good evening. tonight, the justice department's message to the supreme court, stay out of mar-a-lago documents case. ever since the fbi got a warrant, they've conducted a -- search, finding boxes of documents, including highly classified ones that did not

belong to him. the former president has been trying to slow or stop the wheels of justice from turning. which is his right, even it means taking over the supreme court, which he has. today was the deadline for the department of justice to make its case to the supreme court. we'll have details on their filing in a moment. but first, the former president has now also been making new, false statements about other former presidents keeping classified documents. he previously claimed former president obama kept millions of documents for himself. now obama, bill clinton, and george h. w. bush. >> george h. w. bush took millions and millions of documents to a former bowling alley, piece together what was then an old and broken chinese restaurant. they put him together. and it had a broken front door, and broken windows. other than, that is quite secure. there is no security. >> now keeping him on, as the documents were taken to what was once a bowling alley in chinese restaurant, but is now a heavily secured government

facility. today, the archives put out a statement reading in part, quote, reports indicate or imply that those presidential records were in the possession of foreign presence or the representatives after they left america -- left office, or that the records were held in substandard conditions were misleading. details now from cnn's jessica snider, who joins us from washington. so, walk us through the doj's response. >> anderson, they hit on two major points in making their case that the supreme court does not step in here to grant trump emergency petition. because of course, he's asking for very limited relief here. he wants the special master, as well as legal team, to have access to 100 classified actions that were taken from mar-a-lago. that's something that the 11th circuit has blocked. so, doj now saying two things. first, then the 11th circuit had full authority to block these documents since they are saying they are extremely sensitive government records that indicate national security. and that the government would in fact be harmed if they were distributed. and their second point is on,

the flip side, they say trump has not been harmed at all by the court blocking these records, so there's really no basis for the supreme court to jump in and as point. that's justice departments view. so, anderson, they want the supreme court to stay out of the ongoing saga over these records. >> as i think the doj was critical of judge cannon, who is repeatedly sided with the trump legal team in the proceedings. >> very critical throughout this 34-page filing. and there [inaudible] special master in the first place, and then the decision to grant the special master full access to the classified documents. that was before the 11th circuit eventually stepped in. so, they repeatedly cited the 11th circuit's decision in this case, where the 11th circuit even criticize judge cannon. so, doj said this about cannons order that allowed the special master to initially review those classified documents. they said the district court's order was a serious and unwarranted intrusion on the executive branch's authority to

control the use and distribution of extraordinarily sensitive government records. and that, anderson, will really be a theme in what is this ongoing uphill in the 11th circuit, where there is this parallel challenge to aileen cannon's decision to even step into this case and appoint a special master in the first place, anderson. >> jessica schneider, appreciate it, thank you very much. join us now as a former judge nancy garner, also daniel goldman, former federal prosecutor, served as democratic counsel in the former president's first impeachment, it is currently running for congress as a democrat in new york. and for perspective from cnn's legal perspective, elliott women's, this is a deputed rector during the moment instruction. what do you make of the filings, you think will prevail? >> they should prevail. by rights, they should prevail. there is nothing about this appeal that is remotely the kind of issue that the supreme court would get involved with. aside from the issue of authorization, and aside from the issue of jurisdiction, the

courts do not micro manage searches like this. i just want to make other point, that the other point that was made in the doj's filing, is that in the usual course there is, the district courts do not intervene in a criminal proceeding unless there is a actually an indictment and charges, and the defendant can move forward and move suppress the documents. this is extraordinary from the beginning, and unwarranted from the beginning. and they've made that point, and certainly the supreme court intervenes, it will be lunacy. >> daniel, one of the doj's arguments is that the former president does not even attempt explained how he would be directly injured here. and that alone is enough to deny his request. is that accurate, do you think? >> yes, of course that's accurate. i think what i find in reading this, and boiling it down to what trump is actually appealing, which is not even the entirety of the 11th circuit order. basically, what donald trump

and his lawyers want is the opportunity to look at the department of justice is evidence, and look at the classified information that they seized from mar-a-lago, in part so they can prepare their defense. and so they may be able to stymie the criminal investigation before it actually results in an indictment. they are not arguing that the department of justice should not be able to examine the classified information. judge cannon rule that initially. the 11th circuit swiftly rejected that argument. and trump is not even appealing. that all he wants is for the special master and his own attorneys to be able to look at these documents. but he doesn't care about special, master he does want to see what they are. >> elliott, i, mean the government is arguing that allowing, that the special master, the former presidents attorney, to look at these documents, would jeopardize national security. are they even allowed to look

at these documents? >> you, know it's complicated, anderson, because we've ever been in the situation before. now, look, when dealing with information that is the secure, or at least we believed to be, the secure, the mere risk of disclosure itself is significantly sort of -- that's the harm, that the thought that might get into someone's hands. so, it is not an unfair question or an unfair point in the justice department be suspicious of it getting into anyone's hands. now, look, judge dearie certainly with his background, have been around classified materials before, as certainly asked good positions of anyone to review materials. but i agree with the justice department, these are sensitive materials and you ought to very closely and very closely manage who has access to them. >> judge gertner, how unusual is it that the justice department on the way to criticize judge cannon? they said they fundamentally

aired in appointing the special mask in the first place. they echoed the 11th circuit saying she used her discretion. >> it is unusual for district court judge to be criticized by the department justice? no, that is not particularly unusual. i think that they wanted to go back to first premises, after what i said a moment ago. this entire proceeding is giving trump writes and rounds in this proceeding that he never should've had to begin with. and that is the point that they are really making. she went out of her way to allow a putative defended, someone who's not indicted, yet to intervene or how the court intervened, in a way that he never would. i mean, this is really a house of cards. and we get wrapped up and the latest filing as if it is legitimate. but it really is a house of cards. trump has no basis, no privilege, no executive privilege, no attorney client privilege, to challenge his having classified documents in his beach house, and of discussion. >> daniel -- >> what he's doing is to keep

things going, like a house of cards. >> daniel, there is this reporting by the new york times that the former president had tried to use some of these documents, negotiating with the national archives to get russia, fbi russia documents to him in exchange for them. does that imply he knew what he had? >> it certainly implies that he knew he had something in the archives wanted. it also just goes to show how lawless he is, and what little regard he holds the rule of law. the fact that he is trying to use these as a negotiating ploy with the archives is absurd. but what it calls to mind is what was he expecting to do with these documents? if he wants to negotiate with the archives related to these documents, why did he go to such great lengths to conceal them from the department of justice? and if he is such a negotiator,

what was he going to do with them? how is he going to use them? and i continue to just be highly, highly concerned about what he would do and what he potentially did do with these documents. >> judge gertner, what did you make of that new york times in your reporting? >> i mean, it shows he was using these documents transactional, right? he was going to make a deal with it. it also shows how intentional the keeping of the documents were. and the very beginning, if you recall, there is a sense of, you know, maybe this was all swept up in a chaotic leaf taking from the white house. but that's obviously not the case. he knew what he had. he knew them to be classified. and the fundamental ingredients line of either or obstruction charge or an unlawful retention of classified documents charge are there. and that is troubling. >> elliot, if this does not go the former presidents way, are there any other options available to his legal team to

drag this out? >> look, he will certainly have more opportunity is to file appeals along the way. but we should be clear, anderson, even if this does go the justice department -- pardon me, the former presidents way, nothing really affects the justice department's ability to work with these documents as evidence, which is a big sticking point here. they will still be able to proceed and conduct this investigation, because of how narrow this appeal was. look, the supreme court does not need to take this case. to backup judge gertner's point from early in the segment, they can just look the other way because of the fact that this is a relatively simple and straightforward legal question here. but at the end of the day, the justice department will still have access to this material, we'll still have access to this evidence. it can choose to proceed how they wish. >> yeah, elliott williams nancy gertner, daniel goldman, thank you so much. coming up next with a another wave missiles hitting ukraine today. putin's nuclear threats on the

table. jake tapper, asked president biden if he thinks putin is a rational actor? the answer, a live report from ukraine, and former defense secretary cohen coming up. also, even as big name republicans rushed to his side, herschel walker faces some breaking new reporting tonight. quoting from the lead in the washington post that he quote, had to repeatedly press the former football star, now republican senate nominee in georgia, that the woman who is alleging that he had paid for an abortion that he -- she had to press herschel walker to pay for funds for a 2009 abortion that she said he wanted her to have. one of the reporters of the story joins us next. el parking yourself? ♪ alexa ask smartfeed to feed the dog. does it get better than feeding your dog from 50 miles away? yes... it does. at buick we see a future that's even better. because the life enhancing innovations you've never even dreamed of?

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actor whose miscalculated significantly. i think he thought -- you may recall, i pointed out that they were going to invade, all those hundred thousand troops there, and no one believed that he was going to invade ukraine. you listen to what he says. if you listen to the speech he made after when that decision was being made, he talked about the whole idea of he needed to be leader of russia, that united all the russian speakers. i mean, i just -- i think it's a rational. >> so, if he's not rational -- >> i did not say he's not rational. >> you said the speeches. >> i think the speech is, his objectives. i think he thought, jake, i think he thought he was gonna be welcomed with open arms. that this is been the home of mother russia in kyiv. and he was going to be welcomed. and i think he just totally miscalculated. >> you can see the full interview at the top in the next hour, on the premier cnn tonight with jake tapper. cnn's nick paton walsh is in

ukraine, filed this report tonight. >> the second day of smoke over the capital, in skies that have been quieted for months. a power plant in -- one of many had today, here by an iranian drone attack, officials said. as russia's cruise missiles tried to turn the power off before winter. a smaller wave and monday, with ukraine saying 33 hit their targets, and 33 were shot down. russia's defense spokesman blunt about what it wanted to hit, energy systems and military control. these 48 hours of onslaught, new ferocity, but not in purpose. russia has been hitting civilian targets in cities like this, one zaporizhzhia daily for the past week, or one person died this day. terror that led the white house to agree to send advanced air defense systems monday but talking to the g7 leaders, ukraine's president wanted

more. declare russia a state sponsor of terror to, he said. >> [speaking non-english] [interpreter] the leader of russia, feeling the approach of -- its trying to force the democratic world to surrender the terrace brush, to retreat, to lose. this can only be the desire of an insane person. more than 100 missile strikes in less than two days against civilians, against civilian infrastructure, sham referendum, a criminal attempted annexation. >> the days of indiscriminate and clumsy blast do not change russia's main problems, that it's armies is using forced conscription and lacks basic supplies. its military leadership bought a reprieve from rare internal dissent by monday's violence perhaps. but still, putin's rhetoric less fiery when he met the un nuclear watchdog head today to discuss the frontline embattled zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. even as he blamed everyone else for what he has been doing.

>> [speaking non-english] [interpreter] of course, we see that today there are elements of successfully danger this politicization of everything connected with nuclear activity. >> still, he will meet his turkish counterpart in kazakhstan as his leading diplomat insisted, they are not against talks with the west if offer. it >> [speaking non-english] [interpreter] this is a lie, i can tell you right away. we did not receive any serious proposals to enter into contact. [end of translation] >> again a sign that russia, for all its violence and bombast, is not in a position of strength. >> nick, how is the ukrainian air defense system holding up against these attacks? >> some interesting numbers today. ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy saying of the 28th cruise missiles fired at them on tuesday, 20 were intercepted. we have also heard from the defense minister. in just the last hour, the defense minister saying they have, they've already received a german air defense system

called the -- , and in italy they say they will be getting a u.s. and norwegian one called the nasams. now it's, unclear if the german one had any role in the air defense today. but still, it does appear on both days about half of the cruise missiles fired at ukraine were intercepted. >> what's ukraine's energy minister saying about the country's energy infrastructure? >> yes, saying that about a third of it as been impacted over the past days. now, we know that of course over the past weeks, months ukraine's infrastructure has been already targeted by the russians. so, repairs can often be quite swift. but winter is approaching. and there is obviously clearly by moscow a bid to degrade the ability of ukraine to keep itself warm during these bitter winter months. i'll give you one note of optimism, though, into incidences. in fact, one place where and in dnipro yesterday ourselves, a crater caused by a cruise missile. well, that was filled in and covered over, and the road

functional again by this morning. a similar scene in central kyiv. so, ukraine picking itself up very fast, despite frankly terrifying scenes of the past 48 hours, anderson. >> nick paton walsh, thank you. and joining us now, former republican u.s. senator william cohen, who served as defense secretary during the clinton administration. secretary cohen, -- lateral putin as a rat irrational actor. do you think he's a rational actor? >> well, i'm not in any position to judge anyone else's psychological state. but i think president biden had just about. right i think he was logical in the beginning, and rational, because he made assumptions that seemed rational. i have a big army, ten times the size of ukrainians, i have 150,000 on the border, ukraine will back down, the nato alliance is not solid, the united states is not providing for them. those are all logical assumptions when they're based upon a false premise. so, it was rational in the beginning. and now the question is is it rational to continue doing what

he's doing? because he's acting more and more desperate because he's losing on the ground. and that is why he is turning to firing missiles into residential areas. >> how much of this do you think is about the domestic audience at home? is he cunning the shadow of attacking civilians infrastructure targets, because he believes it's actually gonna win the war for him? or because he wants to satisfy, you, no domestic concern? >> i think both. i think he's reacting on the criticism coming to his right at the same time, i think he knock out the energy surprise during the winter months, that they will then fold, that the nato nations will fault. so, i think is continue to make these false assumptions for ukrainians are getting stronger, more motivated. and they're getting more defensive weapons to take his missiles out. and you have the british national security council basically saying that the russians are running out of ammunition, because they cause anywhere between half 1 million dollars and $30 million to fire a cruise missile, depending on

the size and capability. so, there's a big expense involved for russia. they may be running low on supplies, turning to north korea, turning to iran for assistance. . is there any way to know how long this goes on? for what do you look for it to be able to judge where this war is going to go? >> i think the pedal to the metal of policy is to be on the part of president zelenskyy, and the west, saying that we are going to send more and more russian soldiers. unfortunately, we're gonna send them home either. it is really -- that's going to create even more opposition from within. i mean, think of the image when ukraine was under attack, zelenskyy, president zelenskyy said police, all male stay home. everybody up to the age of 60, up to 65, russia -- you have president putin saying i want to have a draft of 300,000. 200, three and thousand, are heading to other countries.

so, again, the image of ukrainians standing to fight and the russia -- fleeing to other countries, that tells you everything about where this is had. >> ukrainian defense authorities, they reported that they shut down nearly half of the missiles and drones fired over russia in the past two days. do you think the more advanced air defense systems from the west, which seems like are already in the pipeline, will help improve those numbers? >> oh, absolutely, the more sophisticated equipment we and others can provide is going to make it much more defensible, with fewer and fewer getting through the net. and again, a cost of, a great cost to the russians at this point. i think the danger, anderson, is putin may become irrational at this point in time. and saying, i put a butcher in charge of my military, that will change things on the ground. and it will not. or, if it really gets bad, i'll try to chemical, biological, or potentially nuclear weapons.

that would be a catastrophic mistake for him to do that. so i think there is where you'll have to watch for the u.s.. in a major way. >> general cohen, i appreciate your, time thank you so much. we have breaking news up next. a new report from washington post on the abortion allegations against georgia senate candidate herschel walker from. for the mother when his children, this coming hours just after two key republicans joined him on the campaign trail. they talked again about the allegations.

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there is breaking news from the washington post involving georgia's republican senate candidate. here's the headline, woman says she had to press herschel walker to pay for abortion he wanted. the account report they come from the mother of one of his children, and a person he can fight. it won the persons from the byline is here with us tonight, andy, walk us through your reporting tonight. >> thank you so, much good to be here. yeah, we have learned and reported that herschel walker of course has said that he did not knowingly pay for an abortion for a woman who is also the mother one with children. but in speaking with that woman, she made the point that she had to repeatedly asked him for the money, which she was specifically saying was for the abortion. that's partially because, you know, she was in a bad financial position at the time, having lost her job in the

middle of the great recession. and the washington post reviewed a receipt of her bank account that she had less than $600 in our bank account at the time, which was part of why she was repeatedly pressing the football star for money. >> and she says she clearly said to him, this is for an abortion. >> yeah, she did. and a person who she confided in at the time also said that. that person had really stuck in that person's head, that this individual, who was, you know, wanted her to have an abortion was being reluctant to provide the funds for it. and was given walkers fame and, you know, a parent fortune at the time. you know, her friend was really surprised that it took so much effort to get him to pay for procedure which he clearly had wanted her to have.

>> i know the post reviewed an image of the check that -- herschel sent to her. none of the outlets reporting about this ever published an image of that track. do you know why? because it seems to be newsworthy if it were said to have mr. walker's signature on it. >> yeah, it's an image of a -- as from atm receipt. so, it's when she deposited the check in her atm. and you know, in some banks, this particular bank, when you go through that process, you get an image of the check printed on the atm receipt. so, it's not an actual copy of a check, it's an image that was taken when she deposited it at her atm. and it's at her request. she has made it clear that she does not want that particular document to be made public. i think she's worried about the sensitivity of financial information that is on it. and so we are honoring the quest that she made. >> has herschel walker or his

campaign responded to the reporting? >> you know, we sent them a series of questions this morning. and they did not provide an official response. >> annie linskey, i appreciate it, thank you so much. >> thank. you >> this breaking news from the washington post comes hours after walker got some help on the campaign trail from two key republicans, and talked about the allegations forum with abc news. for more on that, we have a reporter at today's event outside atlanta. herschel walker spoke to abc about the allegations, what did he say? >> while, anderson, essentially it is a lot more the same. he is flat out denying the court allegations here. where he is adding to the record a bit is talking about this issue of fatherhood, saying despite the very serious allegations made by his son christian walker just last week, that he argues he has had in fact been a prison father. >> as you well, know there is a woman who reportedly says that she was in a mcken long

relationship with you, as a tenured sign with, you that you paid for the cost of an abortion, were you ever aware of her having an abortion? >> i know nothing about an abortion. i know it's a lie and i said it was a lie and i will just move on. so, linskey i told a surprise is not going to phase me. >> you are saying last week, you don't even know who the one was. >> which is true. >> but at this point, you now know the woman. is >> and have you had a conversation with her? >> not at all. so i did not know who it was until last week. i went oh. and i said, that is not true. but then they still ran with it. so i said, that's not true. that's a lie. i called it a lie. and right now, i said i am going to go back to campaigning. they can pretend to do whatever they want with the story. >> if i could just get you to say yes or no, did you ever have a conversation with this woman at anytime, about an abortion? >> no. >> did you ever to your knowledge give money to pay for

the cost of abortion? >> no. >> is she lying? >> yes, she's lying. she's lying. yes, she's lying. >> the same woman says you have a ten-year-old son who you have only seen three times. is that true? >> that is not true. i've seen him a little bit more than that. but that is one of the things that i will not get into, because they make it difficult for me to see him. and that's one thing i said i would not do. when he's young, i said i am not going to sit there and make his life miserable. >> why is he coming out saying don't try to pretend that you're a moral family man? >> well, i should say, i love christian. and everyone who knows us, knows how much i love christian. how much he's -- me. how much i supported him, how much i've been with him. >> but in fairness, because loving somebody, you can love somebody from afar. but this different to be present. >> that's what i'm, saying i have been present with christian. >> so, when he says that you are an absent father, that's not a fair critique? >> everyone knows that it's

not. people know that is not. >> so, you hear their continued flat out denials, even as this unnamed woman is adding more details to her account in various news outlets. it's really up to the georgia voters to decide who they believe. >> republican senators rick scott of florida, tom cotton of arkansas, they campaigned for walker today. i know you spoke to voters at the rally. what did they tell you? >> yeah, so this was really, i think, in lightening, anderson. you know, you speak to people here, and they are not having this conversation at all about these allegations. they are very enthusiastic about walker, conservatives in the state. they talk about how he is a born again christian. how they believe him. how they are actually motivated to come out to rallies like the length today based on some of these negative headlines. they are suspicious of the timing. there was a long line wrapped on this parking lot earlier today, with people waiting for

handshakes, hugs, pictures, signing of his footballs that they brought. so that is a component not important to miss. there was one split ticket voter, one man told me that he is going to be voting for incumbent governor brian kemp, along with democratic senator raphael warnock. that these recent allegations were just a bridge too far. but he seemed to be the outlier. take a listen. >> i probably am doubtful with some of the allegations that they've come out so late into the game. >> i feel like if that did happen, which i do not think it did, right now, why now? why did you have to go to the news? why not worked it out with him? >> if he had just owned up to them, you know, not telling the truth about him, that's not good. >> so, on that eyes now turn to the debate in friday in savannah. a case to see how much of this

conversation, really national conversation, is gonna be a feature of the space -- debate, or how much will get into other issues. i will tell you, a lot of local news cast in georgia is this issue of prime, anderson? >> eva mckend mckend, appreciated. just one month two midterms, the ripple of their focus on crime and policing and attacks on democrats. in a moment just emily is looking at some races were canvassing is a key issue, that's next. while i'm book clubbing. cha-ching! with rakuten, i get cash back at over 3,500 stores. so, how does that work? well, stores pay rakuten to send them shoppers. then, rakuten shares that money with us, in a check or paypal payment. it's free and easy. shhhhh! i think you're missing the plot. and i think you're missing the cash back. [ding] cha-ching. new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when you sponsor a job, you immediately get

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midterm elections are just four weeks away, and a number key races, republican -- there in the campaign the tackling crime. they're using rising crime rates and the slogan defund police to attack democratic opponents. this comes just weeks after president biden announced his so-called safer america plan, including billions for crime prevention, recruitment, and training for police officers. in response, the republican soft on crime message, so democrats are hoping to remind voters last year's capital insurrection and the attacks and pleas by trump supporters. tonight, cnn's chief national affairs correspondent jeff zeleny takes a closer look. >> one month before election, day republicans are using crime

as a campaign weapon. >> catherine cortez masto, so weak on crime, it's dangerous. >> mandela barnes, not just a democrat, a dangerous democrat. >> and democrats are trying to find their footing, pushing back against a barrage of familiar attacks in a new way. >> can you imagine one guy saying out of one side of his mouth that he is pro calk? and on the other side them out, he's raising money for the insurrectionists who are beating up the capitol police. >> the age old gop argument that democrats are soft on crime, a critique often company with racially charged undertones, is facing a new test. [noise] with images from the assault on the capitol still seared into the mind of americans. but it's an open question whether this message from democrats -- >> everyone can see, you are not pro talk, kevin mccarthy, you are pro coop. >> will overtake an onslaught of advertise from pumpkins, who spent $40 million last month

alone airing 150 unique ads on crime in races across the country. it's become on the loudest republican soundtracks of the fall, particularly in top senate races like pennsylvania. >> john fetterman wants ruthless killers, muggier's, and rapists back on our streets. and he wants them back now. >> and wisconsin -- >> what kind of democrat is mandela barnes? he's a defund the police democrat. >> john fetterman and mandela barnes has spent weeks rebutting the arguments from republicans mehmet oz and senator ron johnson. democratic strategist worry the pointed messages have taken a toll. since the willie horton at shook the 1988 presidential race, with george h. w. bush blasting michael dukakis -- >> weekend prison passes, dukakis on crime. >> such spots have been a staple of republican campaigns. in the north carolina senate race, democratic hopeful sharon beasley is pushing back on a slogan that became a rallying cry for some progressives two years ago, that she never backed. >> the first thing we absolutely must do is to fund

the police. i do not support defunding the police. >> a former chief justice of the state supreme court, she is now running against congressman ted budd, but facing the full weight of the republican party. >> left wing extremists named cheri beasley. >> durham county sheriff clarence birkhead, who's running for a second term as a democrat, supports beasley and says she is hardly extreme. but he acknowledged challenges in how some voters view their party. >> do you think that was a mistake for some democrats to use those words defund the police? >> i think defund the police the phrase itself did more damage than law enforcement and communities than anyone ever imagined. unfortunately, we are seeing the effects of that now. reforming the criminal justice system? absolutely, that's a conversation we should be having. >> but that conversation is in short supply, amid a wave of campaign ads up and down the ballot, featuring frightening messages. >> on november 8th, vote like your life depends on it, it just might. >> with far less discussion

devoted to finding solutions to crime in america. >> and jeff zeleny joins us now. so, why has crime amours as such a central issue, it seems, so late in the campaign? >> anderson, one thing is that voters are now just beginning to pay attention to this. so, republicans are clearly pressing this issue of crime and the economy in many respects, they are linked. but that is what they want their final argument to be, if you will. they are also trying to get back,, perhaps to some of the suburban women voters who have been really disillusioned by republicans, largely because of the abortion rights discussion that's been happening throughout the summer. so, that is the dynamic going into this. but there's no question there is also, as we've seen in campaigns year after year, a racial undertone to many of these campaign ads, too many of these campaigns specifically where these are being broadcast. so, that is the dynamic going into this. but it's clear that republicans believe that they have some ground to gain here. and crime has worked year after

year. and they think this year, with the economy, it will again, anderson? >> jeff zeleny, appreciate it. still, had the rescue of fishermen fending off trucks in the gulf of mexico after their boat sank. our randi kaye has that next. this is going to be great. taking the shawl off. i did it. is he looking at my hairline? my joint pain isn't too bad. well, it wasn't this morning. i hope i can get through this. is plaque psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis making you rethink your everyday choices? otezla is a pill, not a cream or injection that can help people with plaque psoriasis achieve clearer skin. otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness and pain in psoriatic arthritis. and no routine blood tests required. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla can cause serious allergic reactions. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression.

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a remarkable rescue off the louisiana shore, after a weekend fishing trip quickly turned into voting nightmare. three fishermen battling rough seas for more than 24 hours after their boat sank, with some of them fending off charts. three 60's randi kaye has more. >> i'm outside -- , going down. >> 28 hours, that's how long three louisiana fishermen were stranded in shark infested waters in the gulf of mexico. here's what they told abc news. >> we made a distress call on the uscf radio to the coast guard, and let them know that we have taken on water, along the vessel is sinking. and not even seconds after,

that the boat was nearly halfway underwater. >> halfway underwater, and no land in sight. the only way they could see were sharks, lots of them. >> we took the life vests. and it did not touch me. we picked up the vast, and boom, they hit it. and i punch them in the face. i think that's where i got these fingers -- i mean, these injuries on my hands. i took my two thumbs, and jab them in the eyes. and he took off. >> the men had tied a couple of colors together to form a raft. they tried to stay afloat, and out of reach of the sharks. >> that was critical in surviving. tying the ice chests together. >> but time was not on their sides. the men had set out on a fishing trip from venice, louisiana, on sorry morning. when they did not return home, friends and family began to worry and called the u.s. coast guard. and somehow in a stock of where -- stroke of luck sunday, one fishermen was able to text a friend's location, a moment before's phone died.

>> i sent my location to my friend. and it was only 2% left. the minute i set it, i see him trying to reply to me, and the phone cut off. i ran out of battery. >> that friend alerted the coast guard, which searched for the men by air and sea. the search area spanned more than 1200 square miles, slightly larger than the state of rhode island. and then, another lucky break, the man had been in the water for more than 24 hours already, but within two hours of receiving the text for help, they spotted the man from the air, 25 miles off the louisiana coast. by now, it was around noon on sunday. one man was hoisted up to the chopper with the help of a rescue swimmer. >> that is definitely. him >> and the fixed wing aircraft saw the other two men floating about a mile away. that is when we sprung into action, and spent the boat up to go get these guys.

we pulled up to them, and they were getting harassed by sharks when we pulled up. >> he says the sharks were about four feet long. >> one of the man had been beaten up on his hand, as you saw. and was bleeding into the water. his lifejacket, his orange life preserver had been ripped about halfway down by the fish. so, we got him on board forced. pull them out of the water. >> all three fishermen suffer from hypothermia. >> they had multiple lacerations on their hand, almost down to the bone. we actually were able to recover one of the lifejackets that had been eaten through by a shark. >> a nightmare fishing trip, with a happy ending. one these man will never forget. >> that is terrifying. randi kaye joins us now. do we know how they're doing tonight? >> well, anderson, they were all taken to university medical center in new orleans. they are recovering, albeit slowly. but it's really incredible,

because the coast guard says that these guys did everything. right daytime cells together, and they tied themselves to that cooler, which of course, had some water in it. so, they're able to stay hydrated. but just imagine the scenario. they have the sharks swimming around lamb. 3 to 5 foot waves. there it 25 miles off the coast. they had no idea how far they were from land. and they had no idea that anyone was coming to get them. so, it truly is incredible story of survival. >> randi, appreciate, thank. you >> up next, remembering the legendary angela lansbury. should be your style! plop plop fizz fizz, winter warriors with alka-seltzer plus cold & flu relief. ♪ ♪ luxury exemplified. innovation electrified. with apple music seamlessly integrated.

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angela lansbury, the iconic

star of stage and screen for nearly eight decades died this morning at our los angeles home. she's perhaps best known for starring in america's favorite tv salute, jessica fletcher, for 12 years on murder she wrote in the 80s and 90s. it was born in light, it got her big break in 1944, earning her first oscar nomination in the age of 19 in the role of the movie gaslight. if you've not seen it, you should. two years later, she got a second nomination for her work in the portrait of dorian gray, and yet another for the manchurian candidate 1963, before finally being awarded an honorary oscar in 2014. younger fans probably remembered her role as the voice of misses pots in the 1991 disney hit beauty and the beast. and the song she sang for the film. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> a tale as old as time. true as it can be. ♪ ♪ ♪

barely even friends, then somebody bands. unexpectedly. just a little change. , small to say the least. ♪ ♪ ♪ but a little scared ♪ ♪ ♪ neither one prepared. beauty and the beast. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> angela lansbury also starred in a number of hit broadway musicals, winning 5:20 awards, beginning with maine in 1966, blight spirit in 2009, finally. and lansbury was 96 years old. she died just five days before her 97th birthday. the news continues. want to head it. over give a warm welcome to jake tapper and his debut program. welcome to cnn tonight, i'm jake tapper. is vladimir putin a