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Republicans See a Clear Path of Victory; Not All Republicans Want McCarthy's Speakership; Katie Hobbs Still Ahead of Kari Lake in Arizona; Long Way to Go for Inflation to Pass; Ukrainian Female Fighters Finally Have Their Proper Attire; Georgia is Crucial to Power in the Senate; Candidates Giving Their Best for the Runoff; President Biden Attends COP 27; Hurricane Nicole Killed Two in Florida. Aired 3- 4a ET

Aired November 11, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

You may be waiting until next week to learn the outcome in a number of key races in the U.S. Midterms. But results trickling in late Thursday show that Democrats pulling ahead or catching up in several important contests.

Republicans still hold the edge in the House with 211 wins. But still possible for Democrats to reach a majority with 218 seats. Three Senate seats have yet to be decided. As of now, CNN projects Republicans will have 49 seats, Democrats 48.

In Nevada, incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto is closing the gap on Republican Adam Laxalt with tens of thousands of votes to still be counted. And in Arizona, incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly is expanding his lead over Republican Blake Masters. CNN estimates show about half a million votes yet to be counted there.

Arizona's governor race is also too close to call. And Republican candidate Kari Lake is openly accusing election officials without evidence of deliberately slowing down the vote count.

CNN's Kyung Lah has the latest from Phoenix.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Maricopa County the tedious work of democracy continues. Counting the vote, hanging in the balance is control of the U.S. Senate. Some 78,000 vote results for release this evening by Maricopa County didn't really change the races all that much, percentage wise.

But the Democrats, who are currently on a razor lead -- a razor thin lead -- they got just a bit more vote path. Now this is a slow process. And it is a careful process. What we are hearing though on the edges are some of the Republicans on this ballot who are frustrated and have been talking about some of these election officials might be doing this on purpose. Releasing this slowly on purpose. And we got strong pushback by election officials here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL GATES, CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Quite frankly, it is offensive for Kari Lake to say that these people behind me are slow rolling this. When they are working 14 to 18 hours. So I really hope that this is the end of that now. We can be patient and respect the results when they come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: The count continues, the election is not over. In Maricopa County, election officials are looking to start to zoom in on some of those election day ballots.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Phoenix Arizona.

BRUNHUBER: Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy says that President Biden congratulated him when they spoke on the phone Wednesday evening. Even on the GOP hasn't officially won the House. In fact, there is no guarantee McCarthy would be elected speaker even if they do. He is already facing a challenge from members of the House freedom caucus. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: They do not give gavels out by small, medium, and large. They just give you the gavel. We are going to be able to govern. What was our mission? To win the majority, to stop Biden's agenda and fire Nancy Pelosi. All of that is accomplished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: One influential Republican who is not convinced is Florida's Matt Gaetz. He is endorsing Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan for House speaker. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): With such a slim majority, we should not be starting the C team. We need to put our star players in a position to shine brightest so that we can attract more people to our policies and ideas.

The policies that Kevin McCarthy has pushed, they are as unhelpful as they are unserious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Republican Liz Cheney won't be returning to Congress in January. And she is celebrating the stronger than expected showing by Democrats in the midterms. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): I think that was a clear victory for team normal. We have a huge amount of work to do. But I think that you saw in really important races around the country, people coming together to say we believe in democracy. We believe in standing up for the Constitution and for the republic. And a real rejection of the toxicity and hate and vitriol, and of Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:05:00]

BRUNHUBER: Cheney lost the Republican primary in Wyoming after serving as vice chair of the January 6 committees. Speaking out forcefully against Donald Trump.

Now the former president could announce his 2024 bid for the White House on Tuesday night. He has confirmed he will make a special announcement from Mar-a-Lago. Sources tell CNN that Trump wanted to throw his hat in the ring before the midterms. And I before the midterms. Some are urging him to wait until after the Georgia's Senate runoff is decided early December.

U.S. President Joe Biden is on his way to Egypt at this hour. Then he will deliver remarks at the COP 27 climate conference in Sharm el- Sheikh. It's the first of three high-profile international gatherings on his agenda. Later Friday, he heads to Cambodia for the Asian summit. He will also travel to Indonesia for G20 meeting. Before he left, Biden took a victory lap with fellow Democrats.

Jeremy Diamond has that.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden still riding high on Democrats. President defying midterms showing on Tuesday. Holding a rally with Democratic National Committee staffers. The president thanking them for their work on the campaign. But what he was really trying to do is to capitalize on the energy that has been buzzing in Democratic circles since the showing on Tuesday. And also, trying to project strength.

Despite what we saw which appeared to be somewhat of a victory rally. Democrats, including those inside the White House behind me here. They certainly do acknowledge the very high likelihood that what they will face a Republican majority in the House come January.

And so, that's part of why these optics were so important to the president and his advisers. As they were setting up these remarks, I'm told by a Biden advisor that the goal was to project strength and to show this energy in the Democratic Party is very real as they prepare for this possibility of a Republican House.

The president also in his remarks didn't acknowledge that that's going to happen but you did hear him talk about how he is going to deal with Democrats. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Republicans try to walk away from the historic moment we just made to deal with the climate crisis. I will not let that happen.

If Republicans try to cut social security and Medicare, I will not let that happen.

And if they try to cut taxes for the super wealthy, again, the biggest corporations like they did in the last administration, I will not let that happen either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: Now when I asked the White House press secretary what specifically the president would be willing to compromise on with Republicans, she couldn't point to any specific issue areas. But clearly, what you see here is the White House setting the table for a prospect that they haven't experienced so far in President Biden's nearly two years in office. And that is divided government. Power sharing.

And we know that if there is indeed a Republican House, there will be a series of showdowns and standoffs. And the White House very much is trying to position itself from a place of strength for those potential negotiations.

Now, the president he isn't giving up entirely on the possibility of Democrats winning the House before heading off on his trip to Egypt and Asia. Saying that he believes the chances Democrats could still win the House are quote, "still alive." He said that he would have to pull an inside straight to make it happen. But again, said it is still alive.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.

BRUNHUBER: All right, let's go live to Los Angeles and CNN political reporter Maeve Reston. So, looking deeper into the numbers here, I'm curious to get your take on two trends which seem like a contradiction. So, first of all, abortion did seem to be an important issue for Democrats, but Democrats lost support among women in 2022 compared with 2018. So, why do you think that is?

MAEVE RESTON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: think that women in this election, many of the women I spoke to out on the trail we're really feeling that a lot of cross pressure. A lot of them were really angry about inflation. And the impact that has had on their family's budgets.

But also, really -- really feeling a rejection of the Republican agenda on abortion and feeling as though the Republicans had been going in too much of an extreme direction. So, for a lot of women, there were actually a lot of older women who made up their mind later on in this election, which is unusual. But they were, you know, making decisions along these lines. And I do think that what we are seeing with abortion is that it really

varies from state to state. In states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, that did become a top concern for many of the women who are voting there. And that's why we saw strong Democratic victories in those states. Whereas in other states, like Nevada, we are seeing potentially inflation ending up coming out on top in those decisions.

BRUNHUBER: All right, looking elsewhere in states that Donald Trump said had unfair elections in 2020, election denialism was generally rejected. Though the big asterisk is Arizona.

[03:10:04]

And it's expected Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake fanning the flames of another round of baseless voter fraud claims. You've been watching this race closely, what's your take on where things stand and where they might be headed?

RESTON: Well, that race is just so close at this point between Kari Lake and Katie Hobbs. And it's not just Kari Lake. In Arizona, Trump's slate, there is four top candidates there that are a part of Trump's slate there. And they are all election deniers.

So, we really did see a big rejection of election deniers across the country. But that is something that we are watching incredibly closely in both Arizona and Nevada. That race in Arizona though, Kari Lake became a household name as a television anchor for many years in Phoenix. And so, you are just seeing those two candidates battled it out as each tranche of votes comes in.

And election officials have told us that they will be counting, you know, into next week. Through the Veterans Day holiday, through the weekend. So, we might see that race go up and down. And of course, Maricopa County is where all of that action is. We are seeing a lot of, you know, conspiracy theories being spread on social media among right-wing figures.

And the election officials there are being very proactive about coming out immediately and trying to squelch those by speaking to the press about what's happening and being very transparent about their processes. But once again, that is just ground zero for conspiracies again.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, I wonder about how they will be able to harness that going forward. Democrats did fairly well in the gubernatorial races. We saw the importance of state governments in the context of national elections in 2020. So, what difference do you think that might make?

RESTON: Well, I mean, I think a lot of -- a lot of people who were voting in Arizona. A lot of the independents that I talked to were very concerned about some of those election integrity issues. I talked to a lot of voters who were just so sick of hearing, you know, former President Trump's lies about the 2020 election. And said I want to talk about things that are important to me and my family.

But also, a lot of people who were just really unnerved by the fact that those top candidates in places like Arizona and Nevada where the secretary of state candidate has said he would not have a firm Joe Biden's victory in 2020. There are a lot of voters who decided to go with the Democratic ticket because of that.

So, we are saying how that shakes up in the results. We also did see independents. A lot of them sort of swinging back and forth between the two parties again this time. And so, we'll just have to watch as the votes keep coming in. And in places like here in California, we could be counting for weeks. So, it may be a long time before we know control of the House.

BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate your take. Maeve Reston in Los Angeles, thank you so much.

RESTON: Thank you so much.

BRUNHUBER: U.S. Central Bank has been attacking sky-high inflation for months now. The latest government figures here to show the Fed's rate hikes are working. We will have the details just ahead.

Plus, Ukraine's flag is flying in more places as troops inch closer to the city of Kherson. We'll look at why Ukraine says it is moving cautiously though Russia claims it's leaving the city. Stay with us.

[03:15:00]

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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. stock market close Thursday with one of its best days since 2020. The Dow soared 1,200 points. Up 3.7 percent on news that the rate of inflation maybe be slowing after months of aggressive interest rate hikes.

Voters consistently named the economy as their top concern this election. While Thursday's inflation report was encouraging, experts say it's not enough.

We have the latest from CNN's Richard Quest in New York.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: It is always dubious to take one months numbers and extrapolate it into a trend. But that's what the market is doing today. The welcome news that inflation was down at 7.7 percent, a long way slower than more than 9 percent in June gave the market the view that perhaps the fed would now slow down in increasing rates.

But the next meeting might be 50 basis points. Possibly even 25 basis points. Instead of the three quarter percent that we've seen so far. That would be perhaps a step too far. Because economists warn and all, pretty much agree that the Fed is not done yet. But inflation has not been calm.

And what we are seeing with the exuberance of the market could well be washed away in a few days' time. For the moment, everyone knows there is a wall of money waiting to come back into the market. And the first sign that inflation might be turning is welcome news indeed. But it's not over yet.

Richard Quest, CNN, at the New York Stock Exchange.

BRUNHUBER: During the overnight hours, all three major U.S. futures have been signaling a bullish start at this morning's opening bell. But before that happens traders will observe two minutes of silence in honor of Veterans Day.

[03:19:56]

Now the British government reports that the U.K. economy has been shrinking at an alarming rate this year. Raising fears ta lengthy and difficult procession could be around the corner. The latest numbers show the country's productivity fell 0.2 percent in the third quarter. And decline 0.6 percent in September alone.

That's when Queen Elizabeth died and many U.K. businesses were temporarily shut down.

Now we'll have a quick check on the European markets. They show that they are all in positive territory right now.

The runoff in Georgia's U.S. Senate race is a little length -- less than a month away. Both candidates were out stumping for votes Thursday as money pours in from Washington. We'll have the latest coming up. Please stay with us.

[03:25:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ukraine says at least two people are dead after a Russian rocket strike in the city of Mykolaiv. Officials say that rockets tore through a five-story residential building overnight. Leaving two other people wounded.

Meanwhile, caution is the operating world as Ukrainian troops close in on the city of Kherson. They have reportedly deliberated more than 40 settlements and Russia announced fallout from the city on Wednesday. But Ukrainian officials say Russians are setting booby traps wherever they can and may shell Ukrainians as they move in. Ukraine also says that Russian troops are destroying infrastructure on their way out.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian women fighting against Russia's invasion of their country are now getting supplies that will help them in battle. Supplies made specifically for women in war.

Here is CNN's Christiane Amanpour with that report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: At a nondescripts store front in Kyiv covered with plastic against crying eyes a major war effort is underway. Boxes of kit reveal a first of its kind. Fatigues designed for a mother to be.

So was there never, Andrii, anything for pregnant women before?

ANDRII KOLESNYK, CO-FOUNDER, ZEMLYACHKI: Never.

AMANPOUR: How many pregnant women are fighting the Russians?

KOLESNYK: I'm not sure that a lot. But there are.

UNKNOWN: Yes.

AMANPOUR: Andrii and Kasenya (Ph) are married TV journalist in real life who now do this work. A female friend turned frontline sniper told them that she was pregnant and needed a new uniform. They are also sending female soldiers smaller boots, lighter Kevlar plates for their flak vests.

On this day, Roxelana (Ph) comes in for a new uniform. She's in an intelligence unit near the front and joined up in March, totally unprepared. "It's so valuable to have these people who understand that we are tired of wearing clothes that are three sizes too big, she tells me. We had no helmets, we had old flap jackets. We were tracksuits and sneakers. Now we feel that we are humans."

The Ukrainian ministry of defense as there are more than 50,000 women under arms. More than 5,000 of them on the front line. Amongst them, Andrii's (Ph) sister.

KOLESNYK: She received a men's uniform, men's underwear, everything is designed for men.

AMANPOUR: Females also need customized sanitary, medical and humanitarian supplies. Zenya and Andrii have sent out 3,000 of these care packages. They produce 300 uniforms and planned for at least another 2,000 all winterized. And then there is this vital tool.

My God, I have never seen that. A feminine urinary director for women of all ages. Basically, they pee in that, right, if there's no toilet?

KOLESNYK: Well, no, not in. They pee like men.

AMANPOUR: Look at that. My gosh. If only I had known that in all the years I was in the field. And as a parting gift they throw in this book on resilience and courage amid battle and in captivity, which happened to Alina Panina (Ph) five months after the fall of Mariupol.

She is part of a K9 border guard unit and like so many of the port cities defenders, she had been hunkering down in the giant Azovstal steel plant. She was recently released as part of an all-female prisoner exchange with Russia.

We meet at this pizza bar run by vets. Were you prepared for life as a POW? "No, I was not," she says. "And we discuss this a lot with the other women prisoners that life hasn't trained us for such an ordeal. While in captivity, though, I said I will continue my service. And I have no plans to stop." Back at their private procurement center, Andrii says he wishes he could join his sister, father, and brother-in-law all at the front. But a physical disability means that he is not eligible.

KOLESNYK: For a man, it's kind of hard to understand that you can't go there and your sister is there. So, I'm trying to do my best here to help not only my family but the whole army.

AMANPOUR: And the reviews from the battlefield are in. It's just amazing, says Anastasia. I'm as happy as a child. The uniform is ideal and the fabric is very sturdy.

Meantime, Roxelana's (Ph) new boots are made for marching all the way back to the front.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Herschel Walker and Senator Raphael Warnock have a few more weeks to make their case to Georgia voters. We will have the check on the runoff still ahead. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Three days after the U.S. midterm elections hundreds of thousands of ballots are still being counted at this hour in two key western states. Arizona and Nevada.

[03:35:01]

Election officials say counting is underway and will wrap up as quickly as possible with final results expected next week. The outcomes, along with a runoff in Georgia will shape the future of the U.S. Senate.

And money is pouring into the Georgia runoff election in December. And the candidates were already out stumping for votes Thursday. Incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock held a rally in Atlanta. Democrats are pumping $7 million into his campaign.

Republican candidate Herschel Walker was joined by Senator Ted Cruz in north Georgia. And he is getting a combined $3 million from GOP groups. Both candidates have honed their messages for the runoff campaign. Here they are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): I came to ask you one question. Are you ready to do this one more time?

I did warn you all that we might be spending Thanksgiving together. And here we are.

HERSCHEL WALKER (R), GEORGIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: You've got to get out and vote. Because you know, he hung around. He hung around and got into this runoff. He's thinking he's going to win. We need to prove him wrong. And let him get out of that office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Joining me now here in Atlanta is Julianne Thompson. She is a Republican strategist and president of Mainstream Network Strategies.

Thank you so much for being here with us.

So, you know, just a couple of years ago, it might have seemed unthinkable that Florida would appear deeper red and Georgia the swing state. So how will this runoff do you think differ from the November contest between the two men?

JULIANNE THOMPSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, thank you for having me. And this runoff will be very different from the general election. In the fact that we now see that the state of Georgia it's going to be the state that determines, most likely will be the state that determines who holds power in the United States Senate.

It is absolutely possible for us to have a 50/50 Senate like we did before. And in that case, Kamala Harris would hold the deciding vote. So Democrats technically only need 50 votes in the United States Senate. Republicans would need 51 in order to hold power.

And that is where the state of Georgia would come into play. So over the next few weeks we are going to see the entire political nation descend upon the state of Georgia where I live incidentally. And so, it's going to be ground zero for the United States politics for the next month.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. What we saw just from the November election race seem to play a huge role even though both candidates are black. White voters in Georgia chose Herschel Walker regardless of gender and education. So, I wonder whether it will come down to persuasion or engagement? I want to play a clip here from Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARNOCK: For those of you who made a different choice this time, whether for Herschel Walker or somebody else. I want to speak directly to you. Over the next four weeks, I hope that you will give me the opportunity to earn your vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So, for both parties, you will most of the effort, time, money be spent trying to convince new voters? Or to convince voters that were lukewarm on either candidate the first time around?

THOMPSON: Well, I think that any smart candidate will focus on coalition building throughout the state of Georgia. Because you can't just focus on the base that came out to vote for you in the general election. And even some of those swing voters that decided on one candidate or the other during the general election need to be persuaded to show up again for weeks later for the runoff.

And that is the most difficult thing that can -- that a party, whether it's the Republican Party or the Democratic Party face is building the momentum to see people turnout again in four weeks. And so, whoever has the best coalition building, whoever has the best grassroots machine over the next four weeks is going to be the person that wins the runoff.

It's not going to be about the power speakers that come in. The stars of the Democratic Party or the stars in the Republican Party. It's not going to be about that. It's not going to be --

(CROSSTALK)

BRUNHUBER: What about the money? That's one thing you haven't mentioned. I mean, the two parties are pumping even more money into the race. Raphael Warnock has spent more than $70 million on ads. I think he spent a historic amount on this campaign. And both parties have spent almost a quarter of a billion dollars.

But you know, living here in Atlanta, I can tell you, you know, people I talked to, they are fed up with all these ads. What difference do you think it will make?

THOMPSON: Well, of course the ads are going to continue throughout the runoff. That is where the bulk of the money that is coming in is going to be going. But there is going to be hard money and there is going to be soft money.

[03:40:02]

The hard money is given directly to the campaigns for the campaigns to use as they choose which can include the grassroots mobilization and the get out the vote efforts. And then there is going to be soft money that can be used by outside groups to support the candidate.

And so, I'm sure most of that, the bulk of that will be spent on ads. So, it will be interesting to see exactly how much money this race pulls in. From all accounts, from what I hear from people on both sides, they're expecting anywhere from 250 to $500 million. Of course, depending on how the Nevada race and the Arizona race turnout.

But if the trajectory of both races right now looks to be that the Democrats will take Arizona. The Arizona Senate seat. And the Republicans will take Nevada. So that puts us back, really the whole election was kind of a wash as far as the Senate was concerned. Because Pennsylvania went to the Democrats and it looks as though Nevada is flipping for the Republicans so they've kind of just switched.

So we're back exactly to where we were before with the state of Georgia in a runoff deciding who controls the Senate. So.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, yet again. And the elephant in the room of course, is whether Donald Trump will run for 2024 and what effect that might have on this race. Unfortunately, we have to leave it there. But thanks so much for talking to us. I'm sure we'll talk -- see you again soon about this fascinating and maybe decisive race. Julianne Thompson in Atlanta, thank you so much for your time.

THOMPSON: Thanks, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. For our international viewers, Marketplace Middle East is next. For viewers here in the U.S. and Canada, please stay with us. I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom after the break.

[03:45:00]

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Joe Biden is currently on route to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt where he'll attend the ongoing COP 27 climate conference. He'll meet with Egypt's president and deliver remarks in the coming hours. Biden is expected to call on nations to, quote, "keep their eyes on the ball" when it comes to reducing carbon emissions and limiting global warming. He'll also highlight steps his administration has taken to fight climate.

CNN senior international correspondent David McKenzie is there in Sharm El-Sheikh and he joins us now live. So, David, take us through the president's agenda and what we're expecting from the U.S.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, in a short few hours, Air Force One will touch down here in Sharm El Sheikh. And President Biden I'm sure will be trying to highlight his legislative wins this year in terms of moving the U.S. into a more positive frame when it comes to climate change.

But there is a massive amount of work that needs to be done. Some 45 percent is needed to cut on current pledges of emissions to get anywhere close to the Paris Agreement, 1.5 degrees Celsius. That was seen as the threshold to avoiding the worst of the climate crisis.

So, I'm sure the president will be showing off his agenda trying to show leadership. One of the big issues here, though, is the fact that China and the U.S., the two biggest emitters have not been talking. I spoke to the climate envoy, Secretary John Kerry, and asked him whether formal talks were happening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KERRY, U.S. CLIMATE ENVOY: We're not formally negotiating at this point, but our hope is that when they're short span of time, it will become possible for us to really get together again in full measure and do the things we need to be doing as the two leading emitters in the world and as the two largest economies in the world.

China and the United States really need to cooperate on this. And without China, even if the U.S. is, as we are moving towards a 1.5-degree program, which we are, if we don't have China, nobody else can make to that goal. And we blow through 1.5 and it will cost citizens around the world trillions of more dollars.

MCKENZIE: Politically, there is a sense that the U.S. and China will be competing in the years ahead and some hawkish attitudes towards China. Do you think the cooperation on climate change will be accepted?

KERRY: Well, there's another, I mean, competition is a pretty normal thing in the world that a business -- businesses always compete for market share, for product line and so forth. What President Biden has said is we can compete, but we don't have to be confrontational. We don't have to be in conflict, and I think that's what is critical here, is that we deal with the issues and there are real differences between our countries, obviously, but climate should not fit into that bilateral pattern of those issues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: If there's one theme that has emerged here in COP, though, Kim, it is financing, financing for poorer countries to adapt and to deal with the worst impacts of the climate crisis. And of course, in the U.S. Congress holds the purse strings and with the Congress hang in the balance any pledges that President Biden might make in terms of funding poorer countries could be something that he can't deliver.

So, we'll see if the president can make some significant promises in the area of financing developing countries. As Secretary Kerry told me, we're all in this together. Everyone needs to do their bit to try and avoid the worst of the climate catastrophe. Kim.

[03:50:01]

BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate your reporting out there in Sharm El-Sheikh, David McKenzie.

Medical centers in the U.S. are reporting long wait times and a lack of facilities due to a spike in respiratory illnesses. Hospitals in Boston have been swamped with children suffering from the virus RSV, leaving many pediatric ICU units low on beds.

According to the Center -- U.S. Centers for Disease Control 22 states are reporting high or very high respiratory illness activity. The outbreak coincides with a flu season that's hitting harder and earlier than usual. The number of flu cases, hospitalizations and deaths nearly doubled in the last week of October and jumped again in the first week of November.

At least two people have died due to what was Hurricane Nicole. The powerful storm made landfall early Thursday along Florida's East Coast. Dozens of beachfront homes and hotels have been declared unsafe in the wake of the storm. Thousands across the state remain without power.

One man describes seeing the damage to his home. Here he is. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRIP VALIGORSKI, HURRICANE NICOLE VICTIM: I don't know, it's honestly just kind of shocked, so still haven't really processed it, but definitely, definitely crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Nicole has now weakened to a tropical depression, but is still producing significant rainfall as it moves north.

So, let's get the latest now from CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, the pictures coming from Florida really paint a scary picture.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it really does. In fact, Hurricane Nicole finishing what Hurricane Ian started roughly 40 days ago. Remember, Hurricane Ian slammed into the Florida Peninsula at the end of September. It really compromised many of the coastlines, including Daytona Beach and those areas you saw on the video just a moment ago.

And it just took another category one, a weaker storm than Ian to come through and do this. It really compromised the structures. Can you imagine if this was your house or your business? That's priceless memories, just being swept out to see very, very scary moments for people there. And just really sad to actually have to clean up after another, yet another hurricane.

Look at this. This is the same system. It is now a tropical depression churning about the southeastern U.S. But I want you to take note of this shading of red. That is where the storm prediction center has issued a tornado watch. And just within the past 15 minutes or so, it has just been canceled since I've been waiting to go live here.

But we did have a tornado warning for Columbia, South Carolina. This is very typical with a tropical storm that's moving into the area just off the coastline, so that draws in the instability and allows for some of those spin up thunderstorms to form a tornado or two.

And that threat of tornadoes exists across the mid-Atlantic and into the nation's capital today as well. Marginal risk for you. Now, I want you to see that shading of white on the northern portions of our country, that is a full on blizzard that has been taking shape.

I'll explain why that's important in just a moment, but let's take you to Bismarck, North Dakota so you can see that first taste of winter that is impacting the U.S. right now.

Wow. Remember that? It's been a while, right? Well, it's coming and you know, we are a set to see more scenes just like this as we get our first lake enhanced snow event. That is coming through. Get back to the graphics and you'll see the remnants of Nicole that'll interact with that what was a blizzard maker.

And that's going to produce a very wet and rainy weekend along the eastern seaboard, at least from today right through Saturday. You can see the rainfall totals here exceeding three to four inches, especially for some of the northern interior of New England, as well as the mid-Atlantic states.

So, we're going to look out for some travel disruptions across the region. Now, we're also anticipating some snowfall down wind of the Great Lakes as well. So, lots going on. This is the changeover of seasons. We had a tropical storm and a blizzard, both of them working together to create kind of travel headache this weekend. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. All right. Derek van Dam, thanks so much. And that blizzard that Derek was talking about has caused lots of cancellations and forced many people to change their plans. But a couple in North Dakota isn't letting the snowstorm stop them from walking down the aisle. Have a look at this.

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LEXIE RUSCH, GETTING MARRIED DESPITE THE SNOW: We decided Veterans Day, it's Ethan's grandparents anniversary as well that day. So, we figured November 11th would be a great day and we just had such a good fall that we were so hopeful, might be 70 degrees on our wedding day. And here we are with a couple inches of snow instead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All the snow means some members of the wedding party might not make it, but the couple says that's a minor bump in the road.

Something enjoyed by children for thousands of years is just one of the items inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. The spinning top light bright, and action figures from Mattel's Master to the Universe have been added to its collection may beat out other finalists, including Bingo, Nerf toys and the Pinata.

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According to the museum's curator, the spinning top has been around for more than 5,000 years. It was developed by countless cultures and, quote "this is pure as a toy can get."

Well, it's Remembrance Day in much of the world. And Veterans Day in the U.S. honoring those who served and sacrifice in the armed forces. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband will join First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden for a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday.

In Australia, the sales of Sydney's famed opera house were lit up by a projection of poppies during a dawn service. Many commonwealth countries often remember those who served with the red flags.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks so much for joining me. Bianca Nobilo and Max Foster will be here in a moment with the latest on the U.S. midterm elections. Please do stay with us.

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