Dems Within Striking Distance of Senate Control

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0:44There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and Allbirds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your$1 per month trial at shopify.com slash special offer. Happening now, poll position. CNN has brand new numbers that show Democrats within a striking distance in four states to possibly take over the Senate. Plus, recruitment scheme. A report claims the campaign of Alaska's Democratic Senate candidates secretly recruited spoiler candidates to stack the race. This morning, President Trump is calling foul. And CNN is on the road again.

1:25As we count down to the midterms, Omar Jimenez joins us live as he travels through the Rust Belt talking to voters about the issues that matter most. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown. Wolf Blitzer is on assignment and you're in the Situation Room.

1:54All right, five days until Election Day, 40 million votes already cast. A new CNN polling shows Democrats making gains in key battleground Senate races. One of those is Abdel Al-Sayed. In moments, he'll hold a campaign event with Senator Elisa Slotkin. And we're going to bring that to you live. Also today, President Trump heads to ruby red South Carolina as a new poll shows Republican Senator Darlene Graham tied with Democrat Annie Andrews. The Situation Room is in seven states this morning, covering the countdown to the midterms, tracking critical key races in battleground states from Texas and Michigan to Ohio and Pennsylvania.

2:32And we begin this hour with brand new CNN polling across four key states, which show Democrats are within striking distance in critical Senate races. So let's get straight over to CNN political director and Washington Bureau Chief David Chalian at the Magic Wall. David, these are significant polls with five days left until Election Day. That's right, Pam, our four final state polls in the states that could determine control of the U.S. Senate. In Kansas, this is a no clear leader race. Adam Hamilton, the Democrat, at 49 % among likely voters, 45 % for Roger Marshall. What's going on here? Well, take a look.

3:08Look, Adam Hamilton is at 60 % support with independents. That's one huge key factor. The other is he's getting 12 % of Republicans. We don't usually see that kind of crossover vote in American politics today. What's behind that? Well, Adam Hamilton is outrunning his own party in terms of favorability. And that makes sense in Deep Red, Kansas, right? The favorability rating for the Democratic Party is down at 34%. But Adam Hamilton's favorability is at 41%. A Democrat wouldn't be close in a red state like Kansas if that wasn't happening. We see something similar in Texas. The overall top line, Tallarico, 49%.

3:46Outside the margin of error, six-point lead over Ken Paxton at 43%. What's going on here? The Latino vote. Tallarico's crushing it, 63 % to 29%. Remember, Donald Trump just two years ago won the Latino vote in Texas. This is a big shift from that. Also here, Tallarico is outrunning the favorability figure of his own party. Down at 36 % favorable for the Democratic Party in Texas, but Tallarico's favorability is at 44%, separating himself from the brand of the party. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed outside the margin of error with a 7-point lead, 49 % to 42 % for Mike Rogers in our poll. And take a look here.

4:29El-Sayed is consolidating Democrats now. Back around Labor Day, that 95 % was only at 90%. So he's made progress there. He's also crushing it among independents. He's got a 19 percentage point lead over Rodgers. That is key. And then take a look at the candidates' favorable and unfavorables. El-Sayed, 46-43, pretty evenly divided. Rodgers, his negatives have driven up here. He's at 50 % unfavorable now. In Maine, we see another no clear leader race. This is within the margin of error. Troy Jackson, 49%. Susan Collins at 45%. Susan Collins is the factor in this race, and it is what's keeping Jackson competitive.

5:1073 % of likely Jackson voters are casting their ballot against Collins, not for Jackson. She is driving the conversation in this race. And then look at the Trump factor, Pam. Across all four states, more than 4 in 10 voters are saying they're casting their ballot to oppose Donald Trump. far more than say they're casting a ballot to support Donald Trump. And in fact, more than those who say Donald Trump is not a factor. But this is critical. Not everyone's mind is fully made up. In fact, in three of the states, there's a not insignificant chunk of persuadable voters. 14 % in Kansas and Michigan, 13 % in Texas.

5:50Maine is a little more locked in. Only 9 % say they may change their minds. But here's what's key, Pam. These people who say they're persuadable, they are Republican and Republican-leaning independents. So in these red states, if they just put on that jersey they know well, being a Republican, we could see races significantly narrow. Yeah, that could make a difference. All right, David Chalian, thank you. And happening now, Alaska's governor is ordering an investigation into an alleged Democratic scheme to recruit candidates for the Senate race. The governor is looking into whether criminal charges or civil penalties should be brought.

6:22After a New York Times report revealed claims that Democrats attempted to confuse voters by recruiting a Senate candidate with the same name as GOP incumbent Dan Sullivan. Here's what both incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola said last night. The Democrats have been scheming for a year and a half, right? Mary Peltola, her campaign team, senior DSCC Democrats, had a scheme, a secret scheme, to trick Alaskan voters. I am pressing my opponent to come clean. She's been lying for over a year. She's the corrupt one working with D.C. insiders to trick Alaskans. So what we're going to do is we're going to make sure every single Alaskan knows about this.

7:13This is just another distraction. It's another diversion. Every day it's some new, you know, look over here moment. And this is not somebody who's working in our best interest. And anybody who's working in our best interest isn't going to talk about the nonsense. It's important to note that Republicans have also tried to take advantage of Alaska's ranked choice system. In 2024, the Alaska Republican Party backed efforts to promote lesser-known candidates who could hurt Pultola, including a Democrat who was serving time in prison and had never been to the state. With us now is CNN senior legal analyst Allie Honig, former assistant U.S.

7:51attorney for the Southern District of New York. All right, Allie, so I want to play something the vice president just said moments ago. I think we should certainly look into whether she committed election fraud. I mean, she is a person who for months now has pretended that she has had nothing to do with the fact that they have put a fraudulent person, a person explicitly designed to confuse Alaska voters on the ballot. She is trying to steal a Senate seat from the voters of Alaska, and it's disgraceful. So whether it's criminal or not, she certainly has committed, I think, a great moral failing, and hopefully the voters of Alaska punish her.

8:26So moral failing is one thing, right? Being illegal is another. What do you think? Is there anything illegal that took place here? Well, Pam, there's certainly more we need to know, but let me give you a few possibilities based on what's known now. So first of all, there are potential campaign finance violations. Now, the Times story tells us that the guy who was out there searching for another Dan Sullivan was working for a super PAC. If it turns out that Super PAC was intermingling its money or coordinating with the campaign, there could be campaign finance violations, likely civil, to be handled by the FEC.

9:02Another possibility, if any person intentionally made a false statement in an official setting, so if anyone lied on their candidate paperwork that they filed in Alaska, if anyone lied in the course of the extended litigation that happened over this issue in the Alaska courts, that too could be a crime. We don't know that that's a possibility. Now to the question that we just saw J.D. Vance address, could there be a crime if somebody went out and intentionally found someone to try to confuse voters? Could that be a criminal fraud? The attorney general, Todd Blanche, was asked that question last night and he said it should be illegal.

9:37And I think that's correct and telling in that he did not say it is illegal because the fact of the matter is candidates and campaigns lie all the time. They lie about their opponent's records. They lie about the candidate's own credentials. That's a bad thing. But is it a crime? I think likely not. Now, could a prosecutor, could an aggressive, creative prosecutor put together some sort of charge arguing that it's a criminal fraud that's depriving voters of their civil rights? Maybe. But I think that ultimately would fail because the First Amendment very broadly protects speech, including lies in the political context.

10:16We've not seen a charge quite like this ever. So could you get a charge through a grand jury? Maybe, but I think it would be a stretch. And I do not think a criminal charge based on a fraud allegation would ultimately survive. Do you think that any of this could have an impact on the DOJ lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's results if Senator Dan Sullivan loses? No, this has no impact on that lawsuit. That lawsuit is still going to fail. First of all, there still is no federal statute that gives DOJ or the federal executive branch the power to tell Alaska what to do. Blanche cited a law that has nothing to do with this situation, has to do with voter registration.

10:57That law is still inapplicable here, which means it's up to the state. And as I said before, this issue was litigated all the way up to the Alaska Supreme Court, which ruled in June. And if you look at the Alaska Supreme Court's ruling, there were allegations at the time that this was an attempt to confuse voters. And the Supreme Court of Alaska said, we don't care. It's not our job to judge whether a candidate is acting in good faith or bad faith. Our job here is simply to determine, is he constitutionally eligible? Is he 30 years old, as you have to be for the Senate? Is he a US citizen? And is he a resident of the state of Alaska?

11:30So given that Alaska has already decided this, Alaska gets to choose how to run its elections, not DOJ, not Todd Blanch, not the president. So beyond this lawsuit from DOJ, if Mary Patola wins, is there anything that can be done to prevent her from being seated in the Senate? So the constitution of the law actually do give the House and the Senate fairly broad discretion over who to seat and under what circumstances. So could there be a political dispute playing out in the Senate? Sure, we've seen instances before where the Senate or the House have held open seats, but usually that's pending some sort of extended recount.

12:09Ultimately here, if Mary Peltolo wins by a very narrow margin and the Senate refuses to seat her, I don't see where that ultimately lands. The Senate has no power to order Alaska to rerun its election. So that would be a political dispute. If someone did try to appeal that to a court, I don't think the courts would get involved. I think they would just say Senate seating is up to the Senate. All right, Ali Honig, thank you so much. And happening now, a new CNN poll is gauging one of the most watched Senate races in the country. It shows Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed pulling ahead of his Republican rival, former Congressman Mike Rogers, just five days before Election Day.

12:48And we're getting a closer look at what matters most to the voters who will decide this race. CNN chief national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny is at an El-Sayed rally that will soon get underway in Jackson, Michigan. So he's about to start his campaign day. What more can you tell us, Jeff? Hey, Pamela, good morning. I mean, as you can see behind me here, some volunteers and Democratic supporters have gathered in a union hall here in Jackson, Michigan. It is a red county, but many Democrats here as well that could be key to the outcome of this election next week. Of course, Abdul El-Sayed running a tight race with Michigan Republican Mike Rogers.

13:25But our new poll, as you said this morning, is showing a break for Abdul El-Sayed, 49 to 42. Now, when you look inside these numbers, some very interesting findings here. This race, of course, has been one of the most dynamic, hard-fought, and contentious. But one number that strikes me, Pamela, is that independent number. Our poll shows that Abdul El-Sayed has 51 % versus 32 % among independents for Mike Rogers. That is a key finding in this. And, of course, there's no surprise the economy is at the top of the concern for voters across the board. I mean, 41 % list the economy as the chief concern.

14:05Immigration is the next, and that's a far distant second here. So, look, in the final stage of this campaign, Abdul Syed is going to appear here today with Senator Alessa Slotkin. She, of course, was elected here just two years ago and defeated Mike Rogers very, very narrowly by 19 ,000 votes or so. So, look, in the final days of this race, Mike Rogers, he's out campaigning, but Abdul El-Sayed feeling slightly better about this. At least our poll is showing him up seven points. But again, a very close race and a critical race in Michigan for Democrats hope to try and win back control of the Senate.

14:41All right, Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much. And coming up here in the Situation Room, turning out in Texas, as you heard, polling suggests Democrat James Tallarico has a momentum right now against Ken Paxton. Is the Lone Star State leaning blue? CNN's Ed Lavandera is tracking all of this in Dallas. Ed? Well, we have new details from the CNN poll. It's shaping up to be a wild ride here in the last few days of this midterm campaign. So buckle up.

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16:19All right, back to our top story. With five days Until Election Day, a new CNN poll shows Texas tilting toward Democrats in the Senate race. Democrat James Tallarico holds a narrow edge over Republican Ken Paxton, picking up support among groups President Trump won in 2024. Texas has not elected a Democrat in a statewide race in three decades. So let's go live now to CNN's senior national correspondent Ed Lavendera in Dallas. Ed, how does this poll line up with what you're hearing on the ground there from voters? Well, it is interesting. You know, you're definitely seeing a great deal of enthusiasm for James Tallarico.

16:56But this story of Democrats hoping to turn Texas blue is an old story. It always kind of has the same endings. And it's disappointment for Democrats. But that is one of the reasons why anytime you talk to a Democrat, they are very cautious and kind of hesitant to accept that there is a chance that James Tallarico could win this race. It's been more than 30 years, as you mentioned, that a Democrat has won statewide here. But what this poll shows, with Tallarico with a 49-43 lead, according to the CNN poll, but if you look deeper into these numbers, the unfavorable ratings for Ken Paxton, way higher than James Tallarico's unfavorable ratings.

17:35And then the other thing to look at here is that Tallarico appears to be doing much better with Latino voters, voters of color. And that is significant because Donald Trump, just two years ago, did extremely well with Latino voters in the state, winning many of the counties, for example, down in the Rio Grande Valley along the U.S. southern border. If James Tallarico turns that around, that could be a deciding factor in this race as well. This is what the candidates, Paxton and Tallarico, are telling voters here in the final days of this campaign. I think Texans are going to decide this. If we don't hold on to Texas, we're going to lose America and Chuck Schumer is going to run the Senate.

18:15Texans are ready for change. We are welcoming everybody, Democrats, Republicans and independents alike into this movement to take back power for working people. And Pamela, Republicans that I've talked to, strategists and voters as well, is that they're very concerned that because Paxton is seen as this controversial figure and has a checkered political career here in this state, that there are many Republicans who are either going to stay home and not vote or just sit out that particular race on the ballot. So that was something that we'll watch closely here in the next coming days leading up to Election Day as well.

18:51Pamela. All right, Ed. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. And the Situation Room is inviting Democratic and Republican state party chairs as we count down to the midterms. And right now we're joined by Texas Democratic Party chair Kendall Scudder. Hi, Kendall. Great to have you on. So our new poll is out. We've been talking about it. How are you feeling about your party's chances here? You know, cautiously optimistic where things look like they're going pretty well here, but we're just keeping our heads down, working really hard every day, trying to turn every Democrat out to vote that we can. The chips are going to fall where they fall on Election Day and the day after, no matter what happens.

19:26I'm going to be loading signs and T-posts in the back of my pickup truck and recruiting candidates for the next one. Democrats didn't lose Texas overnight. I don't think we're going to win it overnight. This is a long term game that we're playing here. And so we're just really excited to be in this and excited for the opportunity that looks like it's ahead of us on Election Day next Tuesday. So how much is support for Tallarico about his message versus being against Ken Paxton or President Trump, in your view? Well, I think the Democrats are in the middle of a perfect storm right now. James Tallarico is a very positive candidate that I think offers a lot for this state.

20:02You know, the first bill he wants to file is sweeping anti-corruption reform, which is a big deal to Texans who feel like their entire government has just been bought on a giant grift. But comparatively, you also see on the other side particularly bad candidates, not just in Ken Paxton, but up and down their slate. I mean, Greg Abbott has been governor for 12 years in this state, yet he says that if you give him another four years, he's going to make all your dreams come true. The guy's raised our property taxes 85 percent since he's been in office. You have Dan Patrick, who's trying to lock people up for 99 years for having THC.

20:36And then you have Beau French, an overt racist that's running on the ticket. I mean, the Republicans have nominated some real, real special choices there. And Democrats have a fantastic slate of problem solvers ready to make life better for regular people. I think it's it's it's all kind of this perfect storm. I think both of those items can be true. So in CNN's poll, Tallarico has the support of 63 percent of Latino likely voters in the state. Now, this is a group, as you well know, President Trump carried in 2024. How much of this do you think has to do with immigration and tactics used by the Trump administration?

21:13Well, I think certainly is is a large player there. I mean, those communities, particularly in South Texas, have just been demonized and ripped apart by federal agents who are masked. And and their citizens have no recourse down there for what's happening in their communities. But I also think that it plays into all of the failed economics of the Trump administration. Donald Trump sold everyone a false bill of goods. He lied to him to become president. He did what billionaires do. He exploited their labor. He preyed on their fears. He used them as a means to an end and then discarded them. He said he was going to make life more affordable on day one.

21:50Life's more expensive. He said that he was going to end the Ukraine war on day one. He's gotten us into more international entanglements. He's a liar. And the people in Hispanic communities across Texas know that, and they're filling it in their pocketbooks. And so certainly the immigration issues are prevalent, but I think the economic issues are very salient here as well. So Tallarico, for his part, committed to spending$25 million on turning out black voters. Democratic state rep Jalonda Jones says black voters are not feeling the force of that investment. They're not seeing where it's being spent.

22:26And this includes Harris County, which, as you know, has a large black population. It's a county where Democrats need to overperform. Did Tallarico actually make this investment for black voters? And if so, where did that money go? Why aren't these voters feeling it? Well, I'm sorry to hear that Rep. Jones feels that way. I know that she's a fantastic advocate for the Houston community, and we're lucky to have her. on questions of direct expenditures from the campaign. You'll have to reach out to the campaign on that. But what I do know is that they've been investing very heavily in turnout in all communities across Texas in a 254 county strategy.

23:00We've seen record levels of investments that have happened throughout Dallas, throughout Houston. And I have no doubt that those funds have actually been spent in black communities. The exact dollar amount, I don't know what that is. But here's the thing. I'm hoping that the results of this speaks for itself, that when we get past Election Day, we'll see that these surges that are happening in communities, including minority communities across Texas, are a consequence of the investments that the candidate and that the party have been making for the last year and a half. As we wrap up, I just want to ask this final question we've been asking all the state chairs.

23:38Will you commit to accepting the certified results of next Tuesday's elections regardless of the outcome? Of course, Texas Democrats are the weeble of American politics. We get knocked down and we pop right back up. We're used to fighting back even in really tough territories. Sometimes elections don't go your way. I think we have great opportunity ahead of us on Tuesday. But regardless, we're going to be working really hard for the next one because this movement for working class people all across Texas to get back control of this government, it's not something that happens overnight. It's something that we're going to do over extended election cycles.

24:14And, you know, we'll see what that result is, but we'll certainly accept the result of that. And we'll be very aware of any dirty tricks Republicans may be playing leading up to and beyond Election Day. All right. Kendall Scudder, thank you so much. And I should know we've invited your Republican counterpart on to talk with us as well. Thanks so much for that. Coming up here in the Situation Room, bipartisan push to senators are now scrutinizing Kalshi and Polly Market as concerns grow over possible insider trading on the midterms. We'll bring you this reporting first on the Situation Room.

25:00All right, first on CNN, there is a new bipartisan push to crack down on insider trading tied to the midterms. A CNN analysis shows prediction markets betting on the 2026 election surpassed$1.4 billion. There are now betting markets on endorsements or what candidates will say at rallies, things that, unlike election results, are knowable ahead of time. And that makes it easier than ever to cash in on insider information. So now Senators John Curtis and Elizabeth Warren are demanding answers from Kalshi and Polly Market. For more details on this, let's turn to CNN senior reporter Marshall Cohen in Detroit.

25:38What are you learning, Marshall? Hey, Pam, we're learning about new bipartisan scrutiny. You mentioned the two senators there. John Curtis from Utah, a pretty conservative Republican, teaming up with Elizabeth Warren, a progressive Democrat from Massachusetts, with some questions that they want answered from these prediction companies like Polymarket and Calci. They sent a letter yesterday demanding to know what the companies are doing to crack down on election-related insider trading, which has really emerged this year as a problem. We've already seen plenty of examples throughout the year of people, candidates getting caught, campaign staffers even bragging about cashing in.

26:21Let me read for you a quote from the senators in the letter they sent to the companies. Quote, we remain skeptical that your companies can sufficiently police these event contracts with effective scrutiny and meaningful accountability. Now, Pam, that's obviously something that the companies disagree with. They say that they have robust surveillance. They are constantly watching these markets and that they cooperate with federal regulators and federal law enforcement to crack down when necessary. Reached out to Polymarket and one of their spokespeople told me that they are eager to educate the senators on why their platform is, quote, a pioneer in transparency and market integrity.

26:59And then over at CalShea, Bobby Denault, their head of enforcement, said that they proactively prohibit candidates and campaign staff from trading in order to protect market integrity. But Pam, the concerns have been mounting all year, and we saw a pretty aggressive new development on that front last night from the state of Utah, which is Senator Curtis's home state, a very conservative state in one of the staunchest anti-gambling states. Prosecutors there filed criminal charges against Calci, the company, and its co-founders, accusing them of illegally promoting gambling within the state, which would be a felony.

27:37So a huge development there. The company denies wrongdoing. They think this case is a sham and they feel pretty good about their chances of getting it thrown out because they already beat a similar criminal case on similar grounds in Arizona. But one last note, Pam, CNN does have a partnership with Calci. We use their data to cover major events, including elections, but they don't influence our coverage and we do not trade on prediction platforms. Pamela. All right. Marshall Cohen, thank you so much. Well, coming up, push to turn out the vote, where a Democratic group is now spending millions of dollars just five days out from the midterms.

28:12We'll be right back.

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28:51All right, President Trump is speaking at Joint Base Andrews. Let's listen in. I knew that nobody's even talking about it. But when you take a look at the names, you would be, oh my, I would say most people would be inclined to vote for the Daniel as opposed to the Dan, the way it sets up. It's very unfair. It's very confusing and meant to be. It's a fraud.

29:15Lisa Murkowski, she attacked your administration for filing the lawsuit. She went on to endorse the Democratic candidate for governor. What's your response to that? That's her problem. But I noticed that she also agrees that what they did here was a very bad thing. This is it. You're talking about a totally different. She endorsed somebody that I think she shouldn't have endorsed, but that's her. But she also does think that this is terrible. What's taken place with the government, with the race for Dan Sullivan, the Senate race. California yesterday, the judge denied the lawsuit to throw out those 20 ,000 illegal votes.

29:52Do you think they're going to try to steal it from Steve Hilton? Of course, California is very corrupt. The elections are extremely corrupt. The judge should not have done that, but we'll appeal that, of course. We found 20 ,000, but there are hundreds of thousands of bad ballots, bad votes in California. Millions, in my opinion, millions. It's a corrupt state and very, very corrupt elections. If California were honest, if they had honest vote count, I would have won it by a lot. I want to ask you, sir. If the Democrats win, if Mary Patola wins, should Republicans refuse to seat her come January?

30:31Well, you're going to have to see what happens. It's hard to believe that she can't even be allowed to run. Frankly, I don't know how you could allow somebody like that to run. It's so unfair when you look at that. But nobody knows what to press. We've done studies. Nobody knows. They have no idea who the Dan Sullivan is. You have Dan Sullivan, who is a great senator. You have another guy named Dan Sullivan, who never even, I think, voted before. He didn't campaign. He was just put there as a fraud. But people aren't going to know that. So nobody is going to know what to do. That's a fraud, and it shouldn't be allowed to happen.

31:11And it was done in conjunction with Schumer and everybody else. It's an absolute — it's called voter fraud. It should not have been allowed to happen. The Press Press. The Press Press. The Press Press. The Press Press. The Press Press. The Press Press. The Press Press. constitutes an honest election? The President Well, I think what they do, if they don't correct this, it would be certainly a dishonest election. If they don't correct it, because you can take a good student, a smart person, and give them that ballot, and a man that never ran for office, that nobody ever heard of, is going to get a lot of votes.

31:45And it's very unfair. The Press. The Press. The Press. The Press. The Press. The Press. The Press. was a disgrace in Brazil. You're talking Brazil? The election was a disgrace, I thought. Are you worried about the way that you're talking about Abdel Saeed is putting off Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan? I do very well with the Arab vote. In fact, if you look at... I won Michigan by a lot, and I won the Arab vote. Are you worried about democratic rhetoric about trying to impeach Pete Hegsteth if they win Hong Kong? I think it's terrible. All they do is they talk about impeaching everybody. I mean, honestly, if we wanted to play that game, we could play it just as well.

32:31But they're talking about Pete Hexner. He's doing a great job. He's a great warrior. I think he's the best at his job in many, many years. And a lot of people agree with that. The Pressure, who, in your mind, is the legitimate winner of the Brazilian election? I don't want to comment it right now, but I thought the election was a very great embarrassment to the people of Brazil. I watched the election. I didn't take sides. I let it be. I was asked not to take sides by the president, the current president. I didn't take sides, but when I watched what went down in Brazil, it was a disgrace. Well, the market says it.

33:11Just take a look at the market. I mean, their market went down through the floor. I thought it was a very disgraceful situation for Brazil. You have that Lieutenant General Sylvia leaked classified information at the Pentagon. On what? That Lieutenant General Sylvia leaked classified information at the Pentagon. She's got problems. She's going to have big problems. She did. We're very much looking for leakers. And she's going to have big problems, long-term problems. Do you have any plans that you would follow your post-morrow? I think I'm performing well. I mean, the rallies are unbelievable.

33:52I'm doing a rally now in South Carolina. It's packed. Nobody's ever seen anything like it. I have a 99 percent favorable number with the Republican Party that you saw just came out. I'm at 99 percent favorable. I don't know. I should hit 100. I don't know who the 1 percent is. So I think I'm doing very well. But the rallies are very well attended. And I think we've changed the whole year. We've done a lot of them over the last week and a half. A lot. We did two the other day in Texas. We did a big one, a great one yesterday. We had a great rally yesterday. You were there. Most of you were there.

34:31And this one, we have lines of people going two miles long. So it'll be great. I'd like to see Lindsey. In honor of Lindsey Graham, I'd like to see his sister win. She's very talented, very smart. She loved her brother. Her brother was a great guy. He loved South Carolina. He was a great politician. Thank you very much, everybody. All right, so that was President Trump addressing several topics, including an alleged recruitment scheme in Alaska. There was this New York Times report that claimed members of the Democratic Senate candidate Mary Paltola's team helped put up a potential spoiler candidate, Dan J.

35:05Sullivan, to run for Senate against GOP Senator Dan S. Sullivan. Patolla's campaign denies involvement with that. I also want to just note how he is trying to lay the groundwork, as you just heard him, for saying the election was rigged, at least in California. He said without any evidence that millions of ballots there are fraudulent. He said hundreds of thousands, and he said millions, no evidence to support that. Joining us now is CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and Pete Seat, former White House spokesperson for the George W. Bush administration and former spokesperson for the Indiana Republican Party.

35:41I actually want to start with you, Pete, from what we just heard from the president. I mean, already laying the groundwork about the legitimacy of the election results in California and saying that the Alaska race would be dishonest basically if Mary Patola wins because of this alleged Democratic scheme. What do you think about that? Well, speaking about Alaska specifically, it can be slimy, strategic, and commonplace all at the same time. Just last this past primary election in Indiana, where I live, we had the same scenario play out where there were two women running against an incumbent Republican senator who had the last name Wilson.

36:23Different first names, but it seemed that one of them was running to be a spoiler and try to split. Evidently, there's a large pro-Wilson vote in that district, and they were trying to split it and trying to supposedly help the incumbent win. So this type of stuff happens. But when it comes to Alaska, one thing that's not been brought up a lot is that in 2010, Alaskans reelected Lisa Murkowski as a write-in candidate. They are sophisticated voters. I think they can tell the difference between two Dan Sullivans. Okay, so Maria, even if this is not illegal, how bad of a look is this for the Petola campaign in these critical final days.

37:00And if you notice the language they're using in the statements, for the New York Times, for example, it's denying any involvement in the scheme. That's not the same as saying, I didn't know this was happening. Well, but I do think it's important for her to have come out to say that she had nothing to do with it. And look, Pete's right. We may not like it. It's not illegal. It's done by both parties. And in fact, it's kind of sweet that the Republicans are hair on fire on this when they in fact did this in this same election in Alaska. They put somebody on the ballot who was in jail in New York.

37:34They put somebody on the ballot who was an Arizona resident on this same ballot to try to siphon votes from Mary Peltola. So, you know, it's not great, but it's a distraction. The Mary Peltola campaign is focused on what voters want. She is focused on the fact that Americans and Alaskans can't make ends meet, focused on the fact that energy and gas prices are way too high. And that's why I think Republicans are focused on this, because they're not winning on the issues that voters care about. Do you have concerns that this is playing into Trump's hand when he says, you know, there's funny business going on by the Democrats?

38:09Sure. And he'll continue to use it. But you know what? Even if this didn't happen, he would do that anyway. You mentioned right before this segment that he's doing those kinds of shenanigans in California. He's going to do it across the board because he knows he's losing. And so I think that the more that we have Donald Trump talk like what he just did, the more that he is in rallies, the less his candidates are going to win. So I hope he continues to talk about this because it's not helping him and it's not helping the Republican candidates. He's on his way to South Carolina. What do you think?

38:43Is he helping or hurting the candidates when he goes on in campaigns? Well, I think they're being very mindful and disciplined about where they send the president. His team, the political operation, knows where he can be useful and where he's going to be a drag. They're not, I've said this before, they're not throwing darts at a map and saying, OK, go wherever these darts landed. So South Carolina, Texas, some of these places, yes, they're red states. But if you look back at history, 2006, George W. Bush, I was in the White House at the time. Where did he go during that midterm cycle? Red states.

39:17Barack Obama in 2010. Where did he go in that cycle? California, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, blue states. This is what presidents do in midterm cycles because they want to mitigate losses. They need to rally the base to mitigate those losses. They're not necessarily trying to run up the score the way the other side is. But I think the difference is that would be the case if this was a normal president. This is not a normal president. And you're right. They're sending him to red states. And what have we seen in the CNN poll this morning? All of those states he has visited recently. And what has happened?

39:53The Democrats have expanded their lead in Michigan, in Texas, in South Carolina. They are tied. What? After Trump went? What? So, yes, keep sending him to those states, Pete. I love that he is going to all of these states. The more that he talks, the more Democrats do well. All right, let's turn to Michigan because that is another race that is very tight. This new CNN polling shows Michigan Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed ahead of Rogers with just five days until Election Day. Pete, what does this signal to you? Well, it signals that he's leading in this poll. We'll see what happens on Tuesday.

40:28But I have been watching with delight the intra-party feud, this family feud happening between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed. And, you know, I love family feud, whether it's Richard Dawson or Steve Harvey. And definitely when it comes to Democrats in Michigan, watching her be unable to explain why she's voting for him, to not even be able to say his name. When she was asked if she was voting for Abdul El-Sayed, she just said, I'm voting for the Democratic nominee. That tells you everything you need to know about what's happening in that race and the challenges that he has, not just with Jewish voters.

41:08He also has a lot of challenges with black voters in and around Detroit. And if he ultimately is unsuccessful, it's going to be because of that. It's going to be because folks like Haley Stevens did not come to his defense in this general election campaign. So I want to go to this other issue. This report from the Detroit News says a group of rabbis is asking El-Sayed's campaign to take down this ad that they view as anti-Semitic. They're also asking him to distance himself from another ad by an outside group. You mentioned Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens. She lost El-Sayed in the primary.

41:42She also encouraged him to denounce this ad. Let's listen. There are a lot of voters in Michigan. I was out knocking doors earlier today in Macomb County and they are still undecided and they are hurt and they are confused. I haven't had a chance to talk to him about this but I know that you know he has it in him to denounce these two ads to take them down. I know that undecided voters would feel very reassured to see this. What do you think? Well, if it's the ad that I think you're talking about by Pat. It's the one about the supermarket prices rising. He has denounced that. His campaign has said they don't agree with it.

42:26They have nothing to do with it. And so I want to go back to something that Pete said, which is that, you know, Haley Stevens is saying what she really thinks. And he's right, because what she's saying is that what voters in Michigan really care about are things like the fact that when they go to the grocery store they cannot buy what they normally have bought. The fact that they wake up in a cold sweat at night because they can't make ends meet. The fact that they don't have health care. So those are the things that Michigan voters care about. That's why she is supporting and voting for Abdul El-Sayed.

42:59And she has gone door to door to help him in his campaign. He is talking to Jewish voters. He is talking to black voters. He is starting to consolidate that Democratic base. You can see it in the expansion of the lead that he now has in the new CNN poll. He was much closer to Mike Rogers even five days ago. So he is doing what he needs to do, and he's got to continue to do that until the very end. One of the reporters there was asking Trump about his comments about Abdul El-Sayed that have been very disparaging. He's called him a jihadist, other names. And the reporter was asking about how that could impact the Arab-American vote for Mike Rogers and other Republicans.

43:37What do you think about that? Well, I wish all Republicans, the president, the vice president, anyone who's talking about this race, just focuses on Abdul El-Sayed's record and what's on his website. The fact that he wants Medicare for all but doesn't say how he's going to pay for it. The fact that he can't say in a debate whether or not Iran or Israel is a greater threat to the United States. The fact that he says that we should stand for and defend the Constitution, but wants to change the Constitution and the way we nominate Supreme Court justices. Focus on what he says and what he plans to do.

44:11That's the path to victory. All these other things are distractions. So I'm going to turn to Texas, another hot state right now. As Maria mentioned, our new CNN poll shows Democrats within striking distance of possibly taking the Senate majority. There's gains in Michigan, Texas, Kansas and Maine. Tallarico has 49 to Paxton's 43. So, Pete, what are Republicans thinking right now, especially about this Texas race? I mean, could this be the year? There's been so many times where it was thought maybe a Democrat could win. Do you think this could be the year for that? I sure hope not. I think it could really all come down to Texas.

44:46But let's just be honest. Ken Paxton is not a great candidate. And sometimes you don't get the nominee you want. You get the nominee, you get. And that's ultimately what the campaign has been about is, yeah, he's not the greatest guy. He has a lot of deficiencies as a candidate. I mean, even just listen to President Trump when he talks about Ken Paxton. He talks about all the things he doesn't like about Ken. His look. But then says, you still got to vote for him, which is a signal to voters to say, yeah, we know you don't like him either. I don't like him. But go out and cast that ballot because our majority depends on it.

45:21And I hope Republicans heed that message. Well, clearly they're not because, again, Trump went down there to try to communicate that message. And Tallarico's lead was bigger. And so I think one of the biggest stories out of this election, and especially if Tallarico wins in Texas and if Gina Hinojosa wins in Texas, it's the Latino vote. Republicans swore after 24 that that was a new realignment, that Latino voters were going to go for Trump and Republicans. and they gerrymandered, re-gerrymandered Texas because of it. That has hugely backfired because they are not going to win all of those states.

45:56And right now, the Latino vote in terms of early vote is going gangbusters. So if there is going to be a Democratic wave, there's going to be a Latino tsunami. And it's going to be because all of these Latinos, many who have not voted in 24 or 22, have come out to support Tallarico, Gina Hinojosa, and all of the Democrats. All right, Pete C., Maria Codrana, thank you so much. Thank you so much, ma 'am. And still ahead, a federal judge is warning a request from the Trump administration could, quote, wreak havoc. Details on that just ahead.

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47:46Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown. Wolf Blitzer is on assignment and you're in the Situation Room. And we are counting down to Election Day in America. We are almost there, folks. Just five more days to go. And across the country, more than 40 million votes are already cast. Candidates and surrogates are spread out across the battleground states today. And that includes the campaigner-in-chief. President Trump is headed to South Carolina. He'll stump for Republican Senator Darlene Graham. Vice President J.D. Vance is off to Texas, and he'll campaign for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

48:20This comes as CNN has new polling in four key states. They show Democrats are within striking distance in critical Senate races, including Texas, which hasn't elected a Democrat in a statewide race in three decades. Democrat James Tallarico has a narrow lead over Paxton. Also this morning, a federal judge is refusing to let the Justice Department intervene in California's ongoing mail-in vote counting. That judge issued a dire warning, saying that the Trump administration's efforts to set aside some 20 ,000 votes in California would, quote, wreak havoc on the midterm elections. Here's what President Trump said about that moments ago.

48:58California is very corrupt. The elections are extremely corrupt. The judge should not have done that, but will appeal that, of course. We found 20 ,000, but there are hundreds of thousands of bad ballots, bad votes in California. Millions, in my opinion, millions. It's a corrupt state and very, very corrupt elections. CNN Crime and Justice Correspondent Caitlin Polantz is here in the Situation Room. So walk us through this case and what the judge is saying here, Caitlin. Well, Pamela, what the judge is saying is that the Justice Department, they just don't have a way to get involved in how California is counting their mail-in ballots.

49:36The state, that is their power, their responsibility. They're doing it. And if the Justice Department believes that there are non-citizens voting, they already have a way to deal with that. They can prosecute people, which they have been doing. So this case, this is still this case in California. It's gone up and back and up to the appeals court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. But yesterday, the ruling we got, it was from Judge David O. Carter. He's a federal district judge, so a trial level judge. He was sitting in Los Angeles. He's in the Central District of California. And he told the Justice Department that not only do they not have the legal grounds to get involved in how California is counting its vote, if they believe that there are some 5, 10, 20 ,000 citizens or people who may be voting in California who could be non-citizens.

50:29They just cannot step in right now. It would wreak havoc. One of his full quotes from a 26-page opinion yesterday, individuals who have met the requirements of California's voting registration laws must not be deprived of a core right merely because of unfounded allegations stemming from a procedure rife with uncertainty and errors. Basically, the allegations that the Justice Department was trying to float into court. What the Justice Department wanted would wreak havoc and disrupt the election that is already underway, the judge wrote, creating a chilling effect on election workers and voters alike and discounting the votes of United States citizens.

51:09Strong words from Judge Carter. He said that if he were to allow the Justice Department to get involved right now, it would essentially annihilate civil rights protections, voting protections for people who are able to vote in California who may have sent in mail-in ballots already could disenfranchise people. He also told the Justice Department that they need to stop immediately if they continue to threaten state and county officials with possible criminal prosecution. He reminded the Justice Department, go prosecute people if they find they were voting illegally. But this environment of trying to chill what state and county officials are doing, threatening them with prosecution, potentially getting votes set aside, that needs to stop and it's not going to go anywhere further, at least in his court.

51:59But Pamela, in this case and in other cases that we see from the Justice Department, they have already appealed quite quickly. It's now back before the Ninth Circuit. We'll see what happens next. All right. I know you'll be closely following it. Thank you, Caitlin Polance. Happening now, one of the most competitive Senate races is unfolding in Iowa. Democratic State Representative Josh Turek faces Republican Congresswoman Ashley Henson. CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju caught up with Henson after a campaign rally and asked her about President Trump and his war with Iran. You ran initially as saying you'd be Trump's top ally in the Senate.

52:36I'm wondering what's changed in your messaging at the end of the campaign where you're focusing more on bipartisanship more than being Trump's top ally. I've always been bipartisan, Manu. I had 1 ,700 bipartisan votes and my first two bills signed into law were signed under Biden. So I'm going to work with anybody to get things done. And you want to end the Iran war. Why not vote to limit Trump's war powers in Iran? You've had that opportunity. We don't need another resolution. We need our U.S. military and the president to end the war. And that's what I've told you. But why not Congress insert its authority?

53:06All right. Meantime, a source tells CNN that the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has pushed out the Pentagon's top planning officer. A defense official says Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia was abruptly dismissed for alleged misconduct and is being investigated for allegedly leaking classified information. Sylvia is the latest in a long line of senior officers who have left the Pentagon under Hegseth. And the timing here raises concerns. Two officials told CNN earlier this week that U.S. forces in the Middle East are prepared to launch new strikes on Iran. So I want to bring in CNN senior national security reporter Zachary Cohen here in the Situation Room.

53:41What are you learning this morning? Yeah, Pam, we do know that Hegseth has now fired the Pentagon's top planning officer and is once again accusing a senior military official of leaking classified information. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell out with a tweet today saying that the Pentagon has zero tolerance when it comes to divulging classified information, which is what Hegseth and the Pentagon is accusing Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia of doing and providing that as the justification for his firing. Now, the circumstances and the evidence to support that remains murky at this stage.

54:12And we know that Hegseth has repeatedly accused not just uniformed officers, but also some of his closest aides of leaking information in the past, only to find that those allegations were unfounded or not proven. And so it remains to be seen whether or not there is there there to this allegation. But again, the timing of this is raising concerns. And as you mentioned, me and our colleague Jim Shuda reported the other day that the U.S. military is prepared to carry out additional strikes against Iran, major strikes against Iran, if President Donald Trump does give the order. That could happen really at any moment.

54:45They need just 96 hours to be ready to carry out some sort of a major operation. And Hegseth, again, picking this moment in time to fire somebody who is really one of the top planners when it comes to combat operations. And not just that, but also how combat operations in the current war will impact the military's ability to fight future wars or additional wars that may come down the line. And that's something that we've seen. Actually, the predecessor to General Sylvia was also accused by Hegseth of leaking as well and pushed out of his job. So this really more chaos within the upper echelon of the Pentagon.

55:17And it seems Hegseth once again squarely in the middle of it. All right, Zach Cohen, thank you so much. Right now in Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is holding a campaign event with Senator Alyssa Slotkin. He is zeroing in on the cost of living in his pitch to voters. And y 'all, my name is Abdul El-Sayed and it just shouldn't be this hard. Shouldn't be this hard in the richest, most powerful country in the history of the world to fill up a tank of gas. Shouldn't be this hard to afford your groceries. Shouldn't be this hard to see a doctor. Shouldn't be this hard to pay your rent or your mortgage.

55:48It should not be this hard to pay your taxes and know that that money is going to be spent on you and your kids rather than dropping bombs on somebody else and their kids. None of this should be that hard.

56:00Now, I was never supposed to run for office. I wanted to be a doctor. I went to medical school to learn how to heal only to realize that our health care system is too often focused on billing than healing. So I went into public health, got to rebuild Detroit's health department, got to lead Wayne County's Department of Health, Human, and Veteran Services. We did things like put glasses on kids, take on corporate polluters, put Narcan in vending machines for free. We made sure that our kids weren't breathing polluted air by taking on some of the biggest polluters in our state. And when we found out that our county ranked number eight for medical debt nationwide, we set aside$7 million to erase up to$700 million in medical debt for 300 ,000 folks.

56:42I realize this is probably here for a reason.

56:52Now look, I'm going to tell you where I was back in 2025 when this administration froze federal funds. Y 'all remember that? I'm sitting in my office trying to make sure that WIC checks go out next week for moms and babies. Trying to make sure that our federally qualified health centers don't get shut down. Trying to make sure that vaccines can keep going into arms. I get a notification on my phone that our current U.S. Senator Gary Peters is not seeking re-election. There's going to be an open U.S. Senate seat. And I had to ask myself, where is the fight for the public's health? See, if I were to be elected, I'd be the first Democratic doctor elected to the United States Senate since 1969.

57:32First ever public health official elected to the United States Senate. And if you, like me, are sick and tired of having to dodge lettuce in the United States of America. And you wonder why the guy who runs public health in our country literally takes his great kid swimming in Schitt's Creek.

57:54I think we all could agree we probably need a public health center right about now.

58:03The irony of it is this. we suffered in Michigan one of the biggest cyclosporiasis outbreaks in modern history. Alright? The other way to talk about that is the shit lettuce outbreak. And my guy didn't want to show up here in Michigan to talk about shit lettuce. Because of course it was his administration that created the problem. But he didn't want to show up last week to lecture us about the scientific contributions of Arabs. Which is ironic because you've got a guy in one of the highest scientific posts in our country who has zero scientific credentials. Coming to lecture Michiganders about the possibility of electing an Arab American with two doctoral degrees.

58:48I'll take my contributions over yours any day.

58:57But that ain't even it. Because at the end of the day, it's not about him. It's not about me. It's not about Donald Trump or J.D. Vance. It's about you. So we kicked off this campaign back in April of 2025 to do three things, and y 'all already know what they are. We want money out of? Politics. Money in your? Politics. Headcare for? All. And that campaign took us all over the state. That's right. done at this point 700 public events 120 different cities And we said the same thing everywhere You can see me on a tick-tock reel. You can see me in a room of five or fifty or five hundred You can see me getting colonoscopy on CNN I was saying the same thing We need money out of politics Corporations shouldn't be able to buy politicians to do their bidding instead of ours We need unions In the state that built the union movement, unions built our middle class, they built the 40 hour work week, they built the fact that our kids go to school instead of going to work.

59:58They built the weekend. I don't get any more but it used to be really nice. And they can do it again if we're willing to invest in our unions and that means we've got to pass that pro-act.

1:00:17And the reality of the fact that we send billions of our tax dollars to make war, we have no business fighting. Rather than to build our own roads here or our schools here. And it is time for us to keep that money here to invest here. All right, there you heard Abdul El-Sayed campaigning in this final stretch. A recent CNN poll shows him with a slight lead over his opponent, Mike Rogers. And still ahead here in the Situation Room, midterm road trip. CNN's Omar Jimenez hits the Rust Belt to see what voters are most concerned about ahead of Tuesday's elections. You're in the Situation Room, and we'll be right back.

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1:01:33All right, let's turn to Ohio. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is making his pitch as he vies to become governor.

1:01:44We've been back to Shelby County many times, but I will tell you the next time we're back, it will be here and it will be for our victory tour after we win this election.

1:01:58I was listening to Rob tell that story, and it's been a great journey with Rob and really with this entire ticket. We're going to be working together as one team to lead this state to the next level. When I hear him tell that story, I think about what we're willing to fight for. What are we willing to make a sacrifice for? I'll tell you two things that I know I will fight to the end for. that I'll give it all, defend it with my life if I have to. My family and my country. We draw those lines. That is what we are willing to fight to the end of this.

1:02:37And we live in one of those moments when we have to fight to defend our family and to defend our country from the spread of communism that is taking the entire West and the entire country, hopefully not soon, with it. Look at what's happening in Paris. It's burning. Now, you may say that's across the Atlantic. What does that have to do with us? Look at what's happened in New York City or in Los Angeles. New York City is literally under socialist rule. See, a year and a half ago, they were saying, well, that's Republicans exaggerating their language, calling them socialist. No, they call themselves socialist, right?

1:03:09They're literally under socialist rule in New York City. Well, you may say that's the coasts. Look at Tim Walz's Minneapolis in Minnesota. The Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse, the illegal immigration infestation. Look at Dearborn, Michigan. If you think for a moment that can't happen here in Ohio, even in western Ohio, I'm going to ask you to think again. It absolutely can unless we stand up and fight for our families. Unless we stand up and fight for our state and our country in our hour of need. Our founding fathers did that 250 years ago. They fought a revolution. They sacrificed their lives, their honor, their fortune.

1:03:52So we could enjoy these freedoms 250 years later. They're not asking us to fight a revolution. All they're asking us to do is get out and vote. That is what our founders fought for. That is what we're asking of here. To vote like your kid's future depends on it, because it does. To vote like your grandkids' future depends on it, because it does. That is my question for every one of you. What are you willing to do to fight for your family, to fight for your state, to fight for your way of life, to fight for our country in our hour of need? And indeed, it is our hour of need. I pledge to you in this state, when you elect me on Tuesday night, I will be the most conservative governor this state has ever seen in our history.

1:04:48I announced this morning that on day one in office, I will sign an executive order that starts investigations of all layers of government that have contributed to doubling the property tax rate in this state. It is going to end on my watch. It is your land, not the government. And you deserve transparency on how your money is being spent. We're going to prosecute Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse by the billions and put that money in your pockets where it belongs, and we're ending sanctuary cities in Ohio.

1:05:35This is common sense over communism. It's a fork in the road. There's no middle ground. And this election really comes down to something really simple. For those of you who may not traditionally be into politics, but you just care about your family, let me tell you about this. If you vote on one thing in this election, vote for the person who you actually think is going to make your family's life better. That is all I ask. Who's actually going to cut your property taxes? Who's actually going to slash those electric bills? Who's actually going to cut the health care costs and improve our schools and combat crime in the streets of our cities by supporting our law enforcement instead of comparing them to the KKK?

1:06:19Who's going to hold activist judges accountable for sending repeat violent offenders back on the streets? Lower costs, bigger paychecks, better schools, safer streets. We're conservatives in here, but that is not even about right versus left. That is about right versus wrong. It is about common sense over communism. That's what I'm asking you to do in this state. I was with President Trump at Chillicothe last night. I'll tell you, he's delivered the biggest tax relief package that America's ever seen. I'm going to deliver the biggest property tax relief package that Ohio has ever seen.

1:06:58All right. Our latest CNN pull of polls has Vivek Ramaswamy, who's speaking. They're trailing to Acton in Ohio's race for governor. Ramaswamy has 44 percent and Acton has 50 percent as of now. We'll be right back.

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1:08:00The highest form of approval. No haggling. No hassle. No one called him boss. He's still on the couch. Astonishing. Sell your car today on Carvana.com. Pickup fees may apply. All right, welcome back. Here are some top stories we're following this morning. Cornell's faculty senate is moving forward with plans for a no-confidence vote and university leadership weeks after a former student sued over an alleged Pratt House gang rape. Some faculty believe the school didn't do enough to support her or other alleged victims. The vote isn't binding, but faculty members say they want to send a public message.

1:08:39Meanwhile, one of the students accused in Jane Doe's Cornell lawsuit is fighting to remove New York Attorney General Letitia James, a special prosecutor. The governor appointed James last month with an executive order, but a lawyer for that student says James posted a show of support for Jane Doe on social media before that order and should be disqualified from the case. Well, the manhunt for a convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison is now crossing state lines. Officials found the truck Jacob Morley stole shortly after his escape abandoned in southern Illinois. Security footage right here showed him escaping through a fence late Sunday, still wearing his prison uniform.

1:09:17The Pentagon's inspector general won't investigate Star Shield slowdowns in Ukraine despite a bipartisan request. Ukraine uses a satellite system to coordinate forces and plan attacks, but officials were blindsided earlier this month by speed restrictions. U.S. officials say they're not responsible. Some point the finger at Elon Musk, who owns the satellites. Nine Republican and Democratic senators had asked the Pentagon to look into who made this call.

1:09:58As we count down to the midterm scenes, Omar Jimenez is on a road trip through the Rust Belt. He's stopping in major swing states and districts across the region, talking to voters, candidates, and of course, trying the food, all to give us a sense of what life is like for some Americans. Omar is live for us this morning in Columbus, Ohio. So how is the road trip going? Omar, what are you learning? Well, the road trip is currently stopped. We're stopped behind a train right now. So that's just, hey, it's part of the game. You want to come to us right now and we're here, ready to go. No, but this has been a big part of the trip.

1:10:30You know, it's just trying to find some of the things that make these places unique. We started over in eastern Pennsylvania around the Philly, worked our way west towards Pittsburgh. Then we crossed into Ohio and West Virginia for a second last night. And then now we're in Columbus making our way north. We are at Ohio State University talking to some students. And you might not be surprised to learn that affordability was top of mind for them as well. But a few interesting wrinkles. One also that they wanted elected leaders who they felt like would be leaders and those that would get the U.S.

1:11:05out of foreign wars, which is actually some of what we heard in the lead up to the 2024 election from some of the same age people. But also, part of what we've been doing is speaking to people in a variety of different life spaces. So we were at a farm yesterday trying to figure out, it was a soybean farm, to figure out what life was like there with diesel prices as high as they've been record levels over the past month or so. But then also tariffs affecting things like soybeans, which is what this farm grew. and I spoke to a seventh generation farmer, she's 23 years old, about what she feels all of this could lead to in the long term.

1:11:44And I just want you to listen to some of what she told me. When you look at farming overall, what would you say is the biggest challenge right now that farmers are facing? I would say the support amongst many generations. You know, I talked about it earlier, just economically it's not friendly to have multiple generations on a farm and so a lot of times that means my generation or a little bit older are having to work off the farm but that takes away a ton of time and then with a lack of help it just comes down to we simply just can't do this anymore and then the farm is sold and development happens and once you lose a farm you can never go back.

1:12:31And, you know, part of why her perspective we thought was so interesting is, as I mentioned, she's a seventh generation farmer. And part of what she's been doing on that farm is she's carved out her own niche there where she has these special cows, these cows where people can come and pet them. And while they are petting and brushing their hair, as we were doing as part of that interview, she does try to educate people who come through about some of the issues that farmers are facing because as she put it, only 1 % of people in this country have direct involvement with agriculture. And then as I put it, yeah, the other 99%, if not 100, consume agriculture.

1:13:08And that is the relationship she's trying to bridge there. And obviously farmers feeling it from all different places right now, especially over this last year. Yeah, really important perspective, Omar. Looks like you're back on the road on your way to where are you going now? The train moved. Okay. we are on our way north towards canton ohio we're going to go to another farm that actually is next to a proposed data center so we're going to get into some of those issues and then we're going to go to the nfl hall of fame so a little bit of serious a little bit of again what makes some of these places unique so much more to come but day four off to a good start looking forward to it all right omar good to see you thanks so much well omar started his road trip in pennsylvania where Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro was running for re-election.

1:13:54Shapiro argues the path to a Democratic House majority runs through the Commonwealth. House Speaker Mike Johnson was there yesterday stepping for Congressman Scott Perry, one of several Republicans defending their seats. The Situation Room is inviting Democratic and Republican State Party chairs from key states as we count down to the midterms. And now we are joined by the chair of Pennsylvania's Republican Party, State Senator Greg Rothman. You were also at that event with Speaker Johnson. What kind of impact does he have on the campaign trail? Yeah, it was an electric rally. A ton of people there.

1:14:28We're seeing changes just in the last couple of weeks. Really positive movement. I think there was a recent poll that had...

1:14:41All right. Well, he just froze, as you saw there. But we have the Democratic perspective here, so hopefully we can get back to him. But in the meantime, we're going to go to Eugene B.T.S. D. Pasquale, chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. So Governor Josh Shapiro recently launched a PAC in an effort to flip several Republican held seats. I'm curious what signs you're seeing of this being a possibility. So thanks for having me. Look, in Pennsylvania, we're obviously the swingest of swing states, the biggest swing state in the country. We have an incredibly popular governor who's delivered for the people of Pennsylvania, whether it's working families tax cuts or even in key investments in public education.

1:15:20Meanwhile, his opponent, Stacey Garrity, she is fully embraced Donald Trump, including his high prices, his illegal tariffs and his war of choice. So we're hearing all over the state of Pennsylvania. People are tired of these high prices. And at the state party, along with our partner, the governor, we have an unprecedented rise up initiative, which is a coordinated campaign. We're delivering that message all over the state. And that's why we're going to also be able to help flip these key congressional races, even the state Senate, because we've got candidates that are meeting voters where they are.

1:15:51Meanwhile, Republicans in Pennsylvania have chosen to embrace Donald Trump and his high prices. So Shapiro is running for reelection. But in a recent interview with CNN's Dana Bash, he wouldn't firmly answer whether he'd finish that term and run for president in 2028. How much do you think that matters for voters in this election? look when i've been all over the state we've got this bus tour rolling all over the state sometimes you know the governor is uh is with us sometimes he's doing his official duty but one thing that we are talking about is we are laser focused on 2026 donald trump is his illegal tariffs and his war of choice in iran have driven up prices for average everyday pennsylvanians and the governor is laser focused on that and our coordinated campaign where we're meeting voters where they are, we are making sure that we are talking about the issues that matter, the average everyday voters, lowering the prices and trying to fight back against this chaos and cruelty of Donald Trump.

1:16:44That's what voters want us to focus on. So Democrats, as you say, are running on lowering prices. If they do take control of Congress, how much will they actually be able to deliver on that promise? Look, we're focused on winning these elections first. It's important that we win these elections and that with the governor at the top of the ticket with our coordinated campaign, I'm confident we're going to flip enough seats in Congress to make sure that that we do have the Democrats take control of Congress. And then from there, look, they've got to do everything they can to deliver on reducing prices.

1:17:17They can pass bills to end these illegal tariffs. They can do everything they can to try to end this war of choice in Iran. And those are things I know our candidates in Pennsylvania, once they're members of Congress, they will do that. How much is this election about being for Democrats versus being anti-Trump? Look, what we see, you know, Governor Shapiro is delivered for the people of this state, and that's why he's incredibly popular. We also I think one of the things that's very clear now is that Donald Trump has shown himself to the American people, and particularly to the people of Pennsylvania, that Donald Trump cares about one person himself.

1:17:53And Pennsylvania Republican politicians, they've shown that they only care about one person. That's Donald Trump. Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, we're focused, whether it's the governor, our congressional candidates, or our state legislative candidates, we're concerned about putting the voters first. What are the needs of the voters? That's lowering prices, putting more money back in their pocket, and ending the chaos and cruelty and corruption of Donald Trump. All right, as we wrap up, we're asking all the party chairs this. Will you commit today to accepting the certified results of next Tuesday's elections, regardless of the outcome?

1:18:23Oh, of course. Look, in Pennsylvania, we know how to run elections. and the person that gets the most votes will be the one certified the winner. And I will fully accept that. All right, Eugene, thank you so much. We'll be right back. Back with us is the chair of Pennsylvania's Republican Party, State Senator Greg Rothman. All right, so President Trump won Pennsylvania in 2024, but the latest CNN poll shows his job approval at just 34%. He's been telling voters to pretend he is on the ballot. Do you see that more as more of a hindrance for Pennsylvania voters? or do you think it helps? No, but what we're talking about is the agenda of the Trump administration and what they've done in the last two years.

1:19:05Keep in mind, two years ago, the biggest issue for Republicans, Democrats, independents, everyone in Pennsylvania was illegal immigration. It was spiking costs of health care and food and housing. And President Trump and his administration has stopped illegal immigration. And crime was a big issue. We're seeing the great historical low rates of murder, fentanyl deaths in Pennsylvania, which we were hit very hard with, and of course, inflation. So look, there's a lot of work to be done, but we're reminding people, and Speaker Johnson was here yesterday to remind people of how bad things were just two years ago, and why would we let the Democrats take back control of Congress and undo all that and bring back 9.1 % annual inflation and$5 a gallon gasoline and crime and 18 million people crossing the borders.

1:19:52So we're talking about the positive stuff, you know, the big, beautiful bill, no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime. Pennsylvania is an older state. We have a wonderful group of retirees here who are not paying taxes on their Social Security now. So there's a lot of positive things going on, and I've seen it. I'm out knocking doors. There's definitely been a shift in the last two weeks, and we're confident that the road to the majority does run through Pennsylvania, and we're going to help keep the Republicans in control of Congress. You mentioned immigration, and no doubt many people are happy about what he has done at the border.

1:20:25But there's signs that Latino Americans feel like he has gone too far on immigration with some of the tactics used by ICE. Are you concerned that Republicans could lose some of the Latino vote there in Pennsylvania as a result? No, I think that our Latino voters understand that what the administration is trying to do is get the worst of the criminals out of our state and out of our country. And we just we've Pennsylvania has been affected by it. Every state's a border state when you let 18 million people come into the country illegally. And some of those people were criminals and violent criminals and they should be returned or put into prison.

1:21:02And, you know, that's this election is common sense versus like really some crazy ideas from the other side, including the Democratic Socialists talking about opening up prisons and defunding the police and putting the criminals first. So, no, I think I think that Pennsylvania is a very common sense state. Our people, our voters make the right decisions. And I think that they understand that immigration was such a big issue and this administration has solved it. Well, no question. There have been some criminals who have been deported. People are happy about that, and that's across the aisle. But there also have been people without criminal records deported, sometimes the third countries, American citizens who were killed.

1:21:45And so we're seeing in some of the polling that that is impacting the Latino vote. But another issue is affordability and the cost of living. I mean, you can say the numbers are good, whatever you want to argue. But in terms of what we're hearing from the voters, they're not feeling that. They think vote that the Prices are just too high two years into Trump's turn. So what are you doing to address that? Yeah, no, they are too high. They are too high, but they're too high because of the record amount of inflation that took place under Biden. The inflation is actually back down to what are normal levels, but prices are still way too high.

1:22:22What we need to do is we need more productivity. We're seeing more energy being produced in Pennsylvania, which will lower people's energy costs. We're seeing you talk to your your correspondence talking to farmers. I mean, we need to encourage more production. More production will lower prices. And I think people understand that wages are also up. So, you know, that that offsets a little bit of the prices being up. But it's government actions like the Democrats did during the four years of Joe Biden that caused record inflation. I mean, nine point one percent, nine point five percent in one year, not to mention what they did to the housing market.

1:22:57And I do think the illegal immigration had an effect on the cost of health care, had the effect on the cost of housing, had the effect on on jobs. And so this may take a little while, but we don't want to go back to to the way it was two years ago. And that's why the people of Pennsylvania voted for Donald Trump. And I think they're going to show up. Republicans are starting to come home and they're going to show up and make sure that we have a Republican Congress because we know what the Democrats will do. They will immediately start impeachment and they will impeach President Trump and open up the borders.

1:23:29And, you know, they shut down government for nearly 100 days because they didn't want to fund border control. I mean, that's that's what we have to look forward to if Democrats win next week. That's a whole thing. Each party has their talking points about that. But on inflation, you know, it is now well below where it was at its peak under Biden. But when Trump took office from Biden, the inflation was lower than what it is now. It's at a four month high right now. So how, you know, how can you not blame President Trump and the party in charge for where the prices are, especially when you factor in the Iran war, which is what President Trump launched, as well as the tariffs?

1:24:07Do Republicans take any responsibility for that? Well, keep in mind, Iran declared war on us, not just with the hostages, but, you know, 1 ,400 years ago. I mean, we've been fighting this. Finally, we have someone that stepped up and said is. I'm just talking about prices, not. But yeah. But you have to decide, do you want Iran to have a nuclear weapon? And if you want Iran to have a nuclear weapon, then if you don't want it to, then, you know, we we needed to to do something about it. And that's what President Trump did. But remember, prices were up 22 percent over the four years of Joe Biden.

1:24:43Then they go up 2 % in the first year of Trump's administration. They're still up 25%, but most of it came under Democrats. And it will come again if the Democrats control Congress. If you spend more money, inflation goes up. That's what happens. And if you have less productivity, prices go up. Supply and demand. If you have more productivity, prices go down. And that's what we need. And we're working on that. But we need to send back Republicans to Congress to make sure that the Democrats don't undo it. Why would we put them back in charge after what they did in the previous four years? Just as we wrap up, I'm asking all the party chairs this, just given what we saw happen in previous elections.

1:25:22Will you commit today to accepting the certified results of next Tuesday's elections regardless of the outcome? Unlike the Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, yes, I will accept the results. What do you mean, unlike Chuck Schumer? Chuck Schumer said that if Democrats don't win, he's going to question the results. He already said that. You know, the Democrats have done that historically, too. But no, of course, we'll accept the results. OK, not sure if that's completely accurate. But Greg Rothman, thank you so much. Really appreciate you coming on the show and giving your perspective for Republicans of Pennsylvania.

1:25:57We'll be right back.

1:26:01A family is demanding answers after their toddler was pronounced dead at an Arizona hospital, but only to be found alive hours later in a morgue. It started when 18-month-old Vincent Fiordelino was found unresponsive in his family's swimming pool on Super Bowl Sunday. Now, eight months later, the boy's mother is speaking out about what happened that night and the care her son received. Her son is still living. Alexis Fiordelino and her attorney, John Brewer, joins us now. What a nightmare you have been through, Alexis. I just cannot believe this. It is so shocking what you've been through and your little boy.

1:26:40Take us through the evening, if you would, of February 8th, and then the moment you were informed that your son had died.

1:26:50Yeah.

1:26:57We called the emergencies as soon as I found him. The EMT came very quickly. with the emergency services. They worked on him for a bit before they got him into an ambulance to take him to the hospital. When we arrived, he was brought in before me.

1:27:33and then when we got there he was in another room and they put us into a small room kind of near it

1:27:48so we could just wait while they worked about five minutes of us being at the hospital in that room, a doctor comes in asking if we would like resuscitation efforts to continue. That in most situations like this, regardless of viability, parents do like us to resuscitate. And he asked if we would like to continue that effort. and me and my husband looked at each other and immediately said yes we wanted him to continue working um as he started to say okay and I believed he started to get up a police officer had walked over and mentioned that what he was doing was a bit preemptive that um they were still working on my son and he didn't think that it was quite the right time to speak to us.

1:28:58At that point, the doctor got upset with the police officer and kind of got in his face and started talking about his job title and his degree and how he went to medical school for this and that the police officer should just let him do his thing. Um, the police officer ended up taking him away for, um, to continue the conversation, um, where they probably went back and forth for another minute or two, where the doctor then went into the room. Um, I don't know what he did, but then five, less than five minutes later, he came back into the room telling us that our son's pH levels were too acidic and that it wouldn't be, that even if they were able to fully get him back, that it wouldn't be viable for life.

1:30:01So at that point, you think your son has died. I mean, there's no way that he could survive this. and he was pronounced dead, right? And then he was taken to the morgue. He was pronounced, yeah, by the doctor. After we agreed after hearing that he would suffer, we didn't want that, so we let him call it. They let us say our goodbyes, where me, my mother-in-law, and my husband And at three different instances felt like my son was still breathing, but they told us it was adrenal breathing. And then they had to say our goodbyes. We had to leave. And, yeah, he was taken to the morgue. And then you found out he was showing signs of life.

1:31:02Tell us about that. And I'll get to you next. your attorney, John, but I just want to hear this part, Alexis, because this is just so shocking. Yeah. Five and a half hours later, we were told by a detective that they had some good news for us, that our son had been found struggling to breathe and moving, and he was being airlifted to the Phoenix Children's Hospital in my city. Wow. John, I want to bring you in and get your reaction to this statement for Dr. Tusi. His lawyer said, Dr. Tusi's thoughts are with a young patient and family. He wishes a child continued healing and recovery. His commitment to delivering high-quality care has always been rooted in a desire to provide healing, safety, and comfort to his community.

1:31:59Due to litigation and patient privacy laws, we cannot speak to the details of the care provided at this time. But, John, you believe the time Vincent spent in the morgue without care contributed to his current condition. Tell us about that.

1:32:16well um one thing i would like to address before we even get there when dr tusi told uh the fiordelinos that essentially that his ph balance was too high and too acidic he did not have those test results those results came to him 18 minutes after the time of death so when he spoke to them about that he did not even have those test results the other factor is most rudimentary thing is he did not take his core temperature had he taken his core temperature he would have known immediately that vincent was hypothermic so So he was five and a half hours without medical care treatment. And when they found him, they being a medical transport individual for a medical transport company who was sending him to the medical examiner's office, he found him and he still had his intubation tube, still had the stickies, still had everything for the medical examiner to examine him.

1:33:26when he looked down his endotrache tube was filled with fluid and bubbles were rising up through the fluid it had been pushed out about an inch and we assume that vincent had pushed that out when he when he being the medical transport individual came into the room uh he knew it was a young child because it was 26 pound individual didn't know male female walks into the room security guard likes him in and we have a sworn statement to that effect um and all four extremities were moving underneath the sheet he turns to the security guard and says that kid's alive and he says no doctor says that's normal he had to convince those security guards to do it however let's go back to the endotrache tube filled with fluid his nose was filled with fluid and mucus and bubbles are rising up through the tube.

1:34:23He's having a hard time breathing. That is your hypoxic brain injury where your body's being starved of oxygen. So yes, five and a half hours without medical care or treatment. I just want to also note, we're seeing the pictures of the before and after on the screen where he, obviously he can't eat on his own. He's got a lot of issues. You have said, Alexis, that he is not the same child he was before. I do want to read the statement from Dignity Health. They say this is a heartbreaking situation out of respect for the patient's privacy. We cannot share any information. We are unable to comment on those involved in patient care.

1:35:01Patient safety and exceptional care are our highest priorities. Thank you both for coming on. What a nightmare this is. And just best of luck to your precious little boy, Alexis. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Well, thank you all for joining us this morning. You can keep up with us on social media at Wolf Blitzer and at Pamela Brown CNN. See you back here tomorrow every weekday morning at 10 Eastern for two hours. Inside Politics with our friend and colleague, Dana Bash, starts now.

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