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Russia Kicks off War Games with China and Mongolia; U.S. Marks Anniversary of September 11th Attacks; Stacey Abrams is a Rising Star in Democratic Party. Aired 12m-1a ET
Aired September 12, 2018 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, an unprecedented danger. Hurricane Florence barrels towards the U.S. East Coast, forcing 1.5 million people to evacuate. Millions more will be impacted as the president tries to reassure the nation his government is totally prepared to deal with whatever may come.
But President Trump sparked outrage and controversy, praising his administration's response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico last year, leaving almost 3,000 dead.
Plus Russia launches its biggest war games since the Cold War with a little help from China and the message to Washington is clear.
Hello. Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm John Vause. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.
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VAUSE: One of the most potentially deadly and destructive hurricanes in decades is taking aim at the U.S. East Coast, expected to cause historic destruction and at least days of torrential rain and severe flooding.
More than 20 million people could be impacted by Hurricane Florence, now a massive category 4 and that's the view from space. About 1.5 million people under mandatory evacuation orders along the coast of the Carolinas and Virginia. And officials at the federal and state levels are warning people not to take any chances.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They haven't seen anything like what's coming at us in 25, 30 years. Maybe ever. So I would say everybody should get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even if you have ridden out storms before, this one is different. Don't bet your life on riding out a monster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a massive, powerful, destructive, devastating beast and it is headed right at us.
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VAUSE: For those in the path of the storm, the clock is ticking down. Time to get out is running short. While hundreds of thousands are heading to safer ground, others have decided to ride out the hurricane, despite all of the advice from officials. Martin Savidge reports now from Carolina Beach in North Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the question everyone asks, are you staying or going?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am definitely leaving. It's going to be bad, no doubt.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Dana Villagiano (ph) has also made up her mind.
DANA VILLAGIANO (PH), FLORENCE EVACUEE: Oh, I'm going. I'm definitely going. I was here through Bertha and Fran and several others but this is not the same kind of storm.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): She owns the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill where the last of the boards are going up on the windows and the last of the food is coming out of the fridge.
VILLAGIANO (PH): If it comes ashore as a 4, the whole island could be decimated.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Carolina Beach is under a mandatory evacuation order and the order is simple: leave. If you're here after 8:00 pm Wednesday, you're on your own. At the local gas station, you find folks who are definitely out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you don't get off, you're going to be a casualty, plain and simple.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): And you find some who still seem undecided.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I may change my mind. But right now I'm planning on riding it out.
SAVIDGE: So I got a tip in town. As cliche as it sounds, that, on this particular street, there is a whole group of neighbors that have banded together and apparently they're going to stay.
Are you staying or going?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we're headed out.
SAVIDGE: Nice man, especially with the little one there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, exactly. Sitting here without power for about five days doesn't seem like a great idea.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): But in a nearby garage I find friends Bill and Stan and they're staying and they won't be alone.
SAVIDGE: How many people do you think are going to be staying?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's see, we have one, two, three, four, five. We have about five to six right in the cul-de-sac.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): The guys laugh about it but both say they're getting calls and texts from friends begging them to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are calling me, saying, don't stay, don't stay. This is going to be a killer.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): The pair have a brand-new generator and joke about a fridge full of beer but there is a seriousness as to why they want to ride it out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to stay here and protect what I have and stay at my neighbors and help out if I can on the island.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Back on the beach, I find Danielle Moody, sitting all by herself at the water's edge. She moved here just 20 days ago.
SAVIDGE: What are you going to do?
DANIELLE MOODY, FLORIDA EVACUEE: We're going to seek shelter. We're going to go and stay with some family inland.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): She and her fiance just finished building their dream home and now have to leave it behind. She is here for a few last moments of peace.
MOODY: I just wanted to get one more -- one more glimpse of it.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): She is going and worries a lot of what she's looking at may soon be gone.
SAVIDGE: The decision of whether to stay or go is finally going to be made for a lot of people at 8 o'clock Eastern time because that's officially when the curfew goes into place and it's expected, at the same time, the bridge to the mainland will shut down. After that, they're on their own -- Martin Savidge, CNN, Carolina Beach, North Carolina.
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VAUSE: Rafael Lemaitre is chief communications officer for Innovative Emergency Management. He is also the former director of public affairs with FEMA, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. He is with us from Houston.
Rafael, I guess it's that time of the year, huh?
RAFAEL LEMAITRE, INNOVATIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Good to see you.
VAUSE: OK. Florence is a triple threat. We've got the storm surge. It's the heavy rain which will cause the widespread flooding and there is also the powerful winds.
If you were coordinating the response here, what would you see as the biggest danger out of those three and how would you deal with it?
LEMAITRE: Water. Water is the most destructive part of any hurricane when we see these come on board; of course, wind gets the most attention and it can be deadly with flying debris.
But at the end of the day, more than half of the fatalities we see from tropical storms and hurricanes happen from drowning, storm surge and, indeed, the National Weather Service has issued a storm surge warning for a lot of areas along the coast.
So people really need to listen to local officials. And where they've been asked to evacuate, heed those instructions immediately.
VAUSE: So with that in mind, what do you say to anyone who believes that they can ride out this storm where they are, if they're in that path of Florence?
LEMAITRE: Don't be a hero. You're not only putting your life in danger but you're also putting the lives of any first responders who may be able to reach you in danger as well.
This is a very serious, unprecedented situation, you know. Belongings, your homes, those are the types of things that you can replace but you cannot replace your life.
And I understand many folks have pets and emotional connections to their homes. Shelters are open to pets in many cases. It's really a time to get out. You have limited time. This could mean the difference between life and death at this point.
VAUSE: Ultimately, this could end up being one of the biggest peacetime evacuations the country has ever seen. Ordering a mandatory evacuation isn't done lightly.
What are the logistical problems they're facing?
And given that more than a million people will ultimately be forced out of their homes, what does it say about the scale of the threat?
LEMAITRE: This is the exact type of situation that emergency managers plan for year-round. They've been ready for this. They've practiced this. We're seeing right now with, contraflow operations, highways being opened so that they only flow away from the coast, so far those evacuations seems to be working well.
People need to understand that they have a role to play as well, too. Make sure that you have, when you evacuate, you have a full tank of gas, you have enough supplies to last you for three days and that you have a plan. You know where you're going. You have relatives. You have cash in hand in case power goes out.
These are the types of things that everyone needs to play a role in making sure they're prepared as well.
VAUSE: What's interesting is if you look at the path where Florence is heading and that was put out on a tweet from Villanova University, 70 years ago almost, 800,000 homes were at risk.
Today more than 11 million homes are at risk. It seems there has been a lot of development in places at high risk for hurricanes and flooding. And that seems to be clearly a manmade issue.
LEMAITRE: That's absolutely right. And as weather events like this happen more often and become more severe, we have to start thinking about how we implement smarter development policies and practices along the coast.
Most of the development happening along the East Coast is happening in those coastal areas. So we have to think about the future.
When we build back, how do we build back safer?
How do we build back stronger in ways that make sense given the reality of where we are with disasters today?
VAUSE: We've seen how deadly these storms can be. Last year Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. The death toll there is now officially close to 3,000. On Tuesday, the U.S. president was asked if there had been any lessons which had been learned from that disaster. I want you to listen to his answer.
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TRUMP: I think Puerto Rico was incredibly successful. The job that FEMA and law enforcement and everybody did working along with the governor in Puerto Rico I think was tremendous. I think the Puerto Rico was an incredible unsung success.
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VAUSE: OK. Taking all the politics out of it, all the bravado, whatever, just objectively speaking from an emergency management point of view, when 3,000 people die in a hurricane, is that rated as a success?
LEMAITRE: Well, by FEMA's own admission, there were things they could have done better. That's Trump's own administration saying that they were stretched thin.
You know, you can see why that was the case. FEMA was dealing with the aftermath of not just Maria but Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma before that. The truth is we learn from every disaster.
It seems that federal officials are leaning forward in this case. They've declared emergencies in states along the mid-Atlantic, opening some forms of federal assistance to those state governors who need it right now.
But right now I think you're right. I think most people need to focus not on the politics but what's happening on the ground, what local officials and governors are saying --
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LEMAITRE: -- and take heed of those instructions, particularly if they're asking you to evacuate from those areas.
VAUSE: Good advice to finish on. Rafael, thank you so much. Appreciate you being with us.
LEMAITRE: Thank you.
VAUSE: And the U.S. president says the federal government is ready, standing by ready to help.
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TRUMP: We are sparing no expense. We are totally prepared, we're ready. We're as ready as anybody's ever been.
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VAUSE: Joining me now, former L.A. city council woman, Wendy Greuel, and Republican strategist, Luis Alvarado.
Let's just pick up with Donald Trump and his incredibly successful operation in Puerto Rico.
The problem with that, apart from being totally delusional, Luis, the president doesn't believe that there is anything which could have been done better. And the U.S. East Coast in the Carolinas is about to see an unprecedented storm in scope and scale and possible destruction and death toll.
And yet the president doesn't seem to believe that they could actually respond to this storm in a better way than they did in Puerto Rico?
There are real consequences to that.
LUIS ALVARADO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I was in Puerto Rico shortly after the hurricane and I actually spoke to the governor, who happens to be a Democrat governor in Puerto Rico. And there were a lot of things that could have been happening much better.
And we have to remember that Puerto Rico's not a state. It's our commonwealth per se. So one of the issues is I think that Puerto Rico not being a state and -- if it would have been the 51 state, I think things would have been a lot different.
VAUSE: But they're all American citizens. Whether it's a state or whether it's a commonwealth and they're all still lives. They're lives of equal value.
ALVARADO: I don't argue with you there. Certainly the president wished things could have been done better. FEMA, as we just heard, admitted things could have been better. The question is it's not time for excuses. I think it's time to look at the upcoming challenge that the president and FEMA is going to have.
And the unfortunate part is that I don't think the nation can look at the president and trust.
VAUSE: Right.
ALVARADO: What he tells the nation when it comes to how prepared they're --
VAUSE: Because he has been very consistent on this, about this response to Puerto Rico. "It was great. It was awesome." This is what he said almost a year ago. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think we did a fantastic job in Puerto Rico. We're still helping Puerto Rico and I think we've done a really great job and we've had tremendous cooperation from the governor. And we are getting there. People are really seeing the effort that's been put into Puerto Rico.
This is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean and it's a big ocean. It's a very big. And it -- we're doing a really good job.
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VAUSE: Yes, you know, Wendy, it's an island in a ocean.
WENDY GREUEL, FORMER LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL WOMAN: It's a big ocean.
VAUSE: I guess what he is trying to say is there had been two hurricanes already. There were logistical problems getting supplies into Puerto Rico.
But...
GREUEL: look, it defies logic in that he thinks that was successful. He's going to repeat history. He won't acknowledge that things didn't go very well, that 3,000 people died.
Can you imagine if that had happened in Texas or Florida?
And there have been studies that have demonstrated how much -- how much resources were given to those other states that were not given to Puerto Rico. And so I think that he won't acknowledge that they failed.
And the only way to do a better job is to acknowledge when you didn't do it right. And I think, when you look at this and you say, how can we go into this next level and say we're going do more, we're going to be able to respond, he isn't able to do that because he thinks it was still a success.
VAUSE: Here is a tweet from the mayor of San Juan, who has been very critical of Donald Trump.
"Success? The federal response, according to Trump in Puerto Rico, a success? He thinks the death of 3,000 people as a success, God help us all."
Luis, she has point, right?
ALVARADO: She has a big point. And I saw the damage and the damage could have certainly been -- you can't say prevent but you could have prepared better. When you look at how many Puerto Ricans have left the island and moved to Florida and other states because there is nothing left for them in Puerto Rico, then that's part of the disaster in itself. That's the secondary disaster.
And even though the president says that he has done many things for Puerto Rico, there is still much to be done in Puerto Rico. We can't just say things went bad. I think we still need to concentrate in Puerto Rico as we look forward to ensuring that we're prepared and we learned lessons --
GREUEL: You judge success by not what happens in the first three or four days of an emergency but long-term.
(CROSSTALK)
GREUEL: And it's a long-term rebuilding. That's what happens, whether it was here in Los Angeles after the Northridge earthquake. Whatever it is, you're looking at Katrina, it's how you rebuild and that has clearly not been a success.
VAUSE: Well, there was another slow moving disaster playing out this morning on national television. That would be Don Jr.'s interview with ABC's "Good Morning, America." That's the best I could --
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VAUSE: -- come up with. He actually weighed in on who may have written the now infamous "New York Times" op-ed, which is scathing of his father's dysfunctional administration. Here's what he said.
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DONALD TRUMP JR., SON OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: It's pretty disgusting. That's what he said. Perhaps a disgruntled person who's been thrown out because they didn't deliver on what they were supposed to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the crime, though?
TRUMP JR.: Listen, I think you're subverting the will of the people. To try to control the presidency while not the president. You have millions and millions of Americans who voted for this. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Luis, subverting the will of the people is not a crime. Secondly, writing an op-ed is not a crime. And it's actually a legitimate question because Donald Trump has asked the attorney general to investigate who wrote the op-ed.
ALVARADO: This is another example when you bring people into leadership who don't have any experience in governance before. Wendy Greuel has more experience in governance and leadership than any -- or many of those in the administration.
But they're there because they're the will of the people. He is right. They won the election. The electoral college voted them in. And that's what the people wanted at the time.
Now the question is do we accept?
Do we believe that this is what the country needs to do moving forward?
Or do we try to contain the damage that's being caused by some of the positions that many in this administration are taking?
VAUSE: OK. The other big issue with the White House, sort of moving on quickly is to the Bob Woodward tell-all book, "Fear." Two men central to may of the accounts in the book, the controversial accounts, have pushed back. Gary Cohn, the former economic adviser, and former White House staff secretary, Rob Porter.
Released statements from Cohn, "This book does not accurately portray my experience at the White House."
And from Porter, "The suggestion that materials were stolen from the president's desk to prevent his signature misunderstands how the White House document review process" -- It's not exactly a full throttle rebuttal, is it?
But (INAUDIBLE) the president was pretty happy with it all. This is what's he said.
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TRUMP: You shouldn't be talking about that right now because it doesn't matter. But I really appreciate the statement. The statement was excellent and they both said out beautiful, which shows that the book is just a piece of fiction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Really?
Wendy, the statements were excellent and proof of fiction?
GREUEL: Bob Woodward has a stellar reputation. He has written several books. He is someone who checks and double-checks his sources. Clearly the comments today by those two individuals, Porter and Cohn, when you look at them and you have to read them very carefully, you know, not accurately portrayed.
OK, so which parts were accurate?
Which parts of it were accurate?
Maybe not the whole thing.
But which parts were accurate?
I think they're trying to mince words there as to how it was perceived. None of this is necessarily new, whether it's the op-ed or you look at the book. Things have been said about the president since the day he was elected on his behavior in office. So it's not surprising for people. And it confirms some of people's worst nightmares.
VAUSE: And Luis, according to CNN's reporting regarding these two statements, a source close to the White House said the White House applied a lot of pressure on both men over the last week to produce those statements and made it known that President Trump was upset.
ALVARADO: You know, when you read the title of the book and it says "Fear" --
VAUSE: Who should be fearful here?
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(CROSSTALK)
ALVARADO: Well, everybody including the president. I think there is two levels when it comes to what the president is dealing with. There is the actual investigation that has consequences. And then there is the presidency and the legacy that he is trying to leave behind as the 45th President of the United States and how he is going to be seen departing or what kind of life he and everybody who works at the White House is going to have.
Right now as it stands, you know, White House staff is going to be thinking of having a scarlet letter on their resume as they leave the White House. And that's one of the problems they have. When you see that the White House is having -- to have events to find staff to come work at the White House, I've never heard of such a thing.
VAUSE: There were recruitment days.
(CROSSTALK)
GREUEL: Job fairs, job fairs.
VAUSE: Who wants to secretary of defense?
ALVARADO: That's the fearful part, is that sometimes we don't know exactly whose calling the shots. VAUSE: Well, good point. Good point. We'll see you guys next hour.
GREUEL: Thank you.
VAUSE: Well, Russia shows off its military might as NATO watches closely. Kicked off its biggest war games since the fall of the Soviet Union and thousands of Chinese troops are taking part. More on that in a moment.
And that's the top chief diplomacy. Xi Jinping, whipping up pancakes there, pancake diplomacy, topping it off with a little bit of caviar and some vodka. Mmm, vodka.
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VAUSE: An alliance is emerging between Russia and China and it's happening as relations with the U.S. are increasingly strained. Russian president Vladimir Putin is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping as well as other Asian leaders at the Eastern Economic Forum. Both have stressed the importance of increased cooperation.
It comes just as Russia launched its largest war games since the fall of the Soviet Union; 300,000 Russian troops taking part alongside thousands of troops from China as well as Mongolia. CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson joins us live from Hong Kong with the latest.
Ivan, if the war games and the business deals weren't an obvious message that Russia and China are moving closer together as they come under pressure from Washington, there is no mistaking the pancake diplomacy between the two leaders, Putin and Xi.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Pancake diplomacy or, as that traditional food is known in Russia, it's blini. And they were grilling those and they ladled on some caviar and had what looked like pretty modest sips of vodka.
So this isn't a repeat of the kind of drinking habits that we saw when Boris Yeltsin was the president of Russia, famously in the '90s and would get quite inebriated. These men have very much control of themselves and of their drinking it appears as well.
This has been another show of friendship between Beijing and Moscow. This is the third time that Xi Jinping and Putin have met face-to-face this year. The Russians have hosted this Eastern Economic Forum. This is the fourth time.
But it's the first time that the Chinese head of state has attended. And the two leaders, in addition to talking about cooperation, they also talked about trying to work together against what they describe as the threats of protectionism and to help, you know, chart a new way forward for international relations.
It's hard not to interpret that as a kind of response to the Trump administration, which is in the throes of a trade war with China while also imposing sanctions against Russia for its alleged poisoning of a former Russian agent in the U.K., for meddling in U.S. elections and, you know, that move in 2014, which heralded the deterioration of Russia's ties with Western countries, the invasion and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
So we have a show of unity here. It's also hard not to see these two neighbors that were adversaries in 1969. The Soviet Union and China fought a border war against each other. It's hard not to see them being pushed together but by the kind of position that Washington has taken against them and that Western countries have taken as well.
It is forcing two countries that could potentially have border issues or be competitors in other fields. It is kind of putting them together and they've made a show of unity, not only politically making Bellini pancakes but also in these joint military exercises.
One more time, what are the pancakes?
WATSON: Blini.
VAUSE: OK, thank you.
That's why we have you here. Senior international correspondent, appreciate it.
OK. It was 17 years ago when the world changed forever. And when we come back, we'll remember the victims.
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[00:30:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.
More than 20 million people may be impacted by Hurricane Florence, heading towards the U.S. East Coast. The storm, a Category 4, could weaken after making landfall in the Carolinas Friday morning, even days of torrential rains, storm surges and severe flooding are possible.
During a briefing about the approaching storm, President Trump called his administration's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year, an incredible unsung success. Nearly 3,000 people died, many in the extreme heat after the storm, and much of the island was without power for weeks.
Russia has kicked off its largest war games since the fall of the Soviet Union. About 300,000 Russian troops are taking part in these exercises alongside troops from China and Magnolia -- Mongolia, I should say. The joint military exercises come as Russian president Vladimir Putin is hosting his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping at the Eastern Economic Forum. And then a startling images from Barcelona where a million people took to the streets to call for Catalan independence. September 11th is Catalan's national day. Whole show Catalans are almost evenly divided on whether or not to succeed from Spain.
So, Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of 9/11, the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in American history.
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VAUSE: There were commemorations across the U.S., including this one, in New York, honoring the almost 3,000 people who were killed as planes hijacked by Al-Qaeda crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a lonely field in Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump and the First Lady Melania participated in the ceremony at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where one of the planes crashed after the passengers fought back against the hijackers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We close our arms to help you shoulder your pain and to carry your great, great sorrow. Your tears are not shed alone for they are shared grief with an entire nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And then a ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, a flag was draped outside the Pentagon to honor those lost in the nation's capital.
U.S. politics now, we're seeing grassroots hunger for change within the Democratic Party. In Massachusetts, Ayanna Pressley's recent win over 10-term incumbent U.S. Congressman Mike Capuano, is perhaps the latest sign that Democrats want more progressive candidates willing to challenge the Republican Party, as well as the establishment.
Our Miguel Marquez reports.
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AYANNA PRESSLEY (D), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE, MASSACHUSETTS: We have arrived. Change is coming, and the future belongs to all of us.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ayanna Pressley, the 44- year-old Boston City Councillor, thrust into the national spotlight after defeating another equally progressive Democrat, 10-term Congressman Mike Capuano.
MICHAEL CAPUANO (D), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE, MASSACHUSETTS: Apparently, the district justice is very upset with lots of things that are going on. I don't blame them. I'm just as upset as they are. MARQUEZ: Pressley campaigned on her personal story, raised by a single mother, the survivor of sexual assault. Her slogan, change can't wait captured liberal anger and a desire for a more aggressive stance against President Trump and the Republican Party.
PRESSLEY: And with our rights under assaults, with our freedoms under siege, that it's not just good enough to see the Democrats back in power, but it matters who those Democrats are.
MARQUEZ: The district is deep blue, liberal, an area once represented by John f. Kennedy. Pressley's stunning primary win follows several similar progressive outsider victories.
Political newcomer and Democratic Socialist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, pulled off a major upset in defeating more moderate and New York Power Broker, Joe Crowley.
ANDREW GILLUM (D), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE, FLORIDA: i want to be their governor too.
MARQUEZ: Andrew Gillum, the first African-American Major Party nominee for Florida governor, mebraced progressivism to pull off a surprise upset in a competitive Democratic primary.
STACEY ABRAMS (D), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE, GEORGIA: Hello, Georgia Democrats!
MARQUEZ: And Stacey Abrams, a rising star in the Democratic Party could become the first African-American female governor of Georgia.
Is there something bigger going on in Democratic politics?
PRESSLEY: There is. I do believe that there is a paradigm shift that is occurring, and there are winds of change that are afoot.
MARQUEZ: Pressley's district, like others, that have produced upsets this year, is racially diverse, nearly 60 percent minority. Still, Capuano was up, like, double-digits in polls leading up to Election Day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overall, the population is majority/minority in the district. But when you get down to who is registered to vote, then who actually votes, and then who votes in a Democratic primary, historically that's been actually majority white.
MARQUEZ: Voters torn between an incumbent they trust, and a challenger, representing a new voice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm leaning towards Pressley.
MAQRQUEZ: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really like her story. Capuano is great, but I think I resonate with her story.
MARQUEZ: Pressley's story, a shocker, even to her. A friend took cell phone video when Pressley got word that she had done the unthinkable.
PRESSLEY: It seems like change is on the way.
MARQUEZ: With no Republican challenger in the general election, she will represent Massachusetts' seventh district, next year, when she'll be expected to turn the slogan into action.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Boston.
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VAUSE: We'll take a short break here, when we come back, after an incredible career, the Sundance kid, riding off into the sunset, so long, Robert Redford.
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VAUSE: A faster phone with the bigger screen, get ready for that as Apple unveils its new products on Wednesday. The phone will actually be called the iPhone XS, according to Bloomberg, which claims to have seen some leaked photographs. Those cheaper phones will get some upgrades including new colors.
Apple watch will see some changes, as well, minimal, maybe it will tell the time. But, at the end of the day, expect to pay more for all of the devices. And, you know, the timing here, well, Apple makes these announcements at this time of the year, for the holiday shopping season.
Well, he's had a very long career. He was the go-to guy as a romantic lead opposite Barbra Streisand, Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep. Along with Paul Newman, they tee upped for two huge films. And now, this film icon, Robert Redford, says he is retiring from performing at the age of 82.
Here's Lynda Kinkade.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT REDFORD, ACTOR: She picked him clean, you never miss (INAUDIBLE)
I'm Bob Woodward from the Washington Post.
Two hamburgers, two cheeseburgers, and four Cokes.
BARBRA STREISAND: Onion?
REDFORD: Yes, in the Cokes.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: At 82 years old, Robert Redford says he is bowing out as an actor. Redford was at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, promoting The Old Man and the Gun.
REDFORD: Excuse me, I'd like to open up an account. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, great, what type of account do you have in mind?
REDFORD: This kind, this kind.
KINKADE: Appropriately, Redford's character is based on the true story of an aging career bank robber addicted to the adrenaline rush of the heist.
REDFORD: It's an upbeat film. It's fun. It's a true story. It's a wonderful film to go out.
SISSY SPACEK, ACTRESS: What did you say you do?
REDFORD: Well, that's a secret.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And why is that?
REDFORD: Well, because if I told you, you probably wouldn't want to see me again.
KINKADE: Actress Sissy Spacek, who stars alongside Redford tries to capture his legacy.
SPACEK: Oh, it's all those fabulous films that he has made through the years that he's acted in, produced, directed, and we all have favorites, like handfuls of favorite Robert Redford's films. All the President's Men, oh, he played Bob Woodward (INAUDIBLE)
KINKADE: The director of The Old Man and the Gun took a shot at summarizing Redford's on-screen magic.
DAVID LOWERY, AMERICAN DIRECTOR: It's an ineffable quality that certain people have that when you put a camera on them and listen to their voice, they just can captivate you like nothing else. And I don't know what the ingredients are for that, but he has it.
KINKADE: For Robert Redford fans like me, there is still hope, when asked if this really is his last acting role, Redford told one reporter, never say, never.
RDFORD: You know what I do when the door closes, I jump out the window.
KINKADE: Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Didn't know Lynda Kinkade was a Robert Redford fan. How about that? Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause. Stay with us because "WORLD SPORT" is up next. You're watching CNN.
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