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New Day Sunday

Crowd Crush Kills At Least 153 People In South Korea; Nancy Pelosi Responds To Violent Attack On Husband; Political Heavyweights Hit Campaign Trail With 10 Days To Go; Obama Slams GOP Senator Ron Johnson Over Social Security; DeSantis Stumps For Lee Zeldin In New York Governor's Race; Democrats On Defense In Key Races In Lead Up To Election Day; Kari Lake, Ron DeSantis Lend Star Power To GOP Hopefuls; Biden Keeps Low Profile On Midterms Campaign Trail; Russia Pulls Out Of Black Sea Grain Shipments Deal. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired October 30, 2022 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:39]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Sunday, October 30th. It is nearly the end of the month. I'm Amara Walker.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's almost Halloween, Amara.

WALKER: It is. It finally is.

SANCHEZ: Good morning, I'm Boris Sanchez. It's finally here. It is a new week too. Thank you for starting it off with us. Amara, so much to get to this morning, including in Asia.

WALKER: Yes, that's right. We are following this deadly disaster unfolding in the South Korean capital of Seoul where at least 153 people are dead. Dozens more injured after being crushed in a crowd while out celebrating Halloween. And we do want to warn you that some of these images are very difficult to watch.

SANCHEZ: It was a crowd surge that happened on Saturday night in the popular nightclub district of Itaewon. What caused the incident still remains unclear but emergency officials first began receiving reports of people buried in crowds. And witnesses say that festival goers were trapped in a narrow street and panicked because they couldn't breathe. You see people administering CPR on the street. Dozens of people apparently suffering cardiac arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)]

NATHAN TAVERNITI, WITNESS: And I'd like turn around and I told the crowd, you can't come this way. People are dying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: You can hear the terror in that man's voice. South Korean authorities say they are handling more than 3,000 missing persons report following the event. Obviously, this is still an ongoing investigation, an unfolding scene. In a statement, President Biden and the first lady offering their deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in Seoul and say they grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and send best wishes for a quick recovery to all of those who survived and are now injured.

Let's go now to CNN's Paula Hancocks who is standing by live in Seoul, South Korea. Paula, we know the first calls of people being buried in crowds came in around 10:20 p.m. Saturday. Can you walk us though what we know right now? Because I know investigators are still looking for the cause.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Amara. And just the sheer number of people in this fairly restrictedly area was significant, tens of thousands of people, we are being told by officials. You can see the alleyway behind me. This was one of the areas where it's filled with bars and nightclubs and restaurants. It was filled with people.

This is part of the area where the problem was. And about 150 feet behind me, there's a smaller alleyway just to the right and that is where the vast majority of those people who died, lost their lives.

Now, we have spoken to eyewitnesses who said that it was terrifying. One woman told me she had been pushed into the stairwell of a bar and she felt she was one of the lucky ones because of that, because she was able to get out of the crush. We saw also images of people actually climbing the vertical walls of buildings to try and get away from the crushed area.

Now, eyewitnesses we've spoken to said that when they saw what was happening they saw people who were carrying out CPR on friends, on people who simply couldn't see any medical attention. The first status were there, the first responders were there. But the sheer magnitude of this tragedy was overwhelming and there weren't enough medical personnel, we are being told by eyewitnesses to deal with what had happened.

So what we know at this point, we actually heard from the minister of interior and safety saying that there had been a considerable number of police that had been sent to another part of Seoul because they thought there were going to be protests there. But also pointing out he didn't believe that it could have been solved, this incident, if they had had more police here. Now, of course, the investigation has just begun. So, I think, we have to wait to see what that finds out.

The eyewitnesses I've spoken to, though, said that there was no limit to the number of people. There was no crowd limit. There was no crowd control as far as they could see. One particular eyewitness say she wanted to come into this area but she physically couldn't get in and realized that it was looking dangerous.

[06:05:01]

Now, we just had an update as well on the number of injured. We know 153 people have lost their lives, 133 people, we are now being told, are still injured. They were sent to different hospitals around this particular neighborhood.

Now, this is the heart of the entertainment center in Seoul. This is on a normal Saturday very busy and packed. But for Halloween, this is the area where most people who want to party within Seoul will come.

They are young people. They are in their late teens. They are early 20s and this is many of the people who lost their lives here. So, an absolute tragedy. What started as a night of revelry has just had horrific consequences, Amara.

WALKER: And I have to say, I mean, just looking at the images we've been showing and the images on social media, these hundreds and hundreds and thousands of people packed into this really narrow alleyway. And the faces, I mean, again, as you mentioned, young faces in their teens, in their lower 20s. Gosh, just -- there's no space. It's incredible.

All right. Hopefully we'll hear more about what caused this crush. Paula Hancocks, thank you very much.

SANCHEZ: We want to turn back to the United States now and the top story we were following yesterday. Because we're now hearing from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the first time since her husband, Paul, was violently attacked during a home invasion on Friday.

WALKER: In a letter, Pelosi says she and the rest of her family are traumatized following that attack inside their San Francisco home. And sources have told CNN that the suspect shouted, where is Nancy, before trying to tie up Paul Pelosi.

CNN's Daniella Diaz is joining us now with more. Do tell us, Daniella, what we're hearing from Speaker Pelosi.

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Amara, Boris, in her first statement, she actually sent a letter to her colleagues late last night, she said, "A violent man broke into our family home, demanded to confront me and brutally attacked my husband Paul. Our children, our grandchildren and I are heartbroken and traumatized by the life- threatening attack on our Pop. We are grateful for the quick response of law enforcement and emergency services and for the life-saving medical care he is receiving."

We do want to note that he is expected to make a full recovery from this attack. But it was very shocking. It sent waves across Capitol Hill, across Washington and the United States. The man who attacked Paul Pelosi was actually looking for Nancy Pelosi. You noted, he was saying, where is Nancy, where is Nancy.

We know that it's 42-year-old David DePape. He is expected to be charged with multiple felonies on Monday. This is according to San Francisco law enforcement officials. And he is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.

And we know that, of course, he was found with -- struggling with a hammer with Paul Pelosi before police intervened. So, of course, the first time we heard from Nancy Pelosi late last night. Amber, Boris. SANCHEZ: And, Daniella, CNN discovered that this suspect had a slew of conspiracy theories and all sorts of outlandish stuff on his social media, a lot of it far right wing. House speaker -- or rather House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy weighed in on the incident for the first time. What is he saying?

DIAZ: He did. In an interview with Breitbart Radio he, of course, said that he spoke to Nancy Pelosi while she was on her way to California. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER (on the phone): Let me be very clear, violence or threats of violence has no place in our society. What happened to Paul Pelosi was wrong. I reached out the Speaker. I called her, I know she was on a plane coming back to California, but I was able to text with her to tell her about our prayers for Paul. Thankfully he's going to be OK. But thankfully the attacker -- he's a deranged individual -- but thankfully he was arrested.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

DIAZ: This was the first time we have heard from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who, of course, is fighting to try to become the House speaker after the 2022 midterms should Republicans take back the House. But do want to know, Amara and Boris, that both Democrats and Republicans are denouncing this attack on Paul Pelosi by this assailant.

WALKER: All right. Daniella Diaz, appreciate you. Thank you for that.

Political heavyweights are on the campaign trail this weekend with just 10 days to go before the midterm elections. Barack Obama, President Biden, and Donald Trump, fanning out across the country in the final days of the campaign.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Obama is on a five-state tour to rally support for Democrats. He campaigned in Georgia on Friday, in Wisconsin and Michigan yesterday along with incumbent Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Leaders like Gretchen Whitmer are working to make sure cars are being built and high-tech manufacturing is being done right here in Michigan instead of China. That's an actual plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:10:02]

SANCHEZ: Even though he's facing his own re-election campaign, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is on the campaign trail this weekend rallying in support for Lee Zeldin, the congressman who is running for governor of New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): If you are tired of the same old same old story, well, you have the power to turn the page. You have the power to elect Lee Zeldin as the next governor of the state of New York. You will roll with some changes. And this will be the 21st century version of the shot heard around the world. Let's get it done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Meantime in Wisconsin, President Obama slammed incumbent GOP Senator Ron Johnson for calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme. Obama is hoping to get Democrats fired up as they head to the polls.

WALKER: Let's get more on his Midwest campaign swing from CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Obama said the reason he was here in Milwaukee is simple, to get people to vote. We are closing in on a week to Election Day. And this was the second stop the former president made over the course of Saturday, the first being in Detroit campaigning for Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Then he made his way here to Milwaukee where he campaigned largely for Democratic Governor Tony Evers and Senate hopeful Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.

Part of what he emphasized was that democracy was on the ballot in this particular race coming up. He said in familiar fashion of Republicans, no one can hear you outside this auditorium when you boo. So you have to go vote. He also, though, touched on Senator Ron Johnson floating the idea that Social Security would become discretionary funding or decided on an annual basis. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Senator Johnson voted to raise the retirement age to 70, supported a plan that would put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every single year. Each year, you would have to vote to renew this thing. I mean, think about it, because Washington works so well that you want your Social Security and Medicare reliant on Congress every year. He has called Social Security a Ponzi scheme. Said that -- that it's candy that the left is giving away.

The point is, some of you here are on Social Security. Some of your parents are on Social Security. Some of your grandparents are on Social Security. You know why they have Social Security? Because they worked for it.

They worked hard jobs for it. They have chapped hands for it. They have long hours and sore backs and bad knees to get that Social Security.

And if Ron Johnson does not understand that, if he understands giving tax breaks for private planes more than he understands making sure that seniors who have worked all their lives are able to retire with dignity and respect, he's not the person who's thinking about you and knows you and sees you and he should not be your senator from Wisconsin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, Boris and Amara, the former president has really jumped into these midterm races strongly in the past week and a half, not just with his planned in person visits, but also he has recorded nearly two dozen commercials for Democratic candidates but also campaign committees.

In this particular race, the Senate race here in Wisconsin, Democratic candidate Mandela Barnes and incumbent Republican Senator Ron Johnson, polls have shown there is no clear leader in this race. It's that close. But both of them have campaigned on the country being on the line. Partly because whoever wins that race will help control the entire U.S. Senate.

Over October, Barnes has outraised Johnson just about 3-1 over the course of, again, October to this point. And Barnes is hoping that Obama's visit can help keep that momentum going. Boris, Amara.

WALKER: Omar, thank you. The Republican candidate and the race for New York governor gets a boost from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis rallied supporters of Lee Zeldin during a campaign stop in New York.

SANCHEZ: Polls show that New York governor's race is tightening. Kathy Hochul, the incumbent, had a big lead in the summer but it has become a very contentious race as crime becomes a major focus of the campaign.

[06:15:01]

We get details now from CNN's Gloria Pazmino.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris, Amara, Lee Zeldin relying on some big Republican heavy hitters. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential presidential contender in 2024 coming all the way out to Long Island to stump alongside Lee Zeldin who has been mounting a pretty significant challenge to the incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul. That race has become uncomfortably close for Democrats in the last couple of weeks. According to some polls Lee Zeldin is just within single digits of Governor Hochul's lead and that has Democrats very, very worried.

Now, we have seen a lot of enthusiasm. And the concern here on Long Island mainly around the issue of public safety and that has been a key part of the Zeldin campaign. Now, Governor Hochul for her part spent a day in Erie County. That's very much her backyard. She cast her early vote in Buffalo and was asked about what she thought about Ron DeSantis coming all the way out to New York to campaign with Zeldin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): He can come here, he can stand here, but he will not change the core and the essence of who New Yorker are. And I feel very confident that Democrats will turn out. When Democrats turn out, we will win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now you hear Governor Hochul talking about turnout there. And that is actually going to be key should she be able to win this race. New York has not elected a Republican governor in 20 years. But when it comes to turnout, that's what she's going to need most.

She's going to need Democrats to go out to the polls. They outnumber Republicans here in the state. But it's really going to come down to enthusiasm and people being able to -- people being willing to go out there and vote for her.

I spoke to a voter earlier who told me that she just wasn't that familiar with Kathy Hochul because she had only been in office for just 14 months. So that is certainly one of the challenges that the incumbent governor seems to be facing. But in the last couple of weeks, she has been drumming up support and trying to convince voters that she can pull this off. Amara, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much. Let's dig deeper on some of these midterm races. Joining us now to share his insights, Politico White House reporter Daniel Lippman. Good morning, Daniel. Great to see you bright and early on a Sunday.

DANIEL LIPPMAN, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, POLITICO: Good to see you too.

SANCHEZ: We're only nine days out -- yes. We're only nine day out from Election Day. What stands out to you in the polling data, across the country, about what we might see on election night?

LIPPMAN: I think what stands out is that Democrats wish that this election was held in August when they had the head winds at their back. They had accomplished a lot in terms of the Inflation Reduction Act. They had the Infrastructure Bill. They had the burn pits bill.

And now Republicans and Democrats and Independents, they are finally making up their minds. They are paying attention to these races. And the issue of abortion which really had helped Democrats months ago is just much less important. Most people are more affected by gas prices, by inflation as, you know, inflation keeps setting these records.

It doesn't seem like the fed has made a huge difference. And so people are blaming the incumbent in terms of Joe Biden, even though he's not on the ballot, his Democrats are and they are saying, why is my life not getting better right now?

SANCHEZ: Yes. And as history has shown us, the president in power, his party during a midterm election usually suffers losses. The question is, how dramatic are they going to be?

I want to ask you specifically about two Republican candidates for governor. Ron DeSantis, as Gloria reported in New York, campaigning for Lee Zeldin. Arizona Republican Kari Lake, she hasn't even won her race for governor yet but she's cutting ads for Republicans across the country. What does that tell you about their standing within the GOP?

LIPPMAN: Well, it tells me that they are rising stars. And even though they have their own competitive races, it's not sure things that they would win. But they're very likely to win. That they are trying to increase their national profile. That they are very high in demand from Republicans across the country.

There were thousands of people at that rally for Ron DeSantis and Lee Zeldin. And so, they want to be kind of racking up the favors from other people around the country. And so, you know, these are rock stars in the Republican Party and they're heavily in demand. And, so, I think that, you know, you don't see Trump rallying out for Lee Zeldin because he isn't very popular in New York.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's a good point. I do want to get your thoughts on President Biden's approach to the midterms. More frequently we see him attending fundraisers and delivering speeches on accomplishments from his administration.

[06:20:04]

As we saw last week in Syracuse, for example, he is doing that more than he is attending these kinds of political rallies for specific candidates. That's in contrast to what we're seeing from former President Obama, for example. What do you think are the benefits of that approach from Biden?

LIPPMAN: I think the benefit is that most candidates in competitive races they don't want to be seen with Biden because they don't want to be attacked as a Biden Democrat. You know, they want to get Democrats out in terms of base voters and that's what you can accomplish with Barack Obama. And Obama is not in office. He's not the boogeyman out there. And so, they are able to get the winds of a very dynamic speaker in Barack Obama.

You heard him, you know, on the trail. He is just a -- you know, an excellent speaker. And Biden isn't as great a speaker these days. But also, they don't want to be -- they don't want those ads to be cut by the Republican opponents saying, hey, why is your candidate appearing with Joe Biden when he created all of this inflation, even if the economists say he actually didn't create all of the inflation, it's still just a bad look for Democrats. And so, they're not willing to take the risk. And they would rather have closed-door fundraisers and him going to blue states where, you know, Democrats are in trouble as well.

SANCHEZ: Daniel Lippman, always appreciate the insight, thanks.

LIPPMAN: Thank you.

WALKER: Secretary of State Tony Blinken accuses Russia of -- quote -- "weaponizing food" after it pulls out of a grain export deal with Ukraine. How that decision could have wide-ranging impacts beyond Ukraine.

Plus, President Biden takes direct aim at right wing extremists after the attack on Speaker Pelosi's husband. His response and more on the uptick in threats of political violence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:26:04]

SANCHEZ: The United States is urging Russia to reconsider a decision to pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The U.N. brokered deal allowed safe passage of Ukrainian grain out of Black Sea ports. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russia is deliberately working to ensure starvation on several continents.

WALKER: And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemns Russia's decision saying in part, "In suspending this arrangement, Russia is again weaponizing food in the war it started, directly impacting low and middle-income countries and global food prices, and exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and food insecurity."

Joining us now with more on this is CNN's Nic Robertson. So, Nic, what reason is Russia giving as to why it's suspending this deal now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Russia is saying that Ukraine, aided by British specialists, this is what Russia says, attacked some of the shipping in the port of Sevastopol. Now, Sevastopol is the major naval port on Crimea, Crimea illegally occupied and annexed by Russia.

So, Ukrainians so far are not saying that they didn't do it. The British ministry of defense saying it's an absolute fabrication that anyone from the U.K. was involved in this. But the pretext Russia is giving it saying, look, this means that those humanitarian food corridors in the Black Sea where all of these big ships taking the grain in and out of the -- in and out of Ukraine's ports through the Black Sea out to the international community, Russia is saying, that puts all of that in danger.

Ukrainian officials are pointing out, well, you know what? That port in Sevastopol is 150 miles away from those grain corridors. I think it's worth remembering here that the deal when it was struck by the U.N., and it took a lot of effort to do it last summer, it came into effect beginning of August. Russia was actually enticed into the deal by getting some breaks on sanctions. And this is part of what brought Russia into the deal -- two separate deals the U.N. made, one between -- one between the U.N. and Russia and one between the U.N. and Ukraine.

Back then, the deal was expected to allow about 20 million tons of grain get -- to get into international markets, only 9.1 million tons of grain have gone so far. And from the Ukrainian perspective, this really feels like Russia is trying to find another pressure point like it has done with nuclear weapons, like it has done over targeting electricity supplies here to get the international community to pressure Ukraine into agreeing to President Putin's terms of peace which are unacceptable to Ukraine and its international backers. It's part of a larger picture of pressure on the Ukraine.

WALKER: All right. Nic Robertson, appreciate it, thank you very much. You know, concerns over extremism and violence were already high leading into the midterms, but after the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, many are wondering if more lawmakers and officials along with their families now need protection. We're discussing that next.

[06:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Just nine days out from the midterm elections and the big names from both parties are out on the trail in full force, including former President Barack Obama. He is no stranger to as he describes it, a midterm shellacking.

WALKER: Yes, the Democrats lost 63 seats in the House in 2010, the middle of Obama's first term, and we'll find out soon if his star power will help hold back a Republican wave on November 8.

SANCHEZ: Also out on the trail, President Joe Biden. He cast an early ballot on Saturday alongside his granddaughter and first-time voter, Natalie. Biden is now set to embark on a multi-state campaign blitz to gin up support for Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, I'm going to be spending the rest of the time making the case that this is not a referendum. It's a choice. It's a fundamental choice, the choice between two very different visions for the country. And that's what it's about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's get to the White House reporter Kevin Liptak, who is following the president. Kevin, good morning. Tell us more about the stomping schedule and what Biden has been saying about that violent attack on Paul Pelosi.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, we should note where the president is this weekend, which is here in Wilmington and not on the campaign trail. Of course, his wife was up in New Hampshire yesterday and the vice president was in Maryland but the president remaining here in Delaware. He did become one of the estimated 19 million Americans who have now cast their early ballot. But we won't see him back out on the trail until Tuesday when he does travel to Florida trying to boost the democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist down there.

[06:35:09]

This has been a trip that the White House has tried to put on the schedule for some time. They had to cancel it a few times because the President got COVID, then because of the hurricane that hit down there, but it will be a very interesting stop, of course, because of the national dimensions of the race. The Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, of course, potentially eyeing a presidential run. This could be a potential rival for President Biden if he decides to run again so that will be a very interesting stop.

Later in the week, the president will go to New Mexico. He's also expected back in Pennsylvania, and then he'll spend election night eve in Maryland. So not necessarily the most marquee races of this election cycle, but certainly an opportunity for the president to get out there and to reiterate his message for Democrats. Now, yesterday, when the president was voting, he did take time out to talk about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of the Speaker of the House, and he said he had spoken to him and that he seems to be doing well. But he also directly linked that attack to right-wing rhetoric and right-wing extremism. Listen to a little bit of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: It's one thing to condemn the violence. But you can't condemn the violence unless you condemn those people who continue to argue the election was not real, that is being stolen, that all -- the all the malarkey that's been put out there to undermine democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, this has been a topic that has concerned President Biden for a long time. It's part of what propelled him to run for president in 2020. So, we expect to hear a lot more from President Biden about this issue going forward, guys.

WALKER: All right, Kevin Liptak, appreciate it. Thank you very much, live for us there in Delaware.

So, the attack on Paul Pelosi is a frightening reminder that threats against lawmakers and officials have become more common over the past couple of years. It also underscores the fears of political violence increasing in the wake of the January 6 insurrection. Our next guest warns that poses a significant challenge to American democracy. Oren Segal is vice president at the Anti-Defamation League center of extremism. A pleasure to have you on, sir, thank you so much for your time.

As I understand it, you are part of a first-of-its-kind study that tracked and evaluated the threats to local officials across the country. You did this at Princeton University. Just give us a highlight of the things that you found that really stuck out to you.

OREN SEGAL, VICE PRESIDENT, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE, CENTER ON EXTREMISM: Yes. So, threats to harassment of local officials is a clear and present danger to democracy in America. The ADL bridging divides initiatives at Princeton report look that threats over the last couple of years to education officials, health officials, election officials, and found that whether it's harassment or threats of violence. This has been a serious concern throughout the country. And it's often motivated by the conspiracies that we're hearing every single day. WALKER: When did we see this rise and threats and violence? Where did it start?

SEGAL: I mean, there have been threats of violence to our democracy for many years, but I've never seen it so concentrated, right? So the idea of stolen election narratives and the ability for those to animate people in online spaces, and then have real-world consequences, frankly, was not studied until this point. So, what we did was look at thousands of data points of real-world activity.

And our hope is that in order to help protect our democracy moving forward, we need the data to be able to explain how is this happening, where is it happening, and we hope that as the data increases, we will have real strategies to prevent this. Because at the end of the day, the numbers in this report are telling us that trust in our democracy is eroding and that we need to get ahead of it before it's too late.

WALKER: And one thing that stood out to me too was that in your report, it showed that it's mostly women officials, they're actually at a heightened risk of these threats of violence three times more than men, right?

SEGAL: Yes. So, this is unfortunate, but not surprising. We know that online harassment, for example, against female reporters and others tends to outpace that against men. And so even the threats that we saw in local communities targeting officials, it was three and a half more -- times more likely for a woman to be targeted than a man. And we hope to again, continue to build on this data so that we understand every nuance. Because the data drives policy and that's what we hope others will join us in pulling together.

[06:40:01]

WALKER: I do want to take you to listen to how one Fox News host is spinning the attack on Paul Pelosi where the DA said the suspect intended to kill. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: A lot of people get hit with hammers. A lot of people get attacked. And a lot of the times they're out on bail the next day, and it's a simple assault charge. So I don't know why this guy is being treated differently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Downplaying of what just happened to Paul Pelosi. He has a skull fracture and got surgery for it. I mean, when you were talking about real-world consequences, what are the consequences of some -- of rhetoric like that?

SEGAL: Yes. I think one of the ways we need to push back against those who are animating violence that is targeting our democratic institutions is to clearly condemn and denormalize if you will those narratives. And so when something terrible happens, people should say, that's terrible, it shouldn't happen again, and we need to take all the steps to make sure that people who are you know, choosing to defend our democratic institutions by running for office are not victims. Frankly, it should not be this hard. The fact that we're even having this discussion after an attack is alarming.

WALKER: Yes, he is absolutely alarming. You're right. That should be one thing that unites everyone that this is horrific and the suspect needs to be held accountable to the fullest extent. Oren Segal, thank you for your time this morning. Appreciate it.

SEGAL: Take care.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead on "NEW DAY," will you need to pack an umbrella to go trick or treating with your little ghouls and goblins, or are you going to throw caution to the wind like Amara? We're tracking where folks could see a rainy Halloween next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:46:21]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is on highway 63. There's a big old tornado right there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: There's a big old tornado right there. This video shot near Moss Point Mississippi yesterday. You see the tornado just behind that line of trees. One of several reported in this area. Officials near Baldwin County, Alabama say that at least four were spotted there, so far, no reports of any injuries. Parts of the south and eastern U.S. are seeing rain again this morning. And we're tracking what could be a wet Halloween for some folks.

WALKER: 60 percent chance now of rain in Atlanta. So went up from 50 to 60. I'm not happy about that, Allison Chinchar.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know you're not. But we talked about it this morning. Remember, it's mostly going to be in the first half of the day, so we're hoping we can get that all cleared out by the time the trick-or-treaters arrive. And yes, this is the same system. We're talking about the produced the severe storms yesterday, nine -- in total, nine separate severe tornado reports in the last 24 hours. This is the system we're talking about.

Today, the good news is the severe threat has gone down. Our main focus is really just going to be all of the rain. It's going to be ever so slowly sliding from the southeast into areas of the Ohio and Tennessee River Valley. And that's where it's going to stay for the most part today before finally starting to shift off to the east and north as we head into Halloween day. So, for Monday, yes, unfortunately, there are going to be a lot of spots that are dealing with those rain showers in the forecast.

The bit of good news is we're not talking torrential downpours by any means. Most of these areas are looking at about one inch of rain total over the next 24 to 48 hours. You may have a couple of pockets there, they get up to two inches but again, overall, most of this rain is really going to be on the low end, outside of that relatively nice weather across the central portion of the country for Halloween day. We also have that separate system making its way into the Pacific Northwest. But yes, if you live in cities like Cleveland, Louisville, and Raleigh, you may have some rain chances for trick or treating.

WALKER: Ali, I don't mean to scare you, but there are some skeletons hanging off your ears.

CHINCHAR: There are.

WALKER: You might want to get that thing. It scares us.

CHINCHAR: Trying to get in the spirit today.

WALKER: Very cute.

SANCHEZ: They were great.

WALKER: Thanks, Allison.

CHINCHAR: Thanks.

WALKER: Well, amid record-breaking early voting numbers, Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams are set to square off tonight in their final debate of yet another close gubernatorial race -- gubernatorial race. That is ahead on "NEW DAY."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:53:02]

SANCHEZ: Tonight, catch an all-new episode of Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy, as Stanley visits the famous Italian Riviera. Here's a preview

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STANLEY TUCCI, CNN HOST: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language.

TUCCI: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language.

TUCCI: That smells so good. Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language.

TUCCI: The base is a fish stock. Pietro (PH) is adding parsley and marjoram. Yes, it's beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language. TUCCI: Delicate, not overpowering.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language.

TUCCI: Oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language.

TUCCI: Beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language.

TUCCI: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: I would love a taste of that. Searching for Italy with Stanley Tucci airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

WALKER: What a beautiful language. I could just listen to them talk all day.

Next week, we will be announcing this year's top 10 CNN Heroes, and one of whom will be the next CNN Hero of the Year. So, before we go and kick off voting for this year's CNN Hero of the Year, we wanted to check in on last year's.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Shirley Raines.

KELLY RIPA, HOST: Shirley Raines.

SHIRLEY RAINES, 2021 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: As much as you want to live in the moment and say it doesn't really matter, let's be real, I wanted to bring that prize money. That win and that recognition to the community, I really wanted them to have that platform.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Winner.

RAINES: Good morning, you guys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations, Shirley.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations to you.

[06:55:01]

RAINES: The world had an opportunity to vote for 10 amazing organizations, when they chose one that dealt with homelessness, which I think to them, might say, oh my god, people really aren't paying attention and people really are looking. People really do care. I'm hoping that this win will bring more eyes down here. There's a massive need for blankets. There's a massive need for tents. I've always said this from the beginning. I don't do hero stuff. You know what I mean. I do human stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I knew there was something about you.

RAINES: I know there's something about you too. Honestly, with all the stuff I've been through in my personal life, I think it's amazing to have gotten this far because I came from oh, my god the bottom. When I was on CNN Heroes (INAUDIBLE), it definitely should give hope to other people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: And to see Shirley in action on skid row and catch up with the community that has shared her honor, go to cnnheroes.com right now. There's more "NEW DAY" weekend after the break. Stay with me and Boris.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:00]