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CNN NEWSROOM

North Korea Threat; Iran Nuclear Deal; Trump White House; California Fires; Ophelia Races Toward Ireland, United Kingdom; At Least 276 People Killed In Mogadishu Truck Bombings; Iraqi Troops Approach Kirkuk In Standoff With Kurds; Kurz Expected To Form Coalition With Far Right Party; British Actress Lysette Anthony Accuses Weinstein Of Rape; Filmmaker Woody Allen Warns Of "Witch Hunt" Atmosphere; Russian Meddling Extended To YouTube, Pokemon Go; 'SNL' Mocks Trump-Pence Culture Wars.Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 16, 2017 - 02:00   ET

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


[02:00:00]

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CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): This hour in CNN NEWSROOM: a joint naval drill between the United States and South Korea began just a few hours ago. And it comes amid worries that President Trump's Twitter talks will push North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to be more aggressive. We'll have a live report from Seoul.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): More than 250 people killed in a double bombing in Somalia. Hundreds more are in hospitals. It is the deadliest attack in the country in years and the question now, who did it.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen.

VANIER (voice-over): And I'm Cyril Vanier. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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VANIER: Joint U.S.-South Korean naval drills are underway against the backdrop of escalated tensions with the north. North Korean state media has called Donald Trump "a war merchant" and "strangler of peace."

And Pyongyang says the military exercises create a hair trigger situation on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. secretary of state tells CNN, no matter the rhetoric, the White House prefers diplomacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REX TILLERSON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think he does want to be clear with Kim Jong-un and that regime in North Korea that he has military preparations ready to go. And he has those military options on the table. And we have spent substantial time perfecting those. But be clear, the president has also made clear to me that he wants

this solved diplomatically. He is not seeking to go to war. He has made it clear to me to continue my diplomatic efforts, which we are and, as I've told others, the diplomatic efforts will continue until the first bomb drops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Meantime, Iran is threatening to stop unannounced inspections of its nuclear program if the nuclear agreement is canceled. Secretary Tillerson says Washington is trying to stay in the agreement but there are flaws that need to be fixed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TILLERSON: We want to take the agreement as it exists today, as I said, fully enforce that agreement, be very demanding of Iran's compliance under the agreement and then begin the process of addressing the flaws we see around not the actions of addressing ballistic missiles, for instance.

The concerns we have around the sunset provisions, the phase-out of the agreement. We know what that looks like. We've seen this in the past in the '90s with North Korea, agreements that ultimately phase out.

What happened has put us on the road where we are today with North Korea. We don't want to find ourselves in that same position with Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: All right. Iran, North Korea, two major foreign policy issues. We've got both covered with Fred Pleitgen, who is in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Alexandra Field is in Seoul, South Korea. Let's begin with Alexandra.

So the cycle repeats itself, Alexandra, more military American drills and more North Korean rhetoric.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And more mixed messages coming from Washington, frankly. And that's what the world is hearing, Cyril. You've got the secretary of state who was on CNN, trying to clarify the message.

Again, you heard him saying diplomacy is the goal of the administration in resolving the crisis, the mounting tension here on the peninsula.

But what is the with the threatening messages from the president, those threatening messages, those cryptic messages?

The secretary of state says he is keeping the pressure on the international community to act in this case in order to rein in the regime. And he is also showing North Korea, the secretary of state says, that military options are always an option. To that end, you've got these joint military exercises that are

happening in the region right now. We're talking 10 days of naval exercises led by the United States in cooperation with the South Korean military. They're partners in this.

This is going on in the waters east and west of the peninsula. It involves U.S. Carrier Strike group, guided missile destroyers. This is the kind of drill, however, Cyril, that really infuriates Pyongyang. They see it as preparation for an invasion and offensive measure.

The U.S. and South Korea says this is defensive and this is a counter measure to provocations from the North.

VANIER: So how do the South Koreans interpret the mixed messages coming from Washington?

After all, they're on the front line of any potential conflict.

FIELD: Yes. That's been the big question. If this is a policy by design from the administration, this mixed messaging, where the secretary of state talks about diplomacy, where the president talks about a military option, how is the rest of the world perceiving it?

Well, the secretary of state said that allies are not confused and he said that China is not confused.

What about South Korea?

Well, the South Korean officials here continue to say they are working in lockstep with the United States. Of course, they depend on the United States for their defense. You've got some 30,000 U.S. troops who are stationed here.

But Cyril, I think this speaks to the gravity of the situation. You had a president who came to power here in May, who is really advocating for something like the return to the sunshine policies that were previously had in South Korea, which meant more engagement, more dialogue with the North.

There was a big shift in that policy when the conservative government came to power for a 10-year period. Then you had a democratic party take over back in May. This president, who so badly wanted dialogue with the North has really been forced to keep his focus on how to up his country's defenses in the face of this mounting and persistent threat from the North -- Cyril.

Alexandra Field reporting live from Seoul. Thank you very much.

ALLEN: And now to Iran, which is fighting back against the U.S. president's threats to withdraw from the landmark nuclear deal. The country says it will stop letting international monitors inspect its facilities unannounced if the deal is canceled. Let's go to Fred Pleitgen now in Tehran.

I guess it's in the hands of the U.S. Congress now, Fred. FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly does seem to be. The Iranians are saying, look, for the time being, they certainly are going to stay in the nuclear agreement unless it's breached by some other parties.

They also made it very clear not only would they stop these unannounced visits to possible nuclear sites, there is obviously the whole agreement would fall apart. And that would mean the Iranians could very quickly ramp up their nuclear program once again.

The Iranians have always made clear they're not seeking a nuclear weapon. However, they do feel they have the right to a nuclear program. And that would obviously be greatly expanded if indeed this deal did fall apart.

And you're absolutely right, Natalie. There is still a lot of anger amongst Iranians among some of the things the president did say in his speech. It was quite surprising to us, though, what the thing most people are most angry about. Take a look at what we heard on the streets of Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Among the many criticisms President Trump hurled at Iran...

TRUMP: The regime remains the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- believe it or not, it was this one that most enraged Iranians.

TRUMP: It harasses American ships and threatens freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulf and in the Red Sea.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): At this Tehran market, folks were fuming at Trump saying "Arabian Gulf" and not Persian Gulf.

"I think some of what he said was OK but when he talked about the Arab Gulf, that caused the Arab countries to jubilate," this woman says.

"I got very upset with him because he insulted our history and our nation."

"It shows that he's not an educated person," this woman says, "and he doesn't know anything about how the world works."

Of course, Iranians are concerned after President Trump decertified the nuclear agreement that curbs Iran's atomic ambitions in return for sanctions relief but (INAUDIBLE) seems to be uniting Iran's various political factions.

PLEITGEN: There are deep division in this country between moderates, who want to open Iran up to the world, and hardliners, who are suspicious of the West. But after President Trump's Iran speech, both sides are coming to each other's defense.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): On the president's order, the U.S. Treasury also put new sanctions on Iran's hardline Revolutionary Guard or IRGC over its support for terrorist organizations, leading the moderate foreign minister Javad Zarif to tweet, quote, "Today Iranians, boys, girls, men, women, are all IRGC."

Hossein Shariot Madari (ph) is the head of the most influential hardline newspaper and an adviser to Iran's supreme leader. He says President Trump has helped conservatives by verbally attacking Iran.

"Trump made us realize that, if we don't stand together, the enemy will exploit the distance between us," he says, "a widespread unity was created among us."

President Trump's new and tough approach to Iran has disappointed Iranian moderates while hardliners are gloating, saying Tehran never should have negotiated with America in the first place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: And so, Natalie, really have to always point out how remarkable it is that the two sides are now unified. There was pretty controversial political discussion going on this year around a political election that was taking place, when Hassan Rouhani was voted into office again, where hard-liners and moderates were really going at it.

Now a lot of that has evaporated. One of the other things that the Iranians are seeing is other countries coming to the deal's defense. You have the Germans, the French saying the same thing, the IAEA is saying, yes, the deal is working and it's being enforced.

They also call it the strictest verification regime in the world. So, therefore, the Iranians at this point feel it's actually the U.S. administration that is isolated rather than them -- Natalie.

ALLEN: Fred Pleitgen in Tehran, thank you.

For more now, here is Cyril.

VANIER: U.S. President Trump has been vocal about the Iran nuclear deal. He has also dealt a major blow to his predecessor, Barack Obama's signature health care legislation.

Let's talk about this with Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham, England -- Scott.

We knew Donald Trump was going after Barack Obama's legacy. And in the past week he's undermined what were arguably Mr. Obama's two most significant policies internationally and domestically, Iran and health care.

SCOTT LUCAS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Yes. I mean, the first rule of thumb for Donald Trump is, if Barack Obama did it, rip it up. The question is what effect that has. We're talking not only about health care and Iran, but stripping back environmental regulations, stripping back regulations on health safety in the workplace, stripping back regulations on LGBT rights.

But on the two that you mentioned, with Iran, you have the risk, as Fred Pleitgen mentioned, that the U.S. will actually isolate itself. That long-time allies, including Britain, will now side with the Iranians in terms of the maintenance of the agreement.

And on health care, I am just -- the amount of devastation and the amount of destruction this could cause to Americans in terms of premiums in terms of lack of coverage and in terms of not having central benefits covered, Donald Trump said earlier this year, if there was no replacement for ObamaCare, he would tear the system down.

And let's be clear, that is what he is trying to do now.

VANIER: But isn't that going to make the health care system in this country Donald Trump's problem?

That's to say, if people are not happy with it -- and they're not in the U.S. -- then aren't they going to start blaming Donald Trump once he starts meddling with it?

LUCAS: Well, Trump is very straightforward gambling. He signaled this months ago when he said, look, ObamaCare is dragging you down, Americans.

And by carrying out these actions, he is going to say when those higher premiums kick in and when that coverage is stripped away, oh, it's not my fault. It was the system. It was ObamaCare that caused all your problems.

Now two questions: one, will Americans buy that?

That, in fact, by tearing down the system, that it was the system in the first place that was the problem and not Donald Trump.

And secondly, will Republican leaders in Congress go along with this Trumpian strategy?

VANIER: Some of the people who stand to be affected here are the very people who put Mr. Trump in office. According to the Associated Press, 70 percent of the people who stand to lose live in states that voted for Donald Trump.

Is that a political miscalculation on his part?

LUCAS: Well, you know, if we're evaluating from the ground up in reality, I'd say yes. But so much of Trump's approach and politics is run on emotion.

Let me give you another example. Trump went in front of a trucker's convention and he told truckers there, who aren't on the highest wages, look, I got rid of the estate tax. I'm helping you by doing that. Well, you have to earn at least $5.6 million or have assets of that

much to even be able to benefit from the estate tax. This Trumpian illusion versus reality, if people buy into it, the emperor's new clothes are still intact.

VANIER: All right. One last one. Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's former senior adviser, is waging war on the Republican establishment. But Donald Trump needs the establishment to pass legislation in Congress.

Is that -- does that help him?

LUCAS: Well, no, not in the short-term but you got two point here is about what Steve Bannon is specifically doing.

First, Bannon, like Trump, said from the start, you have to tear the system apart to make it better. Now whatever you think of that, what Steve Bannon is now saying is that if Republican legislators don't go along with what he wants and what supposedly Trump wants, he will defeat them in the primaries next year.

In other words, what we're witnessing is not the question of unifying Republican Party but actually waging a fight within the Republican Party in the same year as the midterm elections.

VANIER: All right. Scott Lucas in Birmingham, thank you very much.

LUCAS: Thank you.

ALLEN: And next here on CNN NEWSROOM, residents in Northern California were caught off guard when wildfires broke out.

VANIER: We'll talk to a man who had to leave all of his belongings behind and get his family to safety. Stay with us.

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VANIER: Calmer winds in Northern California are helping firefighters battle dozens of wildfires. They broke out a week ago and so far they have killed at least 14 people. Unfortunately, that death toll might still increase as more than 200 others are currently missing. Nearly 88,000 hectares or 217,000 acres have burned throughout California.

ALLEN: They're working on plans to get the thousands of evacuees back home but some people have already returned home, only to find out they have lost everything. Joining me now from California is Zach Block.

Zach, we know that you lost your home, you had to get out with your wife and your 11-month-old baby.

How did it happen?

Had you been evacuated?

Or did you just have to flee?

ZACH BLOCK, FIRE VICTIM: So we had to flee in a pretty quick manner. We woke up around 1:00 am. Started to smell the smoke. And then it got pretty evident where the fire was showing in the back side of our backyard.

And my brother and I were trying to do as best we could to put it out. And it got overpowering and had to evacuate the house as well as all the neighbors as well.

ALLEN: So the neighborhood is gone for the most part?

BLOCK: Yes. Every neighbor that we have is gone.

ALLEN: And what was it like?

Have you gone back to see?

BLOCK: Yes, we went back a few days back. And it was a very overwhelming experience. It was very eerie. Obviously, there's very little movement when it comes to the neighborhood that we lived in. It was filled with love, laughter and families. And to see it in the state that it was, it was pretty overwhelming.

ALLEN: Were you -- were you just -- you have an 11-month-old baby.

So you were just starting a family at this point in your life, right?

BLOCK: Yes. So we purchased the house back in February. And it was a really nice neighborhood for us to continue our family and our growth. So it was very short-lived. But, yes, we just started living there. And we were on our way to building a family.

ALLEN: That's really so unfortunate, so incredible.

And has it sunk in, you know, what this is like?

And what you've lost?

BLOCK: You know, I think it has. The level of humanity that we have seen across a couple of different resources has been unreal and amazing. And I think that's what's allowed us to be, you know, be aware of the situation, be aware of the situation.

ALLEN: What types of things have people done to reach out and help you?

BLOCK: Well, my brother is a Berkeley fireman. The Berkeley Fire Department has been really helpful. And, you know, just the friends and family that we have.

Just the love and time spent together, if you will, has been really the icing on the cake for us, to have a conversation with and express our emotion and kind of understand what we went through and the level of the stages of rebuilding and coming together as a community.

ALLEN: Well, do you want to return to living in Santa Rosa?

Do you have any fear of living in Santa Rosa after this?

It's a beautiful place.

BLOCK: Yes, it's a wonderful place. We will be returning. And we will be rebuilding in the exact location of the fire. It's been such an amazing city for us. And we will be going back as soon as we can to help that process.

ALLEN: So no trepidation, no fear of going back?

BLOCK: No, not at all.

ALLEN: Wow. We wish you and your wife and your baby, your 11-month old, all the best. Zach Block, thanks for talking with us.

BLOCK: No worries.

ALLEN: No worries. He is California chill, even through what he has been through.

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VANIER: All right. We're going to take a short break and more right back after this.

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VANIER: Welcome back, everyone. Good to have you with us. I'm Cyril Vanier.

ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen. Let's update you on our top stories this hour.

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VANIER: All right. Just before the storm, just before the breaks, we're telling you about Ophelia, the storm, which is making its way toward the coast of Ireland. CNN's Phil Black is there.

Phil, how long before you start feeling the effects -- or maybe you already are?

And what is the preparation that you know of in Ireland?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cyril, it's a little before dawn here. You can see it's pretty dark. It's difficult for us at this time to give you a sense of precisely what we are feeling.

But I can tell you we are starting to feel it. The gusts, the winds, they're really starting to pick up here. And it's expected to get much stronger over the coming hours.

Now where we are, on the southwest corner of Ireland, this is one of the areas that authorities here are most worried about, the south, the southwest coast. This is the area that they issued initially what they called a highest level of alert 4, when it comes to these sorts of weather events, a red warning.

Overnight they have extended that. There is now what they describe as a red warning over the entire country. The entire Republic of Ireland is on alert for wind gusts that are described as destructive and violent because, although where we are expected along the west coast of the country, this is going to experience it to its fullest force, everywhere else, they expect the gusts to be as unpredictable and strong enough to potentially pose a risk to safety and potentially to life as well.

[02:30:00] So, over the last few days, the Republic of Ireland has really been warning people to do what they can to get ready for this. To deal with any sorts of trees or branches or bushes that might need to be tied down or cut back in some way to make sure that nothing is left lying out in the garden. And today, the advice is quite simply, stay inside. Do not go outside unless you have to. Because they're really worried about the -- this -- the potentially destructive force of the winds, which as I say, they're really starting to pick up and will be felt over the coming hours here in what many expect to be an unprecedented storm for this country, Cyril.

VANIER: All right, if you're in Ireland, stay inside, the whole Republic of Ireland is under a red warning, Phil was just telling us. Phil, thank you very much, we'll check in with you throughout the morning to see how the weather condition is developing where you are, thanks.

Somalia's Capital has endured decades of violence but officials say Saturday's terror attacks in Mogadishu are the deadliest the country has seen in years.

ALLEN: The twin truck bombings left at least 276 people dead and hundreds more wounded. And that number is expected to rise as rescuers continue searching through all of these -- you see here, all of that rubble.

Our Farai Sevenzo joins us now from Nairobi, Kenya. And Farai, there's still no claim of responsibility for this?

FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Still no claim of responsibility, Natalie. But as we've been saying since this tragedy unfolded on Sunday around 3:00 in the afternoon. It bears all the hallmarks of the terror organization, Al- Shabaab. They haven't claimed responsibility, I must trace that but every indication are that this is -- was a truck that was loaded with explosives including cooking gas. And that's why you saw such a configuration, such a incendiary effect on that bodies badly burned.

An entire hotel, the Safari Hotel collapsed, and the force of the blast has been the worst that Somalia has seen in 10 years of fighting anti-terrorism efforts, and of fighting Al-Shabaab. It is by far the worst tragedy and, of course, as I'm speaking to you, Natalie, bodies are still being removed. Yesterday, they had mass burials for the victims, they carry on those mass burials. And of course, they have three days of national mourning. And we wait to see who was responsible, but it is by far, the deadliest affair bomb attack in Somalia's history.

ALLEN: Right, and you say that the government had been fighting Al- Shabaab for 10 years. What gains overall, Farai, has it made in trying to push them back? And certainly, the United States has been involved and that, as well, and other countries.

SEVENZO: Absolutely. Now, they would not have done this without the help of the United States. The United States have been specifically targeting Al-Shabaab militants, they've been drooping drones. And just three months ago, we reported that a chief of engineers had gone in from the United States Army to help set up roads, and camps, and logistics. And of course, the African mission in Southern Somalia is also there. But it's an insidious problem, Natalie, because remember, Somalia still has an -- arms embargo against them. It's a problem of trust. The international community including Britain, we held a Somali conference back in May. And indeed, the United States were (INAUDIBLE) to try and protect the people of Somalia from terrorism.

Simply do not trust elements within the Somali government. They worry about defections, they worry as well that even when we have hotel bombings, the people who gave the information to the hotels are the guys sitting in reception. So, the problem of terrorism is insidious in Somali society and it has to be fought by the Somalis themselves. They have to decide which way they want this to fall. The government of Mr. Farmajo has been trying desperately to pull the country back into democracy with elections back last February. But the security situation has not changed very much, Natalie.

ALLEN: We can certainly see that, we thank you. Farai Sevenzo there in Nairobi for us, thank you so much.

To Syria now, ISIS appears close to losing its de facto capital. U.S.-backed fighters say the terror group has been driven from 90 percent of Raqqa. The Syrian democratic forces say only a few hundred ISIS militants remain. There are reports some of the terrorists have surrendered, others were allowed to evacuate. More fighting, though, is expected in the days ahead, the U.S.-led coalition says, it will try to protect civilians.

VANIER: As ISIS seems to be collapsing in Raqqa, tensions are brewing between two of its enemies in neighboring Iraq. Central government troops have approached the Kurdish-controlled City of Kirkuk. Iraq's Prime Minister says he wants to impose security there but the Kurds say that they're ready to repel any attack. A standoff in the oil- rich region has intensified after a Kurdish independence vote last month. And the U.S. has called on all sides to avoid escalation. ALLEN: Earlier, my colleague, Rosemary Church spoke with CNN Military Analyst, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona about this.

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[02:35:02] LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: A Kirkuk has always been a tinderbox, it's always been a source of friction between the Kurds and the Iraqi Arabs. The Kurds believe this to be a Kurdish city. Over half the residents are Kurdish, that's true. But it's not in the area that has been designated part of the Kurdish autonomous region.

In 2014, when ISIS was making its sweep across Northern Iraq, the Kurds moved into Kirkuk to protect it and defend it. Now, they're there, they don't want to give it back, they believe it should be part of the autonomous region. And that was fine, as long as the Iraqi is needed, the Kurds to do some of the fightings for them. They were instrumental in the retaking of many other parts of Northern Iraq, but that's over, the ISIS is almost defeated in Iraq.

The Kurds are no longer that necessarily to Iraq's military effort. So, the Iraqis want to re-impose control over the areas they believe to be part of the federal area. So, that's what we're seeing, and we're seeing the Kurds resist that. Now, talking about the use of weapons, and nobody wants it to come to that. I know the Americans are also talking to both sides, you know, trying to ratchet this down. We don't need a confrontation between two Iraqi forces.

If weapons are used, then this create a configuration (ph) in Northern Iraq that we don't need. You know, now, there's a long history of confrontations between the Kurds and Iraqi government. But that was the Sunni government of Saddam Hussein. The Shiite don't have that same desire to fight the Kurds. They were both repressed under Saddam Hussein. So they have a common ground there. I think that al-Abadi and Barzani are going to -- that's the, you know, the Kurdish President.

They're going to sit down and come up of some way where they can come up with a compromise they can both live with. But in the end, and I hate to say this, but in the end, Kirkuk is not part of the Kurdish autonomous region. And I think the Kurds are probably going to be fighting a losing battle here; they really can't stand up to the Iraqi army. They don't have the force to do it. And like I said, no one, not the Americans, they air the Kurds, nor the Iraqis want to see another war in Northern Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Lieutenant Rick Francona there. Coming up here, a new era of right-wing politics. This anti-immigrant politician is set to become Austria's next Chancellor. We'll tell you how he did it, next.

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[02:40:25] VANIER: Welcome back. The far-right is celebrating another political accomplishment in Europe. Sebastian Kurz is said to become Austria's next Chancellor following Sunday's election, and he may form a far-right government, the first in Austria in over a decade.

ALLEN: Kurz pushed his center-right party further to the right, giving it a substantial anti-immigrant agenda. He wants to limit the number of refugees entering Europe and cut benefits for E.U. migrants living in Austria. CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Atika Shubert, joins us now live from Vienna. And Atika, 31-year-old leader will likely lead the country in a different direction.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is what everyone is wondering, and I've just been talking about this with Franz Schellhorn from the think tank Agenda Austria. Maybe you can help us puzzle through this, about how does Sebastian Kurz, somebody who is just 31 years old, get to this position where he seems on track to become Chancellor?

FRANZ SCHELLHORN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, AGENDA AUSTRIA: Yes, first of all, it's not that surprising in Austria as the pulses were quite accurate, but there'll be results. He made probably a good job as a Foreign Minister and people think he's more decisive, he's more eager, and he represents sentiment of change.

SHUBERT: So, he -- he's represents the sentiment of change but as you point out, he's from the People's Party which is a very old party, conservative center-right. And if anything, he seems to have pulled the country further to the right with his immigration policy in particular, and of course, the decision to close borders, Austria's borders at the height of the refugee crisis. So, where does he stand politically?

SCHELLHORN: Yes, as he said he's pulling the party more to the right, no doubt about that, but it's not just migration. Migration was the main issue in the -- in the whole campaign. But it's also change of economic policy that is high -- unemployment is high, taxes are high. So, people want something different and he made the impression of delivering the change. If he does, this is the question, of course, with him.

SHUBERT: Exactly. I mean, he wants to be chancellor but he needs a coalition. The Freedom Party, the far-right anti-immigration, anti- Islam party did pretty well. Got 20, about 26 percent of the vote, are they the most likely coalition partner?

SCHELLHORN: It's most likely but it's not decided yet. It's even possible that the coalition between the Social Democrats and the Freedom Party is going to be formed. Representatives of the Freedom Party, of where I could tell, they would love to go with the Social Democrats because they think it's easy with them. But this is still an -- a very open question. But the margin between the Kurz party and the Social Democrats is quite significant. So, the most likely coalition is -- it will be the Freedom Party.

SHUBERT: So, People's Party and Freedom Party. What would that mean for the rest of Europe, especially on the issue of immigration which has been a very divisive issue in E.U.? SCHELLHORN: Well, I think Europe has to deal with it. Anyway, the migration policy is changing everywhere and Austria, of course, was hit quite significantly by immigration crisis, and something has to change. We cannot say that borders are open, we have to have control of migration. And that's what people want, I think not just in Austria.

SHUBERT: Yes. I mean, this is something we heard from voters yesterday. You know, they felt that in 2015, somehow the government had lost control of its borders. So, is this basically -- is sort of a reaction to that now in this election?

SCHELLHORN: This is sort of a reaction but it's not the only explanations. Remember one year we were standing here on the very same hotel?

SHUBERT: Yes.

SCHELLHORN: And we were discussing that we have the first green President, the first President from the Green Party. And we have the same situation as today. It's not only migration issue but it is one of the main topics.

SHUBERT: Yes, it is fascinating. Actually, the Green Party looks like they didn't even make it in this time to parliament, so a huge loss for them. What is to say about the changing political attitude, not just Austria, but in Europe?

SCHELLHORN: I think the Green Parties didn't -- the Green Party didn't make it, is the biggest surprise of this whole campaign. And it's telling that it's more difficult for smaller parties, I would say. And people fear this loss of control and they ask for clear answers and they want this -- the whole migration thing solved. And they fear also a severe change in economic policy.

SHUBERT: So, what do you want to see Sebastian Kurtz do next? I mean, we're presuming that he will become chancellor, but as you point out, it's not a guarantee at this point. What do you think his next moves are?

[02:44:55] SCHELLHORN: This could be a surprise as well what he does next. But everybody expects that he's talking to, first of all, the Social Democrats, but the atmosphere between these two parties are not really good. So, he could move onto the Freedom Party and then form a stable coalition. And then change a lot of economic policy issues. And taxes should be going down, debt should go down, and we have quite good growth now. And this would be very positive for implementing these changes.

SHUBERT: Now, for many of our international viewers, this is the first time they're really hearing about Sebastian Kurz as a leader, he's very young, just 31. How would you describe him as a world leader?

SCHELLHORN: Well, he's very focused, he's very decisive. I would say he's very eager, and for his age, while the experience, he's been in the government for seven years now with the age of 31. And now his -- this is the biggest task, of course, and we'll see if he's going to deliver.

SHUBERT: Absolutely. Certainly achieved a lot more than I have at the age of 31.

SCHELLHORN: Most of people. You're not the only one.

SHUBERT: Well, thank you very much. Natalie, that's Franz Schellhorn from the Agenda Austria think tank here. It gives us a lot of insight into why voters voted the way they did. Why you saw such a surge of popularity behind Sebastian Kurz. He's sort of portrayed as the change candidate here. But again, that migration crises playing very heavily here especially when we saw all those votes going to the anti- immigration Freedom Party. So, still a lot of coalition building in the works. We'll see what happens in the days to come. The final results will be on Thursday, and that's when we're likely to see the beginning of those coalition talks, Natalie.

ALLEN: We appreciate it. Atika Shubert for us through guest Indiana, thank you.

VANIER: We'll hear more from Atika next hour. Next up on CNN NEWSROOM, for now, Russia's election meddling, apparently far more extensive than first thought. In a CNN exclusive, see how one Russian-linked campaign used Instagram, YouTube, even Pokemon to try to shake up U.S. politics. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thanks for joining us on CNN. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for WEATHER WATCH and a quartet of areas of high pressure here, scattered about the Western U.S., one locked in across the Eastern U.S. There is a frontal boundary draped across this region and expect temperatures to take a switch year for the cooler. Really haven't seen much of that in recent weeks around the Eastern United States, but 21, 16 out of New York doesn't seem too cool, not just yet at least. But we see a pretty significant shift there in the cooler temperatures but unfortunately, it is going to be short-lived.

Notice by Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the warmth stretches all the way out there towards portions of Saskatchewan and to Manitoba, so we're talking about getting one last breath of almost summer-like readings for some folks across that region. But notice in Charlotte, it warms back up to 24, same story out of D.C., about 23 degrees is the best we can do for you out of New York City.

[02:50:01] And opposite end of the spectrum, San Francisco, how about that, 29 dropping down to 18 degrees, certainly, the firefighters across that region are going to enjoy the cooler air and potentially the onshore component associated with it, helping in the firefighting efforts, even Los Angeles see the drop in temps from the 30s down to the upper 20s

Caribbean, we go San Juan, around 31 degrees. Kingston, Jamaica, scattered storms, should make it up to the lower 30s, which is season open for this time of year. Paranam comes in at 33, Belem sees temps about 32 degrees. It should remain dry and the conditions farther towards the south, (INAUDIBLE) partly cloudy and around 17.

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ALLEN: More women are coming forward with sexual abuse allegations against one of Hollywood's most powerful producers, Harvey Weinstein. British actress Lysette Anthony is one of the newest accusers. She says Weinstein raped her in her home in the 1980s. In an interview The Sunday Times, Antony says she just recently reported the attack to police after spending years trying to forget what happened.

VANIER: Police in the U.S. and U.K. are investigating multiple rape allegations against Weinstein who has categorically denied any allegations of nonconsensual sex. The scandal has blown up Hollywood's culture of secrecy around sexual harassment. Now, filmmaker Woody Allen calls the scandal sad for everybody involved but he says he doesn't want this new openness about harassment in the industry to turn into, "witch hunt" atmosphere.

ALLEN: Another news we're following, a new CNN exclusive investigation finds Russian attempts to meddle in last year's U.S. election went way beyond Facebook and Twitter.

VANIER: Yes, we're talking YouTube, Tumblr, even Pokemon Go apps used by millions of Americans every day. CNN's Drew Griffin reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: It was a strange e-mail that came directly to the desk of Baltimore City Paper Editor, Brandon Weigel. Don't Shoot Us, a group claiming to be made up of black activists was promoting a protest outside the upcoming court hearing of a Baltimore Police officer involved in the death of Freddie Gray. They wanted Weigel to cover it but he was immediately suspicious.

BRANDON WEIGEL, EDITOR, BALTIMORE CITY PAPER: It wasn't a group that I heard of either locally or nationally.

GRIFFIN: CNN was now learned "Don't Shoot Us" wasn't local nor national, it was Russian. And the black activism "Don't Shoot Us" was promoting in Baltimore was part of a much bigger strategy. A Georgetown Professor Mark Jacobson says was aimed at attacking the U.S. Democratic system.

MARK JACOBSON, PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: What the Russians are doing by fomenting distrust for the American government and by also trying to organize rallies is what you do when you want to destroy a country from within. These are war-like acts, these are acts designed to destroy the United States.

GRIFFIN: A CNN investigation shows Russia's propaganda attack on the U.S. went beyond using fake accounts and ads on Facebook and Twitter. CNN tracked multiple accounts from Don't Shoot Us across the internet. A Web site that boasted 300,000 followers, a YouTube channel with videos of police brutality, a Tumblr account, most surprising, a post announcing a contest on Pokemon Go when it was at its most popular, directing gamers to visit locations where alleged police brutality took place. All part of a Kremlin-connected campaign of misinformation that actively sought to influence opinion and meddle inside the U.S.

The e-mail that arrived on Brandon Weigel's city paper computer said, "This is Don't Shoot. We raise awareness of police violence against people of color. The idea is to protest in front of the Baltimore City courthouse and demand justice for Freddie Gray.

WEIGEL: It make sense that it would be a hot-button issue but I didn't think it was something that Russians would have exploited.

GRIFFIN: The Russians not only exploited divisive racial issues in the U.S., CNN has learned "Don't Shoot Us" was operating almost a rapid response to those shootings. In Minnesota, last July, the day after Philando Castile killed by a white police officer, "Don't Shoot Us" was using social media to organize its own protests. The effort failed because local community members determined something was wrong. Turns out they were right, and their suspicions had Russian links.

The evidence to the extent Russians used to try to divide the American electorate just keeps on growing. Blacktivist is another site made up by Russians simply to sew discord between police and black people in this country. The group even went so far as to sell its own T-shirts, Blacktivist T-shirts online. As far as we know, none of the people who engaged with Blacktivist or "Don't Shoot Us" had any idea these sites were actually Russian propaganda tools. Drew Griffin, CNN Washington.

VANIER: As "Saturday Night Live" is poking fun at President Trump's feud with the NFL. Last week, he upped the ante, saying that he ordered Vice President Mike Pence to walk out of a stadium when NFL players knelt during the National Anthem.

ALLEN: For now, SNL figures the duo could take on some new culture wars. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Mike, I need you to check the cups, OK? Do they say Happy Holidays or do they say Merry Christmas?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, it's October. They wouldn't have Christmas- themed cups yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They would if they respect America made the cups, which say Merry Christmas all year and they would show me as Santa Claus giving all the children coal, as coal is the future of this country. Check the cups, Mike, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The cups say pumpkin spice is back, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of there right now, Mike, bail. Get in the private jet. Vamos!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: They always (INAUDIBLE) on SNL.

VANIER: All right. That's it for now. Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Cyril Vanier.

ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen. We're back with another hour of news. Our top stories right after this.