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Trump Teases New Slogan Of "Make America Great Again, Again"; Biden Rejects Trump Request To Withhold Docs From January 6 Committee; Shooting At Minnesota Food Hall Leaves One Dead, 14 Wounded; U.S. COVID Cases, Hospitalizations And Deaths Dropping; NIH Director On Disinformation About COVID; Terry McAuliffe Downplays Calling Biden Unpopular In Virginia; Performer Killed In On Stage Accident At Moscow Bolshoi Theatre. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired October 10, 2021 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Well, you have to listen to his interview that he had with Anderson which was absolutely hilarious. So -- and get a better idea of what his plan is so he's got some great ideas on why he's doing it and what he hopes to learn from it, and who knows? I don't know. Maybe I'll sign up, maybe. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, always a pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much. In fact, I think this is our first time talking.

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, ASTROPHYSICIST: Excellent.

WHITFIELD: Hey, this was fun.

TYSON: Yes, I think it is our first. I think so.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Out of this world. Out of this world, I tell you. Thank you.

TYSON: Excellent.

WHITFIELD: All right, the CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Jim Acosta.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Ignoring him will not make it go away. If former president Donald Trump's rally in Iowa last night proves anything it's that his toxic dishonesty and his potent base remain a major force in American politics. In a warped way, sustaining one another. His latest audience in the critical state of Iowa, which recently gave him his highest favorability rating ever. The crowd was soaking up his latest stream of disinformation consciousness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, he didn't get elected. OK, forget that. But some people said, oh, sir, it was COVID. Hillary conceded. I never conceded. Never.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: When you hear these numbers of swing states, it was no reason to concede. They should have conceded. It was supposed to be something a little different than "Make America Great." It was supposed to be "Keep America Great." But America is not great right now, so we're using the same slogan "Make America Great Again." And we may even add to it but we'll keep it.

Make America great again, again, because we already did it, right? We're going to make America great again, again.

Mitch McConnell should've challenged that election because even back then we had plenty of material to challenge that election. He should've challenged the election. Schumer would've challenged the election.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: But Mitch McConnell didn't have the courage to challenge the election. He's only a leader because he raises a lot of money and he gives it to senators. That's the only thing he's got. That's his only form of leadership. He should've challenged the election.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes, here we go again, again, sandwiched in between those endless election lies, Trump drops some serious bread crumbs. No, it wasn't just the Iowa State Fair food vendors on site, Trump was indeed hinting at a 2024 comeback.

We observed Trump in his natural habitat, simultaneously wooing his supporters while marking his territory in only the way he can in what seemed like an early warning to other Republican presidential hopefuls who incidentally may now be growing a lot less hopeful.

Joining me now is Trump biographer, Michael D'Antonio. He's the author of the book "The Truth About Trump."

Michael, first, does it seem clear to you that Trump, he can't resist dropping those bread crumbs. It used to sound like a grift, and it may still be a grift, but it seems to be a grift moving in a certain direction, and that is running again.

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, DONALD TRUMP BIOGRAPHER: I think you're right. I think he is running again. And one of the things that he can't resist is tormenting everyone around him, except for his fans. So he loves that he's making Mike Pence and the others who want to run in 2024 uncomfortable. This is something he takes relish in.

And I think "The Hill" reported late last week that the majority of Senate Republicans wish he would just go away. And when he sees reporting like that, the effect on him is to encourage him to keep doing this. So he's soaking up the adulation, but he's also reveling in trolling the GOP, at least the part of it that isn't on board with him.

ACOSTA: Yes, the trolling is very familiar, and that slogan "Make America great again, again," it doesn't sound like he's even trying. But the signs that were everywhere at this rally saying "Save America," I mean, that is just the most Orwellian thing I can think of. I mean, America was saved from him after his efforts to overturn the election didn't work out.

D'ANTONIO: Well, he really is kind of babbling and incoherent, but that's what people show up for. So when he says make America great again, again, you have to ask, well, if he did it the first time, it really wasn't a very good job. Eight months later, it needs to be redone. You know, it didn't quite stick, this greatness that he gave us. So there's a lot --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Nine months.

D'ANTONIO: Yes. It's amazing how --

ACOSTA: The shelf life on the greatness, it wasn't very long, I guess.

[16:05:00]

D'ANTONIO: No. You know, maybe it was poor building materials. He might've skimped on the construction costs, which he's been known to do.

ACOSTA: Yes. He didn't pay the contractors again, I guess.

D'ANTONIO: Right.

ACOSTA: You know, but there was a telling moment during the speech where Trump says out loud why he talks so much about the election. I like to say this, for as dishonest as he is, he is sometimes remarkably candid. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's the single biggest issue, the issue that gets the most pull, the most respect, the biggest cheers, is talking about the election fraud of 2020 presidential election.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Nobody's ever seen anything like it.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I mean, that begs the question, does he think his supporters are so gullible that he can openly admit that he's manipulating them to get the applause?

D'ANTONIO: Yes, he does think that they're that gullible. You know, there is a game that he always plays as sort of inviting people into his method and saying, come on, you're in on the joke, you're in on my act. But at the same time, their responsibility is to give him the feedback that says, yes, we're in on it and we still agree with you and we're going to applaud this.

It is unbelievable that the guy who actually did concede after the January 6th insurrection in order to indicate that he was a serious man is now going around lying and saying he didn't concede, and he is saying the election was rigged when there's absolutely no proof of it. He's tried every which way he can to get someone in official don to agree with him that the election was rigged, and no one will agree because no court and no audit has found any problem.

So, the idea of saying, well, I'm manipulating you, well, of course he is, and they love to be manipulated. This is a kind of mutual illusion that they all enjoy.

ACOSTA: And, Michael, when you peel back, you know, when you pull back the Wizard of Oz curtain on Donald Trump, you do find a different story. His company reported in financial disclosures that his marquee hotel in D.C. made more than $156 million in income while he was president.

But, in fact, new documents show it was -- it actually lost $70 million. This hotel has been touted as the crowned jewel in his real estate empire. But if you go in there, you know, at happy hour on a Friday afternoon, you can hear -- you know, you can hear the echo of your own voice some days.

I mean, earlier this year CNN observed very few guests staying there. And you hear that time to time from people around Washington. How does Trump process things when business isn't booming in the way that he likes to brag about?

D'ANTONIO: Well, first of all, he lies to himself, and then he lies to everybody else. You have to remember the foundational lie of Donald Trump's life is that he's a good businessman. But he is the fellow who went bankrupt multiple times running casinos. And really, casinos, you really have to try hard, you have to be terrible to go bankrupt running a casino because the odds are in your favor every day.

So this guys, this former president, the former guy is going around saying that he made $150 million when in fact he lost $70 million. He is now trying to sell the hotel or at least the rights to operate in that building. He's knocked $100 million off the price in the last year. So, there's no evidence that he's making a profit anywhere. And as the Forbes list concluded, he is no longer rich enough to be on the list. And I think that's got to be killing him.

So between losing the election and losing his status as a billionaire, I think he's got a loser brand on him now that has got to be terrible for his ego.

ACOSTA: Michael, Forbes says that his net worth is still $2.5 billion, but as you said not enough to be on the list. I think the interesting thing about that article, Michael, is that it said that if he had just divested himself of his assets and had those assets been invested in an S&P fund or something similar that you would do with those types of assets in that kind of a situation that he would have actually made money. And so by not doing the right thing, he lost money, according to Forbes.

D'ANTONIO: Well, and if he had taken what he inherited from his dad and done absolutely nothing but put it in a mutual fund, he'd be worth far more than he's worth today. He could have spent his entire lifetime playing golf and maybe dabbling in politics and be still on the list.

[16:10:07]

So, you know, for all of his bluster, this is a person who's got very limited gifts, and they revolve around this kind of performance that we saw in Iowa and around the performance that we're going to see for the next two years. I think one of the things that we've got to keep in mind also is that House Republicans are worried about him sucking all the air out of the room as they try to take over the House in 2022.

So this is a man who's determined to make trouble because he can't get off the stage, and he's very much in need of the ego stroking that those crowds are going to give him.

ACOSTA: Right. And despite all those problems that you mentioned, I mean, he's still the most potent force in the Republican Party politics right now, and he is chasing other contenders out of the picture for 2024. And it's something we're going to have to keep watching, no question about it. He can't be ignored, as we said at the top of this broadcast.

Michael D'Antonio, always great to talk to you. Thank you so much as always. We appreciate it.

D'ANTONIO: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. And before Trump's big lie road show last night, the ex-president received a stark rejection he wants dozens of his White House documents withheld from the House Select Committee investigation January 6th, citing executive privilege. President Biden denied that ask. Congressman Adam Schiff who's on the January 6th Committee said today he thinks it will get those Trump records, quote, "very soon."

Let me bring in a former Assistant Special Watergate Prosecutor Nick Akerman.

Nick, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it. We see two presidents who could not be farther apart when it comes to January 6th and this issue of executive privilege. The key distinction is that one of them is the sitting president. But do you think Trump could gum up the works for a while and deny that committee those records and just make things agonizing for the committee?

NICK AKERMAN, FORMER ASSISTANT SPECIAL WATERGATE PROSECUTOR: Well, I think for certainly a while he can do that. Under the statute that governs the presidential papers, he does have the right to go into federal court, the District of Columbia, and contest the notion that executive privilege applies and that the committee shouldn't get these records. The problem is that both of those issues are big losers for him.

One is the fact that of course the committee has the right to get those records. I mean, the interest of the committee in terms of getting to the bottom of the insurrection on January 6th is absolutely paramount. And you couldn't come up with a better rationale. And the idea that executive privilege applies is nonsense.

You cannot exert executive privilege to hide and cover up your involvement in an effort to overthrow the government and basically try and undermine a key element of our Constitution that allows for the counting of the electoral college votes.

Now, the problem with all that is, it's got to be decided by a district court judge. It'll be decided against Donald Trump. He'll then appeal it to the D.C. appeals court, which should pretty quickly, you know, basically uphold the district court. And then it'll go to the Supreme Court which is, I think, very unlikely that they will ever look at this. But, again, it will take some time. This is not going to happen in a matter of days. And maybe not in a matter of weeks.

ACOSTA: Right. I mean, I think that is the risk in all of this. And I suppose the committee will just have to do its work without some of that documentation. But it's good that you're here with us because, as you know, President Nixon infamously argued that the Watergate tapes were protected by executive privilege and the Supreme Court rejected that interpretation. He was a sitting president at the time.

Is that precedent applicable to the Trump situation, do you think?

AKERMAN: Absolutely. I mean, this is the seminal opinion on executive privilege. Executive privilege belongs to the executive branch. It doesn't belong personally to Donald Trump. This is not like the Fifth Amendment privilege, which is a personal privilege. It's not like the attorney-client privilege. It's a personal privilege. This belongs to the executive branch. And the current president Joe Biden has already stated that he is not going to invoke executive privilege over this. That gets a lot of deference.

There was another decision after the "U.S. v. Nixon" that related to the GSA and the interpretation of this presidential paper statute that basically gives huge deference to the sitting president. Donald Trump has no interest in terms of the institutional position of the president in terms of these documents.

[16:15:03]

He's just trying to cover up his own wrongdoing, trying to cover up evidence that will show and raise other questions about what his role was in this insurrection. So that's his whole goal here. It's simply a big cover-up just like he did with the Mueller investigation.

ACOSTA: All right. But as we saw with the Mueller investigation, somewhat successful on Trump's part. We'll have to see obviously how this plays out here.

Nick Akerman, thank you very much for your expertise. We appreciate it.

AKERMAN: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Thanks for coming on.

And coming up, gunfire erupts at a Minnesota bar, killing one person and injuring 14 people. How the chaotic scene unfolded. And suspects now in custody, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: One person is dead and 14 others injured after a mass shooting at a large food hall in St. Paul, Minnesota. Officers described a hellish scene as they arrived to find victims inside and outside of the venue.

[16:20:06]

CNN's Adrienne Broaddus joins me now. Adrienne, police have made some arrests in this case, is that right?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, they have. Three men are in custody and receiving treatment for their injuries. The youngest a 29- year-old. The other two a 32-year-old and a 33-year-old male. St. Paul police say at least 14 people were shot, a woman in her 20s died at the scene.

Speaking of that scene, a public information officer with the St. Paul Police Department Steve Linders described what police saw when they responded. Listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE LINDERS, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, ST. PAUL POLICE DEPARTMENT: Officers rushed to the scene, they got there quickly, and they walked into a hellish situation. There were gunshot wound victims lying in the street outside the bar, there were gunshot would victims lying on the sidewalk outside the bar and there were gunshot wound victims lying on the floor inside the bar. All told, 15 people were shot.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROADDUS: Dozens of people shot. Investigators with the St. Paul Police Department say those folks are expected to survive. Meanwhile, we still do not know the motive behind this shooting. And I want to point out it happened just a few blocks away from the Xcel Energy Center. This is in the heart of downtown St. Paul. It's a popular hangout, this area, after hockey games, and other concerts.

Investigators with the St. Paul Police Department are using a number of resources to determine what happened. This investigation will be complex. But Linders also said during a news conference the police will review surveillance video from the area -- Jim. ACOSTA: All right, Adrienne. And have you heard from anyone inside,

and what are they saying at this point?

BROADDUS: Yes, about 15 minutes ago, I spoke with the deejay who was there that night, Peter Parker. He's deejayed all across the country. He's real popular in the Twin Cities. He said it was a fun night, the crowd upper 30s, late 40s. He said this was a mainstream party. People were having a great time. He was playing a lot of throwbacks. He said this shooting happened abruptly. He said, Adrienne, I can't emphasize that enough.

There was no argument, no argument leading up to the gunfire. He said when the shots rang out, everyone, himself included, hit the floor. He said moments after hitting the floor he reached up, shut the music off because he didn't want that to play a role in the chaos that was unfolding in front of his eyes. He said when he got up, he saw at least five people on the floor inside of the venue. People from diverse backgrounds with gunshot wounds -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And it's just incredible that more people were not killed with all of that going on.

All right, Adrienne Broaddus, thank you so much for that report. Very disturbing news out of Minnesota.

Coming up, are we finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against COVID? Our medical expert weighs in.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:27:39]

ACOSTA: More than a thousand Boston city employees may find themselves on unpaid leave Tuesday for failing to comply with local COVID regulations. The Boston mayor's office tells CNN that about 1400 city employees have either failed to present their vaccination status or satisfied testing requirements. Nearly 65 percent of Boston residents are fully vaccinated according to the city.

Nationwide, 66 percent of all eligible Americans are fully vaccinated. So are we finally reaching that light at the end of the tunnel? We sure hope so. But health experts are split as COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to fall. But Dr. Anthony Fauci says now is not the time to let down your guard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: Hopefully it's going to continue to go in that trajectory downward. But we have to just be careful that we don't prematurely declare victory, in many respects. You want to look forward to holiday seasons and spending time with your family and doing those sorts of things. But don't just throw your hands up and say it's all over.

If you look at the history of the surges and the diminutions in cases over a period of time, they can bounce back.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And joining us now is Dr. William Schaffner. He's a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Schaffner, I guess Dr. Fauci's right about being very cautious. I mean, we all want this to end, we all want to see that light at the end of the tunnel, but we've seen this movie before and the Delta variant was not the light at the end of the tunnel, it was an oncoming train.

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Yes, that's exactly right, Jim. I share Dr. Fauci's cautious optimism, but I emphasize cautious because we're not there yet. Yes, vaccinations are increasing and cases and hospitalizations and even deaths over most of the country are now decreasing. I certainly hope that that continues.

But you know we still have two Americas out there. Those states that are highly vaccinated and the states such as my own in the southeast and in the Midwest where vaccinations in parts of the state are still very low. And so this illness, this virus can continue in those places where vaccination rates are low. And so we'll probably see two trajectories out there, one steeper than the other.

[16:30:07]

ACOSTA: And this week FDA vaccine advisers will meet to discuss Moderna and Johnson & Johnson's application for booster shots. Right now Pfizer's is the only one that's been approved under Emergency Use Authorization. When do you think we're going to see those additional boosters? Everybody wants to know.

SCHAFFNER: Well, my fingers are crossed, Jim. I hope the Food and Drug Administration gives the thumbs up to both of those boosters, the Moderna and the J&J. This week the CDC's advisory committee will meet very shortly thereafter. And I think the green light will be on. So I'm optimistic about that. So everybody who's gotten whatever vaccine will be eligible for a booster pretty soon, I think.

ACOSTA: And what about that mixing and matching, people want to mix and match? I mean, I just want to get the same one again. I - you know, I guess some people like to mix -- they like variety, I guess, is what it is. But what are your thoughts on that?

SCHAFFNER: You know, well, they're doing more mixing and matching in Europe. And there are people who are interested in that for a variety of reasons. The FDA's committee will look about that also. And I anticipate within limits they will say that that's OK, too. But that's all anticipatory. Let's see what they say by the end of the week.

ACOSTA: And some of America's youngest kids ages 5 to 11 might soon be eligible for a vaccine. Pfizer announced this week it asked the FDA to authorize its vaccines for kids that young. How big of a game changer is this, in your mind, and what do parents need to know? I mean, obviously this issue of how large of a dose the kids are receiving, that is critically important because people might have a bit of a misnomer about that.

SCHAFFNER: Sure. Well, the Pfizer vaccine, which is, once again, first in line for children 5 through 11 has reduced its dose in those children, and the data that I've seen so far, I haven't seen them all, but the data I've seen so far indicate that you get just as good an immune response, and the side effects are comparable to what teenagers and young adults get. So that'll be very, very important.

The FDA, the FDA's committee and the CDC's committee will have a discussion about that because they'll be balancing the need for these vaccines, which many of us want, versus safety issues. Parents will be very interested in that.

ACOSTA: And they're going to have to load up on lollipops and stickers to keep in the car after those little ones get that vaccine because we know that's also critically important as part of the process.

All right, Dr. William Schaffner, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

SCHAFFNER: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: And the chief of the National Institutes of Health is appealing to fellow evangelical Christians to get vaccinated against COVID, saying the vaccines can save your life. NIH director Dr. Francis Collins joined me for a one-on-one interview before he leaves his post. He calls himself a man of science and also a man of faith. We talked about the danger of vaccine misinformation and if he's received death threats during the pandemic.

If you haven't seen this interview, he was just terrific. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH: We do still now have this serious issue right now about vaccination hesitancy and certainly evangelical Christians, and I am one of those, have had a lot of trouble, in many instances, rolling up their sleeves. Lots of reasons for that. Much of it is this disinformation that is so widely spread on the internet and which has, I think, caused a lot of people to be confused or fearful about what the vaccinations might do to them.

And that is truly heartbreaking when we see still more than a thousand people losing their lives to this disease, almost all of those unvaccinated and therefore didn't have to happen. Christians, of all people, are supposed to be particularly worried about their neighbors. And this is also a really critical situation where if you're not vaccinated, you may be the one spreading this virus to somebody vulnerable who can't necessarily resist it.

ACOSTA: Right.

COLLINS: So, once again, let me make a plea right here. If you are a Christian or if you're anybody who has not yet gotten vaccinated, hit the reset button on whatever information you have that's causing you to be doubtful or hesitant or fearful and look at the evidence. The evidence is overwhelming. The vaccines are safe, they're effective, they can save your life.

ACOSTA: And I have to ask you, Dr. Collins, at church, have you had these conversations with fellow parishioners about this sort of thing? May I ask?

COLLINS: Yes, I have not been in -- yes, I've not been in an actual face-to-face church service for this whole time.

ACOSTA: All right.

COLLINS: Because of the risks of being indoors. So all of my church experiences are virtual. But I have lots of opportunities to talk to other believers.

[16:35:02]

I've done podcasts with Rick Warren, with Franklin Graham, with Walter Kim, with Tim Keller, all of these are pastors who have a big reach out there.

ACOSTA: Throughout this pandemic, your friend and colleague Dr. Anthony Fauci has faced death threats. He's talked about it, he's talked about it on CNN and other places. I'm wondering if you've gone through the same thing yourself and what that has been like.

I think I know the answer to the question, but I'm just wondering, it touches on this disinformation problem that we have in this country and why people when they get infected with this disinformation feel like they can lash out at people. And I'm just wondering if you've gone through that yourself.

COLLINS: Yes, I have. Not at the same level that Dr. Fauci has, which requires him to have 24/7 security. But I've had knocks on the door at 1:00 in the morning from the police saying you might want to be extra careful. I've received e-mails that are really hard to read from people with such venom lashing out at somebody they've never met based on something they heard that they didn't like.

Gosh, America, how did we get in this space? If we could at least be civil, that would be a good start. But better than that, let's seek out the truth and then try to make decisions on that basis.

ACOSTA: And I think if people had a better understanding of who you were as a person, if they knew what you went through in getting this job, that you had to overcome these concerns about your faith and bringing that to the job. And so I wonder if that might've helped people say, OK, Dr. Collins is saying it, I'll take it as gospel, so to speak.

COLLINS: Well, you're very generous to imagine that would help. I'm so privileged. Don't make it sound as if I've done this big sacrifice. Being a public servant, and I hope there are some young people out there listening who are wondering about their career.

Being a public servant can be one of the most satisfying, rewarding things you can do. You may not get paid very well, but you'll have the satisfaction waking up every morning that you're doing something that matters. You're helping people. That's the joy I've had for 12 plus years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And our thanks to Dr. Francis Collins, a self-described evangelical Christian, believes in vaccines. Give it some thought.

All right, coming up, a Democratic candidate feeling the pressure, tries to backtrack on his remarks that President Biden is unpopular, and is dragging him down in a closely watched race.

And she was the people's princess, but who was the woman behind the crown? Here's a preview of the new CNN Original Series "DIANA."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WHALES: I was always different. Always see inside me that I was going somewhere different.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was going to marry her dashing prince. Like all the stories she'd read.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was iconic. She was box office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going to dance with the princess tonight?

JOHN TRAVOLTA, ACTOR: If she would like me to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pre-Diana there was zero interest in the royal family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think anybody has grown up in public like Diana has.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Diana provided a very public model for defiance and truthfulness.

DIANA: Isn't it normal to feel angry and want to change a situation? I was able to recognize an inner determination to survive.

ANNOUNCER: The new CNN Original Series "DIANA" premieres tonight at 9:00 on CNN.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:43:07]

ACOSTA: He called President Biden unpopular in a drag on his chances to win a closely watched race for governor. Now Democrat Terry McAuliffe of Virginia is having to do some explaining.

CNN's senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns is in Delaware where President Biden is spending the weekend.

Joe, what did McAuliffe say about Biden today versus what he said about him before when he thought he was in a meeting with supporters, a private meeting with supporters? This is interesting because, you know, you talk to Democratic sources these days, Joe, they are not totally convinced that Terry McAuliffe is going to win this race. If you asked that question six months ago, they thought oh, this, this is going to be a cakewalk.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Right. And you know what, if there's one thing, Jim, that comes through, Terry McAuliffe is frustrated. It's a frustration frankly that is shared by a lot of Democrats in similar situations around the country because of the president's low poll numbers. Of course, Terry McAuliffe has a lot to lose. He's a known commodity in Virginia.

This is a state that has been trending blue over the years. It's also considered -- this race is -- sort of a bellwether looking toward the midterm election. So you add all that up, Terry McAuliffe gets on this call with supporters, and he just kind of vented. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY MCAULIFFE (D), CANDIDATE FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR: We are facing a lot of headwinds from Washington. As you know, the president is unpopular today unfortunately here in Virginia so we have got to plow through.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: And then today on "STATE OF THE UNION," our Dana Bash asked Terry McAuliffe about what he had to say. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR, STATE OF THE UNION: MCAULIFFE: As you well know, you're talking about the Democratic president you helped elect.

MCAULIFFE: Yes.

BASH: And Democratic-controlled Congress.

MCAULIFFE: You bet.

BASH: So you're frustrated with your own party. Are they dragging you down?

MCAULIFFE: You bet I'm frustrated.

BASH: Are they dragging you down?

MCAULIFFE: It's not dragging me down. I worry about the people of Virginia. [16:45:02]

BASH: But in your race.

MCAULIFFE: Who want family medical leave for one.

BASH: Are they making it harder for you?

MCAULIFFE: You know, I want to raise the minimum wage.

BASH: Are they making it harder for you?

MCAULIFFE: You know, hard or not, I mean, people understand what I'm doing, my plans, my 20 big plans to take Virginia to the next level so they're going to vote for me. But there is frustration all over the country. We just want action.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So what does the White House have to say about the drop in the president's poll numbers? Jen Psaki has said it has a lot to do with the pandemic, COVID, and the fact that there's spillover from the Delta variant all the way through the economy to jobs and so on. So that's the White House take on it -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Joe Johns, that's going to be a very interesting race to watch here in the coming weeks. Democrats are concerned that Glenn Youngkin could pull off the upset there. We'll have to keep our eyes on it.

Joe Johns, thanks so much.

Coming up, stunning images out of Spain. Lava blocks the size of buildings now falling from a volcano.

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ACOSTA: A performer at Moscow's famous Bolshoi Theatre has been killed in a horrifying on-stage incident. The Moscow prosecutor's office is now investigating the accident.

More now from CNN's Matthew Chance.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, this tragic accident happened during a scenery change during a performance of a famous Russian opera called "Sadko" at the prestigious Bolshoi Theatre here in Moscow. Apparently according to law enforcement agencies, one of the background actors moved the wrong way when a heavy ramp was being loaded onto the stage, crushing him underneath it.

Footage has appeared online shows panic performers shouting stop and call an ambulance. But attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. On social media, members of the audience have expressed their shock and said that they thought it was some kind of staged trick.

In a statement the Bolshoi Theatre has expressed condolences to family and friends of the victim. Investigators say they're looking into the circumstances around it because this is not the first time the Bolshoi has become embroiled in tragedy.

In 2014 a violinist died after falling into the orchestra pit at the theater. And in 2011 a Bolshoi ballet dancer was jailed for throwing acid into the face of the company's artistic director, badly damaging his eyesight -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Thanks for that, Matthew.

And now to Spain where lava blocks as big as three-story buildings are rolling down the side of a volcano in La Palma Island. Tremors have been shaking the ground there three weeks after the volcano erupted.

Look at this stunning footage, just rivers of lava have destroyed more than a thousand buildings and at least 6,000 residents have had to flee their homes on the island.

And now to some good news in Texas, a 3-year-old boy is now reunited with his family after he was lost in the woods for four days. That's right. Christopher Ramirez was found in rough-wooded terrain five miles from his home after apparently wandering off while chasing a dog. On Wednesday rescue crews launched a massive search effort and a local Good Samaritan found him Saturday morning tired and dehydrated but otherwise safe. And thank goodness for that.

Meantime, she was the people's princess, a fashion idol, a trail- blazing activist, and outspoken member of the British royal family. Now as we prepare to bring you our all-new CNN Original Series "DIANA," CNN's Max Foster is taking us on a tour of some of the places that held the most meaning for the princess.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: The happiest time in Diana's life was when she was sharing an apartment with girlfriends in this block in Central London before she was married, according to Andrew Mortem's memoir, "Diana in Her Words."

She was working as a teacher's assistant at the time. But as soon as her relationship with Prince Charles was revealed, she was hounded by paparazzi every time she came out of that door, something she'd have to cope with for the rest of her life.

How did she deal with going from a relatively normal life here to being the most famous woman on the planet? Find out in our new series "DIANA" this Sunday on CNN.

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ACOSTA: And thanks to Max for that. Be sure to tune in. "DIANA" premieres tonight at 9:00. And this week's CNN hero is a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing.

On Monday, Heather Abbott will be at the 125th Boston Marathon, cheering on runners and continuing to live life to the fullest.

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HEATHER ABBOTT, CNN HERO: I heard the first explosion just ahead in front of me. The next thing I knew, a second explosion occurred just to my right, and that was the last thing I knew before I landed in the restaurant, on the ground.

I was in the hospital for several days while doctors were deciding whether or not to amputate me. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that I am an amputee, at first, and had my injury not happened in such a public way where there was so much assistance available, I never would have been able to afford multiple prostheses.

So I decided to just do what I could to help people get those devices that simply couldn't get them because they were out of reach.

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It has been lifechanging for them. And a lot of them remind me of that.

He is the crazy man.

It feels very rewarding to be able to do that.

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ACOSTA: And to see Heather's full story, go to CNNheroes.com. And we'll be right back.

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ACOSTA: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.