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Two Men Shot Outside Home Of New York Congressman Lee Zeldin; Russian Missiles Hit Zaporizhzhia, Killing 13 And Injuring 89; Kentucky Women Fighting The Abortion Ban; Backlash Over Biden's "Armageddon" Comment On Ukraine; Protesters Maintain Pressure In Iran Despite Security Crackdown. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 09, 2022 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:02]

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Now F1 rules do state that limited points are awarded when a race is red flagged and cannot continue. Although the Suzuka race was red flagged it continue to a conclusion on track, so full points were indeed awarded.

You know, it's the first time it was shrouded in controversy after the 2021 Abu Dhabi grand prix but this second one has looked inevitable for a number of months now through 18 races, 12 wins. He's just one shy now of the record held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

And Pam, he's still got four races left meaning the Dutch driver has the chance to break that record. We shall see.

Pam, it's right back to you.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: All right, Patrick Snell, thank you as always.

Your next our of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That town of Zaporizhzhia very much under fire.

JAMES CLAPPER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: That's about the only thing that Russians are good at, attacking civilian infrastructure.

PLEITGEN: Just a day after the Crimean bridge was hit an explosion.

JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: The stakes are very high right now.

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): The United States has to be ready for Putin to use a tactically nuclear weapons.

BROWN: And in the U.S., fears of a more dangerous COVID variant on the way this winter. Dr. Anthony Fauci tells us what to expect.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're in Fort Myers. Finally people are being able to come back, take a look at the damage. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was stunned. This is the kind of thing that is

catastrophic.

ROMERO: Mold is starting to grow and accumulate on everything. This is what makes is so unlivable and unsafe.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over the weekend in Iran, we have seen anti-regime protests continue across the country. Another public show of defiance. Iran state broadcaster appears to have been momentarily hacked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. And you are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And we begin this hour with a story just into CNN NEWSROOM. Two men shot outside the home of New York Congressman Lee Zeldin. The Republican lawmaker says his twin 16-year-old daughters were home at the time of the shooting.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is gathering the latest information here.

Polo, what do we know?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, in a statement, the gubernatorial candidate is saying that he is OK, currently acting, at least working with investigators as they try to find out more about a shooting that the congressman says happened on his property, at his Long Island home just east of New York City.

We want to get you straight to the statement that his office released just a few moments ago, writing that the shooting happened at about 2:18 Eastern. The congressman writing, quote, "My 16-year-old daughters Mikayla and Arianna were at our house doing homework while my wife Diana and I were in the car having just departed the Bronx Columbus State Parade in Morris Park." Not sure if we actually have that statement so our viewers could follow along.

But he also goes on to write, "After my daughters heard the gunshots and the screaming, that they ran upstairs, locked themselves in the bathroom, and immediately called 911." They acted he says very swiftly and smartly every step of the way, and that he and his wife are very proud of their daughters.

Now I should tell, Pamela, he also goes on to write that the two individuals that were shot, according to the congressman, they were laying under his front porch. And also, he writes that they were also near the bushes. It is his understanding right now that those individuals, that they were transported to area hospitals but he does not know much more about their identities, but that he's actively working with investigators right now.

We know the Congressman Zeldin has been obviously running in a race against Kathy Hochul for governor of the state of New York, running on a big sort of anticrime platform here. So in the meantime, investigators are still speaking again to him, speaking to other witnesses as well as we try to find out more. But again Congressman Zeldin does confirm he is OK. His daughters were inside the house at the time, also OK, as authorities there on the ground are trying to speak to witnesses and try to find out more about what led to the shooting this afternoon.

BROWN: Yes. Fortunately his daughters were OK. I imagine they are very shaken up, as he said there in that statement. Pretty scary.

SANDOVAL: Absolutely.

BROWN: All right. Let's -- thank you so much, Polo Sandoval.

Let's bring in CNN senior law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey. All right. So want to be clear with our viewers. There is a lot we don't know, and of course, one of the big questions at this hour would be, was this intentional, because this is a Republican congressman, running for office there in a tight race for the governor's seat? We do not have evidence to support that. How would you proceed -- but we are also trying to get information. How would you proceed with this investigation, Charles Ramsey?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, we would proceed if this were, you know, my department, like we would, with any shooting.

[18:05:02]

You know, you protect the crime scene, you gather as much evidence as you can. Hopefully you can interview the individuals that were shot, others that may have witnessed it to try to find out exactly what took place. What are possible motives. This may or may not have anything to do with the representative. Unfortunately, you know, crime can happen anywhere in our country at any given time. So, you know, it's way too early to draw any conclusions at all.

What you know you have are two people shot and you're trying to determine why, what happened, and who may have been responsible for that particular shooting. Now obviously they'll do an assessment because of who he is, to see whether or not there are any threats, any ties to this at all. But I would not go so far as to even begin to suggest that this has anything to do with his running for governor at this point in time.

There's just nothing that would indicate that at this point in time in the investigation, I would imagine.

BROWN: Yes. So far, we do not have any information to substantiate that, but, of course, still learning more as this is just happening. And we're just hearing now from the Congressman Lee Zeldin, shooting outside of his home, two people shot in the hospital. His two daughters were at home. Lee Zeldin and his wife were at an event and on their home apparently.

Chief Charles Ramsey, thank you.

RAMSEY: Thank you.

BROWN: Russia retaliates and Ukrainian civilians die. Overnight Russian missiles rain down on a residential area of Zaporizhzhia. That's in southeastern Ukraine. At least 13 people are dead and dozens are hospitalized including children. More than 200 rescuers have been combing through the rubble for survivors and more victims. The Russian attack on the civilian neighborhood come just hours after an apparent truck bomb heavily damaged the bridge that links mainly Russia to Crimea, it's annexed territory in the south. So that creates a huge bottleneck choking a critical supply route for Putin's war against Ukraine.

For the very latest, let's go to southern Ukraine and CNN's Nick Paton Walsh -- Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Russian President Vladimir Putin cleared that he held Ukrainian secret service as responsible for the attack on the Kerch Bridge after a meeting with the head of his investigative committee. They call this a terrorist attack against civilian infrastructure in Russia.

Now that's important because it could potentially invoke different responses from Russia. There'll be a meeting of Russia's security council on Monday where it's likely they will have to address this issue. These happen weekly, but obviously there's great emphasis on this particular one. Asked whether or not their nuclear doctrine might be invoked because of this attack on Russian territory, a Kremlin spokesperson called that many question inappropriate.

So we simply don't know how Russia is going to respond, but the symbolic damage has been enormous. Today state media is trying to make light of the damage to that bridge itself saying that cars are moving again on the road carriageways and the rail stock continues to move up and down the rail part of it. But still there was damage and it will have a knock on effect to the supply of Russia troops in the south of Ukraine and areas which they're still occupying.

Whether or not that damages their presence in the frontlines we'll find out, but that bridge had been used to supply troops no doubt about it. For ordinary Ukrainians, though, the idea of a Russian retaliation difficult to understand possibly because every day they're being attacked, no different at all with Sunday morning in Zaporizhzhia. a town that's being hit again and again over the past week.

The city hit by six cruise missiles, 16 antiaircraft missiles slamming into a residential area, at least 13 dead, 80 injured, hundreds of rescuers combing through the wreckage to try and save people. An ordinary scene tragically across Ukraine because of Russian indiscriminate targeting of civilians. No change on Sunday because of that. Do we see more in the days ahead because of the attack on the Kerch Bridge?

Ukraine hasn't claimed it officially. Most people are pointing towards them. But it's not a sign of how Russia is military failing Ukraine able to inflict damage on its reputation and many wondering quite what comes next out of Moscow.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.

BROWN: All right. Our thanks to Nick Paton Walsh.

So there's a lot to unfold here. Joining us to discuss that -- just that is William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Ambassador, thank you so much for being here with us. So the Russian government is calling this attack on the bridge a terrorist attack. Putin is going to be meeting with his Security Council tomorrow. What are your concerns tonight about what may follow? We've already seen apparent retaliation in Zaporizhzhia.

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: But as Nick says, Pam, it's hard to tell. I mean, the Russians have been firing at civilian targets all the time. And they continue to do that. So if this is retaliation for the attack on the bridge, not clear. What we know is -- we know where the terrorism is coming from and it's coming from the Russians.

[18:10:05]

BROWN: So what is your concern about what may follow? I mean, do you expect Putin to not retaliate, say, Zaporizhzhia wasn't that? I mean, this is a huge double whammy for him. You've got the tactical and the psychological aspect of this attack on the bridge. What do you expect him to do in response and does this put any hope of a peaceful end to this war even further out of reach?

TAYLOR: It might be further out of reach, however, you're right, he's got the problem. This is his problem. He's failing, he's military is failing, he's failing to protect infrastructure like the bridge. He's failing to get more troops. He's having a hard time getting soldiers to go to the front. He's trying to raise 300,000 new recruits, and people are leaving. The Russian military are trying to pull these people in and they're going to Georgia and to Kazakhstan. So he's got a really -- he doesn't have the friends that he thought he had.

I mean, the Chinese and the Indians are not supporting him on this thing. They're concerned about this. He's got problems on his right. The nationalists are very vocal. He's got problems in the streets. The families are not eager to see their sons go off to a war, in a war that they don't understand, so he's got big problems.

BROWN: So, you know, that obviously brings up the discussion that President Biden's brought up. He's concerned, his words, that Putin could become desperate. And he was the one that brought up this idea, the warning of a nuclear Armageddon. Now the White House has been walking that back, saying that there's no new intelligence to support that. That, you know, it wasn't based on anything new, but does his grim assessment make diplomacy, I'm curious, more difficult, in your view?

TAYLOR: Yes, and I think it's important that President Biden have this conversation. Whenever a dictator that has nuclear weapons threatens to use them against anyone, whether it's Ukrainians or others, you have to take it seriously. So that's a legitimate conversation. People should know that that's what President Putin is talking about.

Now in terms of diplomacy, there's not diplomacy going on right now because President Putin is not interested. He's not looking for a way to solve this. If he were, he could find it. He could stop the fight. That would stop the war. If Ukrainians stop fighting, they lose their country. They lose their country. So that's not an area right now for diplomacy.

BROWN: All right. Ambassador William Taylor, good to see you again.

TAYLOR: Good to see you, Pam.

BROWN: Thanks for your time tonight.

And up next for you on this Sunday night, I'm going to talk to one of three mothers taking on Kentucky's abortion ban in court. Why one mother says the law is stopping her from having another baby.

Also ahead for you tonight, Iran state TV apparently hacked by revolutionaries calling on human rights protesters to rise up.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:14]

BROWN: Quite a story out of Kentucky where three Jewish Louisville mothers who face high-risk pregnancies are taking the abortion ban in their state to court. Kentucky instituted a trigger law that severely restricts abortion following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24th. Well, these women say they believe the ban puts their health and their freedom at risk, particular their religious freedom.

Joining us now is native Louisvillian Lisa Sobel, and one of the women suing Kentucky Attorney General David Cameron on the basis of religious freedom.

Thank you so much for coming on, Lisa. I want to start this discussion just talking about, a little bit about your journey, you know, the challenges. You've had several IVF treatments. You now have a healthy 3-year-old little girl, but you've said you'd like to have a second child, but you're scared to try. Explain how this law makes it harder for you.

LISA SOBEL, JEWISH MOM TAKING ABORTION BAN TO COURT: Certainly, and thank you for having me on. For me, my journey through IVF was one that had many twists and turns to it, and what this law does is it makes me question even step one of is what do I need to do to get pregnant a possibility? Are the different tests that we need to do in order to ensure that we're transferring a healthy embryo an option?

Will we face litigation and possibly be considered a criminal if we don't use all of our embryos? And so for that and so many other reasons, it's just really scary to be here in Kentucky, considering starting such a journey.

BROWN: I'm curious, given what you have been there in the past, how do you think that would have played out with this new law there on the books on abortion?

SOBEL: Well, if the law was in place when I was going through IVF the first time around, I more than likely would have had to transfer all four of my first embryos, none of which were compatible with life for different reasons, and then I would have faced going through IVF even more as I did to have to do a second round in order to get pregnant with my daughter. And those four different transfers are very expensive and come with a lot of emotional heartbreak with them.

It's more than just getting a negative pregnancy test when you've been hoping. It's -- you're putting everything into it, your soul into -- is this going to be the time that I am told that I'm pregnant and I get to be at the starting line of motherhood or not?

[18:20:00]

BROWN: Yes. Yes, that's going to be very tough to already to be wondering that in the first place. So now you are suing the state attorney general over the abortion ban. I mean your suit along with these other moms, it's one of the first suits of its kind in the country. There are couple other states with similar suits. But your suit is based on challenging the abortion ban on the grounds of religious freedom.

And this is a quote from your lawyer, says, "In Judaism, the reproductive health of a mother is between the mother, her rabbi and her doctor, not the attorney general." So if you would, tell us a little bit more, Lisa, about why you believe it violates your religious freedom?

SOBEL: Well, the laws which have been patched together over the last 20 years are written from a very specific ideology in Christianity that's not held across all Christianity. But more importantly than that, Judaism has been very clear on when life begins and that the health of the mother is put above that of a fetus when you're making these decisions, and because of that, these laws are imposing their viewpoint upon me and upon all Kentuckians, not all of whom share this one belief that the legislators have put into place.

BROWN: I had actually asked, I had a pro-life advocate on this show right after Roe v. Wade was overturned, and I asked her about this. I said there are religions that put the life of the mother, the pregnant person over the fetus and allow abortions such as Judaism. And this person said, look, this is about science, that life begins at conception. This is not about my religious beliefs. This is about science. And I'm curious, what do you say to that?

SOBEL: Well, we must have had different doctors talking to us because it was made very clear to myself and to my husband when we were talking with our doctor, that we are looking at cells, groupings of cells that then grow and eventually turn into a fetus, and eventually become a child when it's born in my faith. And so yes, there are lots of electrical impulses, that's what you seemingly say the fetal heartbeat, and it's all magical to any mother who's been trying as hard as I did to get pregnant.

But the reality is, is that they have made something into a reality that isn't true. It's a grouping of cells that then grows into a child and at the moment that a sperm and an egg meet, it's still basically two cells.

BROWN: Lisa Sobel, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your journey with us and talking about the lawsuit. We should mention that we have reached out to the Kentucky attorney general's office for comment. We have not heard back.

Thank you again, Lisa.

SOBEL: Thank you.

BROWN: Well, still ahead, new details just coming into the NEWSROOM about a shooting outside the home of New York Congressman Lee Zeldin. What we're learning right after this break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:27:48]

BROWN: Just into CNN, some more details from a shooting in Long Island, New York. Two people reportedly shot outside the home of New York Congressman Lee Zeldin. The Republican lawmaker says his twin 16- year-old daughters were home at the time of the shooting and are unharmed.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is gathering the latest information. So what are police saying and what is the congressman saying, Polo?

SANDOVAL: That his little girls are OK, and that he and his wife are OK as they were actually driving back home when the shooting happened. But now new information from the Suffolk County Police now suggesting that this shooting that reportedly took place outside of the congressman's home is not related to the congressman's home. So that's going to be an important detail here as we continue to news gather on this.

The sheriff -- rather, authorities there on the ground saying that this is where the evidence is pointing right now. Earlier, though, Congressman Zeldin did say as we mentioned that his 16-year-old daughters were inside at the time. That according to the congressman they reported hearing gunshots. And that's when they scrambled for cover, hiding in the bathroom, locking the door, calling police.

And officers arriving on the scene eventually found two individuals who apparently had been injured under the porch of the home. They were taken to the hospital where their conditions are not known at this hour. Zeldin elected in 2014 to represent New York's 1st Congressional

District, actively running against New York Governor Kathy Hochul as well. And so it will be interesting to see exactly what this investigation reveals at the end as far as those two individuals but at this point authorities saying that the fairly tense moments had played out there on Long Island, New York, at the congressman's home are not necessarily related to the congressman -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Sunday. The midterm election is now just a month away. Van Jones and Alice Stewart are here to talk about what's on their radar, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:33:48]

BROWN: Some words of extreme caution tonight from retired Admiral Mike Mullen on the risk of the president inadvertently triggering a nuclear escalation in Ukraine. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. MIKE MULLEN (RET.), FORMER JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: President Biden's language we're about at the top of the language scale, if you will. So -- and I think we need to back off that a little bit and do everything we possibly can to try to get to the table to resolve this thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Mullen served as the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

CNN political commentators Van Jones and Alice Stewart, they join us now to discuss that and much more in politics.

All right, Van, let's start with you. With the president's extraordinary warning about the risk of Armageddon not being this high since the Cuban missile crisis in the '60s. First off, the setting was pretty strange. I mean, he said it at a fundraiser. Secondly, the White House has been walking that back ever since saying those comments weren't based on any new intelligence. And you've got key allies like the French president scolding Biden apparently, publicly, for his lack of prudence.

What do you think, does the White House have a messaging problem here?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, I think the main threat and the main danger is not Biden's words, it's Putin's actions.

[18:35:03]

And I think we need to remember that, you know, he wasn't making some new speech or some new policy declaration. He was talking I think more off the record. And he's saying something that's true. It is that true that we are closer to a potential disaster because of Putin's recklessness, because of his actions.

Now I would encourage the White House to do the best they can. You know, we know Joe Biden is not free of gaffes, but he has been free of gaffes for a very long time, I will put this in the gaffe bucket. But to pretend that if we wind up in a disaster, it's because of something he said off the record, but that's not why we're headed toward disaster. We're headed towards disaster because Putin wants to impose his will on the Ukrainian people. He's willing to use nuclear weapons to do it possibly.

BROWN: But what about what Mike Mullen said? Because he -- I mean, you call it a gaffe, but he's saying -- he seems to be suggesting that the president's rhetoric could really escalate the situation. I'm just curious what do you say to him.

JONES: Well, I just -- if he continues saying stuff like this, if he says it in a public forum, if he gives a big -- like he could wind up ratcheting it up. I just don't think that we're there now. And I think that we could overreact to his rhetoric was intemperate, but it was in a private forum. It's not a representation of American policy. And I just think that you've got to give this guy a break at a certain point. The president of the United States, anything he can say could start a war, can crash a market, he's got to be clear about his language. But I just want to say very clearly, Putin is the problem here, not Biden.

BROWN: All right. We are not 30 days -- go ahead, Alice.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I just want to say --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Go ahead.

STEWART: Just quickly I agree with Van in terms of Putin's actions are the real threat here but we do have to be concerned with Biden's words and potentially a provocation of further escalation on the part of Putin. And what we've seen not just Macron but others. Mike Pompeo has also said these words were reckless and dangerous. And it's much better if we did fear the threat of a nuclear Armageddon that those kind of conversations need to be held in private and go through quiet diplomacy, as opposed to such rhetoric, even in a private fundraiser that will soon be heard around the world.

BROWN: Right. All right. So I want to get to talk about the midterms, right. We've got 30 days now. All the oxygen right is being sucked out of the room by Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock, the Senate race in Georgia. Walker now embroiled in allegations that he paid for a woman to have an abortion and asked her to terminate a second pregnancy. Especially troubling since Walker back in May said he supports a full ban on abortions with no exceptions. Republican Congressman Don Bacon says, quote, "We all make mistakes."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. DON BACON (R-NE): Herschel needs to come clean, just be honest. We also know that we all make mistakes. It's just better, if this actually did happen to say I'm sorry and ask for forgiveness. But this is ultimately about positions.

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Is the GOP -- are you sending a message that Republicans are willing to win at all costs?

BACON: Well, I think people make mistakes. And if people acknowledge them and ask for forgiveness, none of us are perfect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Alice, there are mistakes and then there are allegations like this. Why are so many Republicans so quick to give Walker a pass on this?

STEWART: Again, he vehemently denies paying for some woman to have an abortion, and I've spoken with people that have asked him this point blank repeatedly. And they believe him, that he didn't pay for this abortion.

Look, there's the bigger picture here with regard to, yes, people make mistakes and people do things in their private life that are extremely discouraging and frustrating, and not necessarily what you would want to see in an elected official. But the reality is, Republicans are looking at not what Herschel Walker may or may not have done in his private life a decade ago, but what he is promising the people of Georgia he will do in his public life, as a public servant in Washington, D.C. for the people of Georgia.

And he has laid that out very clear with regard to his policies on improving education as well as crime, and the economy, and inflation, as well as helping our military. Those are the issues that are of concern to the people of Georgia. And they trust him in what he is saying that he will do that. I've spoken with my friends and my family who live in Georgia, my home state. And they say they are not deterred by what they are hearing. And they're looking at -- they would much rather have the policies of Herschel Walker than the rubber stamped on Joe Biden that they would get from Raphael Warnock.

BROWN: But if it comes out that he did -- he was engaged in this, and knew about it, and came out and denied it, would that be a disqualifier? And what do you say to his son who released that video that went viral saying that he was lying, that his dad was lying, his son, by the way, who is a conservative?

STEWART: That's extremely disturbing. And I think the other charges that his son are making, in terms of how he has been responsible or not responsible for his children, that's extremely, extremely upsetting.

[18:40:05]

But again people are looking at this not as what he has done in his private life, but what he is going to do as a public servant. And look, Republicans do not corner the market on scandals and skeletons in their closet. There is a laundry list of people on both sides of the aisle that have engaged in behavior that's not what we would prefer it our elected officials. I will spare everyone the list of Democrats that fall into this category, but at the end of the day, Herschel Walker is the choice.

There's a binary choice between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock, and Republicans in Georgia would rather have him represent them in Washington than Warnock.

BROWN: OK. I want to -- Van, I know you have a lot to say, but in the essence of time, I also know you're going to have a lot to say on this next bit of news here from the Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville yesterday and what he said on the issue of reparations that appears to be flat-out racist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AZ): They want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have. They want reparation because they think the people that do the crime are all dead. Bullshit. They're not all dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Van?

JONES: Just racism on top of racism wrapped up in some racism and deep fried in some racism with some racism butter on it. Everything he's saying is unacceptable. For him to say -- for the Democrats want crime because that's a way for black people to get reparations is for him to say that all the criminals are black, number one, which is not true. Number two, it's to say that reparation is somehow about taking stuff from individual white people, which is fear mongering, which is not reparation is about at all.

It's just -- I mean, it's really shocking and, you know, I'm looking at a Republican Party that's willing to do backflips into the toilet to excuse Herschel Walker's activity and then say nothing about this kind of thing. But it's really, really offensive. And I think it's scary because it points to the kind of paranoid style of politics. It is some, you know, conspiracy of Democratic elites and I guess gang members and cartels, whatever, all were just trying to take stuff from white people.

And it's not true, it's dangerous. And listen, you don't hear me call people racist that often. I don't play that card very often. But if this is not racist, there is nothing that's racist. And it's a complete -- for him to conflate crime and reparations and say they're coming after you is completely beyond the pale.

BROWN: Do you see it that same way, Alice? I mean, this is a sitting U.S. senator, a Republican. What do you say?

STEWART: I agree with every word Van said with regard to the unacceptable nature of this comment. Look, he's addressing the crime problem in this country. And that can speak for itself. We do have a surging crime problem in cities across the country. It has proven to be a more significant issue for voters in this election cycle, in some cases it is the second or third most important issue, on who is going to fight crime more, who's going to help the police fight crime.

BROWN: Right. But he's --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: He basically was saying everyone who's a criminal is black, right? I mean, that's unacceptable.

STEWART: It's certainly not how you talk about the crime situation in this country. And I don't agree with what he said and how he said it. The point is, we do have a crime problem in this country. And we just need to talk about the numbers and the crime and how we can fight and reduce crime in this country. That is not the way that you do that.

BROWN: All right. Thank you both for that conversation. Van Jones, Alice Stewart, really appreciate your time tonight. Thanks so much. I know there is a lot more to cover.

STEWART: Thank you, Pam.

BROWN: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:48:22]

BROWN: And now to the state of the pandemic. Last hour, I had a chance to speak with Dr. Anthony Fauci about our continuing battle with COVID-19. The U.S. is currently seeing some 400 COVID-related deaths per day. But Dr. Fauci fears a new and more dangerous variant could emerge this winter. It's especially concerning because, according to "The Washington Post," only 4 percent of eligible Americans are fully boosted. And I asked him if he thinks we will ever see the end of this constantly mutating coronavirus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We're not going to eradicate this virus. We've only eradicated one virus in the history of public health, and that's small pox. Are we done with COVID? The answer is going to be no. We may deal with it at a much, much lower level than we're dealing with it right now, which is what I would accept as being something that would be OK, as long as we get to a much lower level than we are right now. As per what I said a moment ago, I don't believe that 400 deaths a day is an acceptable level.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right. And turning now to the new CNN Original Series "THE MURDOCHS, EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE" which in tonight's episode will reveal through exclusive reporting how one family's ambitions are shaping business, media and politics around the globe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUPERT MURDOCH, NEWS CORP CHAIRMAN: If I go under a bus tomorrow, the four of them will have to decide, which are the ones should lead them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your four children.

MURDOCH: Yes. Yes, well, and my -- well, they're two little girls I don't consider this at the moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The four kids have to decide among them ought to be the heir apparent?

[18:50:02]

MURDOCH: In terms of power, yes. In terms of leadership, they'll get treated equally financially.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After the Charlie Rose kind of mumbled announcement --

MURDOCH: So we've resolved everything very happily.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Media writers like myself and also particularly the Murdoch family. They're all trying to figure out the implications on how this works.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The four adult children will maintain the votes of the Murdoch family trust, and that his two young girls would share in it financially, but not have voting control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right. Joining us now to discuss is Jim Rutenberg, writer at large for "The New York Times." He is also a consulting producer for "THE MURDOCHS: EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE" which his exclusive reporting.

Good evening to you. All right. So in the early 2000s, the succession battle between Rupert Murdoch's children is really heating up. You have Lachlan at one point said to be the first among equals. But what changes as we heard in the clip? Why wasn't Rupert clear on who he wanted to lead the company after him? Was he being coy or was he really uncertain?

JIM RUTENBERG, WRITER-AT-LARGE, NEW YORK TIMES: Well, the thinking among those who know the family best is that on one hand, Rupert didn't want to hand over the reins to anyone yet. Handing over the reins is tied up with his own mortality. And then his own peers surmised that maybe he just thought no one is up to the job that he had done, though, you know, who in the world really would be?

BROWN: All right. Anything else that we should look forward to for tonight?

RUTENBERG: I think tonight's episode is kind of that moment when FOX News really becomes the true force in American kind of political media. So this is definitely a very consequential moment in the series.

BROWN: All right. Looking forward to it. Jim Rutenberg, thank you so much. And be sure to tune in an all-new episode of "THE MURDOCHS: EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE" airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:56:49]

BROWN: Well, residents of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, got their first look at hurricane damage this morning. Along with business owners and insurance adjustors, they were allowed back to view the wreckage from Ian, which devastated the area nearly two weeks ago. The town of Fort Myers Beach closed the island on October 1st while search and rescue teams did their work. Nearly 30 survivors were found.

Well, someone managed to hack Iranian state television during its nightly news program Saturday with a clear message. A segment on the supreme leader was replaced with a photo showing him with a target superimposed on his face. The image appeared alongside photos of young women who died in Iran over the last month.

Iranian state media says the interruption was caused by what they call a corrupt file. It comes as violent protests gripped the country. One civil rights group says at least 185 people have been killed in clashes so far.

CNN's Nada Bashir is in London with more -- Nada.

BASHIR: Well, Pamela, over the weekend in Iran, we've seen anti-regime protests continuing across the country. But of course, in response to these demonstrations, there has also continued to be a brutal and deadly crackdown on any signs of dissent. On Saturday alone, at least four protesters were killed across the Kurdish cities of Sanandaj and Saqez after security forces opened fire on protesters, according to Iranian human rights group Hengaw.

Human rights groups have also detailed the use of excessive and lethal force by Iran's security forces. We're talking about teargas, metal pellets, beatings and even live fire ammunition being used against peaceful protesters.

And while CNN can't independently verify death toll claims, the Norway-based Iran human rights organization says it believes at least 185 people have been killed since September including 19 children.

Now, according to Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, Iran's deputy interior minister for security and law enforcement said Sunday that any protesters arrested would not be released and would be tried in court quickly, adding that their verdicts would be decisive and deterrent.

But in the midst of this continued violence and even restrictions on internet access in parts of the country, we also saw another public show of defiance on Saturday. In a now viral video clip, Iran state broadcaster appears to have been momentarily hacked during its nightly news program. The broadcast was interrupted by an image of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with a target superimposed on his face.

On screen, a clear message, join us and rise up. But what was perhaps most poignant about this interruption was the broadcast of images of four women who have died in Iran over the last month. Mahsa Amini whose death in the custody of Iran's notorious morality police in September has of course sparked this latest uprising as well as Nika Shakarami, Hadis Najafi, and Sarina Esmailzadeh. All of whom died over the course of this nationwide demonstrations.

And while the movement continues to be driven by acts of defiance by women protesting against the Iranian regime's severe restrictions on women's rights, the movement has also now grown to encompass more wide reaching grievances held by the Iranian people, gaining support and momentum up and down the country -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Well, thank you for joining me tonight. I'm Pamela Brown. "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE?" is up next.