Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

CNN Projects Democrats Will Keep The Senate; Unexploded Munitions Force Some Evacuations In Zaporizhzhya; Turkiye Seeks To Mediate Peace Talks; Dems Hope To Boost Senate Majority With Georgia Win; Biden In Asia; Netanyahu On Course For Sixth Term As Israeli Prime Minister; Big Ben Is Back. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired November 13, 2022 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Alison Kosik in New York.

America is inching closer to finalizing the midterm elections with control of the Senate now decided in the Democrats' favor.

But the House of Representatives is still depending on the outcomes of 20 undecided races in California, Oregon and Arizona. Today, however, Democrats are celebrating a hard-fought victory for control of the U.S. Senate.

As new vote totals were released overnight in Nevada, CNN was able to project that incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto would be the Democrats' 50th Senate seat.

Still one more race is to be decided in Georgia. But for now the Democrats know that they will control the Senate for the next two years, with the vice president as tie breaker. Here is Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer as the 50 seat threshold was crossed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MAJORITY LEADER: The election is a great win for the American people. With the races now called in Arizona and Nevada, Democrats will have a majority in the Senate and I will once again be majority leader.

This election is a victory, a victory and a vindication for Democrats, our agenda and for the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: The Nevada win is on the heels of another Democratic Senate win in Arizona, where Mark Kelly prevailed against Blake Masters. But with the Arizona governor's race still hanging in the balance, some Republicans are falsely claiming that the vote counting is taking longer than it should even though it is not. County election officials say the protests will not disrupt how the

ballots are counted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL GATES, CHAIR, MARICOPA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: Folks here in the building, they are aware of what is going on outside. There is a crowd that is peaceful out there right now.

We have every reason to believe that they will continue to be peaceful. And, look, the people who are here, who are counting the votes, they believe in democracy, they believe in the First Amendment. And they acknowledge the right of those people to be out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: As we mentioned, control of the U.S. House remains in flux with 20 races still undecided. Democrats have picked up some seats over the past few days. But the math still favors Republicans, who are just seven shy of a majority.

CNN correspondents are following every twist and turn of this historic election. Nadia Romero is in Atlanta, Kyung Lah is in Phoenix but we begin with Rosa Flores in Las Vegas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The stakes were high, the margins were razor thin but, in the end, the Democratic incumbent prevailed. Catherine Cortez Masto gets to stay as the senator from the state of Nevada.

And with that, the Democrats get to keep and maintain control of the U.S. Senate. Here's how it all went down.

The Republican, Adam Laxalt, was in the lead for days and then, on Saturday evening, Clark County released a batch of about 23,000 votes. And here is how those votes were divided.

Catherine Cortez Masto receiving about 14,000 of those votes or 60 percent of the vote. Laxalt received more than 8,000 votes or about 35 percent of that batch. Now that put Catherine Cortez Masto in the lead and CNN called the race at that point in time.

Her campaign taking to Twitter, saying, quote, "What did people get wrong about this race?

"The first Latina senator knows her community better than anonymous sources. The daughter of a Teamster knows how to fight for working families. And CCM's -- or Catherine Cortez Masto's -- a former AG and crime attacks couldn't stick."

Again, the Democrat here, Catherine Cortez Masto, keeps her seat and stays a senator of Nevada -- Rosa Flores, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KOSIK: Last hour I spoke about this important Nevada win with political science professor Fred Lokken in Reno. And I asked him how Cortez Masto was able to overcome a surprisingly strong Republican challenge. Here he is.

[05:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED LOKKEN, TRUCKEE MEADOWS COMMUNITY COLLEGE: So this last four days has been a very painful period of waiting for this to happen.

Really what did happen is we saw the results of the Election Day but not 50 percent of the ballots that had been cast prior to Election Day and on Election Day. So we've been waiting for those to come in and be opened and processed and verified and counted. Very happy to be at this point.

KOSIK: Talk with me about voter turnout in Nevada.

What was it like?

What were the top issues that drove voters to the polls?

LOKKEN: Well, the senator is a very popular first-term senator. It seems like a close election and seems very dramatic. But this is the record-breaking election in Nevada. Over $200 million were spent on this campaign. And much of it was from outside the state and much of it was incredibly negative.

So the senator dealt with a barrage over the months, dating back to spring, of very negative attack attacks. Crime emerged as a topic. We were wondering about whether or not abortion was still relevant.

Certainly the economy has been a major issue over all of us. But as you indicated in your reports, it ultimately did not stick. People thought that she was a very sincere candidate and that the attacks were unfair. And she weathered it, she made it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Mark Kelly's projected win helped get Democrats positioned to keep control of the Senate. After it was announced, Kelly spoke on Saturday, saying that it was time for the country to move forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): After a long election it can be tempting to remain focused on the things that divide us. But we've seen the consequences that come when leaders refuse to accept the truth and focus more on conspiracies of the past than solving the challenges that we face today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Maricopa County continues to hold the biggest number of outstanding votes in the state of Arizona. And while the Senate race is called, the governor's race is far too close. Kyung Lah has more from Phoenix.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT: The count continues in Maricopa County; 85,000 votes released here in the county, still more votes to be counted. And still no clear answer on the governor's race here in the state of Arizona.

Republican Kari Lake did manage to close the gap just a bit on Democrat Katie Hobbs, who remains the leader. If you look at the numbers, the margin has shrunk just a tad but not enough to determine if there is a clear winner at this point.

But the Lake campaign releasing a little information about what it's inside their campaign headquarters, saying they believe these numbers offer a glimmer of hope, the campaign saying, "There is 100 percent a path and because the vote is still going on, that there is so much we do not know at this stage."

We do know CNN has projected a winner in the U.S. Senate race in Arizona. Mark Kelly, the senator, will maintain his seat. The race was called in his favor by CNN. Today thanking his supporters who backed his race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY: You are all the reason that we are successful. I also want to thank our state's election officials, honorable Republicans and Democrats, who were doing the important work of making sure that Arizonans' votes and voices are heard, their votes are counted as quickly and as transparently as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: Blake Masters has not conceded but indicated in a tweet he would be open to it after every legal vote is counted.

How many votes do remain?

In Maricopa County there's about 185,000 to 195,000 votes remaining. The anticipation is, on Sunday evening, another release of votes of about 80,000 here in this county -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Phoenix.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: With us live from Sydney to talk about the midterms is Jared Mondschein, the director of research at the United States Studies Centre.

Thanks for being here.

JARED MONDSCHEIN, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, UNITED STATES STUDIES CENTRE: Thanks for having me.

KOSIK: So what are the takeaways that you have from the midterm elections?

I'm curious what surprised you about the way the votes went.

MONDSCHEIN: Yes, I think it is all about expectations. In 2016, what was shocking is everybody expected Hillary Clinton to win there. And in this midterm election, they expected there to be a red wave and it did not happen. The president's party usually loses about 28 House seats.

[05:10:00]

MONDSCHEIN: And the fact that the Democrats did so well and they may even gain a seat in the Senate really is quite a remarkable change from what we expected. And it goes against all conventional wisdom. Even most of the optimistic Democrats did not see anything like this coming.

So I think it shows that we're really in uncharted territory. When you have a president with approval ratings in the 40s and so much concern about crime and inflation, you'd think that this could be a clear win for Republicans. But I don't think that we're really out of the woods yet from 2020.

KOSIK: So what does it say about the support from Americans for President Biden?

Did voters cast ballots for Democrats or against Republicans?

MONDSCHEIN: That is a great question. I think that we're still trying to get to the bottom of that with the exit polls, seeing why people voted. Seems like there was a bit of a switch.

During the U.S. summer, there was tailwinds for the Democrats after the overturning of Roe v. Wade and half a century of Supreme Court precedence on abortion.

But then it seemed like the concerns about inflation and crime were eclipsing those prior -- that prior sentiment. But then at the end of the day, everyone really thought that it was a sure win for Republicans in the House and it was more likely than not that they might even take the Senate.

But the fact that it went against that just shows you, like I said, we're in uncharted territory. We don't really know how much of it was against President Biden or maybe really against president Trump.

I think if there is anything to know about American politics, they like to look forward and the fact that president Trump is so focused on 2020, it is not something that lot of Republicans are in favor of. Folks want to move on.

KOSIK: What do you think are the lessons that Republicans will learn from the midterms? And can these issues be corrected by 2024?

MONDSCHEIN: I think, after January 6, 2021, there was perceived lessons that Republicans took away from that experience and how they view president Trump and how they want to move on.

But that was clearly not the case. Similarly after then candidate Trump's "Access Hollywood" tape in 2016, there seemed to be some conventional wisdom and how quickly things move.

But at this point, the fact is, that after all those controversies with president Trump, he is proving time and time again he lost the presidency, before that the House and the Senate. And now he is again -- a lot of Republicans are thinking that he was the primary reason that they lost in these midterms on the whole.

I think they see him as a loser and that is not what they want. As much as he caused controversy, they saw him as a winner and someone who could energize the base. But if he is not delivering that for them anymore, there is really concern amongst the Trump camp that they will move on from him, especially if Ron DeSantis is eclipsing him.

He did so well on Election Night, I think all the momentum is in DeSantis' corner at this point.

KOSIK: And you talk about the loser and DeSantis is the winner.

So what do you think is DeSantis' political future?

Can he be the Republican nominee and win a presidential election, can the nation accept him?

MONDSCHEIN: At this point I don't know if he has the national sort of name ID that he needs but he has plenty of time do that. It is important to note that, when candidate Trump went down that famous escalator back in 2015, that was June 2015.

So more than six months after the 2014 midterm election. So we're a long ways away from having 2024 set up for us. Back in 2015, all sorts of folks we thought would be the GOP nominees. And they did not come close in the end.

It was really Trump or maybe you could say Ted Cruz. But nothing anywhere to what we imagined. And so I think at this point, Ron DeSantis is looking favorable but there is a long way to go until November 2024.

KOSIK: And so much to talk about and analyze. Jared Mondschein, thanks so much.

MONDSCHEIN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Still ahead, jubilation in a liberated Ukrainian city. How residents of Kherson are celebrating their long awaited freedom. And Turkiye's president wants to mediate talks between Ukraine and

Russia. Why he thinks an agreement on grain exports could serve as a roadmap for an end to war.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

KOSIK: After a long campaign to liberate Kherson, some Ukrainian troops are returning to the city and reuniting with their loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK (voice-over): This video shows a soldier rushing back to his grandmother's arms as she falls to her knees and breaks down in tears. It is one of many uplifting moments we've seen over the past few days.

Just yesterday the Ukrainian flag was once again raised at the city square. Hundreds of residents joined in the celebration, waving flags of their own and cheering for the troops who freed the city from the Russians.

So far Ukraine says it has liberated more than 60 settlements in the Kherson region, mostly in the area west of the Dnipro River. Now authorities are trying to restore normality to those places. But they face a daunting task because they still have to clear a lot of mines that Russia left behind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Crews have been deployed to remove the explosives from Kherson to a town in the neighboring Mykolaiv region.

[05:20:00]

KOSIK: Meantime in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhya, officials are also trying to clear unexploded cluster munitions that landed in a residential area after a Russian attack. Residents of six buildings have been evacuated as a precaution.

As the turmoil rages, Turkiye's president is reportedly trying to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, just like it mediated a grain shipment deal between both countries.

For more, let's go to our correspondents, Sam Kiley is in Kyiv. And Scott McLean is joining us from London.

Sam, to you first.

What is next for the settlements that have been liberated?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The immediate challenge is going to be clearing those mines that you mentioned in your introduction, clearing away all the unused ordnance, mopping up, cleaning up and rebuilding.

Because Russians, during their withdrawal, destroyed the power generating capacity, the communications infrastructure and, of course, the power generation means that there is very little running water in Kherson.

They have been able to get food in pretty rapidly. But rebuilding that infrastructure will be very important as winter approaches. But for the population there, that is relatively insignificant compared to the joy of being liberated.

But on the other side of the river, 60 percent of Kherson province is in Russia's hands; in particular, Nova Kakhovka, upriver from Kherson, one side of the river opposite that bank now controlled by Ukrainians, the other side controlled by the Russians.

That will be a very significant target in the future for Ukrainian forces, because it controls the water flowing down the canal from the Dnipro into the Crimean Peninsula.

So in that context, the Russians have recently announced that they are evacuating civilians from around that area 15 kilometers away from the river, perhaps signaling that they are anticipating at least heavier fighting there. But combat continues in the east of the country, with very intense fighting indeed to the west of Donetsk.

KOSIK: Sam, thanks for all that great context. And more now from Scott McLean in London.

And let's talk more about this idea that Turkiye's president is trying to mediate peace talks in the way that he did with the grain deal.

I mean, is the likelihood that this could come to fruition?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I wouldn't hold your breath on this one. But if there were to be any kind of peace talks, you have to imagine that a country like Turkiye and its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan could play a pretty significant part in brokering those talks.

Turkiye has managed to maintain positive relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, it was involved in a large prisoner exchange in September, it is looking to become a gas hub for Russian gas to get toward Europe.

And, of course, it helped broker this grain deal back in July at first and then convinced Russia, along with the U.N. just a few days ago, to rejoin that grain deal that guarantees safe passage for ships carrying Ukrainian exported grain through the Black Sea.

So according to the Turkish state broadcaster, Erdogan had been hoping to speak with President Putin at the upcoming G20 summit to try to figure out what it might take to restart these peace talks.

Of course he would need President Zelenskyy as a willing partner as well. Unfortunately, President Putin won't be at the G20 summit. So those talks, if they do happen, won't be taking place there.

But Erdogan is fighting an uphill battle. The Kremlin says it is open to negotiations but the time is not right now, because it points to Kyiv, saying that President Zelenskyy signed an official decree, which is true, that ruled out the possibility of peace talks after Russia illegally annexed four Ukrainian territories.

Zelenskyy said that he would hold talks only if President Putin was no longer president of Russia. One of his advisers said that a condition to having those talks would be the restoration of all Russian occupied Ukrainian territories.

So some pretty hefty demands here to even restart the peace talks at all. And none of them seem really likely anytime soon.

So if President Erdogan can even succeed in maintaining the success of this grain deal over the next coming weeks, maybe months, that alone would be seen as a pretty big success. But peace talks seem pretty far off at this stage.

[05:25:00]

KOSIK: Unfortunately. All right. Scott McLean, great to see you. Thanks.

A busy week for the U.S. President. In a few minutes, we'll have live reports on his stop at the ASEAN summit and a preview of his high stakes meeting with Xi Jinping.

And Georgia's December runoff could give Democrats a bigger majority in the Senate. We'll take a look at how both parties are vying for a win in the Peach State.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

KOSIK: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Alison Kosik in New York. Let's return to our top story, the results from Tuesday's midterm elections.

And we now know that the Democrats will keep control of the U.S. Senate. CNN can project that Catherine Cortez Masto will win re- election, defeating Republican Adam Laxalt. That gives the Democrats at least 50 seats, enough to control the chamber with the vice president casting tiebreaking votes.

Next door in Arizona, Democrats had a big victory with Mark Kelly winning re-election in his Senate seat. And in the lower chamber, Republicans are just seven seats away from taking the majority there. But the race is far from decided.

While the victory in Nevada seals Democratic control of the Senate, they still want to boost their majority with a win in Georgia. Republican nominee Herschel Walker and Democratic incumbent senator Raphael Warnock will face each other again in a runoff on December 6.

[05:30:00]

KOSIK: Both candidates were on the campaign trail this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERSCHEL WALKER (R), GEORGIA U.S. SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: If you watch what he was saying, we're going to go in a runoff. And I was saying no, I want to beat you outright. If he want to go in a runoff with me, you bring it homes. Because I was built for this.

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): I did warn y'all that we might be spending Thanksgiving together. And here we are. So I need you to stick with me for four more weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Nadia Romero has more from Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With the runoff on December 6, both candidates have to do everything that they can to re-energize their supporters, letting them know, hey, you've got to come out and vote for me again.

And then also trying to woo some of those people who voted for the third party candidate, who was able to receive about 2 percent of the vote in the last election.

And so now you are trying to bring your supporters back and potentially take some from the other two candidates previously on the ballot. We expect some political heavyweights to make their way here to the state of Georgia, even some celebrities to come out.

We already saw senator Ted Cruz out in Georgia, rallying for Herschel Walker. On Sunday we expect to see one of the biggest rappers in the industry come out in support of Raphael Warnock. That is what we expect to see throughout the next couple of days.

But the question is for Herschel Walker.

Who will he ask to come and rally for him?

Will it be former president Donald Trump, the person who gave him the nod for this position?

Or will it be someone like Georgia governor Brian Kemp, who has been feuding with president Trump over the past few years but was able to win his re-election bid with a wide margin and is very popular still here in the state of Georgia?

Those are questions that both sides of the aisle have to figure out as they continue to pour in more and more money. When you look back at the last election, Georgia was number two on the

list for spending for Senate races, only second to Pennsylvania. So many of the voters who I spoke with, who were Republicans, who were Democrats, were hoping that things would be wrapped up on Election Day so that their airwaves would get back to normal.

But that won't likely happen. More money coming to Georgia, more ads will be hitting the airwaves and more conversations about this particular race, not just in Georgia but for its national potential as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: As the election drama plays out here in the U.S., Joe Biden boarded Air Force One to depart Cambodia for Indonesia. He was having meetings with Asian leaders at the ASEAN summit, seeking to counter China's growing influence in the region.

Mr. Biden went to Cambodia after attending the COP27 climate summit in Egypt on Friday. His next stop is the highly anticipated G20 summit in Bali. And that is where he will hold his first in-person meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping since taking office.

We have full coverage of this developing story with two CNN senior international correspondents. Will Ripley is live for us in Phnom Penh and Ivan Watson is in Bali.

First, Will, President Biden took part in a trilateral meeting with the prime minister of Japan, president of South Korea.

What came out of that?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As Air Force One is wheels up here in Phnom Penh, just a shout out to my team here. There was a huge massive storm just minutes ago that forced us to tear down our live location outside and bring it up inside.

So the fact that we're on talking about President Biden's departure is almost as extraordinary as the fact that you had the leaders of South Korea and Japan sitting in the same room, working together on an issue of shared concern, given the huge and long-standing rivalry and tensions between those two countries that are closely allied with the United States specifically over historical issues going back even farther than World War II.

President Biden at this trilateral meeting spoke of the cooperation between the United States and the leaders of South Korea and Japan on the issue that is uniting them front and center at the moment in that region, which is North Korea.

And the possibility of another nuclear test, U.S. working with its allies to come up with some sort of coordinated response to that. This is what President Biden had to say just minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We face real challenges but our countries are more aligned than ever, more prepared to take on those challenges than ever. So I look forward to deepening the bonds of cooperation between our three countries.

[05:35:00]

BIDEN: And I thank both of you for your friendship as well as your partnership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: And so President Biden now wheels up on the way to Bali for this highly anticipated meeting with the Chinese president. And we're told he did get input from his allies into what the United States should try to gain from this very important sitdown with the Chinese president happening tomorrow.

KOSIK: Will Ripley live in Phnom Penh, thanks for dodging the rainstorm. Your hair looks great.

Let go to Bali now and Ivan Watson.

Ivan, President Biden on his way to where you are for this really highly anticipated meeting between him and China's Xi Jinping. Their relations are strained, to say the least.

So what is the expectation of what can really come out of this meeting?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the expectations have been lowered by the White House, which is saying that we're not expecting, for example, any joint statement coming out from the meeting of these two leaders.

But instead they are just trying to open channels of communication, to ensure that the growing competition and rivalry between Beijing and Washington does not deteriorate one day into an open conflict between the world's two largest economies.

I believe that we have some sound from President Biden earlier today in Cambodia, addressing this upcoming meeting with Xi Jinping, with the political wind at his sails from the unexpected results of the midterm elections in the U.S. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know I'm coming in strong but I'll need it. I know Xi Jinping. I spent more time with him than any other world leader. I know him well; he knows me. There's no -- we have very little misunderstanding.

We've just got to figure out where the red lines are and what are the most important things to each of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WATSON: Xi Jinping, of course, is coming in, having secured an

unprecedented third term in office. So you've got two kind of politically emboldened leaders, who are going to have their first face-to-face in-person meeting since Biden was elected president two years ago.

Of course they are familiar with each other; they have been meeting face-to-face for more than 10 years now. And there are a whole host of issues where Beijing and Washington disagree.

The biggest flashpoint is that self-governing island of Taiwan. Beijing claims it as its own territory, even though the Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan ever. And it accuses Washington of interfering in its own internal affairs every time a top U.S. government official travels to Taiwan.

President Biden has said several times that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China ever moved militarily against it. That is a big friction point. And there are other areas as well. China has said that it wants to establish a new world order in conjunction with Russia.

So it is hard to see where these two leaders can see eye to eye. The White House saying, again, they want to establish each other's red lines to make sure that these disagreements do not spin out of control in the future.

KOSIK: Ivan Watson, thanks for all that great context.

Hundreds of cruise line passengers infected with COVID have disembarked in Sydney after their ship docked in the city. The cruise line says about 800 people aboard the Majestic Princess tested positive, including passengers and crew.

All positive cases were mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic and the guests were isolated in their state rooms. The affected guests were eventually escorted off the ship from a separate exit.

At least two people were killed Saturday when two planes collided at an air show in Dallas, Texas. We have to warn you the video may be disturbing to some viewers. The B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and then crashed to the ground.

Officials have not confirmed the number of casualties. An NTSB investigation is underway.

Still ahead, Israel's president meets with the country's longest serving prime minister and it could pave the way for another leadership term for Benjamin Netanyahu.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:40:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING) KOSIK: This hour Israel's president is meeting with Benjamin

Netanyahu in Jerusalem, asking him to form the country's next government. If Netanyahu can do so by next month, he could become the nation's prime minister for a sixth time, extending his record as Israel's longest serving leader.

Let's get more details now from Elliott Gotkine, live for us in Jerusalem.

So Netanyahu will have 28 days to form this government. I understand there is a possibility of a 14 day extension if required. But I would imagine there are tons of obstacles in his way to pull this off.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you can probably see behind me, Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking as we speak, alongside president Isaac Herzog. He has just received the mandate to form the next government after being recommended by a majority of members of the parliament.

And some of the words we've been hearing from both the president and Netanyahu all point to Netanyahu needing to and vowing to be the prime minister for everyone in Israel, not just those people who voted for him.

About half the population didn't vote for parties that will be in this coalition government. You talked about obstacles. I think it is perhaps unlikely -- we won't see many obstacles with him forming the government. He will have to horse trade with his partners.

They will decide which ministries that each person will get. But Netanyahu won't let the opportunity to be prime minister go wanting. So it is unlikely that he will have problems forming a government.

The showdowns will undoubtedly ensue. Some of his partners have in the past, from the Jewish Power part of his coalition, have talked about changing the status quo of the Temple Mount.

[05:45:00]

GOTKINE: And that could stoke further tensions. One of his other partners is a self-described homophobe. He wants to water down the powers of the supreme court and also to strike out crime, such as breach of trust, which just happens to be among the indictments facing Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial.

And they have just finished speaking here. But bottom line is that Benjamin Netanyahu will start negotiations formally with his right wing partners, who are expected to form the most right wing government in Israel's history.

And he has 28 days, possibly a two week extension. Assuming he does it within 28 days, probably a week for the speaker of the Knesset, likely to be an Netanyahu ally, to call a confidence vote.

Assuming he gets through that, Netanyahu will once again be prime minister of Israel for a record sixth time and extend his record as the country's longest serving leader.

KOSIK: A lot of steps to go through and we'll watch it with you. Elliott Gotkine, thank you.

A new report says Iranian security forces have killed more than 300 people since nationwide protests began in September.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK (voice-over): The tally by Iran Human Rights, an NGO in Norway, estimates of at least 326 people killed, 25 were women and 43 were children. The group adds that the death toll is likely higher. CNN has not been able to independently verify their numbers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: CNN's Melissa Bell is joining us live from Paris with more.

These numbers are just incredible, it is just so gut-wrenching.

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And undoubtedly underestimated. That is what that Norway based human rights organization says, at least that figure.

And, of course, they warn that, given that so many people are now in prison on security-related charges and facing execution, that is almost certainly a number that is likely to rise.

Of course, also because those protests continue largely during the day; sit-ins at universities that continue. But of course, spilling out on to the streets in the evenings. And it is that chanting that continues to be heard now.

The eighth week of protests and no sign that they are dying down. We've been hearing criticism from a spokesman from Iran's foreign ministry of words spoken here in paris on Friday by the French president, in which he expressed his admiration for the revolution, words that were, according to the spokesman, regrettable and shameful.

A reminder that the regime is keeping a very close eye on what is being said about these protests abroad, even as it continues to face them fairly consistently in really what is the largest challenge to the regime since the 1979 Islamic revolution. No sign for the time being that it is slowing down.

KOSIK: OK, Melissa Bell in Paris, thanks very much.

An historic landmark has regained its full voice. And we'll tell you about the return of Big Ben after five years. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:50:00] (MUSIC PLAYING)

KOSIK: Welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik.

(SPORTS)

KOSIK: Disneyland's iconic ride It's a Small World is getting some new characters: dolls in wheelchairs. Disneyland says the change is part of an ongoing inclusion effort. Dolls with wheelchairs will be added at the Orlando resort and Disneyland Paris, this happening next year.

Well, we have six weeks before Christmas. But one big sign of the holiday season has arrived here in New York City. This year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrived on Saturday.

The Norway spruce stands at about 82 feet tall and weighs in at 14 tons. The massive tree will be decorated before the famous lighting ceremony happening on November 30th. After the holidays it will be taken down and donated to Habitat for Humanity, where the wood will be used to build houses.

Even before most Americans have finalized their Thanksgiving plans, the Viennese Dream Christmas market is open in Vienna, Austria. And there doesn't seem to be a mask in sight.

The market was closed during the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Last year, the market still had some COVID-19 restrictions but now vendors say the place is hopping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I can tell you we are open today for the first day and I've never seen such a strong customer frequency on the first day. It's fantastic. Everything is on the move. Everything is on its feet. The tourists from all over the world are here; the Austrians as well. It's great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: The Vienna Christmas market runs until December 26.

Before we go, Britons are gathering for the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in London. In just a few minutes they will hear Big Ben ring out its somber notes at the symbolic hour of 11:00 local time.

The landmark's five year long restoration is over and now its full booming voice is officially back. And it is on its old schedule. Parliament clockmakers tell us all about it.

[05:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is going to be the first time since 2017 that the clock itself will be ringing all the four quarter bells and Big Ben for Remembrance Sunday. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's 1,000 pieces to this clock. Every piece

was taken apart and it was approached with conservation best practice in mind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is where they took sections out to actually see how far the crack went in, some 11 inches thick.

It's the sound of London back again. You know, the bells sounded through wars. And we just try and imagine what these bells have actually seen, 160 years in London.

Even though everybody carries a wristwatch or looks at the computer, they love listening to Big Ben. So we started again striking it this week. And all we've gotten is praise, people going, oh, that's brilliant to hear Big Ben back again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Welcome back, Big Ben.

I'm Alison Kosik. Thanks for your company. For our international viewers, "Going Green" is coming up. "CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND" is next for our United States viewers.