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Israel's Fifth Election in Less than Four Years; Iran to Send More Weapons to Russia; Public Trials for 1,000 Iranian Protesters; Jair Bolsonaro Expected to Address Brazil after Election Loss; Over 23 Million Early Votes Cast in U.S.; India Bridge Collapse. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 01, 2022 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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EFRAT HALPER, ISRAELI VOTER: The first issue is the occupation because it is just -- it's everywhere and it is just, it affects everything.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): The polls are open in Israel as former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, seeks a political comeback.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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ANDERSON (voice-over): And new intelligence that Iran is preparing to ship more weapons to Russia.
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advocate Plus, Brazil holds its breath as supporters of president Jair Bolsonaro protest the election result there.
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ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson, hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD, it is 6 pm in Abu Dhabi, this show broadcast from our Middle East programming
hub here at CNN.
Israel's political future is on the line, once again, the country's fifth election in less than four years. Voters have six more hours to cast
ballots. The turnout so far is the highest since 1999.
What happens today could have a major impact on Israel and this entire region. At stake, control of Israel's parliament, the Knesset. Former prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party could get the most votes. But it is a near certainty he would need to form a coalition to retake power.
Centrist prime minister Yair Lapid, seen voting here, hopes to defy preelection polls and keep his job. Hadas Gold connecting us from outside a
polling station in Jerusalem.
What are the candidates and indeed the projections telling us?
HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, this is the polling station where former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, cast his
ballot earlier today. Becky, it was the first time in 13 years that he cast his ballot while not the sitting prime minister.
Of course, that is now the coalition caretaker, prime minister Yair Lapid. What is at stake in the election is not just a referendum on Benjamin
Netanyahu whether voters want him in power again or not, that's what we saw over the last four years.
Keep in mind Benjamin Netanyahu still facing the ongoing corruption trial. It's also a question about the rise of the far right because for Benjamin
Netanyahu's ruling coalition government, it will likely rely on the growing popularity of the far right of Israeli politics, including one leader who
was convicted for inciting racism.
I asked Benjamin Netanyahu about that, about his reliance on the far right while he voted earlier today. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: We do not want a government with a Muslim Brotherhood who support terrorism, deny the
existence of Israel and are pretty hostile to the United States, too. That is what we are going to bring.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: And what he is referring to is the fact, that what he's referring to is the fact that in the coalition government right now is the first time in
Israeli history an Arab party sitting in the coalition government. Didn't quite answer my question there.
And Yair Lapid, for his part, he's trying to convince voters today that their vote today is a question about whether they want to continue into the
future or stay in the past -- Becky.
ANDERSON: What are voters saying?
What have they been telling you?
GOLD: Well, Becky, voters are exhausted. They still can't believe they're going to the polls once again, five times in 3.5 years. There are some 20-
year olds who have voted more often today than most people get to vote until they're in their 40s or something like that.
But we wanted to hear people really care about, what goes beyond whether they're in favor of Benjamin Netanyahu or against him. Take a listen.
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GOLD (voice-over): By now, Israelis are experts at voting, never before in the country's history have Israelis gone to the polls so often in such a
short period, the fifth round in just over three years as no stable government has managed to take hold.
Former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to make a comeback. While the current caretaker prime minister, Yair Lapid, hopes to stay in
place. we headed Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market to see what the voters really care about.
Security in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is top of mind for many voters, as 2022 has seen some of the deadliest levels of violence in years.
HALPER: The first issue is the occupation because it's just -- it's everywhere.
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HALPER: And it is just, it affects everything, everything. The situation in Gaza, the violence in the West Bank, the militarization of the society.
DAVID ZIGFRIED, ISRAELI VOTER (through translator): First of all we need 50,000 more police and border guards and need to let them operate freely.
GOLD (voice-over): Others cited the soaring cost of living.
SHAI SHOSHARI, ISRAELI VOTER (through translator): I want someone who will look after the younger generation. And we can get a house to live in,
security, which is the most important thing in the country.
AVRAHAM LEVY, ISRAELI VOTER (through translator): I am thinking about security. I'm thinking of a good economy, good education.
GOLD (voice-over): But like the previous four elections, many votes rest on one question.
Do you want Netanyahu back or not?
HALPER: I do not want Bibi to be the prime minister, so I hope he won't get in, so that is also on my mind.
SHOSHARI (through translator): I would be very happy if Bibi's elected. Bibi is the best for us. With Bibi, the messiah will come.
GOLD: Many voters here in the market and across the country said that they are exhausted by the repeat elections. But what is different in this round
and what's at stake is not just the return of Benjamin Netanyahu but the possibility that the far right politicians will have power.
GOLD (voice-over): Any coalition that would bring Netanyahu back to power will likely rely on the growing right-wing religious Zionism, Jewish power
party, partly led by the extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir, once convicted for inciting racism and supporting terrorism, an idea that either delights or
terrifies the voters in the market.
ELIYAHU ZOHAR, ISRAELI VOTER (through translator): He's a Zionist. The Arabs will know exactly where they stand with him. They are guests here.
And we are the owners of this land and not them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) he says and he does. He will do anything to show who is the boss.
HALPER: Very scary, because I think it means disaster, even more so than now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's very bad for the country. Because he is going to bring us 20 or 30 years, the last 20 or 30 years was the intifada
and the problems with Arabs. We want to live by peace. And it will be very, very difficult (INAUDIBLE) here.
GOLD (voice-over): A veritable market of views as Israelis wait to see whether the fifth time is the charm.
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GOLD: And Becky, the poll leading up to Election Day did show that the pro Netanyahu bloc were closer to that 61 seat majority that they would need to
form a government. But a lot of polls show them not reaching over that line.
What's really interesting, though, is that turnout number, Becky, the highest the Israelis have seen since 1999. Of course, that will all affect
the outcome but it will all depend on which voters are coming out.
Is it the tens of thousands of pro Netanyahu voters that his party think sat out the last election?
Is it the Arab society that's coming out to vote?
And how will that affect those smaller parties?
And how will that affect whatever ruling coalitions can come together?
We will find out more tonight at 10 pm local. Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely fascinating. Thank you.
Viewers, do be sure to watch our live coverage of the Israel election results as those polls close later. That's 8 pm London time, 10 pm in Tel
Aviv, that's midnight here in Abu Dhabi, about six hours from now, right here on CNN.
Israel's fiercest enemy, Iran, planning to give another helping hand to Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. And this is what we're hearing, at least
from Western officials, who tell CNN, Tehran is sending about 1,000 more weapons to Russia, including advanced guided missiles.
Now Iran has already supplied deadly drones but this new expected shipment would mark a significant escalation in Iranian support for the Kremlin.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just been on the phone with his French counterpart discussing, quote, "specific decisions on strengthening
Ukraine's defense capabilities."
All of this coming a short time after the mayor of Kyiv announced full power is back on in the capital. That was restored just a day after Russian
missiles targeted critical infrastructure in Kyiv and across the country.
We are covering the major angles for you, with CNN's Kylie Atwood in Washington and CNN Salma Abdelaziz live in Kyiv.
I want you to stand by, Salma, if you will. I want to get to this intelligence about what is being provided to Russia by Iran at this point.
Kylie, you have more detail on that.
What do we know?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, the two significant things here are the number of weapons that these Western
officials familiar with Iran's weapons program are tracking, are expected to go from Iran to Russia, and also the types of weapons.
So first of all, their expectation is that Iran is planning to send about 1,000 weapons, including those attack drones that we have already seen Iran
send to Russia and be used to deadly effect on the battlefield.
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ATWOOD: And also, precision guided missiles. The significance there is that those missiles are just much more advanced than the drones that Iran
has already been providing to Russia. They can strike at specific targets from a far distance. They are harder to track.
So essentially, that would really give Russia an advantage on the battlefield. Of course, we need to consider this in the context of the fact
that Russia is going to Iran for these weapons, right?
That means they simply don't have enough on their own. They are looking to outsource to continue this war in Ukraine.
When it comes to the Biden administration, last week, secretary of state, Tony Blinken, says the U.S. is doing everything they can, including
sanctions and potentially other actions to try and break up this network that is allowing these Iranian weapons to go to Russia.
You would think therefore going after things such as these shipping companies or the manufacturing companies and the like. So we will be
watching for what more the United States does to try to get in the way of these expected weapons continuing to go to Russia.
But we are bracing for impact because, if they do go ahead, as we're told, they're expected to come pretty soon, this could have a pretty substantial
impact on the battlefield.
ANDERSON: And as I just reported, Kylie, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has just been on the phone with president Macron. I
want to reinforce this, discussing, quote, "specific decisions on strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities."
Remind us, why is it that the U.S. and other Western countries have been prepared to send at present?
And how does that fall short at present of what the Ukrainians want in defense of the sort of capabilities that Russia now has?
ATWOOD: Yes, so, the Ukrainians have been asking for more advanced weaponry. What they want is more weaponry when it comes to how far it can
go, in terms of attacking targets on the Russian side.
But they also are looking for more when it comes to their air defenses. That's something the United States has provided some of but the Ukrainians
are looking for more of that. And of course, those asks become all the more relevant as the expectation of these additional Iranian missiles go into
Russia.
ANDERSON: Yes.
Let me bring you in, Salma. Let's remind our viewers that Tehran contends it is not sending drones to Russia. U.S. intelligence certainly absolutely
convinced it has evidence that these drones are indeed in the hands of Russia at present.
How concerning is this latest development?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it's causing a great deal of anxiety, Becky. Just a few things to point out there from Kylie's
reporting.
The first is, of course, these drones, the Shahed drones, these Iranian made drones, yes, Iran denying that they're providing them to Russia. But
Ukrainians have found them falling on the ground right here in Kyiv.
It was just a few weeks ago that the capital was attacked with these loitering, they are loitering drones, they self detonate, they are hard to
detect among the victims was a pregnant woman and her husband.
So these drones have terrorized the civilian population.
That is the first question, how will these drones be used to ramp up the attacks against innocents?
Of course, the question about the battlefield. Now, U.S. officials have said and Ukrainian officials have said that Russia's stockpile of weapons
has been severely depleted in this conflict. So those precision weapons could potentially make a change on the ground.
But it is more than just the accusation of the weapons that's concerning Ukrainian officials. U.S. officials say that Iranians are actually training
Russian troops on the ground, in occupied Crimea, to use these weapons.
Look, the bigger picture here, Becky, is just the very fact that Russia is turning to Iran to obtain more weapons. At this juncture in the conflict, I
think that reveals a lot about just how tight of a spot the Kremlin is in, Becky.
ANDERSON: Salma is on the ground in Ukraine. As you can see on your screen, the time there is 18:14. Thank you.
Well, Iran is holding public trials this week for about 1,000 alleged anti government protesters. That is according to state media. Charge for some of
those indicted began last week in Tehran province. For more than six weeks now protests have swept through Iran following the death of 22-year-old
Mahsa Amini in police custody.
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ANDERSON: CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has been reporting on these protests since they began in September, joining me from her base in Istanbul in
Turkiye.
What do these charges include?
And conceivably, at this point, are we talking about protesters being executed?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, as you know, we are trying to get more information about these trials and about the charges and
those who are standing trial.
But as you know very well, it's very difficult for us to get information from inside Iran. So when it comes to these trials, the information is
coming mostly from Iranian state media.
What we understand so far, according to judicial authorities in the country, they say that more than 1,000 people, who have taken part in these
protests over the past month, have been indicted. The trials started earlier this weekend. And they are ongoing right now.
Now according to judicial authorities, some of those on trial are facing the very serious charges of attempting and killing security force members,
attempting to destabilize the country and overthrow the regime, attacking public property, colluding and working with foreign entities.
And you would expect with these sort of charges that some will be facing the death penalty. The concern is we are talking about a country that has a
really bad track record when it comes to providing any sort of fair trials.
They have been accused by human rights organizations for years of having a flawed judicial system, where people are brought on to trial after forced
confessions, according to human rights organizations.
We're talking about a country that has a very high rate, one of the highest in the world, of executions. So there's a lot of concern about those who
are standing trial and the concern is that the government is really trying to make an example of those on trial right now.
This is a regime, Becky, that has been trying everything it can to try and crush these protests over the past seven weeks, whether it is the brutality
that we've been seeing play out on the streets, the crackdown on these protests.
And then you had the most severe warning to date that we heard this weekend, coming from the head of the feared Revolutionary Guard, issuing an
ultimatum, telling protesters, Saturday is your last day out on the streets. Do not come out to the streets.
But the defiance has continued. We've seen protesters out again, starting on Sunday. They are continuing their protests today, according to social
media videos that we've seen and reports we've seen continuing to protest in Tehran and elsewhere.
This certainly, seven weeks now into these protests, the regime is certainly struggling to contain what has turned into this national uprising
that is one of the most serious threats to the Islamic Republic since its foundation back in 1979, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jomana on the continuing story with the very latest out of Iran. Thank you.
A programming note for you, just before we take a break; join us Thursday for a second annual Call to Earth Day, a 24-hour global day of action to
raise awareness of environmental issues and to engage with conservation education.
You can follow along and on CNN digital at cnn.com/CalltoEarthDay. You will find more on your CNN app as well.
Brazil's president is silent but his supporters are anything but now federal police are clearing protesters who will not accept Bolsonaro's
election loss.
And, as South Korea mourns, we are learning about calls to police warning about a dangerous and rapidly increasing crowd size leading up to
Saturday's deadly incident. A report from Seoul's just ahead.
And U.S. politicians have one goal and one goal only for the next week; win over voters. We'll look at how important next week's midterm election
is for the balance of power in Washington.
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ANDERSON: The Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is expected to make a speech sometime today, although it's unclear when or even if it will
happen. Big question of course, if he does speak, is whether he will concede defeat and allow his nation to move forward, both literally and
figuratively.
Two days after he lost a very close election, his silence has stoked disruptive highway protests and raised questions about whether there will
be a peaceful transfer of power in one of the world's biggest democracies.
Brazil's supreme court isn't waiting for Bolsonaro; it has ordered highway and military police to clear protesters blocking public roads and highways
now. It has threatened people who don't comply with hefty fines. CNN's Paula Newton is in Sao Paulo for you.
These protests, Paula, they have disrupted both road and air traffic there too. Describe what is going on.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, in many areas of the country, there are these disruptive protests. As you said, some of them are
allowing some flow of traffic, others are completely blocking roads.
In terms of what's happening here in Sao Paulo, the entrance to the airport is still remaining blocked. And that is just one of the protests that
police here in Sao Paulo are trying to deal with.
You mentioned that officials here are saying they must be removed. The state governor here in Sao Paulo went as far as to say, look, if these
protesters don't move out of the way, we will do it by force.
The problem, Becky, is that right now, Bolsonaro's silence is actually a very potent political weapon. When we spoke to those protesters yesterday
evening, they told us in no uncertain terms that, even if Bolsonaro spoke and conceded the election, they would remain on, making these protests,
doing these protests because, as far as they're concerned, Bolsonaro won the election. Listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We have a president that won at the ballot box and they defer to the ballot box as put the other candidate
ahead and we are against that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Even if Bolsonaro accepts, the people will not accept it, because the power comes from the people. The
people were the ones who put Bolsonaro there and we are the ones who would remove him as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: And the reason it's hard to find an easy way out of this at this point, even if you do call in those police, police officers we spoke to
last night tell us, Becky, look, they had no intention of starting a confrontation.
They are trying to negotiate with the protesters there to allow some flow of traffic, even if it is slowing down. And that they were afraid to
actually move in. They understood that at that point in time, they hear that people could get hurt.
Look, this transfer of power here in Brazil matters. Bolsonaro knows it matters. He is obviously trying to figure out his options right now. He has
always said that, if he lost, he believed it would be because of a flawed electoral system and not because it was the will of the people.
Becky, listen, this is a very dangerous time here in Brazil in the next few hours, in the next few days. Lula, in the meantime, the president-elect,
has already started to try and get on with some type of peaceful transition of power.
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NEWTON: He is waiting on the president to see exactly what he decides -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Very briefly, where is Bolsonaro at this point?
NEWTON: At this point, he is still in Brazil, in the capital. He seems to be going back and forth between his residence and his administrative
offices. There is some local media here in Brazil that is reporting that he has already met at least once, if not twice, with the military.
He is also meeting with his advisers to see what his options are in order to dispute this election. Again, we are still waiting for him to speak.
We're working on more than 1.5 days since officials here declared the election fair and credible and Lula the winner. Still, Bolsonaro is
weighing his options about how to react.
ANDERSON: As you say, we are waiting to hear from him, not sure though, at this point, when or even if. All right, thank you for that.
Police records show authorities in South Korea were warned about a possible dangerous crush of people hours before Saturday's deadly incident. At least
156 people were killed after Halloween partygoers were trapped in a massive crowd surge in Seoul.
As mourners paid respects, the prime minister admits the lack of knowledge and crowd control considerations were partly to blame for the tragedy. My
colleague, Paula Hancocks, reports.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How does a night of celebration turn into this?
Too many people in too cramped an area; eyewitnesses claim a lack of police and no crowd control. Officials say many police were deployed elsewhere in
the city, for expected protests, admitting they have no guidelines for policing this kind of crowd without an organizer.
Park Chang-ki is a parking attendant who was working across the road. He says the crowds were significant by 4 pm Saturday. By 7 pm, people were
spilling into the street.
PARK CHANG-KI, PARKING ATTENDANT (through translator): I believe it was preventable. Local officials, police and firemen checked out the area the
day before. They should have known how many people would come out.
HANCOCKS: This is the heart of Itaewon and right here is the alleyway which sloped downward toward the main road, where many people lost their
lives. It's around four meters wide. That's 13 feet. It has the wall of a hotel on one side and shops on the other side.
Now one first responder said that when she arrived here, all she could see was up to 10 rows of faces. She could not see any legs, meaning the victims
were piled on top of each other.
Now this back alley here, this is also filled with bars, restaurants and night clubs. We saw from images just how crammed it was. In fact, we saw
one man trying to scale the outside of the building to try and escape the crush.
Down here, you have the main road; four lanes, which just a couple of weeks ago for a festival, were closed to traffic.
It was not closed to traffic on Saturday, meaning that people were condensed more in this area; 20 meters away from the opening of that
alleyway is the exit of a subway, which remained open, allowing people to continue arriving in the area.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): This video taken just after 9 pm shows the density of the crowd in the narrow alleyway. A photo half an hour later shows more
people still arriving in the area by subway.
So what are investigators looking for?
DR. KEITH STILL, CROWD RISK ANALYSIS LTD: It's always a question of staffing off with the basic geometry.
Looking at the crowd flow, was it reasonably foreseeable that this could exceed safe limits?
If it's reasonably foreseeable, it's predictable and, hence, it is preventable.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): The police chief apologized Tuesday, saying the response to the emergency calls wasn't adequate. The police deployed just
137 officers to deal with the crowd that may have topped 100,000; the majority tasked with crime prevention, not crowd control -- Paula Hancocks,
CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The last two U.S. presidents still have enormous popularity and that is why they are spending the next week on the road ahead of the
midterm elections. We catch up with what they are up to after this short break.
And India's prime minister visits the site of a deadly bridge collapse there. Coming up, the question of lapses by the company that renovated the
bridge. We will have a detailed report after this.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back, I am Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
Security and inflation, two of the big issues, top of the mind for Israelis, who are, right now, turning out in big numbers to vote. It is an
unprecedented fifth national election in less than four years.
The hope is that this vote breaks what has been ongoing political deadlock. Centrist prime minister, Yair Lapid, seen voting earlier here, is relying
on his record of acting prime minister to secure his place.
Former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is embroiled in a corruption trial, is trying to make a comeback, hoping to come out leading a hard
right coalition. Arab turnout could have an effect on Netanyahu's chances. Stick with CNN, you will get the results in just about 5.5 hours time. The
numbers look high.
There is just one week left until the midterm elections in the United States. Both parties are sending out their biggest names on the campaign
trail. For the Democrats, President Joe Biden and former president, Barack Obama, are on the trail. Former president, Donald Trump, will campaign for
fellow Republicans.
Control of both houses of Congress is on the line. All 435 seats in the House are up for grabs while, in the Senate, 35 are being contested. One of
the key races is in Nevada, where President Barack Obama campaign later. It is also where our chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, is standing
by live.
Good to have you, Manu. Just a week away from November 8th and Election Day.
Where do these campaigns stand at president?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. Senate, the fight for control of the U.S. Senate is on a knife's edge. A number of
these key races are just simply too close to call, within the margin of error in polling.
They are essentially in a dead heat. It really depends on which party succeeds in energizing their base, convincing some undecided voters to get
to the polls by Election Day, which is why we are seeing some top surrogates come out on the campaign trail.
Today, Barack Obama here in Las Vegas, where I am, will be speaking to try to get Democratic voters out to the polls at an event later today, pushing
for Catherine Cortez Masto.
She is a first term Democratic senator, someone not particularly well-known in the state, making it difficult for her to gain traction, particularly
among the influx of new voters here in Nevada, a swing state that Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020.
She is up against a Republican, Adam Laxalt, someone with a familiar name among voters in the state because his grandfather was a former governor
here. He comes from a political family. But polls show that this could go either way. Democrats, overall, in the U.S. fight for the U.S. Senate, they
have an advantage because of the map.
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RAJU: The Republicans are fighting in a lot of blue states, Democratic- leaning states, swing states, where incumbents who typically have a better chance of winning are running.
But some of those incumbents in states like Georgia, Raphael Warnock having a difficult time hanging onto his seat there, also some open seats as well
where Democrats are hoping to pick up, like in Pennsylvania, things could go either way.
So as we head into this final week, both sides realizing that it could go either way. The final days for control of the U.S. Senate still up for
grabs.
ANDERSON: Let's talk about the battle for the House then. We've been so focused on the Senate.
What is going on?
RAJU: Yes, the House is a different animal altogether. Oftentimes House races, because it has a smaller voting population by district, rather by
state like senators, it can be determined oftentimes by the national mood.
Voters often don't even know their House candidate as well as they may know a Senate candidate, who have a broader constituency and may be better
known. So candidate quality matters more among senators.
But on the House side, oftentimes it is the national mood, tied to how people view the president and the present job performance. Right now Joe
Biden is underwater, particularly in some of these swing districts.
The Republicans have to pick up a net of five seats in the U.S. House to take back power. They stand a very good chance of doing that as they push
deep into Democratic territory in places, along the Northeast to the United States.
In a lot of places like California, Southwest, in the Midwest, they have a serious opportunity of picking up some Democratic House seats. So they
could certainly take back power. So they are favored in the U.S. House to do that next week.
Questions still on the Senate, can they sweep both chambers of Congress?
Either way it would have huge implications for the rest of President Biden's term in office. Back to you.
ANDERSON: Manu, very briefly, 21 million early votes have been cast.
How significant is that?
RAJU: It is still high, it's high among midterm turnout. Typically, at this point in past election cycles, it would not have been this high. Bu
tit is on par with what we saw in 2018, when Democrats took back the U.S. House.
It is still uncertain though what that means for Election Day. Oftentimes it is hard to exactly measure voter enthusiasm until we see the full
picture, whether voters actually come to the polls on Election Day.
While there is some optimism on both sides, the numbers may be good for their respective parties, it is still uncertain what this ultimately will
mean come next Tuesday.
ANDERSON: Thank, you sir.
Manu Raju in the house for you folks. Election Day, November the 8th.
India's prime minister visited what is the site of a deadly bridge collapse. Narendra Modi surveyed search efforts there; he also met with
some of the victims' families. The western state of Gujarat has declared a day of mourning for tomorrow.
The new renovated bridge collapsed on Sunday, killing over 130 people, including 30 children. And we are starting to hear some heartbreaking
accounts from some of the survivors and loved ones of those who didn't make it.
CNN's Vedika Sud reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That is how it came crashing down, captured on security camera. The suspension bridge collapsing with at
least 200 people on it, sending them plunging into the river in a town in Western India, many clinging to the bridge's safety net, crying out for
help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Death was in front of us. By God's grace, we could hold the safety net and did not let our grips go loose and
came out safely.
SUD (voice-over): But not all survived.
About 20 kilometers from the accident site, women from a village console a victim. She has lost a husband and 11 family members.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My husband never goes without me, he never goes anywhere without telling me.
SUD (voice-over): The colonial era bridge, a popular local tourist spot, was reopened recently after renovation. Videos from Sunday evening show a
crowd on the swaying bridge before the cables snapped.
Rescue workers scrambled to pull victims from the river, many children and women among the dead
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is suspected that some bodies may be there on the floor of the river.
SUD (voice-over): The focus is now on a private company contracted to maintain the bridge. Criminal cases have been filed against (INAUDIBLE)
employees. The company has not responded to requests for comment by CNN.
Gujarat is Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's home state. He's announced a cash compensation to families of victims.
[10:40:00]
SUD (voice-over): But many want accountability.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It is the poor who have to pay the price.
Now what will the government do?
They will give them compensation, $2,000 to $5,000.
But that money will not bring back the dead husband or the daughter or the son, will it?
SUD (voice-over): It took 20 cents to walk on this bridge. But it has cost these families their loved ones -- Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Taking a very short break, back after this.
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