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U.S. to Restrict Travel from South Africa, Seven Other Countries on Monday Due to New Coronavirus Variant; GOP's Rep. Lauren Boebert Makes Anti-Muslim Remarks About Democratic Colleague; Global Stock Markets Tumble Amid Fears of New COVID Variant; "Smash and Grab" Burglaries Plaguing U.S. Retailers; NYT & WaPo: Legendary Composer Stephen Sondheim Dead at 91. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired November 26, 2021 - 18:00   ET

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

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[18:00:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Welcome to the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

We do begin with breaking news this hour as alarm spreads as a any coronavirus variant is discovered in South Africa. The variant has not been detected in the United States yet. The Biden administration will restrict travel from South Africa, and seven other African nations starting on Monday out of an abundance of caution. U.S. officials tell CNN those restrictions will buy the U.S. some time to learn more.

The World Health Organization has named the new strain it omicron and says it's a variant of concern. That's important when they use that kind of language. That is very, very important. Cases have already been detected in Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium. And the European CDC says there's a high to very high risk of spread across Europe.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is live from Nantucket for us. Pete Muntean is joining us from Reagan National Airport outside of Washington.

Jeff, they moved very quickly. I mean, we were barely talking about this variant earlier this morning, and then all of a sudden, by the end of the day, before the sun went down, all of these travel restrictions announced by the administration. What are your White House sources telling you right now?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Jim, there is no question, just shortly after, really, moments after the World Health Organizations issued a bulleting causing this a variant of concern, the White House showed that concern. And on vacation here, where President Biden is spending time with his family, issued those travel restrictions to begin Monday morning for South Africa and seven other African countries, really stopping people from flying here to the U.S. unless you're an American citizen.

But the White House also saying they simply do not know enough about this variant. So, they do know that this is not going to stop the spresad of it, of course, but, as you said, it will buy them some time. But the White House is focusing on another big problem, the unvaccinated here in the U.S. The president had that message today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every American who's not been vaccinated should be responsible and be vaccinated from age five years and up, number one. Number two, everyone eligible for the booster should get the booster shot immediately upon being eligible. That is a minimum that everyone should be doing. And we always talk about whether this is about freedom, and I think it's the patriotic responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, President Biden there calling it a patriotic duty to get the vaccination, but, quite frankly, the White House just is not quite sure that they're dealing with here in terms of the lethality or how much this variant can spread. But President Biden had about a 30- minute meeting, we're told, with Dr. Fauci and other experts. They are keeping an eye on this and joining other leaders from around the world in imposing those travel restrictions.

But, again, officials are telling us that they know that will not stop, of course, the spread of the variant, as we have seen all too well over these last almost two years into this. But, clearly, the White House acting very quickly on this, again, as the president is spending a long Thanksgiving weekend here on Nantucket. Jim?

ACOSTA: Thank you, Jeff, for staying on top of that. From that end of things, Pete Muntean, over at Reagan National Airport, despite these forthcoming travel restrictions, at least one airline is saying it will not stop travel services to South Africa. I'm trying to figure out how that's possible. What are you learning?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's so interesting, Jim, because the entire airline industry was just waiting for these restrictions to come down as these kept popping up in Europe and in the United Kingdom will know that the federal government, we know is waiting to issue a directive to airlines and the industry to give them some guidance here about how actually to go through with this.

We also know that there was a call earlier today between the federal government and the airline industry. Two airlines are operating flights between the U.S. and this region of concern, United Airlines and Delta Airlines. And Delta Airlines now says it will not stop operating its flight between Johannesburg and Atlanta. That operates three times a week. The United Airlines operates a flight five times a week between Johannesburg and Newark.

Why wait until Monday to do this? Well, that is the big question, but look no further to what has happened in the U.K. and in Europe, where those restrictions came down with on Thursday and today with a lot of immediacy in the Netherlands. Just one example, passengers on a flight from South Africa to Amsterdam found out midflight that these restrictions came into place, and they had to be cordoned off in a particular part of the airport in Amsterdam as officials there waited to figure out exactly how to go through with all of this.

This is a bit of a knee-jerk reaction according to some in the industry, also a big gut punch to the airline industry, which is just beginning to see few signs of hope when it came to international travel. It wasn't even three weeks ago that the international travel world changed in a big way, a 600-day delay in getting vaccinated and just any passengers, foreign nationals, into the United States, now so long as they prove they have vaccinations and do not have COVID, with a negative COVID test, they can come into the also.

[18:05:18]

Also, the numbers for air travel right now are pretty much off the charts, 2.3 million people at airports across the country on Wednesday. And it seems like those numbers were pushed up a bit by international travel and could likely only go higher as people begin returning at the end of the holiday weekend on Sunday.

ACOSTA: Yes. Just when we thought we were clawing our way out of this delta variant mess, what a gut punch. All right, Jeff Zeleny, Pete Muntean, thank you very much.

South African public health experts are warning that this variant has an unusually high number of mutations. As CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports, scientists are racing to find out if the current vaccines can still fight of this new variant off.

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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new variant spreading quickly in South Africa, U.S. health authorities in contact with officials there.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We want to find out scientist to scientists exactly what is going on, to seeing that it's a bit more widespread in South Africa than it was originally felt.

COHEN: Researcher in South Africa say there's likely reason to be worried. They say this new variant has more than 30 mutations in the spike protein. That's the part of the virus that gains entry to human cells to cause infection. The COVID-19 vaccines target the spike protein. If the spike changes too much and in the wrong, it could make the vaccines less effective. Learning exactly where the mutations are and how they change the spike protein will be key.

FAUCI: First of all, you want to find out if, in fact, it does evade the vaccine that we're doing. Right now, we're getting the material together to get our South African colleagues to get a situation where you could actually directly test it.

COHEN: scientists at BioNTech have already started investigating the impact of the variant on its vaccine developed with Pfizer, with data expected within the next couple of weeks. This isn't the first variants to initially be detected in South Africa. Last year, the beta variant was identified there. And there were fears it could quickly spread around the world and become the dominant variant worldwide. That didn't happen. And now authorities are working to see whether this new variant will slowly smolder or quickly spread around the planet.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And our thanks to Elizabeth Cohen.

And joining me now to talk about all this is CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen. She's the former city of Baltimore health commissioner.

Dr. Wen, I have to say, this is very depressing. I was hoping we were getting out of the woods after this delta variant, and now the Biden administration moving swiftly to impose these travel restrictions against these eight countries on the African continent, the southern part of that continent. How effective do you think that's going to be in stopping the spread? And, I mean, shouldn't we assume that it's already here? It hasn't been detected here but we have to assume it's here, right?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, I do think that the Biden administration was right and is right to be very concerned about this new variant, because when there are new variants we look for, is it more transmissible? It definitely looks more contagious than even the delta variant. We look for whether it's more virulent. We don't know whether this causes more severe disease. That remains to be seen.

But then there's this big question of does it cause immune escape. Do the vaccines that we have still work against this new variant? And we don't know the answer to that. We also don't know about testing, we don't know about therapeutics, while monoclonal antibodies, whether they will work against the variant. And so in terms of travel restrictions, they don't work that well overall. But what they do do is to buy time. And time is what we need right now in order to find out the answers to the questions that I mentioned about, the therapeutics and the vaccines, but also, to answer your question of, is it already here? Because if it's already in the U.S. and around the world, then I hope the Biden administration will go about removing the restriction.

Putting them in place now out of an abundance of caution, taking that initial proactive step is the right to do. I know some people might disagree, but I also would want them to imagine the counter-factual if Biden administration did not restrict travel at this point, and there were a major spike of cases due to this variant, what would we have said? We would say that they should have taken action much more promptly.

ACOSTA: Yes. No, that's true. And there are, of course, concerns that the vaccines might not be effective against this new strain You were just saying, it's too early to know that at this point. Immune escape is the term I believe you just used there. It's another term I wish we did not have to get used to, but maybe we'll have to get used to. Moderna released a statement a short time ago saying that the mutations on this new variant represent a, quote, significant potential risk to both natural and vaccine-induced immunity. How concerned are you about that?

WEN: I'm concerned. We don't have information about this yes, and these are the studies that need to be ongoing basically to see the antibodies that are produced through vaccination or through recovery from the infection, do they still work against this variant?

[18:10:11]

Now, changes are good that they will work, but the question is, how much do they work. Do they work just as well or is there a lesser effect? If it turns out that the vaccines that we have still work really well, then the answer is going to be to get booster shots to everybody. Of course, get the unvaccinated vaccinated but also get booster shots to everybody and ramp up that production even more.

I will say that one thing that people haven't been mentioning in South Africa is, well, the vaccination rate there is low, why don't we get vaccines to people there. But actually, in South Africa, and I have family there, I have done work in South Africa, the issue in South Africa is actually not of vaccine supply. It's of uptake, the same issues that we're facing here with misinformation.

ACOSTA: Wow. Well, we know that problem is global and the answer to all of this is for people to get vaccinated, get boosted, get protected, because, otherwise, we're not going to get out of this pandemic. Dr. Leana Wen, thank you so much for that. We appreciate it.

Just ahead, bigoted remarks from a Republican Congresswoman are sparking widespread condemnation, but so far, no condemnations from leaders in the Republican Party.

And later, smash-and-grab robberies are surging across the United States. I'll ask a former police commissioner what can be done to stop them.

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[18:15:00]

ACOSTA: Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is now apologizing to members of the Muslim community after she made horrific, Islamophobic comments about one of her Democratic colleagues who is Muslim. Video shows Boebert last week suggesting she was scared to get on an elevator with Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar because she was worried Omar might blow it up. As CNN's Sunlen Serfaty reports, not one Republican leader at this point has come out to condemn Boebert's vile remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLE SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Congresswoman Lauren Boebert making an Islamophobic suicide bomber joke about being in an elevator with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): I look to my left and there she is, Ilhan Omar. And I said, well, she doesn't have a backpack, we should by fine.

SERFATY: Suggesting that she was concerned Omar would blow up the elevator.

BOEBERT: And we only had one floor to go, like do I say it or not, and looked over. And I said, oh, look, the jihad squad decided to show up for work today.

SERFATY: The now viral video was posted by Patriot Takes, affiliated with left-leaning groups, claimed to have been shot (ph) over Thanksgiving break. Omar responding and saying, the whole story is made up and calling Boebert a buffoon. Sad, she thinks bigotry gets her clout. Anti-Muslim bigotry isn't funny and shouldn't be normalized. Congress can't be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslim tropes get no condemnation.

Today, Boebert tweeting an apology saying she has reached out to Omar's office to speak with her directly. I apologize anyone in the Muslim community offended about my comment about Representative Omar, adding, there are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.

But Boebert did not apologize for other incendiary remarks made during the same event, including a homophobic remark about Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg taking paternity leave.

BOEBERT: He wasn't even put in charge of the supply chain crisis. Someone else was tapped for that because Mayor Pete is still at home trying to figure out how to chest-feed. Somebody ought to tell him so he can get back to work.

SERFATY: GOP leadership has been silent in response so far to the series of derogatory comments. But Republican Congressman Kinzinger call Boebert trash.

BOEBERT: Cancel culture isn't just to keep us quiet. It's to stop the very plan and movement of God almighty.

SERFATY: This isn't the first time that Boebert, who entered Congress with this provocative video, has made inflammatory remarks.

BOEBERT: I will carry my firearm in D.C. and in Congress.

SERFATY: Most recently, Boebert defended Congressman Paul Gosar before he was censured by the House for tweeting an anime video depicting him killing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

BOEBERT: The left has nothing else to do but troll the internet looking for ways to get offended.

SERFATY: Turning her speech into a tirade singling out Democrats like Omar. BOEBERT: The jihad squad member from Minnesota has paid her husband, not her brother husband, the other one, over a million dollars in campaign funds. This member is allowed on the Foreign Affairs Committee while praising terrorists.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERFATY: And Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders have just, in the last few minutes, put out a same condemning her behavior. They do not call for her censure or removal from committee, but they say her repeated, ongoing and targeted Islamophobic comments and actions against Congresswoman Omar, they say, are, quote, deeply offensive and concerning. And, Jim, they are calling on Republican leaders to step up and address this tonight.

ACOSTA: All right. We'll see if we see that on their end of things. Sunlen Serfaty, thanks so much.

Let's discuss with our panel, Scott Jennings and Kirsten Powers. Guys, thanks so much for being with us, we appreciate it.

Scott, you were a longtime adviser to Senator McConnell. Why aren't we seeing Republican leaders come out and condemn these remarks? Or is it just another day at the office and they got these folks in the far right in certain parts of the caucus that they just can't control?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, Senator McConnell serves in the Senate. She's in the House. He doesn't make it a practice typically to comment on what everybody says all the time.

[18:20:01]

But I guarantee you, I know what he's thinking and it's a garbage comment from a garbage politician. I mean, this is -- I'm as anti- squad as the next Republican, but there's plenty of ways to debate these folks without stooping to this sort of absolute garbage rhetoric.

I noted, by the way, that Boebert has now been forced to apologize. I assume that didn't happen in a vacuum. And I assume something is happening behind the scenes. But she's, of course, now committed the ultimate sin because the people she's being performative for here would say, you should never apologize. And so now she's going to have to deal with the fallout inside of this narrow group of people that she's trying to please.

So, ultimately, this is not the future of the party, it's not the future of the country, it's not the future any of wants. We ought to all condemn it and we ought to pay very little attention to what folks like these say, because these are not the leaders that we need for America or for the Republican Party.

ACOSTA: What do you think, Kirsten? Do you thinl Republican leaders are hesitating behind the scenes, because they don't want to upset you-know-who?

KIRSTEN POWERS, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, he who shall go unnamed, I guess.

ACOSTA: Just this once.

POWERS: Yes, I think that -- just this once. Yes, there is a constituency for this. And as Scott was saying, like even apologizing will mean that she'll probably double down on it in another forum because this is what people want. We heard people laughing at this, you know, and this is the kind of stuff that is just completely out of bounds. It's utterly despicable. It is -- it's obviously anti-Islamic, but it's also -- let's remember that these are colleagues as well, right?

So, talking about one of your colleagues this way, we just have this increasing, you know, story about these Democratic Congresswomen being harassed, really, by these members of Congress, whether it's Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or Paul Gosar, and it's creating actually what looks like a very hostile environment. And the Republican leadership has a responsibility to do something about it. It's not funny. I mean, these jokes are just not funny. And listening to her and everything you just played is just -- it's stomach-turning.

ACOSTA: Yes. And, Scott, I mean, I do want to get your reaction Boebert's comments about Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary. You were just saying a few moments ago that this is not the future of the party, but if Kevin McCarthy or House leadership -- you're right, Mitch McConnell is not going to do a whole lot over in the senate, that he's got another -- he's got his side of things to worry about, but if the House leadership is not going to do something about it on the Republican side, doesn't this go unchecked, and it potentially could become the future of at least the House part of the Republican Party?

JENNINGS: Well, look, I think Kevin McCarthy is doing his best to try to hold this thing together for one more year. I mean, it's -- I mean, he believes, and a lot of Republicans believe, I believe it is a near mortal lock that the Republicans are going to take control of the House and not by a small margin come next November's election. And so he's trying to hold this thing together until then and, you know, keep the party from, you know, collapsing on itself because of some idiots on the fringe in the meantime.

And it's a full-time job. I mean, he's constantly having to put out these fires and they all seem to come from the same place and from the same small group of people. He has, at times, spoken out against people who have gotten out of line. He, of course, took care of Steve King in Iowa, when that happened a couple of years ago. So, he's not, in the past, been unwilling to handle this.

I would say Boebert's apology here though -- believe me, she didn't wake up thinking better of it. Something is happening, I'll guarantee you, and we'll found out soon what it is.

ACOSTA: Yes. It was written in a way -- it sounded like McCarthy's chief of staff may have written that apology.

But, Kirsten Powers, let me give you the last word. POWERS: Yes. Well, I mean, her apology was one of these apologies where she's apologizing that people got offended. She's not saying, I acted --- my behavior is a problem. And I think what's more important than the apologies at this point is changed behavior. So, it's time for them to change their behavior and stop harassing other members of Congress, particularly women of color, in the Democratic caucus.

ACOSTA: All right, Kirsten Powers, Scott Jennings, thanks for being with us tonight. We appreciate it.

And coming up, how will the newly discovered COVID variant affect the economy? The Dow Jones just had its worst day in more than a year as global borders snap shut once again.

Plus, icon Broadway Composer Stephen Sondheim has died at the age of 91, according to new reports. We'll look at his decades' long career and lasting impact, coming up.

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[18:25:00]

ACOSTA: And we're back with our breaking news. President Biden is restricting travel from South Africa and seven other countries starting Monday as a new coronavirus variant has emerged, prompting stocks to tumble today. The Dow had its worst day in more than a year, taking a nosedive and closing down more than 900 points.

Let's discuss with Mark Zandi, Chief Economist for Moody's Analyst, and Catherine Rampell, CNN Economics Commentator. Guys, thanks so much, happy holidays.

Mark, we saw similar trends when the delta variant emerged over this summer. What do you think? Are the markets overreacting?

MARK ZANDI, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MOODY'S ANALYTICS: Well, they're reacting as they should. I think investors realize the economy remains tethered to the pandemic. The delta variant did a lot of damage to the economy. It slowed growth and juiced up inflation.

[18:30:01]

So, I think there's some reasonable concern here.

But having said that, today was a pretty thin trading day, so news like this gets amplified by the thin trading. It's also important to realize the stock market has come a long way over the past couple of years, at record levels, so anything could set it off. So, I wouldn't jump to too strong of a conclusion here, but investors are doing the right thing. They're attaching some probability to the possibility that this becomes a problem for the economy again.

ACOSTA: And, Catherine, should we expect this turmoil to go on for a while? What do we think?

CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMIC COMMENTATOR: I think it will really depend on what the science shows about the contagiousness of this variant and the deadliness of this variant, right? I mean, that was the real concern with delta, that it was much more transmissible than earlier versions of the coronavirus and, therefore, brought a lot more damage, ended up disrupting even more supply chains, because people weren't able to go to work. Some countries had shutdowns, for example. It just created a lot of havoc.

So, we won't really know about how much the damage will be from this particular variant until there's more evidence about the public consequences because it's really the public health issue that's driving the economics here.

ACOSTA: And, Mark, this comes as Americans are gearing up for the holiday season. They're in the middle of it now. Consumers are already up against inflation, labor shortages. How do you think this new COVID strain is going to impact retail sales, that sort of thing? Should we expect that to occur also?

ZANDI: I don't think so, Jim. I mean, I think consumers are feeling pretty good. I mean, a lot of jobs are being created, unemployment is falling quickly, wage growth has been strong. They have got a lot of savings that they've built up during the pandemic, a lot of pent-up demand, things they haven't been buying. It feels like this Christmas is going to be pretty good.

I mean, I live out here in suburban Philly. I drove by the King of Prussia Mall, which is one of the largest in this country, this afternoon, and it was just jammed. So, I don't think this is going to affect Christmas sales.

Now, having said that, you know, if this becomes a bigger deal, then we've got a problem, you know, later -- as we go into next year.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. We're tight on time. We've got to run. But, Mark Zandi, Catherine Rampell, thanks, as always. We appreciate it.

RAMPELL: Thank you.

ZANDI: Sure thing.

ACOSTA: Coming up, new developments in the January 6th investigation. Former Trump Adviser Steve Bannon now apparently says he wants documents related to his contempt of Congress case to be made public.

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[18:335:00]

ACOSTA: New developments tonight in the House investigation into the January 6th insurrection. Former Trump Adviser Steve Bannon is reportedly asking a court to release documents in its court case on contempt of Congress charges. A judge previously ordered these records kept private, but Bannon wants that order reversed.

Joining us now, Democratic Congressman Jim Himes of Connecticut to talk about this. Congressma, first, what do you make of this move by Steve Bannon? He's fighting the committee but he wants these documents to be made public. What's going on?

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): Well, Jim I think there's at least two things going on. Number one, he's indicating that he's going to sort of make motions and try to pick on every new aspect of this trial that he can. It's part of the familiar delay as long as possible strategy that (INAUDIBLE) from all the Trump people when Trump was actually president. It took forever to grind through the courts, and Bannon is trying to do that.

More ominously, Jim, what he's clearly doing is, even though this is sort of standard procedure in any trial, nobody has alleged that he's being treated unfairly, he's signaling to the MAGA crowd, to the Trump crowd, that something is amid here. It goes right back to this notion that something was amiss in the voting that led to Biden's election. He's setting the stage to be able to say that if he is convicted, this was a sham show trial and from moment one, I told you it would be.

ACOSTA: And what do you think about the way that the select committee is casting this wide net? Do you think that they're fighting a losing by going after so many staunch Trump allies, like Steve Bannon, willing to fight these subpoenas, that it does contribute to what you were just saying, this endless process of things being dragged out and delayed?

HIMES: No, I don't think so, Jim. I mean, look, the January 6th committee has already floated information that we didn't have before, about how organized this plan was. We didn't know about the war room in the hotel in Washington. There's lots that is being brought out. And this was -- I was there, I'm here to tell you, this was the most serious attack on our democracy, arguably, since the civil war.

And so it's really essentially that we understand all of the mechanics. The committee, of course, is running against the clock. We don't know what's going to happen in the next election. And so they've got a lot of work to do not just in getting to the truth but also in reestablishing Congress' prerogatives. You don't get to say to the Congress, I'm going to ignore you, which, of course, is what Bannon and all the Trump people tried to do.

ACOSTA: And a quick comment from you, if you don't mind, on Lauren Boebert, the Republican Congresswoman, and her remarks, her vile remarks about Ilhan Omar.

HIMES: Yes. It's awful, Jim. It makes me so sad. I've gotten used to the kind of remarks that she makes, but to see people, Coloradans around her sort of cheering her on. Here's somebody who says that they're more American than others, right? America is all about people coming from all over the world to come here. Here is somebody who claims to be a Christian.

You know, my understanding of the gospel is not that you humiliate and mock and attack people. And yet that is show she makes her money, literally speaking, because these things are used to excite the fundraising base, and they're dangerous, Jim. At some point, somebody is going to get hurt because of this kind of rhetoric.

ACOSTA: That is the concern, and it's a concern we've been raising over and over again.

[18:40:02]

Congressman Jim Himes, thanks for raising it again and thanks for joining us tonight. We appreciate it.

HIMES: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Coming up, flash mobs are ransacking high-end retailers across the U.S. What's behind the sudden surge and these smash-and-grab robberies?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: High-end retailers across the U.S. are struggling to respond to a series smash-and-grab-style burglaries by highly organized flash mobs.

CNN's Brian Todd is digging into this for us. Brian, what are authorities saying about this trend? It's just all over the place right now.

[18:45:00]

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, authorities say at least three of these hits occurred at Nordstrom stores like this one, but those burglaries occurred in California. Tonight, police are not only pursuing suspects, but they are looking into just how well-organized these robberies were.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): On the left, thieves violently hack away at a jewelry counter as glass case in San Francisco. On the right, several perpetrators ransack a Louis Vuitton store outside Chicago. Authorities say they made away with $100,000 worth of handbags and other merchandise.

At this Nordstrom store in Canoga Park near L.A. on Wednesday, at least five people went in and did more than steal valuable merchandise.

DEPUTY CHIEF ALAN HAMILTON, LOS ANGELES POLICE: A number of suspects entered the door here behind me and took several high end purses. Unfortunately, we do have a security guard here that was working for the store, working for Nordstrom that was attacked by the suspects.

TODD: CNN affiliate KABC reports at least one of those suspects was wearing an orange wig.

The same day at an Apple Store in Santa Rosa, California, north of San Francisco, at least four people stole $20,000 worth of merchandise in what police say was a brazen daytime burglary in front of customers and staff. Police said those suspects were between 14 and 18 years of age. This is all part of a wave of so-called smash-and-grab robberies at

high end stores in recent days in California and Illinois, hits that were disturbing for their apparent level of coordination, the number of people involved.

BRETT BARRETTE, MANAGER, P.F. CHANG'S, WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA: I probably saw 50 to 80 people in like ski masks, crow bars. They were looting the Nordstrom right here.

TODD: At least three of these robberies occurred at Nordstrom stores near Los Angeles and San Francisco. Customers are terrified.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very disturbing because now, I'm reluctant to come to Nordstrom or even the mall for that matter to come and make my purchases.

TODD: San Francisco's police chief says his department has made some arrests and recovered millions of dollars in stolen property. Asked by CNN who's carrying out these burglaries, he said he believes it ranges from common thieves at the lower end to sophisticated organized groups at the top.

CHIEF WILLIAM SCHOTT, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE: There has to be a degree of organization in that. You know, we don't -- there's no way in my mind that we can have a situation where 20, up to 80 people can invade a store -- a series of stores and there'd be not be some communications and some organization.

TODD: Law enforcement analysts tell us some of these could be copycat burglaries. They say these kind of hits are tough to guard against. Security and police deployments are being ramped up at malls across the country during the busy holiday shopping season.

One analyst says customers can also help.

TERRANCE GAINER, FORMER U.S. CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF: They should always be sensitive to their surroundings. If it goes down while you are in the store or nearby, stay out of the way. If you are in a position to take a photo, that would be helpful to police, or just observe what you are doing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): We reached out to Nordstrom to ask about any enhanced security measures the chain maybe taking to guard against these burglaries and also ask whether there's the possibility of an inside job with some of these hits. They didn't get back to us. Analysts say one thing law enforcement agencies are likely doing tonight is monitoring social media for any signs of coordination with these burglaries and also monitoring to see if anyone is bragging about them -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Brian Todd, thank you very much.

For more of that, I want to bring in CNN senior law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey. Chief, thanks so much.

You noted that some of these burglaries are being organized on social media, as Brian Todd was just mentioning a few moments ago. What should police be doing to catch them before they're able to strike again?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: You know, we have this problem in Philadelphia a few years back where they were a large groups of young people were rushing into the store. Macy's was hit, I believe the Apple Store as well, 15, 20 of the time. And they were organizing on social media.

You know, what time to meet and, you know, which store they were going to go into and so forth. And most of these kids were like 13 to 18 years old, many of them that had no previous criminal record. So, we were able to reach out to parents and actually got a couple of calls from parents who let us know what was -- what was taking place. But it's very difficult to guard against those, as much it in Brian's report. It is very difficult to guard against.

But you beef up the presence. You really pay close attention to social media. You work with these stores and try to get them to really enhance their security. And any of the more expensive items, try to push them back further into the store so you can't just run in grab and run right out.

That may not work with some of the small jewelers and things like that. But your larger stores like Nordstrom and Macy's, perhaps, that would be something that might be helpful.

ACOSTA: And, Chief Ramsey, you mentioned Philadelphia. I asked have to ask you, in Philadelphia where you just once served as police commissioner, just hit a grim milestone, more than 500 homicides this year.

[18:50:05]

RAMSEY: Yeah.

ACOSTA: That is a staggering number. It matches the record set all the way back in 1990. What's going on in Philadelphia?

RAMSEY: Well, in 1990 was at the middle of the crack wars.

ACOSTA: Right.

RAMSEY: And so that's how far back it goes. You know, I'm not -- I still live in Philly but I don't have the same, you know, kind of access to information that I once had. But I tell you this, what I have noticed, is a lot of finger pointing going back and forth.

And what I hope city leaders, police, district attorney, mayor, everybody, they get together and actually come up with a strategy. And that strategy can't be just having a press conference and asking people, pleading with people not to shoot one another. That's not going to work. You have to have a strategy to identify the violent individuals who are carrying guns and who are using those guns, and you've got to be able to get them off the street.

I mean, I know it's not popular to say, but these violence guys got to get locked up. We've got to get them off the street, period. Anything short of that is not going to work. And things could get worse, believe it or not, before they get better. I mean, this isn't the end of November yet, and already 500, so we are well past that number.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. It's a staggering figure.

Chief Ramsey, thanks for those comments. Hope they are listening in Philadelphia, where they need all the help they can get. Chief, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

RAMSEY: Okay.

ACOSTA: Coming up, we're following on reports that Stephen Sondheim, an icon of American musical theater, has died at the age of 91. We'll remembers his life and his extraordinary career right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: And more breaking news, a musical theater icon legendary Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim has died at the age of 91, according to "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post". Sondheim was behind some of the world's most popular and revolutionary musicals, getting his big break with the iconic West Side story, as CNN's Stephanie Elam takes a closer look at Sondheim's lasting career and influence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Stephen Sondheim was one of musical theater's most prolific and successful writers, winning 8 Tony Awards, 8 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize for drama, and in 2015, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Sondheim was born on March 22nd, 1930 in New York City. His parents divorced in 1942, and he moved to Pennsylvania with his mother. In Pennsylvania, he became friends with James Hammerstein, the son of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein. Throughout his teen years, his relationship with his mother deteriorated, and eventually the two became estranged.

But Oscar Hammerstein was a constant figure, encouraging Sondheim's musical talents throughout high school and college.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM, BROADWAY COMPOSER: If it hadn't been for the Hammersteins, I really don't know where I would be, if I would even be alive.

ELAM: Sondheim's big break came when he wrote the lyrics for the Broadway show West Side Story in 1957. Then in 1962, he expended his repertoire, and for the first time, he wrote the lyrics and composed the music for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". In 1970, Sondheim began a collaboration with theater producer Hal

Prince that lasted more than a decade. Their 1973 play, "A Little Night Music", was composed mostly in waltz time, and became one of their biggest commercial successes. It featured the hit "Send in the Clowns", one of Sondheim's best known songs.

In 1979, Sondheim wrote what was probably Broadway's first musical thriller, "Sweeney Todd". The story of an English barber and serial killer.

SONDHEIM: What is great about the theater is the living organism, whereas movies, and television are as if an amber. It is not that they are dead, but they are only alive in one shape, form, and tone. Every time you see a movie, they are giving the same performance as they did the last time you saw them. Not true of a show.

ELAM: Inspiration was everywhere for Sondheim. And in 1984, moved by a famous painting by George Seurat, he pinned the lyrics for Sunday in the park with George. For that invented stage craft, he won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.

In 1987, he wrote the Broadway hit into the woods based on "The Fables of the Brothers Grand". Late in Sondheim's career, Lin-Manuel Miranda approached him with something he was working on, a musical then called the Hamilton mix tape. Sondheim mentored Miranda just as Hammerstein had done for him.

From waltzes to wrap, inspired by everything from serial killers to fairytales, Sondheim's impact on American musical theater spanned decades and created some of the world's most popular musicals.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: What an amazing life, such a gift to the world. Thank you so much to Stephanie for that report.

I'm Jim Acosta. Thanks very much for watching.

Coming, up the CNN original series "DIANA: HER LEGACY CONTINUES."