Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Herschel Walker And Raphael Warnock Clash In Only Georgia U.S. Senate Debate; John Fetterman Fights To Maintain Lead In Pennsylvania Senate Race; January 6th Committee Votes Unanimously To Subpoena Trump; Biden Vows Consequences For Saudis Over Oil Production Cuts; Refugee Housing Going Up On New York's Randall's Island; Extreme Weather And The Nationwide Impact On Education. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired October 15, 2022 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:01:04]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington.

The top stories for you tonight, control of the Senate could come down to Georgia. And the two men battling for a crucial Senate seat pulled no punches during their first and only debate.

Plus, from the White House to the courthouse. Why former President Trump must answer questions under oath just days from now. And as the city of New York deals with a flood of migrants, these new arrivals will soon have a vital refuge while the courts decide if they can stay.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And on this Saturday night the battle for Georgia that could decide control of the Senate and the candidates facing off for what may be the only time before election day. The Democratic hopeful hoping to keep his job, Senator Raphael Warnock maintaining a slight lead over Republican Herschel Walker. But Walker only dropped by a point from September in the immediate aftermath of explosive reports that the abortion rights opponent paid for an abortion and encouraged his former girlfriend to have the procedure a second time.

Well, this weekend, we're learning former President Barack Obama will head to Georgia to campaign for Democrats at some point in these final weeks before the midterms. But Herschel Walker remains within striking distance.

In Savannah, CNN's Eva McKend shows us how he and Warnock clashed in last night's critical debate.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Pam, as expected, both sides claiming victory today in Georgia. Senator Warnock spent much of the debate trying to play up his bipartisan policy achievements. Meanwhile, Walker working overtime to try to tie Warnock to President Biden. Here's our recap.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MCKEND (voice-over): Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker are in a contentious Georgia Senate race with U.S. Senate control at stake.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is time to get under way.

MCKEND: The Georgia candidates debated Friday night. Walker, running on a family values platform, currently involved in a scandal over allegedly pressuring the mother of one of his children to get an abortion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The week before this debate, a former girlfriend made public accusations saying you paid for an abortion and that you encouraged her to have another. In an ABC News interview this week you said that the accusations are, quote, "all lies."

For the voters watching tonight, can you explain the circumstances surrounding these claims? You have 60 seconds.

HERSCHEL WALKER (R), GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: Well, as, I said, that's a lie. And, you know, most thing I put it in a book. One thing about my life is I've been very transparent. And unlike the senator, he said things but at the same time I said that's a lie. And on abortion, you know, I'm a Christian. I believe in life. And I tell people this. Georgia is a state that respects life, and I'll be a senator that protects life. And I said that was a lie, and I'm not backing down.

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): The patient's room is too narrow and small and cramped a space for a woman, her doctor and the United States government. We are witnessing right now what happens when politicians, most of them men, pile into patients' rooms. You get what you're seeing right now. And the women of Georgia -- the women of Georgia deserves a senator who will stand with them. I trust women more than I trust politicians.

WALKER: I heard about him. I heard he's a neat talker. But did he not mention that there is a baby in that room as well? And also did he not mention that he is asking the taxpayer to pay for it? So he's bringing the government back into the room.

MCKEND: CNN has not independently verified the allegations about Walker.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Herschel, please say a few words.

MCKEND: Walker was given the opportunity to distance himself from the former president on election denial.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did President Biden defeat former President Donald Trump in 2020?

WALKER: President Biden won and Senator Warnock won. That's the reason I decided to run. Because we need a change in Washington.

[19:05:05]

We need leaders that's going to stand up to foreign leaders. We need people that are going to stand up for people in Georgia.

MCKEND: On Friday, both candidates said they would accept the results of this election. Walker was also asked about crime and took the opportunity to make a string of claims about Senator Warnock, accusing Warnock of not supporting the police, who gave this rebuttal.

WARNOCK: We will see time and time again tonight, as we've already seen, that my opponent has a problem with the truth. And just because he said something doesn't mean it's true. I have supported our police officers. I've called them and I've prayed with their families. You can support police officers, as I've done, through the cops program, through the invest to protect program, while at the same time holding police officers, like all professions, accountable.

One thing I have not done, I've never pretended to be a police officer, and I have never threatened a shoot-out with the police.

WALKER: And now I have to respond to that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are moving on, gentlemen.

WALKER: No, no, no, I have to respond to that. And you know what's so funny, I am with many police officers, and at the same time --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Walker, Mr. Walker --

WALKER: No, no, no, no. When he said a problem with the truth --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me, Mr. Walker.

WALKER: When he said problem with the truth, the truth is here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Walker, please, out of respect, I need to let you know, Mr. Walker, you are very well aware of the rules tonight.

WALKER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you have a prop.

WALKER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is not allowed, sir.

MCKEND: Early voting starts Monday in Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKEND: And Pam, we have the opportunity to catch up with some Walker supporters at a rally he held here this morning. And they told us that they were nervous going into last night saying that Senator Warnock is a lot more of a polished speaker, but they were proud of how Walker did. Meanwhile, Senator Warnock, he's going to be early voting on Monday. The first day to be able to do so in this state -- Pam. BROWN: All right, Eva McKend on the trail in Georgia. Thanks so much.

And let's turn now to the other key Senate race being watched nationwide. The battle for Pennsylvania where Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican, is taking on Democrat and Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman.

Julia Terruso is a political reporter for the "Philadelphia Inquirer" and CNN political commentator David Swerdlick is a senior staff editor for the "New York Times" Opinion Section.

Hi to both of you. Great to have you on. Julia, I want to kick it off with you and tick through some numbers here. Our latest CNN Poll of Polls shows Fetterman leading but only by five points. Let's put that in perspective. Fetterman had an 11-point lead in one poll back in August. That got slashed to a three-point gap in just a month. And Julia, President Biden will join Fetterman at a fundraiser on Thursday in Philly. How much would that actually help him right now there in Pennsylvania?

JULIA TERRUSO, POLITICAL REPORTER, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: I think having the president come to fundraise for you is always a positive especially in such an expensive Senate race like Pennsylvania where Fetterman is going to need a lot of money to continue airing ads all over the state. So I don't see it as a negative and I do think, you know, we always expected this race to tighten a bit. And that's exactly what we've seen. And I think one of the issues that has really tightened it is crime, and if you turn on the television in Pennsylvania, you're probably going to see an ad from either side, either an attack ad on Fetterman about crime or a counterattack, trying to combat that crime message.

BROWN: So, David, do you think Dr. Oz will turn to some star power of his own in this race, in these final weeks? Another Trump rally perhaps?

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Pamela, I think for Oz, it depends on how he does in the next week or two. You've got that visit by Biden on Thursday. Then the two of them debate the following Tuesday. If the race is tightening, you might see Oz and his team think, look, we don't need to bring in a big gun like a former President Trump. If the race widens in favor of Fetterman, then you might see them thinking that they need to bring in someone else to remind voters what's at stake more nationally.

Voters in Pennsylvania are sort of a swing state now. They know that what's at stake is both who they want to represent them but also control of the United States Senate and both campaigns will be trying to remind their base, their voters that they need to turn out not just for who they prefer, but what they want to see happen in Washington.

BROWN: All right. So let me play a part of a new Fetterman campaign ad in which he addresses his near deadly stroke in May.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN FETTERMAN (D), PENNSYLVANIA SENATE CANDIDATE: After my stroke, I was just grateful to see Giselle and our kids. Across Pennsylvania, I keep seeing families that don't have enough time to focus on each other. They're struggling. Left behind. We've got to make it easier for people to spend time with those they love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:10:08]

BROWN: And also, Julia, Fetterman appeared at a rally last night. We understand that he didn't have any major physical issues like with his speech, but will this be enough to convince voters who might have concerns, lingering concerns, about his ability to do the job after his stroke?

TERRUSO: I think what you're seeing is Fetterman really making the stroke a part of his campaign in a way that we hadn't seen as much before. I was actually at -- he had a rally today, I attended, and he spoke for about 25 minutes. It was the longest speech I've seen him give at one of these rallies since his stroke. And I would say at least half of it was in some way related to the stroke and trying to connect with voters.

You know, he always says them put up your hand if you've had a health challenge, if someone else in your family has had a health challenge. And also to try to use it to shame his opponent, Mehmet Oz, who has scrutinized his health at times, bordering on mocking his health. And so it's really something that I think he's leaning into more and in that ad, I think he is both doing that and trying to draw a contrast between himself and Oz who he always tries to point to as, you know, out of touch with average Pennsylvanians. He's almost trying to make the stroke part of how he connects with average Pennsylvanians.

BROWN: Right. And for Dr. Oz's part, I mean, he's trying to distance himself once more from his campaign's attacks on Fetterman's health. Let's watch that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would you allow your campaign to mock him like that?

DR. MEHMET OZ (R), PENNSYLVANIA SENATE NOMINEE: I have tremendous compassion for what John Fetterman is going through. I mean, not only do I as a doctor appreciate the challenges, but I know his specific ailment because it's especially the area of mine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you ever talk to your patients like this?

OZ: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, David, this is his campaign and what does it say about how he would lead the state if he's senator? SWERDLICK: So, Pamela, right, it's not a good look for a physician to

have people in his orbit, affiliated with his campaign, making disparaging remarks about someone for having a health challenge, and he has to walk that back. He'll probably get asked about that when the two of them debate. And he'll have to have a little bit better of an answer than just no, I wouldn't talk about that. Why did that even happen in the first place?

I agree with Julia that Fetterman is smart to sort of lean into the fact that, look, this is where he is. Voters of Pennsylvania know him. They have elected him statewide before. He has proven to be -- he still has the asset that he's always had, which is someone that's hard for Republicans to portray as a sort of out of touch, chardonnay- sipping progressive. And so he's going to stick with that, focus on the issues, and he's got to do a better job of some of these other candidates of articulating why they should continue to have Democratic representation and not go with the unknown, untested Oz. Oz has to make the case that he's the change candidate because he's a neophyte.

BROWN: All right, David Swerdlick, Julia Terruso, interesting conversation. Thanks so much.

SWERDLICK: Thanks, Pam.

TERRUSO: Thank you.

BROWN: And coming up on this Saturday night, learn why former President Trump will be asked questions under oath next week and will he cooperate with the January 6th subpoena? We're going to break it all down up next.

Plus, hurricane, floods, extreme weather disrupting schools nationwide, and it could get worse.

Also ahead for you tonight, many military families could find themselves in a bind as inflation spins out of control.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:17:51]

BROWN: Well, we have obtained remarkable behind-the-scenes video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders as they fled the Capitol during the January 6th attack. The exclusive footage shows the nation's senior most lawmakers working the phones and discussing contingency plans for certifying the election as the violence unfolded on Capitol Hill. Here's a sample.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Very well. Very well. We're terrified. No partisanship. OK. Yes. Because I think it's important for it to happen today. A while ago, Chuck and I called upon the president to ask if people can leave the Capitol. That hasn't happened yet. I hope that it will.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): We must finish. So we have to -- you have to help us make that decision.

RYAN MCCARTHY, FORMER SECRETARY OF THE ARMY: Senator, I just need a little bit of time. We just put the plan together.

SCHUMER: Can you call us in a half hour?

MCCARTHY: I will call you back in a half hour with a much better estimates.

SCHUMER: Right. Thank you.

PELOSI: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. And Mr. Secretary, I just spoke to Vice President Pence and he was going to see -- because Mitch wants to do it in the Capitol. But we're being told it could take days to clean it up to make sure there are no hidden, you know, bombs or anything. But he was going to get back to me shortly as well. So just so you know.

SCHUMER: Who are you telling?

PELOSI: I'm missing the part as well.

SCHUMER: Who is that?

PELOSI: Same guy.

SCHUMER: What?

PELOSI: Same person.

MCCARTHY: Yes, Madame Speaker. That's why I just need a little bit of time to make a better estimate.

PELOSI: Yes, thank you.

SCHUMER: OK.

PELOSI: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

MCCARTHY: OK. Thank you.

PELOSI: Thank you. Bye-bye. I think Pence will have an honest estimate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

PELOSI: Now, how long will it take to set up here?

SCHUMER: Mike Luzinski (PH).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're trying to gather all the members up. We'll do the same. Load the buses and come down to this building. At that point we'll see if we want to continue democracy here on base and get it over with.

SCHUMER: We're not going to bring them here unless we're going to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Well, new January 6th revelations and video are just the tip of the iceberg for Trump's legal woes. For more, let's bring in former federal prosecutor, Michael Zeldin.

[19:20:00]

Michael, great to have you here. So the January 6th Committee just wrapped up its final public hearing before the midterms. Is this just for show, this vote to subpoena Donald Trump for documents and testimony given the time constraints here?

MICHAEL ZELDIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, it's for show and it's not for show. I think they made an important point, which is people need to be accountable for their actions. And they're saying to president, former President Trump, you need to be held accountable for your actions. Here's an opportunity for you to give us your side of the story. So it's an important point of, almost sort of -- I don't know how to describe it exactly, Pam, it's --

BROWN: Symbolic or?

ZELDIN: It's symbolic but it's important to set the country on the right course. That the former president of the United States is going to defend himself before the people in a public forum that is under oath and for which he's accountable as opposed to how he's on, you know, Truth Social. So I think there's an important precedent to be set for having the president come in and talk about this. But of course, he's not going to.

BROWN: Yes.

ZELDIN: And he's going to make a show of it and then in the end, if he decides to come in he'll take the Fifth Amendment like he did in New York. But I think symbolically is the word I'm looking for. It was an important symbolic act to say to the former president, come in here, talk to us under oath, stop all this chatter on the sides.

BROWN: On Friday, the Justice Department officially appealed the appointment of a special master to oversee the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago. How do you think that is going to play out?

ZELDIN: I think the 11th Circuit should rule in favor of the Justice Department. I think that they should say that the district court judge overstepped her boundaries in ordering that the special master be appointed and look at the classified documents, and I think that the court of appeals should essentially get rid of her order all together. We'll see how it plays out. But I think that --

BROWN: But it could take weeks, right.

ZELDIN: It could.

BROWN: I mean, this is not something that's going to be a quick process.

ZELDIN: Well, the Supreme Court just refused to intervene and it took them two days to do it. So the 11th Circuit could act quickly. They could say this is so clear that we can decide it simply and be done with it in a week. But I think that it will take a little bit longer. But as long as the process is moving forward --

BROWN: Yes.

ZELDIN: Well, He'll appeal everything, that's his M.O. when it comes to lawsuits. Delay, delay, delay. But I think that this is going to move quickly. I think the 11th Circuit is not going to fall for this gambit of his, and I think that the Supreme Court will not take this case, and so I think that we'll get a resolution of it pretty shortly. But, meanwhile, the special master is still working. The documents are still being reviewed and, you know, even if the court rules against DOJ, this will be done in December.

BROWN: Right. That's a good point. So earlier this week, a source told me that Trump directed an employee, an employee I should say, an employee told the FBI that Trump directed him to move boxes of documents that were in the storage unit there at Mar-a-Lago, in the basement. This was after the subpoena was served in May I'm told. How does that change the investigation?

ZELDIN: If Trump knew there was a subpoena and he asked an employee or a person at Mar-a-Lago to move those documents to avoid detection from the subpoena or to decline to respond with those documents, that's a clear place of obstruction of justice. So I think that if you can prove that Trump knew he had a subpoena and that he intended to move those documents to evade that subpoena, I don't think there's anything but obstruction in that.

BROWN: What kind of corroborating evidence would DOJ need then in this case because they have one witness saying -- this is according to a source I spoke with, saying, and this witness by the way changed the story from initially saying that they didn't move any national security documents to then saying well, actually it did happen once when they were presented with evidence.

ZELDIN: Well, that's right.

BROWN: And that was directed to do so by Trump. But what more corroborating evidence the DOJ need to show that Trump knew about this and was actually involved?

ZELDIN: His lawyers can be required I think to testify if there's a crime of fraud exception to attorney-client privilege communications. You've got the videotapes. You've got this witness who said, yes, at first no, and now in fact yes when he was presented with the videotapes. I think that's adequate proof of his intent to evade the subpoena. I don't think they need a lot more in this case.

BROWN: Want to ask you about what's going on this week ahead. A federal judge ruled that Trump must sit for a deposition in a defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll. She's the woman who claims that Trump raped her in the '90s. His legal strategy this far has been, as you mentioned earlier, delay, delay, delay. Now he can't. How big of a deal is this?

ZELDIN: Anytime you get the former president under oath to talk about his past conduct, it's a big deal because it's always illuminating to see how this man behaves.

[19:25:03]

And I think in this case, we will see if he answers any questions, he might say, well, this is collateral to a criminal case and I'm not going to answer any questions but I think he has no choice but to talk and I think that he'll lie and I think that he'll lie under oath. And I think that creates problems for himself.

BROWN: OK. Well, I imagine speaking for as his attorney, his attorney would say no, he would not lie under oath. So you know --

ZELDIN: His lawyer will instruct him not to lie under oath.

BROWN: His lawyer will instruct him not to lie. All right. Michael Zeldin, thank you very much for coming on.

ZELDIN: Thanks, Pam.

BROWN: And still ahead for you on this Saturday night, the new tension between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Will there be consequences for their recent oil production snub?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): I think it's unlikely that we will support any additional arms sales to the Saudis. This was a punch in the gut.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:18]

BROWN: When Russia began its unprovoked war on Ukraine last February, it triggered turmoil in the global energy sector, especially for Europe, which depends heavily on Russian oil and natural gas.

But this week, the OPEC+ cartel made this crisis even worse, announcing its decision to cut production by two million barrels of oil per day, starting next month.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand joins us now. This move, Natasha has sparked outrage from the Biden administration. We've heard President Biden say there is going to be consequences. Where do things stand?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, right now, it seems like the President is most likely to kind of leave things to Congress when they come back. Congress is actually going to consider legislating a ban on arm sales to Saudi Arabia. A lot of congressional Democrats extremely angry about the impact this could have on Russian energy revenues.

They could -- they are arguing that they could actually make revenue prices spike, and therefore Russia could continue its war machine in Ukraine. So obviously, this is something the US is really, really unhappy about.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERTRAND (voice over): Tensions between the US and Saudi Arabia escalating sharply this week, with US officials accusing the Saudis of strong-arming OPEC into cutting oil production and helping Russia maintain its war machine in Ukraine.

ANTONY BLINKEN, US SECRETARY OF STATE: The Saudis had conveyed to us both privately, as well as publicly their intention to reduce oil production, which they knew would increase Russian revenues and potentially blunt the effectiveness of sanctions.

We made clear that that would be the wrong direction.

BERTRAND (voice over): The OPEC+ decision to cut oil production by as much as two million barrels per day has rattled the White House, which now says it is reevaluating its relationship with the Saudis, one of the US' most important Middle East allies, just months after President Biden traveled to Jeddah in an effort to mend an already faltering relationship.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am in the process, when this House and Senate get back, they are going to have -- there are going to be some consequences for what they've done with Russia.

BERTRAND (voice over): Multiple sources also telling CNN that other OPEC+ members, including the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, oppose the Saudi-led decision. Those countries have now indicated to the US that they may not move forward with the kind of huge cuts that Saudi Arabia wants, one of the sources said.

The Saudis have pushed back against the Biden administration, releasing a rare written statement accusing the US of trying to distort the facts, and insisting the decision was based purely on economic considerations.

ADEL AL-JUBEIR, MINISTER OF STATE FOR SAUDI FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Saudi Arabia is not siding with Russia. Saudi Arabia is taking the side of trying to ensure the stability of the oil market.

BERTRAND (voice over): As the Biden administration considers how to punish Saudi Arabia, a senior official tells CNN they've been purposefully vague to keep the Saudis guessing. But one option lawmakers are considering is to ban future weapons sales to the country once Congress is back in session.

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): I think it's unlikely that we will support any additional arm sales to the Saudis. This was a punch in the gut.

BERTRAND (voice over): There are currently no imminent weapons sales to Saudi Arabia in the pipeline, though, and experts are skeptical that the relationship will fundamentally change.

JONATHAN LORD, SENIOR FELLOW AND DIRECTOR, CNAS MIDDLE EAST SECURITY PROGRAM: Because of Saudi Arabia's activities in the war in Yemen and the civilian casualties they caused, followed by the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Congress has become more and more critical and controlling of US foreign military sales to Saudi Arabia.

There is very little coercion left that the US can do in trying to control military sales to Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERTRAND (on camera): So obviously, what we are seeing here is a major dust up between the US and Saudi Arabia, just months after President Biden went to Jeddah to try to increase oil production, right? That was part of the main reason he went and so now what we're seeing is, you know, a US is official saying, a lot of this could just be theater because as I mentioned in the piece, there are some countries that might not actually end up cutting as much production as Saudi Arabia wants. But what the US now is looking towards is a next meeting by OPEC+ next month to see if they stay on this path -- Pam.

BROWN: We will have to wait and see. Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much.

Let's bring in CNN global affairs analyst, Aaron David Miller with more.

So, Aaron, you're also a former Middle East negotiator for the State Department, and did an article for foreignpolicy.com. You are very blunt. You write: "The days when US Presidents dealt with risk-averse Saudi Kings dependent on the United States and weary of offending Washington have been over for some time now. A willful, ruthless, and unpredictable Saudi leader is now in charge and may, when he becomes King rule Saudi Arabia for half a century."

So, you believe Saudi Arabia is not a US ally and that the President should stop treating it like one.

[19:35:00]

AARON DAVID MILLER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I mean look, Pam what's a US ally? A US ally is a country with which the United States shares common values. We're not perfect as a democracy, but clearly authoritarian and repressive governments are not allies of the United States.

Saudi Arabia is not an ally. An ally of the United States is a country in which there is a high degree of coincidence of interests. Now, with Saudi Arabia, we've seen on human rights, now in oil production cozying up with both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. And finally, I think an ally is a country that has a strong base of domestic support. France is an ally, Britain is an ally, Canada is an ally -- Australia, Japan, New Zealand, not Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has become under this reckless and ruthless, 37-year-old putative Saudi King, a problematic partner. And I suspect Biden is now in a bind. He was humiliated by the Crown Prince's movement and OPEC+ is driven by the Saudis and frankly, and the Russians.

So whether the UAE or the Iraqis, "opposed," they went along, and I suspect they'll continue to go along. So, Biden has to do something to demonstrate that, in fact, there is reciprocity in this relationship. I just wonder how tough he is prepared to be.

BROWN: It's interesting, you say that Saudi Arabia is not a US ally, but the US has treated it like an ally through controversy after controversy. I mean, you have of course 9/11, then the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist. And then Biden's trip, he even visited Saudi Arabia after that, to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and of course, their controversial fist bump that you say turned into a sucker punch.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry insists this decision was based purely on economic considerations. But as Natasha just noted, OPEC nations don't support this move -- other OPEC nations. Do you buy that it's not politically motivated?

MILLER: Well, look, let's assume -- let's take the Saudi argument at face value that in effect, they want to maintain market share. They are worried about that short disruption in the market once the December EU embargo against seaborne oil supplies kick in. But I mean, how obtuse would you have to be weeks before a midterm, in which the central issue for the campaign is inflation with gas prices ticking up?

How obtuse would you be, if you took an action and didn't believe that you were damaging the credibility and the political salience of the President of the United States and then that's at home, and abroad how obtuse do you have to be at a time when Vladimir Putin is using Iranian drones and cruise missiles to attack civilian targets in Ukraine to basically do something like this, which in effect supports Putin politically and economically?

Again, I don't believe in conspiracies, but this Crown Prince, 37 years old is going to rule Saudi Arabia for half a century. He is dealing with a President that's going to be 80 years old, if he decides to run again, he'll be 82. I believe that MBS aka MBS has already made a judgment that he is looking beyond Joe Biden, for the return of Donald Trump or a Republican avatar that won't ask questions about human rights. That is basically prepared to accept the "ally" as it is, and I think that's a real problem.

Even if we get through this and I suspect we will because the default position for the administrations I worked for, half a dozen of them. unlike Lehman Brothers, the US-Saudi relationship is perceived to be too big and too important to fail. But even if you get through this, I think you're going to end up having to admit that Mohammed bin Salman is going to be an extremely problematic partner, not ally for the United States.

BROWN: Aaron David Miller, as always, thanks for your analysis.

MILLER: Thank you, Pam.

BROWN: And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday. New York City officials say more than 19,000 migrants have gone through their shelter system recently. Now, they are working to open an emergency center to take in and house migrants by the end of the month. We're going to show you, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:43:34]

BROWN: Well, as the migrant crisis spills into northeastern cities like New York, officials there are scrambling to set up temporary housing. More than 19,000 asylum seekers have arrived in recent months and the buses just keep coming.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino joins us now with more from Randall's Island where makeshift shelters are being built. So Gloria, winter is coming. How soon will people be able to use these resources?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pam, and we heard from officials with the Mayor's Office earlier today who told us that the plan is to have these tents opened up by the end of this month and that is going to hopefully make a difference. The mayor's plan is to have this as a temporary solution for what he is calling a crisis.

More than 19,000 migrants have been processed by the Department of Homeless Services since the spring and the Mayor says that the city is running out of resources.

Now, we were here earlier this week watching the tents go up and they have actually made quite a bit of progress in the last several days. The tents are fully built out now and we can see that on the inside of them, they have begun to lay out cots. Each cot has a pillow and a blanket.

And in the surrounding area, there are mobile bathrooms and shower and laundry units. All of these resources are supposed to be available to the migrants who will be staying here when they are coming to the city.

[19:45:01]

PAZMINO: Now, this place is only supposed to be a temporary solution. There is only room here for 500 single adults and we know that there has also been a big influx of families and young children that have been coming in.

To that end, the city is going to provide a hotel in Midtown Manhattan that will have room for about 200 families. Now, the Mayor has said he needs help from the Federal government. He has asked them to step in and provide more resources. But for now, there is no indication that there is a plan to do that.

So, the city is resorting to this. Now he has said this is going to be a temporary solution, but it is not clear to us or the advocates whether or not people will actually be able to quickly move through here. Again, there is a limited capacity, only 500 people and thousands of people are coming in.

So, while the Federal government decides whether or not they will provide the city with resources. This is what the city is deciding to do in order to connect people with temporary shelter, healthcare, food as they try and connect them with a more permanent solution -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, Gloria Pazmino on Randall's Island in New York, thanks so much.

And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Florida gives a reality check on the impacts of extreme weather on education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA WRIGHT, FLORIDA RESIDENT: That's the sign he stands in for the first day of school every year. Losing that school is -- it's probably what I've cried about the most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:50:56]

BROWN: Extreme weather caused by climate change is disrupting school systems nationwide. In Lee County, Florida, three badly damaged School Districts are still closed weeks after Hurricane Ian tore across the state.

Lee County was one of the hardest hit areas by the monster storm.

As CNN's Rene Marsh explains, this is just one way the climate crisis is impacting education.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WRIGHT: My goodness gracious.

RENE MARSH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Melissa Wright sees the destruction at her 10-year-old son, Zane's school for the first time.

WRIGHT: That's the sign he stands in for the first day of school every year.

MARSH (voice over): Fort Myers Beach Elementary is one block from the ocean. Hurricane Ian's powerful winds tore down walls and its storm surge approach the top of the school doors, destroying nearly everything inside.

WRIGHT: Losing that school is -- it's probably what I've cried about the most.

MARSH (voice over): It's been more than two weeks and the entire Lee County School District remains shut down.

DR. CHRISTOPHER BERNIER, LEE COUNTY SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT: We do have schools that remain in a high needs category, suffering significant damage.

WRIGHT: He already said this year was tougher for him than most, so I am worried about him falling behind.

MARSH (voice over): Lee County Schools are emblematic of a growing trend, the climate crisis disrupting school systems nationwide for months and in some cases years.

In California, wildfires have been the leading cause of school closures. From 2018 to 2019, a record 2,295 schools closed.

Last year in Louisiana, Hurricane Ida, a devastating Category 4 storm ripped off roofs and destroyed schools. More than a year later, two schools for close to 900 students are still inoperable.

And in Tennessee, 17 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, flooding Waverly Elementary and Junior High School. More than a year later, some students are using an auditorium with partitions for classrooms.

A government study found that since 2017, more than 300 presidentially declared major disasters have occurred across all 50 states and US territories with the devastating effects on K through 12 schools including trauma and mental health issues, lost instructional time, and financial strain. Something Waverly, Tennessee schools know well. After the flood there, students' test scores lagged behind the rest of the State.

RICHARD RYE, SUPERINTENDENT, HUMPHREYS COUNTY, TENNESSEE SCHOOL SYSTEM: Some of our staff and teachers lost their homes, they lost their loved ones, they lost, you know -- and their classrooms, so mentally wise that has put a toll on them.

MARSH (voice over): As schools struggle to recuperate from extreme weather, experts say they must better understand their future risk and rebuild more resilient structures.

LAURA SCHIFTER, ASPEN INSTITUTE: Our public schools right now they received a D+ on America's Infrastructure Report Card.

WRIGHT: Wow.

MARSH (voice over): Until then, when extreme weather strikes, all that is lost will undoubtedly also include quality instructional time in school.

MARSH (on camera): Extreme weather has already had a multifaceted impact on America's schools. Several school systems tell me the mental health of students and teachers who are coping with personal losses as they try to resume learning is a major issue, and supply chain issues have made rebuilding schools a drawn out process, so students are in temporary learning environments for extremely long stretches of time.

Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And our thanks to Rene.

New tonight, police say they have arrested a suspected serial killer just hours ago while he was "hunting" for his next victim. We're going to have the latest on this story just ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:59:18]

BROWN: Tomorrow on CNN, join Stanley Tucci as he explores the rugged terrain and unique delicacies of Sardinia, the wild west of Italy. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STANLEY TUCCI, CNN HOST, "SEARCHING FOR ITALY" (voice over): Nowadays, pane carasau tends to be made using conventional oven, but Simonetta prefers the authentic flavor of the woodfired oven, even if it requires a production line.

(SIMONETTA speaking in foreign language.)

TUCCI (voice over): In the extreme heat, the dough inflates like a balloon.

(SIMONETTA speaking in foreign language.)

TUCCI (voice over): But this traditional method comes with its challenges.

(SIMONETTA speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: It's not a big deal. Give me another one. What a shame.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking if foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: Shall we throw this away?

(SIMONETTA speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: No. Put it there, we don't throw anything away..

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Don't miss an all-new episode of "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" tomorrow at 9:00 PM right here on CNN.

And the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

[20:00:32]