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Polling Places Ramping Up Security Ahead of Election; How "Brat Summer" St Up Kamala Harris' Remarkable Run; Controversial Political Art Pops Up in DC Ahead of Election Day; Gas Prices Drop Ahead of 2024 Election. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired October 30, 2024 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

AL SCHMIDT, PENNSYLVANIA SECRETARY OF STATE: ... materials, whether it's computers, or anything else that they need. Hardware to make sure that they can process things. But staffing is really something that is a county decision.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Sure. Secretary, I wanted to ask you about a report in the New York Times that elections officials in Luzerne County have installed bulletproof glass in the elections bureau office, also panic button software on cell phones. I'm wondering how concerned you are about violence surrounding election day and also the potential for some form of sabotage, the way that we've seen these ballot drop boxes in other states get attacked. What are your concerns regarding violence and potential sabotage?

SCHMIDT: Well, it's very disappointing that counties have to struggle with any of this, and it's one reason why the Shapiro administration in Pennsylvania set up an election threat task force that is a group of agencies responsible for law enforcement and election administration. So we meet regularly to make sure there are open lines of communication between people responsible for law enforcement and election administration.

So if any of that ugliness returns that we encountered in 2020, and this is all a lesson learned from that, everyone knows what everyone else's responsibilities are. And if there are threats of violence or intimidation targeting our voters, our poll workers, our polling places, our county election officials, that everyone knows what to do in the event that occurs.

SANCHEZ: Secretary Al Schmidt, we very much appreciate your time and your work, and we hope that things go smoothly.

SCHMIDT: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Still to come, leaning on some star power. How Vice President Kamala Harris has been getting a huge boost from a long list of celebrities on the campaign trail in her brief and unprecedented run for the White House.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The presidential election is less than a week away. We can finally say it. A new CNN polling does give Vice President Harris a slight advantage in two blue wall states over former President Donald Trump. Overall though it's a dead heat. It is just too close to call.

SANCHEZ: Her rise after President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race has been a meteoric whirlwind. In CNN's American Battlegrounds series Tom Foreman shows us how the Vice President went from running mate to top of the ticket in record time. Tom how'd she do it?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not only did she do this but what she brought with her was this groundswell that Donald Trump simply has no way to respond to and specifically I'm talking about when Charlie XCX said Kamala is brat. For many people over the age of 30 it was like I don't know what it means but it was a really good thing and it sort of was coming in line with Taylor Swift coming along to endorse her and then Beyonce coming along to endorse her.

Now does that necessarily translate into a whole lot of votes among young women? Maybe not but we know they have oceans of young women who follow them and just as importantly they are young women that Donald Trump has no practical conduit to reach. These people are the conduit to these people and when Trump has been struggling with female votes there's very little indication that he can somehow turn this into something good for him and we know he loves being considered an A- lister. He thinks of himself that way.

These are super A-listers that he can have no effect on and they have thrown all their weight behind Kamala Harris.

KEILAR: Can't help but notice that this seems to bother Trump.

FOREMAN: Oh yes, well because of that but I mean most notably we know because of that infamous tweet when he suddenly in all caps put out the I hate Taylor Swift after that. I mean just a remarkable thing for anyone to do let alone somebody running for president.

But I'll tell you one reason why this may have special resonance for him. Remember back in 2020 he had that big rally out in Tulsa and all indications were that a bunch of K-pop fans and TikTok fans, young people signed up for a whole bunch of tickets they had no intention of using and suddenly he had a bunch of empty chairs and a bunch of empty venue space that made him look bad.

That could be a reason that Donald Trump is very wary of what young people do and what young women may do and why Charlie XCX may be a lot more powerful than even she knows in this election. We'll find out.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I remember that event. It was probably the first big one in that summer after the COVID lockdowns and it was quite a moment for his campaign. FOREMAN: All indications are they just signed up for all these free tickets and said we're going to be there and they never intended to be there.

SANCHEZ: Interesting.

FOREMAN: And I'm telling you, you don't want to get on the wrong side of the Swifties or the TikTok army or the K-pop army.

Don't know if he is on the wrong side but he's clearly not on their side in the sense that they haven't embraced him and said he's our guy.

SANCHEZ: Tom Foreman you can read the series on CNN.com. American Battleground. Go check it out right now. Tom thank you so much.

FOREMAN: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: Coming up a flaming tiki torch and feces on the speaker's desk. Who's behind this mysterious political art popping up around the nation's capital. We're doing some digging trying to find out.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Vice President Kamala Harris set to make her second stop of the day in Pennsylvania. These are live images from that rally in Harrisburg.

KEILAR: And earlier, she was in North Carolina, where she spoke once again to ABC News about President Biden's garbage comment. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump says that while you were making your closing pitch for unity last night, President Biden was calling his supporters garbage. What did you think when you heard President Biden make those comments?

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Well, first of all, I think that the president has explained what he meant. But I've said it earlier, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.

[15:45:03]

And I've made that clear throughout my career, including my speech last night before I think this all happened, which is I intend to be president for all Americans. And including those who may not vote for me in this election. I take very seriously my obligation and my oath to concern myself first with the needs of the American people and put them before whatever might be my selfish issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: Harris has now talked about this repeatedly or been questioned about it and had to answer for it, which is certainly not what she would like to be focusing on today.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and you can tell what she wants to focus on. She pivoted right back to her speech last night on the Ellipse trying to give her closing message to the American people. Republicans have pounced on this, though we should point out Donald Trump has repeatedly already today attacked Vice President Harris as well as President Biden over these issues.

Pivoting to another story, some more sort of trashy in the toilet --

KEILAR: Toilet humor.

SANCHEZ: -- toilet adjacent --

KEILAR: Toilet adjacent.

SANCHEZ: -- conversation. Somebody, a person or group is trying to make quite a statement with some statues they're leaving around landmarks here in the nation's capital. It's meant to be art, but at least this one doesn't leave much to interpretation.

KEILAR: So it is a bronze likeness shaped like a popular emoji that we all know. Mysteriously turning up near the Capitol last week. It depicts the gift left on Nancy Pelosi's desk during the January 6 riot. And it's not the only piece of political art that has popped up around town.

CNN's Gabe Cohen is here to explain what's going on. This is -- I mean, these are real. This is metal sturdy art.

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, these are a couple serious statues that have popped up in D.C. They are not so subtle digs at former President Trump, but they really appeared mysteriously. We don't know still to this day who exactly is behind it, who the artists or artists are. The one you showed, that was the first one that popped up. Pelosi's desk, a replica of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk. That's on the National Mall right by the Capitol. And you can see that basketball-sized BM sitting on top of it.

And on it, there is a plaque at the bottom of the statue. I want to read it to you. It says: This memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, to loot, urinate and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election. President Trump celebrates these heroes of January 6th as unbelievable patriots and warriors. This monument stands as a testament to their daring sacrifice and lasting legacy.

A little bit, I think, of sarcasm in there. I sense just a little bit. And then cut to Monday when another statue popped up. This one just a couple blocks away from the White House in Freedom Plaza. It is of a tiki torch. It is titled the Donald J. Trump Enduring Flame.

And the plaque on this one reads: This monument pays tribute to President Donald Trump and the very fine people that he boldly stood to defend when they marched in Charlottesville, Virginia -- referencing, of course, that 2017 white supremacist march. It says: While many have called them white supremacists and neo-Nazis, President Trump's voice rang out above the rest to remind all that they were treated absolutely unfairly.

And I can tell you, having been out there at these statues yesterday, they're becoming a tourist attraction here in D.C. Take a listen. A week out from Election Day, the message really resonating with some voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It brought back some of that energy and anger that has, you know, faded over time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the message couldn't be more clear that, you know, we have to do our part to make sure that another January 6th doesn't happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: And so, again, we don't know who the artist is here, but we were able to obtain the National Park Service permit because these were allowed to be there by the National Park Service. They were approved. The names on it are Civic Crafted LLC, and then there's an individual's name.

We've been reaching out, but at this point, no one's responded. Nobody seems to want to take credit.

SANCHEZ: That individual's name, not Gabe Cohen, is it?

COHEN: I'm not going to say a thing.

KEILAR: Wait, so is there a way to figure it out? I mean, how will these be out there for a while?

COHEN: So they are going to be removed. As of now, the desk is scheduled to be removed today, the torch tomorrow. So someone is coming to pick them up.

But we don't know if it's the artist, maybe the groups that were involved. There has been security around them, so this is quite organized.

SANCHEZ: If there's two, could there be three? Should we expect more?

COHEN: The National Park Service said at this point there's no permit for any additional art, but who knows? Just a few days till the election.

KEILAR: Gabe, thank you for that. Very mysterious.

Coming up next, while Americans go to cast their votes, gas prices are nearing a three-year low, but will that have any effect on how people vote? We'll have more when we come back.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: So if you filled up a tank gas this week, you may have noticed that prices drifted a little lower. Most states nationwide seeing gas prices around three bucks for a gallon of regular unleaded.

SANCHEZ: These are some of the lowest gas prices we've seen in three years. So could those lower prices at the pump make a difference at the polls? CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich joins us now -- Vanessa.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris and Brianna, prices are falling and we could see a national average below $3 for the first time in years. Just behind me here, a regular gallon of gas, $2.95, and we're seeing that throughout the country and key battleground states, nearly half see prices less than $3.

[15:55:03]

And we've been speaking to voters here all day. Many who say their minds are made up about who they're voting for. Gas prices are not changing it. But for those undecided voters, are gas prices making a difference? They say they're going to wait till the last minute to figure out who they're voting for.

Listen to two of them we spoke to earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARL CZAPLICKI, NEW JERSEY RESIDENT: As gas prices go, so go their feelings about the economy in general. It's one of those subconscious indicators of how people judge the economy, so.

YURKEVICH: And for you, what's your subconscious saying?

CZAPLICKI: I mean, I actually think statistically the economy is doing pretty well overall, to be quite honest.

YURKEVICH: How do you feel like the economy is doing right now? The overall economy? How do you feel like it's going?

MAGDY AHMED, NEW JERSEY RESIDENT: It's a mess all over. Everybody complaining.

YURKEVICH: It's a mess?

AHMED: Yes.

YURKEVICH: Why is it a mess?

AHMED: Because everything went up.

(END VIDEO CLIP) YURKEVICH (on camera): So you have two different takes on the economy there from those undecided voters. But that last gentleman was talking about what a lot of Americans are feeling right now.

Despite lower gas prices, they still believe cost of living is too high. We know that on average, Americans are spending $1,100 more on the same goods that they were spending two years ago. And that is impacting people's wallets and potentially people's minds as they go to the polls.

One of the good things is wages have kept up with inflation, but not for every American. And you can see there that some people are feeling the benefit of these gas prices and also and others are saying that it's not enough -- Boris, Brianna.

SANCHEZ: Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you so much for that. Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We're back in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We couldn't leave you today without showing you this video from Game 4 of the World Series. Two Yankees fans taking matters into their own hands in the first inning. Mookie Betts going for the foul ball. And these two guys, he grabs the foul ball.

[16:00:00]

And one guy just pries the glove open, taking the foul ball away. You got to see the look of satisfaction on that fan's face.

KEILAR: Yes. What are you thinking, man? So the other guy who held his arm, he gets booted. That guy gets booted. They're banned from Game 5.

SANCHEZ: (INAUDIBLE).

KEILAR: That's not hurt. So that's the good news here.

SANCHEZ: The cognitive dissonance arguing that it was it was fair. What they did is just fantastic.

KEILAR: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Hey, thank you so much for joining us today. Stay around for "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper, which starts right now.

END