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Bashar Al-Assad Visits Moscow; U.N. Chief Calls for Israelis, Palestinians to Pull Back From Brink of Disaster; Biden Decides Not to Run. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 21, 2015 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:01] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL HOST: Bashar al-Assad holds talks with President Putin during a surprise visit to Moscow.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL HOST: The U.N. Chief calls for both sides to pull back from the brink of catastrophe, as violence shows no sign of ending in the West Bank.

CHURCH: A shifting story, Joe Biden changes his recollection of a key moment in America's war on terror.

BARNETT: And the movie trilogy, Back to the Future, catches up to the present. A look at what the movie's got right.

BARNETT: Hello there and a warm welcome to our viewers in the states and those of you watching around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. This is CNN Newsroom.

BARNETT: We start this hour with breaking news coming into CNN. Russian State Media report there's been a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

CHURCH: A Kremlin spokesman said the pair discussed the joint military campaign against Islamist militants in Syria. Reports say they spoke about the fight against quote, terrorist extremists and support for Syria's military.

BARNETT: Our Matthew Chance joins us now live from Moscow with details on this. Matthew, the source here is the Kremlin itself. We can read into that and say they're not trying to hide anything here. What do we know?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they hid, I suppose, the fact that Bashar al-Assad had traveled here last night, it seems. It's now early in the morning here in Moscow, to visit Vladimir Putin, the Russian President. The news of the meeting has only just been broken on State Media here in Russia. And we're just getting little tidbits of information about what was discussed. A few lines coming from the Kremlin spokesman saying, that first of all, confirming that President Assad was in Moscow on Tuesday, meeting with his Russian counterpart, I suppose, Vladimir Putin discussing questions -- this is according to the Kremlin spokesman, questions linked to the continuation of Russia's military operation in Syria.

Apparently, the Syrian President informed Vladimir Putin about the situation in his country, and of the plans of Syrian government troops. Now, of course, the troops of Bashar al-Assad, alongside Iranian forces and fighters of the Hezbollah militia, have been waging a counter-offensive to try and recapture land taken by rebels over the course of the past several years. That land offensive has been backed by escalating Russian air strikes. So Russia is been playing the air force in that alliance. And it's that campaigned, that was discuss, they're calling it a campaign, a fight against terrorist groups in Syria. And the continuation was discussed as well, of Russian air strikes. But again, a surprise meeting, I suppose between these two figures central to this issue in Syria.

BARNETT: Matthew, we know that Russia has had a long relationship with the al-Assad family, even before the current President Bashar al- Assad. And we know that the two have been in contact during this October campaign, you could call it, with Russia's air strikes in Syria. Why meet in person, do we think?

CHANCE: Well, I think it underscores, you're right, the personal bond between the Russian state and the Assad dynasty of course. Bashar's father was a close ally of the Soviet Union. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, of course, the alliance has been somewhat worn thin by the lack of resources on the Russian part. But obviously in recent years, Russia has been bolstering its military. He's been putting a lot of money into that. It's been made wealthy by its oil resources and the high prices commanded up until recently of oil. And it's taken steps over the past, you know, perhaps year or so. But particularly over the past two weeks in an intervention in Syria, to shore up its waning influence in the world. The Kremlin regards Bashar al-Assad as its main ally in the Middle East, and certainly the main sort of bulwark against the spread of Islamic State. They got big military and economic ties to Syria. They're concerned about the spread of Islamist violence as well. And this is, again, this personal meeting, underling that Russia stands, you know, squarely behind its Syrian ally.

BARNETT: Matthew Chance is live in Moscow for us. Four minutes past 10 a.m. there with the breaking news that Syrian President Bashar al- Assad met one-on-one with the Russian President in Moscow on Tuesday. Matthew, thanks.

[03:04:55] CHURCH: Well, Canada's next prime minister says he will pull Canadian jets out of the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Justin Trudeau spoke on the phone with U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday.

BARNETT: At a rally, Mr. Trudeau told supporters that Canada will take on a bigger role in humanitarian work around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE: I want to say this, to this country's friends all around the world, many of you have worried that Canada has lost its compassionate and constructive voice in the world over the past 10 years. Well, I have a simple message for you. On behalf of 35 million Canadians, we're back.

(CHEERS AND APPLUASE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Enthusiasm there. The Prime Minister-Designate and U.S. President also discussed the environment and trade.

CHURCH: And the leaders agreed, generally grew the already close relationship between the two countries.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is preparing to meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Ban is on a surprise visit to the Middle East to discuss the spiraling violence in the region. On Tuesday, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

BARNETT: At least eight Israelis have been killed by Palestinians, either stabbed or run down with cars in the past few weeks. Israel's response has been forceful, killing 45 Palestinians since the outbreak began. The Secretary-General is trying to convince both sides to rein in the bloodshed. Prime Minister Netanyahu pins the violence squarely on Palestinian leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER: I believe it's time to tell the truth about the causes of Palestinian terrorism. It's not the settlements, it's not the peace process, it's the desire to destroy the state of Israel, pure and simple. President Abbas unfortunately has been fanning the flames. He said on September 16th, just a few days ago, that he welcomed quote, every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem.

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Israelis and Palestinians who stand on the brink of another catastrophe, period of violence. We need to keep the situation from escalating into a religious conflict with potential regional implications.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Phil Black is in Jerusalem. He joins us now live and of course, as these diplomatic efforts play out with the U.N. Secretary-General trying to dial back violence in the region, there's been new violence today. What details are coming to light?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, this is something that we are told by Israeli forces took place in the West Bank that disputed territory near a Jewish-Israeli settlement. A Palestinian apparently approached that settlement carrying a knife. As they say, according to Israeli officials. Warning shots were fired. We're told they were ignored. And so this assailant -- oh this person I should say, was shot, shot in the shoulder. The injuries are not serious, but the Palestinian involved in this is a 15-year-old girl, according to Palestinian officials.

And so, the cycle continues, as it has done for three weeks now. That's how long we've been seeing these random, almost improvised opportunistic attacks taking place where Palestinians often armed with knives have sought to approach or harm Israelis, whether they be citizens or police, or members of the defense forces here. And the response from Israeli forces who witness or who try to stop these attacks is usually, well, it's pretty lethal. In this case, it appears that the young girl was injured, but many Palestinians have been shot, either while attempting these attacks, or in the immediate aftermath of them.

And so, there appears to be no break in this cycle of violence that we have been seeing. The security measures put in place by the Israelis are still pretty tough, especially around East Jerusalem, around the Palestinian communities here. And as you heard, the U.N. Secretary- General there warning there is a concern that while this has become the new normal, these attacks taking place every day, there is always the chance and the real fear that this could escalate even further, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And this is the concern. Of course, you mentioned U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon there. He has already met with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will meet with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. But is there any chance that his pleas will be heard in the midst of all of this?

[03:09:45] BLACK: There doesn't seem to be any real reason to be optimistic about this at the moment. After meeting, or around the meeting that the U.N. Secretary-General had with the Israeli Prime Minister, you heard some of Benjamin Netanyahu's comments there just a few moments ago, very much sticking to the same very hardline, really, in making no doubt about who he holds responsible for this violence, the Palestinians themselves that are conducting the attacks. But more than that, the Palestinian leadership, which he says is responsible for inciting this violence, for encouraging it, really. For what he says, he has described before as creating this culture of incitement where Palestinians are in the views of Israelis, trained to hate Jews and carry out these attacks, and then be glorified for them.

The Palestinian position has been equally hard in its nature. It very much blames what it considers the ongoing Israeli occupation of its lands, the oppression and the really tough measures that come with that. So the positions, the grievances, are all that they're very much entrenched. The violence continues and neither side is particularly optimistic that things are about to improve. Because what they both believe is that both sides are behaving in ways, using language that only exacerbates the tension and the violence that we're seeing here, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed. And of course the U.N. Chief there trying to dial back violence and in the midst of that, we're reporting more of it on this day. Our Phil Black is there, reporting live from Jerusalem. Many thanks to you.

BARNETT: Now to another big story we're following for you. Thousands of migrants and refugees many of them Syrians, are stranded in the Balkans, as they try to make their way to Western Europe. CHURCH: But some of those countries are struggling to handle the

staggering number of people flooding their borders. CNN's Atika Shubert has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They walked in a long, snaking line from Croatia, into Slovenia. In this group alone, more than 2,000 seeking refuge in Europe, led by border police on horseback, to a registration camp with a capacity for just 400 people.

With Hungary closing its borders, refugees are trying to cross through Slovenia to Austria and ultimately Germany. Slovenia has tried to reduce the number of migrants coming in, to just 2,500 a day. That is only a portion of those trying to enter. Slovenia is now deploying its army and considering building a border fence to regulate the numbers coming in.

And there are no signs of stopping. In Macedonia over the weekend, a record 10,000 migrants crossed in from Greece, undeterred by rain and mud. Many came from Syria.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why now? Because now, in English, ISIS. You call them ISIS? ISIS came. Before the situation was just bombs, airplanes, you know? Same events every day. But now, ISIS came. That's not a life.

SHUBERT: UNHCR were at the scene to provide food, aid, and counseling on how to apply for asylum. But few wanted to stay.

UNINDENTIFIED FEMALE: So we have about maybe six hours in total, and so at this time, we are using to provide a little bit of comfort to counsel them, to talk to them, to get to know their stories, and to find out a little bit more why they're moving, how they are moving and what they need.

SHUBERT: Instead, most keep moving north to Croatia and Slovenia, hoping to make it to Germany before more of Europe closes its borders. Atika Shubert, CNN Berlin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The intensified battle for the northern city of Aleppo has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes.

BARNETT: That's right. We want you to hear this. A representative from a medical aid group gave an emotional first-hand account of the desperate relief efforts, and a plea for the world to end this war. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: We can't provide enough food. We can't provide enough medicine. We can't provide shelter. Even if we do so for a small portion, we can't. We can't take it alone. If you just see our faces, we haven't slept in days now. It's beyond our capacity, for God's sake. We can't take it anymore. No one of us slept for the past four days. We don't know what to do. Help us. Do something to end this war. I mean, what wrong have we done to endure such a bloody stupid war? It is enough for us, for God's sake. We can't take it anymore, we can't, we can't. So tired. So helpless. I'm sorry, but I can't -- I can't stop. We don't know what to do, for God's sake. Swear to God, we are just about to collapse, all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: The emotion is understandable, and you can see the entire interview. It is well worth your time. It will air on Amanpour at 10 a.m. for those of you in London.

CHURCH: All right. We'll take a very short break here. But when we come back, a big question is looming in U.S. politics. Will Vice President Joe Biden run for President? We'll have the latest on a possible White House bid.

[03:15:12] BARNETT: Plus, he's eluded authority for more than three months. Now, Mexican officials say they're close to recapturing the country's most wanted drug kingpin, El Chapo.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON RIDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS REPORTER: I'm Don Riddell with your CNN World Sport Headlines. Another eight games have been played in the Champions league. Arsenal needed a big win against the German champions Bayern Munich and they got it. The gunners broke the deadlock when the ball went to Olivier Giroud and they made sure of the points in the last minute. Mesut Ozil shot appeared to be saved, but the replay showed it across the line and the ref gave it. The game of the night came in Leverkusen, where the German side blew a two-goal lead against Roma, but then produced a late fight back to share the points, in a thrilling 4 all draw.

The election to select a new FIFA President will go ahead as originally planned on the 26th of February next year. Football's world governing body has confirmed. But as the ethics committee tries to process their investigations into both Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee has weighed in. Domenico Scala says that Blatter's $2 million payment to Platini, which is also the subject of a criminal investigation in Switzerland, was a conflict of interest. Both men deny any wrongdoing.

The short list is out for the Ballon d'Or the annual poll to name the best footballer in the world. And the list has a very familiar ring to it. It's Christiano Ronaldo, Leon Messi and 21 others. Between them, Ronaldo and Messi have won the last seven awards. That is a quick look at your sports headlines. I'm Don Riddell.

BARNETT: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. We are now getting our first images of a surprise one-on-one meeting between the Russian and Syrian Presidents. The first time we are getting a glimpse at this video. Russian State Media report Bashar al-Assad flew into Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. You see them here having a conversation. Reports say the pair discussed the joint military campaign against militants in Syria. We'll continue to gather more details on this meeting as they become available.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL RYAN, U.S. CONGRESSMAN: We need to move from an opposition party to being a proposition party. Because we think the nation is on the wrong path, we have a duty to show the right one. Our next speaker has to be a visionary one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:20:07] CHURCH: All right. Well, Congressman Paul Ryan...

(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY)

BARNETT: Just a small technical issue, Rosemary, with your microphone, so I'll quickly pick it up from here. Only if -- that's Paul Ryan wanting to be Speaker of the House. It will only happen if he gets support from three different Republican groups. Here's some of what we know about Paul Ryan.

He is 45 years old, was first elected in 1998 to represent a district in Wisconsin, South of Milwaukee. You may remember in 2012, he was tested on the national stage when he was tapped to be Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate. Of course, that campaign failed. Ryan says he currently has his dream job. He's the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, where he's been trying to overhaul the tax code.

Despite that resume, conservative talk radio host, Dana Loesch, told CNN's Anderson Cooper, that Ryan may not necessarily be able to unify the divided House of Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA LOESCH, THE BLAZE HOST: Optically, Paul Ryan is a good choice. He is of good temperament, he has youth on his side. He's a relatively good messenger. He is one of those in the House, one of the few whose adapted taking something policy wise, very far and away, and presenting it in layman's terms. He's been groomed for quite a while by John Boehner. And of course, he has the approval of what the grassroots is called the establishment.

With that being said, where you have the freedom caucus and where you have the grassroots, their concern about Paul Ryan's past, particularly the fact that he's really never met a bail-out that he hasn't liked. He's supported TARP, he supported Medicare Part D, No Child Left Behind, and it's the company with whom he has kept this entire time. While John Boehner's been the face, make no mistake, it's been Paul Ryan that's been the planner behind the scenes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Ryan says he will make his final decision to run for speaker within the week. And he is getting some unexpected support from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat who is incredibly unpopular among Republicans.

Well, now to the Republican Presidential race, a new CNN-ORC poll of voters for the party shows two candidates way in the lead. Donald Trump has 27 percent support, rival Ben Carson is close behind at 22 percent. Carly Fiorina, who surged to 15 percent after the Republican president debates in September, dropped 11 percentage points, to just 4 percent.

BARNETT: Republicans are loving their outsiders right now. Meanwhile, on the Democrat side, speculation is growing over whether U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will run for President. Even though he hasn't announced his decision, a campaign of sorts has already begun against front-runner Hillary Clinton. Senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Joe Biden spent the day reminding people he's one heartbeat away from the Presidency.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: The best decision of my political career was to join the President.

ZELENY: Flexing his Vice-Presidential muscles like rarely before, even invoking the killing of Osama bin Laden.

BIDEN: Everybody went around the room and there were only two people who were definitive and were absolutely certain. Leon Panetta said go. And Bob Gates, who's already publicly said this, said don't go.

ZELENY: Old disagreements from the situation room could flare up in a potential Democratic Presidential race.

BIDEN: As we walked out of the room and walked upstairs, I said, I told him my opinion. That I thought he should go, but follow his own instincts.

ZELENY: A seeming reversal from the role Biden was thought to have played in opposing the raid. Also making clear, he had the last word with the President, not Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who's long said she advised the President to authorize the high stakes raid.

HILLARY CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was one, who recommended to the President that he go ahead and his advisers were split, because it was a very risky operation.

ZELENY: Biden didn't stop there. He said he had a hand in every decision, even choosing Clinton as Secretary of State.

BIDEN: The President at the outset said you have veto right on anybody in this cabinet.

ZELENY: For Biden, time is running short. He has nine days to qualify for the ballot in Georgia, followed by deadlines in Alabama and Texas. Even as new polls show Biden in a distant third, and more Democrats say he shouldn't run, his campaign waiting (ph) roars on. BIDEN: That's the healthy part.

ZELENY: He said again today, he doesn't believe Republicans are always the bad guys.

BIDEN: I don't think my chief enemy is the Republican Party. You know, this is a matter of, you know, making things work.

ZELENY: A not so subtle jab at this moment from last week's Democratic debate, when Hillary Clinton was asked to name her enemies.

[03:25:01] CLINTON: In addition to the NRA, the health insurance companies, the drug companies, the Iranians, probably the Republicans.

(LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

ZELENY: Jeff Zeleny, CNN Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: CNN Political Analyst Josh Rogin joins us now from D.C. to talk about all of the big headlines in politics. Josh, great to see you once again. Before we talk about VP Biden, let's talk late night surprise in D.C. Representative Paul Ryan now saying he is willing to serve as Majority Leader and House Speaker for the Republicans. That would put him second in line to the presidency as far as succession is concerned. How was he convinced, do you think, to take what's described as the worst job in Washington?

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it was pretty astonishing. After meeting with House conservatives, and then a larger group of House Republicans, Paul Ryan gave a press conference just moments ago here in Washington, where he said that he would run for the job, if and only if several conditions were met. He said that he has to have weekends to spend time with his family. He said that the caucus has to be unified, which is code for no more challenges to his leadership, if and when he gets the job, and he said that he wants the rules changed so that he won't find himself fighting for his job six months down the line. What ultimately convinced him was the prospect that the Republican Party might not be able to solve this leadership crisis without him. He said very clearly that he felt obligated to do something, to step up to the plate, and he's given his caucus to the end of the week to see if they can live with the conditions that he's laid out.

BARNETT: Tough job ahead. Whoever takes this post has to bring together the far right-wing Republicans and the more moderates. So we'll see how he does.

ROGIN: Exactly.

BARNETT: Now, as we look at Vice President Biden, reading the tea leaves (ph) here, it certainly appears as though he's prepping to run on President Obama's record, kind of creating elbow room between his own and Hillary Clinton's positions. At this stage, is there any way he's not running, in your view? ROGIN: Anything can happen. Until he announces it, he can always

reverse what sources close to him now say is his leaning towards a run. We see in his public statements, increasingly him not only places distance between himself and Hillary Clinton, but also tying himself to President Obama and President Obama's record. Today, quite shockingly, he reversed his previous story about whether or not he supported the raid that eventually killed Osama bin Laden. Previously he had said he was not in favor of the raid. Now, he says, according to his latest version, that he did support the raid in a private meeting with Obama that no one else was at.

BARNETT: Many people are also seeing that as another Bidenism where he's just fudging a little bit around the edges to make his point. And finally, for you, Donald Trump tops yet another CNN-ORC poll, 27 percent of those polled want him as their nominee. This is among Republicans, and this is despite his changing of positions, his 9/11 fight with Jeb Bush. Should establishment Republicans be worried by now at the very least?

ROGIN: Not only should they, they are worried. Increasingly worried in fact. What was so fascinating about that poll is that while Trump's support has leveled out, it's not going much higher or lower, establishment party candidates are going down, including Jeb Bush. So that's an overall bad signal for that part of the party. These fights, especially the fight between Jeb Bush and Donald Trump, over what happened before 9/11, really only hurts Jeb Bush. Whoever is voting for Trump, whoever likes Trump has already factored in the fact that he doesn't really know policy well, that he says crazy stuff, and that he gets into these brawls with the other candidates. So those kinds of incidents really don't hurt him. But they do hurt whoever he's fighting against.

BARNETT: And just a reminder to our viewers, we are more than a year away from Election Day. So much can happen between now and then. Josh Rogin, great to have your insight joining us from D.C.

ROGIN: Anytime.

CHURCH: Another story we're following, a New York police officer is dead after an exchange of gunfire with a suspect in East Harlem, 33- year-old Randolph Holder and his partner, were responding to reports of gun shots when holder was shot in the head. A suspect was later arrested and treated for gunshot wounds to his leg. Holder was a native of Guyana and a five-year veteran of the police department.

BARNETT: Still ahead, the vault that scientists say could save us all from a global crisis. We'll take you deep inside the Norwegian mountains, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:33:09] BARNETT: We appreciate you staying with us. Welcome back to those of you watching here in the states and all around the world. This is CNN Newsroom. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. It's time to check the main stories we have been following for the last two hours. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, held a face-to-face meeting Tuesday to discuss the military campaign in Syria. Russian state media report Assad flew into Moscow for the meeting. This comes as Russia has carried out numerous air strikes in the country, with a ramped-up offensive in Aleppo.

BARNETT: Canada's newly elected Prime Minister-Designate spoke by phone with the U.S. President. Justin Trudeau and Barack Obama agreed to deepen already strong ties between their two countries, but Mr. Trudeau also made it clear he will pull Canadian jets out of the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

CHURCH: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is on a surprise visit in the Middle East. He is imploring Israeli and Palestinian to stop the spiraling violence, then is set to meet in the coming hours with Palestinians authorities President Mahmoud Abbas. On Tuesday, the U.N. leader met with the Israeli Prime Minister.

BARNETT: A snowy fortress in Norway may seem like an odd choice for the largest collection of crops on earth.

CHURCH: But what -- but that is exactly where the world has placed its seed samples and its faith. Our Arwa Damon paid a visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:34:55] ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Glittering, like an exotic gem in the distance. The entrance to the Svalbard Seed Vault extends out of the side of an arctic mountain. Looking more like a villain's lair from a James Bond movie, that's where humanity has banked the seeds of its survival.

We walk into a long cement foreboding hallway, safety helmets line the wall, protection against falling ice.

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: So that's about 150 meters down into the mountain. This is becoming the Perma frost here in granite.

DAMON: Michael Koch with the crop trust that oversees the vault, guides us deeper into the mountain. With each step, the temperature drops. It's like something out of a movie.

MICHAEL KOCH: It is like a holy place. Every time I come here, I feel like I'm in a cathedral. This is a place to pause and to think, because it's a very unique place, and it's a very important place for humanity.

DAMON: This is so beautiful. And yet, it's so simple. It's just a door, but behind it is the key to humanity's salvation. There are 860,000 types of seeds from all over the world here.

KOCH: So you have boxes from Germany, from Nigeria, from India, the United States, the largest gene bank in the world. That's an interesting box right here. This box comes from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the only wooden boxes in the vault. DAMON: This is humanity's insurance policy, meant to safe guard

against cataclysmic events that wipe out our crops. Despite multiple conflicts around the world, Kock says that's not what will bring about our demise.

KOCH: Agriculture is not adapting as fast currently as the climate is changing on us. We have to adapt to rising temperatures, to wind and storm and flooding, new diseases and pests. We have salt water coming into the rice paddies in the fields.

(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY)

KOCH: So these tolerances to these issues are found here. This is a diversity of the genes that you're going to use to adapt agriculture, and you do not know what you're going to need 50, or 100, or 500 years from now.

DAMON: Even if power goes out, the vault can preserve these seeds for decades. In the race against climate change, protecting our past may be the only way to ensure our future. Arwa Damon, CNN Svalbard Norway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, as we've been reporting, the leaders of Russia and Syria have held a face-to-face meeting to discuss their joint military campaign. Russian state media report President Bashar al Assad flew into Moscow for the talks with President Vladimir Putin. And our Matthew Chance joins us now from Moscow with the latest on this. So Matthew, let's talk about the significance of this face-to-face meeting between the two leaders at this particular time. What might this signal?

CHANCE: Well, I think it's pretty significant in the sense that this is believed to be the first time since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011, that Bashar al Assad, the Syrian President, has made a foreign trip. And that trip is to the Kremlin, the key ally, of course of Syria. Russia has been providing air support and air strikes, carrying out air strikes against anti-regime opposition rebels inside Syria with some considerable effect. There are counter- offenses under way involving the Syrian army, Hezbollah, and the Iranian military as well, which apparently are making progress against the rebels on the ground.

And, you know, this face-to-face meeting obviously underscoring the importance of that alliance, not just for Syria, but also for Russia as well. Russia sees Syria as its last bastion of strength in the Middle East. It's got lots of military and economic interests in the country and is essentially backing the Syrian government to the hilt, to make sure that its influence in the region doesn't erode any further. So it's a key meeting for both of these leaders. Interesting that it was kept essentially under raps, it was secret. It was only news of it has only emerged this morning on state television, where they broadcast images now of the meeting took place. You can see in the background, at least on the photograph that's been tweeted by the Syrian government, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Russian defense minister as well, Sergey Shoygu, they're both there. They discussed, according to the Kremlin, the continuation of Russia's military operations in Syria. Bashar al-Assad thanked the Russian leader and the Russian people for the help they're giving Syria. Also, state television has broadcast a sound bite of Vladimir Putin, saying it's not just the military assistance we want to give Syria, we want to help in the political process as well. So, yes, a key meeting in which the issues regarding the Syrian campaign, and the continuation of the conflict there, were discussed.

[03:40:10] CHURCH: And it will certainly be interesting if we learn any more than that from these face-to-face discussions. Matthew Chance, reporting there live from Moscow. Thanks to you.

BARNETT: Mexican authorities claim their most wanted man is still on the run, and he may be injured. An update on the hunt for El Chapo next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Mexico's southern coast is on alert as soon to be hurricane Patricia eyes several resort communities.

BARNETT: Our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now from the -- well, no, you are here. You might say Hurricane Patricia doesn't sound too...

(CROSSTALK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN WEATHERWATCH HOST: Acapulco, port of Vallarta, some of these resort community, and I often say this time of year where you look at your calendar, you're looking at October, September and October, really you're getting incredible deals to get resorts on the water, $50 and $70 sometimes. Patricia is the reason, it's not as menacing as far as the sound of the name of the storm. But it's a category two in the works in the coming couple days. So we are watching the storm system then we'll break down exactly what it's going to do over this region. You see the convection, you see the thunderstorms brewing south of Acapulco. And the track for the storm system it is uncomfortably close towards the Mexican coastline. Eventually it Strengthens to category one and get up to category two, 160 kilometers per hour, that's about 100 miles per hour, so it's a healthy category two. We think landfall is sometime early this week, at around Manzanillo, and eventually Port of Aorta getting in on some tremendous rainfall with the storm system in. When I say tremendous, literally lights up like a Christmas tree here, upwards of ten inches, all of this remaining offshore initially. We think the potential for this to move over land is very high, as this storm system sits in close proximity. Hurricane Olaf, no relation to the Disney character, but sits out there of the eastern part of the Hawaiian Islands. This storm system it's a category four, this storm is one of a strong category four, and you tally up the numbers, the 22nd such storm with cat four, cat five across the northern hemisphere. All-time record, 18 was the previous record. So we're literally shattering the records across this region. Fortunately, with this storm system it does meander to the eastern side of the islands, well off shore. Should kick up some high surf over the big island of Hawaii. But the story there should be minimal impact towards that region. Massive dome of high pressure. Look at these temperatures. Incredible to think, a month ago today, autumn began across the Northern Hemisphere, and we're talking mid-70s Fahrenheit in places like Chicago, even New York City for this Wednesday afternoon.

[03:45:43] BARNETT: Bizarre fluctuations.

JAVAHERI: It is.

BARNETT: And look out for Hurricane Pat. Maybe pat is the way to refer to her.

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: Patty's coming.

BARNETT: All right, Pedram, thanks a lot.

CHURCH: Authorities in Mexico say they just missed capturing the dangerous prison escapee called El Chapo, earlier this month.

BARNETT: A Mexican official tells CNN, they think Joaquin Guzman injured himself when he fell off a small cliff as authorities closed in on him. Martin Savidge is there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN INTENATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He is Mexico's most notorious drug lord. Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, and authorities say they're close to recapturing him. We've come to Mexico to try to get a sense of just how close. But it's not easy.

For security reasons, we have to keep a low profile. Because the risk we face include everything from corrupt cops to an army of drug cartel informants who are really looking out for just about everything we do. So sometimes the video or the audio might not be quite as good as you're accustomed to, because we're using less than traditional means.

The danger here is real. Last week officials said they nearly had Guzman, cornering him in a town in the mountains of Sinaloa State in Northwest Mexico. Exactly what happened isn't clear, but it was definitely violent. Reportedly, Mexican marines swooped in through the air, getting so close to Guzman. He was injured in the frantic dash to get away. But he got away, much to government embarrassment.

Locals tell a different story. They describe a less precise military strike with helicopters raining gunfire indiscriminately down on homes, vehicles, and people. Guzman escaped from a Mexican maximum security prison last July, literally under the guards' feet through a mile-long tunnel. That isn't not out of character for Guzman. Part of his drug lord success is due to his extensive use of tunnels to smuggle drugs into the United States.

There's a reason the search is so focused on the State of Sinaloa, it's a place where Guzman obviously feels comfortable and it's where he was arrested before. In a house not that far away from here, and then brought to that high-rise beach front hotel and kept there for a couple days, until authorities could arrange a safe transport back to Mexico City.

So far all these reasons authorities believe they are close and the area remains on edge. Everyone here knows it is an all-out effort to find the man called the Most Dangerous Criminal in the World, who may be injured, desperate, and possibly cornered. There is a lot that could go wrong. Martin Savidge, CNN Sinaloa State, Mexico.

CHURCH: All right. We'll take a very short break here, but nearly 30 years after the sci-fi classic Back to the Future 2, it is time to fact-check the movie's predictions. Hover boards, flying cars, and a Chicago Cubs World Series win. We will see where things stand.

[03:48:43] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN WEATHER WATCH HOST: Thank you for watching CNN. I'm Pedram Javaheri. This is CNN Weather Watch. Watching the southwestern United States, as a couple of storms system working together here to bring in very heavy rainfall towards the four corners area of the eastern U.S. the western U.S., I should say. While back to the east, it is high and dry, as high pressure reestablishes itself over this region. In fact temperatures quite mild for a late hot October, 25 out of Chicago, 24 degrees for New York City and Atlanta also at 24 degrees. But the cool temps certainly rain-cooled in parts of the western U.S. with the inter-mountain the least Denver down to about 9 degrees. And notice in the Gulf of Mexico, we're watching a tropical disturbance trying to take form here, but certainly a lot of sheer or winds at height going on different speeds and different directions. So not really going to give this storm much time to form, but certainly the moisture gets inland, and once it does, we are taking about rain falls totals exceeding 200 millimeters in a few spots. And much of the eastern and central Texas certainly dealing with excessive drought, so good news in that fence, over that region. Watching tropical storm Patricia that has just formed in the past several hours. Just is sitting just south of Mexico right now. Any sort of vacation interest from the Acapulco region, towards Manzanillo, the port of Aorta, could be looking at a potential for a strong category two for later in the week. And hurricane Olaf is a major hurricane, it is sitting there with wind speeds upwards of 145 miles per hour, but the good news, it will meander east of the Hawaiian Islands.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BACK TO THE FUTURE MOVIE CLIP)

DR. EMMETT BROWN: What did I tell you? Eighty eight miles per hour!

(END MOVIE CLIP)

BARNETT: I remember that scene so well.

CHURCH: That was the scene.

BARNETT: That was one of the many iconic moments in the Back to the Future Trilogy that began in 1985. Wednesday is in fact, Back to the Future Day.

CHURCH: Yeah, it's especially significant this year, because 1989's Back to the Future Part 2 takes lead character Marty McFly to October 21st 2015. Our CNN's Jeanne Moos reports, fans have been waiting 26 years to see if its predictions came true.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOSS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's called Back to the Future. But now the future is becoming the past, as the time traveling machine's destination and the actual calendar match.

BROWN: Where we're going, we don't need roads.

MOSS: A flying DeLorean might not. But we 2015ers still do, flying cars like the aeromobile exists. As a business, they're barely off the ground. Ditto for the hover board. Up until now, they've hardly hovered, people riding seem to do most of the flying off. The actors who played Marty McFly and Doc Brown reunited.

MICHAEL J. FOX: I'm waiting for those.

MOSS: Waiting for Nike to match the movie.

MCFLY: Power laces, all right!

MOSS: An outfit called Power Lace claims to have the technology.

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: Slide your foot into the shoe.

MOSS: Though they haven't yet tied up the financing and the lag in laces is being mocked.

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: Put these on.

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Rad, I bet they're like futuristic self- lacing sneakers, right, Doc?

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: No, they're called Crocs.

MOSS: And this seemed to be a Croc as well.

It's 2015 and there's still no self-sizing, no self-drying.

Remember when Marty McFly ordered a drink?

MCFLY: All I want is a Pepsi.

MOSS: His Pepsi perfect came with a straw built into the lid. But Pepsi's special commemorative bottle is just a regular twist-off with plain old Pepsi inside. Pepsi created 6,500 of the bottles and is selling them for $20.15. Get it, 2015? Back to the Future's most astounding prophecy was this.

[03:55:11] MCFLY: Cubs win World Series against Miami? MOSS: Twenty six years ago there was no team in Miami, but there is

now. And the forever hopeless Cubs are in the playoffs. The ride service lift is offering free rides for a day in the DeLoreans. Mercedes jumped on the bandwagon with a spot mimicking the movie's floating robot dog walker, in real life where dog years are behind.

With all this Back to the Future hoopla, here's a toast to the past. How time McFlies when you're hydrating pizza.

Jeanne Moos, CNN.

MCFLY: Boy, oh boy, mom, you sure can hydrate a pizza.

MOSS: New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: There you have it. We are in the future right now.

CHURCH: Absolutely, we are. And the Chicago Cubs are going to need nothing short of a miracle to make that Back to the Future prediction of a World Series win come true. They lost 5-2 to the New York Mets on Tuesday, on home turf at Wrigley Field no less.

BARNETT: And that loss puts Chicago down, three games to none in the National League Championship Series. One more loss and the Mets go on to the World Series. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908.

CHURCH: Ouch. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Early Start is next for those of you in the States.

CHURCH: And for viewers elsewhere, stay tuned for CNN Newsroom.

BARNETT: And before we go, a quick reminder you can always connect with us on Twitter, anytime of the day.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: We want to hear from you.

CHURCH: Have a great day.