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Prosecutors: Pelosi Suspect Told Police of "Suicide Mission"; Exit Polls Show Netanyahu May Be On Brink of Comeback; Today: Obama Campaigns in Arizona After Tuesday Rally in Las Vegas. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired November 02, 2022 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on EARLY START, the man jailed after the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband. Prosecutors revealing his self described suicide mission.
Israelis -- Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on a remarkable political comeback. Projections with the votes still being counted this morning.
Plus, working hard, or working. The biggest drop in worker productivity since Truman was president as many bosses wondering this morning, what's going on?
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SANDOVAL: And good morning to you. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval, in for Laura and Christina.
Let's get your EARLY START started.
The man accused of hitting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband on the head with a hammer is behind bars this morning without bail. We have new details this morning on the attack at Pelosi's home and the suspect, 42-year-old David DePape. San Francisco police chief telling CNN, just three seconds left from the time officers arrive to that hammer blow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF WILLIAM SCOTT, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE: What is crystal clear to me is he tried to kill Mr. Pelosi. Now what was going on in his mind, as to why he did that, I can't speak to that. But what I -- what is very clear to me from viewing that body worn camera is he tried to kill Mr. Pelosi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: Charging documents say DePape told police that he was on a, quote, suicide mission, but San Francisco district attorney says that holding Nancy Pelosi hostage was not his only objective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BROOKE JENKINS, SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: There were other officials that were apparently targets of his, and obviously he showed up at the speaker's house first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: More now from CNN's Josh Campbell in San Francisco.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forty-two- year-old David DePape making an appearance in a San Francisco court Tuesday with his arm in a sling, pleading not guilty to all state charges filed in Friday's politically motivated attack on Paul Pelosi.
ADAM LIPSON, DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER: We are going to be doing a comprehensive investigation of what happened. We are going to be looking into Mr. DePape's mental state.
CAMPBELL: DePape waived his right to a hearing within ten days, it is being held in a San Francisco County jail until his next court appearance on November 4th. The judge signed a protective order for no contact with the Pelosi's.
DePape is facing charges that could lead to 13 years to life in prison if convicted.
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Those charges include attempted murder, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, as well as threats to a public official and family.
BROOKE JENKINS, SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Mr. DePape specifically targeted the Pelosi home to confront Speaker Pelosi.
CAMPBELL: DePape's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Adam Lipson, responding to questions Tuesday about motive.
LIPSON: There's been a lot of speculation regarding Mr. DePape's vulnerability to misinformation. That is certainly something that we're going to look into.
CAMPBELL: Authorities are still rebooting conspiracy theories that Paul Pelosi and DePape knew each other.
SCOTT: There is absolutely no evidence that Mr. Pelosi knew this man.
CAMPBELL: Paul Pelosi is still hospitalized after being struck on the head with the hammer, sustaining a skull fracture, and other serious injuries.
Parallel investigations into the attack by the FBI and San Francisco police are now underway, with new details emerging that DePape brought two hammers, zip ties, rope, and a roll of tape to the Pelosi home. DePape now also faces federal charges of assault and attempted
kidnapping of a U.S. official stemming from the attack caught on police bodycam, which authorities said it would not be released until the case goes to trial.
Now, with the wave of recent threats to elected officials, the head of Capitol police said on Tuesday that his agency's mission has become increasingly urgent, writing in a statement: We believe that today's political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for members of Congress.
Chief Tom Manger adding, during this time of heightened political tension, we continue to monitor thousands of cases across the country. In an effort to spot potential threats before they make headlines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPBELL (on camera): And as Mr. Pelosi remains in the hospital recovering from those very serious injuries, CNN is learning from sources that the Pelosi family could get access to the 911 call from early Friday morning as well as the police body camera as officers responded to the scene. That could come as early as Wednesday.
Josh Campbell, CNN, San Francisco.
SANDOVAL: Former Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu may be on the verge of political resurrection.
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The latest exit polling now suggesting that Netanyahu and his allies may have gather support for a solid majority in Israel's parliament.
CNN's Hadas Gold is standing by in Jerusalem this morning.
Hadas, good morning.
Israeli election results, they are notorious for shifting as they come, and so where do they stand right now?
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, as things stand right now, in almost all of the regular votes, and the absentee ballots have been counted, they are pointing to a major Netanyahu victory.
These numbers, Polo, are bigger than what the opinion polls were even suggesting in the days leading up to the election. Those opinion polls are suggesting he and his allies would maybe be able to swing by with that magic 61 seat number that he needed to form a ruling coalition government in the Israeli parliament.
But these latest numbers, these are the partial official tallies, they are showing him and his allies potentially having a -- 65 seats, much bigger than what anybody really anticipated.
Now granted, we are still waiting to see the official results, the absentee ballots could end up being something temperament of the total, but even if they do manage to change the numbers just a little bit, Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies may have enough of a cushion, even if their numbers get pulled down a bit, mentioned Netanyahu would still become prime minister.
He addressed his supporters last night, he still has a bit of caution in his voice, but already has supporters are celebrating. Take a listen.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, FORMER ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER (through translator): One thing is already clear, our way, the Likud's way, has proven itself. I remind you that from 52 seats in the last, election we are now on the verge of a very big victory.
(END VIDEO CLP)
GOLD: And what has been most notable for this election compared to the previous four elections in just three and a half years is the rise of the far-right. A far-right joined party called the -- and Jewish power may have as many as 14 seats in this parliament making them the third largest party.
Polo, these were people who were once considered the extreme French of Israeli politics, one of the leaders was once convicted in court for inciting racism and supporting terrorism. So it is really incredible to see the trend. And now, the question will be, once Benjamin Netanyahu comes into power, if these numbers hold, what kind of power will these far-right leaders have? What kind of positions where they have? And will this represent a far lurch to the right in Israeli politics? Polo?
SANDOVAL: Hadas Gold, thank you so much. Live in Jerusalem.
And as those results continue to come in this morning, now to Brazil, still, no concession from the defeated far right Jair Bolsonaro.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAIR BOLSONARO, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL: I want to start by thanking the 58 million Brazilians who voted for me last October 30th. The current popular movements are the result of indignation, and a feeling of injustice. That is how the electoral process took place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: Bolsonaro adding that he will, quote, continue to fulfill the commitments of Brazil's constitution after suffering a razor-thin lost to leftist former leader Luis Lula da Silva. While Bolsonaro did not explicitly concede defeat, his chief of staff did indicate that he would work with a new government and is currently waiting for Lula da Silva's -- transition team to begin that handover.
Here in the United States, the January 6 committee is in discussions with Donald Trump's attorney about the former president testifying under oath. Trump faces a Friday deadline to respond to the subpoena for documents, and November 14th deadline for testimony. The committee's vice chair, Liz Cheney, says the former president will not be getting any special consideration.
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REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): He has an obligation to comply and we treat this and take this very seriously. This is not a situation where the committee is going to put itself at the mercy of Donald Trump in terms of, you know, his efforts to create a circus.
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SANDOVAL: If Trump does agree to testify, Cheney says, it will be under oath and could potentially take place over multiple days.
The Supreme Court declining to block a subpoena for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to testify in front of a special grand jury in Atlanta. The grand jury testifying, or at least the grand jury is currently investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential vote in Georgia. The South Carolina center father in which is the request asking the justices to halt the testimony, which is scheduled for November 17th.
Graham will now have to testify, but the justices say that he cannot be asked anything about his legislative actions.
The Federal Reserve board meeting today and the expectation on Wall Street this morning is that they will raise interest rates at a three quarters of a point.
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That would be the fourth consecutive super sized hike in the feds quest to obtain galloping inflation in the United States, but many investors and consumers, they are currently worried that the Fed will push the economy into a recession with a series of huge rate increases.
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summer says the fear is misguided. He says the central bank is not doing enough to bring down those prices.
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LAWRENCE SUMMERS, FORMER TREASURY SECRETARY: The much greater risk is not doing enough because I look at economic history and I see there are many times when the Fed didn't do enough, and so inflation reaccelerated, and I cannot find any times in the last 60 years of American economic history when the Fed did too much.
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SANDOVAL: Summers tells CNN that his best guess is interest rates may decline to five and a half percent, to bring inflation back down, eventually.
Still ahead, did police in South Korea miss a chance to head off the deadly Halloween crowd crush? What phone records are revealing.
Plus, the new rules that prevent people from throwing out dirty socks and old mattresses.
But, first, why candidates fighting to win the support of Black men at the polls.
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EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: You don't think that the outreach is genuine?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not. They said one, but literally, when you look at the, policies it is not reflected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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SANDOVAL: Former President Obama in Arizona today for a rally with Senator Mark Kelly and Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor. Last night, he was in Las Vegas. He was railing against the escalating political rhetoric.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: Then you've got this erosion of just basic civility and, democratic norms. You got politicians who instead of wanting to bring people together, do their best to stir up division, and make us angry and afraid of one another.
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SANDOVAL: Over the weekend, Obama was on the ground in Georgia. Incumbent Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock is locked in a very tight race with Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia. Both candidates are making an all out push for the vote to have men like themselves in the final week for the election day.
As CNN Eva McKend in Georgia this morning.
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EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER (voice-over): At churches, in barbershops, even at concerts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody who's registered to vote in here.
MCKEND: In Georgia and other battleground states across the country, an all out effort to get Black men to vote.
ERIC RICHARDSON, GEORGIA VOTER: We are going to make a difference in the world. Our vote. Our vote.
MCKEND: At Anytime Cuts in Atlanta, these men say their priorities as they look toward November are tied to economics.
CHASE WALKER, GEORGIA VOTER: Number one priority for me as a Black man is maintaining my business.
MCKEND: In a recent conversation hosted by Black Men Decide, and the Atlanta Urban League, voters said they feel like both parties are messaging directly to them.
WALKER: Historically, I feel like it has been the Republicans that look out for businesses from a tax perspective.
STACEY ABRAMS (D), GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I know that if the agenda for Black men works, it works for everyone.
MCKEND: Both Democratic and Republican campaigns are competing for Black men through targeted messaging in events.
KEMP: I'm asking people to trust me.
MCKEND: In the race for Georgia Senate seat, two Black men going head to head, at Saint Philip AME in Atlanta.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People at their voting, Georgia would be a different place.
MCKEND: A final push from Georgia's Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams campaign, to highlight her Black man's agenda, a plan to invest in black owned small businesses.
CHRISTOPHER BRUCE, ABRAMS CAMPAIGN ATLANTA POLITICAL DIRECTOR: We talk directly to Black men in their areas of focus. Seeing what interests them, because we can't take anybody's will for granted.
MCKEND: One voter said he senses Republicans are making gains with Black men.
LOUIS ANDERSON, GEORGIA VOTER: It seems like a percentage of African American males from the business sector, just a percentage, seem to be a little ambivalent about the Democratic ticket.
MCKEND: Even though Black voters played a pivotal role in electing President Joe Biden two years ago, some Democratic strategists share this concern.
FRED HICKS, GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Republicans really spent the time to understand the issues that are of concern to Black men, specifically, those around access to capital, and criminal justice reform.
MCKEND: But longtime organizers suggest those worries are overstated, and are confident that Black men will turn out for Democrats in big numbers in Georgia, and across the nation.
LATOSHA BROWN, BLACK VOTERS MATTER: The Republican Party are really simply explaining this idea of, we are going for Black men because we know they're upset right now, and there's discontent. MCKEND: So, you don't think that the outreach is genuine?
BROWN: Absolutely not. They say one thing, but literally, when you look at their policies, it's not reflected that.
MCKEND: Races nationwide that might come down to razor-thin margins.
HICKS: The majority of young Black men are going to vote Democrat. The issue is -- especially in Georgia, elections could be among the edges. If you're a Republican, can you peel off enough Black men to make it really difficult for Democrats to win?
MCKEND: In just one week, those efforts to drive black men to the polls will be put to the test.
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MCKEND (on camera): According to data from Catalyst, about 200,000 Black men have turned out during the early vote period in Georgia. That is a 46 percent increase from the midterms in 2018. Governor Kemp expressing confidence in his ground gain among voters of color in the states.
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But, that is a ground game that Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams has worked to cultivate for years.
Eva McKend, CNN, Marietta, Georgia.
SANDOVAL: President Biden making candidate stops in Florida Tuesday, including one in Miami. The president calling the midterm election the most important for our lifetime.
(BEGIN VIDEO LCIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This election is not a referendum, it's a choice, it's a choice between two vastly different visions for America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: On to Florida, now it is seeing a seismic political shift. It could impact the national political map for years, and it is not necessarily good news for Democrats.
Let's bring in now CNN's Steve Contorno in Florida.
Steve, you've written on CNN.com that Florida is really made as being described as the seismic shift. I'm curious if you think the shift in states like Florida and the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, I want to if that is maybe a factor as well as others?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, in Florida, this is been going on for really the last two years, and it is a stunning reversal in the number of voter registrations by each party. Republicans are going into the selection for the first time with a voter registration advantage, over Democrats for the first time in history of the state. And, that has given them confidence that they have not only turned this into a solid red battleground for the cycle, but may have taken it off the map completely for years to come. And, I want to get into the numbers, because they really do tell the story here. Democrats in the last two years alone have lost 331,000 voters in Florida. Republicans have net gained 108,000.
What is interesting is how widespread this trend is. Democrats have lost voters in almost every county in the state, all but one while Republicans have gained voters in nearly half, more than half of the counties showing that this is a trend that is not just rural or suburban, were urban, but it is happening everywhere in Florida.
SANDOVAL: Yeah, and on the topic of numbers, as well, Steve, Republicans in Florida see this massive surge I read among that you know voters, the cycle, so I'm curious, how do you think this might be affecting this upcoming election?
CONTORNO: Yeah, this is going to be a really interesting election for Hispanic voters here, because, again the voters and numbers tell interesting story. Republicans have been 58,000 new registered voters who have checked the Hispanic box when the registered to vote. Democrats meanwhile have lost about 46,000. That is 100,000-voter gap that is really driving a lot of this change.
We are seeing this especially in Miami-Dade County. You know, this is a county that has historically gone Democrat, Hillary Clinton won the county by 30 points in 2016, but Trump had closed that gap down to seven in the last election cycle, and that trend seems to be continuing, and actually going into this election cycle, Miami-Dade has 58,000 fewer registered Democrats, and 11,000 more Republicans. A lot of those are Latinos, and it is giving Republicans hope this will be the first time they actually have -- that they are going to win Miami outbreak since George Bush's brother Jeb was on the ballot as governor in 2002.
SANDOVAL: Steve Contorno, you're reporting reminding us the stakes are certainly high in the sunshine state, this midterm election. Thank you so much for that.
All right. Now, quick hits across America now. A judge in Arizona restricting a right wing group that has been patrolling ballot drop boxes. Members can no longer openly carry guns or wear body armor within 250 feet of the drop box, and cannot speak or yell at voters.
Republican Senator Ben Sass of Nebraska is the new president of the University of Florida. Trustees unanimously approving him despite protests over his limited relevant experience and past criticism of same-sex marriage.
And there is now a ban on the disposal of mattresses clothes, and shoes in the state of Massachusetts. New rules in effect requiring people to donate or recycle those things, that take up a lot of threes in landfills.
Over 150 people killed in South Korea in a crush of Halloween partygoers, police were warned, so what went wrong?
And, lions on the loose, after escaping a zoo
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SANDOVAL: Military intelligence in Ukraine says Iran is planning to send more than 200 combat shows to Russian forces. CNN has not independently verified the details yet, but they certainly echo CNN's report Tuesday that Iran is getting ready to ship drones and ballistic vessels to Russia.
CNN's Nic Robertson live in Ukraine right now.
And, Nic, I'm curious exactly just how crucial this drone deal will be for the Russian war effort.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, it could be very crucial, you know in the arc of the war 200 drones is not such a big number. Recently, Russia got the shahed-136 drone, 400 of them from Russia, and it has been able to use them with ballistic and cruise missiles to target the energy infrastructure here.
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