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New Day Sunday

Texas Group Persuades Vaccine Skeptics To Get First Doses; North Korea Slams Squid Game and South Korean Culture; Red Sox Hit Two Grand Slams To Even Series With Astros. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired October 17, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:23]

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Early at 6:00 on a Sunday and we are glad to have you. I'm Christi Paul.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Boris Sanchez.

We are following a developing story out of Haiti where 17 American missionaries, some of them kids, have been kidnapped. We'll tell you exactly how this happened.

PAUL: Also, subpoena showdown. The House is set to make moves this week to hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt for defying that subpoena from the committee investigating the insurrection, how this is expected to play out in the coming days.

SANCHEZ: Plus, reaching the holdouts, how organizations are working in states across the country to reach those still unvaccinated and convince them to roll up their sleeves.

PAUL: And we're going to take you to the meat market that's serving up candy corn bratwurst.

SANCHEZ: Blech.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: I'm with you on that one. How does it taste? We'll find out.

SANCHEZ: We are thrilled to have you bright and early this Sunday, October 17th. Thank you so much for waking up with us.

PAUL: All right. So let's start with what we are really watching this morning, this kidnapping of 17 American missionaries in Haiti. This happened just north of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

SANCHEZ: Yes. A source with the Haitian security force tells CNN the group was abducted by gang members. According to the "Washington Post" the missionaries are affiliated with an Ohio organization called Christian Aid Ministries.

Let's get to CNN's Matt Rivers. Matt, reportedly, these folks were on a bus, and they had just left an orphanage. What else do we know about what happened? MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We were on the phone with a source of ours, Boris and Christi, basically late into the evening yesterday, trying to get a sense of what's happening here and what the latest information that we have, and the source in the Haitian security forces stressed to us that this is an ongoing situation. We'll learn more this morning, hopefully.

But the numbers that we have right now, 17 American missionaries as you mentioned, 14 of whom we're told are adults, three of whom we are told are under 18 years old. We don't know specific ages at this point.

And you were right, they were there doing missionary work in Haiti. The group had apparently left the orphanage where they were visiting and they were on their way to another part of Haiti, a small village north of the capital Port-au-Prince, traveling through Port-au-Prince, when they were abducted by gang members in the city.

And, you know, strikingly, according to the "Washington Post," one of the missionaries actually posted in a WhatsApp group a call for help as this was happening, allegedly saying, "Please pray for us. We are being held hostage. They kidnapped our driver. Pray, pray, pray. We don't know where they are taking us." And that's basically all we know at this point.

I can tell you that Haitian security forces very much involved here right now, knowing how much attention 17 Americans are now being held hostage in Haiti is going to bring on the security situation there. That said, the number of kidnappings in Haiti that we have seen since the beginning of this year generally speaking have skyrocketed.

According to one nonprofit who tracks these kinds of things in Port- au-Prince, they released some data earlier this month before this latest kidnapping, they say at least 628 kidnappings since January 1st, a 300 percent increase in kidnappings since July, 29 of the people who are kidnapped were foreigners. And again, that data comes from before this latest incident which is certainly something the Biden administration, the state department says they're aware of it, though they're not confirming this has happened yet, but this is something that's going to be on everybody's minds in Washington, D.C., as we go through the day today.

SANCHEZ: Yes. No question about that. Keep us posted on the latest. Matt Rivers, thank you so much.

We should update you on the status of former President Bill Clinton. He is expected to be released from a California hospital sometime this morning.

PAUL: Yes. For five days doctors have been be treating the 75-year-old former commander in chief for a common but potentially serious blood infection. Here's CNN's Natasha Chen.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Bill Clinton is expected to be discharged from the hospital on Sunday after having spent five nights here at U.C. Irvine Medical Center for a urinary tract infection that seeped into the blood stream. He checked in here initially on Tuesday when he started feeling extremely fatigued. He was here in southern California for a private event for his foundation.

[06:05:03]

Now on Saturday evening his spokesperson released a statement on Twitter saying in part, "He is in great spirits and has been spending time with family, catching up with friends, and watching college football. He is deeply grateful for the excellent care he continues to receive and thankful to the many well-wishers who have sent kind words to him and his family. He's looking forward to getting home very soon."

And among those well-wishers, we're told from a source familiar with the situation, telling our colleague Jamie Gangel, is that he has received phone calls on Saturday from Vice President Kamala Harris, former President George W. Bush, and his own vice president Al Gore. He also spoke to President Biden on Friday.

Doctors and staff say that he's been able to get up and walk around. And, in fact, according to this source telling Jamie Gangel, the staff had to tell him to slow down. We've also seen Secretary Hillary Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton visiting him on Saturday, spending some time here in the hospital.

Again, he has been staying this long because of the I.V. antibiotics treatment which can take three to five days to complete. And doctors and staff say it's very important to have that completed before he gets back on a plane to go home. Back to you.

PAUL: Natasha Chen, thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: Pivoting to politics now and the subpoena showdown on Capitol Hill. The committee investigating the January 6th insurrection is planning to vote this week on criminal contempt charges against Trump loyalist Steve Bannon.

PAUL: Yes. Bannon is refusing to comply with a subpoena from the committee. He claims that he can't testify or provide documents because former President Trump is covered by executive privilege. Legal experts dispute that, though.

Let's bring in CNN congressional reporter Daniella Diaz. Daniella, talk to us about what's expected this week in terms of how this is going to play out and good morning.

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Good morning, Christi. Good morning, Boris. It's exactly as you said, Christi, look the committee that is investigating the January 6 Capitol attack is going to hold, they say, this Trump ally, Steve Bannon, you know, he's a former White House aide, in criminal contempt for his refusal to comply with their subpoena.

Bannon was scheduled to actually meet with the committee on Thursday, but he didn't show and his lawyer says that the -- wrote to the panel actually and said that his client would not provide testimony or documents until the committee reached an agreement with former President Donald Trump over executive privilege or a court weighed in on the matter. Of course, all of this despite the fact that Bannon was not in the White House or working at the White House the day that Capitol attack happened on January 6th.

So what happens next? Well the committee is going to hold a meeting on Tuesday, so looking forward to next week, this is where they will vote on holding Bannon in criminal contempt. Once that happens then it goes to a full House vote.

Now remember, Democrats are in the majority, so this is likely to pass. Once the full House votes on this, then it goes to the justice department where they will make their determinations for prosecuting.

Now, any individual who is found liable for contempt of Congress is then guilty of a crime that may result in a fine or up to 12 months of imprisonment. But I really want to stress, guys, that the likelihood of this process being invoked is low. And this rarely leads to jail time.

In fact, this is an incredibly unique process. The last time this happened was during the Reagan administration. So this is really unique, but bottom line, it's a message that the committee is trying to send to all the witnesses, all the people they subpoenaed, to comply with this investigation that if they don't comply, they're going to move forward with criminal contempt. They're going to take the steps needed to make sure that they comply with this investigation, that the Congress, the Biden administration, is taking incredibly seriously. Boris, Christi.

PAUL: Let's talk about House lawmakers returning this week too with some other major items on their to-do list. Democrats still divided over the president's economic plans. What have you learned about the strategy for trying to really salvage that agenda?

DIAZ: That's exactly right, Christi. But the thing is there's still time. Look, there's a new self-imposed deadline of October 31st to try to pass both this bipartisan infrastructure bill that has stalled in the House because progressives separately want to vote on a different piece of legislation, the economic bill, that was currently set for $3.5 trillion, but two moderate Democratic senators are holding it up, Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin. The names we talk about again and again.

So that's what Democrats are working on and Democratic leaders are working on. They're going to try to figure out before October 31st what Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin want.

However there are a lot of sticking points here that they're going to have to work out these next couple weeks, especially this week when they come back, it's crunch time before October 31st. They are trying to figure out specifically climate provisions. There is a climate provision in the currently written bill, the $3.5 trillion bill, Christi and Boris, that says that they need to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 that Manchin does not agree with. [06:10:03]

He comes from a coal state. He's from West Virginia. He says he listens to his constituents so that's what's going on here. But bottom line here the bickering is happening openly.

On Friday, Bernie Sanders actually put an op-ed in Manchin's hometown newspaper, touting this bill. So lots of open discussions happening with moderates and progressives as they try to figure out how they're going to pass these bills before October 31st. Boris, Christi.

PAUL: Daniella Diaz, great job wrapping it all up for us there. Thank you so much.

So CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer with us right now. Julian, it's good to see you again. I feel like it's been a while.

We know that Terry McAuliffe -- I'm sorry. I want to start with Steve Bannon. Based on what you heard Daniella talking about, what does history tell us about whether we will hear from Bannon?

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the history suggests we won't or we'll just hear what Bannon wants to say. Meaning he is willing to wait out this process where the odds are unlikely to result in any kind of big punishment. And this is a team, the former president's allies, that doesn't feel shame from these kinds of investigations. So as we saw with the whole impeachment process, figures around the former president, including Bannon, are more than willing to challenge congressional oversight and not say anything.

PAUL: So I want to move to what's happening in Virginia right now with the gubernatorial race, Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin. We've had a lot of people say what happens in the Virginia race is going to setup what happens in -- not just 2022 but 2024.

So it seems that the slogan for Terry McAuliffe is stop Trumpism. He was on with Jim Acosta last night here on CNN. Here's what he had to say about the ramifications of the Virginia election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY MCAULIFFE (D), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump will use this as a major victory for himself to help himself for the 2022 midterms and this will be the kickoff for his 2024 race. I mean, literally, Jim, he has endorsed Glenn Youngkin, not one, two, three, four -- six times. And, you know, Youngkin is a Trump wannabe. And (ph) it's (ph) just not what we want. So we have got to stop Donald Trump. We don't want him back again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: So does that argument we don't want Trump or a Trump wannabe as he said, is that enough to move mountains in a race? And if it doesn't, what is your take on what happens in the future?

ZELIZER: Well, it's not clear. I mean off year elections and special elections can rarely have the significance people give them and they don't reveal where the parties are going. But it's clear that McAuliffe is trying to nationalize his own race and connect the Republican opponent to President Trump. I don't know if that will work, however. You know, local still matters a lot, and this is a close race where there's many other factors at play.

PAUL: I want to look at a great article that you wrote for CNN.com and I want to pull some of that so we can understand what you're talking about here, and this involves this election. You say, "The heightened scrutiny surrounding the Virginia race is in large part due to the challenges President Joe Biden has faced in the past month. Sagging poll numbers, stalled legislation have raised concerns about the president's standing, as well as the enthusiasm and support Democrats will be able to drum up going into the 2022 midterm elections."

The former governor told Jim as we said that he's going to be out campaigning with the president soon, that President Biden is going to come out for Terry McAuliffe. But compare and contrast for me, if you will, the endorsement of President Biden versus the endorsement of President Trump at this moment?

ZELIZER: Well, you know, I think, within the Republican electorate that endorsement of president -- the former president has the potential to energize support for a candidate to have supporters, see a candidate as something bigger than they did before, as part of a movement, Trumpism, so to speak. Whereas, I'm not sure President Biden's endorsement has the same weight right now because he's at a moment where there are more problems, where his legislation is stalled, and where we see the approval ratings not quite as strong. So, it could be in this case that the former president has more of an impact with that endorsement.

PAUL: Julian Zelizer, we always appreciate you taking time for us. Thank you so much.

ZELIZER: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Right now, a manhunt is under way for a gunman who shot and killed a Houston deputy this weekend. The latest on that hunt next.

[06:15:03]

PAUL: Also, we're going to tell you why Alex Murdaugh was arrested last week and explain the new charges the disgraced South Carolina attorney is facing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We are 19 minutes past the hour. And right now a manhunt is under way in Houston for someone who ambushed three deputies outside of a bar early Saturday morning.

PAUL: Yes. One deputy was shot and killed. Two others were wounded in the attack. Here's CNN's Jean Casarez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At a Houston sports bar in the parking lot, deputies were called to that parking lot because of something that was going on. They believed it was a robbery. They thought they had the person that was responsible. They were in the midst of arresting the person.

The person was on the ground. They were right there. And all of a sudden we are told that someone came from around the car with an AR-15 assault rifle and began shooting at the deputies.

[06:20:01]

One was shot in the back. The other shot, who has succumbed to the injuries. And then another deputy came out because of hearing what was happening and was shot in the leg with multiple leg fractures.

We do know the identities of these officers. We want to show you all of them. First of all, Kareem Atkins, he was 30 years old. He just got back from paternity leave. He leaves a wife and a 2-month-old baby. Darrel Garrett, he is 28 years old. He was shot in the back. He is now in the intensive care unit. And finally Juqaim Barthen, 26 years old. He has been a member of the force since 2019.

Now these officers, they worked together, they knew each other, they were buddies, we are told. And I want you to listen to how the constable Mark Herman talks about what one was told just before he was wheeled into surgery.

CONSTABLE MARK HERMAN, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: He found out laying bleeding out on a gurney that his buddy he had just been with, was deceased, and -- but I can tell you all three of them, they worked the same area, they're good friends, they -- it's just a complete tragedy is what it is.

CASAREZ: The criminal investigation continues. The deputy that did succumb to his injuries his body is at the Harris County medical examiner's office.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: And thank you to Jean Casarez there.

Now, here's what's striking. That fatal ambush happened just hours before President Biden honored law enforcement who have died in the line of duty. The site of the insurrection became a place of reflection.

Look at this. President Biden paying tribute to the Houston deputies during the annual national memorial service for fallen police, saying in part, we mourn the fallen and pray for the wounded. He also commemorated the officers who protected the Capitol during the January 6th riots.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Particularly appropriate today, because here, nine months ago, your brothers and sisters thwarted an unconstitutional and fundamentally un-American attack on our nation's values and our votes. But because of you, democracy survived.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: A major moment in court in Georgia expected tomorrow, as jury selection is set to begin in the trial of three men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery. Arbery, who was unarmed, was murdered in February of last year when he was jogging in Brunswick, Georgia. Two white men in a pickup truck chased him down and shot him. Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis, are facing nine counts each including felony murder charges and aggravated assault. A third man who recorded the incident is also charged with murder. All three have pled not guilty.

Embattled attorney Alex Murdaugh is back in South Carolina as we're learning of a new twist in the bizarre legal scandal swirling around him.

PAUL: Yes. Murdaugh was arrested in Orlando, now charged with fraud. According to an affidavit Murdaugh coordinated with the family of his long-time housekeeper to -- quote -- "sue himself" to get an insurance settlement with the intention of giving the money to the family for funeral expenses and compensation. Ultimately more than $4 million were paid out to the family of Gloria Satterfield but the family says they never saw a penny. Here's CNN's Nadia Romero.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christi and Boris, the more we learn about Alex Murdaugh the more questions we seem to have. Now we know that he was arrested in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, charges stemming to the settlement money that was supposed to go to the family of his late maid. Gloria Satterfield worked for the family for some 20 years and she died in 2018.

Now Alex Murdaugh said she tripped on the family dogs, went stumbling down the stairs and fell to her death. Well, there was never an autopsy done on her body and so now there is an investigation into her death. But the family was supposed to receive about a $4 million settlement. They say they never saw a dime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD RICHTER, SATTERFIELD FAMILY ATTORNEY: Alex did not act alone in making this happen. He certainly needed help and the help came from those who also participated in the settlement. So we filed lawsuits virtually against anybody who touched that money, anybody who participated in those settlements, and it's by and through those lawsuits that we do intend to make our clients whole again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: Now Alex Murdaugh was in Orlando at a drug treatment facility. He said that he had an opioid addiction. And just the day after, he told police that he hired a man, a former client, to shoot him, shoot him in the head so he would die, so the insurance money, a multimillion-dollar settlement would go to his surviving son. But the scheme didn't work when Murdaugh survived.

[06:25:00]

Well, now he's still facing charges connected to the settlement money, for the Satterfields, his former maid, and now insurance fraud charges because of that botched attempt to have himself killed. And his law firm is looking into allegations that he might have stolen money from them or misappropriated funds. All of these claims, allegations surrounding Alex Murdaugh, suspicion and mystery as well. Boris, Christi.

SANCHEZ: Thank you, Nadia.

Coming up, some, but not all health experts are urging those who got a Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine to get a booster shot as soon as it's available. We'll explain the discrepancy next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Good morning. Twenty-nine minutes past the hour. And a major strike on Hollywood TV and film production has been averted. Just hours before a midnight deadline, a tentative deal was reached between the producers union and the union representing roughly 60,000 behind- the-scenes workers.

[06:30:06]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. The set workers union says the deal includes several improvements to onset conditions. They'll get longer daily rest and meal breaks as well as wage increases, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday also added to their schedule.

On the COVID-19 front, the number of Americans getting their COVID-19 vaccines continues to steadily increase. The U.S. has now fully vaccinated more than 56 percent of its total population. But health and government officials are still pushing to ramp up those numbers.

PAUL: And now, the FDA is set to authorize a second dose of the Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccine, but the director of the National Institutes of Health says, don't rush out the door for your booster yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: You know, if the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna had not been so utterly amazingly effective, 95 percent, then Johnson and Johnson would look like a hero with their one dose. But I guess our standards are being set awfully high here by the other vaccines.

There was data that suggested if you are going to get a booster for J&J, maybe getting a Moderna or a Pfizer booster would actually have some advantages in terms of giving you an even stronger immune response. So, don't run out anybody who got J&J. I would wait another week right now and see what CDC's Advisory Committee does with this next week. And by maybe a week from today, I'll tell my grandkids what I think they ought to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: In the meantime, doctors and medical groups are still making a full-court press to try and convince people who are hesitant to get vaccinated. CNN's Miguel Marquez is in Texas with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Zeferino Cantu consider getting vaccinated for months. Finally, he's taking the plunge, now more worried about the virus than vaccine side effects.

The Coronavirus is more dangerous, he says, because it can affect everything, even your mental capacity.

The 63-year-old retired labor is diabetic, has high blood pressure, and no health insurance. Getting the shot in his arm, not easy.

SYLVIA AGUILAR, ELIGIBILITY ADMINISTRATOR, EL MILAGRO CLINIC: He would always tell me I'll be back. I'll come back. I'm not ready.

MARQUEZ: And this was over how long?

AGUILAR: I guess about -- I've talked to him like three-four months ago.

MARQUEZ: A familiar problem here at McAllen's El Milagro Clinic vaccinating those needing it most. HHS estimates about half the unvaccinated are willing to get it like 55-year-old horse race trainer Juan Manuel Salinas.

I wanted to see the reaction of other people before I got it, he says. If they were OK, then I do it too. He was tough to convince and his daughter works at the clinic.

BREE SALINAS, FINANCIAL MANAGER, EL MILAGRO CLINIC: He had all the resources. Like, they do go and go pick you up, we do it for free here at the clinic. He's like yes, I'll go. I'll go. So --

MARQUEZ: And he never did.

SALINA: Never did.

MARQUEZ: Her long effort finally paying off and hope for more success ahead. El Milagro Clinic is now getting help from Project Finish Line.

JOE AGOADA, FOUNDER, PROJECT FINISH LINE: What we hope to achieve is to get vaccine access to those that may be on the fence. I call them the unvaccinated but willing.

MARQUEZ: Project finish line now working with free and charitable clinics like Milagro in 16 states, providing money for pop-up vaccinations in rural places like Eunice, Texas. Phone lines for community outreach, even helping organize free rides provided by Uber. AGOADA: We hear individuals who take the bus to and from work every

day, and they cannot take a day off from work. And so, they really need help with actually that transportation barrier.

MARQUEZ: He says, transportation, translation, and a trusted source of vaccine information are the biggest barriers. Above all, persistence and lots of patience for those on the front line.

MARISOL RESENDEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EL MILAGRO CLINIC: It gets to the point that staff thinks that they're sounding like a broken record. They will come around. There's a lot of people that are willing and just don't have the tools, the information, and the resources.

MARQUEZ: Miguel Marquez, CNN, McAllen, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Miguel Marquez, thanks for that report. Have you seen the Squid Game? It's a hit almost everywhere, except North Korea. What Kim Jong-un is telling his country about this Netflix hit, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00]

PAUL: 30 minutes past the hour. You know, the New South Korean hit series Squid Game is the most popular show now in the history of Netflix. More than 111 million views worldwide.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but North Korea now slamming the series and South Korean culture on ironically calling it "beastly capitalism." Let's go to CNN is Brian Todd for more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim Jong-un's propaganda machine seems to be throwing some heavy stones from its glass house. A North Korean Web site has seen fit to weigh in on the hugely popular South Korean produced Netflix series squid game, which depicts a fictional game show that has deadly consequences.

The North Korean say the show reflects the sad reality of a "beastly South Korean society where mankind is annihilated by extreme competition. The Web site saying Squid Game portrays the south as an unequal society where moneyless people are treated like pawns for the rich.

JEAN LEE, THE WILSON CENTER: They try to portray South Korea as this capitalist hellhole And so, this very much fits into the narrative that South Korea is this place where the people are just slaves to making money, that it's a grim existence.

[06:40:11]

TODD: Squid Game posted Netflix's most popular premiere ever with over 110 million people taking a look. The plot, hundreds of people heavily in debt, enter a game to win a huge pile of cash. One of the fictional characters is a North Korean defector. The downside, if the contestants lose a game, they're killed on the spot.

LEE: All of that that we see in Squid Game reminded me frankly, of North Korea.

GREG SCARLATOIU, COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA: It's about having no way out being completely entrapped under extraordinarily adverse circumstances.

TODD: It is North Koreans who can actually be shot on site if they try to leave the country like this defector who sprinted through a hail of bullets as he made a desperate dash across the demilitarized zone to South Korea in 2017. As for the North Korean Web site, saying South Korea is a place where the poor are pawns for the rich and well connected, human rights monitors say Pyongyang does protest too much.

SCARLATOIU: North Korea, 30 percent of children are malnourished. In North Korea, people are starving today. North Korea is imprisoning 120,000 people in political prison camps and in other detention facilities.

TODD: Human rights groups say the money North Korea could be spending feeding its people, it instead often spends on its military. This week, Kim Jong-un again glorified his newest weapons with an elaborate exhibition and a speech in front of what North Korea claims is a hypersonic missile, a cruise missile, and a massive ICBM.

The event included a martial arts display, with soldiers doing flying kicks into blocks. A soldier inexplicably sprinting headfirst into a block. In one sequence, a bare-chested soldier breaks out of chains, spreads out a bed of broken glass, lies on it. A slab is placed on his chest, then smashed with a hammer.

Why would this not be enough for Kim's propaganda machine? Why use Squid Game to attack the South?

LEE: This is North Korea's attempt to show and express that hey, the South Koreans may be richer, but they are not happier.

TODD: This certainly isn't the first time North Korea has taken a shot at South Korean culture. This past June, according to The New York Times, Kim Jong-un characterized the South Korean entertainment scene including Kpop as a "vicious cancer corrupting the hairstyles, speech, and behavior of North Koreans."

Human Rights monitors tell us Kpop has become increasingly popular in North Korea, with tens of thousands of North Koreans having access to it almost exclusively through the black market. Brian Todd, CNN Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Excellent report from Brian Todd. Hey, playoff baseball delivering once again. The Atlanta Braves getting a walk-off win against the LA Dodgers. The hero says he's been waiting for this moment since he was a kid. All the highlights after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:00]

PAUL: So, it's been characterized as an historic day for the Boston Red Sox when it comes to their big win against the Houston Astros.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Carolyn Manno is here. And Carolyn, the Sox hitting two grand slams in the first innings.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I know. It's unbelievable. Good morning, guys. You think about the postseason that Kike Hernandez is having, 16 hits, five home runs in seven games. That's a very impressive stretch. Now, the rest of the lineup has decided to join in on the fun.

First inning, like you mentioned, Boris, the bases loaded here for J.D. Martinez at the plate, gets a meatball line drive that ends up over the fence for the grand slam. So, that's a great start, and you're thinking OK, Red Sox, you can't beat that, you're right. But then you do it again.

Second inning, base loaded here, this time Rafi Devers. No team that hit two grand slams in a game in postseason history. Boston ending up doing it early in the first two innings. They win 9-5. They're headed back to Boston for game three on Monday. Incredible run for them in the postseason.

What an ending for game one between the Dodgers and the Braves. So, tied up in the ninth here, runner on first, Cody Bellinger coming up with the line-drive single that would place the go-ahead run in scoring position. But Chris Taylor gets indecisive. A blunder leaves him in no man's land. The Braves would tag him to end the inning, and then Atlanta would make them pay.

Bottom of the ninth inning, Ozzie Albies on base after single he says I'll take two great little jump here stealing second. And then on the very next pitch, it would be Austin Riley bringing him home. Line drive to left, Albies touching home, Riley mobbed by his teammates after this. A walk-off winner, how about that? Riley said afterwards, this was a first for him too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when you come up, do you want to be in that moment there in the ninth inning?

AUSTIN RILEY, BASEBALL THIRD BASEMAN: Yes, absolutely. I mean, you dream of that as a little kid.

It was huge. That was -- that was my first one ever. You know, I've come up in quite a few situations, you know, earlier in the season, and wasn't able to get it done. But to get it done tonight was awesome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Great moment there. Game two right back in Atlanta tonight on our sister network TBS, so check that one out.

Meantime, college football continues to deliver some big upsets. Last week, number one Bama, this week number two Iowa who entered with a 12 game win streak. Iowa getting steamrolled by Aiden O'Connell, David Bell in Purdue at home yesterday. The Boilermakers quarterback and wide receiver connecting 11 times for 240 yards and a touchdown, while the defense held the Hawkeyes to just seven points.

[06:50:15]

When unranked, Purdue has nine wins against top two teams. To their credit, no other school has more than four. Big upset there. Georgia meanwhile looking every bit the top team in the country. In the first- ever meeting between six and 0, SEC east schools, the Bulldogs starting slowly, eventually grinding down 11th ranked Kentucky between the hedges. Jensen Bennett throwing three touchdowns in a seven-point win. So, Georgia looking pretty good.

As you might expect, Alabama bouncing back in a big way on the road against Mississippi state after their 100 game win streak against unranked opponents came to an end last week. Bryce Young threw four touchdown passes for the Tide yesterday. Bama's defense kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone intercepting Will Rogers three times. So, Alabama, rolling by 40 back on track.

And a very ugly scene at the end of the Ole Miss Tennessee game. After a game-clinching defensive stuff from Ole Miss with less than a minute to play, fans mostly from Tennessee students section started throwing water bottles, glass, and trash at Mississippi's bench. Rebels' coach Lane Kiffin, the Vols' former coach hit by a golf ball. He had more trash dumped on him as he left the field. His father and sister had to be escorted out of the stadium.

You know, he coached the volunteers for one season back in 2009 before heading to Southern Cal. Of course, the Tennessee fans remember that but really unfortunate to see it devolve in this way. Pretty shameful and pretty dangerous.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Stay classy, Vols fans. Yikes. Carolyn Manno, thank you so much. Hey, there's still much more head on NEW DAY, but first conspiracy theories have always been around, but with social media, they now reach millions, and it seems no one is immune. Learn how algorithms are designed to make money and control the information you receive on an all-new "THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING" tonight at 10:00 p.m. only on CNN.

PAUL: All right, so you decide for yourself if this is a trick or a treat? Candy Corn bratwursts. Listen, this is real. And that's why we're going to tell you where you can get it if you like some, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:00]

SANCHEZ: When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the island of Bali, tourism, the driving economic force in the region practically came to a standstill.

PAUL: Yes. This week, a CNN Hero found a way to help his community by trading plastic for food.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I keep going with this mission because people are empowered, because people get excited, because of the community that respond into this initiative.

I see the smile in their face, I see the cleaner environments, and also I see they can provide for their family. This initiative is so simple, and we can do this in every community.

We clean the environments, we feed the people, and I'm proud doing this. My goal is to really spread this movement. I want to inspire people that everything is possible. There is no small dream. If you believe and you do it with a community and you will succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: To learn more, go to CNN heroes.com.

PAUL: All right, I think about this. Pork, beer, and candy corn, welcome to breakfast. Now, these are the three ingredients in the new Halloween treat that's being sold by a Wisconsin meat market.

SANCHEZ: And while the internet is blowing up over the unusual mix, some people say don't knock it till you try it. CNN'S Jeanne Moos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Meet the latest meat. See those little orange things in the brats worse. It's candy corn. That's what they're selling for $4.99 a pound at the Jennifer Street Market in Madison, Wisconsin. The main ingredients, pork, beer, and candy corn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody said that this should be a felony offense, so I don't think I've done anything wrong though.

MOOS: Spook-tober fest brats is what the market calls them, slightly sweet and not scary at all. Wrong says this hot dog GIF. This is a war crime.

TIM ELLIOTT, ANCHOR, WMTV: Certainly not.

WMTV morning anchor Tim Elliott described himself as one of the first guinea pigs to taste what he calls the franken-weenie.

ELLIOTT: I mean, it was good. It was -- it was salty and sweet. The Candy Corn actually melts when they heat it up, so it kind of disperses the sweetness throughout.

MOOS: But don't expect the insults to be dispersed. WTF is wrong with the American Midwest. The meat manager at the Jennifer Street Market says they often experiment with their brats. They've had duds.

JUSTIN STRASSMAN, CREATOR OF CANDY CORN: We did try one with root beer. We also tried a loaded baked potato. That did not do very well.

MOOS: The Candy Corn brats seem to fit right in with Froot Loops pizza from Iowa. And even Nabisco has put candy corn in limited edition Oreos. And before you say this candy corn brats is the worst, at least taste the bratwurst.

ELLIOTT: It's delicious.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --

ELLIOTT: I ate the whole brat, the whole thing. I wanted another one. '

MOOS: New York.

PAUL: That's going to be (INAUDIBLE). The look on your face.

SANCHEZ: You just need to water that down with something really strong like vodka or gasoline or something.

PAUL: I know.

SANCHEZ: It sounds disgusting.

PAUL: I know. And with that, go ahead and grab your coffee, your breakfast, you new hour of NEW DAY starts right now.