Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Arizona Democratic Incumbent Senator Mark Kelly Projected to Win Reelection; Analysts Examine Possible Reasons for Republican Party's Worse than Expected Performance in Midterm Elections; Representative Kevin McCarthy Faces Possible Struggle for House Republican Leadership Position. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired November 12, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:30]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: A happy morning to you all. It is Saturday, November 12th. I'm Amara Walker.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Amara. I'm Boris Sanchez. Welcome to your weekend. You are live in the CNN Newsroom.

And we do want to begin with the dramatic changes out west that could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Now, CNN projects incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly will win reelection in Arizona against Republican challengers Blake Masters. There are hundreds of thousands of ballots left to count in the state, and final results are expected early next week.

SANCHEZ: And that Senate race in Nevada is virtually tied. Republican Adam Laxalt has watched his narrow lead slowly start slipping away. Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto now less than 800 votes behind. Kelly's projected win in Arizona will give Democrats 49 seats in the Senate. A win in Nevada would secure Democratic control of that chamber. Democrats have also picked up more House seats. The Republicans only need seven more to retake control of the House of Representatives.

Here with us to share their insights, Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen and former Pennsylvania congressman, Republican Charlie Dent. Hilary, I want to start with you because we are in a way different place than where we started on Tuesday when you had some trepidations about how the night would go for Democrats. How are you feeling now?

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, well, actually by Tuesday I felt a little better. Last weekend I was nervous. But I think that the GOP scare tactics in those last few days really sunk them, and I think Donald Trump's visibility really sunk them across the country. So I'm excited. I think if we can get a little bit of margin of safety in the Senate with these two seats, I think Senator Cortez Masto is going to pull it out. The outstanding votes seem to be in the Democratic populous area of Clark County. Look, I think the Senate is a big back storm. It's important for us for judicial nominations, to prevent the House from executing on really radical things once the Republicans take over. So I think we're going to end up in kind of a draw.

SANCHEZ: Charlie, you and I have actually talked quite a bit about the idea of candidate quality and how Donald Trump had an impact on this midterm election. I'm wondering if you attribute perhaps some of the other things that are being discussed for the underperformance of Republican candidates, what Hilary calls scare tactics, the spending strategies of the NRSC, for example, poor turnout I'm also hearing is something that is being attributed. Who do you think holds the share of the blame?

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You have to put most of the blame right on Donald Trump for his unhelpful interventions in these Republican primaries that nominated some very problematic or unfit candidates. That more than anything caused problems.

Also, his intervention coming in late to these primaries, making the issues about himself rather than really a referendum on the Democrats, he helped make this a choice about himself. He is more unpopular than Joe Biden. So I think that's part of it.

Certainly, the Dobbs decision. I said for some time that the Republicans need to moderate on -- Republicans need to moderate on that issue. Clearly that was a motivating issue for Democrats.

So there are a combination of things, but bottom line is I think you just have to lay it on Donald Trump. He has brought nothing but defeat to the party now since he has come around. He lost the House, lost the Senate, we are losing legislatures with candidates who simply professed fealty to him that does not resonate with a broad swath of the electorate, including many Republicans.

SANCHEZ: And Charlie, there is immediately fallout felt within the party. There are some questioning the potential leadership within your party. There are senators calling for a delay on Senate votes as to the leader in that chamber. Kevin McCarthy has a difficult road ahead if he wants to be speaker in courting some of these Freedom Caucus votes. How could do you see the dynamics there at play when it comes to Republican leadership in Congress?

DENT: On Senate side, Mitch McConnell is going to be the leader. Whether he is the minority leader or majority remains to be seen. But I think he is in a secure position. I think in the House Kevin McCarthy has to worry about these rejectionist members, many of whom are part of the House Freedom Caucus, who are likely to leverage him now that the Republicans do in fact have a majority, a very slim majority.

[10:05:10]

And they will squeeze him, they will make demands, veiled threats, they will expect concessions that he probably does not want to give. But this is how it will be in Washington if Republicans have a narrow majority. Every week the far-right flank is going to be making ridiculous demands, and it will impede the ability of Washington to get anything done. That's the harsh reality. And I suspect right now many members are going to want to take time now to collect the bodies off the battlefield, so to speak, before they actually have a leadership election, because right now it does not appear at the moment that Kevin has 218 Republican votes for speaker.

He may easily get there. He may get there at some point, but he is not there today from what I can tell. He'll have a vote perhaps next week. He'll have a strong majority of Republicans for speaker. But he needs 218 on the floor in January. He's going to have to spend the next two months just trying to secure that if he can.

SANCHEZ: And Hilary, I want to pick up on the point Charlie is making about some of the steps that we could see from a Republican House that is largely led by some of the more fringe characters in Congress, your Marjorie Taylor Greenes, potentially on some kind of a committee. Republicans have vowed that they would launch all sorts of investigations into the Biden administration, potentially impeach or try to impeach key figures in the administration. Do you think the White House has done enough to prepare for that potential onslaught from House Republicans?

ROSEN: Well, first of all, I don't think it actually makes a difference to Democrats and to the country who is the speaker in a Republican-led House. They are going to have radical right chairmen of these committees. They are going to launch investigations. They are going to try to undo the good that has been done in the last two years under the Biden administration. So I think we're just going to sit back and watch the show in terms of their own internal fight. But they will have the majority.

Sure, the White House is working hard and has been working hard behind the scenes to do what they can to prepare, as have members on the Hill. I think that there is one thing, though. This kind of let's blame Donald Trump for everything I think has become too much of a Republican mantra. I think it's an effort to try to avoid a nasty Republican primary, which they are bound to have. There are a lot of tactical voting problems that these guys did that were not Donald Trump's issues. They didn't worry about early voting. They made people worry that the election system was fraught, and so they didn't promote mail-in ballots. They depended on everybody going to the polls on Election Day.

This whole new conversation about its all Donald Trump, I think it's kind of another distraction from Republicans to try and cast blame elsewhere from their own failed messaging.

SANCHEZ: Charlie, your response?

DENT: Hilary, I agree with you. But I think it was really Donald Trump who was the one who was telling Republicans not to vote by mail. That was a form of voter suppression, Trump suppressing the Republican vote. Of course, Republicans should be voting by mail, and they made a lot of mistakes --

ROSEN: Had the --

DENT: What's that?

ROSEN: Those Republican candidates had the option to do that, too, and to tell people how to vote.

DENT: Yes, no question. But I said this in 2020. Part of the reason why Donald Trump lost is because he told Republicans not to vote by mail, it was corrupt. It's crazy, because many Republicans are good at voting by mail. In Pennsylvania, for example, Republicans always had a much more robust absentee voting program than Democrats did. And then, of course, Trump said don't vote that way, and people listened to him.

But you're right. I think the way the Republicans have gone about election I think has really missed the mark by really failing to use all the methods and tools available to them.

SANCHEZ: Hilary, really quickly, turning over to the House leadership for Democrats, back in 2018 the reporting was that Nancy Pelosi had essentially said after this, after this cycle, it's going to be time for new leadership. She recently told CNN that she had made a decision about her future within the party, but she wouldn't reveal what it was to our Anderson Cooper. Obviously, she is going through a tough time with the recent assault on her husband Paul. I am wondering, do you think she should run for potentially speaker if they win the majority, or as minority leader?

ROSEN: Look, Nancy Pelosi has been an extraordinary leader for this country for many, many years, and she has earned the right to make this decision on her own time. And I think that the caucus will allow her to do that.

[10:10:00]

And should she decide to run, I think she would be elected again, and if she doesn't, I think there will be a healthy debate about the next level of leadership and who that should be. But I think all eyes are on giving Speaker Pelosi the support and time she wants to make this decision.

SANCHEZ: Hilary Rosen, Charlie Dent, there were a few points there where it seemed like there was some consensus, so I'm going to go ahead and take credit for bringing America back together. Charlie Dent, Hilary Rosen, thank you so much for that.

DENT: Thanks, Boris.

ROSEN: Take care.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

We want to pivot now to Ukraine, because new this morning, celebrations are underway in the southern city of Kherson after the Russian occupied town was liberated by Ukrainian troops.

WALKER: Yes, the retreat of Russian forces from the area marks one the biggest setbacks for President Putin since his invasion of Ukraine began eight months ago. CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is joining us now live from Kherson. Nic, you have been there for much of the time talking to the people. We have seen the jubilation and the euphoria in the streets, but also this victory for Ukraine comes with a mixed bag of emotions. What are people telling you?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's incredible. There is the euphoria about being free again. There's the concerns about what happens next, and next you're looking at it here, this is us in the darkness. There is no electricity and no water in the city, so people are already having a very, very tough life. They have no internet either, so they have no connection to the outside world. So they'd like to know what's going to come next.

And there is the sense that they have got to come to terms with the brutality they have been through as well. I was speaking to a young teenager who had been taken by the Russian forces, taken to a building, beaten, tortured, he said, because they thought that he knew something about Ukrainian troops. They thought he was a spy. So people here have been very heavily traumatized and traumatized just by the fear of going on the streets and not knowing what would happen to them next.

But I think the overall emotion here has been this euphoria, this moment of jubilation where they have been able to greet the troops that have liberated them. This is a day where the city has been liberated. These are some of the things people have told us today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: The Russians come?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the Russians come. They come in the group, and they just take people, all of their belongings. And still to be relieved how many were they, but there were five places where they were held and tortured.

ROBERTSON: So is it sinking in? Do you believe you are free? Do you believe you are liberated now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was very lucky. It's a feeling of -- all the people I met today, all my people, they say they never felt like this, never in their life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So every time we've seen a truck of soldiers go by, and there have been a few, surprisingly there's not many Ukrainian soldiers in this city yet. We did see them further north in the countryside as we drove down. But whenever a group of soldiers goes by, there's been huge cheers. You see them there getting hugs, getting kisses. We've seen soldiers signing flags for people. I think what you feel when you walk into a scene like this is --

WALKER: All right, looks like -- yes, unfortunately, we lost Nic Robertson's connection there, which is understandable, because, as he said, he was saying that they don't have -- many of the Ukrainians don't have Internet connection. As you saw, it's pitch black there as well. There is no electricity. But wow, what a moment to really revel in. It's rare to see joyful Ukrainians right now. So a very poignant moment for them.

And in a new interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska, the president says artillery given to Ukraine by the U.S. helped break Russia's offensive and that Russia has suffered a stunning number of losses in military personnel and weaponry.

SANCHEZ: Zelenskyy also stressed that he hopes bipartisan support of Ukraine aid will continue after the midterm elections. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLENNA ZELENSKA, FIRST LADY OF UKRAINE (through translator): I'm sure we need much more. But every citizen of Ukraine is a mother and a wife, I can feel that we need it, because the missiles keep coming. When they stop coming, when our people stop dying in their beds in the morning, I will feel, OK, maybe that's enough. But we can't wait for Russians to run out of their supplies. It would be wonderful for them to run out, but I guess that's fantasy.

That's why I ask to protect our children, to protect all of us. It's hard to live under this burden every day when you don't know what will happen tomorrow, when missiles hit the crossroads while people are driving to work and get killed on the way.

[10:15:04]

The other part of that missile hit the children's playground Shevchenko Park. I literally walked with my children when they were young. I'm really happy that it was 8:00 a.m. and there were no children yet. And I'm happy that may children are older and we weren't there. But this brings it closer and closer. So the questions of weapons is a question of our survival, the survival of us and our children.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Mr. President, after all your powerful calls to the world for help, weaponry, most especially, training, all that kind of intelligence help that you have needed, are they finally delivering what you need to win? And do you feel that you are getting enough to win or just not to lose?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I think my wife answered it very well. But the answer is fairly simple. It's enough when you can no longer hear explosions. It's enough when the air defense system ensures no missiles hit the ground or buildings. It's enough when you are not being fired at and no missiles are launched against you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That is a powerful and moving conversation with Christiane Amanpour. You can find more at CNN.com. We should note Ukraine has made significant gains in recent days, but President Zelenskyy also cautioned that forces will continue to advance carefully as Russian troops continue to counterattack.

WALKER: All right, still ahead, President Biden is in Cambodia underscoring America's partnership with ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and trying to counter China's growing influence in the region.

Plus, multiple respiratory viruses are circulating across the country. We're going to take a look at why RSV cases continue to surge among children this season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:21:01]

WALKER: A high-stakes election still playing out here in the U.S. and high-stakes diplomacy overseas for President Biden. He is in Cambodia for a meeting with Asian leaders. It is the latest stop on his weeklong trip overseas.

SANCHEZ: And he arrived in Cambodia after attending the COP 27 climate summit in Egypt. His next stop is the G-20 summit in Indonesia where he is going to have a huge meeting, his first face to face sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping since Biden took office.

WALKER: CNN's Will Ripley is there. Hi there, Will. So I guess what can we expect out of this meeting on Monday between Xi and Biden in Bali?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Boris, you said it when you said it's a huge meeting. The stakes really don't get any higher than they do when you have President Biden and Xi Jinping now meeting for the first time during the Biden presidency. They've met a number of times in previous decades. But this is the first time that they are face to face since the pandemic, since Xi Jinping got this unprecedented third term, paving the way for a presidency for life and potentially unchecked power in pushing forward with whatever initiatives he deems fit, even if they go against the hopes of the United States.

One of those contentious issues certainly would be the future of the self-governing democracy of Taiwan, but they're also talking about climate, they're talking about North Korea, they're talking about the economy and technology and all of these contentious issues. They are going to have to basically lay out their views in Bali next week at the G-20.

President Biden is here in Cambodia for the ASEAN summit where he is essentially going to be picking the brain of key U.S. allies, leaders, many of whom are here in the region, including Japan and South Korea. He is going to ask them what they want to come out of this meeting, this face-to-face meeting with President Xi Jinping. And he's also going to ask for their cooperation on these other issues, including the North Korean nuclear threat and trying to sharpen the punishments for Kim Jong-un if he does go ahead with this possible seventh underground nuclear test. It's a lot of stamina to be the president of the United States. He

arrived early this morning and the activities are still going behind me at the hotel where they are holding a gala, a dinner, and he is going to be right back up again tomorrow morning for more meetings. And then this bilateral meeting where he is going to meet with both Japan and South Korea's leaders at the same time before hopping on a plane and going to Bali. Not quite sure how they do it, frankly, keep going at this schedule. But there certainly is a lot to talk about. And really, it's all setting the stage for what is going to be a very important face-to-face sit-down meeting in the coming days at the G-20 down in Bali.

WALKER: We will be watching it very closely with you, Will. Thank you so much. Good to see you.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead, former President Trump sued the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol. The panel subpoenaed Trump for documents and his testimony concerning his actions in the weeks leading up to January 6th. In his lawsuit Trump challenges both the legitimacy of the committee, which multiple courts have upheld. He also claims that he should be immune from testimony about the time that he spent as president. This latest legal challenge brings into doubt whether the committee is going to receive any information from the former president before it dissolves at the end of the year.

President Biden's student loan forgiveness is now on hold indefinitely.

WALKER: That leaves miss millions of applicants for the program in limbo as legal challenges make their way through the courts. The latest legal setback is a judge's decision that declared the program illegal. CNN justice correspondent Jessica Schneider with the details.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a federal judge out of Texas who was actually nominated by President Trump is now saying President Biden just does not have the power to forgive these student loans by executive order, and instead President Biden would need clear congressional authorization to forgive these loans, and he would have had to go through more of a process rather than just simply issuing an executive order.

[10:25:04]

However, we will see an appeal of this decision. The Justice Department is already noticed it will appeal. And this is ultimately a decision that could be determined by the Supreme Court. Of course, President Biden issued this executive order in August. It's estimated that if goes through it would ultimately cost about $400 billion. The program, though, now in doubt. It's also been on hold for the past month because of another court decision out of a circuit court that put the loan forgiveness rollout on hold while all these legal challenges play out.

We know that about 26 million borrowers already have applied for this debt relief. The government had already approved 16 million of those applications. But no debt at all will be canceled for the foreseeable future here because of these court challenges. The White House press secretary did, however, say that the Department of Education will hold on to the information of all of these applicants so it could be processed pretty quickly if the program is ultimately given the green light in court.

But we will have to see how the courts decide this. If it does go all the way to the Supreme Court, it's possible that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court could nix this program as well. This has been a majority that's often skeptical of wide-ranging executive and agency action. So this debt forgiveness program could ultimately be deemed unconstitutional. And if that happens, none of these millions of people would get any debt relief. But for now, this program is also on hold.

Boris and Amara?

SANCHEZ: Jessica, thank you so much.

Still ahead, as respiratory viruses impact children across the country, parents are wondering what they can do to keep their kids safe. We're going to hear from an expert when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:31:15]

WALKER: Thirty minutes past the hour, and here are some of the other top stories we are following. Alec Baldwin has filed a lawsuit against several crew members on the film "Rust." The actor fatally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins last October during a rehearsal for a scene in then movie. In the lawsuit, Baldwin accuses the production's armorer, assistant armorer, and assistant director of failing to keep the set safe. Baldwin is listed as a defendant in the 2021 lawsuit stemming from the shooting. The Santa Fe sheriff's office has reportedly turned over its findings to prosecutors, but it's unclear if any criminal charges will be filed.

SANCHEZ: And more than 100 new plaintiffs, including civilians, have now been added to a lawsuit against the U.S. government over a fuel leak at a Hawaii military facility. They claim they suffered physically, emotionally, and financially after a series of failures last November at the site. A U.S. Navy investigation found that about 20,000 gallons of fuel leaked into a nearby well that families relied on for water. They are currently plans to open a dedicated clinic for patients with symptoms related to fuel exposure.

And a Frontier flight from Cincinnati to Tampa had to take an emergency landing in Atlanta overnight after a passenger was found onboard with a box cutter. According to an airline spokesperson, he was later taken into custody. No passengers or crew members were injured, fortunately. No details, though, have been released yet on the circumstances leading up to the discovery of that box cutter, like how it got on the plane to begin with. All passengers were deplaned and provided with overnight hotel accommodations in Atlanta. WALKER: Right now, hospitals continue to be overwhelmed by cases of

RSV in children. That is a common respiratory illness caused by a virus that can be very serious for young patients and older, and of course frightening for parents. We want to show you video out of Kansas City that shows two police officers saving a one-month-old baby who had RSV and stopped breathing. As you see there, he performed CPR, revived the infant. And now she is doing well, thank goodness. Wow.

Well, joining me is Dr. Carl Eriksson, critical care pediatric physician and associate professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine. That video is just traumatic to watch, and I am so thankful that that baby is doing OK. And this is something that you probably deal with on a regular basis. What are you seeing in terms of the very serious cases, especially in the intensive care units?

DR. CARL ERIKSSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS, OHSU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We see RSV making especially really young infants or children with any underlying health conditions sick every year. What we're seeing right now is a surge of kids with RSV who are very sick, some requiring mechanical ventilation, so a breathing tube and a machine to help them breathe.

WALKER: What do parents need to watch out for? And I think this is something that a lot of us parents struggle with. And I was having conversations with my friends. I think my son had RSV at one point, and I saw that he was struggling to breathe. I just wasn't sure. And I do want to show video that our Dr. Gupta showed to us where the stomach of the baby, the muscles are retracting. Is that the point that you bring the child into the E.R.?

ERIKSSON: Definitely, or at least seek medical care. So the majority of kids who get RSV are really going to basically have a cold. They may have a stuffy nose, they may have a cough, they may have some low- grade fevers, and they just won't feel good.

[10:35:06]

But if you see your child start really working harder to breathe, you can often notice that their belly is moving much more than it normally would when they breathe, or you can see that they are sort of sucking in up above their ribs or even in between theirs ribs, those are all signs that it's getting more serious, and that is the right time to seek medical care.

WALKER: How can you protect your infant from RSV? I am sure there's a lot of parents out there where they have an older child in the family. Of course, they go to school. They have play dates. They obviously bring home germs. What can parents do to keep their little ones safe as possible?

ERIKSSON: It's tough. I'll tell you, I can't tell you the number of parents with kids with these severe viral illnesses that feel really terrible because they weren't able to protect their kids from these illnesses. It's really hard, especially if there are other people in the home. We learned during the COVID pandemic that the things that we do for

COVID are also really effective to limit the spread of other viral respiratory illnesses. And so good hand hygiene, keeping sick people away from anybody who is an infant or who is chronically ill. Those are both really useful in terms of limiting spread.

WALKER: We're also seeing the flu season arrive early as well. How has that along with, of course, COVID on top of RSV, how has all of this, I guess, impacted what's going on this season and when you are seeing at the hospital?

ERIKSSON: Good question. Right now, it's really mostly about RSV for us. I would say that the COVID pandemic has done is resulted in a lot of people leaving the workforce in a lot of areas, including in health care. So as we were really working hard to try to take care of all the kids who need us, who are now sick with RSV, we are doing that with a smaller workforce than we had a couple of years ago. And children's hospitals around the country are really struggling to get the staff they need to provide care to the kids who need this.

WALKER: You were talking about that with our producer that you guys are struggling with a shortage of health care workers still?

ERIKSSON: That's right. Most people probably drive around and see help wanted signs in a lot of different areas, and we're the same way. Children's hospitals around the country and hospitals in general around the country are doing everything they can to hire staff. But we don't have as many staff members as he did a couple of years ago, and that makes it much harder for us to provide care to the number of patients that we are now seeing with severe RSV.

WALKER: Well, I can tell you that so many of us appreciate what you do, Dr. Carl Eriksson. Thank you for everything and for your advice. All the best to you.

ERIKSSON: Thank you very much.

WALKER: All right, still ahead, the campaign trail is still hot in Georgia as Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker get ready to face off once again in a Senate runoff in December.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:42:10]

WALKER: Millions of dollars are pouring into Georgia ahead of the December 6th runoff election between incumbent Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and his challenger, Republican Herschel Walker.

SANCHEZ: Yes, the race heads to a runoff after neither candidate hit more than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday's midterm election. A third candidate, Libertarian Chase Oliver, received about two percent of the vote. CNN's Nadia Romero joins us now live from Atlanta. Nadia, what are we expecting as we head into this potentially very consequential runoff? NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris, Amara. I know a

lot of people who live in the state of Georgia were looking forward to having a bit of a break from all of the politics and all the political ads, but, no, that's not going to happen. At least for the next four weeks you will continue to see all of those ads on every airwave possible. And we'll also see some big spenders, some big heavy hitters will make their way to Georgia as well.

Political leaders as well as celebrities will come to the state of Georgia to rally either for Herschel Walker or for Raphael Warnock. We saw already Senator Ted Cruz make his way to the state to rally for Walker. We are expecting other big names to come out for Raphael Warnock. You have rapper Lil Baby who is coming to have a big event tomorrow who is from Atlanta. A double platinum, multi-selling artist who will rally for Warnock. That's the kind of star power that you will continue to see in the state of Georgia.

And this Senate race was the second most expensive race this election season right behind Pennsylvania as all eyes back here again on Georgia for this runoff election.

WALKER: And Nadia, I've got to ask you, this idea of a runoff election especially here in the south in Georgia, it has a troubling history, especially when it came to the purpose with the rules. Can you explain that?

ROMERO: Yes. And if you really sit down and talk with someone over at the Georgia NAACP or their civil rights leaders, they'll explain to you that this all began in the Reconstruction era after the Civil War. It was a way to limit the power of black voters because there were so many black people in the states that were brought here against their will to work, and then once they were emancipated, black men then had the right to vote later on.

And so this was seen as a way to limit that voting power by the black population that at times makes up some 40 percent of the electorate. So now you have this system that allows for two people to advance to a runoff election if you don't have 50 percent plus one vote. And that's what we're seeing again. And it allows for the white population to really rally together around their candidate, they have the numbers, the majority, and prevent a black candidate from ever getting that office, getting that seat.

And that's why in 2021 many people will say it's the runoff election process is the reason why Raphael Warnock was the very first black person to win a Senate seat out of the state of Georgia.

[10:45:07]

In all of these years, with all of the black people who live in the state of Georgia, and you see those milestones being reached in state after state here and the formerly slave-owning states. So this is a system that has come under question for a very long time now. But this is the system that we have in place.

We also saw, Amara and Boris, the early voting process being shortened during the regular election and now for the runoff election as well, and early voting generally favors Democrats as well. That has come under fire as well.

WALKER: Very fascinating and important to keep the history in mind. Nadia Romero, thank you very much.

And still ahead, a gust of cold weather will be sweeping across parts of the country soon. We're going to have a live weather report when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:21]

SANCHEZ: After days of damaging winds and heavy rain from hurricane Nicole, many sites are finally beginning to see some relief.

WALKER: And for some parts of the country this weekend will usher in a new round of winter weather, whether you like it or not. Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. I like it. What about you?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Winter is coming. My favorite part is the bugs all die. That's literally the most --

WALKER: Same here, totally.

CHINCHAR: -- about winter, yes. And we are, we are going to get a lot of cold temperatures here. We are starting to see that in the central U.S., but all of that cold air is really going to spread out in the coming days, especially once this cold front really starts to exit the eastern portion of the country. It's not there yet. So you can clearly see where the warm spots are compared to where that cold air is. Still 73 in Jacksonville, 75 in Charleston, even 67 still in New York City. But quite a different story on the other side, 35 Chicago right now, 32 in St. Louis, same thing in Cincinnati.

But a lot more areas are going to start to see that cold air begin to push in. We have got the next some system here. It is bringing rain to areas of Kentucky and Tennessee, but back behind that where the cold air is already in place, you have snow showers for areas of Indiana, Illinois, and even portions of Ohio.

But take a look as we go through the week. Really the entire lower 48 is going to see those temperatures either at or below normal, and they are going to stay there. That's going to be the key. This isn't just going to be a one, two day punch where you get cold temperatures and they rebound. Today is the last day, really, for a lot on the eastern seaboard. A high of 73 today in Boston, back down to 46 by Monday. D.C. not that much better, maybe getting up to about 70 for the high today, but a high of only 50 by the time we get to Monday. That cold air is already there for Chicago, and it's going to stay there. It's not even just the Midwest. Take a look at the forecast for Atlanta, temperatures well below average for all of next week.

WALKER: I don't think Boris's Florida blood can handle that cold.

SANCHEZ: I felt like you saying I like winter at the beginning of this was a veiled shot at me.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: I have syrup for blood. I'm a tropical guy. It gets below 50, I start shutting down.

(LAUGHTER)

WALKER: We'll have to watch for that next weekend.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much, Allison.

No one left behind is an enduring promise spanning generations of service and sacrifice. And it's the commitment that U.S. service members make to return their brothers and sisters in arms home.

WALKER: That vow is on display this Veterans Day weekend as military retirees and archeologists excavate and return the remains of a World War II Marine from a battlefield in the Pacific back to the U.S. CNN's Mike Valerio has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAVID MCCANNEL, NEPHEW OF GUNNERY SERGEANT ARTHUR B. SUMMERS: This is his steel helmet, totally corroded.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a precious relic returned from the sands of what once was a lonely Pacific battlefield.

MCCANNEL: It's a gold ring.

VALERIO: Possessions from Don and David's McCannel's uncle, Marine Corps gunnery sergeant Arthur Summers, an American hero they never knew.

Do you have any memories from back then of just what your family said about Arthur?

MCCANNEL: My mother said to me my brother was killed in Tarawa, and his body was never recovered.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For four solid hours they pound Tarawa with high explosives.

VALERIO: Tarawa, November 20th, 1943. It was a brutal battle during World War II, American troops confronting Japanese forces on a sandbar the size of the National Mall. It may seem like paradise in the middle of the Pacific, but it's a place replete with the ravages of war. Japanese canons, bunkers, and stunningly, hundreds of unmarked graves, resting places with the remains of U.S. marines and sailors killed nearly 80 years ago.

PAUL SCHWIMMER, HISTORY FLIGHT: When I said that I'm scarred, this is not a normal thing for somebody to be doing.

VALERIO: Paul Schwimmer is a retired Army Reservist and volunteer with the group History Flight. Its work is often solemn and scarring. Veterans and archeologists digging on Tarawa since 2009 have helped the U.S. government identify at least 96 sets of American remains. Schwimmer remembers the remains of one of the first marines he found.

SCHWIMMER: The kid that was staring me out of that picture was 16 years old. I had the toughest time the next day.

VALERIO: The remains of Sergeant Summers are among the latest discovered by history flight.

And here in East Wenatchee, Washington, a burial with full military honors for summers.

[10:55:01]

Killed at 27, his nephews and descendants now proudly look on. The promise of no one left behind finally fulfilled.

MCCANNEL: The thing about this that's important is that this is how we bury the dead. We do not leave them in the middle of nowhere. This is the best country in the world, and this is part of it.

VALERIO: In East Wenatchee, Washington, I'm Mike Valerio reporting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Wow, what a moving story and a moment to remember our veterans.

That is our time. Thank you so much for watching. There is much more ahead in the next hour of CNN Newsroom.

SANCHEZ: Our friend Fredricka Whitfield picks it up next. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)