid (ph) around the city, tens of thousands of fighters ready to go in.

We understand overnight, there was intense bombardment, not only by Iraqi forces but also by U.S. artillery of areas in and around Mosul in preparation for this battle. Now, we know the inhabitants of that city, which once had a population of about two million now perhaps 700,000 to a million are preparing for this battle.

Some are digging bomb shelters in their basements. Others are stocking up food because everybody knows what's coming.

And ISIS knows what's coming as well. They've made it clear that anybody who tries to abandon the city without permission will be executed.

Fourteen ISIS members were executed yesterday. However, they have told wounded ISIS fighters that they can leave. And we understand that early yesterday morning, six bus loads full of ISIS members, women and children, left Mosul presumably for Raqqah.

Paula?

NEWTON: Ben, in terms of what's going on now, a couple of questions. What -- what defense does ISIS have against all this?

And how will that end up ensnaring the civilians because a lot of people have commented and said, look, even in victory for the Iraqi military, could mean a lot of suffering for the civilians still caught up there?

WEDEMAN: Yes, there's no question about it. We've seen time and time again that ISIS, for instance, in Falluja in June, was using thousands of people as human shields as Iraqi forces tried to retake the city. Now, what ISIS is doing at the moment is they have released many prisoners, people being held for such crimes as smoking a cigarette, not wearing proper clothing or shaving.

They've released these prisoners and made them dig or help dig a network of tunnels and trenches around the city, which are typical defensive measures by ISIS. And, of course, ISIS has no problem using, operating from within civilian areas.

And that's the worry that as this battle intensifies, it will become street-to-street fighting. And people are living in those houses among them. And they have very little in the way of protection or support.

So it definitely will be a messy and possibly prolonged battle.

Paula?

NEWTON: We shall see. Our Ben Wedeman there, awaiting an Iraqi operation to retake Mosul. I'm joined now by Fawaz Gerges in Paris via Skype.

He is the chair of Contemporary Middle East Studies at the London School of Economics. He's also the author of "ISIS: a History."

And if we take what many hope will be the last chapter of that ISIS history, what do we expect to see here? Are you confident that the Iraqi military is in a much better position to deal, you know, a real death blow to ISIS here?

FAWAZ GERGES, CHAIR, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS' CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EAST STUDIES: Yes, I think the Iraqi army is much more prepared and much more in a better position than it was when Mosul fell in June 2014. The question, Paula, is not whether Mosul will fall not only to the Iraqi army but also to its allies, the Kurds and other, you know, militias, but how long it will -- it will take.

Will it take a few weeks? Will it take a few months? And also, a second very important question is the post-ISIS reconstruction plan.

Will the Iraqi army and the Iraqi government be able to provide reconstruction for the 800,000 civilians in Mosul? Will the Iraqi army and its allies, the Kurds and other elements in Iraq, be able to put the Iraqi house together?

I think this is the question. And they're a bit optimistic because the Americans have invested a great deal not only in the training of the Iraqi army, not only in positioning major American military assets in terms of special forces, but also, the Americans have invested a great deal of time trying to bridge the divide between the Iraqi government and the Kurds, between the Turkish government and the Iraqi government, trying to impress on the Iraqi government the need for a very important post-reconstruction plan to provide food and medical supplies to the civilians in Mosul.

So all in all, I think it seems to me that ISIS is on the retreat. ISIS is besieged. It realizes this is -- won't be the last battle -- the last major battle in Mosul.

Mosul is the second largest Iraqi city. This is the capital -- the de facto capital of the caliphate. If Mosul falls in the next few weeks or next few months, this would mean the end of the territorial caliphate as opposed to -- because ISIS will likely be with us for many years, but the caliphate itself, the territorial caliphate, will be dismantled, in particular, after the fall of al-Raqqah in Syria as well in the next few months.

NEWTON: And that is so important, even though, of course, ISIS is likely to continue on in the months and years to come as -- as a terrorist group. You know, you make such an important point about winning not just the war but the peace. Right now, in terms of trying retake Mosul, we have Sunni Arab and

Shia militias working together, Peshmerga, even Christians and Yazidis. And you know, what gives you confidence from the people that you've spoken that they do have it right this time about what happens post and ISIS victory -- ISIS -- victory against ISIS?

GERGES: I think you're asking a very important question, Paula. I think there are major differences among the various players.

There are major cleavages, both social, political and ideological. The two major constituencies, the Sunnis and Shiites have a major trust deficit.

And this particular deficit, trust, has not been, I mean, filled so far, even though both sides realize that ISIS is the enemy of all Iraqis. The Kurds and the Iraqi government now seem to be working together.

And both sides are really coordinating their efforts. There's a major problem between the Turkish government that has a major base near Mosul and the Iraqi government and the American, the Obama administration, has been working very hard to break the divide between Turkey and the Iraqi government.

Turkey is not part of the U.S.-led coalition. All in all, it seems to me, the morning after -- the morning after the fall of Mosul will tell us a great deal about whether the differences...

NEWTON: Oh, we seemed to have lost Fawaz...

GERGES: ...to be able to digress (ph)...

NEWTON: I'll have to let Fawaz go. There is some technical difficulty but I think we do understand what he's saying that the morning after winning that peace is just as important as winning this battle against ISIS.

Turning now to Syria, activists say Syrian rebel fighters backed by Turkey, are advancing on the ISIS-held town of Dabiq, the town in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, appears in some Islamic prophecies as a sign of an apocalyptic battle between Christians and Muslims. ISIS even named its English language magazine, Dabiq rebels have taken control of several villages in and around there.

Turkish president says a 5,000-square-kilometer area will be declared a safe zone and cleared of terror. Now, major powers meantime in the region are working on a ceasefire for Syria.

But a meeting Saturday in Switzerland ended without any breakthroughs. Russia, the U.S., Iran and Turkey were involved in those meetings.

Ian Lee joins us now live from Istanbul.

We heard extensively from Switzerland to yesterday, Ian, that expectations should continue to be low. The session was described as a brainstorming session. But you know, Ian, you just can't put it out of your head. If you

look at your social media feed, you will see that the people of Aleppo right now at this minute are still having to endure an awesome bombardment while they toil and talk in both Switzerland and London.

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula. And we saw that uptick in violence in Aleppo after the last ceasefire fell apart. So people in Aleppo will be watching what happens in Switzerland and hoping if they do have a -- some sort of agreement or that -- that yesterday's talks didn't bring about an agreement, but if they do have another agreement, that it actually remains in place and doesn't fall apart because of the level of violence that we have seen afterwards.

But you're right, these talks in Geneva, there weren't any great expectations for them. Both sides played down what was going to be accomplished there, although they did say that they do want to have some sort of agreement, some sort of cessation of hostilities, possibly getting aide in there.

They just couldn't come to some sort of formal agreement. This was a skinny-down talks. Only the major players as well as some Arab, Middle Eastern countries were also in these talks, said (ph) -- so that they could really get to the heart of the issues.

But right now, both sides just not able to see eye to eye.

NEWTON: And we shall see if they can carve a new path forward on any kind of ceasefire agreement. Our Ian Lee there (ph), keeping an eye on things (ph) from Istanbul.

Now, another day, another Wikileaks e-mail dump. Coming up, what the latest release is revealing about Hillary Clinton's speeches to banking giant Goldman Sachs, plus the Trump camp pushes back as a ninth woman comes forward to accuse Donald Trump of sexual assault.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: New poll from the "Washington Post" and ABC News shows Democrat Hillary Clinton leading Republican Donald Trump by four points. Now, she's up 47 to 43 percent among likely voters. That's only a slight change from their last poll taken before the first debate.

Polling was conducted during what may be the most controversial stretch -- stretch of Trump's campaign. But 64 percent of respondents say Trump's lewd remarks about women caught on tape will not affect their vote.

Now, Trump is calling for a drug test prior to the next presidential debate. Republican candidate is suggesting that Clinton took performance enhancers to improve her debate performances.

It's not the first time he's questioned her health or stamina without evidence before. But it is a whole new line of attack. This was his explanation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate.

(APPLAUSE)

I do. I think we should -- why don't we do that? We should take a drug test prior because I don't know what's going on with her.

But at the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped up at the beginning. And at the end, it was like oh, take me down. She could barely reach her car.

(LAUGHTER)

So I think we should take a drug test. I don't (ph) -- anyway, I'm willing to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: He's willing to do it. The Clinton campaign called the allegation a shameful attempt to undermine the election. Another woman is accusing Donald Trump of unwanted sexual advances bringing the total number of accusers to at least nine women.

Cathy Heller tells "The Guardian," the incident happened about 20 years ago at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. She told the newspaper Trump grabbed her and kissed her.

CNN has not been able to independently confirm her claims. The Trump campaign responded to the allegation saying, "The media has gone too far in making this false accusation.

There is no way something like this would have happened in a public place on Mother's Day at Mr. Trump's resort. It would have been the talk of Palm Beach for the past two decades.

The reality is this -- for the media to wheel out a politically motivated democratic activist with a legal dispute against the same resort owned by Mr. Trump does a disservice to the public, and anyone covering this story should be embarrassed for elevating this bogus claim." After Hillary Clinton resisted for -- resisted for months the release of transcripts of her speeches to Goldman Sachs, seems like Wikileaks has done it for her.

The speeches show Clinton talking about Wall Street's role in financial regulations, relations with Russia and Wikileaks itself. In 2013, remarks at a Goldman Sachs event, Clinton joked that she had to smooth things over with foreign leaders after the release of NSA documents.

Clinton said, "It was painful, leaders who shall remain nameless and were characterized as vain, power-hungry, corrupt and we knew they were. This was not fiction.

And I had to go and say, you know, our ambassadors, they get carried away. They want to be literary -- literary people. They go off on tangents. What can I say, I had grown men cry, I mean

literally." Now, for more than a week, Wikileaks has been releasing e-mails it hacked from Clinton's campaign Chairman, John Podesta.

Now, one main demographic where Donald Trump needs to rally support, and we've been saying this for many months, is women. As our Dana Bash reports, the campaign is using the best weapon it has to try and do that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump gets the raucous crowds but his daughter's trip on the trail is speaking volumes. Ivanka Trump's whirlwind schedule is targeting the areas likely to determine whether her father becomes president -- the suburbs of Philadelphia.

TRUMP: I wouldn't be able to go into the office every day if I didn't have a safe place to -- to bring my child.

BASH: She played it very safe, fielding several of the same softballs at multiple events, like why she thinks her father would make a good president, then darting out, ignoring our attempts to ask questions. First, in Chester County...

BASH: Ivanka, what was your reaction when you heard your father's tape?

And again later in Delaware County.

Ivanka, can you answer the question?

She preaches to the choir. Pennsylvania women already all in for Trump, despite his lewd language caught on tape and the new multiple allegations of groping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are (ph) for Donald Trump.

BASH: You sound a little reluctant when you say that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think it's just been a hard road.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He wasn't saying what he does to women per se. I think he was just bragging.

BASH: Team Trump is hoping local media coverage will help with the political reality, not reflected inside these suburban Philly events. GOP officials privately tell us that Donald Trump's 2005 comments hurt him big time here, especially among women.

A new poll shows Trump trailing Hillary Clinton by a whopping 43 percent among female voters right here in the Philly suburbs.

TRUMP: The suburbs of Philadelphia, because we've got to get that vote. we want to get that vote.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump is a changed candidate and the right person to get things done.

BASH: A group called Women for Trump is feverishly trying to do just that, even those who are not thrilled with his behavior.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a feminist. And of course, it bothered me. However, the topics that are facing this country are far greater than the words on that tape.

BASH: On the suburban Philadelphia streets, some female Trump supporters say they're motivated by their opposition to Hillary Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I think she's a liar. I think she's a fraud. I think she covers up a lot of things.

BASH: But the owner of this yoga studio in Westchester, P.A. says her female clients are now more likely to vote Hillary.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm hearing a lot of women that are really starting to dig their heels in and feeling empowered about themselves based upon what's happening in the campaign.

BASH: Even some who say she is hardly their first choice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it were any other Republican candidate, maybe I would like try to write Bernie in but it's just not the time for a protest vote.

BASH: Democrats at this Clinton phone bank say Trump is making their jobs easier.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A number of people have said to me that what was sort of I'm going to hold my nose and vote for Secretary Clinton has now turned into steadfast support.

BASH: The question is whether Ivanka or any Trump can turn that around in under four weeks. Dana Bash, CNN, Malvern, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, a landmark climate agreement was reached in Cagala (ph), Rwanda on Saturday. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is here with us.

What surprised me about this is this is obviously the pollutant's coming from refrigerators and air conditioners.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

NEWTON: And you would have thought we would have already handled all this already.

VAN DAM: You think we would because of the Montreal Protocol setting (ph) back in the late '80s. It was to try to curb the CFCs, the chlorofluorocarbons that were so detrimental to the ozone layer above us. So well, you know, the scientists introduced a (sic) option, a

substitute to these CFCs, because they said, all right, in the Montreal Protocol, we'll get rid -- rid of the CFCs. But we still have to cool our refrigerators.

We still have to cool our homes, right? We need our food to stay good and not spoil in a refrigerator. So they introduced what is called HFCs, hydrofluorocarbons, I'll just refer to as HFCs going forward here so I don't have too much of a mouthful to give to you back home.

But you need to understand this because it's -- it's fascinating to see what's actually happened because now that the scientists have gotten away from the CFCs and they brought in the substitute HFCs, they've noticed, all right, congratulations, we are no longer harming the ozone layer. But it took them 20 years to actually figure out that the HFCs were a significant heat-trapping greenhouse gas similar to carbon dioxide but 10 to 100 times more potent and more effective in trapping heat right where we don't need it.

You've heard of global warming. You've heard of global climate change. Carbon dioxide contributes to that. That is a greenhouse gas but so is HFCs.

And we needed to eradicate those. So a group of countries have gotten together -- dozens of countries. This is an amendment to the Montreal Protocol set in the '80s.

And they said, if we can decrease our HFCs by 10 percent through 2019, this being the European Union and the United States, some of the biggest polluters in the world, we have the potential to decrease our global warming by the end of the century by a half a degree Celsius. This is significant considering that with the previous COP21 in -- in Paris, we are trying to curb our greenhouse gas emissions and also global warming by at least two degrees Celsius, and also significant, considering that nine of the 10 last year -- our warmest years have occurred since the year 2000.

We're starting to see this link between global warming and extreme weather events. Let's take, for instance, what's happening across the Pacific Northwest right now.

Oregon and to Washington, getting hammered by storm after storm after storm. And you can see some of the damage left by what is called a significant low pressure that bombed out over the Pacific ocean and created winds that uprooted dozens and dozens of trees and have left 50,000 customers without power in Oregon.

NEWTON: I know (ph) historic weather events...

VAN DAM: Like this.

NEWTON: ...yes. Incredible, incredible pictures. Thanks for bringing us (ph) -- really appreciate it (ph).

Just days after 21 Chibok girls -- girls (ph) were freed in Nigeria, we will tell you what's next for them as they try and reintegrate back into society and reunite with their families (ph).

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:42] NEWTON: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Paula Newton. These are the headlines this hour. Iraq's prime minister said a major battle against ISIS will happen soon.

Iraqi government forces, Kurdish Peshmerga troops, and Shia paramilitaries are standing by to retake Mosul and other cities. Iraq's air force has dropped of leaflets on Mosul, warning residents to remain inside their homes and avoid ISIS position.

Another woman is accusing Donald Trump of sexual assault, making that total now to at least nine. Cathy Heller said the Republican candidate kissed her without her consent at his Mar-a-Lago Resort in Florida nearly 20 years ago.

A spokesperson for Trump says there is no way the story is true. Another release of e-mails hacked by Wikileaks purports to show the transcripts of speeches that Hillary Clinton delivered at Goldman Sachs events.

The remarks show Clinton discussing Wall Street's role in financial regulations, U.S. relations with Russia and Wikileaks itself. The Clinton campaign has not confirmed the authenticity of those transcripts.

Thailand's crowned prince says the royal succession will be smooth. The country's prime minister read the statement on T.V. Saturday, revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej died this past week after 70 years on the throne. He was seen as a stabilizing influence in a country which during his reign had 19 military coups.

Now, 21 free Chibok school girls are expected to reunite with their families in Nigeria's capital sometime soon. The militant group Boko Haram released them on Thursday. David McKenzie now joins us live from Abuja with an update.

And David, they still haven't been reunited with their families. But what do we know about their condition?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we saw those pictures of them coming to Abuja and they looked gaunt, though, safe, certainly emotional and happy to be in safety here in the capital. It does point to the difficult, terrible conditions they were held by Boko Haram in the Sambisa forest and in those areas of the northeast that the ISIS-linked group still controls.

We expect the family members to be coming into Abuja one by one, getting to have that emotional reunion with their loved ones, with those 21 girls, now women, who were taken more than two years ago from Chibok sparked a worldwide outrage to get them home. Now some have come home and negotiators, or at least one source close to the negotiations, saying that the negotiations will continue next week. They are -- are hopeful they can get more girls back. But they are

negotiating for around 83, they say, the fate of the remaining more than hundred girls in captivity from Chibok is unclear.

And certainly, it will put severe worries amongst those campaigning for their return.

Paula?

NEWTON: And David, of course, a lot of controversy swirling around this, whether or not money was paid, whether or not Boko Haram commanders were released. And -- and the fact that right now, the government apparently isn't negotiating for all the missing girls.

What happened?

MCKENZIE: Well, as I said, they negotiated for those girls that Boko Haram says they can bring back. It's unclear if the others have tragically been cleared in the ongoing conflict in the northeast or, in fact, if those girls have become radicalized or married off to commanders, which has been a theme we've seen many, many times.

We're focusing, of course, on these 21 girls who have been released. But I want to put out another number -- that 75,000 children this year are at risk of starvation because of the manmade hunger in some pockets of famine that the U.N. and others are calling as a humanitarian catastrophe in the northeast.

They haven't been able to access many of those areas controlled by Boko Haram. And as the Nigerian military and others pushed in deep into Boko Haram territory, they do see the awful humanitarian situation that has been caused by this ongoing conflict for several years.

They're now being forced to take helicopters into those zones to drop food aid and get life-giving assistance. Polio has had a resurgence in northeast of Nigeria.

And donors across the world seem unwilling or -- to give money to the cause here to try and save the lives. So you know, while the outrage was around these Chibok girls and really put a focus on the issue here, there's some other (ph) much sort of larger-scale problem going on in northeast Nigeria that is severely underfunded and definitely underreported.

Paula?

NEWTON: Yes, in fact, David, it's more than three million people in the northeast there that -- that are displaced. And as you said, the -- the aid communities have been very slow unfortunately in getting donors to be able to get what they need there.

I mean, they're talking about a widespread famine. And yet, David, Boko Haram is still quite a menace in that area, will continue to stalk those people, won't it? MCKENZIE: Well, that's right. I mean, throughout the Lake Chad

region, Boko Haram is still operating. This isn't, from a military standpoint, a fight that is over.

You have had a lot of successes from this multi-national force backed by the U.S. and other international actors moving in on the ground and from the air to try and stamp out the threat of Boko Haram. Even if they do manage to win that fight in the foreseeable future, well what's left?

You have a region that has been destabilized by this terror group. Farmers haven't planted their -- their -- their seeds in several seasons, meaning that people are food-insecure. And you have a -- a portion of the country that, in the past, has been pushing for kind of ISIS-like caliphate.

And, again, they created that -- in some level, Boko Haram did. The fallout of this whole campaign will last through years and years and often the worst affected are the women and children who have been killed, raped and abducted in the thousands, not just the case of the Chibok girls but really, having a devastating effect on northeast Nigeria and the surrounding parts of neighboring countries.

Paula?

NEWTON: Yes, David, that figure you gave, you know, 75,000 children at risk right now. David continues to follow the story from Abuja. Appreciate it.

Now, U.S. officials say the Destroyer, USS Mason, fired counter measures -- what they call counter measures in the red sea Saturday after it detected what it believed to missiles coming from a rebel- held area of Yemen. It's not clear exactly what happened.

Officials say it might have been a radar malfunction on the Destroyer instead of an attack. The ship and its crew were not harmed.

Now, also in Yemen, two Americans held captive by Houthi rebels are now free. The U.S. citizens arrived in neighboring Oman Saturday. Their names have not been released.

The U.S. is also calling for the immediate release of any other Americans who may still be held in Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition is taking responsibility for a deadly air strike in Yemen's capital.

The attack hit a funeral last Saturday. You might remember those pictures that killed more than a hundred and 50 people, many of them civilians. Investigators now say incorrect information led the coalition, which is fighting Houthi rebels, to wrongly target that funeral home and kill so many civilians.

South Korea says the intermediate-range missile that North Korea test- fired Saturday failed right after launch. Washington is calling on Pyongyang to avoid increasing tensions in the region.

South Korea says its military is prepared for any more provocations. The launch violates U.N. Security Council resolutions. Now, there may be more unedited damaging footage of Donald Trump from his days on "The Apprentice," why the show's creator says he won't release the tapes, plus we talked to voters in one of the most important states of this or any other U.S. presidential election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Some former staffers who worked on Donald Trump's show, "The Apprentice," reportedly say the leaked video of his lewd remarks on women is just the tip of the iceberg. But the show's creator says he legally can't release any of those outtakes.

Here is CNN Money senior media correspondent, Brian Stelter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You're fired. You're all fired.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Inside "The Apprentice" boardroom, Donald Trump had all the power.

TRUMP: And...

STELTER: Now, Mark Burnett, the reality T.V. guru who created the show could hold Trump's fate in his hands. Rumors are swirling that outtakes from "The Apprentice" are even more explosive than this bombshell "Access Hollywood" tape.

TRUMP: And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. You drop (ph)...

STELTER: And could make this casual sexist remark seem like nothing.

TRUMP: It's a pretty (ph) picture you've got (ph)...

STELTER: But "The Apprentice" raw footage is inaccessible. NBC, which aired the show, says Burnett has it. Burnett says he cannot legally share it.

And the production company, MGM, also says it is restricted from releasing the material.

TRUMP: You're going to do everything...

STELTER: This is contractual and common in Hollywood. British-born (ph) Burnett is one of the biggest producers in town and has been friends with Trump for years.

BURNETT: My first thoughts ever about Donald Trump, I was selling T- shirts on Venice Beach reading this book, "The Art of the Deal" by Donald Trump.

STELTER: He wasn't selling T-shirts for long. His participation in a French adventure competition gave him the idea for "Survivor." The show was a hit, giving birth to a new genre.

"The Voice" and "Shark Tank" are among his other huge money-maker. In 2004, Burnett catapulted Trump to T.V. stardom.

TRUMP: Generally, Mark wants me to do exactly what I want to do. And he's an incredible guy and a good guy -- a really good guy.

STELTER: When Trump got married in 2005...

BURNETT: My son, Cameron, was the ring-bearer at the wedding of Donald and Melania. That's how close we are.

STELTER: Burnett is deeply religious. In 2013, he and his wife, actress, Roma Downey, produced "The Bible" miniseries.

BURNETT: It's a calling.

STELTER: Faith could be one reason Burnett denies a report calling him pro-Trump, saying my wife and I reject the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign. But what about the misogyny that might have been left on the cutting room floor?

This AP (ph) reporter tells me, she interviewed 20 former "Apprentice" staff members who say Trump used uncomfortable sexist language behind- the-scenes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Including talking openly about which female contestants he wanted to have sex with.

STELTER: Now, there's speculation and concern that someone might defy MGM and leak new tapes.

Brian Stelter, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, we've heard a lot from the candidates and the pundits (ph). But what about those voters? Poppy Harlow headed to a key swing state to hear from them.

Ohio is so critical. No candidate has won the White House without winning that state since 1960.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio was one of the strongest for President Obama in 2012. Mitt Romney did not get a single vote from people living in these homes -- not one.

People living here have been struggling economically for a long time and they still are. So the question is, will they come out in droves for Hillary Clinton, the way they did for President Obama?

CLINTON (ph): Hillary.

CLINTON (ph): Hillary is the best candidate.

CLINTON: That's a no-brainer. HARLOW: There have been decades of economic despair and a dwindling

fate that politicians will help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the democratic platform is saying the same thing we have heard for about the past 50 years...

HARLOW: Over and over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...over and over.

HARLOW: Since the war on poverty was declared?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HARLOW: Jeff Crosby used to be in gangs that landed him in prison. Now, he's working to keep kids from the same life he lived.

CROSBY: This is one of the highest crime areas in Cleveland.

HARLOW: This is?

CROSBY: About 10 gangs over here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, what's up? Good?

CROSBY: I think the Democratic Party has taken us for granted. The Republican Party literally ignores us except for Trump.

Trump is trying -- is trying to make inroads but he is a polarizing figure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don't trust Donald, that's all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he got money? That ain't everything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm willing to vote for a clown before Donald Trump.

HARLOW: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, with a red nose. I do agree with Republicans sometimes. But I don't agree with nothing that Donald Trump stands for.

HARLOW: And that brings us to the second part of this Ohio chapter, 200 miles south. We're in Pike County, Ohio. And this place matters a lot, not for the number of votes here but because of what it represents.

It used to be solidly blue. But it's been moving more and more red. In 2012, this was the closest county in the country.

Mitt Romney won here by a single vote -- just one vote. It's 96 percent white, largely blue-collar and unemployment here is high. These are exactly the voters Donald Trump has been speaking to.

So if his message isn't resonating here, he's in trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say right now, you're looking at a coin toss.

HARLOW: A coin toss among union workers who until now have been solidly blue. Have you ever seen anything like that before?

So Donald Trump says he's the one to bring these jobs back. He's the one to build up your industry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump is saying that. That's a total propaganda. Where is this merchandise made?

What does -- what does -- what does he have to offer to American industry? Nothing.

HARLOW: Many here do believe Trump and see him as their best shot at getting ahead. Since 2000, Ohio has lost nearly a third of its manufacturing jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Het gets a lot of things that is amazing that he was telling us he can do for us.

HARLOW: Angie Shanks (ph) runs a real estate firm here.

SHANKS (ph): It needs more jobs, more better-paying jobs.

HARLOW: You voted for President Obama in 2008?

SHANKS (ph): Yes, I did.

HARLOW: But her faith in the Obama administration has faded.

SHANKS (ph): I think Trump is a businessman. And the country is a business. it needs to be run as a business.

HARLOW: When we met Angie (ph), she was leaning towards Trump. Now, after the "Access Hollywood" tape surfaced, she's reconsidering.

You're a life-long Democrat?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HARLOW: So you're voting for Hillary this time around?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dad was a coal miner. They put the coal miners out of work.

HARLOW: We left Ohio asking this question, why does economic pain from one town to the next push some people left and others right?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: And that was our Poppy Harlow there. Now, these interviews were taped before the "Access Hollywood" video of Trump surfaced. So CNN called back the Trump supporters that Poppy talked to in that special.

And almost all said they still support Donald Trump. Coming up, the push for onscreen diversity gets a big boost at the London Film Festival.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: A push to try and cast more black actors in film is getting a boost at the London Film Festival. CNN's Neil Curry reports on the progress that's being made.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEIL CURRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The actor, David Oyelowo, has two reasons to be happy. Stars in not one but two films being screened at London's 60th Film Festival this week, both are bold African stories with a considerably large cast of black actors.

But it's the fact that such a situation is remarkable that caused the actor's smile to be replaced by a frown as he addressed a festival symposium on diversity in film.

OYELOWO: The odd bone (ph) given is not going to do it. Don't pat yourself on the back because you made that black drama.

(APPLAUSE)

Bully for you.

(LAUGHTER)

That's not diversity, my friends. It's got to be baked into the foundation.

CURRY: The actor said his 12-year-old son's reaction to news that he won a part in the film, "Queen of Katwe" proved to be a sweet moment, which revealed a bitter truth about his business.

OYELOWO: The first thing he said to me is oh, wow, daddy, are you going to be playing the best friend?

(LAUGHTER)

I didn't really know what to say. But what I knew is that that statement was a product of what he had seen.

CURRY: Oyelowo's remarks came as the British Film Institute revealed a report, looking at diversity in U.K. cinema during the past decade. The study showed that black actors were absent from almost 60 percent of the 1,172 U.K. films made during this period.

Idris Albert (ph), Jewel Angiofore (ph), Naomi Harris and Noel Clark (ph) were among just six black actors with more than two leading roles in British movies. And black faces were sparse among the nations' most prolific acting talent. The BFI is launching Black Star during London Film Festival, a three-

month showcase of screenings, releases and special events to raise awareness of black talent on screen.

OYELOWO (ph): This thing is only going to happen. We are only going to get to the point where I don't have to give these talks. You don't have to listen to these talks.

We don't have to keep on talking about diversity. If we actually start to do diversity and the only way that's going to happen is if the demographics of the decision-makers changes.

CURRY: This year's movie calendar began with the Oscars so white event (ph) in Hollywood. As contenders emerge for the next award season on both sides of the Atlantic, British cinema has put diversity back in focus without recourse to a hashtag.

Neil Curry, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Some great films there. That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton. I'll be right back with another full hour of news.

Thanks for watching CNN, the world's news leader.

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