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Russia Missiles Hit Zaporizhzhia, Killing 12 And Injuring 87; Putin To Hold Meeting With Russian Security Council Tomorrow; U.S. Holds First In-Person Meeting With Taliban Since Al Qaeda Leader's Killing; Israel Soldier Killed In Attack At Jerusalem Checkpoint; NFL Reaches Concussion Protocol Agreement With NFLPA; Rising Gas Prices & Inflation Loom Large As Biden Heads Out West Ahead Of Midterms; CNN Polls Shows Tight Senate Race In Arizona. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired October 09, 2022 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:41]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Deadly strikes. A new round of Russian cruise missiles hits the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. It comes a day after a huge explosion damage the only bridge connecting annex Crimea to the Russian mainland. Intelligence expert Jim Clapper joins me.

Plus, neck and neck. Several key midterm races across the country still a toss-up just a month out from the election. And later, heroes at the wheel. A pair of quick-thinking bus drivers rescue a toddler after the car, the child was in, was a carjacked. The remarkable story coming up.

Hello, everyone. And thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. All right, new today, Russia fires a barrage of missiles into the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. The attack leaving at least 12 dead, another 87 injured, including 10 children. These new strikes happening just hours after a massive explosion damage the only direct road and rail connection between annexed Crimea and the Russian mainland.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the blast, but has publicly celebrated it. And new satellite images show the damage from above. But despite that, Russia says it is resuming some car and train service. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live for us in Kyiv. So Fred, this attack overnight hitting a civilian area. What more are you learning?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka. Hit several residential civilian buildings. This is a Soviet style, very large residential buildings. And obviously, a lot of people were killed, you just already mentioned it. But what's also remarkable and very troubling is the fact that over 80 people were also injured and wounded in those attacks as well.

So you can see a lot of carnage. That's because the Russians apparently use some pretty strong ordnance. Just to give you an idea of some of the rockets and missiles that the Russians use. The Ukrainians are saying that some of the cruise missiles that were launched at Zaporizhzhia were actually launched from Russian strategic bombers. So those are some pretty big cruise missiles that the Russians used there.

They also said that there was actually some rockets that were used, that are normally used to shoot down airplanes that were then used to shoot at targets on the ground. And again, some pretty big damage being done there.

And, you know, throughout this entire week, Fredericka, Zaporizhzhia has been a town that we've been talking about a lot. There have been attacks on this town, throughout this past week as well. Those attacks, killing 11 people at the time. Also, a residential building was leveled there as well.

So you can really see how Zaporizhzhia, which is obviously in range of those Russian rockets, really taking a brunt of the destruction that the Russians are inflicting right now. And they can clearly still have the ability to inflict some pretty, pretty big carnage and damage, a lot of damage in those Ukrainian residential areas, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And Fred, Russia says the Kerch Strait Bridge has reopened to some traffic, what is the latest on how it is being used?

PLEITGEN: Yes -- I think the operative word there is to some traffic, because it certainly seems to be very little. They said the rail traffic is actually rolling not at its normal pace, but it is still kind of moving there. But if you look at the road traffic, it really is only a trickle of what it normally would be. There's one lane that's currently in operation of the four lanes that are normally in operation.

The Russians have already said they're allowing cars to pass but they're not sure whether or not the bridge is strong enough right now to actually carry a trucks and other larger vehicles. And, of course, that is something that is very important. One of the things that we talked about yesterday on your show is the fact that this is a very important logistical bridge for Russian military equipment. So right now, that's hampered and that's a big problem for Vladimir Putin, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much.

All right, let's talk more about all this now. Let's turn to former Director of National Intelligence and CNN National Security Analyst James Clapper. Good to see you, James. So tomorrow, Putin is set to meet with the Russian Security Council. Do you think the attacks in Zaporizhzhia are just a prelude of what's to come?

JAMES CLAPPER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Fredricka, I'm sorry, I didn't hear the last, could you repeat the last sentence.

[11:05:00]

WHITFIELD: The attacks that just took place following the bridge explosion, do you believe that there is more to come from Russia, targeting civilian areas?

CLAPPER: Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure. And that's, you know, that's about the only thing the Russians are good at, as they displayed so far in near invasion is attacking civilian infrastructure or civilian dwellings, and they don't seem to be able to do much else. But I expect more of the same.

WHITFIELD: And if these missile strikes are indeed, you know, direct retaliation, what are your concerns about what might follow?

CLAPPER: Well, you know, the specter here behind all this that concerns everybody is Putin's both implicit and explicit threats of use of a tactical nuclear weapons, so that -- and that's the big unknown here. What exactly is his threshold for deciding to use a nuclear weapon? And no one really knows that. I'm not sure he does.

It appears so far that he hadn't seen fit to do that. But, you know, he has a lot of weapons at his disposal, and yet, you can't dismiss entirely that possibility. So that's, obviously, the concern of what he has.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And, obviously, the concern of President Biden, I mean, that was his reference that he made to Armageddon, and that he used that language. Do you believe that that was alarming? Was it taking it too far, or just about right in your view?

CLAPPER: Well, I was a senior in college during the Cuban Missile crisis in 1962, about to go on active duty in the Air Force as an intelligence officer. And, you know, it doesn't -- it's not the same. I think that was a much more serious confrontation directly between the Soviet Union and the United States. And the Russians had already deployed missiles to Cuba and all that, so that -- you know, it's a different situation.

But I do think there was value in what President Biden said, but if for no other reason, just to condition the American public and for that matter, the West that you cannot completely dismiss the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons. And we're in complete -- and if a nuclear weapon is used, we're really unchartered territory, as far as whether such an encounter would -- could be controllable or not. And I think that's the point the President was trying to make, and I thought it was appropriate for him to make it.

WHITFIELD: All right, let me switch topics, if I might. North Korea launching two short range ballistic missiles yesterday. Now we're talking about seven launches in the last two weeks. Why, in your view, is this happening now? And what do you believe the U.S. is preparing to do? What is it poised to do at this point?

CLAPPER: Well, Fredricka, I believe that it's important to understand why the North Koreans do these missile launches when they do. And I think the main thing for them is attention. They want respect, they want face, they want people to pay attention to North Korea. And they -- the North Koreans realize that if it weren't for their nuclear weapons and the missile systems that appear to be able to deliver them, that nobody paid much attention to them. So above all, they want attention.

As far as what the U.S. can do, well, not a lot. I don't think. I mean, we can make symbolic gestures like deploy carriers to the Sea of Japan, reaffirm the very firm, very strong alliance with the Republic of Korea and Japan, for that matter. So this is a regional issue. But I think it's good thing to put it in perspective is why the North Koreans do this and it is above all to gain attention.

WHITFIELD: And now another place of global concern. We learned that top Biden administration officials met in-person with the Taliban this weekend. It's the first meeting since the U.S. killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri back in July. What do you think the goal of these talks and discussions might be?

CLAPPER: Well, I'm not sure. I mean, there are, I'll call them leftovers, from the hasty evacuation of Afghanistan. And it would be, I think, have some value to have some dialogue with the Taliban if, for no other reason, than to facilitate perhaps the evacuation of many people that have been left behind in Afghanistan, facilitate getting them out if, in fact, the Taliban would be amenable to that. I'm not sure they would be.

[11:10:20]

So I think some dialogue, some channel of communication is a value but I don't have much hope that much will ensue for it, but it is useful to have a conduit.

WHITFIELD: Jim Clapper, good to see you this Sunday. Thanks so much.

CLAPPER: Thanks, Fredricka, for having me.

WHITFIELD: On the Jerusalem now, an Israeli soldier was killed in a shooting at a military checkpoint. And police say a gunman in a passing vehicle opened fire on security forces, who were manning a border crossing. The shooting happened near a refugee camp in East Jerusalem, an area considered occupied by most of the international community.

The attack comes after a violent weekend in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian authorities say Israeli forces killed four Palestinians including a 14-year-old boy during clashes.

Still ahead, after intense scrutiny, the NFL and the Players Association reaching an agreement to update the league's concussion protocols. The new rules would have actually kept the Miami Dolphins quarterback from returning to the field so soon, and that was just more than a week ago.

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[11:15:36]

WHITFIELD: The National Football League and the NFL Players Association reached an agreement on the league's updated concussion protocol Saturday. The decision comes after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered and apparent head injury last month, really under two weeks ago and was allowed to re enter the game. He was later hospitalized with a concussion.

CNN's Coy Wire is here to explain the new protocols.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Fred, the NFL and the Players Association agreed to add a new term, ataxia, to their no goalless. Meaning that any player is showing symptoms of it, even if the player says they feel fine, cannot return to play.

So after a suspected head trauma, physicians, trainers and spotters in the booth will look for signs of ataxia, which is any abnormality of balance or stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue. Under these new guidelines, Fred, Tua Tagovailoa would not have been allowed to return to the game against the bills on September 25th.

The investigation by the league and union found that the Dolphins did not violate the concussion protocol, instead determining that the protocol was insufficient. NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills says the updated language should give gameday spotters more clarity.

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DR. ALLEN SILLS, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, NFL: We want to become even more conservative. And if we think that ataxia is present, let's just go ahead and assume that it's coming from the brain and we'll hold someone out. Because if we're going to be wrong, we'd rather hold someone out who doesn't have a brain injury, but we're being cautious than to put someone out who might have a brain injury and we weren't able to diagnose.

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WIRE: Fred, one high ranking NFL executive told me last week that he felt there needed to be a, quote, reset of the concussion protocol saying that he felt many of the spotters, physicians and trainers had become lackadaisical in regard to following it. Hopefully, this amendment, Fred, and the renewed emphasis will make the game safer for players moving forward.

WHITFIELD: Everyone hoped so. Coy Wire, thank you so much.

And this afternoon at 2:00 Eastern, a member of the NFL Players Association's communications team will be joining me live.

All right coming up, President Biden planning to hit the campaign trail in western states less than a month away from the midterm elections. The message the President is hoping to deliver, next.

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[11:22:19]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. As rising gas prices and inflation continued to plague the Biden administration, the President is gearing up to head west to try and move the needle on tight midterm races which are now hanging in the balance. This week, Biden will hit Colorado, California and Oregon.

For more on this, let's bring in CNN White House Correspondent Kevin Liptak, who is traveling with the President in Delaware. So Kevin, how important is this trip out west?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it is an interesting trip, Fredricka, because the President is not going to some of the states with these marquee races that we've been talking about this midterm election season, the Pennsylvanias, the Georgias. And said he's going to some states with tighter than expected races that have been flying under the radar somewhat.

And you'll remember, at the start of this midterm election season, it wasn't necessarily clear how welcome President Biden would be on the campaign trail, whether he'd be a help or a hindrance to Democrats. But the President's approval ratings are ticking back up. Certainly, he has a lot he wants to talk about. And so this trip will really be a good demonstration of how the White House is trying to calibrate his travel.

And so he does head to Colorado on Wednesday. While he's there, he does plan to designate a new national monument. It's an old World War II training site high up in the Rocky Mountains. That had been a top priority for the incumbent Democrat there, Michael Bennet. He is in a tight reelection battle. And so, certainly, the President does want to boost his Democratic colleague there.

From there, the President will head to Southern California. Of course, Los Angeles is always a right fundraising ground for Democrats. And I'm told by sources that the President will raise money for House Democrats on the west side of Los Angeles. And then the President will head to Oregon. There's a tight governor's race there, and certainly the President will want to boost the Democratic candidate.

Now the White House says that on all of these stops, the President will talk about the infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, but as you mentioned, gas prices are also ticking up particularly in the west or some oil refineries have gone offline for maintenance. So that will certainly be something that will be looming over all of this. White House aides say they do expect the President to ramp up his travel in the weeks before the midterm elections. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, midterms just barely 30 days away. All right, thank you so much. Busy week ahead. Kevin Liptak.

All right, meantime in Arizona, incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly holds a narrow lead over his Republican challenger Blake Masters, according to a new CNN poll out this week. The two faced off this week in their one on one and only debate. CNN's Kyung Lah has more.

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[11:25:02] KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Arizona Senator Mark Kelly arrived to the one and only scheduled debate for U.S. Senate.

SEN. MARK KELLY (D), ARIZONA: This one here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sir.

LAH (voice-over): The Democrat facing off with challenger Blake Masters. The Republican hopes to flip the state red by tying Kelly to President Biden, especially on the economy.

BLAKE MASTERS (R), ARIZONA SENATE CANDIDATE: Joe Biden is spending like a drunken sailor and at every single opportunity, Mark Kelly just says yes.

LAH (voice-over): Kelly defended his record by distancing himself from the President.

KELLY: They've been strong on border security. And I've stood up to Democrats, when they're wrong on this issue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounds like --

KELLY: Including, by the way --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?

KELLY: -- including the President. You know, when the President decided he was going to do something dumb on this and change the rules, you know, that would create a bigger crisis, you know, I told him he was wrong.

LAH (voice-over): The incumbent on defense from the economy to immigration.

MASTERS: Have you done everything in your power to secure our southern border?

KELLY: I've been focused on the border since day one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK --

KELLY: You know --

MASTER: They'd no great effects because we have a wide-open southern border. So if that's the best you can do, I respectfully request you resign, and let's get someone in the seat who will actually secure our border.

KELLY: Washington, D.C. has failed on this issue of border security and immigration for decades.

LAH (voice-over): This debate highlights how tight the Arizona Senate race remains. One-third of voters in this battleground are independents. Why Kelly highlights his bipartisan image. MASTERS: Thank you.

LAH (voice-over): And Masters morphs to the middle. This was an ad he ran in the Republican primary.

MASTERS: I think Trump won in 2020.

LAH (voice-over): But Masters now?

MASTERS: Yes, I haven't seen evidence of that.

LAH (voice-over): The Republican dodge answering why his website scrubbed extreme abortion language after he won the primary. Choice, a key issue in Arizona, now that abortion is essentially illegal, except when the mother's life is in danger.

KELLY: This is code for throwing women into jail. I think we all know guys like this. You know, guys that think they know better than everyone about everything. You know, you think you know better than women and doctors about abortion. You think you know better than veterans about how to win a war. Folks, we all know guys like this.

MASTERS: I think state should decide. But I believe in a federal backstop.

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LAH: The latest CNN poll shows Senator Kelly ahead of Masters by just six percentage points, still a very close race here in Arizona with early votes starting in just one week.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Phoenix.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk again now with David Swerdlick. Let's talk about this midterm election. He is a CNN Political Commentator and a Senior Staff Editor for The New York Times Opinion. David, so good to see you.

Oh my gosh, if that does not exemplify how contentious and tight so many of these races are, particularly they're in Arizona. And the same goes for the governor's race, not just the U.S. Senate seat there in Arizona. Last night, in fact, Republican candidate Kari Lake, an election denier, was at the center of even more drama and controversy, as she had to be removed from the front row of a town hall event in which her opponent was set to take the stage. This after both sides had agreed to hold back to back town halls while the other candidate remained backstage.

So oh my gosh, David, I mean, is this where we are now?

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Fred. Yes, Arizona is one to watch both in that Senate race and the governor's race. Senator Kelly is up by four, if you look at the polling averages, but I think that's too close to call for Democrats. And I think that Senator Kelly, although he does like that clip you played, have to diverge from the White House on the issue of border security, I don't think he's done a good job of touting the positive aspects of the President's record and the Democrats record over this past Congress, and that may wind up hurting him. We will just have to see.

In the governor's race, the RealClearPolitics average has Lake, the Republican election denier, up by one, that's too close to call. There's no way to know who's going to win this. This incident at the town hall where Lake contrary to the agreement, went and sat in the audience while her opponent Dobbs was speaking, I think is a stunt. But it might be an effective stunt. It's a stunt to underscore the fact that Dobbs has not wanted to debate her.

It's breaking the rules that will hurt her, hurt Lake in the eyes of some voters, but it will also help her in the eyes of some voters if they feel like Dobbs is being too passive. So we're just going to have to see what happens in this.

WHITFIELD: An attempt at intimidation there or just downright disrespect?

SWERDLICK: Well, it's certainly disrespectful to break these rules. It's certainly taking a page out of that pugilistic Trump playbook where you, you know, sort of stick your finger in your opponent's sternum and act tough on the other proverbially, I should say.

[11:30:02]

But at the same time, I do think that for Lake it's a gamble meant to emphasize that there won't be a debate and she wants voters to think, hey, Dobbs won't debate me, why is that? But we'll see what happens. I'm not making a prediction on this one on Election Day.

WHITFIELD: OK, a lot at stake these midterm elections, whether it's gubernatorial, Senate races, that's exactly why President Biden will be heading out west to campaign this week with just under now 30 days to go. A one stop will be in Colorado where critical Senate race is underway. And instead of holding a rally, he plans to designate a new national monument. So what do you make of this rather unconventional, a double pronged kind of campaign choice and stop?

SWERDLICK: Fred, this seems more like insurance to me. Senator Bennet has an eight point lead right now over the challenger, O'Dea. Coloradans know him. He's a Democrat who is seen as a moderate, not as someone who's far left, so he's hard to attack on that front. And President Biden is going there to commemorate Camp Hale as a national monument. This was a World War II training ground. So it sort of emphasizes the patriotic nature of President Biden's agenda. It emphasizes that Senator Bennet was one of the people pushing for this, and it helps put the focus on the Colorado race, which has not gotten a lot of national attention.

But you also have a situation in this race. Even though Senator Bennet has a comfortable lead, that where O'Dea, the challenger is not a full blown Trumper, he is not an election denier. He is actually a pro- choice. And so we're going to see exactly what formula here works for Republican challenger. If somehow O'Dea upsets in this race, I think you're going to see Republicans looking at that formula, something like the Glenn Youngkin formula in Virginia and figuring out if that's a winning combo going into 2024.

WHITFIELD: OK, all right. Well, let's talk about Georgia's race for the U.S. Senate, which has become, I don't know even more interesting or intriguing or something, you know, with reports that Republican candidate Herschel Walker, you know, paid a woman to have an abortion and allegedly also asked her to end the second pregnancy, two years later. He is denying the allegations. But for a candidate who has campaigned on a national abortion ban, this controversy is taking center stage in the race.

And this week, Senator Rick Scott plans to come to Georgia from Florida to campaign for Walker. So, you know, at this point, does Walker even need a Donald Trump, I mean, Donald Trump is why he's in the race in the first place, does Trump or do you even see that Trump will be coming to Georgia to rally for a Herschel Walker?

SWERDLICK: Hard to say, Fred. On the one hand, President Trump is keenly aware that some Republicans quietly or not so quietly, blame him in 2020 for Democrats winning both Senate races, tying the Senate and tipping the Senate balance of power with Vice President Harris's vote to Democrats. That might motivate him at the 11th hour to go in there and campaign for Walker and maybe drive up Republican turnout.

On the other hand, former President Trump is, you know, if nothing cagey, if it looks like these scandals are going to bring Herschel Walker down, and it's not clear quite yet, if they're going to bring him down, Warnock has this a little bit of a lead but not a commanding lead in this race. You might see former President Trump back away, not withdraw his support from Walker but also not expose himself to the idea that he may have put his thumb on the scale in a losing cause.

At the end of the day, we know that President Trump is about President Trump and President Trump alone. So these two candidates go into a debate this week in Georgia where you are. And we'll just see what Georgia voters, you know, think of what they say. Warnock would probably be wise to let Walker's scandals speak for themselves and not attack him that ferociously on that. Walker, a political neophyte, we'll see how he responds.

WHITFIELD: Yes, a lot of wait and see. All right, only a few days away. All right, David Swerdlick thank you so much. Thanks, Fred.

[11:34:25]

All right, still ahead, for the first time since Hurricane Ian, residents of Fort Myers Beach are finally being allowed to return and see the damage for themselves to their property. We're live next.

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WHITFIELD: All right, new details today about a San Antonio teenager who was shot by a police officer while eating a meal in a McDonald's parking lot. According to the boy's attorney, the 17-year-old remains in critical condition. CNN's Camila Bernal is following the story for us. So Camila, moments ago, CNN learned the name of the officer involved. What can you tell us about the officer and the circumstances?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the Bexar County District Attorney, Fred, naming him as James Brennand. And what they're saying is, the San Antonio Police Department has to finish that investigation, then they will hand it over to the district attorney. And their civil rights division will look at all of this.

Then at the end of the day, it is going to be a grand jury that decides what happens next in this case. But I do want to say that this is an officer that is fired that was on the job for just seven months before all of this happened. And I want to show you exactly what happened that night at McDonald's instead of telling you but this video is graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the car. Shots fired, shots fired, shots fired. Shot's fired, shots fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:40:05]

BERNAL: Now, look, he was at that McDonald's for something completely unrelated. He called for backup. But instead of waiting for that backup, he approached that car. And you can see the teenager, he was of course startled. You could see the yellow wrapper possibly a cheeseburger, as he was just trying to figure out exactly what was happening. He drives backwards. And that's when that police officer shoots five times.

Then when the car is driving away, five more times, that teen, as you mentioned, in critical condition. The attorney saying that they're literally waiting and he is fighting for his life, he is saying that they need all the blessings they can get. And they're focused on bringing him back home. This happened a week ago, and he was facing charges, this teenager, that has been dropped. But of course, still a lot of questions as to why this officer did this, Fred?

WHITFIELD: So Camila, you had mentioned that the officer had called for backup, instead of waiting for backup, then he took matters into his own hands and fired shots. But calling backup for what, have police revealed what the officer alleges happened as to why calling for backup and why opening the door and proceeding?

BERNAL: Well, look, I watched the body cam video a couple of times. And you can hear the body cam video when he says this is a car that I saw a couple of days ago and he fled from me. So what the officer was saying is that this car that he saw had already evaded him a couple of days before and that's why he says he needed to stop or try to figure out who this teenager was or who was in the car because he had said that the car had evaded him previously.

But then we don't know exactly if it's the same car or if it's the same person. We are waiting for police to give us those details. But that's what he says started everything, Fred. WHITFIELD: OK, Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

All right, for the first time since Hurricane Ian made landfall, residents and business owners in Fort Myers Beach are being allowed to return today to see the damage for themselves. CNN's Nadia Romero is live for us in Fort Myers. So Nadia, this is a very difficult journey for so many. What is being said?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, one of the bright spots was literally turning the lights back on. Just yesterday, the neighbors say they finally got electricity more than 10 days after the storm hit. The biggest issue in this neighborhood, storm surge that came in so quickly and filled their homes.

And as you walk, you can see right down the street, everything that people had to pull out of their homes. And it is just hard to imagine until you are able to really see what we would make, haul debris or damage. But these are people's belongings, this is the carpet, this is the walls, this is the furniture, these are their books, their sheets, their bedding, things that make their house a home. They've had to gut their homes.

And now they're all lined up along this street. These are things that are waiting to get picked up. And that's part of this process as you try to clean up. You're trying to figure out what do I do first, second, third. I have to remove everything out of my home, because mold is starting to grow and accumulate on everything. And you can see it on this mattress and on some of the furniture, some of the mold that is coming into all of these different areas, this is what makes it so unlivable and unsafe.

You can't breathe this in. But there are so many items that people are trying to hold on to because it meant something to them. We spoke with a man who had a vintage Volvo that he had been working on. Well, that was taken through the storm, after that storm surge that has been permanently damaged. And so many people in this neighborhood were not able to get insurance.

One man told me, he had insurance. And then that insurance company dropped the state of Florida all together. So now they're trying to figure out if they can get help from FEMA or other areas of assistance. But the cleanup process, this is going to take quite some time, Fred. We're in Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach not far from here. Finally, people are being able to come back. Take a look at the damage there. But there is still a curfew for so many areas because of concerns of looting. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Yes. And then Nadia, I mean, those are big things. So how do people actually get those big things waterlogged, heavy things out of their home? I mean, are they getting a lot of help?

ROMERO: Yes, there's some help from people who've come down to just lend a helping hand. So you have some homes, like this one next to me where you can see they've had some roof damage, but they fared fairly well compared to other people, right? And so people in the neighborhood who feel like, you know, we didn't hit -- get hit that badly. We're going to go help our neighbors.

And then we have people who are snowbirds here. So they came down to address their property issues, and they brought family members and friends. I spoke with one man who says, I should be at a weightlifting competition but I'm here helping my buddy out because that's more important.

At this point though they haven't seen a lot of help from some of those government agencies, and so people are asking the question, what do I do now? I wasn't able to get flood insurance. I had regular insurance. But that storm surge is considered flooding. So that doesn't cover some of their damages. So they're having to come out of pocket and just figure out how to move forward.

[11:45:28]

WHITFIELD: Wow, horrible dilemma. All right, thank you so much, Nadia Romero there.

All right now to an incredible moment caught on camera, two frantic parents in Michigan waved down a school bus driver after their car was stolen with their two-year-old inside.

I mean, panicked, can you imagine? According to CNN affiliate WXMI, the bus driver, called 911, radioed other bus drivers to be on the lookout. And then another bus driver found the toddler outside not far from where the car was stolen. And then you see they're wrapping up in a blanket bringing him in the bus to safety. Thanks to the quick action of the bus drivers, the child was safely returned to his parents. Police still searching for the suspect, a very close call and frightening.

All right, breast cancer deaths are falling but not among all races equally. Why black women are not surviving the disease as much despite a lower rate of incidence, next.

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[11:51:26]

WHITFIELD: A new report from the American Cancer Society shows death rates from breast cancer have dropped significantly over the past three decades. And while that's great news, one trend that has not been improving is the disparity. Black women continue to be more likely to die from breast cancer despite having a lower incidence rate. CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard has more.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: There's both good news and concerning news when it comes to breast cancer here in the U.S. On one hand, the American Cancer Society report shows that breast cancer death rates have declined by significant 43 percent. That's from the year 1989 to 2020. But then the concerning news is black women are still more likely than white women to die from breast cancer. They're 40 percent more likely, even though they have a lower incidence of it.

Now there are several factors as to why this racial disparity exists. But American Cancer Society researcher, Rebecca Siegel, offered some ideas. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBECCA SIEGEL, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RESEARCHER: The evidence is consistent that black women receive short shrift in the healthcare system, every -- at every point in the breast cancer care continuum from lower quality mammography to delays between the time of diagnosis and the beginning of treatment, to poor quality treatment when they are diagnosed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: And when it comes to diagnosing breast cancer early, most women choose to start their regular mammogram screenings around age 40. But of course it is important to talk to your doctor about what's best for you and your own personal breast cancer risks. Back to you.

[11:53:14]

WHITFIELD: Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy is back in this new season. Stanley takes you all to new regions for more delicious food, more fun, and of course more amazing adventures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STANLEY TUCCI, "STANLEY TUCCI: SEARCHING FOR ITALY" HOST: We starts things off with the sofrito of garlic and sweet tropea onion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

TUCCI: I'd like to have a shirt, oh, my God, it's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh gosh, that looks so good. The all new season of the Emmy award winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy premieres tonight at 9:00 on CNN.

All right, perhaps you're hungry for some pumpkin flavor? Well, an Illinois man is carving out a place in the history books and it's all about the big pumpkin. This isn't your average pumpkin. Nope, not at all. This one weighing in at more than 1,700 pounds, in fact, he's got a whole collection of it all. It's officially the largest one grown in the entire state of Illinois, that one this year.

Joe Adkins, the man behind the giant gourd, says it grew at a rate of about 40 pounds per day and needed 150 gallons of water every 24 hours for three months. How does one do that? Well, his labor of love certainly paid off and his front yard has turned in quite the popery and it is quite the fall attraction. Sounds to me like the makings of a whole lot of pumpkin pie for neighbors just in time for Thanksgiving.

[12:00:02]

I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. Thanks so much for joining me. Coming up right here on CNN, still there's more. Jake Tapper talks with Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and a CNN exclusive with former Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson. "STATE OF THE UNION" starting right now.