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Isa Soares Tonight
Russia Withdraws From Grain Deal With Ukraine; South Korea Grieves 155 Victims Of Crowd Crush; Lula Da Silva Wins Brazil's Presidential Election; World Leaders Congratulate Brazil's Lula On Election Win; At Least 100 Killed, 300+ Injured In Terror Attacks; Congressional Power Up For Grabs In Vote Next Tuesday. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired October 31, 2022 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, Russia pulls out of the hard won
international grain deal, what it means for global food security. Then 155 are confirmed dead in a crowd crush in South Korea. We're live in Seoul
where the grief is tuning to anger.
And Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be the next president of Brazil, but we are still waiting to hear from Jair Bolsonaro. But first, tonight, hundreds
of thousands of people in Ukraine's capital are without power as well as running water as Russia presses its relentless aerial attacks on civilian
infrastructure.
This comes as Moscow also is threatening the global food supply. It is suspending its participation in a U.N. broker deal to allow grain shipments
to leave Ukraine through the Black Sea. We'll have more on that in just a moment. But first, Ukraine's Air Force says Russia fired several waves of
missiles across the country early on Monday.
At least, a few hit their targets. In Kyiv, a missile struck a facility supplying electricity to 350,000 apartments. Ukraine says it's running out
of equipment to make repairs to the damaged power plants. And the attacks have cut off 40 percent of Kyiv's population from the city's water supply.
Salma Abdelaziz is monitoring all this from Kyiv and she joins me now.
So Salma, talk to us about this barrage of missile strikes, clearly hitting energy infrastructure. How bad is it and can it be repaired quickly enough?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Kyiv, yet again, Isa. Today, waking up to air raid sirens, Ukrainian officials saying a salvo of over 50 cruise
missiles fired across ten regions in Ukraine hitting 18 different infrastructures, most of those involved with electricity, with power. That
means here in Kyiv, at the beginning of the day, some 80 percent of residents did not have access to running water, much of that has been
restored power to hundreds of thousands of families also cut here in the capital.
These strikes also as I said hitting other parts of the country including in the east, closer to the frontlines. And now we've seen weeks, right,
Isa, of the sustained attacks on civilian infrastructure. And it's getting harder and harder for Ukrainian officials to take this very fragile, very
precarious, very damaged system of grids, of power grids of electricity, of water supplies, and try to bring that back up.
When Ukrainian officials saying they're actually running out of the equipment they need, the supplies they need to repair some of the damage to
this infrastructure. So that means inevitably, when Russia hits these -- hit targets like this, again, it will take that much longer for Ukraine to
be up and running again.
And you can imagine for families here and across the country as they head into the Winter months, and they're looking at hours without power, hours
potentially without water. How concerning that is. But then, you also have all of this coming after Russia accused Ukraine of firing drones, using
drones to attack its fleet in the Black Sea.
Ukraine has denied that, but the results of that, the repercussions was that Moscow pulled out of this all important grain deal that the United
Nations had brokered. That is really the only diplomatic breakthrough that we've seen since the beginning of this conflict. Now, pulling out of that,
dozens of ships potentially could be blocked in the Black Sea, Ukraine saying up to 200 -- over 200, rather, ships were unable to get out of the
port earlier.
We did hear that 12 vessels were able to get out, that was with the aid of the United Nations. But you can imagine the knock-on effect here. Ukraine
is one of the bread baskets of the world, but we saw in the Summer when there was not a deal before July, was that tons of grain was trapped,
unable to get out of the country. And if that happens again, we could look at rising prices.
[15:05:00]
But this is why you hear Russia yet again being accused of weaponizing food, of weaponizing --
SOARES: Yes --
ABDELAZIZ: The basics, of inflicting civilian suffering because we are talking about the staples here, right, Isa? Food, water, electricity,
transportation, all of that now essentially leverage for Moscow according to Ukraine. Isa --
SOARES: And the prices are already so high, and I saw wheat prices were up 6 percent today, just today. Then that says a lot. Salma Abdelaziz for us
in Kyiv there this evening, thanks very much, Salma. Well, as Salma was saying, Moscow has decided to suspend participation in the critical U.N.
brokered grain export deal.
Which basically means it will not guarantee safe passage for ships carrying grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea. Russia walked away after it
accused Ukraine as Salma was saying of attacking its Black Sea fleet off the annexed Crimean peninsula. That happened this weekend. And Russia's
president says Ukraine is misusing cargo vessels for military purposes.
Ukraine, the U.N. and world leaders say those are lies. They're all urging Russia to rejoin the deal. German officials saying it's despicable to use
world hunger as a weapon. Meanwhile, Ukraine vowing to carry on despite the risks, saying 12 ships with hundreds of thousands of tons of grain left its
ports on Monday.
Let's get more on this and what this all means, Tymofiy Mylovanov; adviser to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joins me now. Tymofiy, always
great to get your insight, to get your time here on the show. Talk to us about this deal, whether this deal can stand. What are you hearing about
the deal, and what Russia's exit from this actually means?
TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: As far as we're concerned, we signed the deal with the United Nations and with Turkey. And
so, the ships which left on Monday, several hundred thousand tons, the passage was coordinated with Turkey and with the United Nations. And that's
the plan to go forward. We'll continue to ship and the companies are ready to do it. So --
SOARES: So what are you --
MYLOVANOV: We will --
SOARES: So you will try -- do you need Russia here? That was my question.
MYLOVANOV: No, I don't think we do. I mean, the risk is really, you know, is a false flag operation that there will be a mine, and that was possible
even during the deal. You know, I talked to some of the shippers of some companies and said we already priced the risk in. And that tells you how
little trust there is among the companies towards Russia's promises.
And then the larger risks, such as really attacking the ships with missiles or attacking them which ships directly, at this point, the companies
consider it to be unlikely. Of course, if that changes, then there will be a different calculus.
SOARES: Yes, on that point, you know, what we heard from the Kremlin, Tymofiy, is saying that without it, without Russia, the grain deal is both
risky and dangerous. I mean, how do you interpret this? What are the repercussions?
MYLOVANOV: Let's think for a second, just for a second what this means when Russia says without us, the deal is risky. That basically means that
they accept responsibility for anything which can happen to the ships there. So they're basically making a threat. Russia has been making threats
left and right and carrying out some of them.
But at this point, I think people don't believe that Russia will directly attack the ships, and we will continue to coordinate with Turkey and the
United Nations. I asked actually some officials of -- direct, saying, you know, but will the companies go for the -- OK, about 70 percent of the
companies anyway are from the area, from the Black Sea area, and they have been ready for that. So they will take the risk.
SOARES: So what you're hearing -- you don't believe, Ukraine doesn't believe that they -- that Russia will attack these shipments? But is
Ukraine preparing for these possible attacks?
MYLOVANOV: The route -- the area through which the ships go is under the protection of the -- within the reach of the Ukrainian military, aerial
defense and other capabilities out there. Of course, the real threats, these or the additional threat against the -- which, it's very difficult to
control is the missile, you know, or a drone --
SOARES: Yes --
MYLOVANOV: But again, that risk was there before.
SOARES: So the risk has been there, always been there before, but of course, Russia as we just stated possibly upping the ante there. But the
Russia narrative, Tymofiy, and you would have heard this before, is that one that the grain is not going to those who need it most. That's part of
the narrative we've been hearing.
And two, as we mentioned before coming to you, that the vessels for the grain deal were used for military purposes. I mean, what is Ukraine's
response to this?
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MYLOVANOV: The response is this accusations are nonsense. And these ships have been monitored by the Turkish authorities and the United Nations
authorities. So, we're very transparent and there is evidence, you know, there are cameras, there are videotapes, there are witnesses present, both
at the time of -- when they're in docks, when they are loading or unloading cargo and when they're traveling.
They're not unlike Russian ships by the way, they're not switching off transporters. They don't make any calls to questionable ports, they don't
interact with other vessels. Everything is monitored, you can see the passing of the ships, you can see when they left, what cargo was there,
there's evidence. So the difference between what Ukraine says and what Russia says is that Russia has accusations, Ukraine has evidence.
SOARES: What are you hearing then, Tymofiy, from the turkey side, of course, and the U.N. who of course helped to broker this deal? In terms --
are they trying to bring them back, Russia back into the fold?
MYLOVANOV: Yes. There are attempts at least, that's the rumors on that -- you know, I'm not involved directly in the meetings since I'm not in the
cabinet anymore. But there are attempts to bring people back to the deal. But that's on the Turkish and the United Nations side. We are coordinating
with them, and my understanding is that everyone -- you know, everyone is working as it was before. There was this quick pause for a couple of days.
But the pause is now over and the ships are leaving the ports.
SOARES: So, the ships are leaving the ports. Let me turn our attention, if I could, to what's been happening in Kyiv, really, where you are.
Correspondent telling, you know, that Kyiv woken up by this barrage of missiles. Just talk to us, you know, what daily life is like right now, and
the concern of course, that you won't water or electricity for long periods of time. Just tell us your -- what you've experienced, Tymofiy?
MYLOVANOV: I actually did wake up this morning to a number of explosions which were outside of my bedroom window. And frankly, I've gotten so used
to it that it's just like, I didn't even look, you know. In the previous couple of weeks, I would maybe take a sneak peek -- you know, you want to
balance, you don't want to get close to the windows because that potentially is dangerous.
But at the same time you're very curious at some point, and you want to see if you can see the smoke, if something is in the air. This time, I didn't
even bother because I've heard enough of this, it's just happening almost every morning. And then, you know, what was new is that I went to my
office, to the Kyiv School of Economics, to the university, and that's a couple of blocks from here, and we didn't have water. So that's new.
If water is back for an hour or two or just before the shorting, actually an hour, I just got a message that the water is back up. But they took the
entire day to fix it. And you know, it has immediate hygiene replications or implications. We -- turned out that everyone had enough -- you know,
kind of people have been preparing, so everyone has drinking water, you know, liters and liters of drinking water.
But then the -- you know, frankly, the restrooms, right? That becomes --
SOARES: Yes --
MYLOVANOV: A problem real quick. So, I think Russia is targeting civilians, it's clearly -- you know, there is no reason, it's not even of
water issues, it's just, you know, hygiene issue. They're tired within native Kyiv and other places, has nothing to do with any military
objective.
SOARES: Yes, clearly, trying to wear you down. Tymofiy Mylovanov, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Thanks, Tymofiy. Now,
mourners are leaving flowers in Seoul right now at memorials near the site of Saturday's deadly crowd surge. At least, 155 people were killed Saturday
night in the South Korean capital's night life district.
Crowds attending a massive Halloween festival packed into a narrow street before the tragedy happened. The Interior Minister says there were no
guidelines to deal with gatherings that didn't have an organizer. Another official said this was an unprecedented situation. CNN's Paula Hancocks has
this report for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A once thriving night life hub, now the sight of endless grief and loss. South
Korea is in a period of national mourning, and the more than 150 lives lost in a crowd surge on Saturday.
NATHAN TAVERNITI, EYEWITNESS: There was just obviously waves of people coming in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes --
TAVERNITI: This is like the middle of the town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes --
TAVERNITI: So waves are coming in from both sides --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes --
(SOBBING)
TAVERNITI: And more people fell, and I lost my friend. There were so many people --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes --
TAVERNITI: And I had to like turn around, and I told the crowd, you can't come this way. People are dying.
[15:15:00]
HANCOCKS: South Korean officials now admitting there were no guidelines for dealing with the Halloween festivities in Seoul that took a deadly
turn.
KIM SEONG-HO, DIRECTOR, DISASTER & SAFETY MANAGEMENT, SOUTH KOREA (through translator): An event without an organizer was actually an unprecedented
situation.
OH SEUNG-JIN, DIRECTOR, VIOLENT CRIME INVESTIGATION, SOUTH KOREAN POLICE (through translator): There's no separate preparation manual for a
situation where there's no organizer and where a crowd is expected.
HANCOCKS: Survivors who managed to escape recount the horror.
OLIVIA JACOVIC, EYEWITNESS: It was about like -- you know, you versus other people. I just wanted to get out of there, I was using my arms,
squelching out like I don't care that my clothes were getting ripped, I had like, you know, bruises on my arms and stuff from trying to maneuver out,
it was just shoulder-to-shoulder. People just couldn't breathe. The shorter people were just trying to look up in the air to get some sort of air.
HANCOCKS: The deadly tragedy sent shock-waves across the world. The victims, many teenagers, and in their twenties. Included 20-year-old
American college student, Steven Blesi, from Marietta, Georgia, he'd only been in South Korea for two months.
STEVE BLESI, FATHER OF VICTIM: I feel like I have a hole in me. A big hole in my chest. I can't tell you, the pain that is, I wish I wouldn't have let
him go.
HANCOCKS: And Anne Gieske; a nursing student from Kentucky who was studying abroad in Seoul. Blesi and Gieske's families are just two of the
hundreds who received life-changing news that night. Grieving with the nation in shock and demanding answers. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: It's just so hard to comprehend, isn't it? Well, let's discuss the latest in investigation. Our senior international correspondent Will Ripley
is in Seoul for us this hour. And Will, when you and I spoke, somewhat two hours ago, you told me how the grief there is now turning to anger, as
people clearly demand answers, are they getting those answers, Will?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're getting some answers, but it's not necessarily the answers that they want. You know, the
brother that I showed you earlier who was kind of crying and sitting next to this memorial is now standing right over there and he's talking with one
of the police officers.
And he has been raising his voice, you know, expressing anger -- expressing anger about how his younger sister, one of around 100 young women who died,
because two-thirds of the victims roughly were women out of the 155, at least reported killed. And this is -- this memorial in a way, this alley
here where so many people lost their lives, has become a place for people to gather and grief.
But also to just express frustration with the government, because as you heard in Paula's piece just there, how do they not have a manual for a
large event that happened spontaneously without an organizer? Protests can happen spontaneously, and they were responding to a protest in another area
on Saturday night that they actually took some of the officers that were assigned here, moved them there.
Even as the crowds were growing, it was apparent to a lot of people working around here and bystanders as well that things were getting really
dangerous, really quickly. The police station, Isa, is just a couple minutes walk that way, I'm looking at their building as I stand here and
talk to you.
People -- you know, when emergency calls weren't getting an adequate response, they walked into the police station and said, you guys have got
to come out here and help. But by the time they made it out here -- because they didn't have barricades up, they didn't have -- they didn't have a
consistent presence, they had a lot of officers, but they were kind of scattered about in a disorganized manner.
And so, when they showed up, people had first thought it was some sort of a Halloween staged-event, they thought the officers were wearing costumes
just like everybody else. And when they were shouting commands, people said they couldn't hear them, they were drowned out by the shouts from the
large, you know, thousands of people in the crowd in the back that started chanting, push, to get the -- to get the line moving, because people were
frustrated, they were just standing around.
But when you have thousands of people pushing the people, the unfortunate people, and you know, you also heard reference to people who were shorter,
who were kind of trapped and they can't breathe, people started falling, the sidewalk was slippery because people had been spilling their drinks.
And when people fell, it created this almost domino effect as how it's described to us by the first responders who arrived. And so they're walking
up to this alley and it's lined with people, people who were on the ground. Their faces only visible, and that -- they were stacked up about ten people
high. So, it's like a pile of people.
The ones in the middle that were getting the worst of the pressure couldn't even breathe or speak, but they were still conscious, this look of
desperation and fear in their eyes or just exhaustion or just, you know, just trying to hold on with every ounce of energy that they had. But as
they were taking people out from the bottom because they thought that those were the people who were being crushed the most.
[15:20:00]
They watched them get delirious and then just lose consciousness right here on the sidewalk. And so, despite these many cases, really heroic attempts
to try to save their lives with CPR, people -- anybody who knew CPR was jumping in and trying to perform it, and it didn't work in nearly all the
cases, the people, they never regained consciousness. And now those who survived have to live with that memory.
That's just seared into their head of trying to save all these young people lined up along the sidewalks who never woke up, never made it home. And a
lot of them in their Halloween costumes. It's just unspeakably awful out here, and even though, it's quiet now compared to the chaos when we arrived
shortly after this was all happening on Saturday. The pain is still very palpable, very real out here, Isa.
SOARES: Unspeakably awful and so incredibly hard to comprehend how this could have happened. Will Ripley, thank you very much. Will Ripley there
for us in Seoul in South Korea. Now, nine people have been arrested in connection with the deadly bridge collapsing in India's Gujarat state over
the weekend.
Police say the suspects have been investigated for culpable homicide and all associated with the company that carried out maintenance on the bridge.
Hundred and thirty four people were killed including 30 children when this footbridge collapsed into the river on Sunday. Some 200 people are
estimated to have been on the bridge at the time. Survivors say they're lucky to be alive. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHWIN MEHRA, SURVIVOR OF INDIA'S DEADLY BRIDGE COLLAPSE (through translator): Death was in front of us. When we were on the bridge, we saw
people falling in the river, and we feared we might also fall. But by God's grace, we can hold the safety net and didn't let our grips go loose and
came out safely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Many children were enjoying holidays for Diwali and they came here as tourists. All of them fell on top
of one another. The bridge collapsed due to overloading.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: While rescue workers have been scouring the banks for survivors, the search has been suspended for the day. it will resume in the light on
Tuesday morning. And still to come here tonight, celebrations on the streets of Sao Paulo after a former Brazilian president defeats the far-
right incumbent. But so far we've heard no concession speech from Jair Bolsonaro.
And then later, the man suspected of attacking Paul Pelosi is charged with assault and attempted kidnapping. More on those charges just in to CNN in
the last few moments, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:25:00]
SOARES: After a bitterly divisive campaign and a nail-bite of an election, Brazilians have a new president-elect today. But the outgoing president has
yet to concede, raising fears he could try to contest his defeat. Leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won by a razor-thin margin, beating far-right
incumbent Jair Bolsonaro by about 2 million votes.
The victory caps a stunning political comeback for Lula who has served as president two times before. Let's get more now from CNN's Paula Newton who
joins us now from Sao Paulo. Paula, I've lost track of how many hours now since we got the results. I'm thinking about 20 hours or so and still
nothing from Bolsonaro. Are we expecting to hear from him today or his family saying anything?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, you are right on the money there. Nearly 20 hours now, and no, still silence. The family
though, at least, one of his sons who I should point out, is an elected senator did finally tweet, he says, Isa, "thank you to everybody who helped
us rescue patriotism" -- in his words.
"Who prayed, prayed, took to the streets, gave their sweat for the country that is working and gave Bolsonaro the biggest vote of his life. Let's
raise our heads and let's not give up on Brazil. God is in charge." Isa, I submit to you that is deliberately vague, and quite frankly, the only
message we really have in any measure about what Bolsonaro is thinking at this hour.
In the meantime, Lula has gotten on with the business of transition, had phone calls already with President Joe Biden, with Emmanuel Macron of
France, and he's met him in person this morning with the president of Argentina. Clearly, making good on what you described as an incredible
history-making political comeback. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice-over): Supporters partied like it was 2003, the last time Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was swept into power and promised to transform
Brazil for a new century. He is now pledging to do it again. These women, just babies when Lula was first elected hail him now as their political
savior.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happiness. We're just so happy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): So happy. We couldn't take any more of Bolsonaro. We can dream again.
NEWTON: Lula cemented an improbable political comeback destined now for the history books. He walked out of prison less than three years ago,
appealing corruption convictions. After they were thrown out, he mounted a campaign to defeat conservative populist Jair Bolsonaro.
LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, PRESIDENT-ELECT, BRAZIL (through translator): I consider myself a person who's been resurrected in Brazilian politics
because they tried to bury me alive and I'm here.
NEWTON: A gratified Lula pledged Brazil is back for its citizens and the world.
DA SILVA: From January 1st, 2023, I will govern for 215 million Brazilians, and not just those who voted for me. There are not two Brazils.
We are one country, one people, one great nation.
(APPLAUSE)
NEWTON: Lula supporters flooded the streets of Sao Paulo relishing a fresh start.
(CROWD CHANTING)
(on camera): Despite this victory, uniting this country now will be difficult and quite a challenge for Lula, as he also considers a very
determined opposition.
(voice-over): Bolsonaro did not formally concede on election night, the last time Brazilians saw their president was when he voted. But even the
head of Brazil's Congress, a Bolsonaro ally, allowed Lula supporters their victory, saying Congress accepted the outcome. This Lula supporter says the
war in her words, the culture war that Bolsonaro leaned into, is not over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Look at the amount of votes this man had. Even after everything he's done, almost half of the votes, the
difference was really small.
NEWTON: This is Lula's victory, but no longer Lula's Brazil. Years of division and political acrimony have taken their toll, blind-siding this
democracy and it could yet challenge this president like never before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: You know, one of his first challenges already, Isa, is getting Bolsonaro to actually concede and submit right to that peaceful transition
of power. We still are waiting, there's still a chance that the president might speak to Brazilians this evening and we will bring that to you when
and if he decides to speak.
Again, it may not be a concession speech, he may actually be spelling out the ways in which he wants to try and challenge this election. Having said
that electoral officials here say, this was a free, fair, credible election with full transparency. Isa?
SOARES: Yeah. I mean, given what we have heard previously from Jair Bolsonaro and that the only three options that he accepted defeat wasn't
one of those, so we shall wait to see what he has to say. Paula Newton for us in Sao Paulo in Brazil. Thank you, Paula, good to see you. And we'll
have much more on Brazil later in the hour -- in the show. With Lula's victory, will Bolsonaro, of course, as people say, concede or contest, or
will his supporters accept his loss? Vice president of the Americas society and Council of the Americas' Eric Farnsworth will join me to discuss.
But first, San Francisco Police Chief denounce his conspiracy theories as the man suspected of attacking Paul Pelosi is charged with the assault and
attempted kidnapping. Those stories next after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Now federal prosecutors, moments ago, formally charged a man with attempted kidnapping and assault in the attack
on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband. David DePape allegedly hit 82-year-old Paul Pelosi with a hammer in the couple's San Francisco home.
Now police say DePape was also carrying zip ties and duct tape. We've also learned that investigators have interviewed Mr. Pelosi about the brutal
attack. That is according to a law enforcement source. Mr. Pelosi remains in hospital recovering from a fractured skull as well as other injuries.
CNN's Veronica Miracle is outside the Pelosi's San Francisco home and joins us now. Veronica, first of all, just talk us through those charges that we
were outlining there and the next stage of this investigation here.
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Isa. Well, the suspect, David DePape, has just been charged with two federal crimes, the Department
of Justice announcing those charges in the last hour. They say that DePape is facing assault and attempted kidnapping of an immediate family member of
a U.S. official. And between just those two charges, he faces up to 50 years in federal prison.
[15:35:01]
That is completely separate from the state charges that we are still expecting to hear from the San Francisco district attorney's office, which
include attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, and elder abuse among other charges. Now in the complaint from the DOJ, they revealed that
Paul Pelosi was sleeping when David DePape came into his bedroom looking for Nancy Pelosi. And when officers arrived, they found DePape and Pelosi
struggling over a hammer. That's when the suspect was able to get control of the hammer and knock Pelosi unconscious. When officers were able to
finally restrain DePape, they found tape, rope, another hammer, gloves, as well as zip ties.
Now, within the last hours, we did see -- within the last hour, rather, we did see Speaker Pelosi leave her home. And just like yesterday, she quickly
got in her motorcade and was whisked away. Paul Pelosi's still recovering in the hospital, as you mentioned, recovering from very serious injuries,
including a skull fracture. Isa.
SOARES: Veronica Miracle there for us. Thanks very much, Veronica. Do keep us posted on this.
I want to return now to one of our top stories, the presidential run-off vote in Brazil. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won by an incredibly close
margin. He's vowed to overturn the legacy of outgoing far-right President, Jair Bolsonaro. Let's get some perspective on this from Eric Farnsworth.
He's a Vice President on the Americas society and Council of the Americas. Eric, great to have you back on the show. And watch a political comeback,
isn't it, for Lula, but let's first start with the silence. I don't know if you heard our correspondent, Paula Newton, talking about the silence from
Bolsonaro 20 hours or so and he hasn't conceded. How would you read the silence, Eric?
ERIC FARNSWORTH, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAS SOCIETY AND COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS: Hi, Isa. It's terrific to be back with you. You know, the silence
is disconcerting, but probably not completely unexpected. He's trying to figure out what his next steps are. You know, this has been a fait
accompli, in some ways, the international community, the domestic voters have spoken. And they've congratulated the president-elect. And so, they've
really boxed in President Bolsonaro in terms of what his next steps could be. So, he's evaluating but you would have hoped at this point, he would
have come out and have said something, at least to congratulate the president-elect, if not fully believing it in his heart.
SOARES: Yes. I mean, I was speaking to Thomas Traumann, who you probably know. And he -- one of his theories was that the reason he hasn't come out
and conceded yet, Jair, is because he's probably trying to get some sort of deal with all the other investigations that are ongoing, because of
obviously COVID-19 and his role in all of this. Do you buy that? Do you think he's trying to find some leniency there when those investigations are
conserved?
FARNSWORTH: I think it's very plausible. And it's not just for himself, but also perhaps some of his family members. You know, he's had immunity from
prosecution since the early '90s when he entered Congress. And so this is really uncharted territory for him. He's been accused of a lot of things,
but with the immunity, you really can't pursue those charges, necessarily. So it's possible that this is part of what he is trying to get through
right now. The challenge, though, is that that's with the judicial system, not necessarily the incoming government. So it depends on who he's
negotiating with, but I think it's certainly a plausible explanation.
SOARES: Well, we should see if he does speak. We're expecting to hear from him, at least is what Paula Newton was saying in the last few minutes or
so. But what we have been seeing, at least in the last few hours, Eric, is his supporters, the Bolsonaro supporters kind of blocking major roads in
some 12 states. Now, if he doesn't concede, how do you see this playing out? Because you and I clearly remembered that his options were prison,
death, or victory. So how do you see this playing out if there is no concession?
FARNSWORTH: Yes, that's what he himself claimed his options were. So it was right from the horse's mouth, so to speak, you know. It's uncertain. And
that is the key issue that's been facing Brazil. Even well before the elections, people were wondering what the eventual outcome would be. If he
comes out and says, look, we accept the results, that puts paid to that. But most likely, he's going to try to have some sort of approach that will
continue to advance his project, as well as his supporters and his family members. And that may mean not directly conceding or saying congratulations
to the president-elect.
And what that could do is give license to at least some of the more radical supporters to engage in conduct that most of us would find unbecoming. So
what he says next, what he does next is important, people will be watching it very closely.
SOARES: Yes. And it doesn't necessarily mean that, you know, if he does accept, if he doesn't accept, I mean, the end of Bolsonarismo, I think it's
--
FARNSWORTH: Correct.
SOARES: -- fair to say, right, Eric, that Bolsonarismo is very much alive.
FARNSWORTH: Absolutely. He's got allies in Congress. He's got allies in state houses, in the governorships across Brazil, and, you know, his
movement remains very strong.
[15:40:02]
Look, the election was historically close and you also have to recognize that every incumbent that's run for reelection across Latin America has
been defeated. But Bolsonaro margin of difference was the narrowest of any. So, you know, he just barely lost his movement, remains very strong.
SOARES: Let's talk about that narrow victory. I mean, it was a very tight race. Talk us through, Eric, the challenges that Lula faces, besides the
obvious as you outlined there, you know, which is uniting the country. We're looking at the numbers now. Lula da Silva, 50.90 percent. Liberal
Party for Jair Bolsonaro, 49 points. This is thin margins. Where does Lulu start? This is a very divided country.
FARNSWORTH: It's very divided. It's deeply divided, not just in terms of the traditional divisions in Brazilian society, but now geographically
across economic sectors, it's really going to be tough going forward. And many people, it seems, voted for Lula based on his term -- his terms from
2003 to 2010. What that means is Brazil at that time was a very wealthy, growing economy that was doing really well with commodities, prices very
high. The world community recognized that with the World Cup and the Olympics for Brazil, so that was a different time in a different place.
What he faces now is there's no longer commodities boom, China, Brazil's top trade partner is slowing. He, as you mentioned, he's got a divided
electorate, and he's got a Congress that isn't necessarily in his corner. Plus, he also has a record where he served time in jail, he was accused of
corruption. And so he's got some baggage as he comes into the presidency for the third time. And a lot of people are going to be looking at that and
many won't be forgiving him for that. So, I think we can anticipate there won't be much of a honeymoon, if any. It's a different Brazil, it's going
to be a complicated time and place to govern.
SOARES: Indeed, with a divided country. But like you said, there's no longer the golden years of those boom years, isn't it, off commodity prices
and the challenges are very real, with you know, with cost-of-living crisis, as well as surging inflation. Eric Farnsworth, always great to get
your insight. Thanks, Eric. Good to see.
FARNSWORTH: Thanks for having me.
SOARES: Now, still to come tonight, an extremist group claims responsibility for two car bombings in Somalia's capital. We'll have all
the latest on the deadly attacks. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Now the notorious terror group, al-Shabaab has reportedly claimed responsibility for two devastating blasts in Somalia on Saturday. At least
100 people were killed in the capital Mogadishu in the deadliest terror attacks there in five years.
[15:45:05]
CNN's Larry Madowo has the latest on the attacks and the country's fight against the extremist group linked to al-Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Smoke rises over Somalia's education ministry. The detonation of two car bombs near a busy intersection in the
capital could be seen and heard throughout the city on Saturday. The blasts happening in deadly succession, the second hitting just minutes later, as
ambulances arrived to treat the victims of the first blast.
Cleanup is now underway, as well as the search for bodies. What's now rubble would normally be an area filled with people, buying and selling
food. Early Sunday, Somalia's President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, visited the blast site and said at least 100 people have been killed with hundreds more
wounded, some so seriously. He expected the death toll to rise. He also blamed the al-Qaeda linked al-Shabaab terror group for the attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN SHEIKH MOHAMUD, SOMALI PRESIDENT (through translator): We and the Muslim Somali people are at war with these men.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: The terror group claimed responsibility for the blast according to multiple reports. In a statement, al-Shabaab says they targeted the
ministry because it teaches Somali children using a Christian-based syllabus. Many of the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, likely to
have survived the blasts. But some say they are still shocked by the carnage they saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We heard a loud explosion. The shop collapsed and smashed mirrors scattered on us. It made us bleed. Dead
bodies and people with injuries were everywhere. Some were screaming. That's what I can remember now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: Al-Shabaab frequently stages attacks in Mogadishu and around Somalia with a goal of overthrowing the government and establishing a hard-
line Islamic State. Somalia's president has launched an offensive against the group and vowed to eradicate them.
Saturday's blast was the deadliest terror attacks in Somalia in five years. A previous explosion in 2017, in the same location, killed more than 500
people, a sign of how formidable the task ahead is for the Somali government to stop scenes like these from happening again. Larry Madowo,
CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Still to come tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court tackles a blockbuster case that could change student diversity at universities across the
country. We'll explain why affirmative action is once again before the court.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:19]
SOARES: Welcome back. Now U.S. voters head to the polls next Tuesday to pick the next Congress. All 435 members of the House of Representatives, I
should say, will be up for grabs along with 35 Senate seats, about a third of the Senate. Voters will also cast ballots in numerous key governor's
races and state legislators.
Now typically, the party of the President struggles in the midterms as voters in the opposite party tend to feel more motivated. Paul suggests
that Republicans will likely fare well possibly taking control of the House. But the Senate is more of a toss-up. Several key races in Georgia,
Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin are expected to determine which party will control that branch of Congress. We'll have much more of
course on the story throughout the week here on the show.
Well, equal opportunity, diversity on campus, and how to best to achieve them. That is what the U.S. Supreme Court is debating today in what could
be another landmark precedent breaking case. The court, now with the majority of conservative justices, is hearing arguments about a policy that
conservatives have long fought against, whether universities can continue to consider race as a factor in student admissions. CNN's Jessica Schneider
explains how this could impact students right across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diversity, as important as it is, cannot come at the expense of Asian Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These Asian American students are leading a fight against affirmative action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's time for Asian Americans to break up with work diversity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: They're at the center of a lawsuit against Harvard, accusing the Ivy League school of discriminating against Asian Americans to make more
room for Hispanics and blacks. Calvin Yang, who's now a sophomore at U.C. Berkeley, claims he was denied admission to Harvard because of his race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALVIN YANG, STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS: It goes to show that there's a trend here a trend where Asian Americans are systematically getting
discriminated because of who you are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: Now the case against Harvard and a separate but related suit against U.N.C. Chapel Hill is coming before the Supreme Court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDWARD BLUM, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: The current law --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: Conservative activist Edward Blum has been leading the crusade to end affirmative action for nearly a decade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLUM: Classifying students by race and ethnicity, treating them differently because of their race and ethnicity is -- it's unfair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: Blum started the group Students for Fair Admissions and initiated cases against Harvard and U.N.C. Chapel Hill years ago. Harvard
is accused of holding Asian Americans to a higher standard and capping their numbers, but the school says it sets no limits. At U.N.C. Chapel
Hill, some students say there's too much weight on race and admissions, resulting in discrimination against whites and Asian Americans. The school
though contends it takes a holistic approach to admissions decisions.
Multiple federal judges have ruled neither school has violated the Constitution by considering race in the admissions process. But now Blum
and his supporters are banking on the Supreme Court reversing its own precedent, and banning the use of affirmative action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLUM: I think that is something that has been polarizing, it has been problematic, and I think the nation is ready for this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: Julia Clark leads the group Black Student Movement at U.N.C., and she says race is an essential element for universities to consider.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA CLARK, PRESIDENT, BLACK STUDENT MOVEMENTS, U.C. CHAPEL HILL: We cannot have holistic admissions without race, because race is embedded into
every single facet of everyday life for people that come from diverse backgrounds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: Already nine states banned the use of affirmative action in admissions decisions at public universities. But leaders at the University
of California and the University of Michigan say their race-neutral admissions policies have not worked, telling the Supreme Court and filings
they haven't been able to significantly increase enrollment of underrepresented minorities since affirmative action bans in their states
took effect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARILYNN SCHUYLER AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR ACCESS, EQUITY, AND DIVERSITY: I know that certainly in California, there have been definite attempts to try
and even the playing field in other ways, and they've had a limited impact. There's a chilling effect when students don't feel welcome, either by
legislation or otherwise, they're not going to want to come to a university that has banned affirmative action that doesn't value that diversity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: Now it's up to the Supreme Court to set the final word of whether affirmative action can continue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YANG: I want to see affirmative action being repealed and become illegal in college admissions of some across this country.
CLARK: I think I speak for myself and other black students that we really are scared at the end of the day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: The Supreme Court has upheld affirmative action for 45 years, but when it was affirmed in 2003, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who wrote for
the majority said it might not be needed after 25 years.
[15:55:05]
Well, now we've hit the 20-year mark so the justices may use that timeline as a rationale for banning affirmative action. Jessica Schneider, CNN,
Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Now finally tonight, on this Halloween, we want to leave you with something spooky happening really in our solar system. Have a look at this
save cheese. This is from NASA. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory coring in the sun really smiling. You can see there are two eyes, and a nose, and a
smile and NASA observatory last week captured the striking image showing what are basically splotches of cooler air on the Sun's surface. But the
tweet has gotten somewhat viral today and people are weighing in what they really see. Some say they see a lion, some other say they see a character
from Ghostbusters. I feel like I see the sun from Teletubbies. I don't know what you see. Let -- make up your mind. Let me know. Tweet me @IsaCNN.
And a quick programming note before I leave you tonight, CNN is launching an all new show broadcast worldwide from London. It's happening tomorrow,
November 1st. The program, "CNN NEWSROOM", with my colleagues Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo will air weekdays at 4:00 a.m. in New York. Remember,
we're still the best show in this network. Don't forget that. Thanks very much for watching tonight. Do stay right here with CNN. "QUEST MEANS
BUSINESS" is up next week with Richard Quest. I shall see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
END
