Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Georgia Senate Runoff; Biden Proposes South Carolina As First Primary State In 2024 Race; Sheriff: "Act Of Violence" Cuts Power To More Than 40,000 NC Customers; Hawaii's Mauna Loa Volcano Erupts; Russian Strikes Target Southern Ukrainian Villages; Jury Deliberations Underway In Weinstein Sexual Assault Trial; France Defeats Poland 3-1, Moves On To Quarterfinals. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 04, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:37]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. The run-off election for the final U.S. Senate seat still up for grabs and now that race is just two days away. On Tuesday Georgians will choose between incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker, both are making their last pitches to voters in rallies across the state this weekend.

The outcome will determine if Democrats will gain a more solid hold of the Senate majority or if it remains a 50/50 split with the vice president having to break a tie vote.

Enthusiasm remains high in this race. More than 1.8 million people turned out for early voting. And time is now running out for Warnock and Walker to sway undecided voters to their side.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is in Loganville, Georgia, where Walker is holding an event later on today. So Dianne, Walker is getting some help on the campaign trail today.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. In just a little while here Herschel Walker will be appearing alongside Senator Tim Scott and Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana.

This is his only public event today. And look, there's been some criticism of the Walker campaign for this relatively light campaign schedule they have had throughout the run-off period. Not holding as many events. Yesterday he was at a tailgate at the University -- excuse me -- in Atlanta for the SEC championship. Of course Walker is well known as a Heisman Trophy winner. He's a legend at the University of Georgia when it comes to football.

So he was meeting fans and supporters alike there but it wasn't a press event. He didn't make any remarks and he didn't answer any questions. He shook hands and took a lot of selfies with supporters. And it seems like the campaign may be trying to change that in these

final days. He has a very aggressive campaign schedule on Monday, election eve, hitting at least five different campaign stops, something we haven't seen from the Walker campaign much at all on this run-off period.

It's not quite the same that we've seen with the Warnock campaign. He has maintained, the incumbent senator, this more aggressive schedule hitting about half a dozen events this weekend alone in different smaller places, larger rallies.

He had dozens almost of surrogates last night in an AAPI Victory Fund event including six members of Congress and his fellow Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff as well as entertainers and authors and singers and other celebrity personalities trying to get out the vote in the growing politically powerful Asian-American vote here in the state of Georgia.

Look, you mentioned those 1.85 million votes. Democrats very excited about those numbers right now. But Warnock warning his supporters not to get ahead of themselves just yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): We've seen record voter turnout during the early period, but don't spike the football. Don't dance before you get in the end zone. We have to take this thing all the way home. If you know somebody who hasn't voted, tell them to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: And that is really, Fred, the message that we're seeing from all of these campaigns at this point telling anybody who didn't show up already to vote early to make sure they have come out.

There are still plenty of people who voted in the general election who have not come out and voted. There are millions of votes out there for them still to encourage to be on various (ph) polls on Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dianne Gallagher in Loganville, Georgia. Thank you so much.

Let's talk more about this race with David Swerdlick. He is a CNN political commentator and a senior staff editor for the "New York Times" opinion. David, so good to see you.

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey Fred. Good to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. So we know at this point the early voting turnout has been in record numbers there for this senate run-off in Georgia. Tuesday, what are your expectations for day of turnout?

SWERDLICK: So Fred, you always let me get away with a sports analogy so I will do one here.

WHITFIELD: I love it. [14:04:50]

SWERDLICK: This election, like so many now, is being contested between the 45 yard lines. The race was close on regular election day. I expect that it will be close on the run-off. I believe last time I looked at the RealClearPolitics average it was within the margin of error.

Democrats have what they want in terms of a large turnout. They have also sort of put that lackluster debate of Senator Warnock's behind them. They also, Democratic voters, have some additional incentive here because they know that if Democrats get a 51st vote in the Senate, not just that 50-50 tie with Vice President Harris as tiebreaker, they will have more control of committees, be able to move their agenda a little more smoothly especially on judicial nominations and that's motivating their base.

But this is still a fight over those swingable voters in the middle, white women with college degrees in the suburbs. Walker still has Republican voters who want to see Republicans hold on to as much Senate control as possible.

So Senator Warnock in that clip that you just played Fred, was right. if you're a Democrat, you can't spike the football. You have to play through until the end because the stakes in Georgia are very, very high.

WHITFIELD: Right. I mean Independents wield a lot of power particularly in this race. We know that traditionally Republican turnout is usually pretty sizable, pretty strong, on Election Day. So your point is well taken there.

So Warnock also, you know, he's been holding a lot of rallies right into this weekend bringing in big names such as former President Obama, you know, heading into the homestretch. Herschel Walker has taken a more kind of low key approach, holding fewer events and relying on ads from Governor Brian Kemp too who recently won reelection. So how do you assess the difference in strategies here?

SWERDLICK: So Fred, I think this is what is going to make a difference in this race on Tuesday.

I'm not making a prediction, but as you say, Senator Warnock has former President Obama going out there and campaigning for him. President Obama is still the best, most skilled, retail politician on Planet Earth and Warnock has him in his camp.

On the flip side Herschel Walker doesn't have the coattails of Governor Kemp anymore like he did in the general, and most notably, former President Trump, who is also a very, very skilled campaigner, is not out there campaigning hard for Walker.

And if the election winds up going to Warnock, then I think that is what will be the difference.

WHITFIELD: In fact, Republicans have been discouraging the former president -- even though Herschel Walker is his pick -- but discouraging him from, you know, being anywhere in Georgia to campaign on his behalf. So then what does that tell you about the road ahead for, say, a candidate now Trump if one state, such as Georgia, which continues to be a really pivotal important state even, of course, into the 2024, that Republicans will be saying to Trump to stay out because it may be detrimental to their support.

SWERDLICK: So Fred, that thing goes both ways. On the one hand President Trump doesn't have the hot hand right now because Republicans did not do as well as they expected, not nearly as well as they expected in the midterms, so that's the incentive for a campaign like the Walker campaign to say, ok maybe we'll go with other surrogates.

But on the other hand, former President Trump is nothing if not crafty when it comes to partisan politics and he knows that if Walker loses and he did go out and campaign for Walker then he would take a further hit to what people see as his viability.

So I think it's in the mutual interests of these two camps to just sort of stand down for right now.

WHITFIELD: Got you. Ok. Another way to look at the race of 2024, Democrats are now moving forward with President Biden's proposal of making South Carolina the first state to hold a primary.

Historically it's Iowa and New Hampshire which have held the first contests. But you know, those are less diverse states. And is that what is behind -- is that's what's behind Biden's push for South Carolina first?

SWERDLICK: Fred, let me first just make an appeal for common sense here. There has always been an obvious solution to this problem on both sides of the aisle which is to just divide the country up into four or eight regions and have those regions rotate on who gets to have the early primaries.

But we're past the point of common sense on this issue. So now what you have is Democrats making this aggressive push which is probably in the interest of the Democratic base and the Biden administration to front load South Carolina, which was already an early primary state. But now have it go first.

Let's remember, black voters are the core of the Democratic voter base and the majority of Democratic voters in South Carolina are black. This was the state that really pushed former vice president, now President Joe Biden into the lead that he never relinquished in the 2020 Democratic primary.

[14:09:55]

SWERDLICK: So it only makes sense that people in his camp want to put that up front. I think that I understand why Iowa and New Hampshire don't like being demoted but the reality is that those are not core Democratic base states especially not Iowa. New Hampshire maybe a little more. And so that's just what's going to happen. Parties exist to win

elections and that's what they're trying to do here.

WHITFIELD: David Swerdlick, always great to see you and hear from you. And now I have a new, you know, title for you. The captain of common sense. Thank you.

SWERDLICK: I like it. Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Me too. And I know you love sports analogies so there you go, the captain of the team of common sense. All right. Thanks, David.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: All righ.t Don't forget we'll have full coverage of the Georgia run-off race on election day starting at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.

And new today a massive power outage is still affecting tens of thousands of people in North Carolina after what investigators call a quote, "act of violence" at multiple substation sites.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is on top of this story. Gloria, do we have a more clear picture of what happened?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, Fred. A clearer picture is beginning to emerge about exactly what happened here leading to this power outage.

More than 40,000 people across the area, Moore County in North Carolina are currently experiencing those power outages. This is an area that's about 90 miles to the east of charlotte.

Now, I want to get right to what we know so far because we did hear from a local congressman, Richard Hudson, who represents the area. He posted this message on Twitter saying that last night unknown individuals vandalized at least two substations in Moore County with criminal intent.

Now we have been digging a little bit more into exactly what the congressman was referring to and we actually spoke just a short while ago with a local fire chief there who confirmed to us that two substations in the area have, in fact, been damaged by gunfire.

So this all certainly will be part of the investigation which is ongoing now. We spoke with the fire department who also confirmed to us that as a result of these power outages they are experiencing an increase in emergency calls.

Traffic lights in the area are out, and that has led to some car accidents. And they've been also getting calls from people who rely on oxygen for medical equipment. That is certainly a point of concern.

Now the local police department has -- is providing a charging station so that people who have equipment that needs to be charged can do so there. Now we have reached out to the local police department and the FBI who

has acknowledged that they are aware of the situation there in Moore County to see if we can get a little more detail.

The governor also posting a message on Twitter just a short while ago saying that he spoke with Duke Energy, the local provider there, and state law enforcement officials about the power outages in Moore County. They are investigating and working to return electricity to those impacted.

Now a point of importance on when electricity will come back, Fred, the local fire chief told us that this kind of damage will require significant repair.

And at first they thought that the power might be able to come back tonight, but now that they're getting a clearer picture of the damage, it's likely it might take at least until Monday, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. A very curious situation. Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much.

All right. Tampa's police chief has been placed on leave after she was accused of flashing her badge and asking to be let go during a traffic stop.

The sheriff's office says Chief Mary O'Connor and her husband were pulled over while riding a golf cart on a road.

CNN's Leyla Santiago is following the developments here. Leyla, what's happening?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, as you mentioned O'Connor now on administrative leave. And it was after this body cam footage revealed that she was pulled over during a traffic stop and, yes, asked the deputy or told the deputy that she was hoping he could let this go.

Now, this happened about three weeks ago. So here is what the footage shows. It shows the deputy pulls over a golf cart. She is in the passenger seat. Her husband is driving.

And when that Pinellas County deputy begins to explain to them why he's pulling them over, again saying listen, the golf cart was on a public road without the appropriate tags, this happens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY O'CONNOR, TAMPA POLICE CHIEF: Is your camera on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is.

O'CONNOR: I'm the police chief in Tampa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, how are you doing?

O'CONNOR: I'm doing good. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok.

[14:14:56]

O'CONNOR: I'm hoping that you'll just let us go tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: Ok, later on she then gives him her business card and says, listen, if you need anything, give me a call, anything at all. She says she's serious about it.

So she has since apologized for having the golf cart on the road without the right tags and even says that she understands why some people think that her handling of this may be inappropriate. But points out that she has -- had no bad intent, that she knew she was being recorded and also says she has since called the Pinellas County sheriff's office to pay any sort of potential fine that could be associated with that.

Now, here is what the mayor says. Here's the statement from the mayor. Let's read this together. The mayor saying "We hold everyone accountable no matter their position, and this behavior was unacceptable. Chief O'Connor will go through the due process and face appropriate discipline."

So what now? Well, she's been placed on administrative leave and now there is a pending investigation, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Ok. Leyla Santiago, keep us posted on what may potentially be next.

WHITFIELD: Still to come here rivers of lava flowing on Hawaii's Big Island. The beauty is spectacular and for many native Hawaiians, volcanic eruptions are a moment to honor and reflect.

We will talk to an officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority about this spiritual and cultural connection to lava.

[14:16:27]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The world's largest volcano continues to spew lava across Hawaii's Big Island. You are looking at live images right now of the glowing superheated flow and you see the smoke and the plumes of ash. All of that, drawing many people in to see this spectacle. CNN's David Culver has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: About two and a half miles from where we're standing you can barely see this under the cloud cover that's moved in the edge of the lava flow and you'll see going up into the air some of the plumes, not of smoke but acidic gases. And so that's part of the concern with this is what's going up into

the air, what's called the vog or volcanic smog. It could be very toxic. And officials have been advising folks particularly those with respiratory issues to be mindful of that.

Still though they want people to come out and to enjoy what is a spectacular sight and one that is rare here. I mean it's been 38 years since Mauna Loa erupted.

So for them to be able to come out to what is the largest volcano, the world's largest active one at that, and to take it in is spectacular but it's also one they want folks to keep a safe distance from.

And they're monitoring closely the flow of that lava because it's going now at a much slower pace than it was certainly initially about 25 feet per hour according to the governor here. And it's making its way this direction.

Now here is another really concerning part and that is what's on the other side of this side street, a main highway that cuts from one end of the Big Island to the other. You cut that off, transportation wise you're going to have a lot of issues. And so they don't want that logistical nightmare just fall into place.

Until that point, though, they're saying come on out. They're letting people park along this side street here that's been turned into a one- way roadway so that people can safely pull over, you see folks there parked, just take in the sites, some bringing offerings, especially locals who see this as a very culturally significant and spiritual event. They're bringing leis, flowers, one woman rosemary.

And while some of course are taking pictures especially in the middle of the night where it is just stunning and you have that glow up into the sky. People are also just wanting to be here in the midst of the stillness of it all.

There's a mutual respect you feel as well. People will say do you mind turning off your car lights and take it in perhaps together in a more impactful way. And people are doing that collectively and enjoying it.

Overall though, it's still a potentially dangerous situation, potentially very destructive. They saw that here back in 2018. And so it's one that they're monitoring closely and updating daily.

David Culver, CNN -- Hawaii.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And as David reported, those living on the Hawaiian islands have a sacred and profound connection to the volcanoes. Some residents describe the spiritual importance of this eruption.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERECH ZYCH, OAHU RESIDENT: This is very significant. Like my wife, we made leis on Oahu, we brought them over here and we gave it as an offering. You know just you come with respect.

PULANI ZYCH, OAHU RESIDENT: It's all beautiful to us. And so we pay huge reverence to this. It's very culturally significant for us as well. So it's a big deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's talk more about the cultural relevance here. Joining me right now is T. Ilihia Gionson (ph) with the Hawaii Tourism Authority. So good to see you. Aloha.

T. ILIHIA GIONSON, HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY: Aloha, Fredricka. Thanks for having me on.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

So wonderful. So explain to us, you know, the significance to why Hawaiians view volcanoes, dormant and active, so sacred.

GIONSON: In the Hawaiian world view, in the Hawaiian genealogy, the islands themselves are family members. The islands themselves are ancestors. The natural forces that shape the island are certainly part of that.

And so for many local families, for many Hawaiian families, Pele, the goddess of the volcano, that life force is an ancestor and so in many ways an eruption is akin to grandma coming over to visit.

It is not something viewed with fear necessarily but an awareness certainly and there are protocols associated with that much as you might when your grandmother comes to visit.

[14:24:56]

WHITFIELD: That's beautiful. So then this is a family member, you know, like grandmother. So we heard from the one gentleman who said he, you know, brought leis from Oahu, you know, to present as offerings. What are some of the other things that Hawaiians do to, you know, pay tribute to these family members in these volcanoes.

GIONSON: Great question. You know, a lot of it has to do with the practices of each individual family. Not really sort of any blanket things. A hula practitioner may offer a hula. A chanter may over a chant, a lei maker may offer a lei.

Sometimes communing in silence is an offering. And so it really depends on the family and the practice of that family.

That's why it's so important that while we're communicating to visitors is that if you come upon someone dancing, chanting, or clearly in a moment to let that be. Not every hula is a performance, not every chant is a performance, especially in a dynamic time like this but always.

If there is an invitation to watch, you can take the invitation. If there is not an invitation, don't presume one. WHITFIELD: Because there's messaging. I mean it's a communication.

There's messaging that comes with, say the hula.

So I wonder when we talk about the offering, whether it's a hula or whether it is a lei, where are they placed? Because everyone knows that by now, you know, you have to keep some distance from the lava.

So the gentleman who talked about bringing the leis as an offering, where would he have put them?

GIONSON: You know, everything on the island is so interconnected. It's really up to that person and their own tradition. Certainly we're in a time with a population of over 200,000 on Hawaii island, regular visitation by many more visitors, management of crowds and keeping them safe, keeping them at a safe distance from any lava is important.

I want to give some of the credit to the county of Hawaii, Hawaii County Civil Defense and all the teams helping them, to maintain that balance between access, you know, proximity to view but also maintaining public safety.

And so, you know, people will want to get as close as possible and we thank everybody for being mindful and respectful of some of those barriers and boundaries as David mentioned.

The highway, the major highway there, is a big highway. It's the closest thing to an interstate we have here on the island. On a normal day, folks will be traveling at high speeds and so having folks parked on the side of the road was a challenge.

And so we appreciate the county as well as the army, the (INAUDIBLE) training area, for opening that former segment of the old road as one- way viewing area that David mentioned that allows folks to get a little bit closer and safely.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And so you are referring to this volcano like the other volcanos as a family member. You know, the laymen, most of us know it as Mauna Loa. So it awoke from this 38-year rest.

So for you personally and culturally, what does this eruption mean, and how does it make you feel?

GIONSON: Yes. This is an active island. It's a dynamic island. The last two eruptions not necessarily of Mauna Loa but the last two eruptions on this island in 2018 and 2014 were very much a part of my adult life, my professional life.

In fact, my daughter was carried during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea and we found out that she was the third generation in my partner's family to be carried during an eruption on this island.

And so there are many meaningful ties like that whether you are native Hawaiian or not. There are these ties of being part of this island, being rooted to this island and really any of the Hawaiian islands as many families do trace their roots back to this island.

WHITFIELD: And on the Big Island, right, there are five volcanoes?

GIONSON: There are, yes. The two most active are Kilauea and Mauna Loa as we see now.

WHITFIELD: Ok, very good. This was a beautiful educational experience. I so appreciate that. I've seen Kilauea but it was dormant, you know, just the heat coming from the vents is all I was able to experience in terms of anything close to an eruption.

But nonetheless, the volcano dormant and active are just spectacular there. So thank you so much for sharing the personal connection, the cultural connection and educating us all. Ilihia Gionson, thank you.

[14:30:00]

GIONSON: Mahalo, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Mahalo.

Coming up, another barrage of Russian missiles strike Ukraine overnight as Ukrainian officials warn that Russian troops have a new town as their prime target. We're live in Ukraine, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Russian strikes hit southern Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian officials say villages were hit with heavy artillery. Russia has targeted the region in recent weeks along with the country's infrastructure.

CNN's Will Ripley is in Kyiv for us today.

[14:35:02]

So, Will, good to see you. I mean, Ukraine says the town of Bakhmut has now become the focus of Russian attacks. What can you tell us?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, on the eastern front, you know, the Donetsk region, which has really been a flashback going back eight years when I was last here in Ukraine, shortly after the illegal annexation of Crimea, that is where the fighting was happening, on the eastern front in Donetsk.

In Bakhmut is now, according to the Ukrainian military, Russia's number one target. Why this particular town? Well, frankly, the Ukrainian eastern group of armed forces spokesperson says that the Russians are desperate to show some kind of success on the battlefield after a series of humiliating defeats. And so, they've really been focusing all of their efforts as of late on Bakhmut, and trying to get as close to that town as they can because it could then theoretically allow them to push further west if they were to occupy it.

But the Ukrainians while it is a struggle for them and they are taking heavy fire as we speak, they are holding their own and the situation is table, Ukraine says at this point. But it's not the only flash point where there is, you know, violence happening. If you move down to the south whether it'd be, you know, Zaporizhzhia, Dnepropetrovsk, or even in liberated Kherson in southern Ukraine, all of these areas have been the targets of Russian shelling during the overnight hours into the daytime hours here.

It is Sunday evening now here in Kyiv where it's been a quiet day. The air raid sirens haven't gone off, but they were certainly going off in the south when this Russian artillery was coming in and civilian homes damaged, apartment buildings were damaged. These are not military installations that are being hit. These are people's homes.

These are lives that are being torn apart and destroyed. In fact, there was one civilian killed and two injured in southern Ukraine, and they're still having to pick up all the mines and trip wires and other dangerous objects that Russia left behind, Fred. They more than 4,200 of those just in the area around liberated Kherson and they've managed to destroy 1,200 of them. They have the power grid back up to 75 percent capacity in Kherson.

But, of course, as you've been talking about all weekend, Fred, there is growing concern of another major Russian attack on this nation's power grid and energy infrastructure expected by the Ukrainians from Russia in the coming days potentially.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, my goodness, the deluge just continues. It's incredible.

Will Ripley, thank you so much from Kyiv.

All right. Still ahead, deliberations in the Harvey Weinstein trial will continue tomorrow. The former movie producer is accused of using his Hollywood influence to lure women into private meetings and assault them. We'll have details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:41:52]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Jury deliberations will resume tomorrow morning in the sexual assault trial of Harvey Weinstein. He is charged with two counts of forcible rape and five counts of sexual assault. The 70-year-old former movie producer is accused of using his Hollywood influence to lure women into private meetings and assault them.

CNN's Camila Bernal joining us now.

So, Camila, jurors began deliberating on Friday. What more can you tell us about how things will resume tomorrow.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, so I will first start with why this trial here in Los Angeles is important. Yes, Harvey Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence for similar crimes in New York, but he is appealing that conviction. The case here in Los Angeles is also a much larger case. So you have more accusers, more charges. You mentioned those seven charges, two rape-related. The other five

are sexual assault related. If convicted, he could be facing 60 years to life plus five years. Harvey Weinstein is 70 years old, so this could mean the rest of his life behind bars.

Now he has maintained his innocence. He has pleaded not guilty to these seven charges. And his attorneys arguing that a lot of these accusations, that the relationships were either fabricated or consensual.

And then you have the prosecutors who say, look, Harvey Weinstein, you saw a pattern of rape here. What they're saying is a rapist rapes. They were saying, look, he used his influence in Hollywood to assault women.

The jury here, though, has heard from so many people, about 50 witnesses. This trial began in late October and it's four women, eight men, who will decide what happens next to the man who once dominated Hollywood. All of them heard from the four accusers in this trial.

That even includes the first lady of California, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who is also a filmmaker. She says that Harvey Weinstein raped her. His attorneys, though, saying that this was consensual.

So, again, this back and forth and we'll have to wait for the jury to see who they believe -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Camila Bernal, thanks so much.

All right. Still to come --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I was going out to get onto the bus and then a raccoon was there and it tried to attack me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Yes, this 5-year-old and her mother attacked by a violent raccoon. The whole incident caught on surveillance camera. We'll show you the video, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:48:54]

WHITFIELD: All right. More exhilarating matches on tap in the World Cup. Of course, by now, you know, USA is out but, hey, there's France, and they're advancing after defeating Poland, 3-1 in their round of 16 match. And right now, England is taking on Senegal.

And CNN's Patrick Snell is here to break it down for us.

I know how excited you are because England is in it to win it. How are you doing?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: A little bit of indulgence, Fredricka, yes, my country, my homeland, England --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SNELL: -- playing Senegal at this hour. England's lone World Cup triumph today in 1966. Approaching halftime, currently, England, 2, Senegal nil. Senegal will feel hard done by that. Good side, moments for them in the first half of that game. But England striking late in the first half.

The oldest player on the pitch, Jordan Henderson, yeah, absolutely, 32 years of age, Jordan Henderson putting England ahead. Harry Kaine I'm hearing his first goal at the World Cup, 2-0, England.

Now, earlier in the day, France, they beat the Polish national team, 3-1. A special moment for 36-year-old Olivier Giroud.

[14:50:02] He opened the scoring in this one, Fred. This is incredible because why do we care? It's his 52nd goal for his country.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

SNELL: And the AC Milan man now becoming France's all-time leading scorer, surpassing even the great Thierry Henry.

But there's another breakout star at this tournament, and I'm talking, what a youngster.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

SNELL: The prolific Kylian Mbappe, making the game safe for the French, scoring not once, but twice in this one. Mbappe, with his now tournament high, fifth.

WHITFIELD: He is amazing.

SNELL: He is incredible. He's not even 24 yet. That's his ninth career World Cup goal.

Mbappe now surpassing the great Pele who I'll talk more about in just a moments, for goals scored by men's player at the World Cup before the age of 24.

So, in a nutshell France advancing, Fred, to the quarterfinals and Mbappe is a huge reason why. He's just incredible, so talented.

WHITFIELD: I mean, he's become an amazing favorite. An all-time favorite is, of course, Pele. I was just talking about him yesterday, of course, before learning of the news of the great Pele.

SNELL: Yeah, it's been a very emotional weekend. And sort of Saturday started sort of very concerningly, but then it ended on positive note. And I do want to say, also, the buildup to that game, because Brazil

taking on South Korea. Team news I'll get to in a moment. I will say that Neymar has been cleared to play in this match, as a South American, a record extending sixth title, a huge boost for them because he is their talisman. But if I can get more on to Pele because Neymar is second on the all time list, behind the Brazilian great Pele who I just mentioned, and we have -- I mentioned the emotions running so high. We have so many messages of support and encouragement throughout this entire weekend from the football world and beyond really.

Late Saturday, the 82-year-old icon of the sport saying he is strong and has a lot of hope as he continues meantime with his treatment for colon cancer. That update coming after an initial reporting early Saturday in his homeland, that indicates that Pele's health had actually worsened. Pele, of course, for our viewers worldwide, Fred, a three-time World Cup winner, an icon of the sport, considered a greatest best player.

For many, simply, the best.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

SNELL: And this is what else he added. I have a lot of faith in God -- he's a man of huge faith -- and every message of love I receive from you all over the world, keeps me full of energy. And watch Brazil in the World Cup, too, as well, he added.

Certainly wishing Pele and his family, of course, all the very best, Fred, at this time.

WHITFIELD: I know the team, no matter, I mean, they are just paying tribute to him all the time. I mean, his legacy just so great.

Pele, we're all wishing you the best.

SNELL: We do.

WHITFIELD: Patrick Snell, great to see you.

SNELL: Pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

All right. And be sure to tune in to an all new episode of "THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA LING, CNN HOST: What's wrong with having a baby tiger cub?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The way that nature works is tiger cubs should stay with their mothers for up to two years. What we see in the tiger cub encounter industry is the cubs are taken from the mothers sometimes hours after they're born and these are cubs whose immune systems aren't fully developed.

LING: It's unhealthy for the cubs and awful for the mothers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the wild one tiger would maybe give birth six times. But we are seeing tigers in the captive industry bred dozens of times which is physically exhausting and it's traumatic for them every time their babies are taken from them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Lisa Ling bringing us always the most amazing stories. "THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING" airs tonight at 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:58:41]

WHITFIELD: (VIDEO GAP) story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SCREAMING)

REPORTER: You're watching a violent raccoon attack a sweet 5-year-old girl.

RYLEE MACNAMARA, BIT BY RACCOON: No!

REPORTER: And it's all caught on camera. That's little Rylee MacNamara shaken up over the aggressive animal.

R. MACNAMARA: I was going out to get on the bus and then a raccoon business there and tried to attack me.

REPORTER: It succeeded, grabbing on to Rylee's leg, biting her at least once while she's waiting for the school bus.

R. MACNAMARA: I don't want to go off of my leg.

REPORTER: Riley's mom Logan hears her daughter screaming, rushing outside and then she starts struggling with the raccoon.

LOGAN MACNAMARA, FOUGHT RACCOON: I thought maybe she slammed her finger in the door. I definitely wasn't expecting to walk out and see a raccoon wrapped around her leg.

REPORTER: Eventually, Logan is cable to get Rylee inside, while fighting the raccoon, flinging it as far as she can. Logan heads inside. The raccoon walks into the woods.

Speaking only to channel 3 tonight, Rylee and Logan are showing us their marks. Rylee bit on her leg. Logan with some scratches on her arm. The two went to the hospital received rabies shots as a precaution and were back home in a couple of hours.

R. MACNAMARA: It really hurt.

L. MACNAMARA: I think I just kind of panicked at first. I was more scared than anything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, she was incredibly composed.

So, we do want to note that the little girl and her mother will, of course, need additional rabies shots over the next two weeks.

We're glad they're okay for now.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for being with me this weekend.

"CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Jim Acosta.