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Hillary Clinton Testifies Before Benghazi Committee; U.S. Servicemember Killed in Hostage Rescue Operation; Hurricane Patricia Gathers Strength Off Mexican Coast; Bus Accident Kils 42 in France; Skier Reveals He is Gay. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 23, 2015 - 03:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I really don't care what you all say about me. It doesn't bother me a bit. I do care a lot about what you're implying about Admiral Mullen, and I will not sit here and hear that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: At times defy it, Hillary Clinton is grilled by the Benghazi Committee in an 11-hour marathon. Hear about what we've learned.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWSROOM SHOW CO-HOST: Plus, for the first time, a U.S. service member is killed in the fight against ISIS. And it happened during a hostage rescue operation. More on that.

ALLEN: And Mexico gets ready for a monster of a storm. A potentially catastrophic landfall as a Cat 5 hurricane approaches.

HOWELL: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN: And I'm Natalie Allen. And you're watching CNN Newsroom, live from Atlanta.

HOWELL: A U.S. congressional committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attacks spent 11 long hours on Thursday, grilling the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

ALLEN: The panel, seven republicans tried to prove Clinton ignored Ambassador Chris Stevens request for more security at a diplomatic mission in Libya. The exchanges got heated during the day-long hearing. There was a lot of finger pointing, as well as interruptions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN BROOKS, BENGHAZI SELECT COMMITTE MEMBER: Did you ever talk to Ambassador Stevens when all of this was going on in the hotbed of Libya?

CLINTON: Well...

BROOKS: That is a yes or no question, Madame Secretary. I'm sorry. Did you ever personally speak to Ambassador Stevens after -- we don't know the answer. Did you ever personally speak to him after you swore him in May? Yes or no, please?

(CROSSTALK)

CLINTON: I believe -- Yes, I believe I did.

BROOKS: And when was that?

CLINTON: I don't recall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Throughout the day, Clinton appeared to remain calm after 11 long hours, no real 'gotcha' moment. In fact, the committee chairman said they didn't really learn much new.

Chief political correspondent Dana Bash has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN'S CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hillary Clinton came prepared.

CLINTON: I take responsibility for what happened in Benghazi.

BASH: Combative at times.

CLINTON: I don't know what this line of questioning does to help us to get to the bottom of deaths of four Americans.

BASH: Other times, contrite, trying to reveal what she is so often accused of concealing, her human side.

CLINTON: I've lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done. Or should have been done.

BASH: The only other person in the room with as much to prove as Clinton, the GOP chairman, who repeatedly insisted the Benghazi investigation is not political.

TREY GOWDY, BENGHAZI SELECT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Secretary, not a single member of this committee signed up to investigate you or your e-mail.

BASH: Trey Gowdy and others did spent a significant amount of time asking about e-mails she got and forwarded from longtime friend Sidney Blumenthal, with advice and ideas relating to the situation in Libya.

CLINTON: I don't know where he got the information that he was referring to me.

(CROSSTALK)

GOWDY: Well, did you ask?

CLINTON: What?

GOWDY: Did you ask? You're sending me very specific detailed intelligence, what is your source? That seems to me like a pretty good question.

CLINTON: Well...

GOWDY: It's relevant because our Ambassador was asked to read and respond to Sidney Blumenthal's drivel.

BASH: Also relevant, he said, because Ambassador Chris Stevens, killed in the Benghazi attack, had been requesting more security, but did not have direct access to Clinton.

GOWDY: Well, I think it is eminently fair to ask, why Sidney Blumenthal had unfettered access to you, Madame Secretary, with whatever he wanted to talk about. And there's not a single solitary e- mail to or from you, to or from Ambassador Stevens.

BASH: Lawmakers on both sides used videos, charts, and props to make their points. Democrats arguing it's a waste of time and taxpayer money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The purpose of this committee is to prosecute you. There will be time enough for that in the next year. You know, and people will do it. We don't need to spend $4.7 million and 17 months to simply prosecute you.

[03:04:58] BASH: As for questions and confusion about initial comments from administration officials, including Clinton, that the attack was spawned by a video, republicans produced a new wrinkle, that Clinton contacted the Egyptian Prime Minister the day after the Benghazi attack to say it wasn't the video.

CLINTON: I'm sorry that it doesn't fit your narrative, Congressman. I can only tell you what the facts were.

BASH: Republicans pounced. One saying, it's even more proof of an administration cover-up right before President Obama's re-election.

JIM JORDAN, BENGHAZI SELECT COMMITTEE MEMBER: You picked the video narrative. You picked the one with no evidence. And it's just 56 days before an election. You can live with the protest about a video. That won't hurt you. But a terrorist attack will. So, you can't be square with the American people.

BASH: The most fiery moment of the hearing did not involve Hillary Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chairman, let me finish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm waiting on you. I've been very patient. ELIJAH CUMMINGS, BENGHAZI SELECT COMMITTEE MEMBER: It's coming. Just

wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm waiting on the inaccurate statement.

CUMMINGS: All right. I'm getting there.

BASH: It was between the top republican and democrat arguing over process while Clinton sat back trying not to look the news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Peter Beinart is a political commentator for CNN and a contributing editor for The Atlantic and National Journal. He joins me now via Skype from Santa Fe.

Thanks for being with me, Peter. I want to get your assessment, first of all, of Hillary Clinton, 11 hours before this hearing today. How do you think she withstood the scrutiny and the questions?

PETER BEINART, THE ATLANTIC AND NATIONAL JOURNAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: I think she did well. Look, I think very few Americans were actually have watched this. So, what they will see will be the talking heads talking about it not it itself. Maybe they'll see one clip or two.

And so, in some ways what matters most is that the talking head consensus is already that she did well. That she was dignified. She showed a lot of perseverance, perhaps, you know, in a subtle way, put to rest some concerns about her age, given the fact that she managed to hold up for so well under such a long period of time.

And that the republicans seemed partisan. I mean, the democrats seemed partisan, too. They were all partisan. But it made people feel like this was kind of a political show, rather than a well-meaning effort.

So, I don't think that -- I think it actually ends up being the cap for what's been a very good week or two for her.

ALLEN: Do you think she will see a bounce with her candidacy from this today or not?

BEINART: Yes. I think so. I mean, look, with Biden getting out of the race and with her having done well in that debate, I think we have a new conventional wisdom, which is, again, that she's basically the de facto nominee already.

Now, again, that could change several more times before this is all out. But I think she has stabilized herself. The fact that Biden didn't run. The fact she did well in the debate. The fact that she went through this.

And certainly for democrats -- I mean, republicans don't like it, but for democrats watching this, they saw someone and who they felt has, you know, wasn't endured a very unfair kind of partisan witch-hunt, and responded, not only with kind of calm dignity. But also, you know, Hillary Clinton, one of the things she's very good

at mastering material. She's always been this way. She's much better in this kind of environment than she is giving a stump speech.

So, this is the kind of environment that showcases her strengths, her command of the material. Her sense of being in charge. Her sense of being well-prepared. And I think all that came through.

ALLEN: Democrats were charging partisanship during this long hearing. The republicans were saying the democrats were blocking their legitimate inquiry. How do you think either side looks to the Americans after this day?

BEINART: I don't think the democrats in Congress look all that great. But they're not what mattered. This fight between the republicans in Congress with the prosecutors and Hillary Clinton as the defendant.

The republicans in Congress, everyone in Congress is unpopular. And I think especially for democrats, watching Hillary Clinton, they will feel like she badgered, she was attacked, she was harangued and that she held up well.

And this will play into a narrative that they feel that Clinton had never been treated fairly by republicans. And they will make -- it will bond them to Hillary Clinton more.

ALLEN: Peter Beinart talking with us from Santa Fe. Thank you, Peter.

BEINART: Thank you.

HOWELL: And after weeks of giving a strong no, U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan says he will run for the Speaker of House of Representatives. A republican from Wisconsin says that he could be a unifying figure in Congress, after the current Speaker, John Boehner announced that he is resigning.

Ryan ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Vice president in 2012. He chairs the Tax Riding Ways and Means Committee. He said earlier, quote, "I never thought I would be Speaker. But I pledged to you that if I could be a unifying figure, then I would serve. I would go all in." His party in a full House vote for the next Speaker next week.

ALLEN: U.S. President Barack Obama showed his frustrations with Congressional republicans on Thursday, when he vetoed a Defense Spending Bill. He said the $612 billion funding measure doesn't help his administration streamline Pentagon spending. Republicans say they'll try to override the veto.

[03:10:06] An American commando who was killed Thursday in an operation to rescue dozens of hostages in Iraq, face execution.

The Pentagon said 70 hostages were freed. Many of them Iraqi security forces. The U.S. service member killed, it's the first combat death in Iraq since 2011. Here's CNN's Barbara Starr, from the Pentagon.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The raid by U.S. Special Operations Forces that left one American dead from ISIS gunfire, was the first U.S. military death by enemy action in this war. Several military officials tell CNN.

Remarkably, a mission that President Obama did not sign off on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC SCHULTZ, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: I believe the Defense Department has said that the Secretary of Defense authorized this commission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: The Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter, Press Secretary, defending the decision to help Kurdish commanders, close U.S. allies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER COOK, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: This was a unique circumstance, in which very close partners of the United States, made a specific request for our assistance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: The Pentagon says Carter approved the mission because the Kurds wanted to free prisoners facing imminent execution. Satellite imagery showed mass graves had already been dug. But none of the free prisoners appear to be Kurds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You went on a hostage rescue mission and you didn't know who was going to be there?

COOK: Because we didn't have a full accounting of everyone present at this compound, that is correct.

STARR: The Pentagon adamant, the operation was not mission creep and did not violate the President's ban on combat by U.S. Forces.

The U.S. Special Operations Forces were supposed to use their helicopters to just fly Iraqi Kurdish Forces to the ISIS jail in Northern Iraq. But there was one secret clause. If the Iraqis started to come under heavy attack, U.S. troops had the authority to step in and help.

Essentially, putting themselves in combat against ISIS. That is exactly what happened when heavy gunfire broke out on the ground, just after initial military action.

Nearby, U.S. warplanes had just dropped bombs on makeshift ISIS training camps, staging sites and bridges in the area.

Then, five helicopters brought in nearly 70 U.S. Special Forces, Iraqi and Kurdish troops. They approached the compound and that firefight broke out. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep going.

STARR: When the mission was over, the U.S. aircraft overhead destroyed the site. The U.S. service member was badly wounded inside the compound during the firefight.

He was airlifted to Irbil in Northern Iraq and later died of his wounds at a battlefield trauma center there. The U.S. insists the main reason for the mission, the Kurds asked for help and the U.S. wanted to help them. The Kurds are valuable allies to U.S. Forces fighting ISIS in both Iraq and in the skies over Syria. It is possible, we are told, there may be more missions like this one.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

ALLEN: There's been another shooting on a U.S. college campus. And one person is now dead after a shooting at the -- on the campus of a -- excuse me, of a college, in Tennessee.

Police say two others are in the hospital. The shooting happened at Tennessee State University, that's in Nashville, after an apparent argument over a dice game. No word right now on the suspect.

HOWELL: You're watching CNN Newsroom.

And still to come, a warplane strikes a hospital in rebel-held territory inside Syria.

Twelve people killed and the aid workers at this hospital say that the air strike was not a mistake.

[03:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT REPORTER: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN world sport headlines. The Europa League returned. But it was a miserable night for British Clubs.

(Inaudible) Antfield Celtics midfielder, and while they didn't lose, Jurgen Klopp Liverpool could only manage a 1 to 0 draw at home. The visitors take a first-half lead through Marco Devic superb half- volley. But then had the captain Oleg Kuzmin sent off for a second yellow card.

Liverpool quickly got back on terms as Emre Can stabbed in, following a free kick. And despite having the vast majority of chances, Liverpool couldn't force a winner. So, Klopp must wait for his for his first win as his manager.

A sad note now from the world of football. The Dutch icon Johan Cruyff has been diagnosed with lung cancer. The news was confirmed in a statement on Cruyff's official web site, saying the cancer was found following recent test in Barcelona. The former European footballer of the year will have treatment for the disease in Spain.

And the NFL has extend its agreement to have regular season games at Wimble Stadium. At least two games through 2020. Jacksonville will continue to play annually at Wimble. And the NFL has also with it European trick can extend the deal for an additional five years through 2025.

And that's a look at all of your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. We turn now to the new attack in the escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

ALLEN: The Israeli military says it shot a man who stabbed the soldier, South of Jerusalem. No word on either person's condition right now.

HOWELL: And all of this comes as the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, is set to meet with leaders in the Middle East. Kerry spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, saying that both sides need to tone down the rhetoric.

ALLEN: Well, life is anything but typical, for Palestinian children in the West Bank. They are growing up in the middle of a conflict. And many of them are involved in daily clashes, with Israeli forces.

Senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Throwing the stones at Israeli soldiers in the streets of Hebron are not men. More often, they're boys. These clashes are not new, although they're more intense and more frequent now.

But they've raged on a regular basis longer than these boys and young men have been alive.

From an early age, the children of Hebron become accustomed to the sound and fury of street battles. They've grown up hearing that someday there will be peace. That someday, Israel will pull out of the West Bank. Few believe it anymore.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

I asked this 15-year-old who calls himself Halid, if he's satisfied with the Palestinian leadership.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WEDEMAN: No, he response, because they haven't given us anything. They go around inaugurating this, opening that. But they don't know what to do with their own people, while we're being killed and kicked around.

[03:19:57] And with the disillusionment, a machismo beyond their years.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WEDEMAN: We want to show the occupier says Youssef, that the smallest child is braver than the biggest one of them. Unemployment is high in Hebron. The city's old market is often shut down by clashes and strikes.

A city in whose heart Israeli soldiers guard several Jewish settlers, living behind walls and barbed wire. The old have learned to put up with it all. The young are impatient and restless.

With little prospect of change, little faith in their leadership or the world enable to stop the slide into more violence, a pattern is established, which is hard to break.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And joining us now live, our senior international Ben Wedeman in Jerusalem. Ben, good to have you with us this hour.

First, let's talk about the latest news in this a case of violence. The Israeli military saying that a man was shot, it shot rather a man, who stabbed the soldier South of Jerusalem. What more do we know about this?

WEDEMAN: Well, apparently, they were on what is called operational activities. So, the fears that they've new soldiers were, perhaps, patrolling somewhere to the South of Bethlehem, when this incident took place.

We have very few details other than the fact that somebody tried to stab the soldiers. And the attacker was shot, we believe. But we don't know whether he is wounded or dead at this point.

And of course, this has become really part of the daily routine here. These incidents that follow one after another along with the clashes. It's Friday, the Muslim day of prayer. We are expecting some tension, more tension.

But interestingly, the Israelis have lifted all age restrictions on entry into the Hara Maschere or the Temple Mount for Friday prayers. Perhaps an attempt to reduce the tension somewhat. George?

HOWELL: Ben, to talk just about your report, you really explained very well the disillusionment of the Palestinian youth there. You talk also just about the fact that this violence, these clashes, in many ways, outdates many of the people we see there, that are throwing the rocks and the bottles.

But now, we are also, we understand, you know, the Secretary of State, John Kerry, will be involved, is getting involved in talks. Is there a sense there, Ben, that we could start to see some de-escalation?

WEDEMAN: Well, what we've seen in the past, George, is that there is these tensions rise and they go on for a bit. And then they lessen simply because people are exhausted, people have to get back to work, to school. Life needs to go on.

At the same time, however, you know, if you look at both sides, if you look at an Israeli who would be 15 years old, like that young Palestinian I interviewed in the report. He was born at the beginning of the second Intifada.

He's seen in 2006, the Lebanon war. 2008, the Gaza war, 2012, a Gaza war. 2014, a Gaza war. And many clashes and attacks and disruption to their life in between. So, for an Israeli or a Palestinian in Hebron -- Hebron is basically a very tense place.

It doesn't always make the news, it doesn't always make the headlines. But for both sides, this sense of we are in conflict has been part of the lives of most young people on both sides for many years. George?

HOWELL: Ben Wedeman, live for us in Jerusalem this hour. Ben, thank you so much for your reporting and perspective.

ALLEN: We want to turn to Syria now. We have a story that contains disturbing video. A Syrian humanitarian organization has post a video of what it says is the aftermath of a missile strike on a hospital in a rebel-held City of Idlib.

And the video, as you pointed out to me earlier, shows the impact of the second of what appears to be two strikes on a hospital.

HOWELL: They call it a double-tap. The Syrian-American Medical Society which runs the hospital, it says Russian warplanes were responsible. Moscow, though, denies this strongly and says they are not targeting civilians in their Syrian raids.

Nick Paton Walsh is covering it all for us.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Warplanes just struck and missed in rebel Idlib. Aid workers are out and say run, the plane is coming back.

This aid worker from the Syrian civil defense unit runs inside the hospital. One of his colleagues dead. Five injured. A dozen total dead.

[03:25:05] The Syrian-American Medical Association who run this hospital told CNN it was targeted by Russian jets in, quote, "a double-tap," one strike and another, to catch the first responders.

Russia denies targeting civilians. In the first attack, this local man says, thank God there were no injuries. Then, the warplane turned around and that time, all of the people were gathered and it shot two missiles again.

It is the third report of hospitals hit in the offensive in and around Aleppo over the week. Not far West of Aleppo, the same rescue group find what they say is an unexploded cluster bomb. Markings this visible. Russia denied Thursday using cluster munitions.

The clue appeared to have crashed through this roof, into this home, making the holes beneath this boy's feet. It came and hit, for the first time, he says. The warplane shot a missile that had cluster bombs.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE) It came on to us. None of us were injured. But our neighbor Abdulazeez Basher was injured and two women were killed.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Southern Turkey.

HOWELL: Russia says that it carried out 53 combat missions in Syria in the past 24-hour period. The Defense Ministry says it has attacked at even more ISIS targets than the U.S. originally reported.

ALLEN: Well, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to meet with Russia's Foreign Minister in Vienna, Friday with Syria at the very top of the agenda. The U.S. has said in the past, it thinks Russia's involvement only complicates the situation.

Russia, of course, has a different perspective on that.

And CNN's senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, has the latest for us, now live from Moscow. Matthew, hello.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Natalie, thanks very much. Over the past couple of days, there's been some quite significant diplomatic moves at the behest of Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister.

But yesterday, a surprise meeting with the Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, the day before in fact, in which he was flown from Syria to Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin in the halls of the Kremlin. And they discussed, you know, what the strategy should be in that country, and the continuation of the Russian military campaign there.

And according to the Kremlin announcements at the time. Over the course of the past 24 hours, there's been bit more detail released by Vladimir Putin, as to what specifically was discussed.

Speaking at the Valdai -- Valdai discussion forum in Sochi. Vladimir Putin, the Russian President said, that he had suggested to the Syrian President, that he could work with opposition groups in a kind of coalition against Islamic state.

He said that President Assad responded to that suggestion positively. And that the Russians were not considering that and working out ways of implementing it.

So, it's a first sign of the kind of diplomatic strategy that Russia is, perhaps, considering. That will be discussed further later on today, when the Russian Foreign Minister, along with this counterparts from the United States, from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, will meet in Vienna, to discuss the Syrian crisis and how best to move forward for a political solution matter.

ALLEN: And this meeting in Vienna, how critical that all these sides are coming together? And Kerry, who is a busy man right now on many fronts, unfortunately, meeting with Sergei Lavrov, once again.

CHANCE: Undoubtedly, he is busy. And also undoubtedly, this meeting will be high on his list of priorities. Because the real urgency is to try and bring to an end, the conflict in Syria, which has already cost something in the region of 250,000 lives, in the course of the past four years.

The parties around the negotiating table represent the very different kind of alliances and sides in this conflict. You got the United States on one side. Of course, backing some of the rebel groups. Turkey, basically backing others. And Saudi Arabia has got its own interests there, as well.

Russia, standing squarely behind the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. That was the messages he was been giving all along, reaffirmed by that meeting in Moscow with Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin.

And so, you got all sides now, sitting around the table, essentially, at least all the international powers, sitting around the table to discuss how they various factions can move forward for a political settlement. So, it's crucial.

ALLEN: Yes, it is. A quarter million people have died, and perhaps this could be a turning point and we'll be covering it. Matthew Chance for us in Moscow. Thanks.

[03:30:02] HOWELL: There is a mega storm brewing in Mexico. It's closing in on Mexico. We will of course, continue to have the updates on Patricia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to our here in the United States and around the world.

We are following breaking news this hour out of France. Local authorities there tell CNN that 42 people were killed in a collision between a bus and a truck near Bordeaux.

ALLEN: Forty-two, another five people were injured after the two vehicles went up in flames. According to reports, and we were told the bus was carrying elderly people.

We'll continue that story for you.

HOWELL: Other headlines we are following this hour. In a hearing that lasted 11 hours, U.S. republicans grilled former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton on the 2012 Benghazi attack.

Mrs. Clinton took responsibility for the deaths of the U.S. Ambassador and three other Americans. But said, she is not to blame for security lapses before that attack.

ALLEN: Mexicans, and perhaps people on vacation, are preparing as hurricane Patricia turns into one of the most powerful storms in the Eastern Pacific in almost 20 years.

Forecaster say the category five monster is expected to make a potentially catastrophic landfall in the coming days. Besides soaking rain, it has maximum sustained winds of almost 300 kilometers or 185 miles per hour.

[03:35:03] HOWELL: Category five, as my grandma would say, that's nothing to play with. Karen Maginnis live in the weather center with more. Karen?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN WEATHER CENTER REPORTER: And this is very powerful, as you just mentioned. But the National Hurricane Center really took it to a different level, when they said, unprecedented.

They associated that with hurricane Patricia. Unprecedented. And that we saw deepen very rapidly. That means it is gaining some strength because it offered some very warm water.

There is no shear associated with this. And we saw it go from 160 miles an hour, to 185 miles an hour. That is a strong category 5. On Friday, it looks like it's going to make landfall along this coast. The West Coast of Mexico. Probably becoming the strongest hurricane ever for the West Coast of Mexico.

But perhaps, for the Eastern Pacific, it may become one of the strongest. We'll have to do some more investigation. But it looks that way now. Expected to move towards the north. Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, those are the two areas will be most impacted.

A lot of people go to those coastal areas and Acapulco. It does look like Acapulco will also the affected. Maybe some feeder bands. Maybe occasionally heavy rainfall. Some gusty winds. A heavier surf. A rip current.

But magnify that extensively, all the way from Puerto Vallarta to Manzanillo. What do we expect" Well, we thank that this is going to be making landfall on Friday, maybe midday afternoon or towards the evening.

It doesn't really matter what time it makes landfall. That's when the eye crosses the coast. It matters that you have preparations. It's a category 5. It does not look it's going to weaken significantly at all as it makes its way onshore.

So, 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, what can we expect? High winds, very heavy surf. We're looking at a storm surge here, power outages, trees down, severe flooding. The potential for loss of life is great.

It's going to take several days for this to ring out along those coastal ranges and inland. But when it's all said and done, this is going to probably be one for the record books. We'll keep you updated.

We'll be here in the CNN Weather Center. Back to you guys.

ALLEN: That's really unreal, Karen. My goodness. I hope people are getting out. Certainly, they are. Thank you, Karen.

HOWELL: Karen, thank you.

ALLEN: Well, we have this just in to CNN. Former French Diplomat, Jerome Champagne has announced his bid for the FIFA presidency. Champagne previously served as an executive for World Soccer of governing body. In a statement he pledges to reform FIFA in, quote, :Open debate about it future."

HOWELL: The current FIFA president, Seth Blatter, he is stepping down next year amid a bribery scandal. FIFA's election is set for February 26th.

ALLEN: Police in Sweden say a school attacker who killed two people had racist motives.

HOWELL: The man wielded what appeared to be a sword and killed a teacher and student on Thursday. Now, police say he chose his victims according to their, quote, "specifically ethnical background," end quote.

Police also found items in his home that led them to conclude that his ideas were racist. The Swedish Prime Minister called it a dark for the country.

CNN Fred Pleitgen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERICK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Panic and confusion at the scene of a deadly at this school in Sweden, a young man wielding what appeared to be a sword, burst in, killing two and injuring two others.

One of those brutally murdered the teacher. The other, a pupil. These men and women now in a state of shock, as details start to emerge of this murderous rampage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had a mask and was wearing black clothes. He had blue eyes. But it said he had contact lenses in and with black around his eyes, that's how he is described. We thought it was a joke, Halloween or something.

PLEITGEN: The attack took place at a Kronan School in the town of Trollhattan in the southwest of the country. A small community that only numbers roughly 50,000 people, now trying to comprehend why someone would commit such a crime. Police say they neutralized the man as quickly as possible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When arriving here, we met a man armed with knives, wearing a mask, attacking the officers on arrival. We fired two shots, by one hit and incapacitated the man so we could arrest him. He has been taken to hospital, to be taken care of for the gunshot wound.

PLEITGEN: A gunshot wound that ultimately proved fatal to the masked attacker. Official say, as those left lying in hospital beds continue to fight for their lives.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [03:40:04] It is Cuba as you probably never have seen it before. Why it took a lot of convincing to get drones in the air over the biggest island in the Caribbean.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Breaking news out of France right now, if you're just joining us. Local authorities tell CNN, 42 people were killed in a collision between a bus and a truck near Bordeaux.

HOWELL: Another five people were injured after two vehicles went up in flames. We're told that the bus was carrying elderly people. We'll continue to get updates and pass them along to you here on CNN.

Leave your drone at home. That is Cuba's message to tourists and journalists.

ALLEN: Well, the government doesn't want to see curious visitors, a lot of new visitors, with flying cameras. But some local drone makers are being allowed to do what others can't, show off Cuba's wow factor.

CNN's Patrick Ottoman is in Havana.

HOWELL: Pictures are cool.

PATRICK OTTOMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The filming of a music video in Havana, the crew gets a little help from above. You don't see this very often here. Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are virtually nonexistent in Cuba.

The island's secretive government isn't a fan of flying cameras. And tells tourists and visiting journalists, they can't bring them to the island.

But for the first time, a group of Cuban techies who've been building their own drones, received government permission to fly them throughout Cuba. The results have been breathtaking.

Everyone, Cuban or foreigner, as soon as they see the video, he says, the first reaction is always the same, wow. They are allowed to film hotels and attractions to help promote the island's growing tourism industry.

[03:45:05] Their cameras have captured an until now unseen Cuba. Images from above of a 1950's classic car traveling down the Havana sea front. Residents of old Havana, watching life go by from their apartment balconies.

The tile rooftops of a small colonial town in a Cuban countryside. The pilot Alejandro Perez de la Cruz shows off the first models of the aircraft that they built from parts brought from China or that they themselves invented.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We experimented with different type of propellers and motors, he says. It took us years. Years of research now paying off. Its clients line up to have them film events like this massive concert on the Havana Sea Front.

Cuba hasn't embraced unmanned air vehicles just yet. But for those who have figure out how to maneuver the red tape of aerial photography, the view is worth the hassle.

Cuba's drone pioneers said this low relaxing of some restrictions gives them hope.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oftentimes to challenge ourselves to try new things, he says. And that's what we are doing. Next they say, they want to organize an exhibition of aerial photography to be shown in other countries for more people to see a drones eye view of Cuba.

Patrick Ottoman, CNN, Havana.

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HOWELL: Beautiful pictures.

ALLEN: Really, really cool.

HOWELL: Yes.

ALLEN: Well, the actor who plays Raj on "The Big Bang Theory" has a new book out but don't call it a memoir.

Coming up, he talks about his accent, acting and much more to us.

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MAGINNIS: Hello, everyone. I'm CNN meteorologist, Karen Maginnis. We're closely watching what happens with hurricane Patricia. This could be one for the record books, especially along this West Coast with the Southwest Coast of Mexico.

Its impact is going to be extreme over the next 24 to 48 hours. With the potential for muds and landslides. Very heavy rainfall. We're looking at the potential for some coastal beach erosion, as well.

Over the next 24 hours, it is expected to make landfall somewhere between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo. In its wake, some areas could see as much as 20 inches of rainfall. So, flooding, a huge issue here, as well.

Speaking of flooding, we could see that across the South Central of United States, as the weather system sweeps through that taps that gulf of Mexico moisture. Some showers and some thunderstorms, localized flooding as we go all the way through Sunday, in the forecast.

[03:50:11] Take a look at some of the rainfall totals that we're expecting. Six to ten inches in some cases. And an area that has seen exceptional drought.

Now there was a brief time, we saw the rainfall move in. That broke the drought just a little bit. But with this heavy rainfall on the way, it looks like flooding is a problem.

ALLEN: Welcome back. A hiker in Norway stumbled on an incredible find. A 1200-year-old Viking sword.

HOWELL: The man was walking along an ancient mountain route, when he found the weapon under some rocks. Archaeologists say it is 77 centimeters long or 2.5 feet. It's made of raw iron and it's remarkably well-preserve considering that it's more than a millennium old.

ALLEN: A team at a university museum of Burgin is working to restore it. The museum plans to lead a research expedition next year to the area where it was found see what else they might find.

HOWELL: What a cool find. Freestyle slier Gus Kenworthy is getting an overwhelming amount of support after revealing that he is gay. The Olympic silver medalist made the announcement on Twitter, along with a photo of his new ESPN magazine cover.

ALLEN: In the latest issue Kenworthy says, he knew he was gay at 5 years old. And contemplated suicide instead of coming out. Kenworthy says he decided to come out after he reached number one in the world freestyle rankings. Following his win at the Sochi winter games. Good for him.

Well, "The Big Bang Theory" is one of the most popular shows on TV and boasts a hilarious cast of characters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This girl is trouble. But what kind of relationship is it, where you buy her gifts and she gives you sex?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The best one ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Kunal Nayyar plays astrophysicist, Raj. And according to Forbes, he is one of the world's highest paid TV actors.

HOWELL: Now Nayyar is adding author to his list of accomplishments with his new book, "Yes, My Accent is Real." Earlier our Isha say she spoke with the actor about the book, acting, and growing up in New Delhi.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nayyar, thank you for coming in to speak to us.

KUNAL NAYYAR, ACTOR: Thanks for having me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you are on record to saying that you have tried to be pretty private up until this point. And now, here you are, writing a book. What on earth possessed you to put your life on paper?

NAYYAR: I just wanted to distinguish two things, Isha. I wanted to be private, I wanted to be private on my terms. If I'm going to public, I also want to be on my terms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

NAYYAR: You know, as opposed to being someone's who's in the tabloids or whose life is being stolen away by cameras. I chose to do it the way I wanted to do it, which is tell stories that hopefully would inspire young kids to quit doing what they're parents tell them to do and live out their dreams.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a great book.

NAYYAR: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Yes, My Accent is Real." and some other they haven't told you and you make the point right off the bat, this is not a memoir.

NAYYAR: I'm 34 years old, so it's difficult to say it's a memoir. It's a collection of stories from my life that people want to know about my journey from -- you know, I was a kid from New Delhi, India.

I came to America in '99. I ended up on, maybe one of the biggest shows in the universe. So, people want to know how that journey happened. And I wanted to humanize that journey to tell anyone, any kid, any person in the world that they can actually do whatever they want to do.

Because I was lucky enough to have lived it. And you know, I cleaned toilets for a living. I served tables, like all actors have to do. I've done a lot of things that were very humbling. And have led me to this place.

And I thought if I share them, then people will realize, no matter where they are, whatever they're doing, they can still, you know, hopefully accomplish what they want to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of my favorite stories in the book, involves you telling all described what camaraderie in an all-boys school looks like, which seems to me, according to your writing, seems to involve dancing like a penguin to ditty's "I'll Be Missing You." Please, explain.

NAYYAR: No. I went to an all-boys school in New Delhi, India, you know. When the seniors are graduating, the juniors have to throw this farewell party. You know, and I went to an all-boys school. So, this party was like 67 dudes and like two girls came, you know.

And it's a very emotional moment. And I told the deejay, like sing that song -- play that song, "I'll Be Missing You." And it had just come out, you know. And the MTV Music Awards, like Ditty was wearing that white suit and he was doing his dance like, you know. So, I just imagine 67 dudes dancing, you know to "I'll Be Missing You"

looking at each other just like doing this like flapping of their wings. Like -- it was hilarious. That was the penguin dance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, you tried anyway.

[03:54:56] NAYYAR: Yes, exactly. I tried. And then, I love talking -- everything I love talking about the stories about, you know, working my way through college. And all the people I met through the jobs I did.

And all of the times I failed. Because all of the things I learned in life were from the times I failed. Though going down memory lane was little difficult at times. It was definitely worth it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You play a very learned character on "The Big Bang Theory." Raj. Other than the accent that clearly show with him. What are the similarities, because you don't have the selective mutism.

NAYYAR: I obviously, and I can talk to women without drinking. But I think that every actor has a little bit of -- it's difficult to say specifially what I'm doing that is Raj-like. Sometimes I will say something like, oh, my God, that was so much like Raj.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do your friends call you out on it when you do that?

NAYYAR: Yes. Then, what do you -- are you Raj? I don't know. So, there's obviously parts that are similar. I think every actor will say that. And there's parts in Raj that I bring from Kunal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are the best elements of being of such an amazing show that just continues to be from strength to strength?

NAYYAR: It's a wonderful show. It's wonderful we get to share the time together. It's -- the writing, to be honest, if you ask me the bst aspect of it, is to getting to say those words because the writers are so incredibly talented. And to be an actor who's in a position and gets to work with talented writers is really the dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: I'll say. The American dream. He's illuminant.

HOWELL: Absolutely.

ALLEN: Thanks for watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. Thanks for being with us. Early Start is coming up for viewers here in the United States. And viewers around the world, stay tuned. CNN Newsroom continues.

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