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On the Front Lines To Retake Mosul; Italy Vows to Rebuild After Spate of Recent Earthquakes; A Deep Look at Trump's Most Loyal Followers; The Complex Regional Politics in the Fight Against ISIS. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 31, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:00:43] NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: ISIS are less than a kilometer away firing at Iraqi special forces position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: On the front lines, Nick Paton Walsh and his team travel with Iraqi led forces as they fight the terror group.
Now, troops are just outside the city limits of Mosul. The latest on the battle to liberate Iraq's second city.
Also ahead...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Shockwaves through Hillary Clinton campaign following a surprise letter Friday from FBI Director James Comey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAYES: And now a warrant to search through the newly discovered emails. How this is impacting the race for the White House. That's coming up.
Plus, anger in the streets. 15 media outlets shut down and 10,000 civil servants sacked in
what is just the latest crackdown in Turkey. We are live in Istanbul for you just ahead.
It is just after 7:00 in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. It is a decisive moment in the Iraqi campaign to drive ISIS out of Mosul. We're told Iraqi forces are
now just hours away from reaching the city. When they get there, we are likely to see the fiercest battles yet of this two-week campaign. Families
on the edge of Mosul are already racing to get out of the area.
CNN's team was embedded with Iraqi-led forces fighting on the front lines. This special report comes from our senior international correspondent Nick
Paton Walsh, his producer Gazi Balkes (ph) and photojournalist Scott McWinney (ph).
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The last phase of lifting ISIS' dark curse from Iraq begins here. Trying to hit a spectral
fleeting enemy, lit only by the glow of Mosul city limits barely two kilometers away.
Iraqi special forces trained by the U.S. target with a tank here where they are attacked from
during the day, telling us to use Humvees as cover when they move.
Their commander, Major Salam (ph), has fought ISIS in Fallujah, Ramadi, and now the end is near.
"Where did the artillery land," he asked? Just visible in the distant lights of Mosul. This is the global tip of the spear in the war on ISIS,
surging forward on a thin strip of land into ISIS territory. And as we see in the same area in daylight, facing constant counterattacks.
Here, they can see ISIS just beyond the berms. The incoming is from behind it, a truck that pops up, opens fire, and vanishes.
ISIS less than a kilometer away, firing at Iraqi special forces position. This is a constant day in, day out.
"Where's it moving?" He asks. As fast as it emerged, the truck vanishes.
But here there are yet tougher hours ahead. Darkness has just fallen and the sky is alight with ferocious fire power. ISIS have attacked berms --
suicide bombers, rocket propelled grenades. It is constant, exhausting, closer and closer to the roof we are on. We simply do not know where in
the town around us ISIS may have broken through.
The most intense pack we've seen so far towards this Iraqi special forces position. Now it seems to try to stop them coming down the road.
ISIS, despite being in their end days, still able to conjure the terror of omnipotence that began
their savage rule.
The wounded start coming back, but we cannot film them. A steady stream. The unit we were with earlier on the roof have been hit. Rockets struck
many of them asleep tightly packed in a room. The blast killed 14 soldiers. Many limbs torn clean off.
Major Salam (ph) is shown the weapons of the dead. He pauses in emotion.
"You guys are heroes," he says, "and none of you should be affected by this. Those suicide bombers are nothing."
Two kilometers from Mosul City and seven left to the center to go.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Baswayah (ph), near Mosul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:06:39] ANDERSON: Well, Nick filed that report earlier. Joining us now from Irbil, east
of Mosul.
And Nick, your report providing stark evidence of the sheer ferocity of this fight. Reports suggesting that Iraqi forces are now hours away from
piercing the city limits. What do they face once they get there?
WALSH: I think the major challenge will be the thousands, 1.2 million maybe, civilians caught in that huge urban sprawl. That's I think, the
danger, the use of them as human shields that ISIS have been accused of at length, even marching people from far away villages on foot to serve that
purpose, but also people caught in the crossfire.
Bear in mind, too, they've had months, if not years, to prepare for this moment. We've seen in merely the villages of little strategic value around
the city, they've laid endless mines and booby traps making it impossible for people to return and very slow going for Iraqi forces to actually
advance. These are two major dangers.
And I think, too, we'll have to see what level of fight they have in them for this urban sprawl. Whether their broader goal is to pull back to Raqqa
or more importantly to try and move across the Tigris River to the west of the city. Many feeling, perhaps, the east of the city may be given up
possibly faster.
Impossible to tell, though. And I have to tell, you know, the resistance we've seen in these plains, which some people optimistically thought might
take a matter of days to fall has been two weeks, does perhaps suggest they're better equipped or resourced than many
had felt -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh on the battle for Mosul. Nick, thank you, and to your team as well.
Well, coming up, Italy's role in the foreign coalition working with Iraqi forces in the battle for Mosul. I speak to the country's foreign minister
about that later in the show.
And a wider objective for ISIS. Also, Hassan Hassan (ph) on why Mosul is so significant and how it links to the group's aims in Syria.
Well, as the race for the White House heads into what is the final week, Hillary Clinton scrambling to prevent an October surprise from becoming a
November defeat. She's urging voters to stay focused on the issues and not get distracted by an FBI bombshell that has shaken her campaign to the
core.
Donald Trump was already gaining ground on Clinton before news broke Friday of a new email
investigation. CNN's latest poll of polls shows he's narrowed the gap to five points nationwide. As my colleague Brianna Keilar now reports, FBI
Director James Comey now coming under fire for what critics call an irresponsible breach of protocol that could influence a
critical election.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an
election.
KEILAR (voice-over): Shockwaves through Hillary Clinton's campaign following a surprise letter Friday from FBI Director James Comey.
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: If she never heard the word "email," do you think she'd be a very happy woman today?
[11:10:06] KEILAR: Comey notifying members of Congress that the bureau discovered e-mails that appear to be pertinent to the now-closed Clinton
server investigation. Those e-mails found on a laptop belonging to Anthony Weiner, the husband of Clinton's long-time aide, Huma Abedin, currently
under investigation for sexting with a purportedly underage girl.
Comey can't say if the e-mails are significant. They could even be duplicates of those already reviewed. Now Democrats and some Republicans
are criticizing Comey's decision to go public as political, worrying it could tip the scales in Trump's favor.
SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This is an unprecedented move as your folks were describing earlier, because it happens close to an
election, which is in violation of normal Justice Department protocol, and it involves talking about an ongoing investigation, which also violates the
protocol.
KEILAR: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid penning a damning letter to Comey, alleging that he, quote, "may have broken the law by violating the
Hatch Act," a law that prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity. As 100 former federal prosecutors and high-
ranking Justice Department officials, Democrats and Republicans, sign a letter criticizing Comey's actions.
TRUMP: Hillary has nobody to blame but herself. Her criminal action was willful, deliberate, intentional and purposeful.
KEILAR: But Trump's campaign hoping to capitalize on the issue.
GOV. MIKE PENCE (R-IN), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We commend the FBI and the director on their decision to keep their word to the Congress and move
forward.
KEILAR: House Speaker Paul Ryan called Comey's move, quote, "long overdue," and he's renewing his call to suspend all classified briefings for
Secretary Clinton until this matter is fully resolved. Clinton remaining confident that she is in the clear.
CLINTON: We've called on Director Comey to explain everything right away, put it all out on the table. Of course, Donald Trump is already making up
lies about this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, let's get more from CNN's Jason Carroll. He's live in New York for you this evening -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have to tell you, this is -- Becky, what else can you say about this. This has been a huge gift for
Donald Trump and all of his supporters. And he is going to try to do all that he can to capitalize on this. The Trump camp really feels that now
they can really go on offense, and take their case to win over traditionally blue states or Democratic states. Over the weekend while in
New Mexico, his supporters heard what we are now likely to hear until election day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Now the FBI has just found, you're not going to believe this one, this just happened, another 650,000 emails. How do you get to 650,000 -- I
think that's called the mother lode. I think they found them all.
So the 33,000 that she deleted and bleached I think is going to be in the 650. But how do you have that many emails? What do you do, sit down all
day and just keep typing? Hey, no wonder nothing gets done in our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: So, Becky, there's the message. And Trump will be campaigning in Michigan today and Wisconsin tomorrow. Again, the campaign feels
emboldened, and that they can now take their message to those traditionally blue states.
Also, they know in order to get to that magic 270 electoral votes they need to flip a blue state. And even if they're able to win, let's say, a
battleground state like Florida, or North Carolina, they're still going to have to flip a blue state in order to win.
ANDERSON: Fascianting. All right, well, we will keep an eye on it. We are into the home
straight, Jason, thank you.
Well, let's get you some of the other stories on our radar this hour.
And Saudi Arabia says it's broken up two separate terror cells that were plotting attacks. Authorities arrested four Saudi nationals they say have
ties to ISIS, and four pakistani nationals from a cell that was allegedly planning to bomb a World Cup qualifying match in October in Jeddah.
In Venezuela, government and opposition leaders have agreed to tone down their heated political rhetoric. The two sides met in talks mediated by
the Vatican. They agreed to set up subcommittees to address issues, including economic crisis. They will meet again next month.
And former army commander Michel Aoun on the left here was sworn in as Lebanon's new president last hour. Lawmakers chose him in their 46th
attempt -- 46th attempt at picking a head of state. It took some unlikely political maneuvering to put an end to what's been more than two years
without anybody in the job.
Well, Turkey has detained 13 more journalists as part of its crackdown on the media. All of those detained worked at a leading opposition newspaper.
Their government accuses them of publishing stories to, quote, legitimize a July coup attempt. Critics say
the crackdown nothing more than a witch-hunt.
Well, Ian Lee joins us now a demonstration I believe, Ian, of support for the opposition newspapers swept up in this latest move by the government.
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Becky.
Right behind me and over the course of the day, there have been dozens, scores of people, at times hundreds, coming out here in front of Cumhuriet
newspaper where we are now. They have gathered here because of the arrest of the editor-in-chief of the paper.
And to give you some context, this paper is the main secular and opposition newspaper here in Turkey. We saw an opposition politician, a politician
from the main opposition party, come out here as well and essentially say what is taking place here in Turkey is a coup
against a democracy. And mainly saying that anyone who disagrees with the AK Party, the ruling AK Party or President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they could be caught up in this large net that has been cast.
And if you look at today's newspaper of Cumhuriyet, it says coup against the opposition. And this is referring to what happened over the weekend,
where you saw over 10,000 people lose their jobs, as well as arrests. You also had 15 pro-Kurdish newspapers shut down as well as presidents of
universities canned.
Now, the government here can essentially rule by decree. And that power has been in their
possession ever since the July 15 coup attempt. And it is set to go until the middle of January. And there has been a lot of anger, and that's
really what you're seeing here, anger over this, because it bypasses parliament, it bypasses the court system, and people say that
this is really a dictatorship in the making.
But you do have the government saying that the only thing they're doing is going after the people who are behind the coup as well as pro-Kurdish
militants, Becky.
ANDERSON: Ian Lee for you in Istanbul. Ian, thank you.
Well, from rescuing thousands of migrants at sea to helping fight ISIS in Iraq. And rebuilding after a wave of earthquakes. Yup, Italy has a lot to
deal with right now. So how's it coping? Well, I spoke to the Italian foreign minister to find out. That interview is just ahead for you.
Plus new clashes in the battle to retake the city of Mosul in Iraq from ISIS. The breakthrough Iraqi forces say they could make in just a matter
of hours. That's coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:30] ANDERSON; You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
Given that tomorrow, Tuesday, next week will be the day that Americans vote for their president. Let's do more on the race for the White House.
And renewed interest in the Hillary Clinton email controversy, the FBI's directors revelation that newly discovered emails might have a bearing on
the case could be called an October surprise, right.
Well, Tom Foreman explains exactly what that means.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been a while since we have had so many unexpected news events so late in an election cycle, but we
certainly have had surprises before.
(voice-over): A raging storm on the east coast, a sex scandal in D.C., and a nuclear test in China, each has been an October surprise, a big news
event in the autumn of a presidential election that threatens to change the outcome.
Late 2008 saw one.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, A.C. 360: $1.8 trillion. That is how much investors, including any of you with stocks in a retirement plan, lost
today.
FOREMAN: As the stock markets dive and the recession roars, Republican John McCain insists...
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R), ARIZONA & FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fundamentals of our economy are strong.
FOREMAN: And his once-tight race with Barack Obama becomes a Democratic blowout.
Four years later, fall reveals an audio tape of Republican Mitt Romney characterizing half the voters as dependent on government hand outs.
MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the
president no matter what.
FOREMAN: The president lost to re-election.
The term "October surprise" gained popularity 44 years ago this week. In 1972, Richard Nixon's national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, had late
news about the unpopular Vietnam War.
HENRY KISSINGER, FORMER NIXON NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We believe that peace is at hand.
FOREMAN: He is wrong. The war goes on, but so does Nixon's presidency.
And we have had October surprises ever since.
In 1980, many think Jimmy Carter will be boosted over Ronald Reagan by the release of the American hostages in Iran. The surprise, it does not happen
until after Reagan has won.
1992, Reagan's successor, George H.W. Bush, is just days away from the vote when a top Reagan team member is indicted over the Iran-Contra affair.
Democrat Bill Clinton takes the White House.
2000, Clinton's vice-president, Al Gore, is battling George W. Bush. Republican strategists are certain Bush can move ahead. Then news emerges
Bush was arrested 24 years earlier for drunk driving.
(on camera): In the popular vote, the race winds up a tie, but Bush ultimately wins.
So the backwash of that October surprise? A Halloween trick-or-treat, depending on how you look at it.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON; And more on Halloween later this hour, by the way. Pope Francis visiting Sweden to mark the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's anti-
Catholic reformation. The pope will take part in what is a joint Catholic Lutheran worship service in the city of Lund. He's holding a public mass
in Malmo, which has been the gateway for thousands of immigrants fleeing from wars in the Middle East over the last few years.
And to a growing political turmoil in South Korea. Protesters demanding that the president stepped down. She's accused of leaking state documents
to a friend. The prosecutor's office investigating a lawyer for that friend spoke on his client's behalf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE KYUNG-JAN, LAWYER FOR CHOI SOON-SIL (through translator): She'll actively respond to the investigation and test type according to the facts.
She's deeply remorseful she has caused frustration and despondency among the public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Mrs. Park has apologized for the scandal and ordered the resignation of 10 of her senior secretaries.
You're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. It is just about 25 past 7:00 here in the UAE. The latest world news headlines are just
ahead as you would expect at the bottom of the hour here at CNN.
And Donald Trump supporters have been standing by their candidate through one controversy after another. So who are these extremely loyal voters?
We're going to introduce you after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
ANDERSON: Homes, schools, offices: all flattened. Italians are again having to stare at decimation like this after yet another powerful
earthquake rocked central Italy on Sunday morning. Villages standing for hundreds of years crumbled in moments while nearly two dozen people
were hurt. Thankfully nobody lost their life this time.
Well, that was the third big earthquake to strike that area in less than a week. And as you might expect, it is rattling Italian's confidence.
Looking to reassure his people, the country's prime minister, Matteo Renzi, announced, quote, "we will rebuild houses, churches and shops. We will
rebuild everything. We have the resources to do it."
But with Italy facing so many other big problems, is that realistic?
Well, just before this show, I spoke to the Italian foreign policy Paolo Gentiloni. And I began by asking him just that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:30:04] PAOLO GENTILONI, ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I think it is totally realistic the fact that in such an emergency we need the
comprehension and the action from European Union.
The emergency is caused by the fact that in two months we had several quakes in the same area. By the way, this is creating a very, very
difficult situation with the population in one of the best areas of our country. So yes we will rebuild it and we count on solidarity in Europe
and not only in Europe.
ANDERSON: The Italian prime minister was in Washington just a couple of weeks ago for what was a state visit with the American president. The
White House notes that everyone was on board with helping the Iraqis caught up in the battle for Mosul.
How is that commitment from Italy translating into action?
GENTILONI: We are very committed in Iraq. I think that everybody should know that the Italian military presence is the second after U.S. in Iraq.
We have 1,300 military people. What are they doing? They are training Peshmerga, giving arms to Peshmerga, protecting the activity of rebuilding
of the dam of Mosul. They are doing combat search and rescue operation with helicopters and they are
assuring police training in the liberated areas.
I understand that this particular function that is now in the region of Anbar around Ramadi and Fallujah will become strategic in Mosul when Mosul
will be liberated.
ANDERSON; We are all acutely aware of how bad things are in neighboring Syria. Nowhere is that more the case than in eastern rebel-held Aleppo.
Yet in just the last week or so, you have moved to block sanctions on both Moscow and Damascus. Why?
GENTILONI: Because Italy and several other countries are convinced that we are facing an extremely serious emergency in east Aleppo. The way to
tackle with this emergency is obviously to be very clear on the responsibility of Russia and at the same time as U.S. administration is
trying to do to engage Russia in a possible solution.
So I really do hope that this solution that depends on the possibility to separate the fighters of Mosul from the other fighters and at the same
time, to block Bashar al-Assad air operation. I hope this that agreement could wrap.
If Europe reacts to every crisis with sanctions, I think that we will at the end of the day only increase European division.
ANDERSON: Let's talk Libya, not far from Italy, of course, just across the Med. The political system is clearly not working at the UN and Europeans.
And I know you in Italy might suggest that the GNA is working there, but it isn't.
What are your plans to help, and should the GNA fall apart? Who would you support going forward?
GENTILONI: I don't think actually that the GNA will fall apart. What we discussed this morning I think is important. We discuss a way to give the
GNA more strength, especially on the financial and economic side, because...
ANDERSON: How would it work, sir?
GENTILONI: Because some of the recent -- through an agreement between the presidential council and the Libyan central bank.
We met Prime Minister Sarraj and the governor of the central bank al-Qabir (ph) and I think that our meeting was a turningpoint to solve the
difficulties between them.
This will put more liquidity in the Libyan situation and the hands of the GNA.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:35:09] ANDERSON: Well, that was the Italian foreign minister. We're back doing the race for the White House. They've stuck by him through good
times and bad, helping him weather political storms and scandals that were unprecedented in modern U.S. politics.
I want to focus on the core of Donald Trump's support -- the voters he can count on to cast their ballots for him no matter what.
It's hard to forget how Trump himself characterized his base of supporters early in the campaign. Kidding or not, his words made an impact.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The people, my people are so smart. And you know what else they say about my people, the polls, they say I have the most loyal people. Did
you ever see that? Where I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK, it's, like, incredible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, our next guest wrote an article called "I spent five years with some of Trump's biggest fans, here's what they won't tell you."
Arlie Hochschild is author of the book "Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the
American Right," which is a finalist for the National Book Award, I'm told.
She's a professor of sociology at the University of California, and joins us now.
His supporters not shy in voicing their opinion. So tell us what is it they won't tell us?
ARLIE HOCHSCHILD, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: Well what they won't tell us is -- but what they did tell me, is that we have felt unseen, we have felt
invisible before. And we've -- to the extent we're visible, we're discredited as just red necks and backwoods people in the flyover states.
And that life is going downhill. There are losses. And so nobody is seeing us when we're suffering and they've felt that when Donald Trump, you
know, swooped in, he was speaking to that.
At the same time, there's a lot he says that they discredit. They don't believe. Like I talked to one man. He said, well, Trump talks about
building a wall but he's not really going to do it. And another person said, well, you know, he puts down Muslims. Well, but once he's elected,
he won't. Another one said, oh, he says he's going to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency, no, he won't really do that. That's just
to get elected.
So, they're excusing a lot by saying, gosh, he doesn't really mean it.
ANDRESON: Some of his supporters have said they won't accept a victory should Hillary Clinton win. Former U.S. Congressman Joe Walsh set off a
firestorm with this tweet last week. It says if Trump loses he will, quote, grab his musket. And then he asked his followers, you in? Question
mark.
Walsh spoke to CNN to clarify his remarks saying he was calling for civil disobedience. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO LIP)
JOE WALSH, FRM. U.S. CONGRESSMAN: When I said grab your musket, I meant, look, if Hillary Clinton wins, if she wins fair and square, then the anger
that a lot of Americans have toward our political system and she's part of that, we got to double down and triple down and do whatever we can to
defend our freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That isn't revolution though, is it?
Look, we are talking about democracy here. We know his supporters say they are sick to death of a gridlocked federal government that is unable or
unwilling to address serious problems confronting the country, but talk of revolution is, quite frankly, absurd, or is it from those you spent time
with?
HOCKSCHILD: For those I spent time with, they're not going for their muskets, no. They -- they're loyal, but they're not going for their
muskets.
What they do though is kind circulate dark rumors about Hillary and until someone speaks
to the issues that are making them anxious, I think this isn't going to go away.
ANDERSON: We have seen some pretty disturbing things at Trump rallies, it has to be said. Trump has called reporters in the room horrible human
beings and accusing them of helping rig the election against him. That hostility towards the media is often echoed by
his supporters. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys are the most biased hacks in the world.
TRUMP: Without the media, Hillary Clinton would be nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:40:06] ANDERSON: And you can say everybody is entitled to their opinion, right? But we saw a new low at a Trump rally in Arizona over the
weekend. Viewers, I want to warn you that the words of this Trump supporter are very offensive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will die. You're the enemy. You're the ones (inaudible)...
CROWD: USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA.
(END VIDE OCLIP)
ANDERSON: Trump's campaign manager, it's got to be said, was quick to unequivocally disavow that supporter, Kellyanne Conway spoke to my
colleague Jake Tapper and said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let me make clear what I am saying. Let me be clear what I am saying...
KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: That man's conduct was deplorable. And had I been there, I would have asked security to remove
him immediately. Clearly he doesn't speak for the campaign or the candidate...
TAPPER: OK.
CONWAY: You know, I think what he had to say was disgusting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Wasn't it interesting she used the term deplorable. That was a term of course that was used at the beginning of this race for the White
House about his very supporters by Hillary Clinton. So, if you were to sort of sum up given the amount of time you spent with the cohort of Trump
supporters, how would you describe them? The word deplorable I assume is not the term you're going to use.
HOCHSCHILD: I would describe them as misused. I think they're good people, but that they are being whipped up by a potentially extremely
dangerous man. I was just in Hungary and Orban was by the ballot box elected, and he abolished the free press. This can happen. He
consolidated power.
I asked somebody, how could this happen, you know, they wanted democracy. And the answer was, well, the other side was looking in on itself divided
and didn't vote.
It can happen. I'm frightened by it.
ANDERSON: Yes, we are seeing -- and we are seeing a wave of populism from The Philippines to, say, Philadelphia, and I'm not actually sure what color
that state is, but you get my point. And many experts will tell you that we are seeing the demise of liberal democracy as we know it. And that is
as a result of sort of the metropolitan elite who has been running countries all over the world to the detriment of many of those who I think
we all agree have decided that in America we'll vote for Donald Trump.
Is there anything that this candidate could do in what is this last home stretch as it were, the last eight days, that would dissuade any of those
you met who say they are voting for him vote for him, does that make sense?
HOCHSCHILD: Yes, it does. And I'm not sure that I have an answer to that. But I just want to say the people I came to know really do value democracy,
but they don't feel anybody else has spoken to their concerns. And they feel deeply about that.
So I think they're torn. Not everybody's a deplorable. But I think we may be going in a deplorable direction.
ANDERSON: And let me ask you one very, very brief question. There are many, many people in the UK who voted to leave the European Union,
Brexiteers who are now regretting it. Have you met people who are avowed Trump supporters who you worry could regret their decision to vote for him?
HOCHSCHILD: Yes. Yes, I think so. They've all along been ambivalent when he ridicules a disabled person. One highly religious woman said, I can't
stand that, this man has no moral standing with me. I'm not going to vote.
And another said, well, when he feels the right to grope any woman, no, absolutely not. They -- they're ambivalent, but they can't point to
another solution to the issue of their invisibility, their discreditation, and no one attending to their downward mobility.
So I think if we -- I think that's the issue.
ANDERSON: Yes, I'm sorry to cut you short. I'm going to have to take a break. This is absolutely fascinating. It's been an absolute joy having
you on. Do come back.
With just eight days to go, viewers, until what is this incredibly important U.S. election, thank you.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. Coming up, Iraqi forces advance on the ISIS-held city of Mosul. Now, one general says they could
be within hours of a major breakthrough. Taking a very short break. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:48:26] ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
Iraqi-led forces have launched what is the next phase of their military operation, advancing on
three separate fonts to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS. With one general saying in a TV interview that Iraqi forces could reach Mosul within
hours.
Now, this follows a weekend of gains for what is this coalition fighting the militants. The paramilitary commander says ISIS has been forced out of
20 villages, some of them just a few kilometers from the city.
What you are seeing now are the people who are leaving their villages ahead of this advancing
military.
The United Nations has said more than 1 million people could end up leaving Mosul during the assault.
While the city considered a jewel in the crown of ISIS' self-proclaimed caliphate across Iraq and Syria. And my next guest says those two
countries cannot be considered independently when it comes to ISIS ambitions in the region.
Hassan Hassan is the co-author of "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror" and he joins us from Washington this evening.
Explain what you mean and why you believe your thesis is so critical at this point, just hours away from what appears to be this final bloody push
to break ISIS in Mosul, Hassan.
HASSAN HASSAN, AUTHOR: Well, I think forces from both sides, in Syria and in Iraq, are starting to see both countries are very connected to each
other. In Mosul, for example, the forces, some of the forces that are now joining the fight against ISIS in west of Mosul, these are Shia militias
who are already saying after we clear ISIS from we're going to move to Syria and fight, you know, fight in Raqqa and in Aleppo, and so on.
And people in Syria, because of this, because they see increasing role of Shia militias fighting alongside the forces of Bashar al-Assad in Syria,
they fear that the expulsion of ISIS from Iraq means that these forces are going to supplement the forces inside -- Bashar al-Assad's forces inside
Syria.
So, they see them interconnected, despite the fact that obviously Syrian rebels see ISIS as a threat, but they see ISIS retreat in Iraq as an
opening for these Shia militias to come to Syria.
ANDERSON: All right. And that's interesting, because Turkey's president is warning that Shiite militia backed by Iran to not dare attack Turkmen
residents in Tal Afar, which is a town west of Mosul.
I just want to stay in Iraq for the time being. The Turkmen have historical ties to Turkey. According to Agence France Presse, or AFP,
Erdogan warned Turkey would act if the militia, in his words, unleash terror there.
So just for the moment, before we cross this border, ISIS would say there isn't one, but before we cross this border into Syria, let's just
concentrate on Tal Afar, could that become the next front line, do you think?
[11:51:43] HASSAN: Absolutely. I mean, it was s clear from the beginning, way before Mosul started, the battle for Mosul started, that Tal Afar would
be a flashpoint.
First, because this is a town that was a stronghold for ISIS, not only after its recent rise in 2014 but also during the Iraq war. It was in the
same way that Fallujah was a flashpoint for the American soldiers there, they struggled to take the area at some point.
Many of ISIS leaders, in fact, the deputy of Abu Bakr al-Baghdad was from Tal Afar. So, this is an area that, you know, produced many fighters and
many leaders for ISIS. It's very close to Mosul and many of the people inside Mosul felt that the presence of Tal Afar people,
or people from Tal Afar, members of ISIS from Tal Afar were heavily involved in the organization.
So this is going to be a problem because it's a stronghold for ISIS, but also, like you mentioned, it's a very important area for Turkey for many
reasons, not only for the Turkmen presence that this is a town dominated by Turkmen, but also because it's very near Sinjar where PKK is operating
there and it's dominating, in fact.
So Turkey is having problems with the Shia militias, but also actually in - - it has problems deep, concerns about the dominance and the rise of PKK, which is, in fact,
what's making Turkey and the Kurdish government in Kurdistan in Irbil working together to make sure that the PK doesn't benefit from the
expulsion of ISIS in that area and fill the void.
ANDERSON: Hassan Hassan, it's been great having you on. We need you again. This is an incredibly complex story as we have continually said
over the past few weeks, months and years, in fact. So do join us again as this continues the battle for Mosul we are told just hours away now as the
Iraqi forces pierce the city's limits. This fight against ISIS, though, doesn't stop there, as Hassan was
explaining. Thank you, sir.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World.
Coming up, it is always watching over us. And we can't get away from it. We're going to tell you what this haunting face is ahead. Happy Halloween.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:56:33] ANDERSON: Michael Jackson's Thriller, because as darkness creeps across the world, tonight, spookiness is coming along for the ride.
That is right: it's Halloween.
But if this Pumpkin thinks it's going to give anyone a fright, well, check out the sun's costume from a couple years back. Talk about evening
sunshine. Yikes.
Anyway, this is more likely sight tonight: kids armed with pumpkins and treats on the hunt for treats. As I can remember the rhyme we'd say way
back when, trick or treat, smell my feet. Actually you can hear the rest of that when your doorbell rings this evening wherever you are in the
world.
Let's hope you won't find this on your doorstep, because that's -- well that's actually kind of gross, right? I mean what could be more haunting?
OK, never mind.
But of course Halloween doesn't just have to be about dressing to scare, it can also be about hope, like a puppy's dream to be a lion. That's howl-
oween for you. I know. I know.
I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World. Thank you for watching.
END
