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One Dead, Multiple Missing After String Of Powerful Tornadoes; Candidates, Surrogates Making Final Pitches To Voters; More Than 34 Million Votes Already Cast In 47 States; Results Of Key Races May Not Be Decided Election Night. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired November 05, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a lot to look forward to. It's going to be very busy day.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Plenty to enjoy. Carolyn Manno, thank you so much. The next hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Amra Walker.

SANCHEZ: Good morning, Amara. I'm Boris Sanchez. We're following a tornado outbreak across three states, that's killed at least one person as several others remain missing. There is now a search underway as communities start to assess the damage.

WALKER: Plus, it is the final weekend before election day. Yes, it's finally here. And we're just three days to go, candidates making their final pitch. And, of course, big name surrogates out on the trail trying to pick up last-minute voters

SANCHEZ: And yet another provocation by Kim Jong-un. South Korea is saying that for more missiles have been fired overnight. We have the latest on these escalating tensions.

WALKER: And soon it will be legal to take psychedelic drugs in Oregon? Could more states follow suit?

Good morning, everyone. And thank you so much for joining us on this Saturday, November 5th. Hi, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Good morning, Amara. Great to be with you, as always. We have a lot to get to, but we start with severe weather this morning. A string of tornadoes ripping through three states, causing widespread damage and major power outages. At least 18 tornadoes were reported between Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas and authorities are still trying to figure out the extent of damages and injuries as entire homes were destroyed during the overnight storms.

WALKER: And take a look at this tornado seen in hard hit Sulphur Springs, Texas. Yes, that is quite big. The tornado also tore through neighboring Lamar County where officials declared a disaster because of injuries. More than 100,000 people are now without power across the region.

SANCHEZ: And further north in McCurtain County, Oklahoma search and rescue operations are underway after one person there reportedly was killed during the storms. Several others, as we noted, still remain missing. Let's go to Meteorologist, Chad Myers, he's in the CNN weather center for us this morning. Chad, what's the latest?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Things have calmed down. It's now a squall line. So, the threat of tornadoes, at least large ones like we had yesterday, has gone down significantly to almost zero, but there's no such thing. So, the weather that we had yesterday, it was the clash between the warm and the cold. It happens in the spring. It happens more in the spring, but it's still not out of the question. You get a severe weather outbreak like this when the winter tries to push summer away.

So, 18 tornadoes reports, as you said, there may be more they'll be out looking for them. Also looking at the size of them. Here's the tornado you showed from Sulphur Springs not long after this storm -- it got a lot bigger. There were reports there of things falling from the sky and the radar also showing things that weren't raindrops or hailstones in the sky as well. So, leaves, twigs, sticks, and you know, all the other things that come apart with a tornado here, the pictures here, many, many spots had long tornadoes on the ground for miles and some could easily be EF-3 or higher.

There was weather all the way from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, all the way down to the Gulf Coast. And there still is -- there was hail in Madison, that was golf ball size. So, you go from Lake Michigan all the way to the Gulf Coast. And yes, that is snow on the backside because it's going to get windy and it's going to get cold on the other side of this storm, and there will be some snow coming down. Wind gusts to 60 miles per hour today in some spots there along the Great Lakes. The severe weather risk today significantly less, only Category One, where yesterday we were up into Category Four out of Five.

So, yes, it will rain. Yes, there'll be thunder. Yes, there'll be lightning. Yes, there will be people outside at college football games and other things out here today on a Saturday or tomorrow into the Sunday, there will be some lightning as well. So, you're going to have to take your own precautions. Make sure your phone has an app on it where you can look at the radar and if it's coming your way, you know to get inside.

WALKER: Absolutely. Chad Myers, great to see you. Thank you so much. To politics now, and the race to the midterm elections is heading into the homestretch.

SANCHEZ: Just three days to go, we can see the finish line, Amara. The candidates and their high-profile friends are making their final pitch to voters across the country.

WALKER: Yes, and the battle for the control of the Senate. It comes down to a handful of key states including Pennsylvania. President Biden, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump are all campaigning in the state today. And the President is keeping his focus on democracy but also the economy. And Republicans had into Tuesday's elections with a slight edge.

SANCHEZ: Millions of voters have already cast their ballots; early voting is actually up compared to the last midterm election in 2018. Almost 35 million people in 47 states have voted early and about two million of those early ballots were cast in Georgia, where Reverend Raphael Warnock and football star Herschel Walker are locked in a very tight race.

[07:05:19]

WALKER: CNN National Politics Reporter Eva McKend is on the campaign trail in Athens, Georgia. What an unpredictable race when it comes to the Senate race in Georgia. What do we know so far when it comes down to Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, good morning to you both. Yes, as you mentioned, more than two million people voted in the last two weeks during this early vote period, that ended yesterday. Of course, people can vote on Tuesday, Election Day. And I get a sense from speaking to Georgians that they are so engaged in part because of this Senate contest that is so close. And because the Senate contest between Senate, Senator Raphael Warnock, the incumbent Democrat, and Republican Herschel Walker could determine the balance of power in Washington, Georgians understand the power of their vote. Take a listen to how Warnock and Walker are making their closing arguments on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERSCHEL WALKER (R-GA), SENATE CANDIDATE: I can promise you, I'm going to lower your taxes. I can promise you, I'm not going to go to Washington just vote with Joe Biden. And I told him, I said, Sir, you either believe in Joe Biden but voted with him 96 percent of the time, or you have no clue what you're talking about -- which one you want to decide.

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): He's really good at imagining things. And now, he wants us to join him in this project of imagining that somehow, he's equipped to be a United States Senator, but I've got a feeling that the people of Georgia know better than that, and they're going to get this right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So, we're at the University of Georgia where Herschel Walker will hold a rally here later today, a bit of a homecoming of sorts, of course, because this is where his football career was launched, even though he's from Wrightsville, Georgia. Senator Warnock holding a number of events today on his bus tour as well.

SANCHEZ: And Eva, we want to get an update on the other big race in the Peach State, the rematch in the governor's race from 2018. Incumbent Republican Governor Brian Kemp going up against Stacey Abrams again, where do things stand there? MCKEND: Well, Boris, this is one of the most highly anticipated rematches in the country, but things very different from four years ago. Now, Stacey Abrams is challenging an incumbent Republican governor, they make their election arguments very different on the campaign trail. Governor Kemp focuses a lot on arguing that he is the best person to shield Georgians from the impact of inflation. And Stacey Abrams really argues that the policies that Governor Kemp has championed are too dangerous. I caught up with her on her campaign bus this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACEY ABRAMS (D-GA), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: The reality is our lives are at stake. Women are losing more and more of their rights, and this Governor has said he intends to pursue even further legislation that comes to his desk. He's willing to sign legislation to deny access to contraception. This is a Governor who has weakened the gun laws in the state of Georgia, and he wants to do more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So, Georgia often referred to as the center of the political universe, and you can understand why two key races to watch here.

SANCHEZ: We will be watching them very closely. Eva McKend, thank you so much for that update. So, political observers have some advice for watching Tuesday night's election returns. Patience, be patient.

WALKER: That's right, because when the polls close and the results start to come in on Tuesday, there's a good chance we will not know the outcome of some of those key races, maybe for days. CNN Political Director David Chalian explains why election night could turn into a waiting game.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: We're going to focus in on battle for control of the United States Senate and I'm going to explain why you need to pack a little patience as you watch the election results come in on Tuesday, because it may be that this is not resolved. We may not know which party will control the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night when we go to bed. These are the 35 Senate races this cycle. They're in light gray here because this is the live map. We're waiting for votes to come in. These will start turning red and blue on election night.

But keep your focus on five states: Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia. These battleground states will determine which party controls the Senate. I want to talk specifically about Pennsylvania for a moment, because this is what I mean by pack your patience. It's the Fetterman-OZ Senate race. We know that in Pennsylvania, elections officials cannot even open ballots and begin processing and counting that absentee mail until polls open on election day and it's going to take some time. There's going to be a substantial amount of absentee vote and it's going to take some time to count. So, on election night, when this first starts filling in, I would imagine Mehmet Oz is going to have a big lead.

[07:10:10]

Now, whether or not he wins at the end, I don't know. But he's going to come out front with a big lead, because the Election Day vote, which tends to be more Republican will be counted first, before the absentee vote, which tends to be more Democratic. So, the more pro- Fetterman vote will start filling in as the night and possibly days were on.

An example as a reminder to folks is to go back to the 2020 presidential election. OK, and let me come out here and use Georgia as an example: 7:16 p.m. on November 13, 2020, votes just start coming in; Donald Trump, way ahead. Watch that time stamp. OK. 8:07, Donald Trump's still way ahead. Midnight, November 4th, Donald Trump, 315,000 votes ahead, eight percentage points ahead of Joe Biden.

24 hours later, Donald Trump's lead is cut to 33,000 votes, still quite close but Trump on top 24 hours after that still. 4:47 a.m. November 6th, Donald Trump has 665 vote lead. It was not until November 7th that Joe Biden actually came ahead of Donald Trump in Georgia. And as we know, Joe Biden won the state of Georgia, it just took some time for all of that to get voted. So, when you watch the returns come in on Tuesday, be aware you may need patience.

WALKER: I'm already impatient hearing that I need to have patience. All right, joining me now are Brian Robinson, a Republican Strategist and President of Robinson Republic P.R.; and Theron Johnson, Former South Regional Director for the 2012 Obama Campaign and President and CEO of Paramount Consulting Group LLC. They are also the co-hosts of the "Political Breakfast" podcast. Great to have you both on.

Theron, let me start with you, you know, especially as we're getting into the final few days, abortion and democracy in peril, you know, these seem to be the closing arguments that Biden and Democrats have been focusing on. But look, the polls show it's the economy, right. That's like the urgent, acute concern for most voters. Is this the wrong approach, Theron?

THERON JOHNSON, FORMER SOUTH REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE 2012 OBAMA CAMPAIGN: Well, I think you can actually talk about the abortion issue that we have in this country, with the Dobbs decision. You can talk about health care. But you can also talk about the economy. And I think one of the things that you see in a lot of key states around the country, particularly where we have very competitive Senate races, the Democrats are talking about the job growth that we've had in this country. We just had a recent third quarter growth and jobs. Wages are up as gas prices are going down.

People are actually working. But we just have to remind the American people that we endured a deadly pandemic, we had the war in Ukraine, supply chain issues, and we have many tax breaks for the wealthiest people in America, particularly a lot of corporations. And so, I believe that we've got to tell our story. As Democrats, we got to remind voters that when we say our most economic prosperity in this country with Democrats, we're in the White House, and we got to be very, very specific on that message moving forward. WALKER: OK. But unfortunately, the reality for Democrats is that it's

the Republicans that really seem to have the momentum, right? Enthusiasm about the midterms is higher with Republicans actually, compared to Democrats. This is according to the latest CNN national poll: 38 percent of Republicans extremely enthusiastic, versus 24 percent among Democrats. And, Brian, I mean, they've been pounding the Democrats for the "rampant inflation." But what is the Republican plan then to fix the economy?

BRIAN ROBINSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, in the campaign season, there is no plan. I think the Republicans said earlier in the year, they're going to make the Democrats own their own record here, and, and then figure it out once they get into office. And that's how elections go. I don't see a lot of big plans from the Democrats on how to fix it either. So, they're pretty even on that score.

The fact of the matter is in these swing states, the ones that will determine control of the U.S. Senate, you're seeing some of the highest inflation in the entire country. You're seeing that in metro Atlanta, and you're seeing that in metro Phoenix. You know, and in Pennsylvania, you see a heavy emphasis on the crime issue. These are some topics where Democrats are on the defense right now. And unfortunately, for Democrats and good for the Republicans, the economy and crime are voter's top issues.

So, Democrats are having to talk about stuff that aren't top issues, because they're trying to scare their base. They're trying to get turnout because like your numbers show, they don't have enthusiasm. And I would say that those Republican enthusiasm numbers are even higher in those swing states that I just mentioned: Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, those voters know the odds of the nation are on them, they know their vote really matters, could determine the direction of the country.

WALKER: So, then, to follow up Brian, are those three states, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia, are those the races the close races that you believe Republicans have the most momentum?

[07:15:18]

ROBINSON: Well, their numbers speak for themselves. I mean, you've seen Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania close what was a very big gap earlier in the fall, and is now in, in competitive position. You see, a competitive race going on in Arizona against an incumbent Democrat who has been fairly popular. And the same in Georgia -- you've seen Herschel Walker close big. And now, polling has been a little all over the board but has always shown him pretty close. But more consistently, now, you're seeing Herschel Walker in a lead and a red wave could take him over 50.1 and avoid the runoff that the entire nation has been prepared for Georgia.

WALKER: You know what, both of your ties to Georgia, I'm sure you're both tickled by the fact that control of the U.S. Senate could come down to Georgia. Theron, look, the Senate race here in Georgia has really emerged as one of the most unpredictable, right. I mean, it's a really, really tight race. What will you be looking for on election night?

JOHNSON: Well, the first thing that I want to remind Georgia voters is that we actually won the state in 2020. We delivered a blue Georgia for President Joe Biden. And then, January 5th, 2021, we sent Senator Raphael Warnock to Washington to fight for all Georgians. And so, I'm very confident, if you look at Senator Warnock's record, and how he's delivered time and time again, for Georgia voters when it comes to the economy, protecting our veterans, he's making tons of announcements around what he's doing to stimulate the economy. He's working to bring electric school buses here. He just announced a lot of funding around public safety. These are the issues that this senator has led on in Washington.

Now, let me also be very clear, when I'm going to be watching on election night is the Metro Atlanta turnout when counties like DeKalb County, Fulton, Cobb, and Gwinnett, but I'm also going to be very, very keyed in on some of the Southeast and Southwest counties in Georgia. I believe that Senator Warnock would do better than respect in those counties. And I also believe that he'll win this race without a runoff because I think that Georgia voters know that he is the best person compared to his opponent to represent Georgia and the United States Senate.

WALKER: Win the race without a runoff. We'll have to see if that really happens, because it is really neck-and-neck. We're going to leave it there, Brian Robinson and Theron Johnson. Appreciate you both. Thank you.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

ROBINSON: Thank you.

WALKER: And CNN's special coverage of the midterms begins tomorrow night with Erin Burnett, kicking off things at 6:00 p.m. followed by "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 8:00, and then Dana Bash and Abby Phillip at 10:00 with "ELECTION WEEK IN AMERICA."

SANCHEZ: And as we just discussed, the economy is one of the top issues for voters and right before the midterms, the latest jobs report is showing a stronger than expected labor market. CNN's Christine Romans breaks it down for us.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Boris, job growth is slowing but still remained strong in October. It shows a still resilient jobs market beginning to cool from the red-hot pace of last year and earlier this year. You can clearly see the trend: 261,000 jobs added, that's the fewest in almost two years, slowing from a fevered pace. A year ago, October, 677,000 jobs were created.

Now, this year, four million jobs have been added, recovering all of the pandemic jobs lost and putting 2022 far ahead of job creation for a typical year pre-pandemic with two months to go. Hiring was broad base led by healthcare workers, office jobs, leisure, and hospitality and manufacturing. Annual wage growth remained strong at 4.7 percent. But cooling from five percent and higher earlier this year. Even that strong wage growth, though, could not keep up with

inflation, which was 8.2 percent in September. One reason why so many Americans say they are dissatisfied with the economy. Amara. Boris.

WALKER: All right. Christine, thank you. And still to come this morning, the January 6th committee is extending its deadline for former President Trump to turn over subpoenaed documents as Trump teases another run for the White House.

[07:19:24]

SANCHEZ: Plus, the leader of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, taking the stand in his own defense in his seditious conspiracy trial will tell you what made him break down in tears multiple times while on the stand.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: President, former President Trump is plotting another bid for the White House this week while campaigning for Republicans in Iowa. The former president teased a possible run, here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will very, very, very probably do it again. OK. Very, very, very probably --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now, top Trump aides say that an announcement could come as soon as the week after the midterm elections. CNN's Gabby Orr has more.

GABBY ORR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara and Boris we are days away from the U.S. midterm elections, but former President Donald Trump is already thinking about 2024, including one he could announce another campaign for the White House. Sources tell CNN that Trump and his aides have recently discussed the third week of November as their ideal launch point. And they claim that it would give him an opportunity to capitalize on what they believe will be a red wave for Republicans next Tuesday with major gains in the house and a possible takeover of the Senate.

[07:24:46]

ORR: Now, the former president has not yet decided on a firm date, but one possibility that's been floated in his orbit is the Monday after the midterm elections, or November 14. We do not know where he will make his announcement or what exactly it will look like but he has shown an eagerness about running again in his recent campaign appearances for midterm candidates.

At his Thursday night rally in Sioux City, Iowa, Trump told the crowd to "get ready" because he will "very, very, very probably run again in 2024." Of course, this all comes as a former president and some of his associates face several ongoing investigations that could lead to indictments after the midterm elections, that remains on the mind of his aides as he plots his next chapter, and it could lead to changes in his 2024 timeline. Back to you.

SANCHEZ: Gabby, thank you so much. The January 6th Committee meantime has extended its deadline for Donald Trump to provide documents it has subpoenaed of the former president.

WALKER: And in that subpoena, the committee demanded that Trump turn over any communication sent or received from Election Day on November third 2022 to President Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021. The new deadline is for documents, for documents is no later than next week. Trump is also under subpoena to provide a deposition to testify under oath beginning November 14. Now, Trump has criticized the committee but has not said whether he would comply with the subpoena.

The Oath Keepers' leader charged with seditious conspiracy in federal court paints himself as an anti-racist and anti-violence libertarian, who believed the 2020 election was invalid with Biden nor Trump winning. Stewart Rhodes testified in his own defense Friday. He is the first of five defendants to testify. The courtroom was packed as Rhodes took to the witness box. CNN's Sara Sidner with more.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris and Amara, Elmer Stewart Rhodes III did take the stand in his own defense, and he seemed to act in the beginning as his own character witness. It was clear, he was trying to show a softer, more caring side of himself after the jury for weeks has been seeing some of the text messages and signal messages and hearing some secret recordings that show him using often violent, angry political rhetoric and talking about things like the Civil War and that a bloody battle may have to ensue or be necessary to stop President-elect Biden at the time from coming into power in the lead up to the January 6th attack and even after the January 6th attack.

Rhodes in his testimony put on a big show of emotion choking up at least three times on the stand while talking about his life and his beliefs. He built himself to the jury as a non-violent, a lover of America, a believer in the Constitution, a fighter for what is right, a helper who helps all manner of people from LGBTQ members of that community to black business owners in Ferguson, Missouri, for example, who he said had asked for his help in protecting their businesses when the uprising sparked some violence there after police officers killed Michael Brown in 2014.

He talked about his mother dying and choked up at that point he nearly cried talking about after he had created the Oath Keepers in 2009 and attended an event with veterans. He choked up then. There seemed to be a real strategy on his part of the defense team to show the kinder gentler side of Mr. Rhodes after the jury heard weeks of testimony. That basically was the complete opposite of that. We also heard something new, a new wrinkle from Rhodes on how he thinks about the 2020 election.

Prosecutors showed the jury early on that Rhodes wrote this open letter that everyone could see, the public could see to President Trump before January 6th, telling him to invoke the Insurrection Act and showed a clear desire for President Trump not to concede the election to Joe Biden. But when Mr. Rhodes testified about his thoughts on the election on the stand, he testified that he did not believe Joe Biden or Donald Trump won the 2020 election because in his opinion, the presidential election itself was unconstitutional. Because he said, look, state laws were changed by executive fiat, not by the legislatures.

Rhodes made sure to tell the jury that some people consider him an expert in constitutional law, and that he was a Yale Law graduate and a former lawyer. What he did not say is that he was barred from practicing law in 2015. Amara. Boris.

[07:29:44]

WALKER: Well, Sara Sidner, thank you for your reporting. South Korea is reporting North Korea launched new short-range ballistic missiles, the growing tensions on the peninsula is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:34:10]

SANCHEZ: New this morning, South Korean officials say they have detected four short range ballistic missiles launched overnight by North Korea. The missiles apparently falling into the waters off the Korean Peninsula are only the latest in a spree of recent launches from the North that earned a strong condemnation from the United Nations. Urging Kim Jong-un to immediately stop and resume denuclearization talks.

Joining us now to share his perspective is Gordon Chang. He's the author of Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World.

Gordon, great to see you as always. Appreciate you sharing part of your Saturday morning with us. What is Kim Jong-un trying to accomplish here?

GORDON CHANG, AUTHOR, NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN: Several things, Boris. First of all, it needs to validate its missile designs. You know it had belong moratorium. So, it really wants to know if it's new designs work.

[07:35:02]

Second of all, they would like to show their customers that their missiles work. And that would primarily be Iran.

Also, North Korea wants to stop the joint exercises between the United States and South Korea, the Vigilant Storm air exercises now going on or just ended a few hours ago, even though, North Korea continues its large-scale exercises.

And a fourth thing would be, they would like to give the new South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol a hard time.

So, you put all those together and it makes a lot of sense for North Korea from its own perspective to continue these missile tests. SANCHEZ: Gordon, do you consider the current White House policy toward North Korea to be effective? It doesn't seem like the North Koreans are eager to engage at least publicly in any way.

CHANG: The new North Korea policy? No, it's not working. But you have to put that in context and that the North Korean policies going back to George H.W. Bush, every administration has failed at this.

So, you have to put that in that long line of the inability of the United States to stop North Korea. The thing that is important here is that North Korea is one of the most destitute societies on earth. And the United States is the strongest. And yet we have failed over decades to stop something which really is not in our interest for the North Koreans to continue.

SANCHEZ: Gordon, this week, CNN reported that the United States believes North Korea is secretly supplying Russia with ammunition for its war in Ukraine. And you noted Iran, there's new CNN reporting that shows that the Iranians have asked Russia for help bolstering their nuclear program.

How do you think the United States can juggle these largely anti- Western, autocratic countries, as they appear to work together as potential threats?

CHANG: The United States has the ability, I believe, to stop most of this activity. Because this activity is funded by money, and that money for the most part, goes through New York, and it's in dollars. And the United States can apply -- invoke Section 311 of the Patriot Act, to declare Chinese and Russian banks to be a primary money laundering concern.

That would disconnect their dollar accounts because every dollar transaction clears through New York. So, we have the ability to stop this. No administration has been willing to go after the big banks that have done this.

The Trump administration disconnected a small Chinese bank in 2017 as a warning, but the Chinese continued money laundering with their big banks. And the Trump administration didn't go after those big banks.

So, clearly, we have the power to do it. We choose not to do it for various reasons. But I think the American people should have a conversation about whether we should stop this money laundering through our banks.

SANCHEZ: Given the state of the global economy. There may be some pause there and some consideration to potential economic concerns. Right?

But I do want to ask you about China. I'm glad you brought it up because they play a pivotal role when it comes to addressing North Korea. How much do you think the U.S. can leverage Xi Jinping into helping to stabilize the North?

CHANG: Well, if we were to disconnect the Chinese bank from the global financial system, I think that we would have enormous leverage over China, especially because China's economy right now, its financial system is fragile.

There other things that, of course, we can do that China wants. We have continually kept our markets open, we have allowed that investment into the Chinese equity and bond markets.

So, there's, you know, many tools that we have, but as a society, we have chosen not to employ them. So, I think that this is very much within us. And even though we say well, North Korea is the most difficult foreign problem. It actually is not.

SANCHEZ: Really bold ideas. Gordon Chang, appreciate your time this morning and your perspective as always. Thanks for joining us.

CHANG: Thank you, Boris.

[07:39:15]

SANCHEZ: Of course. Stay with CNN this morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: So-called magic mushrooms, once associated with the psychedelic counterculture are now being researched by some as a way to treat severe depression.

SANCHEZ: The main psychedelic ingredients, psilocybin is set to become legal in Oregon at the start of next year. CNN's David Culver takes a look at how next week's election could change that in some areas.

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the nearly 1000-acre New Frontier ranch in Southern Oregon, Mike Arnold wants to explore uncharted territory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE ARNOLD, PROPOSES PSILOCYBIN RETREAT INN OREGON: This will literally save people's lives because psychedelic medicine works.

CULVER: He is talking specifically about psilocybin or magic mushrooms as most know them, a natural substance he firmly believes can bring internal healing.

ARNOLD: I thought this -- I have to get this in the hands of as many people that are suffering as quickly and inexpensively as possible.

CULVER: But to do that, his company, Silo Wellness had to go where psilocybin is legal. They chose Jamaica.

With medical professionals on site to keep watch, vetted participants ingest the drug, medicine as they prefer.

CHRISSI DELACRUZ, ATTENDED PSILOCYBIN RETREAT: It was in a powder form that was mixed with like a juice.

[07:45:00]

CULVER: Are you thinking, oh gosh, this is going to do.

DELA CRUZ: Yes, definitely nervous.

CULVER: Chrissi DelaCruz says she turned to the drug to help her grieve the loss of her sister and a recent breakup.

DELACRUZ: Those feeling, pretty lost and hopeless.

So, this is my room.

CULVER: So, in June, she traveled down to Jamaica for one of the retreats. She says she remembers every detail from her altered state, but like many, struggles to convey the experience through words.

DELACRUZ: That I almost was like I could see the life within everything around me. I -- It sounds weird, but it's like, feel what it really is like to feel alive.

CULVER: Do you start to revisit some of -- some of the loss and pain?

DELACRUZ: There definitely was a lot of processing and healing that I was able to do during the ceremony, and then especially afterwards to.

CULVER (voice-over): Arnold wants to bring the same retreat ceremony as he calls it, stateside, beginning in Oregon.

In 2020, the state became the first in the U.S. to legalize the growth and distribution of psilocybin at licensed service centers, to be taken under strict supervision and with restrictions on driving, opening up potential billion-dollar industry.

JASON LAMPMAN, OREGON FARMER: Yes. Whoa!

Folks like McMinnville farmer Jason Lampman, a dad of three toddlers, willing to spend nearly $50,000 to undergo the mandatory training and licensing, and to build the infrastructure required for approval.

LAMPMAN: I want to do it right here. My family is here. All of our other businesses are here. It's a farm crop.

CULVER: He plans to host people for a few hours.

LAMPMAN: Over here, we'd have something like a yurt.

CULVER: As they experience a mind-altering journey amidst his small orchard.

CULVER: Do you think it's safe for the kids?

LAMPMAN: There is a winery right there. People can drink as much alcohol as they want and drive down this road. I think that's a way more concerning conversation that I'm going to have to have.

CULVER: It might sound so strange, something that's only happening way out west in places like here in Oregon. But other states across the country are also exploring this new frontier.

CULVER (voice-over): Colorado would likely to put legalizing psychedelics to a state vote. New Jersey and Washington have already reduced penalties for possession and personal use. More than a dozen other States actively studying the potential benefits or considering their own legislation.

For centuries, psychedelics have been used for treatment and rituals by traditional cultures.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, 41ST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America's public enemy number one.

CULVER: But in the 70s, with the war on drugs, they were criminalized in the U.S. Today, the medical community is studying psilocybin to treat PTSD, anxiety, depression, and even a curb alcohol use.

But a recent headlines raised concerns about the effects of mushrooms potentially sparking erratic behavior. The lingering unknowns and stigma creating a growing unease in Oregon.

HENRY PORTER, MAYOR OF STAYTON, OREGON: We just want to say no. We want to opt out for a while.

More than 100 counties and cities and Oregon may be pushing back.

Stayton mayor, Henry Porter, one of many who secured November 8th ballot measures allowing voters to ban psilocybin businesses locally.

CULVER: Do you feel like the community needs protecting from this measure?

PORTER: Yes.

CULVER: Why?

PORTER: I don't know what it does. I don't know how it would be controlled. I don't know how to keep kids away from it. I guess it's the fear of things we don't understand.

CULVER (voice-over): A similar concern echoed back in Southern Oregon, near New Frontier ranch. It's here, the legalization of cannabis proved messy in 2015. Led to the participation of cartels, human trafficking, and water depletion. Legalizing a new drug, not going over well here.

MARY ANNE CRANDALL, LIVES NEAR PROPOSED PSILOCYBIN RETREAT: Oh boy. You got that right.

CULVER: Mary Anne Crandall lives next to the ranch. She's open to the potential therapeutic benefits but worries about the impact.

CRANDALL: We have a very unique community, and we want to keep it that way.

CULVER: Arnold sees psilocybin as a vital service that's more medicinal than recreational.

ARNOLD: There are people suffering right now that will get the piece that they need to make it through another season, to make it through another day. That they'll learn that they have value, they have worth that life has dignity, and they're special, and they're loved, and they're lovable.

CULVER: David Culver, CNN, Jackson County, Oregon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: There is a troubling new report showing the damage of climate change in real time.

[07:49:11]

SANCHEZ (voice-over): And why there is no turning back when it comes to the rapid melting of the world's glaciers. That story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: A new study from the United Nations shows that even if action to slow global warming happened right now, today, it is too late to save about a third of the world's glaciers.

WALKER: Researchers from the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization reports some glaciers will be gone by 2050.

CNN's Rene Marsh has the details.

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some of the world's most renowned glaciers are on track to disappear in the next 30 years whether global warming is slowed or not. A sobering finding from United Nations researchers based on satellite data.

Among the glaciers on the brink of vanishing are those in two of the most visited us national parks, Yosemite and Yellowstone. Repeat photography documents the vanishing glaciers through time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TALES CARVALHO RESENDE, UNESCO PROJECT OFFICER, NATURAL HERITAGE UNIT: Glaciers are one of the most valuable indicators of climate change. Because they are visible, we can see with our eyes, the retreat of a glacier.

MARSH: The report finds that one-third of the planet's glaciers identified by the United Nations as locations of significance are set to disappear and scientists warn the impact will be felt a world away.

RESENDE: Glaciers retreat is contributing to about five percent of global sea level rise.

The impacts of this melting can be seen in our daily lives through, for instance, floods, as well as the coastal erosion, and even tsunamis.

MARSH: Glacier melt was believed to have contributed to two catastrophic floods this summer. At Yellowstone National Park, torrential rain and abnormally warm temperatures caused a wave of snow melt that produced a foot of runoff and dangerous flooding.

[07:55:00]

And in Pakistan, intense monsoon rainfall coupled with glacial melt, following extreme heat in the region, triggered deadly flooding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: That quite a sobering report by our Rene Marsh. Thank you for that.

Still to come. It is the final countdown to Election Day. Candidates making their final pitch. We'll have the latest from the campaign trail.

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[08:00:06]

SANCHEZ: Buenos Dias. Welcome to your weekend and to CNN this morning. I'm Boris Sanchez.