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Manhunt for Serial U.S. Bomber; Trump Blames Media after Bombs Sent to CNN; Saudis' Changing Story on Jamal Khashoggi; Saudi Attorney General: Journalist's Death Was Premeditated; Manhunt Intensifies As More Possible Bombs Intercepted; Knife Attack Reported at Chinese Kindergarten. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired October 26, 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): On the hunt for the serial bomber with a trail heading to South Florida as investigators link some of the explosive devices were sent from (INAUDIBLE) just north of Miami. But authorities are warning more pipe bombs could still be on their way.

First came denial and then came the blame on a rogue operation, then a claim that it was an accidental death. And now finally Saudi Arabia admits Jamal Khashoggi's killing was probably premeditated.

And paradise lost: a small island near Hawaii wiped away, possibly a warning sign of what our future could be like on a superheated planet.

Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world, thank you for being with us. I am John Vause, this is CNN NEWSROOM.

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VAUSE: The number of pipe bombs targeting prominent American Democrats as well as CNN has risen to 10. Federal investigators are now searching a U.S. Mail facility in Southern Florida, about 12 miles north of Miami, where some of those packages appear to have been processed.

In addition, the seven suspected pipe bombs discovered since Monday, two more similar packages were intercepted on Thursday addressed to the former Democratic vice president. Joe Biden/

Another was found at the film production company belonging to actor Robert De Niro in New York. We get the very latest now on the investigation from CNN's Jim Sciutto.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A nationwide manhunt is underway to find a possible serial bomber who has now sent 10 potential explosive devices to targets around the country. Investigators now believe that some of the packages may have

originated in Florida. The FBI treating this as an act of domestic terror.

JOSEPH FUNK, FORMER U.S. SECRET SERVICE AGENT: In my experience, my opinion is that most bombers like this are lone individuals.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): The latest devices discovered, two packages addressed to former vice president Joe Biden, found at separate post offices in Delaware. And a package with a possible explosive addressed to the actor Robert De Niro at his office in Manhattan, where authorities say office security alerted police.

Sources tell CNN that De Niro was not in the building at the time.

JOHN MILLER, NUPD DEPUTY COMMISSIONER: A retired NYPD intelligence bureau detective, who was awake and watching the news, saw the image of the packaging that had been common to most of these devices as they've turned up in various locations.

And it struck him that that looked very much like a package he had seen on Tuesday.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Many of the packages have striking similarities: outside, identical packaging, yellow bubble wrap envelopes, six American flag stamps and a return address to congresswoman Debbie Wassermann Schultz.

And inside, a rudimentary pipe bomb, which police say they are treating as explosives.

WILLIAM SWEENEY, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, NEW YORK: We continue to advise the American public to remain vigilant as it does remain possible further packages have been or could be mailed.

PHILIP BARTLETT, U.S. POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE: We have over 600,000 postal employees out there right now so we have the eyes and ears looking for these packages.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): The fear now that more packages are on their way to other locations.

ANDREW CUOMO, GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK: Whoever is sending these devices or the group of people sending these devices, I am worried they are getting the desired effect, which could actually feed them and feed them sending more packages.

SCIUTTO: One focus for investigators now is a particular mail processing facility in Florida, in Opa-locka, Florida, because several of these packages were processed through there. It doesn't mean they necessarily came from that areas but the process is mailed from a number of locations around that part of that state, that a current focus of investigators -- Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

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VAUSE: Former FBI assistant director and CNN senior law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes is with us now for more on the investigation.

So Tom, this manhunt, it now appears to be heading towards --

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VAUSE: -- Florida, at least some of the packages went through a distribution center north of Miami.

How would investigators know that and how would they know it through what appears to be fairly quickly?

TOM FUENTES, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I think the Postal Service, you know, in the modern era has tracking mechanisms for packages, letters that go through their system but specifically packages and larger envelopes like that.

So, you know, I'm not exactly familiar with how that works but similar to Amazon, if you want to track a package, usually you're able to do so in their system.

VAUSE: You also have a situation where you now have authorities looking at this parcel sorting center north of Miami and then just north of that is Debbie Wasserman Schultz office, who was the name on the as the return address on all these parcels, which were, you know, either sent out or delivered in some form to these targets is, you know, clearly that's not a coincidence, right?

FUENTES: Well, that would be the question here.

Did those envelopes go through?

That sender being returned around their way back to Debbie Wasserman Schultz's office or was it outbound, you know, we're not -- I'm not sure exactly and they haven't revealed. So we're not sure of exactly how that was transiting that particular mail center.

You know, you have another mail center involved in Delaware with the two packages being addressed to former vice president Joe Biden. So, you know, we have several mail or courier centers that these packages went through.

VAUSE: One of the big concerns is the possibility that other explosive devices could still be in the postal or the delivery system and, you know, they're in the system right now, they're yet to be found. The assumption would have to be I guess that the threat of more bombs will only end wherein the suspect of the suspects are caught.

FUENTES: Well, or he runs out of bombs that he's put in the system. We don't know that yet. That's -- you know, really only time will tell. We don't know if these are the full extent, if all of the devices now are out there and have been recovered or not and I -- and I think only in the days ahead will we know for sure. VAUSE: None of these devices actually exploded and another unknown.

Was that by design or by a lack of competence, can that be answered just by looking at the devices themselves?

FUENTES: Not necessarily. You know, the X-ray of the devices to try to see if they -- how they will render them safe before transporting them to the FBI laboratory at Quantico, Virginia, which is about 40 miles south of Washington, D.C.

But they'll X-ray them just from that extent at the scene where they're recovered before they try to handle them and put them in the containment vessel, then take them to another offsite, where they're either exploded or just dismantled in a procedure they refer to as render safe so that they can then be flown or transported by vehicle to Quantico.

But, no, they cannot tell. And only until the explosive experts at the laboratory of Quantico, Virginia, have a close examination will they be able to determine whether these devices or any or all of which would have been capable of exploding.

VAUSE: Once we have an answer to that question, what does that actually mean for the direction of this investigation?

FUENTES: Well, the way investigations like this works is that, you know -- and having participated and been an executive in charge of such investigations, you do not form early opinions or even hypotheses of how this went.

Now I know the media has to speculate and everybody else wants a quick, you know, conclusion or it must have been this or must have been that.

But investigators, you work very hard at not allowing anyone to form too early of an opinion because you might exclude things, some even subconsciously exclude other information that might be important to solving the case if it doesn't match your theory.

So at this point, you know, I don't know not being involved in this investigation whether they've gotten firing up into it to actually have a theory about that.

VAUSE: You've mentioned earlier about investigators not forming an opinion which is how, you know, they're professionals they can do that.

But that's not the case for so many others out there especially the, you know, the talk show hosts and the political pundits. This has got political very quickly. I want you to listen to the talk radio host, the conservative Rush Limbaugh. He's putting forward the theory that this is some sort of false flag operation.

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RUSH LIMBAUGH, TALK SHOW HOST: There's a smell test that this stuff has to pass and so far a lot of people's noses are in the air not quite certain what to make of this. Not one of these bombs went off.

And if a Democrat operatives purpose here is to --

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LIMBAUGH: -- make it look like, hey, you know, there are mobs everywhere, the mods are not just Democrat mobs. I mean, look at this you've got people here trying to -- trying to harm CNN and Obama and Hillary and Bill Clinton and Debbie blabbermouth Schultz and I just did -- it might serve a purpose here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So if investigators are asking the public for help, for tips, for information on trying to solve this, what does it mean if a good portion of the population is being told it's all a hoax?

FUENTES: Even if those devices are not explosive devices, the individual that caused this could be looking at life in prison in the United States. This is still a very serious event. And if you're one of the individuals that had a device addressed to you, you certainly would take it very seriously.

And, you know, in the United States political system, the Clintons and the Obamas are still very popular so, you know, they get -- I think the public will still cooperate to any extent they can, regardless of what Rush Limbaugh says or what other pundits say, that these were explosive or they weren't explosive.

And, you know -- and that those decisions, you know, will be realized in the next couple of days when the laboratory finishes their work.

VAUSE: OK. I think you're very optimistic on that last point but I'll leave it with you, Tom, but thank you so much for being with us.

FUENTES: OK. You're welcome.

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VAUSE: The failed bomb attacks are being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism. Investigators say the devices were live and not a hoax. Taken at face value, whoever sent those packages was trying to assassinate almost the entire leadership of one of the two major political parties in the U.S.

Just to make that point again, if those bombs had exploded, they may have killed almost the entire senior leadership of the Democratic Party.

When this country has faced moments of crisis, presidents, be they Democrat or Republican, have rallied a nation to stand this one.

George W. Bush in the rubble after 9/11, his arm around a firefighter, a bullhorn in his hand: (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The nation stands with the good people of New York City and New Jersey and Connecticut as we mourn the loss of thousands of our citizens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, we can't hear you.

BUSH: I can hear you. I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you and the people -- and people -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.

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VAUSE: Barack Obama laid bare his heart and soul when a nation was left in shock by the murder of 20 little children at an elementary school at Sandy Hook.

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BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow nor can they heal your wounded hearts.

I can only hope it helps for you to know that you're not alone in your grief, that our world, too, has been torn apart, that all across this land of ours we have wept with you.

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VAUSE: With the grief and shock of the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986, Ronald Reagan was comforter in chief.

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RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us for the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: On Thursday, as more pipe bombs were being found, President Trump continued his attack on the media with this tweet.

"A very big part of the anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the mainstream media that I refer to as fake news. It's gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream media must clean up its act fast."

CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein joins us now from Los Angeles.

Ron, good to see you.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be with you, John.

VAUSE: OK. Here is the press secretary Sarah Sanders on Thursday, pushing back on suggestions that the president may have some responsibility for the pipe bomb attacks at least in the terms of the atmosphere division created by the words he uses in those attacks. This is what she said.

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SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Look, there's a big difference between comments made in actions taken. The president is certainly not responsible for sending suspicious packages to someone no more than --

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SANDERS: -- Bernie Sanders was responsible for a supporter of his shooting up a Republican baseball field practice.

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VAUSE: Ron, there's also a big difference between what Bernie Sanders did and Donald Trump did in the days and the months leading up to both events. The level of false, low equivalency from Sanders and other Republicans is breathtaking.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, obviously whoever sent these packages is responsible for sending these bombs. This attempt at mass murder as you point out of the leadership of the Democratic Party.

But it is fair to say that no president has ever spoken in the way Donald Trump does about those who disagree with him, whether it's calling the press the enemy of the people or saying that those who oppose Judge Kavanaugh's ascension to the Supreme Court were evil, to belittling opponents as low I.Q. individuals in the case of Maxine Waters, who was one of the other targets here, or the "lock her up" chant on Hillary Clinton. I mean, suggesting that political opponents should be imprisoned.

And I think, you know, the idea that this is occurring somehow completely independent of the tone of vitriol that he creates about those he views as his opponents is absurd. Words have consequences. He wouldn't say them all the time if he didn't even didn't believe they had consequence.

It doesn't mean you wanted somebody to send a bomb but he does want somebody -- he does want his coalition to view him as the last line of defense between them and a whole array of constantly evolving threats that don't look like them.

VAUSE: Yes, everything about this administration same as he mentioned in the terms of political cost. The president continues to do what he does because the aides say, he has not paid a price for it. But that, they mean, he hasn't pay the political price of it quite the opposite.

He has been quite successful in running the base and getting them out there. But there is a cost which will be paid and is being paid right now because of the tone and the words and the division.

BROWNSTEIN: First, we'll see if there is a blow. I'm not convinced there is no political cost. I mean, as we have said many times before, his approval rating, although rising, is well below where it should be, given the economy and particularly in those white-collar suburbs, where Republicans are going to suffer substantial losses.

Whether there is enough losses to lose the House on its own is another question. So I reject the idea there is no cost politically.

But I do think that your point -- your larger point is absolutely correct. I mean, his conception of the presidency is very different. You know, other presidents have faced the accusation and the criticism.

I think at times, fairly, that they focused more on the concerns of their base than on the country overall or the voters outside of the base. We have never, however, before Trump, had a president who basically looks to consolidate his base by convincing them that the rest of America is a threat to them.

And division is not a -- as you know, the saying goes, it is not a bug, it is political strategy and messaging. It is -- it is a feature. He basically presents himself to his core supporters as the last line of defense against a changing America and a changing world that he says will threaten them.

VAUSE: Yes, it's not a bug in the strategy, it is the strategy.

BROWNSTEIN: It is the strategy.

VAUSE: Here is proof that teleprompter Trump, who says sort of the right things -- you know, that we expect from our president -- is not the real Donald Trump. Listen to this.

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TRUMP: No nation can succeed that tolerates violence or the threat of violence as a method of political intimidation, coercion, or control.

Any guy that you do a body slam is my kind.

Such conduct must be fiercely opposed and firmly prosecuted.

All right, yes, get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do, I'll defend you in court.

We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony.

A future under Democratic mob rule would be a total catastrophe.

Those engaged in the political arena must stop treating political opponents as being morally defective.

I've been going around lately, saying the Democrats are the party of crime. No one should carelessly compare political opponents to historical

villains.

Obama is the founder of ISIS.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Yes, will the real Donald Trump stand up, I think we know.

BROWNSTEIN: No. Yes, I think -- I think we do know. And I think his response to this in many ways was similar to his response to Charlottesville, where, you know, he can -- he can, under pressure at a teleprompter, mouth a few words that are expected. But his core vision is that he constantly has to present every --

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BROWNSTEIN: -- new development as a threat to his supporters that only he can deter.

And again, I mean, in the midst of all of these attacks on leading Democrats, all of whom have been the frequent target of his own vitriol, the president basically says the reason this is happening is because the media is unfair to him and, by implication, them.

And again, it is -- it is this relentless effort to convince half of America -- roughly half of America that they are under siege from forces in the other half of America. And there is an audience for that. There is no doubt about it. And we will see that audience kind of flexes muscle in some of the elections in less than two weeks.

Whether there is a majority of the country that is comfortable with this level of division is the battle where you're going to be fighting not only next month but certainly the next two years.

VAUSE: Richard Nixon's strategy was divide the country in half and then hope that his half was bigger.

Ron, as always. Good to see you. Thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks, John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: First, they insisted he left the consulate alive and then they claim he died in an interrogation gone awry. Now the Saudi government says the killing of Jamal Khashoggi was actually premeditated or planned in advance.

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VAUSE: After weeks of denials and attempts to divert blame, Saudi Arabia's attorney general now admits the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist with "The Washington Post," was possibly premeditated. But Saudi's energy minister went even further than that.

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KHALID AL-FALIH, SAUDI ENERGY MINISTER: It's not the death is a murder. We admit it. We are dealing with it as such.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: A source now says Khashoggi's son has arrived in the U.S. after the Saudis lifted travel restrictions. And a solemn vigil has been held outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where his father was last seen alive.

(INAUDIBLE) demonstrator, though, had a message for Riyadh, accusing the Saudi crown prince of having blood on his hands. And the director of the CIA briefed President Trump on the case after returning from Turkey.

"The Washington Post" reports she heard those audiotapes, which the Turks claimed to have recorded the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Senior fellow of the Woodrow Wilson Center, Robin Wright, is with us now from Washington.

So Robin, you know, let's just recap how the Saudis have tried to explain what happened to Khashoggi since October 2nd when he went missing.

First, they said he left the consulate alive and well just minutes after he entered the building. About two weeks later, they said he had actually been killed by an interrogation team but it was a rogue operation.

Five days on from that, they said he'd been strangled during a fight with that same Saudi team. And now we have this admission that his killing may have been premeditated.

Up until that premeditated admission, it seems the --

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VAUSE: -- stories were putting some distance between Khashoggi's murder and the crown prince. Has that changed now, admitting it's premeditated, does that move at sort of back closer to MBS and possible -- possibly, his involvement here

ROBIN WRIGHT, SENIOR FELLOW, THE WOODROW WILSON CENTER: It certainly moves it closer to the inner circle or to higher levels of the kingdom. But there's still a legal gap between what the international consensus is when people like Bob Corker from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have charged that the crown prince did it. To the -- and the gap between the legal evidence that he was actually

involved. Or that someone closer to him was involved. It's -- so there is still that distance that has to be bridged.

VAUSE: Is it just simply a coincidence that this premeditation admission comes on the same day the CIA director Gina Haspel actually heard the audio recordings which the Turks claim to be of Khashoggi's murder?

WRIGHT: We've been a number of incidents. Whether it's the president of Turkey getting out in front of his own Parliament and saying the highest levels of the Saudi kingdom were involved in this and that was premeditated the fact that President Trump has said that it was the clumsiest cover-up in the history of cover-ups.

There is a growing mood in the world to say, "Listen, you've got to be totally transparent about this, you have to talk about it, you have to 'fess up."

And so I think the kingdom has slowly responded to international pressure. Whether they will tell us anything more is yet to be seen.

VAUSE: With regards to the international pressure, Germany essentially taking a very hard line with the Saudis. Here's Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA MERKEL, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through translator): First, we condemn this act in the strongest terms as we make clear yesterday.

Second, there is an urgent need to clarify what happened. We are far from this having been cleared up and those responsible held to account.

Thirdly, I agree with all of those who say that arms exports albeit already limited can't take place in the current circumstances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Germany is the first government to suspend arms sells to the Saudis. The E.U. had a vote on that on Thursday. Essentially, it was a non-binding resolution to stop weapon sales. And, you know, there's also a tough line coming from the French and the British.

But at the same time, you know, the Israelis and the Emiratis are sort of leaning towards this belief that, you know, there is still value in supporting the crown prince because it could be useful on security issues like Iran.

So you know, where does the sort of division lie here?

Where is the support for bin Salman and where is he essentially facing all of the pressure?

WRIGHT: Well, you've rightly delineated the big split in the international community. The West in -- by and large is saying that they want more information, that there are deep suspicions about who was involved in this.

Israel is very concerned about the future of the peace plan, the fact that Saudi Arabia seemed to be more willing to deal with Israel weathered indirectly or directly on pivotal strategic issues. Very true that the United Arab Emirates is arguably Saudi Arabia's closest ally in the Middle East.

They think alike when it comes to issues like Iran. The President Trump here is some of those interests as well. Three of his most important foreign policy pivots are with Saudi Arabia, on counterterrorism, on -- in this age of ISIS, on Iran and on his elusive Arab-Israeli peace plan.

So there is a lot at stake that is reflected in the different positions shared by, you know, different American allies.

VAUSE: So if we look at where the support is and where it is not, how does this play into, you know, bin Salman's future?

How does this like help him survive?

Or is there enough pressure coming from the Europeans that, you know, he will eventually, you know, be forced to stand down?

Where does this play out?

WRIGHT: I think there are four different options. One is that he stays in power, retains his hold on the military and security apparatus on the economy and most of all the royal court so that no one can challenge him.

The second is that he is replaced by the king. That the royal family tries to find an alternative because of the kind of international condemnation. The king is -- it's going to be a tough decision. This is his political heir and his favorite son.

There's the possibility that there's some kind of opposition within the kingdom but it certainly not visible yet. Like it was in 1964 when King Faisal mobilized an opposition that ousted King Saud, who was first heir to the founder of the modern kingdom.

And so there are a number of different options.

[00:30:00]

I think the sense is that he may -- the fourth option is that he stays in power but he is deeply weakened. There may be other princes appointed to take some of his jobs, so that his responsibilities are lessened, so he has less say on the major instruments of power.

But that seems at the moment, most likely. But this is yet to play out. There is still a lot that I think will happen in the weeks and months ahead. VAUSE: Yes. And we have to continue to, you know, remind ourselves, a man was murdered, at the end of the day, you know, and that's how this all began. So, Robin, thank you so much for being with us.

MEADE: Thank you.

VAUSE: Still to come here, a manhunt and a mystery and piecing together the profile of a serial bomber, as the investigation leads to Florida. Authorities continue to warn they believe there could be more pipe bombs on their way.

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VAUSE: And welcome back everybody, I'm John Vause, with an update on our top stories this hour. The White House says CIA Director Gina Haspel has briefed the President on the case of Jamal Khashoggi. She just returned from Turkey, where the U.S.-based Saudi journalist was killed.

Saudi Arabia's attorney general now says Khashoggi's death was premeditated, another Saudi minister clearly stated, it was murder.

The bodies of 18 victims swept away from flash flooding in Jordan's Dead Sea area, have been recovered. Ten media there reports that among the flood victims were students on a school field trip, ranging in age from 12 to 14. Thirty-five other people were injured in floods.

Japanese journalist, who was captured by militants in Syria, more than three years ago, has been released, and he is back in Japan. Officials say Jumpei Yasuda appears to have been relatively -- being relatively in good health after his ordeal, which he described as a physical and mental health.

And to our top story now, we're following the manhunt for the suspect who sent explosive devices to prominent U.S. political figures, as well as CNN. So far, 10 devices have been recovered, and the FBI warns more -- many more may be out there. Brian Todd has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The bomber's tactics, targets, the packaging, and delivery methods, all being intensely scrutinized by investigators tonight. Investigators want to know if the bomber unintentionally left a trail of evidence or if this person was cleverly trying to throw them off the trail.

SAM RABADI, FORMER ATF SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: It'll be very interesting to see as this investigation unfolds as to whether it was truly his desire to try to create that alarm and fear without necessarily having the devices detonate and cause a lot of harm or was it because of just the lack of sophistication?

TODD: Bomb experts tell CNN the unsophisticated characteristics of the operation are reflected in the bombs themselves. So far, there are no signs of triggering mechanisms. At least one suspected explosive had a timer, but one which experts say could be easily detected when mailed. The explosives are considered unstable, rudimentary.

RABADI: The component, the explosive component that was in there is not necessarily one that you would typically find that would cause a significant detonation and cause significant injury.

[00:35:11] TODD: The packaging and delivery, experts say, lend to confusion over whether the bomber is sophisticated or not. On one hand, the fact that most of the packages looked very similar, manila envelopes with bubble wrap. Each envelope with six American flag forever stamps on it, may make it seem like a simplistic plan, leaving a clear pattern for investigators to follow. But some dispute the idea that the packaging and delivery point to an unsophisticated attacker.

STANTON SAMENOW, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: They are sophisticated. They had a plan, they decided to whom to send these bombs, they arranged for these bombs to be delivered. So, they were able to calculate, they were able to plan, they were able to deliberate, and do it over a certain time period.

TODD: Most of the intended victims appear to have received one bomb each. But former vice president Joe Biden and Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters each received two.

SAMENOW: And it does appear to suggest that there was more venom directed towards those two individuals for whatever reasons.

RABADI: We wanted to ensure that in case one device was intercepted or didn't make it through, that obviously he had that second device to make it to its final destination.

TODD: The choice of targets appears to imply a political grudge on the part of the bomber. But one profiler says that also could be deceptive, that the psychology of this potential killer is more complicated.

SAMENOW: It was about power, it was about control. This is about a buildup of the self. This is about being able to baffle others. It's about a conquest or a series of conquests.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Thanks to Brian Todd for that report. We'll take a short break. When we come back, it was tiny but beautiful, and now it's gone. Why the disappearance of a small island could be a big problem. Also, British police on the lookout for, that guy there, he looks mighty familiar, details in a moment.

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VAUSE: Welcome back everybody, breaking news here. A word of a knife attack at a Chinese kindergarten, it's happening in central China, around near Chongqing. Police say a woman rushed into a kindergarten, stabbing at least 14 kids. Security guards and school staffs were able to restrain the attacker. We are hearing a number of children have been taken to hospital.

We'll try to get a lot more information on this story, as soon as we get it. But there was a rush of stabbings in China, in these kindergartens many years ago. They did increase security but, I guess now, they're having a situation again. More details as soon as we get it.

Well, the top tourist attraction, in the Philippines, is back in business, you all know Boracay has reopened after a six-month environmental clean-up, like a proper sewage system made worse by increasing number of tourists, polluted Boracay's once pristine waters.

So, to try and prevent a repeat, the government has set a limit of 6,000 visitors a day (INAUDIBLE) from almost 20,000 and there are new environmental rules.

So, as we go now from paradise regain to paradise lost, Hawaii's East Island, uninhabited and located hundreds of kilometers north of Honolulu, was submerged by a hurricane, earlier this month. OK. Let's get the details now from meteorologist

So, you know, this is actually kind of really scary. And it does seem to be a warning sign.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Yes, right. You are wondering if it's a glimpse into the future with climate change and a warming planet, right, John? Well, it only took one day and one extremely powerful hurricane to completely eliminate this remote island in the archipelago, of the Hawaiian Island chain.

You are looking at drone visuals of East Island, in the French Frigate Shoals region. This is about 550 miles north and west of Honolulu in Hawaii. And let me show you what it looked like after major Hurricane Walaka moved through.

[00:40:13] You're looking at some of the satellite imagery out of this area, and the island, completely submerged, after the hurricane. Let me back it up to show you the before imagery. This is just an 11-acre wide island chain, that was only 400 feet wide and across.

And this is significant because it is a critical habitat for endangered animals, some of which are called the Hawaiian green sea turtle, 96 percent of these green sea turtle population nests and breeds on this particular island chain.

So, this is very concerning for biologists as they saw the satellite imagery, noticed that the island was now submerged, they're concerned that this is going to impact the roughly 1,400 sea turtles that call this particular location, home, and go there to nest, on an annual basis.

Not only that, but there's also endangered Hawaiian Sea Monks that call that island, home, as well. It was Hurricane Walaka that caused the storm surge to inundate the island. I get it only took about 24 hours for this powerful, powerful Category 3 hurricane, to smash into this area and unfortunately, changed the outlook for many of those endangered animals.

So, the big question here, really, John, is, are we seeing this glimpse into the future, certainly something the fingerprints of climate change written all over it.

VAUSE: Yes, absolutely. Derek, thanks mate. So, here's why you should always expect the unexpected. Two women, in Turkey, strolling and chatting, when suddenly, they were swallowed in a cloud of ashes, the sidewalk, actually, there it goes.

Great big sinkhole formed. They suffered only minor injuries, despite nearly buried -- being buried in the rubble. And they were helped out eventually by bystanders. Wow.

OK. Remember the Friends episode, the one where Ross was caught on camera, shoplifting on a convenience store, it's not really an episode of Friends, and that guy isn't David Schwimmer, but he sure looks a lot like him.

So, when the video went viral, the real David Schwimmer posted a spoof video, carrying beer cans, and tweeted, officers, I swear, it wasn't me. As you can see, I was in New York. To the hardworking Blackpool police, good luck with the investigation.

Police say they've identified the real thief. It's not David Schwimmer, because he was not in the country, at the time.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Stay with us. "WORLD SPORT" is next. You're watching CNN.

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