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Democrats Fret As National Polls Show GOP Pulling Ahead; Americans Fighting For Ukraine; New Warning For Parents About RSV; Boris Johnson Pulls Out Of Race To Be Next British PM; The Murdochs And FOX News' Roger Ailes. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 23, 2022 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:01:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We're just 16 days out from the midterm elections. As campaign 22 is hitting the homestretch, Democrats are also facing economic head winds.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): I am worried about the level of voter turnout. What Democrats have got to do is contrast their economic plan with the Republicans.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Elections are about the future. They're about the economy. Nobody said we're doing abortion rather than economy. It's about both.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: How much is the economy and the rising prices going to impact your vote in November?

TAYLOR, KENTUCKY VOTER: It has a lot to do with it because our economy has got out of control.

BROWN: So the cost of living is just high.

TONY, KENTUCKY VOTER: Exactly. That's the biggest impact.

XAVIER NELSON, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY LAW STUDENT: Everything is higher. You know, rent, you know, gas, food, all of it is inflated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

Just 16 days from now Americans will cast ballots in midterm elections that are becoming more about the economy with each passing day. House and Senate control are at stake as Americans deal with higher inflation and fears of a looming recession.

Polls show voter interest at record highs along with alarming levels of division and anger. A new NBC News survey shows that more than 80 percent of both Republicans and Democrats believe that the other party is a threat to destroy America. Soaring prices and other economic fears are mobilizing voters and that

is hurting Democrats, the party in power. And I spent the last week in my beloved home state of Kentucky talking to a wide spectrum of voters from rural areas that tend to be reliably red to Lexington, which is a more blue pocket of the blue grass state. And here is some of what they told me about how issues like the economy factor into their own vote and the vote of folks in their circles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY: The inflation like you're seeing. They're looking to try to get somebody in there to bring -- back down the cost for people can live again.

BROWN: So the cost of living is just high.

TONY: Exactly. That's the biggest impact.

NELSON: Everything is higher. You know, rent, you know, gas, food, all of it's inflated.

BROWN: Yes. And how has that affected your life?

NELSON: It's affected our budget things, you know, budget is a big part of everybody's life. And you got to be able to plan your finances properly. If not you have to make cutbacks, adjustments.

JOY, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY STUDENT: Gas, stopping to get food, grocery shopping. Especially you went to the market, you really can't really find anything anymore. So it definitely has become a problem.

BROWN: So how much is the economy and the rising prices going to impact your vote in November?

TAYLOR: It has a lot to do with it because our economy has got out of control. And money don't mean nothing now.

SOPHIA PALMER, FULL-TIME COLLEGE STUDENT: I'm very academically focused and school comes first. I don't have the opportunity to get a job sometimes without my grades slipping.

BROWN: So it's a really big burden on you. And even if you are getting a job, is the pay enough to overcome the higher prices?

PALMER: No. Because you have to work an exponential amount of, like, hours a week to pay for like tuition and then you have food and then you also have a portion that you go out with your friends and like live the college life. I don't know, I feel like the economy is not doing great and it's really hard to be substantial as a college student.

BROWN: There is an abortion ban here in Kentucky. How will abortion weigh on your vote versus, say, the economy? What is the overriding factor for you?

PALMER: For me, probably abortion. Because as a woman that is the most important thing. Birth control, having access to good health care, having access to the right of abortion because anything could happen. I know personally I probably wouldn't make that choice but who am I to stop someone else from making that choice?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And our thanks to my producer Ali Gordan (PH) who helped with those interviews to my fellow Kentuckians here.

[18:05:03]

So let's continue this conversation. Joining us now is CNN national politics reporter Eva McKend and CNN political analyst, Astead Herndon. He is also a national political reporter for the "New York Times."

All right, Eva. So the last person we heard from, Sophia Palmer. She is a full-time college student. She actually says women's reproductive rights are an overriding issue for her even though she said she's really feeling the brunt of the rising prices. But today Bernie Sanders called on Democrats to focus on their economic plan in these last 16 days.

You've spoken to voters all over the country. What is the winning issue for Democrats?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: So, Pam, it's not entirely clear to me that there's going to be a single issue that Democrats can sort of lead on or land on rather because when you speak to Democratic voters it's sort of a diversity of issues that they name as their number one issue, whereas when you speak to conservative voters, Republican voters, they almost always name inflation and the economy as their top concern.

But Democratic voters, it could be reproductive rights. It could be gun violence. It could be voting rights. Healthcare. A host of issues. And so that is the challenge that Democrats face. They have to talk about all of these issues and the economy. They don't sort of have the luxury of being able to center a single issue like Republicans that are so critical by and large to Republican voters.

BROWN: And Astead, Democrats as we know, they control the White House, Senate, and House. Can they really convince voters, you know, many of whom might be struggling in this economy, some of whom I spoke to in Kentucky, that they have the answers to turn the economy around?

ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, that their challenge, and I think it comes back to really where we started this year. You know, this is the reason why the White House usually has such a tough time in these midterm elections after an incoming president is because it's much easier to be the other side to make that insurgent argument, to make that kind of challenge or pitch rather than to say the current state does point back to Democrats.

We have seen voter confidence level in the party basically trimmed with gas prices, basically trimmed with those other economic pinches that are looming on voters' pocketbooks and wallets. But the White House is trying to say that those are things outside of their control. And that might be true. That's very well true. The issue is that when voters have a chance to express their frustration that is only going to point at the party in power.

And as you said from the congressional actions to the White House that is all the Democratic Party who was very proud of where the economy was and in some parts of the economy are now that issue is very much turned from them and it's been harder for them to be able to defend the current landscape.

BROWN: Yes. I just spoke to Republican Senator Roy Blunt earlier in the show and I pressed him on how Republicans can solve the issue of inflation. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MO): I think they are responsible. The American voter is going to hold them responsible election day. I think there's no question Republicans will gain control of the House and in a very narrow environment just as likely as not to gain control of the Senate. But we still won't have control of the administration and bad regulatory policies and bad energy policies will continue to stoke what is now a fire of inflation that got way out of hand before Democrats knew what they were doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So as you heard there, he focused more on putting the blame on Democrats. Do Republicans need to make their plan clear of what they're going to do about rising prices that are worldwide instead of just blaming Democrats?

MCKEND: Well, I think --

BROWN: Astead? Or go ahead, Eva. You go. Either one of you. You can both weight in on this. Eva, you go first then Astead.

MCKEND: I mean, I think that that is certainly their responsibility, but because they're out of power, you know, you are right. They do have the luxury of sort of just poking at the other party and complaining, but it's always curious to me why time and time again when you poll voters they always have more trust in Republicans when it comes to economic issues because Democrats actually have a compelling arguments to make when it comes to the economy, right.

They were the party that wanted to extend the child tax credit. They wanted to raise the federal minimum wage for instance. And they get pushback from their Republican counterparts. So that says to me that they're not doing a good enough job about talking about their economic position when they're messaging to voters because they actually have a lot of economic arguments to make.

BROWN: What do you think, Astead?

HERNDON: Yes, Republicans have lived off the brand of being the fiscal responsibility party for a long time. But we should say, as Eva notes, that's not rooted in fact always. You know, we have seen President Trump, for example, really grow the deficit and even though unemployment and other things were moving in a better direction, there was not an argument of fiscal responsibility that that White House could make.

[18:10:01]

But, still, Republicans have benefited from being the ones more associated with a tight pocketbook policies. But to your point about where you're pressing this, Senator Roy, Republicans have not been unified in what policies they would bring to a Republican Congress. We have seen arguments between Mitch McConnell and Rick Scott about that point.

We have seen arguments on the House front about what they would do, and, specifically, when you look at the Republican grassroots a lot of those people are pushing for things that are not really focused on the economy to target President Biden on investigations, to be a legal thorn in his side.

That's where they're seeing. And so I think that we're going to see maybe Republicans benefit from this inflation point but it is not because they have been pitching policies rather than they are the beneficiaries of a tough economic environment and a tough midterm year for Democrats.

BROWN: Yes. That's a really good point. So, Eva, I want to show you this. This is in Mesa, Arizona. Armed men are wearing masks, as you see tactical gear, as they keep a watchful eye over a ballot drop box. Maricopa County officials are calling the men, quote, "uninformed vigilantes." Now those officials accuse them of disrupting the voting process and voters say they are feeling intimidated.

Eva, is this the part of a radical new playbook?

MCKEND: Well, it certainly seems like it, Pam. And it does in fact, if you're intimidating, you don't want to see that when you show up to vote. I will say the part that we're seeing voting rights groups at least play, I think at least here on the ground in Georgia is working overtime to educate their voters and, also, really trying to sort of out-organize some of the suppression tactics that you have seen.

I think that, yes, it is intimidating. But voters are savvy enough to sort of know the landscape and know what's going on. And I think the activist community is working really hard to try to prepare them. You know, so before they show up to their polling precinct they are sort of prepared for this new eventuality

BROWN: Quickly, Astead, I want to return to that NBC News poll. It shows that more than 80 percent of both Republicans and Democrats believe that the other party is a threat to destroy America. What does that tell you?

HERNDON: It tell me we're in a deeply polarized time and that the stakes of this election strike to the very core questions America asks itself. I mean, there is -- it is not an over statement to say that democracy is on the ballot and that candidates are taking aim at that concept.

We also have a grass roots set of voters who have backed them on that front. I think those voters are correct to feel that sense of really large stakes and anxiety but it speaks to the deep polarization and the deep distrust that a lot of Americans have of one another right now.

BROWN: Yes. That's true. It's a sad reality right now in America.

Astead Herndon, Eva McKend, thank you both.

HERNDON: Thank you.

BROWN: And still ahead for you tonight on this Sunday, hours before a deadline for candidates to declare if they want to be the next British prime minister, one man says he is in and one man says he is out. We're going to have a live report from England.

But first, this American went to Ukraine to fight against Russia and he wound up spending more than 100 days in Russian captivity. I'll talk to Alex Drueke about his decision to go and what that was like under Russian captivity and how he is doing now. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:33]

BROWN: Well, the top military officials in U.S. and Russia spoke today by telephone for the second time in three days. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russia's Defense minister discussed Russia's ongoing and brutal war in Ukraine. And a source familiar with their conversation says the Russian military chief falsely accused the Ukrainians of planning to use a so-called dirty bomb. It's a claim the U.S. has strongly refuted.

A National Security Council spokesperson told CNN, "The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation."

And when Russia suddenly invaded Ukraine earlier this year many people from around the world joined the conflict, volunteering to help defend Ukraine. Some Americans were among them.

This is Alex Drueke, a U.S. Army veteran who went to Ukraine in April and was captured by Russian forces. He was held for more than 100 days and released in a prisoner swap last month. Alex joins us now.

Alex, thanks for taking time to talk with us. So glad that you are back home and that you're safe. So you've been back home for a little over a month. First off, how are you doing now?

ALEX DRUEKE, AMERICAN FIGHTER HELD BY RUSSIAN-BACKED FORCES FOR 105 DAYS: I'm doing pretty good. There are a lot of things that have to be taken care of but overall I'm doing well. Thanks. BROWN: Like what exactly? What are some of the after-effects,

lingering issues you're dealing with?

DRUEKE: Well, I've got a few issues that the -- that I'm being treated for at the V.A. We don't really think there's going to be any lasting problems but we want to make sure. You know, and then there's scheduling appointments with government agencies, that's something that we finally got nailed down as doing our debriefs with some U.S. government agencies that's been scheduled and really just, you know, taking the time to meet and thank and see all of the people that did so much for us while we were in captivity. I mean, there are so many people we have to thank for so many things.

BROWN: How is your mental health? And, you know, you're being treated for physical ailments but just after what you've been through, how's your mental health?

DRUEKE: It's good. I mean, you know, there are ups and downs for all of us. We're talking to the British guys we're with, the Moroccan, and you know, we all have ups and downs but overall we're doing good.

BROWN: And you mentioned you're talking to government agencies. Tell me about that. They're scheduled to talk to you about what you went through to gather intelligence I presume, right?

[18:20:01]

DRUEKE: That's what I would imagine, yes, ma'am. We're scheduled to meet with Homeland Security and Department of Defense right now. So I imagine it's intelligence gathering.

BROWN: So let's go back to the beginning of your journey. How did you end up fighting in Ukraine? Why did you decide to go?

DRUEKE: I felt compelled to go. You know, like everyone I saw what was happening in Ukraine. I saw just the horrible things that were happening with the invasion and I really felt like I had some skills and some knowledge, some experiences with the military that could be of help. So I wanted to go over and help however I could.

BROWN: The U.S. as you know warned Americans not to go fight in Ukraine. You did anyway. And then the U.S. had to spend resources to get you back. I'm curious what do you say to those who say you shouldn't have gone in the first place and put yourself in harm's way like that, risk putting your life in harm's way with Russian forces?

DRUEKE: I understand their viewpoint. And I am appreciative of everything the U.S. government did to get us released. I realize that they didn't necessarily have to do that. But I have no regrets. I would do it all over again. It's something that I really felt I needed to do.

BROWN: What have you learned in terms of what the U.S. government, what went into securing your release?

DRUEKE: Yes, I mean, we -- during the whole process we were kept in the dark. The most I would get was a State Department representative saying, hey, we've got things in the works. You just have to be prepared for the long haul. So we don't really -- we're only just now finding out some of the details of what happened to actually get us released. But I know most of it was Ukraine. The U.S. did of course talk to Ukraine for us but Ukraine and the Saudis were the ones that actually managed to get the exchange done.

BROWN: And can you share any more of those details that you've learned about your release?

DRUEKE: Nothing really comes to mind right now. No.

BROWN: And just to go back, I mean, you were in Russian captivity for many days. I mean, that must have been horrifying. Can you tell us a little bit about what you went through?

DRUEKE: They tortured us. They violated I think every single human right that exists. You know, it was physical torture, mental torture, psychological torture, incredibly poor diet, dirty drinking water, unsanitary conditions. It was horrible.

BROWN: Could you give us any more details about the kind of torture that, the physical torture, the mental torture that they put you through? Because I think for people watching this, you know, we hear about this, right. We hear about this. But you actually went through it yourself.

DRUEKE: Yes, I mean, there were a lot of beatings. They just pulled us out of the cell and beat us for no reason sometimes. One morning they woke us up at around 3:00 a.m. and put me in a tent and just beat me and cracked four of my ribs. I was electrocuted several times, not just -- I mean, we were tased several times as well but basically hooked up to a car battery and electrocuted multiple times.

You know, sleep deprivation, stress positions where your body parts go incredibly, painfully numb and you just -- you have to stay there, you know, a lot of things.

BROWN: Oh, my gosh. And tell us about the music, that they played music and that was a way of torturing you. Tell us a little bit more about that.

DRUEKE: I think they planned it as a way of torturing us, but at the black site they had a play list of about 80 songs. We tried to count it. And we think it was about 80 songs. But a lot of it was heavy metal music that I listen to anyway. So, you know, some of my favorite songs were on that playlist.

BROWN: Wow.

DRUEKE: And -- yes, so I mean the music itself didn't really bother me. And about half way through that month they stopped playing it and that was actually worse because I had been using the music as a way of keeping track of time.

I didn't have a window or anything so I could never tell what time of day it was and I couldn't tell the passage of time. But if I counted songs then I had a rough idea of how much time had passed. And then when there was no music I didn't know if it had been three hours or three minutes.

BROWN: Yes. That actually -- that makes total sense. Wow. What a story you have, Alex Drueke. And again, we are so glad that you are home and that you are safe. Just really interesting to talk to you about your experience. Thanks so much.

DRUEKE: Thank you. Appreciate it.

BROWN: Well, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM this Sunday. There is a new warning tonight for parents about RSV.

[18:25:02]

That is a virus that is surging among children. We're going to share what the former FDA commissioner is saying and talk live with a doctor at a children's hospital, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A former FDA commissioner is sounding the alarm on RSV. That is a respiratory virus that is suddenly putting a major strain on hospitals across the country. Scott Gottlieb warns parents to remain vigilant when their kids are sick even if a COVID test comes back negative.

[18:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: For parents who have children who have an upper respiratory infection many times they are testing them, finding out it's not COVID, and feeling relieved. I think they still need to be vigilant that it could be RSV or early flu. So if you see progressive symptoms seek out help from a doctor. There are treatments that are available that could help children with RSV.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Joining us now for more is Dr. Daniel Guzman. He is an emergency room physician at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Hi, Dr. Guzman. So what are you seeing at your hospital?

DR. DANIEL GUZMAN, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN, COOK CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER: Yes, so definitely over the last few weeks we've seen this surge of RSV and other upper respiratory infections but definitely RSV is coming in early and it's coming in strong at this time.

BROWN: Why do you think we're seeing a rise in cases now?

GUZMAN: I think it is part of the pandemic. We've spent so much time indoors in masking and kind of taking care of ourselves and watching -- you know, just keeping ourselves from getting COVID that there's a whole population of kids, you know, under the age of 3 that have never seen RSV. And so now that we're out and about, trying to get past the pandemic, people are getting exposed and so we just need people to be aware of kind of the dangers of RSV and how it can affect our children.

BROWN: Yes. What are the dangers of RSV? What do parents need to be looking out for? I can tell you just anecdotally I know I have friends whose kids, young kids, they have had to be hospitalized for this. It can be serious in certain circumstances.

GUZMAN: Yes, definitely there's a spectrum of disease when you think about upper respiratory infections. It can go from just a cold to something like Bronchiolitis which is typically what RSV is, when it gets into later stage. And so some of the things that we want people to be aware of is just kind of how your kid looks and is acting. You know, when you look at what a cold is, you know, kids will have fever, they'll have runny nose, congestion, some cough but they won't have respiratory distress.

When you start to make the distinction as to what is going on and are things getting worse typically you're going to see that change in your children where they're having trouble breathing, they're breathing harder, they're breathing faster. Their belly may be moving up and down. Maybe have nasal flaring as well. And so when you start to see those constellation of symptoms we want you guys to get checked out. Have your -- you know, call your pediatrician. Visit your local emergency room if you're seeing those other symptoms as well.

BROWN: Yes. And you can actually get tested for RSV. You know, with the typical cold you don't test kids. Obviously you can test for COVID. But there is testing available for RSV in particular. And I know this because there was a kid in my son's preschool class who just tested positive. So of course I'm on high alert for this.

So tell us a little bit about hospital capacity and how hospitals are overwhelmed. Do hospitals have the capacity to help all of these kids? I mean, we have seen the warning signs of staffing shortages especially since the pandemic.

GUZMAN: It's definitely been challenging. When you look at, you know, over the last few weeks and just the influx of patients that we're seeing, we're seeing over 500 patients a day in our emergency room which is definitely stressing the system. We're doing everything we can to accommodate those but we ask those who aren't sick with fever or respiratory distress to seek out their pediatrician for those tests, for an RSV test, for a flu test, or even a COVID test.

But definitely if you're having distress, you're not -- you know, your child is not looking well, they're not drinking, they look dehydrated but they're also having those respiratory symptoms of, you know, fast breathing, hard breathing. Then we definitely want you to come to the ER for an evaluation. But definitely if you don't feel like -- you don't have those symptoms we want you to follow up with your pediatrician. BROWN: Yes. Is there anything else that you think is important to know

about this and about COVID and just the overall concern about kids getting sick right now and the flu of course? I know the flu is really going around right now.

GUZMAN: Yes. It's going to be challenging as we go into the rest of the winter months. When you think about RSV and when it peaks we don't usually see that peak until December or January. But now that we're seeing this early spike in RSV along with we're starting to see more flu cases, and then COVID has kind of been in the community and at least in our hospital out of a 5 percent rate, it definitely is going to become challenging.

And so I think we want everybody to be safe, do the preventative things you can at home. Definitely if you're sick stay home. Kind of don't expose young children to anyone that is sick. And most importantly, you want to make sure you're washing your hands, you're covering your cough, and your sneezes, so that you don't infect someone else.

BROWN: All right. Dr. Daniel Guzman, thanks for that important information. We can all use it. Appreciate it.

GUZMAN: Thank you for your time.

BROWN: Well, tonight former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made his decision about running for his old job. So will he or won't he? CNN's Bianca Nobilo joins us live from right outside London, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:38:58]

BROWN: New tonight Boris Johnson is out. He will not stage a comeback and enter the race to get his old job back. Johnson resigned in July after a series of scandals and then he was replaced by Liz Truss who stepped down on Thursday. Press reports say Johnson today claimed to have the minimum support among conservative party members but declined to run, saying this simply would not be the right thing to do.

Meanwhile, former finance minister Rishi Sunak formally declared his candidacy today. Sunak tried to become the Conservative Party leader seven weeks ago following the departure of Boris Johnson.

And Liz Truss resigned as prime minister just six weeks into her term that threw Britain into political and economic turmoil. CNN correspondent Bianca Nobilo joins us now from just outside London.

So, Bianca, this is something of a surprise. Boris Johnson hastily returns to the U.K., claims to have the support he needs in parliament, gives every impression that he is all in and then pulls out tonight. What changed?

[18:40:05] BIACA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a surprise. And I hear that the members of parliament who were backing him publicly are privately pretty angry at this about face. The former prime minister returned back from his holiday in the Caribbean. All of the indicators were that he was taking running very seriously. He was hitting the phones along with his closest confidantes in parliament trying to garner support.

Hit that magic number of 100 MPs which would get him through to the next stage of the leadership contest. But then he obviously had a change of heart on Sunday. So why might that be if he did in fact have the numbers? It could be simply that he realized that even if he met the threshold that was needed to stand in this leadership contest that it simply wouldn't be possible for him to govern.

Let's remember that when he had to step down as prime minister 148 of his own lawmakers had voted against him in a vote of no confidence in his leadership. Around 60 of his ministers resigned saying things like they thought he was unfit for office. The very thought to a lot of those people that he would be returning just mere months later was an anathema. Some of them threatened to resign, some of them would say they'd rather a general election than having to serve Boris Johnson again.

So perhaps he just looked at this reality and thought I'd get nothing done and that isn't the kind of premiership that he dreamed of.

BROWN: So who is the favorite then to become Britain's next prime minister? And on that note, what kind of mess will that person step into?

NOBILO: Well, the favorite at the moment, the man to beat, is the former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and he inherits an absolute nightmare. I think poisoned chalice is putting it mildly. The economy is in a tailspin with soaring inflation, into the double-digits now, 10.1 percent were the latest figures. People in this country are worried about being able to afford their heating and their food bills this winter, not to mention the fact that there is a war on the continent of Europe.

And Rishi Sunak would be taking the helm of a party that has never been more divided. It might even be ungovernable. So that would be an incredibly difficult job for the most shrewd, experienced, charismatic, talented politician. And Sunak is quite untested but he does seem like he is the man to beat. You see Boris Johnson was a problematic and in some people's view toxic known quantity.

Rishi Sunak is a known quantity but less problematic. Less toxic. He is the lesser evil for a lot within the Conservative -- a lot of people within the Conservative Party. So he seems to have the best shot.

An outside chance would be Penny Mordaunt, somebody else who's declared. She was the first ever female secretary of state for defense here in the United Kingdom but her candidacy looks unlikely. So I think Britain is looking at a coronation of Rishi Sunak at some point this week. He might not even have to contest against anybody else because he does seem to be gathering a lot of momentum and he seems to be the lawmakers' favorite in parliament.

Whether he'll be able to unite the party, get the country on course, and pass any big legislation through parliament, is an entirely different question. They are in deep trouble indeed, Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Bianca Nobilo, thank you. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:47:52]

BROWN: "Black Adam" takes the number one spot at the box office this weekend. The super hero action movie starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson raked in an impressive $67 million since hitting theaters on Friday. Now that is the most successful debut since "Thor's" $140 million opening weekend back in July.

Full disclosure "Black Adam" is a production of Warner Brothers, a corporate cousin of CNN that's also owned by Warner Discovery.

Well, in this week's CNN Original Series "THE MURDOCHS: EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE," we see how the Murdoch family maintained control of the empire when it was rocked by a sexual harassment scandal that brought down the boss at FOX News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rupert in honor of this relationship, in honor of the many billions of dollars that Roger had earned for him let him off quite easy.

DAVID FOLKENFLIK, MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, NPR NEWS: They paid for him to leave the company, to buy him out, to go away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: James didn't want to pay Roger that money and wanted to be much harsher, and he didn't have that kind of influence in the end.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ultimately Roger Ailes left with $40 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And joining us now is Jim Rutenberg, writer at large for the "New York Times." He is also a consulting producer for "THE MURDOCHS: EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE" which features his exclusive reporting.

Great to have you back on the show. So when FOX News head Roger Ailes was accused of sexual harassment Rupert basically paid him off to go away and that left a big vacuum in the FOX News power structure at a critical time. So how did Rupert Murdoch deal with that?

JIM RUTENBERG, WRITER-AT-LARGE, NEW YORK TIMES: Well, really the fascinating thing and you'll see this play out tonight is that the two sons James and Lachlan who were rivals for their father's throne agreed on one thing. They had both taken their scraps with Roger Ailes. They also did both believed he had to go for obvious reasons of, you know, what he was accused of in these scandals. Rupert on the other hand had a very different history with Roger so that was the tension. And in the end I don't think that Rupert Murdoch would have allowed Roger Ailes to leave without some kind of package like the one that Roger got.

[18:50:10]

BROWN: And we also see this week the evolution of Rupert Murdoch's relationship with former President Trump. In 2015 Murdoch as we know is critical of Trump but then quickly realizes that strategy isn't the best for business. How does this relationship change through the course of the election.

RUTENBERG: Well, it's a continuing as your viewers know paradox or complication in this relationship between Rupert Murdoch and former President Trump, then candidate Trump. As everyone might remember, FOX News was actually quite rough on candidate Trump, certainly in the early days, but when Trump emerges as not only the nominee of the Republican Party, but a real like ratings power among the FOX News base viewer, then it was time for the sort of everyone to come home and Rupert Murdoch led them home and the relationship from there became very close.

BROWN: And of course, this week we see more infighting between the Murdoch siblings for control of the empire. How does Rupert pit his sons against each other during this period?

RUTENBERG: Well, this is when it gets to the series becomes its most "Succession" to refer to the HBO show and this is this moment when Lachlan Murdoch has been sort of in self-exile in Australia but he comes back to reclaim his place in the succession fight. Rupert has always kind of leaned toward naming his eldest son Lachlan as his successor but it means that James Murdoch is going to have this new competition that he didn't see because he was in line for the throne before this.

BROWN: All right. Jim Rutenberg, thanks so much for that. And the all- new episode of "THE MURDOCHS: EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE" airs tonight at 10:00 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

Well, protesters staged an art attack today involving a work by one of the world's greatest painters. We're going to have the story behind this video, up next.

And tonight, join Stanley Tucci as he explores Apulia, an Italian region known for its fresh simple food and famous olive oil. An all- new episode of "SEARCHING FOR ITALY" starts at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

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[18:57:08]

BROWN: Just in tonight, new info on breaking news that we brought you yesterday. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice says the man who shot and killed two workers at a Dallas hospital actually got permission to be there from parole authorities to, get this, witness the birth of his child. We've also learned the 30-year-old was out on parole for aggravated robbery and had an active ankle monitor when he showed up at that hospital. It's unclear what sparked the rampage or whether the suspect knew the victims, at least one of whom was a nurse.

Well, we now have the Chinese government's explanation for the strange ending to last week's Communist Party Congress. State media says former president Hu Jintao was abruptly escorted from the room for health reasons, claiming he, quote, "wasn't feeling well," even though he appears caught off guard by the two men who insisted he get up from his chair. The 79-year-old was sitting next to the President Xi Jinping when drama unfolded. News about his sudden departure wasn't reported anywhere inside China or discussed on Chinese social media or such conversation as highly restricted and censored.

Well, this is a really sad story for you tonight. The CEO of Gold's Gym is missing and feared dead after a presumed plane crash off of Costa Rica. Authorities say Rainer Schaller and several of his family members, they were on a private flight headed to Costa Rica from Mexico on Friday. They lost contact with the tower before landing. Rainer Schaller founded the RSG Group which includes the Gold's Gym Fitness Studios.

Another act of food infused art vandalism, this time with mashed potatoes. That's right. Climate change activists tossed potatoes on to a Claude Monet painting at a German museum. Look at this. Officials there say the painting, it wasn't damaged and that it's covered by glass. That's a good thing. Last week activists threw tomato soup on a Vincent Van Gogh "Sunflowers" at the National Gallery in London. There was some minor damage to the frame but the painting was unharmed. And in both cases, activists then glued their hands to the wall.

Well, just in tonight Philadelphia Phillies fans are super happy because the Phillies are advancing to the World Series. They beat the San Diego Padres tonight 4-3 to win the National League Championship series three games to one. Bryce Harper was named series MVP after blasting a two-run homer that gives Philadelphia -- that gave, we should say, Philadelphia the lead in the bottom of the eighth. And you can see here, right here, that fans in Philly, they were fired up as they watched their team win. This will be Philadelphia's first trip to the fall classic since 2009.

They'll play the winner of the American League Championship series between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. Well up next, he's talking to some of the biggest names around. Stay with us for "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?" on CNN. Thank you all for joining me this evening, I'm Pamela Brown and I'll see again next weekend.