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At Least 149 Killed In South Korea Halloween Incident; Biden Suggests Election Denialism Fueling Violence; Obama Rallies Democrats In Wisconsin As Midterms Near; "Socialism" Front & Center In FL Face Where Hispanics Gravitating To GOP; Poll: Americans Not Satisfied With Direction Of Country; Eight-Year-Old Scales Yosemite's El Capitan. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 29, 2022 - 18:00   ET

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

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: The cash value of tonight's prize is over $383 million and the odds of winning are just one in 292 million, but take your shot if you're feeling lucky.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

[18:00:16]

BROWN: I am Pamela Brown in Washington. The top stories for you tonight, parts of a busy Seoul neighborhood are closed off after more than 140 people are killed and many more than that are injured tonight during Halloween festivities.

The husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains in the hospital recovering from a violent attack inside his home as police say this was not a random attack.

Plus, record early voting continues across the country. In Georgia, almost a million and a half ballots have already been cast.

And an eight-year-old has accomplished what no other kid his age has ever done before, climb to the top of El Capitan.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And we begin tonight in the South Korean capital, Seoul, where a Halloween celebration went terribly wrong.

The death toll is now up to 149 and many others are injured. Some of the video we're going to show you, it is very disturbing.

Many of the victims, they are young adults who were looking forward to their first big Halloween party since COVID restrictions were lifted and it appears they were trapped in a crowd crush in a packed popular nightclub district.

Investigators are trying to piece together how this tragedy happened. South Korea's President is ordering authorities to rapidly identify the victims for the sake of frantic families, and thousands of emergency workers have been on the scene, and so is our Will Ripley, who comes to us live from Seoul. Will, tell us what's known about the victims?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we've just learned in the last few minutes, Pamela, that the majority of these victims, at least 146 dead, 150 injured and we are expecting more updates on the number of dead that could get it closer to 150, potentially.

They are majority South Korean, but there are 15 foreigners who were injured and two foreigners who were killed, but we don't know their nationalities just yet.

I have been talking to people out here from all over claiming that they had friends including Americans who are missing and so, the reason why you have 1,700 emergency personnel out here, police, firefighters and investigators working this is because they're trying to rapidly identify who these people are, who they were, where they are, because there are a lot of family members and a lot of friends who are so frantic right now to get information.

It is just extraordinary how busy this scene still is. We've been out here you know, since close to midnight. The calls actually started coming in around 10 o'clock local time and in these eight hours, not only has the death toll, you know pretty much tripled, but the number of emergency personnel who have been out here has increased even as the number of Halloween revelers has decreased.

But still, you see a lot of people who are out here on the phone texting, trying to figure out, you know if their friends have been identified, if they are in the hospitals this morning, or if they are in morgues, which are filling up fast.

This is the scene -- I'm going to have Charlie just kind of walk through and show you this is where it happened, this very narrow alleyway in Itaewon, which is a very popular nightclub district here in Seoul. They hold a huge Halloween party every year, people fly in from all over for this. The hotels in this area are booked up and you can just see how it's lined with all of the trash on the side of the street, and it was packed with literally piles of people, Pamela.

This is the big question is, you know, there were warnings on loudspeakers and there are videos on social media showing that -- telling people that they needed to be careful, and yet thousands of people kept coming into this area.

Of course, this is the first Halloween celebration in three years where they didn't have pandemic restrictions in South Korea. So, there were no masks required, no limits on crowd size.

The big question, the unanswered question as they continue to investigate out here this morning is, was this just a case of people getting overly excited and just wanting to be in there and party or did something else trigger this presumed stampede that caused so many -- so many deaths? You're talking about almost 150 lives lost, something that has never happened here Itaewon, nothing at this scale.

And so, there are still so many questions as to why and what can be done to prevent anything like this from happening again.

Pamela, President Biden, just in the last few minutes, issuing a statement of condolence for the people of South Korea. This is a national tragedy. The South Korean President coordinating the response out here that the Mayor of Seoul who was out of the country has flown back and people are just really waking up and reeling from the reality of this as the sun rises of exactly how horrible it was, and they are out here to try piece to together so that they can prevent it from ever happening again.

[18:05:22]

BROWN: Just terrifying. My heart goes out to those who were there, who witnessed it, who are victims of this in those final moments. I mean, I can't even imagine what it must have been like, and for their families, who are still wondering at this hour if their loved one is alive or dead. It's just awful.

Will Ripley, thank you very much for bringing this latest there in Seoul, there in the early morning hours.

Well, President Biden is offering an update this evening on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband. As you know, he was badly beat with a hammer at their San Francisco home early yesterday morning while the Speaker was in Washington, and the President is also making clear his view that the suspect was radicalized by political rhetoric.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I talked to them. He seems to be doing a lot better. It looks like he is going to recover fully. But also, I don't know for certain, but it looks like this was intended for Nancy. He kept asking "Where's Nancy? Where's Nancy?"

And the generic point I want to make is that, you know, it's one thing to condemn the violence, but you can't condemn the violence unless you condemn those people continue to argue the election was not real. That it is being stolen, that all the -- all the malarkey that's being put out there to undermine democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: CNN security correspondent, Josh Campbell is right outside the Pelosi home in San Francisco.

So Josh, CNN has now obtained a memo from the head of Capitol Police to all congressional members and staff regarding their personal security in the wake of the San Francisco attack. What are we learning?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Pam.

This memo was just obtained by our colleague, Zach Cohen in Washington. It was sent from the House Sergeant-at-Arms and head of the Capitol Police to all members and staff of the House, reminding them of the resources that are available to them to protect themselves, as well as recommendations.

These officials describe what happened here in San Francisco at the Pelosi residence as a somber reminder of the threats that elected officials face. I'll read you part of this memo, it says: "Across the country, the Capitol Police is working around-the-clock to stop thousands of potential threats in their tracks. Despite that work, it is critical that we urge you all to take advantage of additional resources that could help protect you and your families."

The memo then goes on to identify some of those resources and recommendations. For example, these officials are recommending home security systems for members and staff. They also advise members to coordinate with local law enforcement, particularly if they are out in public events.

They also indicate they're providing security awareness briefings so that members and their staff know what to do in case of an emergency. And then finally, they recommend that Members of Congress work with law enforcement in their home areas to ensure that police are doing regular drive-bys of their residences in order to help try to detect potential threats.

Of course, this comes as we've been hearing from many Members of Congress who don't believe that the resources available now are sufficient to ensure their own safety, particularly in light of this incident here in San Francisco that happened yesterday morning, when a 42-year-old man stands accused of breaking into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, brutally assaulting her husband.

Our colleague, Jamie Gangel has been reporting that it appears that the potential target was the House Speaker herself. She wasn't here at the time, but the suspect was allegedly yelling "Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?" Of course that eerily reminiscent of the videos that we saw from the January 6 insurrection when these rioters were going through the Capitol in search of Nancy Pelosi.

Finally, the suspect, he was taken into custody by responding officers. He stands ready to be charged with a multitude of offenses, prosecutors say. That includes attempted homicide, assault, threatening the family member of a Member of Congress, as well as elder abuse.

At this hour Mr. Pelosi remains in the hospital. He received serious injuries, including a skull fracture -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, thanks, Josh. And let's go to former President Obama. He is talking in Milwaukee right now about political division.

Let's listen.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... to aftermath of that. You know, I want to take a moment just to say a prayer for a friend of mine, Mr. Paul Pelosi, 82 years old, attacked -- somebody breaks into his house looking for his wife, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi; beats him with a hammer. Doctors fortunately believe that he is going to be okay and we'll let the investigators do their jobs. But one thing -- I think one thing is clear, this habit that we've seen completely contrary to what Tony was talking about that this habit of saying the worst about other people, demonizing people, that creates a dangerous climate.

[18:10:18]

OBAMA: And if elected officials don't do more explicitly to reject this kind of over the top, crazy rhetoric, if they keep on ignoring it, or tacitly supporting it, or in some cases, encouraging it, if they are telling supporters, you've got to stand outside polling places, armed with guns and dressed in tactical gear, you know, that's the kind of thing that that ends up getting people hurt.

And just as significantly, it violates the basic precepts, the basic spirit of who we are supposed to be as a democracy.

So, I get why people are anxious. I understand why you might be worried about the course of the country.

I understand why you might sometimes just want to tune out, just watch football, or HGTV, or "The Great British Baking Show," which is a cute show. "National Parks," that's a good show.

But I'm here to tell you that tuning out, Milwaukee, is not enough. Just moping is not an option, because the only way to make this economy fair, to make it work for everybody is if we all fight for it. The only way to make our democracy stronger is if we nurture it and work for it and that starts with electing people who know you, who see you, who care about you, who know what you're going through.

And you did that two years ago when you sent Joe Biden to the White House. He is fighting for you every day. He's got your back. He's doing everything he can to put more money in your pockets to make your streets safer, to bring more good paying jobs here to Wisconsin.

BROWN: All right, listening there to former President Barack Obama stumping for Democrats there in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, including for Mandela Barnes, he is running for a Senate seat against Ron Johnson.

And turning now to Georgia, early voting turnout is shattering previous records, but a new law there allows anyone to challenge someone's voter registration and some people are doing just that going after tens of thousands of voters.

Voting rights advocate, Marc Elias joins us now. He's also a democratic election law attorney and the founder of the progressive group, Democracy Docket.

Hi, Marc. So how concerned are you about these registration challenges?

MARC ELIAS, DEMOCRATIC ELECTION LAW ATTORNEY AND FOUNDER, DEMOCRACY DOCKET: Thank you for having me -- and I'm very worried. I'm worried because we are seeing a wave of election vigilantism by Republicans in Georgia. It is taking the form of challenging tens of thousands, not thousands, but tens of thousands of Georgian's ability to vote.

In Arizona, obviously, it is taking even a more violent form in the stalking and the staking out of drop boxes.

BROWN: Let's talk about Arizona. A Federal Judge yesterday ruled that activists in Arizona have a legal right to gather near the ballot boxes. These aren't just any activists. You can see here, I know it's a little bit dark in this video, but you can see them in this image, some of them are armed. They're wearing face masks and some kind of uniform.

You're representing the plaintiffs in this case, you have asked the Court to issue an emergency order. Tell us why this is so concerning. Why you have put so much focus on this case.

ELIAS: Well look at the images. I mean, this is voting in America.

I remember, when I was a kid, I would go with my mom to vote and it was like the happiest thing, it was the happiest day. Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, it was the day that we all could celebrate democracy. And now in America, we have in Georgia, the challenging of tens of thousands of voters, and in Arizona as the images show, we have people in tactical gear armed, who are intimidating people who are trying to do nothing more than drop their ballot off, so that it is counted.

And it is really a sad commentary on where we are as a country, but it's one that we need to be vigilant about going to Court because the Court's job is to protect fundamental rights and there's no right more fundamental than the right to vote.

[18:15:03 ]

BROWN: So then what do you think of the Court ruling against you yesterday saying actually no, they can be there by the ballot boxes, they're allowed to.

ELIAS: Yes, so obviously, disappointed by the Trial Judge's decision yesterday. We filed an emergency appeal in the Ninth Circuit just a few minutes ago, the Ninth Circuit issued a scheduling order. So that that appeal looks like it'll be heard on a very expedited basis. And hopefully, the Ninth Circuit will sort of restore sanity to this, and not allow voters to be intimidated for simply dropping their ballots off.

BROWN: So you are clearly -- you're on the frontlines fighting laws and tactics that you say suppress voters and intimidate voters. A Reuters poll out says two in five US voters worry about intimidation at the polls. Are you worried at all the voters are hearing a message that it is hard to vote, it could be dangerous to vote and that they should just stay home? What do you think about that?

ELIAS: I'm really worried about that. I'm really worried about that. But you know, I also live in the world in which voters saw what happened on January 6th. They saw what Donald Trump and his supporters did after the 2020 election, with the frivolous legal challenges, and then the violence on January 6th, and they've lived for two years in a country where election denial ism has become mainstream among Republicans.

And so they've already ingested that reality, and so at this point, we need to do everything we can to assure voters that there are people out there fighting for them. There are people out there who are going to protect to make sure they're able to vote in person, that they are able to make sure their mail-in ballots count, and that there are lawyers willing to go to Court to do everything they can to ensure a free and fair election.

BROWN: I want to talk about election officials, because a large number of officials have left their jobs since 2020 because of the threats and the harassment. There are now people in their places who don't have that same experience. Is this an experience a problem when they have to deal with election deniers, for example?

ELIAS: Oh, sure. It's a big problem. It's a problem because as you said, we've had experienced people leave which caused three problems. Number one, some of those positions simply won't be filled because they can't find people to take the job. Number two, when they are filled, they may be filled with people who are less experienced, and are dealing with a much more stressful environment because of the election deniers.

But number three, and don't forget this Pamela, Steve Bannon and people like him have been for 18 months, been trying to tell the election deniers to infiltrate our election systems. They have been trying to tell them to go the embed themselves in county and local election offices, precisely to undermine accurate counting and to undermine confidence in the election.

So the election officials who are left have to deal also with that reality. So I'm very worried about what this will mean in November and the counting that takes place after election.

BROWN: There are a lot of election deniers -- 2020 election deniers on the ballot in many States. If they get elected, in your view, how much damage might they be able to do to the system? Because for some of these positions, like Governor, Secretary of State, they are actually the ones in charge of certifying who won the election, right?

ELIAS: That's exactly right. I mean, you know, you look at Federal law and the way a senator becomes a senator is they get a certificate of election signed by the Governor and the Secretary of State. For President, it is the Governor who signs a Certificate of Ascertainment that decides, which slate of electors go to Congress. So these are really, really important positions.

And if we wind up with a slate of election deniers in these high- profile positions, and also in the county offices, and at the precinct level, it's going to be a real challenge for democracy.

You know, democracy counts, not just on the Constitution and on laws, but on the good faith actions of lots of individuals and the assumption that it is more important for the right person to win than for the preferred candidate to win.

And I am worried that free and fair elections are taking a backseat with some of these election deniers.

BROWN: Marc Elias, thanks for your time tonight.

ELIAS: Thank you.

BROWN: And still ahead for you on this Saturday, CNN 's Dana Bash sits down with Doug Emhoff about what it is like to be the husband of a Vice President, "Being: The Second Gentleman" premieres at eight Eastern only on CNN.

But next, the White House is now accusing Russia of "weaponizing food" after Russia withdraws from a key grain deal with Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:23:56]

BROWN: The White House is accusing Russia of weaponizing food after Moscow pulled out of a deal that allowed Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain to countries that desperately need it.

President Biden calls Russia's decision purely outrageous and the Ukrainian President says Russia is trying to deliberately ensure starvation on several continents.

Russia withdrew from the Grain Pact that the UN worked very hard to broker and said it's because Ukraine used the green corridor to attack it ships overnight in Crimea.

Now, Ukraine denies that, but this indefinite pause on green shipping is expected to further damage the Ukrainian economy and beyond.

The Republican challenger in the New York Governor's race is getting some big name help at a campaign rally tonight. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will stump for Congressman Lee Zeldin who is locked in a surprisingly tight race with the Democratic incumbent, Governor Kathy Hochul.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is at the site of that rally on Long Island. Gloria, DeSantis is a marquee name, he wouldn't be there for Republicans didn't think this race was winnable. What are we expecting at tonight's rally?

[18:25:04]

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Pam.

A very big name, a potential presidential candidate in 2024, Ron DeSantis, coming all the way out to Long Island from Florida to stump alongside Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee in this race, which as you said, it is getting uncomfortably close for Democrats.

The incumbent Kathy Hochul facing a serious challenge here if you look at some of those most recent polls. They've just started letting people into the rally here behind me. The campaign tells me they are expecting over 6,000 people here this evening. So we are expecting to hear Zeldin's main message throughout his campaign that public safety and crime is his focus and that is what he is running on and wants to deliver on should he become the next Governor of New York.

Governor in New York have not been held by a Republican in more than 20 years, so certainly, a big matchup here in the next couple of days as we get closer and closer to Election Day.

Kathy Hochul, for her part was out in Buffalo in Erie County, her own backyard, casting her early vote and fending off criticism and answering questions about what she thinks about Ron DeSantis coming all the way up to New York to campaign for Lee Zeldin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): He can come here. He can stand here, but he will not change the core and the essence of who New Yorkers are and I feel very confident that Democrats will turn out. With Democrats turnout, we will win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, that key turnout answer there is really important to highlight. Democrats outnumber Republicans across the State of New York, but it's going to come down to turnout in order for Kathy Hochul to get the results that she is hoping for, and if there is not enough enthusiasm, if people are not energized about getting out to the votes, she could potentially be facing some serious trouble here.

Again, New York has not elected a Republican Governor in the last 20 years. So Lee Zeldin picking up some steam according to some of those recent polls and we are expecting to see a lot of energy at this rally here, as you said with that big marquee name, Ron DeSantis coming all the way up to New York to campaign for his Republican colleague -- Pam.

BROWN: All right. Gloria, thanks so much. And still ahead for you tonight on this Saturday, a key race in South Florida where messaging surrounding socialism has taken center stage, so is that having an impact?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea this is driving this big movement of Hispanic voters away from the Democrats, I think, it's absurd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:32:18]

BROWN: Taking a live look here at the Capitol building here in Washington, D.C., 6:31 pm on this lovely October evening just before Halloween.

Well, with Midterm Elections fast approaching, candidates have been flooding the airwaves and riling up crowds with their closing message to voters. And in one competitive House race in South Florida, an area dominated by Latinos, one specific line of attack for Republicans is being called misinformation by Democrats. They say it's partly responsible for a trend toward the GOP among Hispanics. CNN's Boris Sanchez sat down with both candidates in this race to learn why socialism is now center stage in this hard fought race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-FL): Why are the Hispanics coming to the GOP? Because we are not stupid, because we know, we know very well ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Running in Florida's 27th District, the centerpiece of Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar's reelection campaign resonates in a largely exile community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALAZAR: And socialism is a really bad dirty word for people that speak and sound like me. Why? Because we have lifted and it's beautiful in theory, it's miserable in practice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (voice over): The daughter of Cuban refugees says her party has made recent gains with Latino voters because the GOP is defending them from what they call radical policies put forward by Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALAZAR: Unfortunately, the Democratic Party leadership has been infiltrated and it's been hijacked by radical forces that are Neo- Marxists. No one has to misinform them. They recognize it.

SANCHEZ (on camera): When your opponent calls you and your party socialists and communists, you say what?

ANNETTE TADDEO, (D) FLORIDA STATE SENATE: I say, "Really?" Because I am the one that came to this country because my father was kidnapped by a Marxist terrorist group.

La mentirosa as they call my opponent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice over): Salazar's rival, Annette Taddeo, argues it's hypocritical for Republicans to link her party with radical authoritarians when they support former President Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TADDEO: So how can you fight for democracy in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, if you're not going to fight for it right here in the United States?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (voice over): The Democratic Florida State senator believes misinformation is a key reason more Latinos are voting Republican.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TADDEO: We need to fight back when they call us out and call them out, because they're the ones taking our freedoms away.

AMORE RODRIGUEZ, CO-FOUNDER, CUBANOS PA'LANTE: There's a fear of losing their second home because they already had to lose the first one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:35:01]

SANCHEZ (voice over): Amore Rodriguez who founded a liberal group focused on Latino outreach says it's a manipulative message, preying on an area dominated by immigrants fleeing for left regimes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGUEZ: And this is why I've been so frustrated with the Republican Party using the term socialism and communists as equivalent to Democrat in - as a way - as a fear tactic to tap into the tragedy of our community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (voice over): A tactic she calls cruel because it's torn her family apart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGUEZ: We don't even agree on reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (voice over): She says one of her family members now believes conspiracies spread on social and Spanish language media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUY TEIXEIRA, SENIOR FELLOW, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: The idea this is driving this big movement of Hispanic voters away from the Democrats, I think it's absurd.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ (voice over): A left-leaning analyst who has studied the

Latino vote for decades, Ruy Teixeira, argues that by blaming misinformation, Democrats are avoiding more serious questions about their approach to Latinos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEIXEIRA: It's actually like, unproductive for the Democrats to think about it this way, because it prevents them thinking about what aspects of the Republican message are really working with these voters and why and why are - why is our party not as attractive to these voters as we used to, what are we doing wrong?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: All right. Our thanks to Boris Sanchez.

So what did the polls say about the future of the Senate? Harry Enten is here to run the numbers. He is in the studio in Washington, D.C., folks. We're going to have that talk coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:43]

BROWN: Well, just a handful of races are going to determine which party will control the Senate. CNN Senior Data Reporter, Harry Enten is here to run the numbers. So Harry, where do we stand on the most pivotal races for the Senate?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I know. We're getting - I feel like we've done this every week and we're getting closer and closer and closer to Election Day. And it seems like things are getting tighter and tighter and tighter. So look, this is the Democrats' road to keeping 50 Senate seats. They likely must win three of these for within margin of error races.

So the easiest at this point looks like Arizona, Mark Kelly, the income and Democrat up by three points there. Although that's within the margin of error. Look at how close Pennsylvania and Georgia are, look at that. One point race is Fetterman up, Warnock up by a point. That's really way too close to call and Nevada is tied.

So at this point, Georgia would be the 50th seat. If the polls were exactly right, Democrats would keep their majority by the thinness of thinness of margins. But again, well within the margin error just really tight, Pam.

BROWN: And as we know, polls aren't always exactly right. But it's interesting because these three is what Chuck Schumer said in his hot mic moment that whoever wins two of these three will have the majority.

ENTEN: Exactly. BROWN: We'll have to wait and see. All right, so let's zoom in on

Georgia, such an interesting race. There's been a lot of drama there surrounding Herschel Walker. How are these scandals are doing there? Are they scaring off potential voters? Do voters not care? What's ...

ENTEN: To me, it looks like voters don't really care. So let's take a look. We're going to divide this, my slow draw down the line, today versus October 1st. And essentially what we see is if anything, there are more undecided voters, 47 percent for Raphael Warnock, 46 percent for Herschel Walker. Look at this though, 3 percent for Chase Oliver. We never ever really talk about libertarian candidates. But why do I have that candidate on the screen, right? Why?

The reason why is because in Georgia, you need 50 percent of the vote plus one in order to advance or win the race without a runoff. At this particular point. We would in fact, probably be heading towards a runoff which would not occur until all the way in December. So if it comes down to Georgia, we might not know who is one Senate control until December, which means we can have more fun on these Saturday nights.

BROWN: There you go, keeping you in business there, Harry.

ENTEN: There we go.

BROWN: All right. So Democrats, they have Barack Obama on the campaign trail. He was just speaking there in Milwaukee. Will he be an effective surrogate?

ENTEN: Yes. So I think the question is why would you try out the old, old president, right? He left office back in 2017, nearly six years ago. My goodness, how does time fly? I remember when he was elected, I was in college.

BROWN: I know.

ENTEN: Things have really gone - but here's the reason why, right? Take a look at his favorable rating, 57 percent nationally. His unfavorable rating at just 38 percent. He's the most popular guy they could really put out there, Pam. I mean, Joe Biden's approval rating is basically in the low 40s. Donald Trump, the former Republican President, obviously, his favorable rating is in low 40s.

This is the guy you want on the campaign trail. He's at least probably not going to alienate anybody and he's somebody who could perhaps rally the troops.

BROWN: And as we know, though, Barack Obama, I mean, look at his approval ratings back then, when he was president, he suffered a major seat loss in his first midterm and a lot of Americans think the country was on the wrong track. There is a pattern there. How about now?

ENTEN: Yes. So take a look here, satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S., at this point in your first midterm, look, I think that we would love if 47 percent of the country were satisfied with the way things are going. In fact, where we are right now, in the latest Gallup poll, just 21 percent of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S.

If you look back at first midterms, all the way back since 1982, that is the lowest percentage, right nearby, of course, you were hinting at it, Pam 22 percent back in October of 2010. Recall Barack Obama's Democratic Party suffered a major seat lost in the House of Representatives. They lost 63 seats, even in the Senate where they had more room to sort of lose, they still lost six seats in the United States Senate.

So the fact of the matter is this comparison between October of 2010 and September of 2022 is not the type of comparisons that Democrats necessarily want. But hey, maybe Barack Obama with his high favorable rating can bring in some more voters. We'll just have to wait and see.

BROWN: We'll have to wait and see. All right. So we can't let you go without having a little fun, of course.

ENTEN: Yeah.

BROWN: Halloween is on Monday. What are you going to dress up as? The big question, the burning question tonight.

[18:45:00]

ENTEN: What am I going to dress up as? I'm not really sure I already kind of think I'm quite the card, so maybe I'll just dress up as myself or maybe I'll wear a tie and actually look like I belong on television for a change.

BROWN: What about carving pumpkins or watching scary movies? What are you going to do?

ENTEN: Right. So what do you do during the Halloween season? Thirty- nine percent of Americans, that's the top thing say that they decorate their house. Maybe I'll carve a pumpkin, 37 percent. Watch a scary movie, 36 percent. Dress up, 32 percent, which is not anywhere close to a majority. Visit a pumpkin patch kind of - seems kind of nice, right, at 26 percent.

BROWN: Yes.

ENTEN: Or go trick or treating. Although, I think I kind of need a kid to do that. Me in my age ...

BROWN: No, you don't have to, come on, you look - this is a compliment. I feel like you could get by. It's like ...

ENTEN: I'm a little tall, that's the only problem.

BROWN: Okay.

ENTEN: If I shave, if I shave ...

BROWN: If you shave, okay. ENTEN: ... if I shave, I could get away with it.

BROWN: I think you could go trick or treating by yourself, is that okay? I don't know.

ENTEN: I'm not sure I'm that much of a loser, just a little bit of one.

BROWN: Well, I visited a pumpkin patch today. It's a lot of fun, so highly recommend that activity.

ENTEN: Then, maybe I'll do one.

BROWN: And I'll be carving tomorrow, so ...

ENTEN: So you have a fulfilling life. I on the other hand, don't really, but whatever.

BROWN: Not true, Harry Enten. As always, thank you. Thanks for making us laugh.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BROWN: Be sure to check out Harry's podcast, Margins of Error. You can find it on your favorite podcast app or at cnn.com/audio.

Well, that was fun. You're on the CNN Newsroom. Wasn't that fun?

Talk about flying high, an eight-year-old showing the grown-ups how it's done El Capitan style. He is the youngest climber ever to scale one of America's landmark peaks. How we did it coming up.

Also don't miss an all new episode of Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy tomorrow night at 9 on CNN. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STANLEY TUCCI: The rich adapted this dish to keep themselves from fading away.

Oh, my god. No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Speaking of elaborate and ornate.

TUCCI: Come on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chef.

TUCCI: So we have lobster, shrimp, muscles.

The salsa verde is made of ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The salsa verde is made of parsley.

TUCCI: Si.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bread soaked in vinegar. They used the vinegar to preserve the fish.

TUCCI: Wow. Fantastic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This dish originated on boats. With bluefish, with poor fish. Then we started to add prawns, scampi, langoustines, lobster, some more expensive fish.

TUCCI: Si. (Inaudible) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[18:52:10]

BROWN: A towering achievement at Yosemite National Park, a young boy whose middle name literally is Adventure just scaled the vertical face of one of the world's iconic peaks. Eight-year-old Sam Adventure Baker is now the youngest person ever to climb to the top of El Capitan. And he did it as part of a four person team that included his dad. CNN Mike Valerio is thrilled and impressed as we all are and he's in Los Angeles for us, Mike.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, we were thrilled to see this unfold. This is how legends are made. And just to see this happen in real time over the past few days was such an amazing thing to see captivating all Californians, his native state in Colorado and people across the country.

So Pamela, as for what is happening right now, this dynamic duo father and son and the two other members of their climbing team are going down in eighth mile much easier hike on the easier side of El Capitan after four days of this literal vertical monolith scaling El Capitan and making their way into the history books.

So Pamela, one might ask, what does one do when they reach the summit and go into the history books? Well, we have photo evidence. They celebrate with a disco ball. A party at the summit. These images just a couple minutes after they reach the top late yesterday, those green and red lights right there to celebrate their historic summiting of El Capitan.

Of course, Pamela, there's so many fascinating elements to the storyline. Chief among them, how an eight-year-old managed to expand the frontiers of cuteness and courage all in a single climb and to that point of courage. His dad, Joe, was able to speak with our colleague Erica Hill not too long ago over the phone about sleeping of all things, attaching their cots (ph) to the rock face with nothing, Pamela, thousands of feet underneath them, just listen.

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JOE BAKER, EIGHT-YEAR-OLD CLIMBER'S FATHER: Yeah. Like literally were like suspended in the giant cot right on the side of the wall and the sun is just about to hit us and - on the wall and it feels like we're - like above eternity up here. I couldn't believe it. Sam, I expected him to cry a couple times on this trip, because it's hard and emotional. But he has been so tough and work through all of it and so, yes. Sam, by the way, were you scared up there at all?

SAM BAKER, EIGHT-YEAR-OLD CLIMBER: Nope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: Okay. I would be scared. I'd be crying up there. I'm a grown man. So as if Pamela this we're all not enough, Sam Adventure Baker unfurls a banner as he's approaching the top that reads: "I love you mom, almost there." But Pamela, of course, there are a whole chorus of parents who are saying, I would know ever, ever let my child do something like this.

[18:55:03]

And to that, Joe, the father who you just heard from over the phone responds like this, he says, it's not a free climb with no safety equipment. They have ropes. Everybody wearing a safety harness. This is not a free climb like we've seen from documentaries, iconic photographs of people going up El Capitan with no equipment whatsoever, so there's the method of climbing.

But Pamela, there's the climber himself, really at eight years old, becoming a polymath of assembling these knots, knowing strategies for climbing, successfully completing another adventure at Zion National Park, a few months ago to prepare for this. So bottom line, all of us here in California are so looking forward to hearing from the father and son duo as soon as they get a little closer to elevation zero and just everything that happened on their epic adventure, Pamela.

BROWN: Epic indeed. Congratulations to them, to that little boy for making history. Mike Valerio, thank you so much.

Well, the Halloween celebration becomes tragic in South Korea, at least 149 people are dead and the toll could go even higher.

Plus, the latest on Paul Pelosi as he recovers in the hospital after that violent attack in his home.

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