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Two Earthquakes Hit Central Italy Within Hours; ISIS & Iraqi Forces Prepare To Clash South Of Mosul; Coalition Forces Preparing Raqqa Offensive; Polls Show Clinton Ahead, Trump Gaining Ground; Gingrich To Fox Host: You're Fascinated With Sex; France to Bulldoze Calais Migrant Camp; NATO Prepared Biggest Military Buildup Since Cold War; Hollywood A-Listers Urge Americans to Vote, Not for Trump. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 27, 2016 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour, two powerful earthquakes shake Central Italy. We will take you live to one of hardest hit villages.
VAUSE: ISIS sending suicide squads to Mosul as coalition forces prepare for their toughest battle yet.
SESAY: Also ahead, Samsung's phone fiasco sets fire to the company's just-released earnings report.
VAUSE: Hello everybody. Thank you for staying with us. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.
Just two months after horrific earthquakes, central Italy has been hit again. This time, two powerful quakes hit just two hours apart on Wednesday night.
VAUSE: The first quake was a magnitude 5.5 then a 6.1 magnitude quake hit near Perugia. So far, there are no reports of any fatalities.
SESAY: Barbie Nadeau joins us now, from Campi, Italy near the epicenter of those earthquakes. Barbie, set the scene for us. What is happening, where you are in the aftermath of these quakes?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, the light is just starting to come up. The sun is just starting to come out. We're getting first light. But what you can see behind me, this is a perfect example of just the importance of these two quakes, hitting back to back at 7:10 p.m. last night. The first quake just created a few fissures on this 15th century church (INAUDIBLE) on the country side of di Norcia. Two hours later, the church is completely destroyed by that 6.1 earthquake. We've seen that scene in little villages around. The first hit caused a lot of damage, the second hit was quite catastrophic. One of -- if there can be a silver lining in this, one of the things that had saved lives, no doubt, is the fact that so many people left the area in August, when the devastating quake that killed around 300 people, hit the same area. People just aren't around here or people living in temporary housing. There are some people who are still living in tents. We talked to a woman who has been in a hotel since that earthquake and she was shaken from her room in the hotel, and she's sleeping outside tonight - spent the night outside.
But now that the light is coming and now that we've got a little bit more emergency vehicles and people like that, coming into the area. We're going to be able to better understand the -- how widespread the damage is, and whether there are any serious injuries. We haven't had a lot of reports of that. There were very big concerns last night about the safety of the roads. These roads in this area are very, very narrow. It's been raining for days and days. It rained all night, last night. There was a lot of concern about mudslides, and we don't want to take heavy equipment up or put safety workers in jeopardy in situations like that. So I think we're going to understand a little bit more about how widespread the damage is, and if there are any fatalities or any serious injuries at this point, this morning.
SESAY: And Barbie, just tell our viewers a little bit more about the surroundings, about the actual region that was struck by these two earthquakes. You mentioned the roads being narrow. Tell us a little bit more about the landscape and the architecture.
NADEAU: It's a very mountainous region. These houses in this area are mostly stone houses. Many of them were -- the foundations were built 100, 200 years ago, even by family members. Those houses have been renovated and expanded throughout, you know, the very many centuries that the families have had these homes. Lots of them during in the summer are agritourism, there's tourist farms, and things like that. And the villages are so picturesque because one of the most beautiful places to visit in Italy up in the mountain side. But always in the situation like that, that which makes it so beautiful, makes it so dangerous in a situation like this. You know, there was a devastating earthquake in this area in 2009 in L'Aquila, which is a town nearby. After that, the government said any home over 100 years old, has to be reinforced with anti-earthquake seismic reinforcements. It's always a big question whether or not, anyone learned a lesson from those previous earthquakes, whether anyone did - took those measures, spent their extra money to make sure their homes were reinforced. We saw in August, not a lot of houses did. We'll see they were a little bit of in different regions just a few miles up the mountain. And so, at first light, we're going to understand the people who took heed and sorted up those homes, that's what can save people, and in so many situations, some people just don't do it.
SESAY: At first light, more will certainly be revealed. Barbie Nadeau, joining us there from Campi, Italy. Barbie, appreciate the reporting. Thank you.
[01:05:00] VAUSE: The toughest fight yet in the battle for Mosul could be imminent. Iraqi-led forces have surrounded Hammam Al Alil, just south of Mosul on the Tigris River. Witnesses say ISIS has moved its most hardened and experienced foreign fighters there, to defend the town.
SESAY: Also, the U.S. and its allies are pushing ahead with plans to isolate Raqqa, Syria. There are concerns the terror groups will launch attacks from there.
VAUSE: Michael Holmes is near Mosul's front line. He joins us now live. So, Michael, ISIS is putting up a much bigger fight on the southern approaches to Mosul. Why are they making a stand there?
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you mentioned Hammam Al Alil. This is about 15 kilometers south of Mosul on the Tigris River and witnesses saying, as you point out, that ISIS is moving some of its most effective fighters into that town. We're talking about Czechians, Moroccans, Tunisians, Afghans as well. Why they are doing this? Why make such a stand short of Mosul? Well, likely, it is to degrade, if you like, to do as much damage to Iraqi forces both literally, and I think also morale wise before they even get to Mosul. With the delaying tactics as well, giving ISIS more time to make its preparations of defense inside of Mosul. But what you're seeing, you know, an example like that town, is Iraqi forces having to put considerable resources against those fighters, a comparatively few fighters. And so, it's really a degradation of resources, a delaying tactic, perhaps trying to impact morale as well, by using those effective fighters willing to fight to the death and employ things like, suicide car and truck bombs before these forces have even reached the outskirts of Mosul, and they are close, 5 to 8 kilometers in many places, John.
VAUSE: I wouldn't say it has been easy for the Iraqi coalition forces, but the offensive has moved quickly ahead of schedule. Was the increased resistance that we're now seeing from ISIS, was that expected to occur at this point?
HOLMES: Yeah, I think - I think they expected resistance. I think at times it depends where on the battlefield. In some places, it's been easier than they thought, in other places, it's been tougher than they thought, with ISIS making a stand in a few particular places and Hammam Al Alil is going to be one of those places. They expected this, but they are still ahead of schedule. What they have to do, though, is tighten that noose around Mosul. As I said, in some places, they're five to eight kilometers from the outskirts, but in other places, they are a little bit more than that. And they got to get everyone up on the same circle, if you like, the same sort of distance from Mosul, in order to be able to enter the town, and we've already heard that ISIS may be pulling back from the eastern side of Mosul, that was not unexpected, crossing those four main bridges into the western part of the city and actually rigging those bridges with explosives. The advantage of the western side of the city for ISIS, is that the old city is there, there's narrow streets, closely packed together buildings. Those narrow streets are going to make it hard for the sorts of armored vehicles we've seen rolling across the plains here and through towns and villages to navigate and really does give the advantage to the incumbent, still places being pound over -- that was an outgoing shell heading into the town of Bashiqa, which is another important town that Kurdish fighters are trying to secure at the moment, which is on a main road in the Mosul. So, you know, every day we're hearing -- and there's the impact of that shell there, over towards Bashiqa. So, that sort of kinetic activity still continuing every day. We hear this all day, every day. John?
VAUSE: And you didn't flinch. Michael Holmes, joining us again, live with the very latest. Thanks, Michael.
SESAY: All right. Well, airstrikes kill 35 people in Syria including at least 11 children. A monitoring group says the children were in a school in Idlib that was hit on Wednesday.
VAUSE: The head of UNICEF says it would be a war crime if the school was deliberately targeted. Idlib is near Aleppo, has the largest populated area controlled by Syrian rebels.
SESAY: Well, one police officer was killed and more than 100 people injured in protests on Venezuela's streets. The opposition party says President Nicolas Maduro has violated the constitution and they're demanding a recall vote.
VAUSE: They also blamed him for the country's economic collapse, but Maduro says his opponents are trying to stage a coup. Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 smartphone has burned a hole in the company's profit. The South Korean company reported that quarterly earnings are down almost $2 billion from this time last year.
SESAY: Samsung blames the losses on its decision to kill off production of the smartphones earlier this month. The company recalled the phones after reports that they were catching fire and exploding.
VAUSE: Industry expert, Lori H. Schwartz is joining us now here in Los Angeles.
LORI H. SCHWARTZ, INDUSTRY EXPERT: You're very welcome.
VAUSE: Thank you for coming here.
SCHWARTZ: It's good to be here.
VAUSE: As far as bad news goes, is this as bad as everyone expected or were they expecting worse?
SCHWARTZ: I think this is as bad as everyone was expecting. I mean, it was such -- the phones were exploding. You're walking on airplanes -- and now, actually the FA had said you are not even allowed to bring them on. So this is the most public recall of any handset that I can remember. And so, because it's so public, I think people were expecting this.
SESAY: But there's more to these numbers than meets the eye.
SCHWARTZ: Yeah, absolutely. Well, first of all, you know, they announced a $4.6 billion profit which to any of us, would be pretty good, but it is 30 percent down, but they have displayed coming out. They have the most popular VR head mounted display out there. They have a chip that people love, and they're also announcing their new watch, in November. So I think there's a lot of, you know, bullish things to say about Samsung. They have great products coming out. It'll just be just about how they move forward from this.
VAUSE: And we're also seeing in this statement, in its earnings report. Some indication of how Samsung plans to claw back consumer confidence.
SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I think, first of all, there are going to be sort of strategic, you know, using strategy around how they're going to announce the Galaxy 8, the Note 8, and that's supposed to be announced in February. So it will be interesting to see if they still do that, and what's going to happen there. And then, you know, there -- that device, that Note was so popular, and so beloved. I mean, it's one of the reasons why Apple came out with the Plus, right? That size was so popular. So I think there is still consumer love for those phones. I mean, a lot of people actually haven't given them in.
VAUSE: Yes.
SCHWARTZ: Yeah, it's a passion point, right?
SESAY: And to that point, you mentioned Apple. I mean, Samsung may be able to regain its footing but can they take the lead again? I mean --
SCHWARTZ: You know, the phone market is so saturated and if you are reading the news about Apple's reports and everything like that, they are in a decline too. And I think it's just because the phone market is saturated. So I don't think anyone's going to really win there, right now.
VAUSE: Is there a lesson here for other companies, don't rush your product launch?
SCHWARTZ: I think there's that. I think you have be very careful with lithium ion anything.
VAUSE: That's the other license.
SCHWARTZ: Right. Right.
SESAY: And if you do have a problem, maybe respond better.
SCHWARTZ: Well, respond better. I think we are now on a culture where the consumer wants transparency. And I think the more transparent you are, the more that that brand will stay in your heart, even if they make a mistake.
SESAY: Yeah, and that's a good point.
SCHWARTZ: Yeah.
VAUSE: OK. And still amongst all this, Samsung's stock is going up.
SCHWARTZ: Yeah, well - so, their -- the vice chairman who actually initiated the recall, who is the heir apparent to becoming chairman, is actually being announced to their board tomorrow, so it's a pretty cool stuff.
VAUSE: Lori, thanks so much.
SESAY: Lori, very much appreciate it.
SCHWARTZ: A pleasure.
SESAY: Thank you. Still to come on NEWSROOM L.A., smoke and flames rise over Calais, as the migrant camp is officially closed. But many refugee children remain inside the Jungle.
VAUSE: Also ahead, Donald Trump strikes back at Hillary Clinton after she questioned his campaign schedule.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not what we need. This is not what we need as a president. She's a very low-energy person.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi there, I'm Patrick Snell with your WORLD SPORT headlines, Jose Mourinho and his Manchester United team getting a badly needed win in the Derby and City in the fourth round of the English League Cup. The 1-0 victory courtesy of a second half winner from the Spaniard, Juan Mata, didn't just being us now the worst run of Pep Guardiola's managerial career, but also means the (INAUDIBLE) city have been knocked out by their local rivals.
It's been seven years since Svetlana Kuznetsova has won her second major tennis title, but the Russian has secured her birth now in the semis of the year-ending WTA Finals in Singapore. She backed up her win on Monday against defending champion Agi Radwanska with another epic victory, this time over U.S. Open finalist, Karolina Pliskova, edging her opponent in a third set tiebreaker after finally seeing the win at the fourth attempt. Kuznetsova collapsing on court in sheer exhaustion. The victory putting the former world number two into the semis at the year-ending championships for the first time in six attempts.
And Wladimir Klitschko says he wants to fight the British Heavyweight World Champion, Anthony Joshua, in March or April. A plan to (INAUDIBLE) the bout fell through because the fighters ran out of time according to Klitschko's manager, Bernd Ponte. Promoter Eddie Hearn initially blaming confusion over the titles and offer, and a minor injury to Ukrainian Klitschko that failure to arrange December date. Thanks for joining us. That's a look at your world SPORT HEADLINES, I'm Patrick Snell.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Well, Donald Trump says he'll donate more money to his own campaign in the final days of the U.S. presidential race. He is campaigning in Battleground States, including North Carolina and Florida. Trump says he will spend $100 million by Election Day. But federal election records show, he has given far less than that so far.
VAUSE: Trump was just a few blocks from the White House on Wednesday for the grand opening of his new hotel, and he reacted sharply to criticism from Hillary Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So, I thought I'd take an hour or two and run in and cut the ribbon with them at the building. To show you how low she is, she comes out and says Donald Trump took time off from the campaign to open a hotel. OK. Now, she'll do one stop -- I'm telling you, she wants to sleep all the time. This is not what we need. This is not what we need as a president. She's a very low-energy person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Joining us here now in Los Angeles, Ron Brownstein, CNN's senior political analyst and senior editor for the Atlantic.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, SENIOR EDITOR AT ATLANTIC MEDIA: Another low-energy person.
VAUSE: Another low-energy person.
SESAY: But we like you.
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, of course.
VAUSE: OK. Let's actually hear what Hillary Clinton had to say about Donald Trump opening his hotel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I was struck today that Donald Trump is actually paying more attention to his business than to the campaign. That's his choice. But we're going to keep working really hard to reach as many voters as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A little different from how Donald Trump portrayed it, but I guess the point that Hillary Clinton is making, a lot of people have made, 12 days until the election, way behind in the polls, wouldn't you be spending every moment trying to win votes?
BROWNSTEIN: Look, all the way through, he has kind of intersected the campaign and his business (INAUDIBLE) the press conference where he talked about Trump's stakes on Election night that ended up getting carried to CNN -
VAUSE: I've thought about that.
BROWNSTEIN: -- because, you know, people thought it was going to be a, you know, a conventional speech. The press conference are going to his golf club in Scotland in the middle of the campaign. So, it's been - look, this is, you know, as one of the guests talked about before, I mean, this is - this is an unusual candidate who also has to worry about his brand, his commercial brand after the election if he doesn't win. I think he's done some serious damage with portions of the electorate with his brand. But it is kind of odd (INAUDIBLE) on the other hand, Trump has turned up the campaign schedule. I mean, he is - you know, he is not coasting to the end. He is, you know, he's barn storming those few states that he - that he absolutely has to have. And, you know, he's putting in the effort, but it is strange the way he's mixed business and kind of politics.
SESAY: Hillary Clinton says she's going to continue to work hard right until the end. She's going to need to because these WikiLeaks stuff continues the drip, drip, drip of e-mails.
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. You know, look, against any other candidate, this would be a bigger deal, I think. And it's been a remarkable - if you - if you think both about the state department e-mails that she's had to release and then the WikiLeaks e-mails from John Podesta that have been released, I mean, the kind of the x-ray of the inner world of the Clinton is just extraordinary. And you see how - what a - you know, calculated, careful, deliberate, planning kind of politician she is. It's very revealing in that way. But it -
SESAY: In a negative view?
BROWNSTEIN: What's that?
SESAY: In negative view?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I don't know if it's - I don't know. It really depends on what you think about Hillary Clinton, right? I mean, this time, she is -- she is kind of behind closed doors, pretty much who you thought she was. And - but - you know, again, Donald Trump is dealing with big, bigger issues and it kind of Trump her own vulnerabilities as there were doubts about his experience, his judgment, his temperament and whether he's biased against women and minorities, that's kind of overshadowed what our very real doubts about her than he fronts to.
VAUSE: OK. Donald Trump was out in North Carolina, a state he has to win, and he was talking about his poll numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You see the new polls coming out where we're really doing well? We're going to win North Carolina. We're going to win Florida, too. We're going to win Ohio and we're going to win Iowa. Yeah, we're winning - we're winning a lot of states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We're all - we're all winners.
BROWNSTEIN: He could win all of those - not that he would today.
VAUSE: Right.
BROWNSTEIN: But he could win all of those and lose, right? I mean, the problem he's got is the 18 states, what I call the blue wall in 2000. And I voted democratic at least in the past six elections. They have 242 Electoral College votes. He is significantly behind today in all of them. You add New Mexico, Virginia, and Colorado you are at 269. OK. So, at that point unless he can take away one in Maine, that the worst she could do is a tie, and you've got New Hampshire. So, at the least, he is significantly behind right now in states with 273 Electoral College votes. Before you get to Florida, where in most pollings by the Bloomberg Poll today, his also - I think, you know, you would say most - both sides are saying she's pretty solidly ahead right now in states with 302 electoral college votes. Not to say it's impossible to turn them around, but today, that's where we are.
SESAY: So, this talk about the race tightening, you say what?
BROWNSTEIN: There are so many polls every day, they give you such divergent information. It's really hard to know - yes, there was a Fox poll today that he was behind three points. There was a Suffolk USA Today poll and an ABC-Washington Post poll where he's behind nine points. I see enormous consistency in this race all year, as we've talked about, where Donald Trump is very strong among blue collar whites, but facing huge deficits among minority voters who'll be 28 or 30 percent of the electorate and underperforming literally every republican nominee in the history of polling among college whites. As long as those three basic things remain true and no polling suggests they are not, he has a hard time getting above the low 40s, and whether the margin ends up being four or five or six or eight, if he can't get above the low 40s, he's not going to get there.
VAUSE: OK. So, again, an extraordinary campaign which we have not seen anything like this before, and that includes what happened on Tuesday night on Fox News with the former speaker of the house, Newt Gingrich and this exchange between - with anchor Megyn Kelly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, TRUMP SURROGATE: Rough time. At least -
MEGYN KELLY, FOX NEWS THE KELLY FILES ANCHOR: If Trump is a sexual predator, that is -
GINGRICH: He's not a sexual predator. You can't say that.
KELLY: OK. That's your opinion. I'm not taking a position on it.
GINRICH: You could not defend that statement.
KELLY: I'm not taking a position on it.
GINRICH: Now, I'm sick and tired of people like you using language that's inflammatory and that's not true. You want to go through the tapes of your show recently, you are fascinated with sex and you don't care about public policy.
KELLY: Me, really?
GINRICH: Now, that's what I get out of watching you tonight. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And just to this point, you know, it was amazing to watch, but Donald Trump kept the story alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: By the way, congratulations, Newt, on last night. That was an amazing interview. That was an amazing -- we don't play games, Newt, right? We don't play games.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So many women who saw that took such great offense at the tone and the way - I mean, Isha?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
SESAY: Yes. And almost the things (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
BROWNSTEIN: Well, a surrogate who's been married three times defending a candidate who is been married three times, and, you know - and kind of accusing the woman anchor of being kind of fascinated with sex. Look, the republican -- right now, Donald Trump is doing fine among people who look like Newt Gingrich. OK? I mean, he is - he is - he is -
VAUSE: He's locked up the Newt Gingrich demographic.
BROWNSTEIN: He is cleaning up among older, conservative white men.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWNSTEIN: But he is facing again, literally in this case, two or three -- he may lose college educated white women by twice or three times much as any republican nominee ever. The biggest democratic advantage there have been, eight. He is routinely in polls, 20 to 25 points behind among -- you add that to the deficit among non-white voters, that's pretty much the story. I mean, just then, if Clinton can hold those kind of advantages, you're done. And, you know, the agony of so many republican women in the aftermath of this, that have talked about and read about, conservative women today, this is just one of many ways in which the Trump candidacy is cleaving the republican coalition. And there's going to be a lot of tension after this is over, one way or the other, win or loss.
SESAY: Because they'll be a civil war you're saying in the Republican Party.
BROWNSTEIN: It's going on already.
SESAY: And we'll go to the flanks. I mean -
BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, you know, this was the first time - we talked about this (INAUDIBLE) we talked about this in the spring. This was, you know, the first time ever in, I believe, in the history of the primaries, where the blue collar wing and white collar wing disagreed on the candidate, and the blue collar wing actually won. When they disagreed before, the white collar wing won with Mitt Romney or John McCain, and there's always been kind of a leadership group in the Republican Party that finds not only Trump personally but the elements of Trumpism, which include protectionism, nativism, no cuts and entitlements, big infrastructure, just kind of blue collar populism, it's really unclear where this goes next, but there's no doubt that the forces behind Trump are going -- if he loses are going to be wanting to take out Paul Ryan.
VAUSE: And let's keep - going back to the civil war actually that's going on here, because Newt Gingrich was asked about that, about the exchange today, and he's not backing down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRICH: I don't have an anger problem. I have a media bias problem, and I believe the media bias in this election is the worst in modern history.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On Fox News where you were?
GINGRICH: Everywhere. I think the media bias the way words are used, the way things are set up, the fact that the three major networks spent 23 minutes attacking Trump and 57 seconds on Hillary's secret speeches. I mean, how can you look at that and not say it's biased?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: How bad is it when the surrogate for the Republican nominee is actually accusing Fox News of being bias?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. It's really striking. It's - again, it's just a reminder like how this - there is no institution in kind of the conservative infrastructure that has not been divided over Donald Trump. If you look at more elected officials -- even though some have gone back like Jason Chaffetz. More elected officials say they're not voting for him than, I believe, any republican nominee ever. Many more than Barry Goldwater in 1964. Even more than 1912 when Theodore Roosevelt walked out of the Republican Convention when a nominated - re-nominated William Howard Taft, there are more republican senators, for example, say they're not going to vote for Trump than went with Roosevelt against Taft. So, the level of division that we are seeing in the party and all the kind of the ancillary groups around the party is just extraordinary and it's not clear that all of this quickly gets patched up after the election. Certainly, if he wins there would be an all kind of open division Republican Party, that even he loses, there's going to be a lot of debate about whether the problem was Trump or Trumpism, and that's a very - you know, that's an - that's an important distinction.
SESAY: Uh-hmm.
VAUSE: OK. And again, presidential trivial pursuit, you're on my team. Thank you, Ron.
SESAY: Ron Brownstein, a pleasure.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
VAUSE: Thank you.
SESAY: Thank you.
VAUSE: When we come back, a grim symbol of Europe's migrant crisis is now closed. We look at the concerns aid workers have for children at the Calais migrant camp.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:31:06] VAUSE: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: I'm Isha Sesay.
The headlines this hour --
(HEADLINES)
VAUSE: With the Calais migrant camp closed, France is planning to bulldoze the site.
SESAY: One official says thousands of migrants are in shelters and an aide worker says some children have been left behind.
CNN's Melissa Bell reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Smoke fills the sky. In the end, parts of France's biggest migrant camp were not so much dismantled as burnt to the ground. Firefighters fought the blaze and that left the Jungle looking like that. Once the fire was tamed, those who still call it home, its children were allowed back in, much to the anger of the humanitarian workers.
UNIDENTIFIED HUMANITARIAN WORKER: The only people left here now are the unaccompanied children. Some have been processed and put back in the containers. Some did not get processed and were sent back to the camp, which it's very worrying where they will sleep tonight.
BELL (on camera): One of the most potent symbols of the migrant crisis is in smoky ruins. But there are those who fear it could come back. It isn't those just those who protect the migrants. Local authorities point out that Calais has been the victim and for years now of a policy failure that lies on the other side of the channel.
UNIDENTIFIED HUMANITARIAN WORKER (through translation): The British government refuses to welcome migrants but we know they keep crossing the border. When they arrive, the British government let them integrate Britain, and it is hypocritical. BELL (voice-over): CNN is trying to get Britain's response.
In the meantime, the mayor of Calais says her main war, "I have the 1500 migrants who will sleep in the charred remains of their former home."
Melissa Bell, CNN, Calais.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: 2016 is now the deadliest year for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean for Europe.
VAUSE: The U.N. Refugee Agency says that 3800 have died so far this year compared to 3700 last year.
SESAY: The woman whose face became the symbol of Afghan refugees could spend years in jail. She was 12 when a photographer took her photo in a Pakistani refugee camp.
VAUSE: Now in her 40s, officials say she falsified documents and was in Pakistan illegally. The photographer is promising to help her, saying her human rights are being violated.
SESAY: We'll continue to follow that for you.
A quick break. Russian warships are believed to be on their way to Syria and it could make the humanitarian disaster in Aleppo more horrific. What could be Russia's end game? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:37:47] VAUSE: Right now, at least four Russian warships are believed to heading for a Syrian port. One ship is more than 30 years old and breaks down a lot. The plumbing is not so good. Last week, the ship along with a battle cruiser and two destroyers headed through the English Channel. And then went to Spain to take on fuel and supplies, but that plan came to an end on Wednesday after pressure on Madrid from NATO to withdraw the offer to refuel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are concerned about the possibility of that group can be used as a platform for more attacks against Aleppo and Syria. And thereby, exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe we already see in Aleppo and in Syria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Spain says Russia withdraw their request. Russia says that no request was ever made. But the carrier group will join ten ships already off the Syrian coast.
Ariel Cohen is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. He joins us now from Washington to explain what is behind this military move by Moscow. Ariel, first, Spain is a member of NATO and has been refueling the
Russian warships for some time. This wasn't just a one-off.
ARIEL COHEN, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Absolutely. They refueled 60 ships since 2011 and since the war in Ukraine start, they refuel over 20 ships and the NATO command doesn't understand how a NATO member can refuel naval vessels of a country under sanctions and war crimes may be committed in Syria with the help of these ships and the aircraft that are based on these ships.
VAUSE: Some experts are pointing out that Russia's only aircraft carrier is antiquated, has never seen combat, and have limited capabilities in terms of its military use and deploying it is more propaganda than anything else.
[01:40:01] COHEN: I disagree. 14 ships is a considerable force in eastern Mediterranean and what the Russians are doing consistently is playing a very weak hand very impressively.
Look, today, in the Middle East, Russia is taken almost as seriously as the United States. They are trying to do a simple thing, to keep president Assad of Syria in power. We do not know what we're doing, supporting the Kurds, supporting the Turks? Supporting the Iraqis? Are we fighting against ISIS as well as against Assad? So we have no clear vision of what we need to do, how are we sporting our Sunni Arab allies in the Middle East, how far we can go, we draw the red lines and erase the red lines. The Russians are eating our lunch.
VAUSE: What we're looking at here we're putting together the military maneuvers and the cyberattacks that U.S. intelligence says is coming from Russia and the geopolitical moves that the Russians are playing not just in the Middle East but in Ukraine and Crimea, what is the end game? Where does Vladimir Putin hoping this ends up?
COHEN: I think Vladimir Putin is trying to drive a wedge between our NATO allies, the European allies, trying to push out the pro American or pro Euro Atlantic politicians, like Angela Merkel. Russians are supporting today not just the extreme left that the Soviet Union was supporting but the extreme right, the Le Pens, the party in Germany. So they are trying to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe. They're trying to weaken NATO. They're trying to show in the Middle East the U.S. has no idea what we're doing. And then the balance of international power that is now dominated by the United States, the Russians want to tilt it in their favor and two of their allies, Iran and China. That would be a very, very different world were Moscow to succeed to achieve that. I very much hope that the next administration will have a clear-eyed view of what the Russians are doing and without allowing it to deteriorate to hostilities. Nobody wants a war with Russia. It can escalate to a nuclear fight, god forbid. But we need to draw the lines and stick to them, otherwise, the Russians will keep prodding and pushing and tilting this balance of power.
VAUSE: Ariel, we'll leave it there. But clearly, all of these things are coming together for a reason. They don't happen independently and separately to each other. Good to speak with you. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: NATO is preparing for its biggest military buildup since the Cold War. And in Poland, fear of Russian aggression is motivating more people to sign up for their country's paramilitary forces.
Our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, has the story from Warsaw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Marta is running like her life depends on it, and one day it might. The 20-year-old student hopes to join the army one day. But for now she's trying out for an elite unit in one of Poland's growing militias.
(on camera): Why did you like this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I love sport and my condition, but I love this.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): But not everyone in her unit is up to it. This 30-year-old banker, who read about the militia on their website, is struggling. Many volunteers motivated by concerns about Russia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (through translation): I think a war is three- fourths of our society. Everyone should feel worried in the situation.
ROBERTSON (on camera): This unit traces its roots back to the First World War. What has changed now is a revival in patriotism, this being backed by the government.
(voice-over): Poland's deputy defense minister explains why.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It helps to have a better trained, better skilled pull of people that could be called into a military service in a time of a crisis.
ROBERTSON: And right now that crisis is Russia's escalating unpredictability, not a factor when Poland abandoned its come pulse rare military service eight years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation is starting to resemble the situation during the Cold War.
[01:45:09] ROBERTSON: Jan, a 23-year-old student is exactly the type of person the government wants to help. He has been in the militia seven years, long enough to be training new recruits like Marta.
(EXPLOSION)
ROBERTSON: And long enough to know government support will up their game.
(EXPLOSION)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More training and better training, that's good. We want to be ready for anything that causes threat to Poland.
ROBERTSON: And that means a lot more cold, wet weekends ahead.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Warsaw, Poland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Up next, Hollywood A-listers urging Americans to go out and vote. Just not for Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You only get this many famous pictures if the issue is --
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: One that truly matters to all of us.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: A disease or.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Ecological crisis or.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Or a racist abusive coward who could permanently damage the society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WEATHER REPORTER)
COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:50:03] VAUSE: Baseball's Chicago Cubs have accomplished something they have not done since 1945. They won a World Series game. The Cubs outhit and outpitched the Indians on Wednesday for a 5-1 victory.
SESAY: The series is tied at 1-1. The action now moves to Chicago and Wrigley Field. Game three is set for Friday night, folks.
VAUSE: So the biggest names in Hollywood coming together to make sure that Americans go out and vote.
SESAY: Just not for Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: On Tuesday, November 8th, this country will make one of the most important --
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The most important -- UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The most important decisions in its history.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You have a chance.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You have an obligation.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: To be a part of that decision.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You might think it's not important.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You might think you're not important but that's not true.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: And the only way we can prove that to you is having lots of famous people.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Lot's of famous people.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Just a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) of famous people.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Repeating how important.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Important.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Important.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Important.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Important.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: How important it is. Register.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Register.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Register.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And the man who brought all those egos and celebrities together, the "Avengers" writer and director, Joss Whedon, joining us in Los Angeles.
Thank you for coming in.
JOSS WHEDON, WRITER & DIRECTOR: Thank you so much for having me.
VAUSE: Last election campaign, you did one video.
WHEDON: I did.
VAUSE: On Mitt Romney.
WHEDON: Just me, in my kitchen.
VAUSE: This time you're up to ten with maybe as many as 15. That says something I think.
WHEDON: Oh, yes. I think the stakes are a lot higher this year than then. And I have more time because I'm just writing and I realized pretty early on that I was going to want to do more than just be funny once and them going my way. I wanted to get involved. I worked as a precinct captain for Dukakis when I was out of school. I like the idea of being in the process. It makes it more palatable.
SESAY: Was there a moment when something was said, that happened that made you think it's time?
WHEDON: Yes. I had invited a bunch of my friends to talk about various ideas we could do. And then the first day of the Democratic National Convention when the Democrats were so fractious and you know, I just panicked and when my friends got to my house a couple days later. I was like instead of doing something we're doing everything. Any idea that is good gets made.
VAUSE: You chipped in $1 million of your own money which is serious. The first video was fun and self deprecating. But the latest one today, is moving. It tracks Spanish speaking Americans going off to work at 4:00 in the morning. And right at the end, comes the punch in the gut. This is it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's the same thing every time. People believe who act on belief will be the people who decide this election.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Absolutely. And with different visions of America, it is official after all this struggle and all the work, we have a new president of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Poppy, can we stay?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, goose bumps and all sorts of emotions that come from that. And this is a reminder for so many people this election means a lot more to them than others.
WHEDON: There is only so much that you can do with digital scolding. They stand up there and get your attention and s something that we did with our first ad. And you know, I want to remind people that we are a community and there are communities within. That and just not speak about people or at them but just speak to them and try to just portray something universal, something that connects us. The point of important was for celebrities but we know it's silly for us to matter and it's really about you. And we did one called quiet where a woman is just hearing a huge ton of noise and stress until the moment she closes the voting booth and trying to connect with people on that level of this is where you have power.
That's the thing about Save the Day, which is our super PAC. It's about the power of voting. It's not about this person or that person. Do I make fun of Donald Trump, yes, I do. I am afraid of him and his world. But it's about voting is a powerful and beautiful act. It can save us and we are all worth saving.
[01:55:10] SESAY: Let me ask you this. As you talk about communities and connectivity this is an election that has divided people. When you look at November 9th what do you see? Do you worry about the divisions?
WHEDON: The only time I have been worried is when Donald Trump started to talk about the election being rigged and the idea of inciting violence during voting or after the results. It does indicate that this problem could still remain as you know, as strong even if we have a decision the other way. But on the other hand I have a positive view about it which is a lot of the divides were always there but we are talking about them. We are talking about misogyny in a way we haven't been. We owe Donald a great big thank you and I will wave to him on the ship that will be taking him away.
(LAUGHER)
SESAY: Not sending him a gift box?
WHEDON: Maybe some bronzer.
(LAUGHTER)
VAUSE: He could be OK there.
Joss, thanks so much.
SESAY: Thank you so much.
WHEDON: Thank you.
VAUSE: I look forward to seeing the rest of the videos in the coming days.
WHEDON: We just hope that people register. We have registered almost 50,000.
VAUSE: Good stuff.
Thank you.
SESAY: Thank you.
WHEDON: Thank you.
VAUSE: You've been watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: I'm Isha Sesay.
We'll be back with another hour of news right after this.
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