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President Biden Attends G-20 Summit in Rome; Subjects of Some Records Former President Trump Attempting to Prevent National Archives from Providing to House Select Committee on January 6th Insurrection Examined; Leaders at G-20 Endorse President Biden's Call for 15 Percent Global Minimum Tax; Demonstrators Gather in Rome to Protest G- 20 Summit; Vladimir Putin Does Not Attend G-20 in Person. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired October 30, 2021 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:34]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. It is Saturday, October 30th. I'm Amara Walker in for Christi Paul.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Amara. I'm Boris Sanchez. You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

We're following several developing stories this morning, including President Biden's trip to the G-20 summit in Rome. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer is there. And Wolf, a very eventful morning. No shortage of subjects for the president to discuss with world leaders from the Iran nuclear deal to coronavirus and a minimum global tax. What are we watching for in this hour?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: It's amazing what's going on over here, Boris and Amara. We're live at the G-20 summit where President Biden is meeting right now with world leads on some of the most pressing issues, as you point out, facing the developed world. We've got much more on that coming up in just a few moments. Our Kaitlan Collins is here, Jim Sciutto is here as well.

First, I want to get to this story, it's very significant. We're learning just now new details about hundreds, hundreds of records that the former president Donald Trump is trying to keep secret from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. According to a sworn declaration from B. John Laster with the National Archives in Washington, Donald Trump does not want to release more than 700 pages of handwritten notes, draft documents, and daily logs from the files of his closest advisers over at the White House. Those files covered dates up to and on January 6th and includes specifics about efforts to try to overturn Trump's election loss.

Get this -- late-night court filings reveal there are documents from then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows including handwritten notes about the event of January 6th. Trump is also fighting to keep secret 30 pages of his daily schedule along with White House visitor logs and call records, all encompassing, once again, January 6th.

These types of records could finally answer urgent questions about what happened between the former president and other high-level officials on that critically important day.

I want to bring in our chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, you've been doing some reporting on this that's unfolding right now. This is very significant because a legal battle is developing.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And also, this came out in the middle of the night from the National Archives, because we did not know what was in these documents, what Trump was trying to keep out of the hands of the January 6th committee. Though we did have an idea that obviously there were documents he did not want them to see. We knew they pertained to his time in the White House. And my colleague Katelyn Polantz, went through these overnight as they came out essentially in the middle of the night from the National Archives, and it's really fascinating stuff, Wolf, because these are all documents that had to do with either the president or his top aides inside the White House up to and around January the 6th.

And there are these notes, handwritten notes, three of them specifically from his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. One of those according to the National Archives, it says had to do with briefings that were scheduled about the certification of January 6th. Of course, that is the day that the lawmakers were on Capitol Hill certifying the results of the election to say that it was Joe Biden who had won the election. And it was either briefings or calls that former president Trump was supposed to have about that. That is a critical note that obviously January 6th investigators would like to see.

But in addition to that, Wolf, when they really lay it all out in these documents what it is that the president, former president is trying to keep from them, including prepared talking points for Kayleigh McEnany, who was then the press secretary, files of Stephen Miller's, of course who was a top aide to the president on policy but also worked with him closely on other matters. The deputy White House counsel, Pat Philbin, his name is also listed there.

So all of this is really fascinating, but I think what could be the most critical are the call logs from the president and the vice president at the time, because former president Trump is someone who often does not, he doesn't email or text really on that nature. He does make a lot of phone calls. That is something that is well-known about him. And so if they could see the call logs of who the president was speaking to that day, that could be incredibly critical to that investigation.

And so now we see why Trump does not want the January 6th investigators to get their hands on this. But I do think by them laying it out, it is a pretty explicit case of why they think those investigators should see them.

BLITZER: And Jim, it's significant because you have Trump and his lawyers, whoever they are, on one side, but you have the president of the United States, the White House lawyers, you have the National Archives now, and you have the House Select Committee, the House of Representatives for all practical purposes, on the other side. So there's a legal battle that will develop.

[10:05:12]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: And this is straight out of the Trump playbook, right. On any investigation, it will be to game it out, to play the long game here, delay, throw up as many obstacles as possible and hope you can stretch this out to the point where perhaps Republicans take over Congress in 2022.

But on the essential questions here, these documents and potentially interviews you would get if folks were to obey subpoenas get to decision-making in the White House. What was the president and his advisers' involvement, coordination with, perhaps, the events of that day, attempts to avoid certifying the election? What about lawmakers' calls to the White House asking explicitly for the president's help in calling off the rioters?

And also, another decision that's been subject to an enormous amount of speculation, what were the president's communications with the Defense Department on the deployment of the National Guard? Did he not do anything? Did he try to hold them back? These are things that those memos but also any witness testimony will get to answering.

BLITZER: What did Trump and when did he know it, those are critically important questions.

COLLINS: I also think it raises a major question, a battle that we could see play out about executive privilege, which typically former presidents do enjoy because then their successors often also want to protect that, knowing they'll be in the same position one day. And it is something that is kind of a courtesy, and it's something that has been pretty typical of past administrations.

The Biden administration has taken a very different stance on this, and they say that the gravity of that day and the extraordinary nature of what happened on January 6th does not justify asserting executive privilege over any of these documents. But it would be extraordinary if this committee investigating January 6th is able to get their hands on something like a note written by the former chief of staff at the time just several months after they have left office. That does set up an extraordinary potential precedent for what happens with executive privilege going forward.

And so, it's a huge legal battle. The former president is suing the National Archives, he's suing the January 6th committee. But it is extraordinary to get an inside look into what these documents are that they're fighting over.

BLITZER: It was the first time there was a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol since the war of 1812. That's why you got to get to the answers, and you got to get to the answers soon. Guys, stand by, we're going to get back to you in a moment. I want to get to the G-20 summit that's underway here in Rome right

now. President Biden is meeting with global leaders on a number of critically important key issues. President Biden has scored at least one major win today. Leaders did endorse his call for a 15 percent global minimum tax. It's aimed at preventing large multinational companies from shifting profits around to try to avoid paying taxes. The president arrived at the G-20 summit earlier this morning. He was greeted by the Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi.

Italian authorities say security has been ramped up dramatically for this summit because of protests. More than 5,000 police have been deployed on the streets of Rome along with 400 units of the Italian armed forces. Also, pedestrian and vehicle traffic is restricted to residents and to people with authorization to enter the area. Everyone else will not be allowed.

After posing for the traditional so-called family photo, President Biden and other leaders met with frontline workers. The COVID pandemic, by the way, is a top item on the agenda for this summit.

I want to bring back our chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins for more on these developments. Jim Sciutto is here as well. Let's talk a little bit about the substance of what's going on here at the G-20.

COLLINS: Well, right now what's underway is a huge meeting that could potentially be critical, and we could potentially see some of it if they do allow cameras to come into the room. And that's a meeting that the president is having with the leaders of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, and the topic is Iran, and their aggressive movement toward advancing their nuclear program, which, of course, has been a major concern. Earlier we talking about how the Iran nuclear deal was formed, former president Trump left it, Biden wants to get back in, and now they are kind of mired in this negotiation sort of, trying to decide if they are going to form this agreement again or form a new one.

And essentially the way officials are talking about this meeting that's underway right now is pretty frank, saying it is a no B.S. conversation. They want these four leaders to get on the same page when it comes to Iran, and basically develop a strategy, which means they do not have a current strategy and they're trying to figure out a viable one. It's really fascinating, and it could be really critical to when you think back to Biden's time in office how he handled Iran is going to be a big aspect of it.

SCIUTTO: This may very well be a make-or-break moment for the Iran nuclear deal or even for a prospect of potentially resurrecting it. Biden came in, they did want to make a hard try at resurrecting this deal. They talked at the time about lengthening and strengthening it. But it's dragged out for months, very little progress, arguably backtracking as Iran has built up stockpiles of enriched uranium, closer than they've been at any point since the negotiations to a breakout point to build a bomb. And you have clear frustration from the U.S. and its allies.

[10:10:02]

And really, frankly, part of the discussion today will be, forget about resurrecting the deal. What do we do to penalize Iran for advancing its program, including the possibility of imposing new sanctions here? So this is critical. I think it's a reason why they say no B.S., but they've got to decide. They don't want to let Iran, and this is always a suspicion in negotiations like this, just drag this out to no end.

BLITZER: And let's not forget it was then-president Obama who worked out the nuclear deal with Iran together with the other allies, and then former president Trump ripped it up, and now the current president would like to put it back together, and this meeting today will be critically important in deciding what happens next. Stand by, guys.

As I said, security here in Rome is, of course, very tight right now for the G-20. But it's been beefed up even more because thousands of protesters are expected outside on the streets of Rome during the summit. I want to bring in our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman. He's at one of the demonstrations unfolding right now. Ben, these protestors are voicing their anger over a wide range of topics. Give us the latest.

I think we are not hearing Ben. We're going to try to check back with him, see if we can fix that audio and discuss. But Kaitlan and Jim, this has been a serious source of concern. I've spoken with some of the Italian officials. They're worried about what could happen. That's why out of an abundance of caution they're taking these steps.

COLLINS: Yes. There's a lot of security underway right now. You can see it around the city. You can feel it. They do have a lot of world leaders here. That's cause enough to have a significant amount of security. And of course, with the topics that we have at hand, while we're here, COVID-19 and the challenges that they deal with vaccine- sharing, and obviously climate. Those are two things where you often see protestors and activists come out and want to make their messages known. And so that is why it's a big concern, because you have got world leaders going all over the place, going back and forth from their hotels to meetings, to the G-20 summit site. And so that is a big concern for them.

SCIUTTO: Memories of 2001 when you had protests in Genoa, Italy, and there was quite a hardhanded response from police, and one protester died. So you see the Italians laying out perhaps out of an abundance of caution a great deal of security to prevent something like that from happening again.

BLITZER: Yes, we were in Geneva at the Putin-Biden summit back in June. There was security, but I don't think it's anything like what we're seeing in the streets of Rome right now, so they're obviously a bit more concerned.

SCIUTTO: No question. And it shows you the focus on this issue. The leaders are aware something must be done on the climate. You and I, we're surrounded by events that show the effects of climate change and activists watching it as well. And voters, and average people in all these countries, there is a sense of shared mission and shared urgency. The question is, does that lead to shared accomplishment from these leaders here and in Scotland where you'll be next week.

BLITZER: I think we've reestablished with Ben Wedeman on the streets of Rome. Ben, if you can hear me, update our viewers on what you're seeing.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we're seeing, Wolf, is several thousand people have been marching through this part of Rome. So far it's festive. It's peaceful. There's been no problem with the security forces who are here in large numbers. It's a variety of people who are protesting here today. There are young people with this group Fridays for the Future, calling for climate change. There are workers who have lost their jobs because the factories here in Italy have been moved abroad. There are trade unionists, there are communists, there are even migrants, Sudanese here, protesting against the recent coup d'etat in Khartoum.

Speaking with the protestors, we asked them, Wolf, are you confident that the leaders of the G-20 will be able to come up with real solutions to fight climate change, and many of them were, frankly, skeptical. One young man told me, look, who is it who finances the political campaigns of the politicians represented at the G-20, particularly when it comes to North America and Europe? It's the millionaires, it's the lobbyists, it's the industrialists who call the shots when it comes to the situation.

Here we have people dressed up as the dead, and it is written here, Wolf, "capitalism is dead." So this is a large protest, certainly larger than we usually see here in Rome. And I think it's reflective of the level of frustration among many people, not just here in Italy, but in much of the developing world, that there's been a lot of talk about fighting climate change but very little action. Wolf?

BLITZER: We'll stay in very close touch with you, Ben. Good luck over there, and we'll watch all of this unfold.

[10:15:00]

We're staying on top of the G-20 summit. It's critically important. It's going to affect people all over the world. Kaitlan and Jim, they're going to be with me. But I want to go back to Amara and Boris right now to get all the late-breaking developments. There's a lot of news going on, guys.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Wolf, major developments on the pandemic as well as some key elections coming up in just a few days. We'll check back in with you, Wolf, later this hour.

Both candidates right now in the Virginia governor's race are pulling out all the stops in this final stretch. The race currently a tossup. Hear their message to voters on the final day of early voting.

WALKER: Also, the FDA grants emergency use authorization to Pfizer's COVID vaccine for kids ages five to 11. But more steps are needed before any child can get the shot. We'll talk about all of that next.

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[10:20:00]

WALKER: Some good news for parents with young children. The Food and Drug Administration has now granted emergency use authorization of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for kids five to 11 years old.

SANCHEZ: And if the CDC director greenlights their recommendation next week, 28 million kids could start getting the shots as early as Wednesday. CNN's Nadia Romero joins us now. Nadia, bring us up to speed with the latest on these discussions.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Boris, Amara, this is big news for parents, as you said, Amara, who have been looking for a way to protect their kids during this pandemic. And it wasn't too long ago, it was just August when we were all talking about kids going back to school and the concerns of that age group, ages five through 11, were not eligible for the vaccine. Now they could be, potentially starting next week, when the CDC independent advisory committee gets together to potentially recommend emergency use authorization. So that's the next step.

So as we look at it kids getting this vaccine, Pfizer tells us that it's only about a third of the dosage they would give to adults, and they say that their vaccine for kids in that age group is 90 percent effective. So it all sounds really great, right? The Kaiser Family Foundation did a survey just recently of parents, and about 66 percent, two-thirds of them said that they are somewhat or very concerned about the vaccine's potential impact on their kids' fertility. I want to be clear here. The CDC says there is no connection between fertility or impact of the vaccine in kids. And listen to what one Pfizer executive says about this concern that's out there.

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DR. WILLIAM GRUBER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PFIZER VACCINE CLINICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: There's no evidence to suggest nor is there any reason based on the components of the vaccine to expect any impact on fertility. And the CDC, other bodies have been very clear about that. Let's work to spread factual information and reduce myth circulating in the community. I think that's the best that we can do.

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ROMERO: And so you heard there Dr. Gruber, who is saying that he hopes with the CDC coming on board, if they recommend emergency use authorization, that that will be another trusted agency to help those hesitant parents feel for comfortable with their kids being able to get the vaccine ages five through 11. It also means for the schools that you will see kids staying in school, not having to go back to remote learning, being able to participate in that social part of school that is so important and also extracurricular activities as well. Amara? WALKER: Nadia Romero, thank you for that.

Let's talk more about this with emergency physician and CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen. She's also the author of "Lifelines, A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health." Good morning to you, Dr. Wen, always great to see you. We just heard there Nadia talking about the hesitancy that we're hearing from parents around the country. What would you say to those parents who may not necessarily be anti- vaxxers, who may have been vaccinated themselves, but are saying, look, I just want to wait and see before I move forward with vaccinating my kids?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Amara, I would say that I totally understand where they're coming from because we as parents, we all are cautious when it comes to our children, and we have questions and want to get them answered.

I think if you want to wait and see, it's a reasonable approach, because there are so many parents who are excited and really eager to get their kids vaccinated. That same Kaiser poll that was cited found that about a third of parents are really eager to get their kids vaccinated right away. And we actually know that there are some parents of 10 and 11-year-olds who have been lying and said that their kids are 12 just for their kids to be vaccinated. And so I think that there are a lot of parents who have been so worried about their kids. They've been worried about their kids going to school. They've been worried about going to in-person work themselves because they don't want to contract COVID and spread it to their kids. And so letting those parents go first will be an example for the rest of the parents and children about how safe and effective this vaccine really is.

WALKER: I'm definitely one of those worried parents, and I know you and I both have children who are around the same age. What's on the horizon for children younger than five years old?

WEN: So those tests are ongoing right now. We initially were hearing that we might have some of those preliminary results by the end of this year, 2021. It might now be early 2022 before we get some of those results. But again, I'm crossing my fingers and being hopeful. I have a one-and-a-half-year-old and a four-year-old. And my husband and I with living with such extreme caution right now because we don't want to infect our children. Yes, it's true that children tend to become less ill than adults, but we have to look at the numbers that hundreds of kids have died from COVID-19 who are otherwise healthy. COVID-19 is now one of the top 10 leading causes of death in children. And so I think it's also really reasonable for parents to look at the vaccine as a way to protect their kids as we all as parents want to do.

[10:25:02]

WALKER: Yes, absolutely. And we should mention the CDC advisers will be meeting next Tuesday, and it will be up to the CDC director to greenlight the emergency use authorization. Shots could go into arms as early as next week as we're hearing. Dr. Wen, what about Halloween? Especially if you have children who are

too young to be vaccinated, like you and I, what kind of precautions should we be taking? Is it safe to knock on doors?

WEN: Well, the great news is that there is a lot that we can do that's fun and safe. I'm planning to take my kids trick-or-treating. We're gathering with some other friends outdoors initially just for the kids to play around and for the adults to also see one another. Then we are going to go door to door and have a scavenger hunt and we're going to have an outdoor movie night. All those are safe activities outdoors.

Now, if you're going to go trick-or-treating in an apartment block where you have to go indoors in an elevator or a hallway, make sure you're masked and make sure that kids are masked during that period of time. For now, I would definitely avoid indoor gatherings, so no indoor celebrations, indoor parties if there are unvaccinated individuals like children. But anything outdoors should be very safe, and I hope that people do enjoy Halloween, recognizing that we are at a very different point in the pandemic this year than we were last year.

WALKER: Yes. Definitely plan to enjoy it, although I still need a costume. I'm very last minute. I've been searching frantically for an Anna dress for me so I could be the pair to my daughter as Elsa. But, hey, I'm a last-minute person, so I'll have to suffer if I don't find anything. Dr. Leana Wen, always great to have you. Thank you so much.

WEN: Thank you, Amara.

SANCHEZ: So the race to be Virginia's next governor is now in the home stretch in the increasingly nationalized race. Both Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin are hitting the campaign trail this morning as they make their closing pitches.

WALKER: A new poll from "The Washington Post" shows the race is neck and neck with no clear leader at this time. CNN's Dan Merica is live in Virginia Beach. Hi there, Dan. So you've been following this race pretty closely, and now it's pretty tight.

DAN MERICA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, Amara. Both candidates are stumping across the commonwealth of Virginia. Youngkin is spending a lot of his time in northern Virginia, those vote rich suburbs outside of Washington, D.C., today. And Terry McAuliffe, the Democrat in the race, is going to be here in the Tidewater region actually behind at this sports bar in a short time.

What you're really seeing in these closing days of the campaign is how each candidate is approaching this race dramatically differently. McAuliffe has really leaned on national figures in the Democratic Party to come down and stump for him. He spent yesterday with Kamala Harris, Joe Biden has been here, Barack Obama, a number of top Democrats.

Glenn Youngkin has now been doing that. He has been far more focused on local Virginia issues, speaking directly to Virginia voters about things like the economy, education, taxes, focused on Virginia. And he also has not called on top Republican figures to come out and stump for him as well. And that includes former president Donald Trump. And take a listen to what Youngkin said about a tele-rally that Donald Trump is planning on holding on Monday and whether he plans to attend that event.

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MERICA: Right now this is the critical day in this race. You're going to hear a lot from candidates who talk about the importance of early voting. And why that matters is because early voting is critical in this state. This is the first year that there have been no-excuse early voting in a governors race, and that's why over a million voters here in Virginia have already cast ballots. That really is going to negate some of these last-minute swings because so many people, Amara, have already cast ballots here in Virginia.

SANCHEZ: Dan Merica from Virginia Beach, thank you so much.

So no matter who wins on Tuesday night, Virginia is going to soon make history. Regardless of who wins the election for the next lieutenant governor, Democrat Hala Ayala or Republican Winsome Sears, it will be the first time a woman of color is elected, which many say speaks to the evolution of the commonwealth. This comes at a time when Virginia is facing a series of challenges that directly affect its black and brown communities. So does COVID-19, crime, education, and racial justice. Of course, be sure to join CNN Tuesday night for Election Night in America. Special live coverage starts at 6:00 p.m. eastern on Tuesday right here on CNN.

WALKER: President Biden meeting with leaders from across the globe at the G-20 summit. But one person noticeably absent, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

[10:30:00]

He is skipping an in-person trip, instead opting for video. We'll take a closer look how this impacts the summit.

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BLITZER: I'm Wolf Blitzer in Rome. We're covering President Biden's first day at this G-20 summit. The president is right now in a very critical meeting with leaders of the U.K., France, and Germany about the Iran nuclear deal. They're discussing possibly trying to resurrect the agreement, or if that's not possible, they're trying to work it out.

[10:34:44]

The president, meanwhile, has just scored a major win here in Rome. The leaders did endorse his call for a 15 percent global minimum tax. It's aimed at preventing large multinational companies from shifting profits around the world to try to avoid paying taxes. While leaders from most of the world's leading economies are in Rome

right now, two very, very big names, they are not here. They are missing. The Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's leader, Xi Jinping. Both cited COVID-19 issues at home for skipping the trip.

I want to bring in our senior international correspondent, Sam Kiley. He's joining us live from Moscow right now. Sam, Putin just addressed the G-20 summit via video. Tell our viewers what he said.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's fairly short, Wolf, and very much as flagged. I think the main thing to take away is that he seems to be genuinely trying to get the G-20 and its members to agree, some kind of international protocol, which those of us one ground level thought, might think the very obvious thing to do to allow mutual recognition of different nations, vaccines. This is what he said in his video address on that.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Let me remind you that Russia was the first in the world to register a vaccine against COVID-19, Sputnik V. To date, this drug has already been approved in 70 countries of the world with a total population of over 4 billion people and demonstrates high safety and effectiveness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILEY: Now, Wolf, there is a degree of suspicion over Russia's own vaccine among Russians. Only about 28-and-a-half percent of Russians have actually been vaccinated. The whole country is at a don't go to work rule at the moment rather than a stay-at-home, a kind of enforced holiday for the next seven days in order to try to break a growing cycle of COVID infections, Wolf.

But ultimately Putin's not there because -- this is analysis coming from people close to him -- the only kind of conversation he wants on a diplomatic level over the next 12 months is a bilateral with Joe Biden, Wolf.

BLITZER: Interesting. Sam, Putin is known to have, shall we say, a rather frosty relationship with some of the other world leaders who have gathered here in Rome. What's your sense? Is he even missed, or his physician absence actually having a positive impact on this summit?

KILEY: I think from his perspective, not being there means that he can avoid any of the foider (ph) that might be headed and directed at him over, for example, the ongoing illegal occupation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia and sanctions imposed by the European and others. By staying away, he can also enjoy the disunity and disharmony among people who are normal allies at the G-20. The British are almost daggers-drawn almost with France over fishing squabble. The British are also very problematic in terms of their relationship with the wider European Union following Brexit. You've got the Americans equally troubled in their relationship with France. Poland squabbling with the European Union over its sovereignty issues. A number of frictions in the ranks of Russia's rivals. That's what Putin likes to see, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Sam Kiley on the scene for us in Moscow. Sam, thank you very much. Critically important events unfolding.

That's going to do it for us here in Rome, at least this hour. We'll be back with you tomorrow morning for more of our special coverage. For now, thanks very much for watching. I'll send it back to Amara in Atlanta. Amara?

WALKER: Appreciate you, Wolf and the team. Thank you so much for that.

Let's turn to other news now. Investigators looking into the tragic movie set shooting that they say they have more questions for the film's armorer, this after her attorneys released a statement saying she was overruled on safety protocols.

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[10:43:38]

SANCHEZ: Authorities in New Mexico say they want to follow up with the armorer, the person supervising firearms, on the set of the movie "Rust" after a shooting on the set left one person dead and another injured. The sheriff investigating the incident says he wants to ask Hannah Gutierrez-Reed about her safety protocols after she released a statement through her attorneys claiming that she had no idea where the live rounds that were fired by Alec Baldwin came from.

For a better understanding on all of this, we're joined by Hollywood armorer Larry Zanoff. He's worked in movie and T.V. production for more than 20 years. Larry, we appreciate you sharing part of your morning with us. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed through her attorneys saying that she had no idea where the live rounds came from. In your experience, is it common for live rounds to be on a movie set?

LARRY ZANOFF, HOLLYWOOD ARMORER: No. In fact, our industry guidelines dictate that there should never be live rounds on a scripted show or movie set or a stage or anything like that. We deal with blanks, and live rounds are definitely taboo on set.

SANCHEZ: The attorneys are also blaming the production for safety lapses, saying that Gutierrez-Reed was hired to perform two jobs on the film, saying that she couldn't completely focus on her role as the armorer. Is that something that you've experienced too? Is that common?

[10:45:05]

ZANOFF: Again, I have not been involved with that production, so I don't know what two positions they're talking about. The armorer, when they're responsible for the firearms that are on set should be totally focused on nothing but the firearms.

SANCHEZ: So when you've worked on productions previously, they haven't asked you to do more than that? They've asked you just to focus on that role? ZANOFF: Correct. It's a very important position on the film crew

because of the safety issues involved, and the armorers that are there, whether it's one or whether it's a whole crew of armorers are usually and should be focused only on the firearms aspects.

SANCHEZ: So law enforcement hasn't ruled out potential consequences for Alec Baldwin. And I'm curious to get your thoughts on how that process is supposed to play out. When an assistant director hands an actor a weapon, does the actor have a responsibility to check it? Should the actor have some kind of responsibility in that situation?

ZANOFF: I can't really speculate on that. That's more of a legal question than an armorer question. All I can say is the first safety in conjunction with the armorer responsible for the safety on set when it comes to the firearms. I don't know what occurred in that specific situation, and I'm not a legal authority to assign any kind of blame.

SANCHEZ: Sure. I'm just curious, in your experience on productions that you've worked on if you've noted that there's a special procedure in place for the actor to then verify that the weapon they're using is safe.

ZANOFF: Sure. Our guidelines dictate that anyone in the vicinity of the firearm, be that the actor or the cameraman, or someone working a sound boom, that they have the right to inspect the guns themselves prior to using the gun in the scene. So that's definitely available to them so they can inspect it themselves and know that it is what we call a cold gun, a safe gun.

SANCHEZ: Right. So the tragedy has had many people calling for changes in the industry, some questioning the use of firearms on sets. I'm wondering what you think needs to be done to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again.

ZANOFF: Clearly, I think the first thing that needs to be done is to let the law enforcement officials complete their actual investigation, let there be a determination of exactly what occurred, and then we can analyze that from there. Firearms have been on set since the inception of the American film industry over 100 years ago. The safety record industrywide is very good. The guidelines are extremely stringent. And when all the guidelines are followed, this kind of thing should not happen.

SANCHEZ: Sadly, it seems like some guidelines weren't followed or there were lapses on set, obviously. Larry Zanoff, we have to leave the conversation there. Appreciate your perspective, sir.

ZANOFF: Thank you very much.

WALKER: The mid-Atlantic and parts of the northeast are being inundated by heavy rainfall. The flooding is some of the worst in nearly two decades. We'll have a live update next.

And a quick programming note. Be sure to watch an all new episode of the CNN original series "Diana." It airs tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. only on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:53:00]

WALKER: Rain continues to pound the mid-Atlantic as coastal flooding continues. The National Weather Service is calling it the worst in nearly two decades.

SANCHEZ: Let's go now to CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. She has the latest on the forecast. Allison, what are you seeing?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, more rain in the forecast, not only for the mid-Atlantic, but also areas of the northeast, because that's where this system is going to be sliding. In the short term, coastal flood warnings still exist for several states here. We're talking about an additional two to four feet of inundation because basically you have these incredibly strong winds pushing all of that water from the Atlantic Ocean inland. And that's triggering a lot of river gages, creeks, streams, all of this area to have some river flooding.

So again, you have over a dozen red squares here. That indicates moderate flood stage. And then we still have one reach major flooding stage, keeping in mind, a lot of these are coming back down now, but where the peak was overnight, we had several rivers that actually reached their record crests of all time. This one specifically, this is the Chesapeake Bay at the Bishop's Head location in Maryland. It crested at 5.1 feet. That crushes the previous record of 4.6 feet. It's currently sitting at about 3.8. It's going to fluctuate up and down again with the tides as we go through the rest of the day today.

But we still have a lot of rain to get through, too. You can see the swirl from the system as we look at the radar. But a lot of heavy rain is really going to be focused across portions of New England, especially around Boston, Portland, even other areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island. A lot of these areas still likely to get some pretty heavy rain not only today, but also tomorrow, because it's a very slow-moving system. So it's not going to exit the region until very late in the day on Sunday, which means in the short term we still have an additional one to three inches of rain forecast. That target point again going to be across New England where even four, five, six while isolated is not out of the question. Winds have also been a big factor with this particular storm, not just offshore, but even on land.

[10:55:00]

And again, take a look at some of these numbers, Amara and Boris. You're talking 60 to even near 70-mile-per-hour winds, which is why we also have some power outages.

WALKER: Wow. So much for trick-or-treating plans in that area. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

And thank you for having me, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

WALKER: And thank you for watching, everyone. There's much more ahead in the next hour of CNN Newsroom.

SANCHEZ: Anytime. We'll see you again tomorrow.

Don't go anywhere. Fredricka Whitfield is up after a short break. Have a great day.

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