Trump, Obama Rally Voters With Eight Days to Go

0:01When it comes to my policy, Farmers gives it to me straight, so there's no surprises. It's your coverage. You should never be confused. You hear that? An insurance provider with a conscience. We're a choir, but yes, we have that too. Straightforward coverage you can literally understand. That's what you get when you have Farmers. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Learn more at Farmers.com. Underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state. happening now the final countdown president trump and former president barack obama rally voters with eight days to go until the midterm so whose battle cry will make the biggest impact at the polls plus challenging the elections any moment a federal appeals court could rule on a lawsuit filed by the trump administration to set aside 20 000 california mail-in ballots and historic offering AI giant Anthropic prepares to go public.

1:00Wall Street's big test for the artificial intelligence boom and new warnings about a bird flu outbreak running rampant at a meek farm in Utah. Why experts fear it may lead to a devastating human pandemic. 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.

1:30And we are officially in the final stretch. Just eight days until Election Day and voters are already turning out in force. More than 29 million ballots have already been cast. And with control of Congress on the line, the push from both parties to reach voters is only gaining momentum. President Trump is hitting the trail for a nonstop final week blitz, stumping for Republican candidates in deep red territory. It all starts today in Mississippi. From there, he'll head to Texas, Ohio, and Florida. His closing argument to Republican voters is simple. Get out and vote. I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot.

2:08So what happens, it's very easy. When I'm not on the ballot, when I'm not on, we get 49 % less vote. OK, it's a compliment, but I don't want that compliment, if you don't mind. Give me a non-compliment. When I'm on the ballot, we win everything. When I'm not on the ballot, that's the midterms. When I'm not on the ballot, people don't show up. Please show up and vote. All right, let's go live now to CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Kline at the White House. So Betsy, what is the message he's taking on the trail today? Well, Pamela, the president's closing argument in recent days has been that the country was in a dark age and now America is in a golden age.

2:50But that is not the reality for many Americans who are struggling. Inflation at 3.7 percent, the average price of a gallon of gas at$4.28 per gallon on average. And Americans across the board giving the president low marks for his handling of the economy, just 27 percent approve in a recent CNN poll. But the president addressing all of that with eight days to go and openly acknowledging that this might not be the message that his team wants him to communicate. Listen. The United States oil and gas business is making hundreds of billions of dollars. So I said, I wonder if I should say this. No, I could just see the fake headlines.

3:30President Trump is talking about all the money they're making while people are suffering at the pump. That'll be the headline. But I said, I don't give a damn. I'm going to say it. We'll make it a freaking fortune. Now, President Trump is continuing his intensive campaign travel schedule this week. Today, he is going to Corinth, Mississippi, and that is a place where there's an increasingly competitive Senate race. Cook Political Report recently shifted it from solid Republican to likely Republican. And the president has long railed against the polls, but the significance of his travel with just eight days to go to a place where he won by 24 points underscores that his team wants him to drive turnout among his base there, Pamela.

4:10And in this final stretch, Betsy, the president is posting on his true social with one of his longest posts ever. And it was not about the midterms or the Middle East conflict. It was largely directed at comedian Bill Maher. What did he say? Well, this is a record-setting post, as you mentioned, at 1 ,323 words last night. And it's really unclear what set him off. Caroline Levitt, his former press secretary, appeared on the show this week. But she posted clips from it. So it was overall a positive experience. But the president railing against Maher. Briefly want to read to you a small selection of that.

4:42He said, quote, turn your laugh machine off. It's a joke when they laugh uncontrollably, even when you say nothing funny. And I'm going to have Republicans not cover you anymore because they try to talk about you as a guy who is transformative. You're not transformative. You're a loser. But again, Pamela, we are just eight days out from a very critical midterm election. And this is what the president is focused on. All right, Betsy Klein, thanks so much. Well, former President Barack Obama hit the campaign trail this weekend in the key battleground states of Ohio and Michigan. The former president slammed President Trump for the war in Iran and rising costs for Americans.

5:19Iran didn't have nuclear weapons because I had put a deal in place that everybody acknowledged kept them from getting nukes, and I didn't have to fire a missile to do it. I just had to engage in diplomacy. He pulled out of it, starts this war. This is the reason why the price of oil is up. Nobody disputes that. This is the reason the price of diesel is up. This is the reason why the price of just about everything is up. All right, let's go live now to CNN correspondent Arlette Sines. She is on the campaign trail in Detroit. Our love, the former president campaigned with Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Saturday.

6:07What does Obama's appearance mean for Democrats in this election? Well, Democrats are really hoping that these appearances by former President Barack Obama will really mobilize their base voters in the closing stretch of the election. He campaigned here in Michigan on Saturday along with down in Ohio. And on Wednesday, Obama will be campaigning down in Georgia for the governor's race there and the Senate race. as well. But Obama, in his remarks here in Ohio, really tried to draw a contrast with the administration of President Donald Trump, painting the Trump era as one fueled by chaos, cruelty and division.

6:46But he also had a strong defense for the Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, whose faith and name have come under attack here in this race by Republicans. Take a listen to a bit of the president's message on that front. They will use lies and they will use fear and they will use division and they may even use your name or your faith to somehow suggest that you are dangerous and less than trustworthy and less patriotic and less American than they are. We have seen this movie before. I starred in it. And El-Sayed is also trying to win over black voters who had sided with his Democratic primary opponent.

7:36That is a constituency that former President Obama could potentially help with, but Democrats across the ballot in states that he's visiting and not visiting are hoping that some of these pitches will resonate with voters and mobilize them to the polls in the next eight days. All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for that. And still ahead here in the Situation room, already challenging results why the Justice Department isn't waiting for election day in one state, and catastrophic flooding inundates parts of New Mexico the new view from above as floodwaters begin to recede. We'll be right back.

8:14At Farmers, we go out of our way to keep you in the know. Like by singing, everything for emphasis. That, and by providing you with coverage on a page, an easy-to-understand language, so you know what's covered and what's not. No confusing legalese that no one gets. In full transparency, we do have to put a disclaimer at the end of this ad, though. Just being honest, that's what you get when you have farmers. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Learn more at Farmers.com. Underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life podcast.

8:48You may have noticed gambling doesn't require a casino anymore. You can just open up your phone. It's designed to keep us coming back or maybe never even leaving in the first place. We're going to talk to Dr. Timothy Fong, co-director of UCLA's Gambling Studies program. You're going to learn what your brain is really chasing when you place a bet, and also importantly, how to keep the game from playing you. Gambling addiction, gambling disorder is the hidden addiction. You can't smell it. You can't taste it. You can't see it. You can't have a urine drug test. Who are we talking about here, Professor?

9:20Who's the most likely demographic to be affected by this? Literally any single human on Earth. Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now wherever you get your podcasts. Happening now, the Justice Department faces an uphill battle as it tries to block California election officials from counting some mail-in votes. The fate of 20 ,000 ballots is now in the hands of a panel of three federal judges who were largely skeptical of the DOJ's arguments. and yesterday's emergency hearing. Their decision could come at any moment. So let's bring in CNN Crime and Justice correspondent Caitlin Polantz, who has been following these developments.

9:55Caitlin, tell us more about the arguments from this consequential hearing and how DOJ came up with this list of 20 ,000. It's a major test in federal court. This is a lawsuit where the Justice Department is trying to get a court to say that it's okay for the Justice Department to come in and change how California is already counting its votes. We know that there are more than 300 ,000 votes that are already being counted in Los Angeles County. This is a lawsuit that has sped through the courts so far. Right now, we do not have a ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. But in this case, this came to that court and they had this emergency hearing for it on Sunday because the Trump administration went to the courts and said, We believe that there could be non-citizens voting in California.

10:47They had a thumb drive with a list of 20 ,000 names that they thought potentially could be non-citizens on California's voting rolls. And so the Justice Department is asking the court to help them either set aside those ballots or order Los Angeles and California and other counties in the state to make sure that there are not citizens voting. Now, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, that's the court that heard this yesterday, there were three judges on the panel. Two were Trump appointees and one was a Democratic appointee to the bench. Those three judges on the whole seemed pretty skeptical of what the Justice Department is trying to do, especially at this time.

11:27This case, like I said, went through the courts very, very fast. Judge Mark Bennett, he's one of the Trump appointees. He said that it seems to me that under the elections clause, California, they have the right to determine the manner of the elections, including sorting out non-citizens, meaning it appeared to at least that judge, Judge Mark Bennett, that the state should be in control of how they administer elections. That is the tradition across this country and also the law. But the Justice Department, they're going to keep pushing. There are other cases that look a little bit like this in other states.

12:03At least Alaska is one of them. And this case is not over yet. We are waiting for a decision today. We'll see exactly what plays out. There are still many days to go before Election Day. Pamela. All right, Kalen Polantz, thanks so much. Coming up, a bird flu outbreak in Utah has experts worried it could jump to humans. Why they say officials aren't doing enough to stop the spread. We're going to speak to an infectious disease expert up next. Stay with us.

12:31Happening now, playing with fire. A ProPublica investigation finds a bird flu outbreak has been running rampant at a mink farm in Utah for months. And state officials are doing little to intervene. And now flu experts are warning that genetic mutations could lead to a devastating human pandemic. Now, we reached out to the farm at the center of the outbreak and were told they're not interested in speaking to us. The state veterinarian for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food said in part, quote, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food takes its responsibility to protect animal health and minimize disease risk seriously.

13:05Upon confirmation of the outbreak, USDA consulted with USDA veterinary services regarding disease management options, including biosecurity measures, vaccination and depopulation. Federal veterinary officials assessed the risk of spread beyond the facility as low. We are also waiting to hear back from the USDA and the CDC just to note that. For more perspective now, we are joined by Dr. Peter Hotez, dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. So, Dr. Hotez, what are your concerns about this virus going unchecked for two months on a mink farm? Yeah, it's problematic, Pam.

13:45And let me explain why and give you some context. If you remember, this strain of just genotype, two genotypes actually, of bird flu, H5N1 bird flu, avian flu, came into this country back in 2022. And if you remember from wild birds, there was a big die off. And then you started to see it in our poultry population. If you remember, there was a big jump in the price of eggs. That's because so many chickens, so many hens were being killed off by H5N1. So that was concern number one. Then concern number two was at the end of 2023, beginning of 2024, it got into our dairy cattle. If you remember, it started infecting the mammary glands of cows and got into the milk supply.

14:28fortunately we pasteurized most of our milk and there wasn't much transmission to people but it was a warning sign that now we were getting transmission between different mammalian species and the worry was it was getting closer to the fact that it could cause human to human transmission it caused some transmission to people but there was never any human to human transmission but it was a second wake-up call that this one is going to be problematic now it gets we learn it gets into yet another mammalian species, and these are minks. And you might say, okay, well, what's the significance of minks?

15:03And the answer is they're closely related to ferrets. And ferrets are actually the major laboratory experimental animal that scientists use to study all different types of influenza because they have multiple different receptors. So the worry is that these minks, now with transmission going unchecked in these mink farms, could be infected simultaneously obviously both with the avian flu, H5N1, and the seasonal flu, such as H1N1 that's circulating. And if it reassorts, that could cause a very serious flu strain that could then be transmitted to humans. So that's what the big concern is. So as I mentioned in that statement, federal veterinary officials assess the risk of spread beyond the facility as low.

15:46Is that your assessment based on what you just said? Well, hopefully it will burn out and we won't see much mink to mink transmission like we saw cow to cow transmission, but it's got to be studied. And here's where we get into a difficult issue. There's a policy failure in our federal government, and there's been a policy failure for many, many years. And that is that we don't have a good way of dealing with these zoonotic spillover events. If you remember, COVID-19 came from bats to people through a second intermediate animal hosts. Ebola comes from bats. So that these zoonotic illnesses are the big problem viruses that could affect large-scale human populations.

16:30And the problem is the USDA looks at this through the lens only of livestock. So if they say that is something like mink, they say that's not us. And same with on the CDC side, they'll say, well, this is an animal disease, not a human disease. So it's like two waiters at the restaurant, each one saying it's not my table. And we've got to fix that. We've got to get a better seamless system in place for big one health issues. Yeah, because the USDA says it doesn't regulate mink and there isn't a vaccine approved for them. So how different do you think their response would be if an outbreak happened at a poultry farm, for example?

17:07Yeah, then there's a mechanism for handling it. And we know very well what to do with it. As soon as you see any H5N1 pop up in a single chicken, there's a big culling of the herd, a big culling of the chicken population. And in Europe, what they do is if this virus gets into a fur-bearing animal like a mink, they do the same thing. But we don't really have a mechanism for that in the US. And so it's left as a decision at the state level. And the states often don't have the political, the state health departments or the veterinary health departments don't often have the political clout to make that happen.

17:48Some of the farmers and other producers have a lot of economic clout. And so this is a policy gap that needs to be filled in with the federal government. Yeah, sounds like a bureaucratic mess from what you laid out. Dr. Peter Hotez, thank you very much for giving us perspective on this story. And coming up, CNN's Omar Jimenez is hitting the road, traveling to key battleground states and cities. Omar, tell us where you're live right now. Well, I'm going to give you a hint. This is where we're starting out here in Philadelphia, right next to Liberty Bell. Just trying to talk to some folks, figure out what's going on.

18:24But this is just where the journey starts. I'm going to tell you where we are going and what we're doing with that journey coming up in just a few minutes here.

18:37At Farmers, we go out of our way to keep you in the know. Like by singing everything for emphasis. That and by providing you with coverage on a page, an easy to understand language, so you know what's covered and what's not. No confusing legalese that no one gets. In full transparency, we do have to put a disclaimer at the end of this ad, though. Just being honest. That's what you get when You have Farmers. Bum, ba, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Learn more at Farmers.com. Underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state. Happening now, a U.S.

19:08Marine has now been indicted on suspicion of murdering and robbing a 39-year-old woman in Okinawa this month. Prosecutors have not disclosed whether 20-year-old Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard has admitted or denied the charges. Ballard was arrested back on October 4th. A spokesperson with the Marines says the U.S. military recognizes, quote, the seriousness of the charges and will continue to cooperate fully with Japanese authorities in their ongoing investigation as the legal process moves forward. And in New Mexico, drone footage captures the extent of the catastrophic flooding that hit the northern part of the state this weekend.

19:44While floodwaters are receding, homes remain evacuated in the hardest hit areas. Officials say they performed 20 rescues, some involving multiple people between Friday and Saturday night. And in Brazil, a historic re-election.

20:11Brazil's current president Lula defeated rival Flavio Bolsonaro was securing more than 51 % of votes. Bolsonaro said he would not accept the results and his team would challenge the result after the country's Supreme Court ruled last minute to extend voting by two hours. The election outcome will have repercussions beyond Brazil, keeping Latin America's largest country on a more independent foreign policy path. And it's happening now. We are just eight days out from the midterm elections and CNN's Omar Jimenez is kicking off a road trip through the Rust Belt, stopping in some of the most consequential swing states and districts, including Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Columbus, Toledo, and parts of Michigan.

20:49He's talking to candidates, even trying local foods and giving us a real sense of life in the lead up to the election. Omar is live for us in Philadelphia this morning. So Omar, how's the road trip so far? Have you been rejected by anyone yet? Yes, I've been rejected by a few people already on stream, just walking up to people for interviews. And you know how that goes. But obviously, people who don't do this job only see the people that say yes to interviews, not all the people that say no. So we're starting this road trip in Pennsylvania and specifically in Philadelphia. There's the Liberty Bell.

21:24We just wanted to pop in and see it. I had never seen it before. Obviously, a super important part of history. And this is just one aspect of what we're trying to show in some of these places. It's not just going to be tourism, but also a lot of iconic artifacts, things like this, make up what some of these communities are. We're also going to be talking to voters about what issues matter to them most through some really important battleground districts here in Pennsylvania before driving over through Ohio and then ending the week in Michigan. So plenty to talk about there. But even more importantly, it's going to be the wide range of people that we talk to.

21:59We're also heading out to farms, talking to soybean farmers about how they're dealing with tariffs and changes in trade demand. Also, a farm that backs up into a data center. We're going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We're crossing into Canada at one point to talk about how tariffs are affecting some of the manufacturing industry there once we're up in Michigan. So the hope is that, yes, you, the audience, gets a better understanding of what issues actually matter most. But we also just want to show you some of the behind the scenes of what it takes to actually bring you some of this info.

22:29Because it's not always easy, Pam. You know that. It's not. A lot of rejection. A lot of rejection along the way, like you said. And fun. And fun. And fun. People usually don't get to see that. And you are bringing us into your experience. I know you're just at the beginning of your journey here. But so far, what have you been hearing from voters in terms of what's on their mind? I know, you know, tariffs and gas prices are obviously a big issue there. Yeah, I mean, look, the economy is what's been on the minds of really everyone. You go to all these battleground states and that's top of mind.

22:59We've seen diesel prices spiking over these past few months in particular. We've seen inflation that has been pretty steady hasn't quite gone away. And what that's translated to, especially as wage growth hasn't always kept up, is just people struggling to find ways forward, particularly over this past year. And then on top of that, some of these swing districts we're going to, Pennsylvania District 1 and District 7, those are two of some of the most competitive races in the country, some of which actually flipped over the past election cycle. And so looking at these past two years, it might actually be a referendum on the dissatisfaction in some cases with the Republican Party.

23:40So we're trying to basically get as much info on the ground as we can to match up with some of what we've actually seen to be pulled as the highest data, as the most important issues. And that's why we're trying to hit a range of these locations. This one, OK, might not be the biggest voter, Rich, because these are tourists coming from all over the world. But we're going next up to the suburbs of Philadelphia, which is one of those battleground districts. And we are hoping to hear how close of a margin it is likely going to be in this coming election, which could help determine, of course, the balance of power in Congress overall.

24:16All right. So we get to watch you pick out your food and what you're going to eat and all that, too, along the way. This isn't just about the voters, right, Omar? No, not at all. I mean, look, politics isn't what makes all these places unique. You know, people live in these places and have fun. They come see things like Liberty Bell. They go to their favorite restaurants. We were just in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is where we're going a little bit later. We're meeting someone at the Dominican restaurant there just to talk about the Latino population, which I didn't even know they had such a significant Latino population.

24:46So hopefully a little bit of fun, a little bit of learning. And at some point along the way, we hope you have a good time watching. But this is the beginning, and we're starting in large part where the country began. Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, right across the street. That's a beautiful way to end your live shot. Omar Jimenez, thank you so much. Join us here in the Situation Room, CNN political commentator and Republican strategist, Sheryl Michael Singleton, and former communications director for Vice President Harris, Ashley Etienne. So both parties are pulling out all the stops to get voters to the polls.

25:17I mean, this is what you would expect, right? And this sort of last week before the election, President Trump is on this nonstop daily campaign blitz while Democrats have deployed their closer in chief, former President Barack Obama. They laid out vastly different messages for voters in Michigan this weekend. listen to this. I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States Senator. And that's the fact. We're not going to let that happen. If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadists to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas.

25:59Does anybody really think this guy's spending that much time thinking deeply on these issues. I don't know if you've noticed, but he is very focused on home renovation. He should be on HGTV. What's up with the gold? He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a cheesecake factory. Remember, roll back the tape? We're going to drain the swamp. The only thing they drained is the reflecting pool. All right, so you heard those closing messages there. Sure, Michael. We heard President Trump escalating those direct, highly personal attacks against Abdul El-Sayed's faith and really ad hominem attacks against him.

26:40Is that the message that's going to fire up the Republican base there and drive them to the polls? I mean, the Republican base and Trump base, I think there might be a slight difference, right? And I think there's a slight difference because his base are typically nontraditional voters that the party didn't have prior to Trump. Now, the question is, can the president, at least a hypothesis, can you turn out that base by one or two percentage points in a place like Texas, where we're running competitive, in a place like Michigan or Ohio or even Kansas, actually, where the Democrats are even running a competitive candidate?

27:09If he can, then that numerically makes a difference. We'll see if he's ultimately correct with his thesis. In the past, we've seen when the president isn't on the ballot, those voters don't turn out. Will they turn out this cycle? We'll see. I'm really trying to appeal to fear of some sort here. It could be a motivating factor. I mean, literally, you're taking the words right out of my mouth. It is an appeal to not just fear, but to hatred. You know, it's, you know, and so for me, I think it's not only shameful, it's scary, but it's an embarrassment to our nation. And the reason why he's running on fear and hatred, stoking it, is because he has no agenda that he can run on.

27:48There is nothing positive to say about what he's been able to produce in these last two years for the American people. In fact, he got to the podium and said he could care less about gas prices because he himself is being enriched by it all. So this is what we're seeing right now is a continual betrayal of American voters on the part of the president and an appeal to fear and hatred, stoking it to turn out the low propensity voters, and a shameful and a scary and an embarrassment to the nation. I would just say, I hear Ashley's point. The only rebuttal I would add is despite all of the things that she's pointed out, some of those things are accurate.

28:24Gas prices are high. We cannot deny that. Cost of living is high. These are all legitimate facts. Yet, Democrats should be far ahead compared to where they are. They are running competitively. But if this was 2018 or 2006, you'd be looking at 50, 60 seats. You'd be looking at dominating us in the Senate. And yet, despite those things, that's not the case at all. Well, the map won't allow it, right? So there's not that many seats that are in play, right? So I think at the end of the day, we're going to get as high as 20 to 30 seats, which is a high watermark. But you do make an excellent point, which is that the Democratic Party still has some challenges that it needs to confront and it needs to face.

29:00And throwing Barack Obama, as much as I love him, my former boss, he's fantastic. He's not the solution to the larger problem. Yeah. How much does that star power translate to actual votes? Because we saw him campaign in 2024, right? And we saw the result. Well, I mean, he's in Michigan for a reason, because Detroit is not doing well in terms of early vote turnout. That's primarily, you know, I think is on the backs of black voters. So he's there to sort of help turn out black voters. There's been I think Haley Stevens recently said that Republicans were doing a more aggressive job of targeting black voters in the state of Michigan than Democrats were.

29:34So, you know, our challenge as a party is we always throw Barack Obama at it as a solution. And he's actually not. He doesn't have the capability that Donald Trump has, which is to turn out low propensity voters. And that's how you win these states from Texas to Michigan to Mississippi is low propensity black voters. And I don't think that Obama, as much as we love him, has the ability to turn out those voters. But the other thing that is true in the 20 years I've been doing this work is that the admiration that voters have for him is not transferable to any other candidate. Candidates have to build their own trust with voters.

30:06Right, you mentioned Texas. Let's pivot to there because that Senate race is exceptionally tight. And there is a real fear among Republicans about plummeting Latino support there. Our John King caught up with a local Hispanic pastor to hear what he's telling his congregation. Let's listen. One guy just wasn't lying. He's like, man, I'm just struggling. The economy is hard. You know, it's like, what do I do? Plus, a lot of anger at ICE enforcement. Even Trump supporter Martinez says is too aggressive and is reaching way beyond the bad guys. A lot of people's decisions are going to be now because of the big, ICE has been just hard on a lot of families.

30:43And if their decision is made by that, then they're voting for Democrats. They're voting against Trump, right? Yeah. So, I don't know if they're voting for Democrats or not, but his reaction. You smirked. I thought that was interesting. Sorry. Well, no, your reaction's good. And it does raise the question of whether it's too late for Republicans to win back those Latino voters. Yeah. You know, I wonder what difference this group will ultimately make. They've gone back and forth of both parties. Right now, you've seen about three point nine million Texans have voted thus far, a higher than 2022 and 2022 early voting among Republicans was about 80 plus thousand.

31:18This time around, it's down around 69 ,000 for Democrats. As of a couple of days ago, I was talking to some folks in Texas political strategists on the Republican side. And you're saying it's almost even now with Republicans to Democrats. So this is going to be early voting. Yeah. So this is going to be a very, very tight race. Now, the question is, and we've talked about this with Michigan, it goes back to black voters. Texas has the largest percent of eligible black voters in the country who can vote. Can Tellurico turn those voters out? Has he done enough to communicate the messaging to draw a contrast from himself and Kim Paxson, maybe even drawn a connection to the president?

31:53I'm not convinced that he actually has, based on some of the things I'm hearing in Texas. Actually, you just were there recently. You told me if I'm wrong. And despite Kim Paxton's flaws, and there are many, a lot of Republicans are still saying they're going to vote straight ticket Republican. I don't think we're going to see what we saw in Texas, or in Georgia, rather, where you saw Republicans vote for Brian Kemp, and then they voted for Warnock instead of Hershel Walker. Texas doesn't have a history of Republicans splitting the ticket that way. So I'm assuming if Abbott wins, I think I think Paxton wins as well.

32:24I mean, listen, we're seeing record turnout among Latino voters in the state of Texas. Some are saying it's as high as presidential levels. And many of those voters are new voters, which is very encouraging to Democrats, primarily because it's what the gentleman just said. It's that that level of betrayal. They feel betrayed by the president who told them that he wasn't going to, you know, who told them he was going to have immigration enforcement that was going to get rid of the bad guys. But now they're seeing their family members being deported, deported. You have ICE raids that are happening in their own communities.

32:56You know, there's a gentleman by the name of Lorenzo Zalgado, who was a construction worker in Harris County and was trying to prevent ICE from deporting other Latinos within the community. And he was killed by ICE. He's now become the face of that betrayal in Texas. So that's what's really driving out Latino voters. It's the betrayal, but also that betrayal has become economic for them, especially along the border. We've got to wrap up. Sorry. Okay, got it. To be continued. Real quick, will the drop-off in black voters and the increase in Hispanic voters be enough for Tellarico? That's the question.

33:30That is a good question. All right, Ashley Shermichael, thank you all. We'll be right back.

33:40happening now israelis are gearing up for the country's most important election in years it is the first national vote since the october 7th terror attack israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is facing a former military chief in a race that is too close to call cnn's jeremy diamond joins us now from jerusalem so what's at stake in this election jeremy well pam these are shaping up to be among the most consequential elections in israel's history A referendum not only on Israel's current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, the most right-wing in Israel's history, but also in many ways a question about what the direction of this country is going to be going forward.

34:20Most importantly, perhaps, Pam, this is also the first opportunity that Israelis will have to weigh in on this government since the October 7th attack happened just over three years ago, an opportunity that many see as an opportunity for accountability for that government and for the security failures that led up to that terrible day. The polls right now are showing a very, very tight race. Gadi Eisenkot, the former Israeli military chief of staff and the man now best positioned to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he and the opposition coalition are leading in all of the polls, but they are still falling short, as is the governing coalition, of that 61 seat majority threshold needed in Israel's parliament in order to form a majority government.

35:08And so while Eisenkot, if the results hold, may get the opportunity to form the next government, it remains to be seen whether or not he actually will be able to. And so that is one of many unknowns going into tomorrow's elections. Of course, looming large over all of this are a series of unfinished wars in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, domestic issues as well as it relates to national military service and exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox minority here in Israel and settler violence in the West Bank, a slew of other issues. And at stake, of course, is not only the domestic political situation here in Israel, but perhaps the future of the Middle East in many ways and Israel's future internationally as well, as this country has found itself increasingly and perhaps more isolated than ever before in history.

35:55All of that at stake in tomorrow's elections. Pam. All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. So let's continue this conversation. Join us now with CNN Global Affairs analyst Brett McGurk, a former Middle East and North Africa coordinator for the National Security Council. Brett, thanks for being here. So why should Americans be paying attention to this election in Israel? Well, Jeremy's summary I think was very good. This is kind of two different directions that Israel might take, but I don't want to overstate it. I mean, what Israelis are talking about, and Israel is very different in the conversation here at home.

36:27Israelis are talking about the importance of national service. The ultra-Orthodox population in Israel actually doesn't serve. It's a huge issue in the elections. Accountability for October 7th. the commission of inquiry is a big issue. But in terms of Israel's security doctrine, whether it's Lebanon or Gaza, Gadi Eisenkot, who I also know very well, I wouldn't expect many, many changes. I think you'll see a change in policy in the West Bank. I think an Eisenkot government really cracked down on those violent extremists settler groups. But overall, I mean, the election, the conversation in Israel is a little different than here.

37:02But Americans should care. I mean, what happens in the next two years with Iran I think will be dependent upon the conversations between the president and whoever the prime minister is in Israel This is going to continue Pam as we've been talking about here for the last year This Iran conflict is likely to continue over the next two years throughout President Trump's turn One way or other might be like it is now where you have an economic kind of containment posture Or you might have a return to military operations. It's very very unsettled and and the Prime Minister of Israel will matter. But these elections don't expect a decisive result.

37:39It's very different. Israelis elect a, they vote for a list, and then the president will nominate whoever he thinks has the most likely chance to form a government. So it might be Isenot, it might be Netanyahu, and then there's 28 days to form a government. Because the coalitions are so sharply divided, and then in the middle you have the Arab parties, about 20 % of the population, there's a good chance here that nobody can form a government and then you roll into new elections early next year Netanyahu would be in a caretaker position if I had to kind of bet what's likely to happen that seems to be what the polls show very sharply like every democracy we just saw this in Brazil sharply divided polarization positioning and it makes it hard for democracies to kind of find their footing and have a consistent multi-year strategy contrary to Russia, China, Iran, some of our adversaries who don't have that problem.

38:36Bottom line, sharply divided Israeli electorate, two main coalitions, one Netanyahu, one Isenot, but then you've got a former government, and that's going to take a period of weeks. So let's just focus more a little bit on Iran and the war there. You said in some form or another this could go on for the next couple of years, but in this moment now, U.S. officials tell CNN that American forces in the Middle East are prepared to launch new attacks in Iran that would go beyond sort of the status quo. Our understanding is this would happen after the election. How are you reading the situation? My understanding is that the negotiations for a deal are very deadlocked and that Iran is refusing to make the concessions that the Trump administration is demanding on the nuclear program.

39:18And without that, the White House is unlikely to accept a deal. Then the question is, how do you kind of change the leverage at the negotiating table? Every negotiation is about leverage and power and incentives. One thought is you just keep this economic pressure on, kind of a stalemate situation. We have a blockade on Iran, but Iran's also putting pressure on the global economy, macroeconomic pressure by targeting ships. Another is you return to military operations to try to put more pressure on the Iranians. That has not worked in the past. There's some thought that this could be a larger operation, different set of targets might change the cards.

39:54I don't know. It's very uncertain. It's very difficult. We're in a bit of a pickle. I think this is going to play out after the midterms. I would anticipate and predict we will go back to major operations. It seems to be where this is heading. Now, when you look at the assets, it's being deployed. Yes, it's being set up. Yeah. All right. Brett McGurk, thank you so much. Here's what's coming up all new at the top of the hour. Gas prices are now more expensive during President Trump's second term than during the Biden administration. While he's downplaying concerns, will it hurt Republicans at the ballot box?

40:24And we're going to go one on one with Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore on what he's expecting on election night. That's all new next hour.

40:43Welcome 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. It is eight days now until Election Day, the final week of campaigning and the last chance for candidates to close the deal with voters. But many Americans have already made their choices. Look at this. More than 29 million people have cast their ballots so far and polls show a troubling sign for the GOP. In the latest CNN poll of polls, Democrats have a nine point advantage on a generic congressional ballot. Joining us now is Maryland's Democratic Governor Wes Moore.

41:18He is also chair of the National Governor's Association. Nice to see you, Governor. So you're predicting a big night for Democrats, but Speaker Mike Johnson bets he can hold the Republican majority in the House. Let's listen to that.

41:33Some states to redraw their congressional maps in the middle of an election year. They did it to try and hold on to power in Congress. You can help stop this Republican power grab by voting yes on question three. Okay, so that obviously was wrong. But basically, Speaker Johnson said in this interview that he is going to visit these areas where the polls show Democrats are going to win. And he says it's just the polls are wrong and that there is so much excitement, so much momentum with Republicans. Why do you think Speaker Johnson is wrong? Well, that's not what I'm seeing as I'm going around the state of Maryland and as I'm going around supporting, you know, other common sense leaders around the country.

42:14What we're hearing is that people are exhausted. They're exhausted by the fact that Donald Trump's policies have now have inflation at five-year highs and that unemployment has gone up, that gas prices have gone up, that grocery prices have gone up, and that Trump's personal wealth has gone up, and that people are frustrated. And I think you are going to see an election where people are going to make sure that their voices are heard, that they want common-sense leaders that are not just going to push back against the Trump administration, but also push forward for a new type of direction for this country.

42:45So there's a recent New York Times-Siena poll that had some warning signs for Democrats. 56 percent of likely voters say they are very or somewhat dissatisfied with Democrats in state government. 41 percent say they are very or somewhat satisfied. So why are Democrats struggling with voter satisfaction on a state level, in your view? Well, I think it's important that people deliver results, regardless of their political party. You know, and I think about, you know, what we've been able to do in the state of Maryland, where I'm not sure if there's a state that's been more affected by what we've seen from the Trump administration.

43:18We've had over 31 ,000 people fired in our state in a year because of Donald Trump, federal workers, you know, that we have seen how billions of dollars have been taken away. But while we have been deeply affected, we've also been deeply effective in dealing with it, where we have now seen that in our state, you know, we've added over 64 ,000 new businesses. that our unemployment rate is lower than the national average, despite those hits that we've had amongst the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in the United States of America, and when both math and reading are at five-year highs in our public school system.

43:51And so I think what people are looking for is fighters, but they're not looking for people who are just intent on fighting others. They're looking for people who are intent on fighting for their people, and that's just what we're trying to provide here in the state of Maryland. So President Trump will continue to campaign through red states with a rally in deep red Mississippi tonight. You have said Democrats have made a mistake by not spending more in the South. Now Republicans are spending more money to shore up races in South Carolina and Mississippi. Do you think your party's underinvestment there could cost Democrats in these races?

44:24I really hope not. But I know that the underinvestment has not just been an underinvestment in an election cycle. I think it's been an underinvestment in a generation. You know, I think we've got really good quality candidates that are running all throughout the South. Candidates who I've campaigned for. You know, candidates like Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia and Scott Cullum in Mississippi. You know, and Jermaine Johnson in South Carolina. My wife was campaigning for Dr. Annie Andrews down in South Carolina just this past week. You know, so we are committed to making sure that good quality candidates around the country, Common sense candidates can make it across a finish line.

45:03But I do think there has been a challenge when it comes to underinvesting in the South and underinvesting in historic candidates that I think could have a real opportunity to change the tide of this country. And so I do think it's important that we that we get that right. So you've said states like Florida are in play this year. Florida has become a Republican stronghold. Why do you think it's in play? Well, one, I think you have you have good candidates. and I think that when you're watching the impact of folks like Angie Nixon or even folks like David Jolly on the gubernatorial side, I do think it matters.

45:38But another reason why I think it's in play is this is another state that has seen the deep impacts of Trump administration policies. And I think people are frustrated and people feel betrayed where they said this was an administration that they voted for because he said that they were going to lower prices, keep us out of foreign wars, and release the Epstein files. And I think people are seeing that not only have none of those things been done, that the only thing that we have seen is the president's personal wealth continue to explode during that same period of time. There is a corruption that people are frustrated by, and I think they're looking for checks, they're looking for balances.

46:18It's the same thing that I think while you're going to see people in Maryland vote yes on question three, because what that question is basically saying is that our democracy, you know, belongs to the people of Maryland and not to Donald Trump. You mentioned question three. Let's dig into that a little bit more, because if approved of allow state lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional maps and could effectively eliminate the only Republican seat in your state. We got a little preview earlier with former President Barack Obama pushing for yes on this. Let's let's listen to that again, just so we can absorb it all.

46:52Washington got some states to redraw their congressional maps in the middle of an election year. They did it to try and hold on to power in Congress. You can help stop this Republican power grab by voting yes on question three. So 53 percent of likely voters surveyed in September say they plan to vote against the amendment. What is your message to those voters? I would say that question three is not an individual seat. Question three is about our democracy and who's responsible and who's in charge. And a yes on question three is a no to Donald Trump. And I believe in national redistricting reform.

47:35I believe that Congress needs to take this up and I believe that we need to make sure we get this done. But do you know who does not believe in national redistricting reform? Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump believes in unilateral redistricting reform. He believes he should be in charge of what states are doing mid-decade redistricting and which ones are not, how many seats he can get out of Florida and Texas. So he thinks he is the one who is in charge of that. What question three is fundamentally saying is while we can believe in national redistricting reform, I also though believe that we will never get there if we allow Donald Trump to steal elections.

48:10And so if you are going to have Republican states that are doing mid-decade redistricting and looking at their maps mid-decade, then I think that so should Maryland and so should other states as well, because that's the only way we are going to get to a larger national redistricting reform, which I think is necessary for this country. All right. I want to get your response to the Washington Post editorial board, which is urging Maryland voters to reject the constitutional amendment, writing, quote, progressives in the old line state who detest Trump's tactics should resist the temptation to mimic them.

48:41Rejecting this ballot measure offers an opportunity to uphold the foundational American principle that the people, not politicians, should choose their representatives. What do you say to that? I'd say that sounds like why I am for national redistricting reform, but it also says there's a reality of this moment we find ourselves in. And I really wish they would have written that op-ed to Donald Trump when he was doing this to Texas and Florida and Missouri and North Carolina and other states that he decided should go through mid-decade of redistricting. And frankly, I think about those who came before us who are willing to look down fire hoses and police dogs and batons and horses and National Guardsmen who fought so we could have the right to vote.

49:28And while the gutting of the Voting Rights Act was one of the greatest assaults on voting rights that we have seen in generations, and I think they're looking at us right now and asking us, this is what we were willing to do to give you the right to vote. Now, what are you willing to do to keep it? And that's what question three is all about. A yes on question three is just simply saying that we control the right to our maps and our elections, not Donald Trump, who is choosing to unilaterally and single-handedly try to alter these elections. We will not disarm unilaterally, not while Donald Trump is attacking our democracy the way that he is.

50:01How do you think this redistricting fight will impact the midterms? Well, I think that we're going to watch people who are going to come out and vote yes for question three, because I think they understand how significant and severe this assault is right now. You know, we are watching this. It's not happening in the darkness. It's happening in broad daylight, where the president is trying to alter these elections and trying to make the pain that Maryland people are feeling. The fact that we are watching inflation at five-year highs, the fact that we are watching gas prices skyrocket, diesel prices skyrocket, groceries skyrocket.

50:36And he is trying to make this pain permanent because he wants to go unchecked. And he's trying to go unchecked by rigging the rules. So I think people are going to come out for question three because they want to make sure that we can stop this pain that Donald Trump is inflicting on us by making sure that we can stop Donald Trump by voting yes on question three. But you say he wants to alter the elections. I mean, what do you say to someone that says, you know, two wrongs don't make a right and that you basically want to eliminate the Republican seat in your state? Would that not be altering the election potentially?

51:07Truthfully, question three is not about a single seat. And question three is not about Andy Harris. In fact, I would argue that Dan Schwartz, the candidate who's running against Andy Harris, is going to beat him. So I think you will watch Dan Schwartz win on Election Day and you will watch question three pass because question three is not about a seat. Question three is about our democracy. Question three is about our freedoms. And question three is asking Maryland, do we think we should play by the same set of rules as these other states? Or should we be hamstrung and be handcuffed while other states are being shaped and shifted by the whims of Donald Trump?

51:46And I think the people of Maryland are going to vote yes on question three because they do not want for Donald Trump to be able to rig elections or Donald Trump to be able to select what our election should look like. We are the free state. We control that. And so for the people of Maryland, I think they will vote yes on that. We're expecting several candidates to announce their presidential runs for 2028 after the midterms. Do you commit to serve the entirety of a second term through 2031 if you're reelected to lead the state of Maryland? I'm exclusively focused on making sure that not only that we win re-election, but also that question three makes it across the finish line.

52:25I would not be running for re-election as governor if I was thinking about anything else, but making sure that we're serving the people of Maryland. I've been proud of the work we've been able to do and the progress we've been able to get done, but I know the job is not finished, and so that's where my focus is. So do you commit to serving the four years if you win re-election? Again, I'm focused on making sure that in eight days that the people of Maryland, well, I can hopefully win re-election, and that also the people of Maryland will vote yes on question three. I'm I am laser focused on making sure we get this done.

52:57All right. We'll let viewers decide what they make of that. Mayorly, Governor Wes Moore, thank you very much. Thank you so much. And still ahead, President Trump says gas prices are lower now than during Joe Biden's presidency. Is that true? We're going to break it down just ahead. And then later, Ohio ad fallout. But Vakram Aswami is still facing backlash for his attack ad that features his opponent's estranged mother. How much impact will it have on voters? You're in the Situation Room and we'll be right back.

53:53You have farmers. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Learn more at Farmers.com. Underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state. Happening now, President Trump has achieved a milestone he probably won't mention during his midterm campaigning. Gas during his second term is now more expensive than during the Biden era. That's according to a CNN analysis of AAA data. The Iran war has driven the spike by destabilizing the world's energy system. but the president is batting away concerns that it could hurt Republican candidates. But my people said, please don't mention that, sir, because people are paying a little higher.

54:30That number is going to come way down. But what we've done for this country, we're making money like this country has never made before. So I said, let me say it very gingerly, very softly, because somebody would say the fake news. He's bragging about making money. while people are suffering at the, you know, because, you know, you're still paying lower than Biden and Obama, and they don't have nuclear weapons. But they're going to be coming. No, I could just see the fake headlines. President Trump is talking about all the money they're making while people are suffering at the pump. That'll be the headline.

55:08But I said, I don't give a damn. I'm going to say it. We'll make it a freaking fortune. Our country is getting stronger and stronger all the time. And those pump prices are going to come down. CNN senior reporter Matt Egan is here, and Elena Treen is at the White House. Matt, first you walk us through these numbers. What do we know? Well, Pamela, I don't know about you, but this is a milestone that I definitely did not have on my bingo card back in January. Of course, back then, gas prices were cheap, and then the Iran war changed everything. So, as you mentioned, as of today, The national average during President Trump's second term is now higher than it was during President Biden's term.

55:51Not dramatically higher, only slightly higher, literally a tenth of a penny. But the fact that these two numbers are even in the same ballpark is something that was very unlikely at the start of the year. And this gap, this gap is only going to get larger because, of course, gas prices are much higher, well above$4 a gallon right now. Now, when we look back and zoom out a little bit, you can see how much higher gas prices are during President Trump's second term than they were during any of the four prior presidential terms. Much higher than under Obama years ago and a full dollar higher than under President Trump's first term.

56:33In fact, back then, prices were so low during COVID that President Trump was pleading with OPEC in Saudi Arabia to pump less oil because of all these concerns about oil companies in Texas going bankrupt. I mean, that feels like a completely different planet from where we are right now. And when we look at the trend for gas prices so far this year, this is when the Iran war started. We almost don't even need this line because it's just obvious. You can see how the war has just broken down energy supply chains and how gas prices have remained persistently high. In fact, this year has already shattered the record for the most number of days with$4 gas or higher of any year in history, blowing away.

57:13Again, the Biden era record set in 2022. And this has been a particular issue in some of the Great Lakes states of late because of some local refinery trouble. We've seen dramatic increases in the past five days in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and in Michigan. Of course, these last two are major battleground states. So, look, bottom line here, yes, gas is now more expensive during President Trump's second term than they were under Biden. And that is an inflation milestone that I think very few people saw coming. Back to you, Pamela. All right, Matt, thank you so much. And now let's check in with CNN's Elena Trin at the White House.

57:49Elena, Election Day is just one week from tomorrow. President Trump says he is not worried about high gas prices. What are you hearing from your sources and his administration? Yeah, the message that he gave, I'm glad you played that clip at the top of this, Pamela, because it's kind of the exact opposite of what I know members of the president's political operation are telling him to say when he is going state to state across the country to try and boost Republicans ahead of the election. There's a frequent phrase that is always brought up ahead of an election, whether it's a midterm election or a general election, that people say it's the economy, stupid, that the economy is what is going to decide a lot of what voters, you know, how they make up their minds and what brings them to the polls.

58:33And right now, the economy and gas prices, I think, is such a good example of how people are feeling is not great. And you're seeing that in poll after poll as well. I just want to get into the overall polling. You have it up on your screen now of how the majority of people view the president and his handling in office, only 34 percent say that they approve of his job performance. That is clearly not the kind of numbers that this White House wants, just a little over a week away from November 3rd. And then there was a question in another poll. It was a CBS YouGov poll. I think this question is pretty on the nose for how people are feeling about gas prices.

59:09It says, if the Republicans win control of Congress, do you think the price of gas will go up. 50 % said yes. 25 % said they believed it would go down. And 25 % said they do not think it'd be impacted either way, depending on whether or not Republicans win control of Congress. So this is clearly an issue that people are feeling. And I know that the president, a lot of his advisors have been telling him, you got to level with people. And if you hear, you know, other Republican leaders across the country, the vice president, J.D. Vance, the House Speaker, Mike Johnson, they are trying to, you know, level with Americans saying we know your reality is not great and that your wallets are hurting.

59:47But stick with us. Not necessarily the message that you've heard from the president. We'll see how that impacts voters' decisions next week. All right. Elena Shreen, thanks so much. Coming up, Peach State Politics. We're going to take you live to Atlanta where Keisha Lance Bottoms and Senator John Ossoff are holding a rally. Why, Kentucky's governor is also there. That's ahead.

1:00:13When it comes to my policy, Farmers gives it to me straight, so there's no surprises. It's your coverage. You should never be confused. You hear that? An insurance provider with a conscience. We're a choir, but yes, we have that too. Straightforward coverage you can literally understand. That's what you get when you have Farmers. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Learn more at Farmers.com. Underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state. Happening now, Georgia's Democratic nominee for Governor Keisha Lance Bottoms and incumbent Democratic Senator John Ossoff are campaigning together in Atlanta.

1:00:52The head of the Democratic Governors Association, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, is also there. So I want to bring in Zinn and Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny in Atlanta. What are the candidates saying this morning, Jeff? Well, Pamela, good morning. I mean, Andy Beshear, as you all know, the governor of Kentucky, would like some company in terms of other southern governors. That's one of the reasons that he is here campaigning for Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, who, of course, is trying to make some history here in Georgia. She would become the first woman, black woman governor to lead Georgia.

1:01:26And it's really one of the under occurrence of this race here. She believes that this is the moment. This is the time. but she also is campaigning alongside Senator John Ossoff. So a bit of a one-two punch here, if you will, as they talk to Canvas organizers here who are going door knocking right here in Atlanta.

1:01:48I am reminding everyone that it ain't over until it's over. While we have seen the momentum that we need to see this first week of early voting, we don't want to be overtaken on Election Day. And you will exercise whole ballot energy voting from the top to the bottom so we can finally, finally, once and for all, flip this state blue and do the work that the people of Georgia deserve to have be done. When you sent me and Raphael Warnock to the Senate in those historic doubleheader, double overtime U.S. Senate runoffs, when we shocked the country, do you remember how it feels to win?

1:02:34When we shocked the country with those victories, Raphael and I got to work on behalf of Georgians.

1:02:44And Senator Ossoff now is talking about the oversight that he believes needs to be done if Democrats win a majority in the U.S. Senate. And it wasn't that long ago, Pamela, at the very beginning of this election cycle, where he was expected to have one of the most competitive, challenging races. That is not how this campaign is ending up. At least that's what it appears like. So he is out helping the gubernatorial candidates here. But there is no doubt the president, of course, visiting Georgia over the weekend. He is trying to rally Republicans here. Rick Jackson, of course, running for a governor.

1:03:17Micah Collins, a congressman running against John Ossoff. But there is no doubt all eyes will be on Georgia next week. But perhaps not in the way that we thought they might be. He's the only Democratic governor in a state that President Trump won. But it is not as competitive. But he, of course, is trying to get out every Democratic vote for other candidates up and down the line. So one more week and one day to go, Pamela. Georgia, as it always has been recently, is at the center of it all. All right, Jeff, thanks so much. Great to see you. And just ahead, a mass shooting near a Florida university, a 15-year-old facing charges.

1:03:53What we're learning about the investigation.

1:04:01Happening now, a 15-year-old faces attempted second-degree murder charges for a mass shooting Saturday near Florida A &M University. Tallahassee's police chief said the investigation is active and more arrests could be coming. No one was killed, but 11 people were injured, including six people under the age of 18. Another wave of protests over the weekend in France. these demonstrations were largely peaceful, but there were a few pockets of violence. Nearly a thousand people were detained on Saturday. And Anthropic is filing for an IPO, and it could become one of the largest stock market debuts in history.

1:04:37The listing reportedly could value the company at two trillion, with a T, dollars. We are in the final sprint to the midterms. Barely a week to go, and candidates are making their closing arguments. In the Ohio governor's race, a controversial ad from Republican Vivek Brahmaswamy attacking his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, has dominated the conversation. You'll remember the ad featured Acton's long-estrange mother urging people not to vote for her. Both candidates addressed the fallout this morning. Everyone is exhausted of living this way. They're tired of the hate and the chaos and vitriol.

1:05:13They want public servants again who actually solve problems instead of making them. And kindness is not weakness. Irony is they're lying about an ad that was about her lying. The fact of the matter is I am running against somebody who is crazy, unstable and dishonest. And even more importantly, they represent crazy and unstable and dishonest ideas. This is a fork in the road for the future of Ohio. Join us now is CNN political commentator and host of the Off the Cup podcast on iHeartRadio, Essie Cup. Essie, it's so great to have you on. So top Ohio Republicans. Yeah, you too. So top Ohio Republicans practically begged Ramaswamy to pull this ad.

1:05:58He's doubling down basically after Trump doubled down. Is this controversy going to turn off Republican voters or fire up the base? What are you hearing from voters? Well, I did talk to some voters. Listen, there are a lot of, I think, the persuadable voters, the independents, the moderates, the undecideds were really turned off by this as they have been by a lot of the first half of Trump's second term. Right. And we know that Trump has been losing independence. I think that's bleeding down to these other Republican races. But I think inside of his base, this this is not penetrating. And I'll just give you some anecdotal data.

1:06:39This isn't this isn't science. But I did talk to some Republican voters in Ohio last week, one of whom said, look, Amy Acton was terrible during COVID, so Vivek is getting my vote. This ad doesn't matter to me. And for those of us who think this ad is disqualifying and we should pick our candidates based on character, I'll just remind you, back in 2024, we all saw the migrants eating pets moment. A lot of us thought that was going to be disqualifying. It didn't penetrate for a lot of voters. As you know, Trump went on to win all seven swing states. Now, I'm not saying I think Republicans are going to do well.

1:07:18I don't think they're going to do well. And I don't think Vivek Ramaswamy is going to win. But it's a reminder that there are Republicans in Ohio, Republicans in Texas, for whom the character stuff doesn't matter. They are going to vote Republican down the line. And none of us should be surprised if those races end up being closer than we think. I think that's really important perspective. I want to turn to this new CBS poll that asked voters if they think there will be more or less corruption in government if Republicans maintain control of Congress. 52 percent of voters said the GOP would produce more corruption.

1:07:57How much of an issue could this be for Republicans in the midterms? I would have said not a top three issue, despite all the corruption. We could see it all and we've seen it all for the past two plus years. But almost like the Democrats and the democracy message, like when your basic needs aren't being met, those kind of things typically don't rise to the top. But we have seen polling and we have talked to voters for whom that issue is a huge deal and they tie it to the economy. It's not separate for them. They're looking at the economy. They're feeling those gas prices. They're paying more in the grocery store and at the pump.

1:08:38Meanwhile, they are watching this administration grift. Trump family members get wealthy. They tie it together. So I think it is a hugely motivating issue that is going to drive turnout for Democrats. What do you think about sort of along those lines, bigger picture when Trump talks about paying at the pump and these oil executives basically making all this money? You know, he says the country is doing so well, we're raking in so much money because of the oil prices. And, you know, he almost mocked that this would be a headline bragging about that. And yet people are struggling at the pump. How do you think that lands with voters?

1:09:15Yeah, Pam, I'm sure I had the same thoughts that you did, because it actually answered a question that a lot of us had had. Like, we were wondering if people were telling Trump that his economic messaging was actually working, right? Like, we didn't know if he was aware of how badly the affordability is a hoax message was landing. because we also saw, I think over the weekend, he was saying that he believed his approval numbers were in the 60s. We know they're in the 30s. So there was a thought that he just wasn't aware of how bad this was. Maybe he thought the Iran war was good. Voters loved it.

1:09:51Maybe he thought gas prices were okay. This answered that because in this rally, he admits, I have been told not to say this. I have been told this is a bad idea. And he's making the choice to double down on it anyway, to brag about how much the oil executives are making, how much he is personally making. So he knows this goes against common political wisdom and advice, but I think he believes his cult of personality is strong enough to persuade voters to go out and vote for him and Republicans anyway. And I think, you know, among his most rabid supporters, that's true, but I don't think that's going to work for a majority of voters.

1:10:35We didn't even get to Nicki Minaj, Essie. We've got to wrap it up here. But that'll be for another. She's devastated, I'm sure. Yes. All right, Essie Cup, thank you so much. And coming up here in the Situation Room, securing elections, new CNN reporting of how top Democrats are planning for doomsday scenarios if Trump and his administration intervene in the voting process. One of those Democrats joins us next.

1:11:05Justin to CNN. Anthropic says that its AI model called Claude accessed publicly available Georgia voter data without human prompting. Claude essentially figured out how to get around a paywall to access the data from a website run by the state. This coming, of course, as the company prepares to go public. Anthropic tells CNN, quote, Claude did not access the state's voter registration system, change any voting records, or pool any individual voter records. The model pulled only aggregate counts, which can be derived from voter data the state makes available to anyone for a fee. Georgia's deputy secretary of state also confirmed to CNN that Claude did not get into the voter registration system.

1:11:46Happening now with just eight days until the midterms, the Department of Justice has already filed two election-related lawsuits. In California, a federal appeals court is weighing the administration's request to set aside certain mail-in ballots. And in Alaska, the DOJ is suing to block the certification of its Senate election results if the Republican incumbent, Dan Sullivan, loses. All of this has prompted a warning from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. You have to assume, as we've done from the very beginning, that Republicans are going to try to come up with any diabolical scheme to prevent November 3rd from being a free and fair election.

1:12:25We've been planning from the very beginning to push back against all of the voter suppression efforts that they've tried to jam down the throat to the American people. Joining us now is Democratic Congressman Joe Morelli of New York. He is the ranking member of the House Administration Committee and is overseeing election preparation efforts. All right, before I get to your plans, I just want to first get your reaction to this reporting about Anthropics artificial intelligence model, Claude, accessing publicly available voter data from a Georgia state website without any human prompting. What do you think?

1:12:59Well, look, it's very troubling. Senator Padilla and I have reached out to the tech companies, all the large ones that you know, to basically put them on notice that they're going to have to do everything within their power to make sure that they don't subvert or disrupt this election. And look, in 2024, they came together and signed a principles document that they all abided by. We're urging them to do the same thing. This is very, very troubling. Look, we have enough problems with President Trump trying to subvert the election. We don't need AI tools or agents also causing lack of confidence in American elections by American voters.

1:13:39All right. So I want to talk a little bit more about the election. You've outlined what you say are more than 150 possible threats that could occur on election day and after. What do you see as the top risks and how are you preparing? Well, look, I think I know this will sound so odd to say, and Frank, it sounds surreal to me. The greatest threat is the Department of Justice and the Trump White House. We know that they're going to keep coming after people, what they did in California that you referenced, what they've talked about doing in Alaska. These are things that in the past would have been completely out of bounds for any Department of Justice, any White House, any president, Democrat or Republican.

1:14:21But almost all the threats that we're considering emanate from the White House because we know Donald Trump, as he did in 2020, he will do anything to subvert American democracy just to make sure his side wins. So we're preparing. We've been at this for months and months. Hakeem Jeffries has charged me with building the largest election security and protection effort in the history of the House Democrats. And we're doing that and we're prepared. But yes, it's true. The biggest threat is the president. So you mentioned this lawsuit and DOJ, my colleague Dana Bash pressed the Attorney General Todd Blanche on it.

1:14:58Let's take a listen. If there were two Democratic Dan Sullivans on the ballot and they were potentially canceling each other out, would you be filing the same lawsuit? Absolutely, of course. And by the way, there wouldn't be the same shock and horror. What is your reaction to that? You know, Todd Blanche has so little credibility as attorney general, and I'm sorry to say that. But he said just the day before that the Justice Department wasn't going to do anything to block certifications. Couldn't imagine a way that that would happen. He didn't spend his days and nights thinking about it. The very next day, the Department of Justice tries to stop the certification of an election that hasn't even happened.

1:15:43And by the way, this is a state election. The attorney general knows this. This is up to Alaska state officials. The Supreme Court in Alaska has already ruled on this and said it's fine to have two Dan Sullivans. They both have a right to be on the ballot. In fact, the Alaska ballot even says that Dan Sullivan, the incumbent, is the incumbent. I mean, they've done everything they can to let voters know. This is, in fact, Senator Murkowski, who's a United States Republican, said that the Department of Justice should not have brought this lawsuit. I quite agree. It will be thrown out by the courts.

1:16:17I have every confidence this is not a federal matter, and it's certainly not a matter for the Department of Justice. All right. So let's dig in a little bit into what would happen if there are contested races after the midterms. The Federal Contested Election Act assigns your committee to handle this scenario. What is the plan and have you been in touch with your Republican counterpart on what to do if some races are contested? Yeah, there's a lot that goes into this. Obviously, you've cited the law. So once the House convenes on January 3rd at noon, we elect a speaker. Any contested elections at that point will come to my committee.

1:16:59The question of whether we seat a member of Congress will be considered. We will make a recommendation back to the full House because the Constitution gives responsibility for determining and deciding a contested election to the full House. So we will follow that. It will not, though, and I think this is important, Pamela, because there's all these theories going around. It will not affect the election of the speaker because those contested elections will come to my committee after the members have cast a vote for speaker, after they've been sworn in. And then any questions about whether someone who has received a certificate of election from their state and submitted to the House, we will then ask those questions and we will spend whatever's necessary.

1:17:38And, yes, I've talked to my Republican counterpart. We will be sending out observers. So members of the staff of the House who are trained and they're going through training right now will be deployed to watch the counting of the ballots, to make observations, to make firsthand accounts and notes. Contemporaneous notes are going to be really important to the committee should there be contested elections. And we're doing that in pairs. So it will be Republican and Democrat together going to the places around the country where we expect there could be close races. Is this what are you doing that's different from years past?

1:18:15Well, actually, the number is probably what's different. We may be sending dozens and dozens. But we have been doing this for years. And there have been contested elections in the past. And they've always been decided, as you said, they'll come to our committee. Our committee will make a recommendation. And so it is going to play out exactly as it's supposed to. I think what's important is, despite the Trump administration's varied efforts to kind of throw spaghetti at the wall and do anything they can to disrupt and subvert, that we are prepared. We have thousands of volunteers around the country.

1:18:48We have lawyers in all 50 states. We are pushing back against everything the president is trying to throw at us. And we've been successful. So people should have confidence. And you look at the number of early votes, 28 million Americans have already voted, and we're still eight days from the election. So I think Americans understand that this is how they give voice to their fears, the concerns, how they make their voice heard about the direction of this country. It is working. People should have confidence. Yes, the president is going to continue to come at us, but we're prepared. We have blunted every effort on his part to stop this election.

1:19:19So Americans should feel good about the system, the resilience of the system. Congressman Joe Morelli, thank you so much. And 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 morning and every weekday morning at 10 Eastern for two hours. Inside Politics with our friend and colleague, Dana Bash, starts after a quick break.

1:19:48Let's have I got news for your ears, the podcast. I am your host, Michael Ian Black. We are talking about the final polls going into the midterms, the hot races getting the most attention. Trump's final argument. Have I got news for your ears? Check us out on Apple, Amazon Music, wherever you get your podcasts. Even better, you can watch the podcast on Spotify.