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Officials: E-mail Review Won't Be Done Before Election; Officials: Comey Won't Comment Until Review Is Done; Trump Seizes On Clinton E-mail Controversy; The Feeling Of Freedom Outside Mosul; Trump Narrowing Lead by Clinton; View from the Ground of Aleppo's Misery; Secret Recordings Unmask Former S. Korean Leader Kim Jong-Il. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 1, 2016 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:09] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, with one week until Election Day in the U.S., Donald Trump now says the FBI director has guts and Hillary Clinton says he doesn't have a case.
Life after ISIS -- when a shave means freedom for these Iraqi villagers.
Plus, newly revealed secret recordings show the roots of the paranoia that runs in Kim Jong-un's family.
Hello and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay and this is NEWSROOM L.A.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
A preliminary review of newly discovered e-mails belonging to one of Hillary Clinton's top aides will probably only take a few days, but sifting through those e-mails for possible classified information could last beyond Election Day, which is just a week away.
Clinton herself has been defiant towards the renewed FBI scrutiny. On Monday, she predicted, there is no case here. The e-mails belonging to Huma Abedin were found on the computer of her estranged husband, Anthony Wiener. Abedin's lawyer says she has not been contacted by the FBI, but when she is, the attorneys say she'll be quote, forthcoming and cooperative.
The Clinton campaign has been demanding more information from FBI Director James Comey. But law enforcement say Comey will not comment further until the investigation is concluded. We get the latest now from CNN's Pamela Brown.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Tonight, the FBI is in a race against the clock. CNN has learned a team of agents is using special software at FBI facilities in Quantico, Virginia, to sift through thousands of newly discovered e-mails, to isolate those relevant to the investigation of Hillary Clinton's private server. Those e-mails will then be searched for classified information, a process that likely won't be resolved until after the election.
In July, when Director Comey initially recommended no charges, he said no reasonable prosecutor would bring a case against Clinton, despite finding classified information on her private server.
JAMES COMEY, DIRECTOR, FBI: We don't want to put people in jail unless we prove that they knew they were doing something they shouldn't do.
BROWN: CNN has learned some of the e-mails found in the computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, estranged husband of longtime Clinton aide, Huma Abedin, passed through Clinton's private server. A source says Abedin has no idea how her e-mails ended up on her husband's computer.
Law enforcement sources say several weeks ago, agents stumbled upon the new e-mails while investigating Wiener's alleged sexting with a 15-year-old girl. Comey found out in mid-October, but wasn't fully briefed until last Thursday. A day later, he went against Department of Justice policy, sending a vague letter to Congress, revealing the discovery of the e-mails over the objection of DOJ officials. Tonight, he's taking heat from every direction, even from his former boss, Republican appointed attorney general, Alberto Gonzalez.
ALBERTO GONZALES, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I didn't understand it. I didn't understand what he was saying, what he was trying to say. I didn't understand the purpose of the letter.
All of us somewhat perplexed about what the Director was trying to accomplish here.
BROWN: Now, Comey is under intense pressure to publicly release more information before Election Day.
GONZALES: We are in a very unusual situation, and it may be that in order to protect the integrity of this election, that he may need to say something else about what is -- in relation to this investigation.
BROWN: Tonight, the White House Spokesman said he would neither defend nor criticize Comey, but acknowledged he's in a tough spot.
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He's the one who will be in a position to defend his actions in the face of significant criticism from a variety of legal experts, including individuals who served in senior Department of Justice positions in administrations that were led by presidents in both parties.
BROWN (on camera): According to officials, Director Comey does not plan on providing any public updates about the investigation until it is done. That means no piecemeal updates on how many e-mails were discovered that were related to the investigation or anything else specific until a conclusion has been reached. So that means we will likely not hear about it from Director Comey until after the election. Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SESAY: Joining me now is Areva Martin. She's a civil rights attorney and legal affairs commentator. Areva, thank you for being with us.
[01:04:51] Clinton surrogates, along with three former attorneys general, all accusing Comey of violating FBI protocol designed to keep federal employees out of politics, especially election time politics. Did he contravene that protocol in your view?
AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: I think that's pretty clear. I am like his former boss. I don't quite understand why he did this. He issues this letter that, when you get to the end of the letter, he basically says there may be nothing here. And now he says he's not going to give any additional information, no further details, no conclusion, and he knew, obviously at the time, the likelihood of him being able to give a final conclusion, he wouldn't be able to do so before the election. So this just looks like he's put this very explosive letter out with the purpose of influencing this election. And it cuts against the policy of his department.
SESAY: Was he compelled to tell Congress and to notify lawmakers? I mean, let's just be clear on all of this. So he decided that he was going to launch an investigation to review these e-mails. Did he have to tell lawmakers?
MARTIN: I don't think he was compelled to do anything. Let's think about how many investigations the FBI is engaged in every day. There are thousands of them. We never hear about them because the FBI's job is to investigate and then turn over that investigation, with recommendations, to the prosecutorial body, which is the Department of Justice. And then that department makes a decision about whether to indict or not indict. And that's it. And until he was at that point where he was making recommendations and then the DOJ would come forward and tell us whether there was going to be an indictment. All of this editorializing that Comey is doing, even going back to the summer, is troubling.
SESAY: But to your point noted, the FBI launches these investigations all the time. But given the person involved --
MARTIN: No. That's like saying, when you run for president, you get treated differently. This is all about parity. This is all about fairness to anyone who's being investigated by the FBI. There are no rules that say when you run for president, your investigation gets treated differently than the investigation perhaps of you or me or any other citizen. We should all be treated the same, but that's not happening in this case.
SESAY: To that point, his bosses are the Department of Justice, correct? Could they not have shut this down?
MARTIN: Well, that's a good question here, and everyone is asking about Loretta Lynch, who I have a great deal of respect for, and the role that she's playing. Now we know after she went on the plane and had that conversation with former president Bill Clinton, she said she was going to defer to Comey and his team in terms of that investigation that was going on in the summer. I don't think that meant for all time, that she had to defer to him. If she felt like there was a conflict of interest, she has a second in command that can also step in and make some decisions. But we shouldn't have the FBI playing the role of prosecutor. The FBI should investigate, turn information over to the Department of Justice, and prosecutors, experienced, trained lawyers, who prosecute cases, should be making decisions about indictment or not.
And not with all of the fanfare, not with the editorializing that's going on by Comey. And I don't think you can draw but one conclusion other than some effort to impact this election. And now we have him saying, no more updates, no additional information, and we're left in limbo.
SESAY: Steve Cohen, Tennessee congressman, Tennessee lawmaker, is calling for him to resign. Right call?
MARTIN: Well, I don't think he needs to resign. I think he needs to fix the mess that he's made. Unfortunately, it seems like he's digging his heels in and is standing by his position. The good news in this case is, I think everybody has made their mind up about this election. People are voting for Clinton are not likely to change their mind because of this new investigation, and those voting for Trump aren't likely to change their minds. I this election --
SESAY: The cake's already baked, so to speak.
MARTIN: It's baked. I voted on Saturday. Stood in line for three hours. So people are motivated about this election and I think they've already selected their candidates. I don't buy that there are too many independent, if any, voters out there undecided about which of these candidates, because they represent two entirely different visions for our country.
SESAY: Areva Martin, a pleasure. Thank you so much.
All right. Well, Donald Trump is seizing on Clinton's e-mail, controversy. The Republican nominee says the e-mails are absolutely devastating, even though no one knows exactly what's in them. Trump is hoping the uproar will sway voters his way. Jim Acosta has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's the subject line for all of Donald Trump's rallies this week -- Hillary Clinton's e-mails.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I think we hit the mother lode.
ACOSTA: Trump is heaping praise on FBI Director James Comey for announcing late last week that federal investigators will be examining a new batch of e-mails possibly linked to Clinton.
TRUMP: It took guts for Director Comey to make the move that he made. I was not his fan. What he did, he brought back his reputation. ACOSTA: Trump's new-found respect for Comey follows months of harsh
criticism for the FBI Director, who said back in July that the bureau would not seek charges against Clinton.
[01:10:05] TRUMP: I think the biggest rigging of all is what's happened with the FBI and the Justice Department with respect to Hillary Clinton, because she is so guilty in so many different ways, that she shouldn't even be allowed to run for president. So right there, the system is really rigged.
ACOSTA: And Trump suddenly has kind words for disgraced former congressman, Anthony Weiner and his estranged wife, Huma Abedin, a Clinton top aide. It was Wiener's alleged sexting with a minor that prompted FBI interest in his laptop and rekindled the Clinton e-mail probe.
TRUMP: Thank you, Huma. Thank you, Anthony Weiner.
ACOSTA: And Trump is pushing back on Democrats who blame Comey.
TRUMP: This is the biggest scandal since Watergate. Hillary wants to blame everyone else for her mounting legal troubles, but she has brought all of this on herself.
ACOSTA: It's unclear just how much Trump will benefit from the new e- mail questions for Clinton, especially with Republicans like former attorney general Alberto Gonzalez taking issue with Comey's actions.
GONZALES: To throw out this kind of blow without more information, without really knowing what the facts are with respect to these additional e-mails I think was a mistake.
ACOSTA: But polls show Trump is closing in on Clinton, so he's expanding his own electoral map strategy, with events in Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan, and Wisconsin. States that once seemed out of his reach. Still, Trump advisers worry he could spoil this moment by wandering off message with overheated rhetoric. In Michigan, he warned Clinton will bring about a third world war.
TRUMP: Now Hillary, trapped in her Washington bubble, that's blind to the lessons, wants to start a shooting war in Syria, in conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia, that could drag us into a World War III.
ACOSTA: And in a message that sounded right out of a Halloween horror movie, he warned of ballots being cast by dead voters.
TRUMP: Get out and vote by the millions so they can't do anything -- we can't let them take it away.
ACOSTA (on camera): For all of the talk of Trump's blue state strategy, it should be noted the GOP nominee is shifting his focus back to more competitive battlegrounds. He has a full slate of events scheduled for Florida on Wednesday. Jim Acosta, CNN, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SESAY: Joining me now, political strategist, Mac Zilber, and Republican consultant, John Thomas. Guys, good to have you with us once again.
So John, I want to pick up on what Alberto Gonzales, former attorney general, had to say. I want to play a little bit more of what he said earlier, just kind of questioning what's going on here. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GONZALES: I didn't understand it. I didn't understand what he was saying, what he was trying to say. I didn't understand the purpose of the letter. To me, it was very inconsistent with the protocols that presently exist at the Department of Justice. And again, I think like most current DOJ officials and former DOJ officials, all of us somewhat perplexed about what the Director was trying to accomplish here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: John, that is the question on the minds of millions. What was Comey trying to accomplish by doing this now?
JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Well, we don't know a lot of things. First of all, with all due respect to the former A.G., he wasn't privy to what Comey is, and that is, they had two weeks of kind of taking a peek at these e-mails. Now not necessarily in the context of secretary of state Clinton, but they were kind of looking at it. And so you've got to imagine that Comey would not be sounding the alarm, would not re-open the investigation if he didn't believe firmly that there were there there.
So I think what he was doing is protecting the integrity of the FBI to what he said to Congress weeks ago, which is, if there were substantial evidence, he would re-open it. Because he runs the risk of doing this investigation, when it's complete, if there's a bombshell when she's president, people saying, I don't trust you, FBI. This is bigger, potentially, than the presidency.
MAC ZILBER, POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Right, but this is the same James Comey who suppressed a report that Russia was trying to mettle in our elections a couple weeks ago. I mean, the reality is that there's a lot of maybes in here. We haven't listened to the -- we haven't seen these e-mails. We don't know what's in there. And maybe is an awfully weak premise on which to throw an election --
SESAY: And we must say that we have not confirmed that line about James Comey not revealing details of links between the Trump campaign and Russia.
THOMAS: We're speculating here, but obviously he has seen it. So he believes that there is something significant enough to make a statement on the issue.
SESAY: Let's look at the statement he put out. He said, may or may not be pertinent, right? And that has raised concerns among the likes of Chuck Grassley, senior Republican lawmaker. In fact, let me read you some of what he had to say in a letter he sent to Comey to that very point.
[01:14:49] He said, unfortunately, your letter failed to give Congress and the American people enough context to evaluate the significance or full meaning of this development. Without additional context, your disclosure is not fair to Congress, the American people, or Secretary Clinton.
THOMAS: Right. And Senator Grassley wants the e-mails released as quickly as possible, or a more detailed statement from the FBI Director. Why? Because he's willing to bet there's a smoking gun that will cause secretary of state Clinton to lose this election. That's why he's saying that.
ZILBER: Or because he's the Chair of the Judiciary Committee and he wants to see the Justice Department and the FBI, one of its biggest subsidiary members, be run properly. I mean the fact is, may or may not is a very weak premise. "The Hill" reported today that James Comey may or may not be under federal investigation for violating the Hatch Act. The idea that Hillary Clinton may or may not have done some wrongdoing in e-mails that none of us have seen is really a weak premise to throw an election in the air.
THOMAS: Well, time will tell, but I think we can agree, that if it turns out there is no there there, it was a massive mistake. But if it turns out that there is a there, the American people will respect that at least he let us know that he was continuing the investigation.
SESAY: So let's talk about the impact for the race, right. That's ultimately what it's all about.
THOMAS: That or handcuffs, depending on what happens. But today, it's the election, so let's talk about that.
SESAY: OK. I'm going to leave that one well alone. A new "Washington Post" poll says that 63 percent of voters say this e-mail bombshell won't impact their vote, but 7 percent of Clinton voters say it makes them less likely to support her. Give me your perspective on the impact of all of this, John.
THOMAS: Yes. The argument that it's already baked in the cake, it won't matter --
SESAY: Because 7 percent is a lot, even if you --
THOMAS: I don't necessarily believe that. I think what you're seeing is, if this election is a referendum on the integrity of Hillary Clinton, whether or not she's a criminal, in the home stretch, that's not good for Hillary Clinton and it really does benefit Donald Trump.
Now the question is, does it close the gap fast enough? We'll know on November 8. But this can't be a welcome advance for the Hillary Clinton campaign. They wanted this to be a referendum on Donald Trump and his temperament, and that's not what we're here talking about. SESAY: Mac, and I want you specifically to look at that number.
Seven percent of Clinton voters say it makes them less likely to support her according to "Washington Post". Can she afford seven percent of her voters saying --
ZILBER: That's an incredibly less likely number. If you ask virtually any hit against any candidate among their supporters, you'll get a pretty large percentage saying it will make them less likely to vote for someone. It doesn't mean that they won't keep voting for that person. I think with both candidates -- a lot of people who support both candidates don't like their nominee that much, but a lot of the support is baked in the cake.
That being said, it is hurting her some in the national polls. She's still up, but she's gone from up in historic landslide margins, like she looked like a couple weeks ago, to being up more in a tight race to the finish that she probably ekes out margins, which is not a place of comfort for her.
SESAY: Just, John, Mac, is it the right strategy to be pushing back on Comey so hard, so publicly, in your view?
ZILBER: I think that it's the right strategy, but also, this isn't just Hillary's campaign. This is Republican former administration officials, former state attorneys general, a former U.S. attorney general, and George Bush's ethics lawyer who are pushing back. I think this is a bipartisan expression of outrage.
THOMAS: It's the only card she has to play. Because if she ducks and covers, the American public may think she has something to hide. So she has to push back. And she's gone to war with the FBI, make no mistake about it. It's a risky game. Because she's telling Comey to release all the e-mails, tell us what you found.
(CROSSTALK)
ZILBER: That should tell us about something about that she feels like there's nothing to worry about in there.
THOMAS: -- well what if in fact there is a there there and he does release it? She's done.
SESAY: That's your phrase for tonight, there is a there there.
THOMAS: Well, time will tell. I mean, this is fascinating, I think we'll all agree.
SESAY: No, I agree. It's absolutely fascinating, and we'll see next week. It's not far to go. Countdown. Gentlemen, thank you. Appreciate it.
All right. Well, taking a quick break now. Iraqi troops are said to be just hours away from entering Mosul, and those living in the city say survival is getting harder by the day. The latest on the advance coming up. Plus, a fresh cut for a fresh start. How residents in one town
outside of Mosul are celebrating their freedom from the grip of ISIS. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:21:16] KATE RILEY, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN WORLD SPORT headlines in the only EPL match on Monday. Swansea City manager Bob Bradley is searching for his first victory since taking over as boss. While Stoke City were looking to continue their winning ways. The clubs traded two goals in the first 10 minutes. Stoke would break away in the second half. Wilver Bonny (ph) netting two goals. 3-1, Stoke at end.
The Chicago Cubs were able to stave off elimination to the Cleveland Indians on Sunday in the World Series behind the timely pitching of starter, Jon Lester, and closer, Aroldis Chapman. Now, the series returns to Cleveland for game six on Tuesday with the Indians leading three games to two. The Cubs have to win the next two games to bring an end to their famous 108-year World Series title drought, while the Indian only need to win one of the next two for their first World Series title since 1948. The Indians are also looking to become the first Cleveland team to clinch a championship at home since 1964, game six. First pitch from Progressive Field is Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
And the German football federation has signed a contract extension where manager Joachim Low through year of 2020. After taking over from Jurgen, (inaudible) Low in five major tournaments has led Germany at least to the semifinals, including winning the World Cup in 2014. That's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Welcome back, everyone. Iraqi special forces are said to be just hundreds of meters away from Mosul and quickly closing in. Troops are fighting ISIS in a district just to the east. Witnesses inside Mosul say they can see the Iraqi forces in open land outside the city. It's been two weeks since the start of the offensive to liberate Iraq's second largest city. ISIS has controlled Mosul for more than two years. The fighting is expected to intensify once troops move inside the city.
Joining me now via Skype, CNN Military Analyst, retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. Colonel Francona, good to have you with us once again. Let me ask you this. As these troops approach Mosul from these three different fronts, and as they get underway and enter the city, what will you be looking for, or watching most closely?
LIEUTENANT COLONEL RICK FRANCONA (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I'm going to be looking at how effectively they go through the suburbs. Now they've already gotten to the outskirts on the eastern side of the city. There's pressure being put on ISIS from the north and the south, and we're working on getting the Iraqi Shia militias up on to the west to close that off. But as they get into the city, how effectively can they move against what we know are a hardened ISIS defense positions? They've had 2.5 years to develop what they knew was going to be their final stand in Iraq. So they have the tunnels. They have got the oil trenches, the booby traps, the sniper zones, the minefields. So it's going to be very, very difficult when we get in there.
What we need to see is the Iraqis keeping up the momentum. And I know the Iraqi army wants to do this on their own. They do not want the Kurdish Peshmerga involved. I think that might be a miscalculation, but we'll see how it goes. They may again call on the Kurds to help.
SESAY: What do they lose by not having the Kurdish Peshmerga involved in this fight?
FRANCONA: Yes. Well, as we've seen in the past, the Kurds are the most effective fighting force in Iraq right now. They've got a lot of experience, good leadership, a lot of unit cohesiveness that we don't see in the Iraqi army.
[01:25:01] Now the Iraqi army has come a long way in the last two years and we've been training them, but they don't have that esprit de corps that the Kurds do. So I'm hoping that the Iraqis won't need the Kurds, but I think they should be willing to accept help from the Kurds if they need it.
SESAY: With Iraqi forces flooding Mosul, as in when they fully enter the city, how concerned are you that some ISIS fighters will be able to shave their beards and basically blend in and disappear? Is there anything that can be done to stop that from happening?
FRANCONA: Probably not writ large. But most of these fighters that are holed up in the city -- well not most of them. Many of them are foreigners, and they will not be able to blend in. If they're not Iraqis, if they're not from that area, they're going to have trouble, and the Iraqis will be able to distinguish who they are.
So I think we're going to see the ISIS fighters stand and fight. Many of them will fight to the death. Many of them are going to be suicide fighters. They're going to sacrifice themselves for the cause. We may see them try to sneak out. They've done it in other cities as well. And the Iraqis have set up a trap out there in the west, that stretch of road between Mosul and Tel Afar, it's 60 kilometers long, and they plan to use a lot of air power there if they try and get out. What we want to do is prevent them from escaping to Syria, because all that does is kick the can down the road and we're going to have to go dig them out in Syria.
SESAY: Indeed. Colonel Francona, thank you so much for the insight and perspective. It's always appreciated.
FRANCONA: Good to be with you.
SESAY: Well, just outside Mosul, people in one town are celebrating their freedom from ISIS. Men can now shave, smoke, and wear what they want for the first time in two years. CNN's Michael Holmes reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The Peshmerga front line, 12 kilometers from Mosul, and within eyesight, the ISIS-held town of Al-Samakia (ph). And at the end of a dusty track five kilometers in the other direction, Al-Fazlia (ph), four days ago under the iron fist of ISIS rule, today, free.
We're so glad this nightmare is over, barber Akhmed Abu Usama (ph) tells us. These past days, we lived in celebration.
Today, Akhmed (ph) is the busiest man in town. More than 50 customers a day, old and young, since ISIS left.
Across the street with another barber, Shihab (ph), savoring his first shave since ISIS came more than two years ago.
Under ISIS, we could do nothing without their permission, he says. From the first hour after they left, we felt normal again.
HOLMES (on camera): One of the most visual aspects of life under ISIS was the men were not allowed to shave. Barber shops had virtually no business. And check this out. Even the faces of the people on the signs outside were taped over so that you couldn't see their faces, their hair cuts, their beards. The tape has now come off and business is booming.
HOLMES (voiceover): A few shops down, bad habits renewed. Smoking a crime under ISIS, but today, a breath of freedom for olive farmer Mahmoud (ph) who told us it's like a black cloud has lifted.
HOLMES (on camera): I just asked him how he felt compared to a week ago, and you saw his face. We don't really need to translate it. Happy man.
HOLMES (voiceover): Down the street, joy at liberation, anguish, though, too, for (inaudible).
HOLMES (on camera): So this lady is telling us that when ISIS came into Mosul two years ago, her son, who was a major in the Peshmerga, was arrested and taken away. This is his wife, these are his children, he has four kids. They have not seen him since and obviously they fear the worst.
HOLMES (voiceover): The story of Al-Falia (ph) is repeated across the battlefield. Towns freed, people relieved, happy, but scarred as well. Much damage has been done to bricks and mortar, but also to societies and psyches, neighbors and friends. For today, though, here, now, the relief is palpable. Michael Holmes, Al-Fazlia (ph) near Mosul, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: The sweet taste of freedom there. Time for a quick break. Donald Trump is closing in a bit in the latest polls, but he needs 270 electoral votes to win the election. Coming up, a look at the uphill battle still ahead for the Republican nominee. Plus, South Korea's president is caught up in a political scandal over
a friend she's known for decades. The President's explanation just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:33:21] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
The headlines this hour --
(HEADLINES)
SESAY: Back to U.S. politics now, and officials say the FBI's review of e-mails belonging to a close aide of Hillary Clinton won't be completed until after Election Day. The e-mails are being screened for possible classified information. Law enforcement sources say FBI Director James Comey, who broke the news about the e-mails on Friday, won't comment further until the review is done. Donald Trump has made the issue a focal point of his campaign, while Clinton has been downplaying it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: For those of you who are concerned about my using personal e-mail, I understand. And as I've said, I'm not making excuses. I've said it was a mistake and I regret it. Now they apparently want to look at e-mails of one of my staffers, and by all means, they should look at them. And I am sure they will reach the same conclusion they did when they looked at my e- mails for the last year. There is no case here!
(CHEERING)
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can be sure that what is in those e-mails is absolutely devastating. And I think we're going to find out, by the way --
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: -- for the first time.
(CHEERING)
Thank you, Huma. Thank you, Huma.
(LAUGHTER)
Good job, Huma.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:35:25] SESAY: Trump has been narrowing the gap with Clinton. He's down just five points in CNN's latest poll of polls. But the Republican nominee has to find a way to get 270 electoral votes to win the election. CNN's political director, David Chalian, breaks down the numbers for
us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Donald Trump was campaigning in Michigan today after Colorado and New Mexico over the weekend. Look at these blue states. He's headed to Wisconsin tomorrow, Pennsylvania. As I said, he was in Colorado and New Mexico over the weekend, all blue-leaning states. Why? Because he sees opportunities with e-mails back in the headlines, that maybe there's some depressed Democrats to go try and take advantage of in those blue states, but also out of mathematical necessity. Take a look. Remember, Donald Trump could win all the remaining battleground states, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida, and he is still shy of 270 electoral votes. He's got to find a blue state on the map he can turn in his favor. That's why we see him in those states, leaning in Hillary Clinton's direction. Without a blue one, he can't get to 270 electoral votes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Our thanks to David Chalian for that.
Ahead of Election Day in the U.S., there's growing concern about attempting cyber attacks. So far, 46 of the 50 U.S. states have asked for help shoring up the election systems. U.S. officials tell CNN more than 20 states have reported attempted hacks of voter registration databases or other systems. But experts have said it would be difficult to affect the outcome of national elections, as many voting systems are not connected to the Internet. Still the Department of Homeland Security is helping states prepare their systems to make sure they aren't vulnerable to hackers.
We could see a record number of early votes cast in the U.S. presidential election. But what if someone has voters' remorse and wants to pick a different candidate? Believe it or not, in at least seven states, that is possible, no questions asked. In Wisconsin, you can change your mind up to three times before your official vote is cast and counted.
Well, talks in Venezuela's political crisis began Sunday in Caracas and lasted into Monday morning. President Nicolas Maduro met with opposition leaders for the first time in two years. The two sides agreed to work together on committees to address the economy, human rights, and electoral issues. Mr. Maduro says it's good news for the country that the dialogue is under way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translation): We come here, willing to listen, and hopefully be listened to, and find points in the common interest of the great majority of the country, of the national interests. I think this is not the time for long speeches but rather to assume a deep commitment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, a senior U.S. diplomat arrived in Venezuela Monday to show Washington's support for the negotiations. The parties will meet against on November 11th.
South Korea's president is in the midst of a scandal. Her long-time confidant faced a grilling from prosecutors Monday over her access to controversial government talks. President Park Geun-hye apologized and said she looked at some documents after she took office. But opposition parties accuse her of abusing her relationship with park for financial gain. Park has ordered the resignation of 10 of her senior secretaries in the wake of the scandal.
A former Army general has been sworn in as Lebanon's new president. He was elected Monday in a parliamentary vote, ending a two and a half year leadership vacuum caused by disagreements over the civil war in neighboring Syria. He's seen as a divisive political figure. He's changed positions on Syria, once considered his bitter enemy, and now sides with Hezbollah, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime.
Time for a quick break now. Next on NEWSROOM L.A., the Syrian government said scores are dead and hundreds wounded in intensified fighting in Aleppo. I'll spoke to an activist who just returned from getting a firsthand look at the on-going human tragedy.
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[01:42:49] SESAY: Syrian rebel forces have stepped up mortar and rocket attacks in an intensified bid to break the government's siege of eastern Aleppo. The Syrian military says at least 84 people, including more than a dozen children, have been killed over the past three days. It says almost 300 are wounded. The United Nations special envoy says he's appalled by the number of rockets launched on civilian suburbs.
Joining me now from Turkey is Kenan Rahmani, a Syrian-American activist, who is just back from Syria.
Kenan, what can you tell us about what you saw? First of all, where did you go in this trip to Syria?
KENAN RAHMANI, SYRIAN-AMERICAN ACTIVIST: Well, I literally just got back from inside Syria. I spent some time throughout Idlib and also in the northern and western suburbs of Aleppo. What I saw is the continuation of war crimes, committed mostly by the Russian air force. And I'm sure everyone saw the horrific scenes of a school that was bombed in the town of Haas last week, in which over 25 students and teachers were killed during the middle of the school day. And those images are just horrific. And Syrians are facing these war crimes on a daily basis, and we continue to hear condemnations from the U.S., the U.K., France, calling these war crimes. But what Syrians are really wondering is, are there any -- is there anyone out there who is going to do anything to stop these war crimes?
SESAY: Kenan, charges of crimes are also being laid at the doorstep of the opposition. Getting reports that scores of civilians were killed in government-controlled western Aleppo over the weekend. Let me ask you about that. Are the rebels deliberately targeting civilians?
[01:44:46] RAHMANI: I mean, it's impossible to say. I wasn't there on the ground. And the only sources that are reporting on those are government sources, which just today said that, you know, everything that we're seeing on the television screen is the Russian bombardment of eastern Aleppo are all fabrications. That was the Syrian foreign minister. What we know about Aleppo is that there's over 270,000 civilians that have been besieged for over three months. Those civilians are being deliberately starved. They're being systematically bombed. Hospitals are being targeted on a daily basis. And so opposition forces, we know, have now tried to break that siege from numerous points in the current channel, which they're trying to break the siege through, is the civilian, western neighborhoods of Aleppo. So, you know, it's tragic, of course, and we should condemn any war crimes that are committed by the opposition or by the government. But the problem is that the government has besieged eastern Aleppo and there is literally no way for the road to be opened other than going through these western neighborhoods.
SESAY: Secretary Kerry was asked about the period after the November 8th election here in the United States, pushing back at the suggestion that Russia may try to capitalize on what could be seen as a power vacuum during the period of transition. And Russia could try and crush the opposition in that window. How do you see it? Do you feel we're approaching a precarious time in this conflict?
RAHMANI: Absolutely. I mean, it seems quite clear that Russia's preparing for its most aggressive offensive yet. They've moved an aircraft carrier. They've moved significant military deployments into the Mediterranean. In fact, this is the largest military deployment for Russia since the Cold War. And this -- the tragedy of this is, that Syrian civilians will bear the brunt of this horrific escalation. Unfortunately, what Russia is doing in eastern Aleppo is not really changing so much the military situation on the ground as much as it is just causing unbelievable tragedy for civilians who live in eastern Aleppo, who are being killed by the hundreds every day. And there's really no end in sight. And so definitely as the elections approach in the United States next Tuesday and international attention shifts to those elections, there's a serious fear that Russia will exploit that time to commit more and more war crimes while the world is distracted and certainly after the elections, there's a fear that during the lame-duck period that Russia will continue those war crimes with absolute impunity.
SESAY: The pictures out of Syria, out of Aleppo, in particular, are heartbreaking.
We appreciate you joining us, Kenan. Thank you very much for joining us and sharing some of what you saw when you were in Syria. Thank you.
RAHMANI: Thank you, Isha.
SESAY: Next on NEWSROOM L.A., newly released tapes are revealing a side of Kim Jong-Il few ever got to see. The late North Korean leader in his own words, after the break.
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[01:52:14] SESAY: Hello, everyone. Secret recordings of late North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il, are giving new insight into the security of his son's regime. These tapes, featured in a new documentary, show Kim is shown as an untrusting dictator, obsessed with the world's perception of his country.
CNN's Brian Todd reports.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A dangerous, uneven young dictator, with his hands on nuclear weapons. As the U.S. and its allies scramble for more intelligence on Kim Jong-Un's ambitions, new insights into the roots of the North Korean leader's paranoia. Newly released audio tapes recorded of Kim's reclusive late father, Kim Jong-Il. The older Kim's high-pitched voice never heard widely before.
KIM JONG-IL, FORMER NORTH KOREAN LEADER (through translation): People here are so close-minded.
TODD: The recordings are in a new documentary, "The Lovers and the Despot." It features a South Korean actress and her husband, a famous South Korean director. They were kidnapped by Kim Jong-Il's regime in 1978, held for eight years, and forced to make 17 films for the movie- obsessed dictator.
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TODD: The filmmakers tell us they secretly taped some of their meetings with Kim with a hidden audio recorder. The dictator complains about North Korean movies.
JONG-IL (through translation): Why are there so many crying scenes? All of our films have crying scenes. This isn't a funeral, is it?
TODD: He's insecure about how sophisticated South Korean movies are compared to his films.
JONG-IL (through translation): Why do all of our films have the same ideological plots? There's nothing new about them. We don't have any films that get into film festivals. In South Korea, they have better technology. They are like college students and we are just in nursery schools.
TODD: Kim Jong-Il was said to wear platform shoes to appear taller. The actress says Kim even made fun of his own height, using a crude phrase suggesting he was smaller than a midget.
The filmmakers say the actress and director smuggled the tapes out during a trip to Europe. They landed at the desk of David Straub at the State Department.
DAVID STRAUB, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: My jaw dropped. This is 1985 and, up until then, the only recording of Kim Jong-Il's voice at all in the West was once at a rally.
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STRAUB: So the fact that there were hours and hours of recordings of him talking intimately was a real bombshell, a stunning development.
TODD: The actress and the director snuck away from their North Korean minders on a trip to Europe in 1986 and defected to the U.S. The director died in 2006.
Analysts say their daring recordings can shed light on the current North Korean strong man.
[01:55:02] GREG STARLOTTO (ph): Just like his father before, Kim Jong-Un is insecure, has many vices. Actually, he has many of his father's vices. He's a heavy drinker. He's a heavy smoker. Just like his father, Kim Jong-Un also has his joy brigades, young women whose mission is to entertain the supreme leader.
TODD (on camera): Greg Starlotto (ph) and the former State Department official, David Straub, say the recordings also help Western intelligence get a better read on how isolated the North Korean regime is, how Kim Jong-Un and his inner circle are not challenged by people when they come up with bizarre ideas. And because of that, they're more apt to make dangerous miscalculations.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. I'll be back with another hour of news right after this.
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[02:00:00] SESAY: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
