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CNN International: Trump, Harris Hit Western Battlegrounds With Five Days To Go; Trump: I'll Protect Women "Whether The Women Like It Or Not"; Haley: "Masculinity Stuff" From Trump Team Not Way To Win Women. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 31, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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RAHEL SOLOMON, "CNN NEWSROOM": Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, with five days left until Election Day here in the U.S., both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump making their final push in the battlegrounds, as they clash over words on the campaign trail. We'll take you there. Plus, a new report on inflation is out today with a fresh look at the health of U.S. economy, which is one of the top issues for voters. I'll discuss with my guest. And war and diplomacy, Egypt's President meets with the CIA director in Cairo for talks on Gaza and Lebanon. This as CNN speaks to the Saudi Foreign Minister. We will take you lots Tel Aviv and Riyadh for the very latest.
Well, we're in the homestretch. It's the final five days before the U.S. presidential election, and Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are trying to make their final pitch to voters amid a back and forth over garbage. Both campaigns heading west today. Donald Trump plans to make stops in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. The former President's event in Arizona will feature opening remarks from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
On Wednesday, Trump tried to capitalize on President Biden's garbage gaffe by riding in a garbage truck during a visit to Wisconsin. Later, at a rally, he made these comments about women, even though he says he was advised not to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: About four weeks ago, I was saying, no, I want to protect the people. I want to protect the women of our country. I want to protect the women. Sir, please don't say that. Why? They said we think it's very inappropriate for you to say so. Why? I'm President. I want to protect the women of our country. Well, I'm going to do it, whether the women like it or not. I'm going to protect them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Vice President Kamala Harris will also be in Arizona and Nevada today. She will be joined later in Las Vegas by the band Mana and Jennifer Lopez. Lopez is one of several celebrities of Puerto Rican descent who have boosted Harris since those garbage comments about Puerto Rico were made at a Trump rally last weekend. On Wednesday, while campaigning in Wisconsin, Harris offered a view in contrast to Trump's claims that he would protect women. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He would ban abortion nationwide, yes, even here in Wisconsin, and he would restrict access to birth control, put IVF treatments at risk, and force states, listen to this, force states to monitor women's pregnancies. Just Google Project 2025.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: All right. Let's bring in our panel now. With us we have Democratic Strategist Julie Roginsky. She is the author, and the co- founder, I should say, of Lift Our Voices, and Lance Trover. He is the former spokesperson for Republican North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum's 2024 presidential campaign. Good to see you both.
But, Lance, let me start with you. Is it counterproductive for Trump to be trying to appeal to women but then say things like that, whether women like it or not, the conversation there? We hear him saying that his advisors literally told him it's probably not a good idea to say things along those lines. What are your thoughts?
LANCE TROVER, FORMER SPOKESPERSON, DOUG BURGUM 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, I think that Donald Trump tries to speak to a broad swath of voters, and you've seen that over the course of the last 48 hours, and by making -- taking these garbage comments and taking them on the road and making viral moments. Look, the last person the Harris campaign wants front and center right now is Joe Biden because he has got a 35 percent approval rating and she is unable to distance herself from them.
I would argue that Donald Trump is making a plea to all voters saying, look, I've been saying this for eight years. The system is rigged against you. People like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris think you're deplorable. People like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris think you're garbage. And the only way to fix this problem is to root out the system in Washington and clean it up. So, I think he just speaks to a broad swath of voters any time he is out there across the country.
SOLOMON: But, Lance, but what about women specifically? And I take your point about the garbage comments, and we're certainly going to circle back to it. But, the comments that I'm going to protect women, whether they like it or not, I mean, do you shake your head? Do you wish maybe he would listen to his advisors and maybe not use that type of language?
TROVER: Look, there are times that Donald Trump uses language. I -- yeah. Obviously, I say that time and again. I wish he would stick to the broader swath of issues. But, I also listened to Kamala Harris saying there that he wants to ban abortion nationwide and that he wants to end all this stuff. That's just not true. He says it time and again. And I think one of the other issues that he focuses on is crime in this country, and that is an issue that both men and women are concerned about. But, yeah, do I wish he would use different language? Of course I would.
But, at the same time, it's Donald Trump, and that's what he does. He speaks in a broader language, but people also understand and know him and know what his core values are, and that he wants to get this economy going.
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He wants to close the border and he wants to get crime under control in this country.
SOLOMON: Julie, Nikki Haley had tried to deliver a similar message to the Trump campaign when she said this on Fox News. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, FORMER U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, this this bromance and this masculinity stuff, I mean, it borders on edgy to the point that it's going to make women uncomfortable. You've got affiliated PACs that are doing commercials about calling Kamala the c-word or you had speakers at Madison Square Garden referring to her and her pimps. That is not the way to win women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: But then, Julie, yesterday, Haley was campaigning in Pennsylvania for the Senate candidate, but she did also say, we must vote for Trump. For the 150,000 Pennsylvania voters who voted for Haley in the primary, what do they do with these messages? What do they do with this?
JULIE ROGINSKY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, & CO-FOUNDER, LIFT OUR VOICES: Well, they look at what Donald Trump just said about wanting to do things to women, whether they like it or not. There is 90 million reasons why he is paying E. Jean Carroll, and it is because he did something to her, whether she liked it or not. Lance brought up crime. You have somebody who is an adjudicated criminal in Donald Trump. You have somebody who is an adjudicated sexual assailant, which a jury of his peers found Donald Trump to be. Whether women liked it or not, he did things to them that they did not like. And he is not just saying, my bad, I learned my lesson. He is actually doubling down and saying he is going to do to the rest of us what he did to her.
SOLOMON: Julie, let me jump in, but I'm going to let you finish your thought after a moment. I want to get to the Vice President Kamala Harris speaking right now in Madison. Let's listen together.
HARRIS: -- and I will be asking three states again today, talking with the American people about the stakes of this election and the opportunity that we, the American people, have to chart a new way forward. I will comment on the former President Donald Trump's remark about women and whether they like it or not. And listen, it's just -- it actually is, I think, very offensive to women in terms of not understanding their agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies.
And this is just the latest on a series of reveals by the former President of how he thinks about women and their agency, whether he has said, as he has, that women should be punished for their choices, whether he has talked about his pride in taking away a fundamental right from women, whether it be how he has actually created a situation in America where now one in three women lives in a Trump abortion banned state and has legal restrictions on the right -- she rightly should have to make decisions about her own body.
The other point I will refer to about in the last many hours is the Speaker's comments about the Affordable Care Act. Look, I have been saying throughout this campaign, be very clear that among the stakes in this election are whether we continue with the Affordable Care Act or not. It has been a part of Donald Trump's agenda. For a very long time, he has made dozens of attempts to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, and now we have further validation of that agenda from his supporter, the Speaker of the House.
And what that would mean for the American people is that farmers -- that insurance companies could go back to a time when they would deny you coverage for health insurance based on pre-existing conditions, pre-existing conditions such as you being a survivor of breast cancer, asthma, diabetes. And what I know is that the American people, regardless of who they are voting for, know the importance of the Affordable Care Act, as it is also called Obamacare, in terms of expanding people's coverage to healthcare. Based on a fundamental principle that I hold deeply, access to healthcare should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it.
So, there is still a lot of work to do. But, each day, I think that there are also indications that we are receiving from my opponent that verify, validate and reinforce the fact that, one, he is not going to be fighting for women's reproductive rights. He does not prioritize the freedom of women and the intelligence of women to make decisions about their own lives and bodies, and healthcare for all Americans is on the line in this election as well. I'll take your questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sam.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh yeah. Since the beginning stages of your campaign, you've described yourself as an underdog. That language has gone from your speech now. Has something changed in how you're feeling?
HARRIS: No. Listen, I am putting it all on the field, and it's going to be a very tight race, and I am running like the underdog, because we are.
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Donald Trump has been running for the last decade. I have been in this race about three and a half months, and the stakes are so high. But, I have been saying for quite some time, regardless of what the polls say, we are going to win. I do believe that, because I do believe that this is a choice about two very different directions for our country, and the choice being offered by Donald Trump is about going backward, about a constant emphasis on degrading the American people in our capacity versus a track that is about bringing the country together.
We have more in common than what separates us, and we should have a plan, which I do, to actually get things done, including bringing down the cost of living for people, investing in our small businesses, expanding access to healthcare, investing in American industries, including the future of American industries, and American workers. So, there you go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you talked about what the former President said, being offensive to women.
HARRIS: I think it is offensive to everybody, by the way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that was my question.
HARRIS: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But, what - the sort of hyper masculinity that he is talking about, do you -- what do you think about it possibly resonating with men and male voters specifically?
HARRIS: You've been following me and you will see that in the tens of thousands of people who attend our rallies, which is an opportunity to talk about the issues, to talk about the future of our country, right, there are men, women, young people, people of every race, every background. One of the points I think that is a point of pride for everyone who attends, and including myself, is that our campaign really is about bringing people together, people of very different and diverse backgrounds around a common theme that is about love of country, defending the Constitution of the United States, and investing in our future, and rejecting the notion that we are divided, or that that should be acceptable, that we would be divided as a nation. So, I'm very proud to have the support of men, women, young people, people of every background.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ebony.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, we know we have five days until the election. How are you going to continue to draw the contrast with former President Donald Trump, specifically with the undecided voters, as the pool is really shrinking now?
HARRIS: I will continue as we will do today, as we did yesterday and so on, to talk with people where they live, so, again, here in Wisconsin, heading to Arizona, heading to Nevada, to talk with people about issues like how we're going to deal with price gouging. Corporate price gouging is a way to deal with grocery costs. How we're going to invest in small businesses and expand access to capital? How I will give first-time homeowners a $25,000 down payment assistance if they are first-time homebuyer to help them get their foot in the door? These are the issues that the American people want to talk about, because these are the issues that affect them. These are the issues they think about when they're sitting at their kitchen table or when they're trying to go to sleep at night.
And what I know is that they want a President of the United States who, as I say, will walk into the Oval Office with a to-do list and not an enemies list. And so, that's what I will continue to do over the course of these next few days, to let folks know that I see them, I hear them, and I'm prepared to address their challenges with a plan that is about getting things done.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Madam Vice President, can you just talk about Hispanics? Can you please just say something about Hispanic voters going into today?
SOLOMON: OK. We've just been listening to Vice President Kamala Harris there speaking in Madison, Wisconsin, speaking primarily in response to Trump's comments that he made, also in Wisconsin, when talking about he would like to protect women, when saying that his advisors suggested that maybe he not use that language, maybe he steer away from that language. He said he will, whether women like it or not. Harris responding, saying she finds it very offensive the fact that President Trump doesn't understand their, their being women, according to Kamala Harris, their agency to make decisions on their own lives, including about their own bodies.
She later said, I think it is offensive for all people, not just women, to be clear. Kamala Harris there making that connection to reproductive rights, the Dobbs decision, and trying to, again, connect that back to her competitor, Donald Trump.
Let's bring back in our panel. Julie, I cut you off there so that we could go to the Vice President. Let me let you finish your thought and react to what we just heard.
ROGINSKY: Well, look, she is not wrong in the sense that you have Donald Trump, who don't forget, at one point in his career, said that women need to be punished, and that's a direct quote, if they access reproductive care, if they access an abortion, women need to be punished. Now, what has happened since he made that quote is that he put people on the Supreme Court who will overturn Roe v. Wade, just as surely as he will sign a federal abortion ban if it lands on his desk, regardless of what he says now.
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And what's going to end up happening is that women across the nation will be suffering what women and one third of the nation suffer today, which is that if they are having a miscarriage and they desperately need to access care to prevent either dying or to prevent themselves from having ramifications that will prevent them from being mothers again, something that they desperately want to be, he will continue down the path of preventing them from accessing that care. That's not hyperbole. That is happening today.
There are women in Georgia. There are women in Texas who have died, and there are countless women who have almost died and are now not able to become mothers, who they so desperately want to be, because of what Donald Trump put into place. And for anybody who thinks that he is not going to repeal Obamacare, which, by the way, if you're a woman, gives you birth control in ways that you were not able to access before, that is now mandate that people are able to access, if they get rid of Obamacare, which they will, you will no longer be able to access that reproductive care.
So, not only are they going to prevent you from doing something that is good for you and not trying to get pregnant, if you don't want to be a mother, but then they will prevent you from becoming a mother again, because they're not going to give you the care that you need if God forbid something happens to you that affects you from becoming a mother once you're pregnant already. That's not hyperbole. They've done it. They've done it. They did it with the Supreme Court. They did it with abortion. They'll do it with Obamacare. Believe what they say, because they have proven that they have done it, and they will do it again more and more and more, and that's the lesson that women need to take into next Tuesday.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And Lance, what's your reaction to what you just heard, and more specifically, to Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who made those comments during that campaign swing in Pennsylvania, that repealing the Affordable Care Act would be part of a pretty aggressive 100-day plan if, in fact, Trump were to win? I mean, it's a program that, according to polling, tends to be pretty popular with a lot of Americans. Just sort of your reaction to what you just heard from Harris there.
TROVER: Well, I read that Johnson clarified his remarks and said they're talking about reforming and not repealing the Affordable Care Act. So, I don't know. Look, this putting words into the mouths of people, he said, they said reforming, and to keep saying that Donald Trump will end all this stuff out there on the -- on women's healthcare, that he is going to ban abortion nationwide and all this stuff, that's just simply not true. It's not what he said. You can keep implying that and taking things from it, what you want from the Dobbs decision, but those are not things that he said. He said he wouldn't pass a national abortion ban. Johnson said he wanted to reform it.
And let's face it. Healthcare costs are high. I don't think you can go to anybody in this country and say that healthcare costs are low. And so, if there are things that needs to be done to lower healthcare costs in this country, I don't think that's a bad thing. My reaction here is, I see what she -- I see what they're trying to do. Donald Trump's advisors told him not to do it. Do I wish he had said something else? Yes. I wish he would had framed it differently.
But, at the same time, the last 24 to 48 hours have been dominated by these garbage comments from the President of the United States. And so, I understand the Harris campaign does not want Joe Biden to be front and center, because if he is, she is going to lose next Tuesday. And so, part of this is straight up politics by creating distractions and getting it off of these garbage comments that the Vice President made the other day, and that's just the politics and how we get in the last five days of a race. But, Donald Trump has had a lot of effect in the last 24 to 48 hours based off of those comments that the President made.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Julie, what do you make? Let's turn back to the map when the former President holds this rally in New York City, obviously a blue city and a blue state, when he goes to New Mexico, when he goes to Virginia. Some might say it's a sign of strength. The campaign feels like they can afford to take their eyes off the battlegrounds and go to some of these other places. How do you see it?
ROGINSKY: I hope he continues to do that. I'm in New York right now. I hope he stays here from now until next Tuesday. I hope he spends time in New Mexico. I hope he goes to Virginia, because where he is not going is the Penn State game, apparently, that's too tough for him to travel to, even though he said he was going to, in a state that actually means something.
And just to clarify, Lance, I believe the Speaker of the House is line in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by the way, was Obamacare is gone. He didn't -- that wasn't -- I don't have to interpret what he said --
(CROSSTALK)
ROGINSKY: -- Obamacare is gone. And by the way, when -- by the way, when Donald Trump was President, he tried. He tried and tried and tried. And the only reason it's not gone today is because John McCain, who is no longer with us, torpedoed the killing of Obamacare. John McCain is not here to stop him anymore. So, it's not like out of nowhere Donald Trump is suddenly going to say, Oh, I'm going to get rid of Obamacare. Why should we believe him or not believe him? Because when he was President, he did everything he could to try, and they don't have a plan.
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I mean, you're talking about that they're going to lower the cost of Obamacare. He was President for four years. He has been in the wilderness for four years. He has got a quote, unquote, "concept of a plan". What's the plan? Because the Democrats have a plan. It's called Obamacare. What is his plan? He doesn't have one. He doesn't have one.
TROVER: Yeah. The Democrats' plan over the last four years has been inflation at 20 percent and a wide open border as well --
ROGINSKY: Inflation is --
TROVER: -- and caused soaring --
(CROSSTALK)
ROGINSKY: Listen. We talked about this yesterday. You want to talk about --
(CROSSTALK)
TROVER: -- this country. Things are on the wrong track.
ROGINSKY: You want to talk about the economy, record growth, record low unemployment. Inflation is way down, I mean, way down. Gas prices are at a three-year low. Inflation is at a three-year low.
TROVER: Julie, does anybody out there -- does anybody go to a grocery store and think that everything is just OK?
ROGINSKY: Has anybody ever --
TROVER: Does anybody go out there to buy a car or to go buy anything to pay their rent and thinks -- that actually believes that?
ROGINSKY: And has anybody --
TROVER: No. Because prices are still high. You can quote statistics all you want, but prices are still through the roof.
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ROGINSKY: You can say they are, but the reality is, A, they're not, and B, when Donald Trump puts in his tariffs, which he said he is going to, 100 percent from China, potentially 100 percent or 60 percent from other countries, I can't wait because his own -- listen, the Peterson Institute's own, these are not liberal think-tanks, have said the average family is going to be paying from the hundreds to the thousands more because of Donald Trump's plan, because of Donald Trump's --
(CROSSTALK)
TROVER: Are you arguing, though, that prices are not through the -- are you saying prices are lower than they were when Joe Biden took office?
ROGINSKY: The last time I filled up my gas tank, it cost me $2.95 in New Jersey, which is not a particularly cheap place to get gas. And I will tell you right now that is a three-year low. I cannot wait.
SOLOMON: Yeah.
(CROSSTALK)
SOLOMON: The national price (ph) for gas has been falling for quite some time.
(CROSSTALK)
SOLOMON: If it's not below $3 a gallon, and it's getting pretty close. We are going to have to leave it here. But, I think both of you make really important points in terms of both the impact of healthcare and the Affordable Care Act, but also the economy. I will say that we got a new inflation report this morning, which showed, on an annual basis, inflation is hovering pretty close to the Fed's two percent target. That is not to say, Lance, that a lot of Americans still don't feel like the prices are high, too high, but in terms of what the data shows, the price rises are sort of cooling.
Great to have both of your spirited debates today. Great to have both of your perspectives. We will leave it here. Julie and Lance, thank you.
ROGINSKY: Thanks.
SOLOMON: All right. And we have team coverage from both campaigns with our team of reporters. We have CNN's Kristen Holmes and Eva McKend.
Eva, you are with the Vice President today. Talk to us a little bit about what we can expect to hear from her today and what's on the agenda.
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: So, Rahel, when President Biden captured Arizona in 2020, he did so by just a little more than 10,000 votes. It was a remarkable feat for a Democrat at the time, hadn't been done since President Clinton in the 1990s.
What we see from the Harris campaign is them very much replicating that winning Biden 2020 multi-racial coalition, so, messaging to Latino voters, to Native American voters. Los Tigres Del Norte, the Mexican band will perform here in Phoenix. She will be joined later in Vegas today by Jennifer Lopez. Core to the argument to these communities is building on an opportunity economy that includes them, and the messaging is very family-centered and oriented. So, she is trying to make a cultural connection there.
But, she is also running on what they will argue is the strength of the argument over reproductive rights. So, we expect to hear a lot of that as well. And then she is also talking about how it's really important for people who support her, her supporters, to band together in the difficult days ahead. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Let's be intentional about building community, and let's be intentional about building coalitions. Let's remember that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us.
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MCKEND: And Rahel, this language about being intentional, about building community, it really struck me as something that you actually often hear from progressive organizers. So, clearly, she is trying to message to that part of the coalition, as well as build on other key aspects as well, like a big push to bring Republicans for Harris into the fold. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. OK. Eva McKend live for us here in Phoenix. Eva, thank you. Let's get over to CNN's Kristen Holmes, who is following the Trump
campaign for us. So, Kristen, Trump's first event today in New Mexico, not exactly considered a battleground. What's the thinking there?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, I mean, I've asked this question 50 times of 50 different people, and they insist to me that there is some kind of internal polling that shows that if something shifts somewhere, Donald Trump could take New Mexico. Now, we have no evidence of any data that looks like that. New Mexico is a traditionally blue state.
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It seems completely out of whack that he -- there is a pathway for him in that state. However, that is the line that they are continually given. And I will note that, on Saturday, he is also going to be in Virginia State. The recent polling shows a huge gap with a lead for Harris. The blue state, it used to be purple, now is mostly leans blue. But, they're still saying they're seeing some kind of movement.
Now, one thing is clear, Donald Trump does feel, and this is him and his campaign, that they do have some momentum in the last two weeks. They were really at a place where they felt like they were stagnant, particularly after Kamala Harris ascended to the top of the ticket, and we saw all that enthusiasm around her. They now feel like they have some momentum going into Election Day. But, that kind of momentum, a kind of momentum that would turn a very blue state into a red state, seems highly unlikely. However, they are visiting the states.
Now, one thing that we've noticed from Donald Trump is that he is going to continue to try to boost the enthusiasm around him, particularly by using President Joe Biden's gaffe, in which he called Trump supporters garbage recently. This is what Donald Trump said last night on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden. Joe Biden should be ashamed of himself if he knows what he is even doing, and she should be ashamed because she shouldn't let him do it. She is the Vice President, but I assume she is acting as the President. She should never have let that happen. I hope you enjoyed this garbage truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Clearly a stunt there, but Donald Trump's campaign does believe that that kind of rhetoric from President Joe Biden could help give people energy to go to the polls, and they have seen some likelihood of that in the past. If you look at what happened in 2016 when Hillary Clinton called his supporters a basket of deplorables, they believe that actually helped boost enthusiasm and get people to vote. So, they're hoping it could do that again this time. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Biden, for his part, says that he wasn't talking about Trump supporters. He was talking about the specific comedian, although it's unclear whether that message, that clarification has really gotten across.
Kristen Holmes, thank you.
All right. Lawyers for Elon Musk have criticized the Philadelphia District Attorney in court today, accusing him of orchestrating what they call a publicity stunt. DA Larry Krasner filed a suit against Musk, alleging that his million dollar a day giveaways to voters in swing states violate Pennsylvania's state law. Musk was ordered to appear in court over an hour ago. He did not show up. Lawyers representing the DA vowed to keep fighting the case.
OK. Let's bring in CNN's Marshall Cohen, who is in Philadelphia following the development. So, Marshall, it seems like this is going to federal court. Walk us through what happened today.
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Rahel. Now we wait to see what a federal judge will do with this case, because Elon Musk filed paperwork overnight to move it from state court to federal court. The practical impact of that legal maneuver was a delay, and this hearing that did take place in state court behind me was short.
But, there was a clash between the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office and Elon Musk's lawyers. The DA team said that it was, quote, "cowardly and irresponsible for Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, to try to avoid showing up and avoid this hearing by moving it into federal court." In response, Musk's attorneys said that this whole thing was a big publicity stunt by the liberal, progressive Democrat District Attorney here, Larry Krasner. They, of course, strongly contest the idea that this is an illegal lottery.
Rahel, the whole situation revolves around a daily giveaway from Elon Musk and his super PAC to registered voters in battleground states. The Justice Department warned already that it might violate state law. The DA here in Philly believes that it violates state law. The Justice Department thinks it might violate federal law. Elon Musk is not backing down, Rahel. Just before the hearing, they announced on their super PAC's page on Twitter or X, they announced another winner, $1 million to a registered voter in North Carolina.
So, while all this wrangling goes on in the courtroom, these lottery winners are still being named, and there is a dwindling number of days, of course, before Election Day next Tuesday. So, it's gummed up in the courts, and Elon Musk continues doing what he wants to do to try to get Donald Trump back in the White House. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. So, he may not be saying a lot, but in essence, he is saying a lot by continuing with the giveaways.
Marshall Cohen, thank you, live for us there in Philadelphia. Good to see you, Marshall.
And still come for us, Israel's military leaders signal their work in Gaza and Lebanon is done. We're going to have more from Tel Aviv straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. Israel's military leaders signaled that the country has achieved all that it can in Lebanon and Gaza, and that it's time for politicians to strike a deal. This comes as two U.S. envoys are expected in Israel today to talk about the situation in Lebanon. Lebanon's Prime Minister says that he is optimistic a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah could be struck in the next few hours or days.
Meanwhile, CIA director Bill Burns and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met to discuss a push for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, as well as the need for humanitarian aid. The visits follow devastating Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and Gaza this week. Lebanon's Health Ministry says that at least 19 people were killed Wednesday near the historic city of Baalbek. The Israeli military says that its forces were targeting command and control centers in its fight against Hezbollah.
In Gaza, meantime, the director of the only operational hospital in the north is urging the international community to act to stop the bombardment after multiple Israeli strikes overnight. UN data shows that aid entering Gaza has fallen to the lowest level since the war began.
Let's get to our Jeremy Diamond, who is live for us in Tel Aviv. So, Jeremy, talk to us about this continue to push towards some sort of ceasefire in the Middle East. What are you hearing?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's clear that U.S. officials are mounting a full court press right now on multiple fronts to try and achieve a ceasefire agreement in -- on two fronts, really. We are looking at both discussions, negotiations that are happening regarding a ceasefire proposal in Gaza, as well as one in Lebanon to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
And that's really where I want to focus our attention, because that is where we have seen the most optimism, the most signs of progress, and the most indications that both sides are interested in actually getting to a ceasefire deal. And a lot of that follows what has really been two months of very intense Israeli airstrikes and the last month of ground operations by the Israeli military inside of Lebanon, which have really dealt blow after blow against Hezbollah, and which seemed to have changed Hezbollah's calculation and also the Israeli government's renewed willingness now following that string of military successes to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has indicated that, whereas in the past, they said you need a ceasefire in Gaza in order to get a ceasefire in Lebanon. Now they appear willing to discuss a ceasefire just in Lebanon. And Israeli officials believe that that has to do with how much Hezbollah has been weakened. And Israeli officials, for their part, they believe that now is the right time to get to a ceasefire following what they have achieved inside of Lebanon and as the ground operation appears to be reaching its conclusion or quite close to it.
And so, as we've seen these meetings today with two top advisors to President Biden, meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, meeting with the Defense Minister and other top Israeli officials, there does appear to be a sense of possibility in the air of actual progress.
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But, as the Israeli Prime Minister's statement following that meeting made clear, he said that the point is not an agreement on paper, but Israel's ability and determination to enforce an agreement and any threat to security from Lebanon, and that is indeed where the details will be important here, and that is to say that Israel wants to enforce Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. That agreement saw Hezbollah withdraw its forces to some 30 kilometers north of the border, and it wasn't supposed to be having forces south of that, but of course, that has happened, and now Israel wants a stronger enforcement mechanism. So, the question is, whether that's something that Hezbollah can agree to and the Lebanese government as well is going to be involved in these discussions.
So, a lot of details to iron out, certainly some progress, but no sense of any kind of imminent agreement.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Lebanese officials at least saying that they're feeling optimistic.
Jeremy Diamond, thank you, live for us in Tel Aviv.
Well, still ahead for us, South Korean ministers are in the U.S. Their meetings with American officials come amid a North Korean missile test and reports of North Korean troops in Ukraine.
We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. And here are some of the international headlines we're watching for you today.
Eastern and southern regions of Spain reeling from the country's worst flooding in decades. The storm began on Tuesday and dropped a year's worth of rain in just hours. Local media say that at least 155 people had died. Rivers burst their banks and muddy water flooded cities and streets, causing widespread damage. The rising water was so strong it even swept vehicles away. Crews are still working to find the dozens of people who are still missing.
Now to Taiwan, where one person was killed and dozens more injured after Typhoon Kong-Rey slammed into the southeastern coast earlier. The storm kicked up massive waves, heavy rains and high winds. It is the largest storm to hit the island in nearly three decades. A 56- year-old woman in a car was killed by a falling tree. Taiwan's weather agency has issued its highest level rainfall alert for parts along the island's eastern coast.
And the U.S. and South Korea held joint military exercises Thursday, involving more than 100 aircrafts. Seoul's Defense Ministry said that the maneuvers were in direct response to North Korea's latest missile launch. The North says that it tested an ICBM earlier today in what's believed to have been the longest flight time yet for North Korea's missile program. It comes just days ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
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And South Korea's Defense Minister is in the U.S. and is warning that it is, quote, "very likely that North Korea will ask Russia for advanced technology relating to nuclear weapons." "This would come in exchange", he said, "for the deployment of Pyongyang's troops to assist Russia in Ukraine." Now, there are reports that a small number of North Korean troops are already inside of Ukraine, and the U.S. says that thousands are training in Russia.
Let's bring in Oren Liebermann, who is live for us at the Pentagon. So, talk to us, Oren, about what's on the agenda today with this meeting of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and South Korea's ministers.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll hear from them in just a couple of hours here with a press conference from Austin, Blinken and their South Korean counterparts. We got a bit of a taste of that with a press conference yesterday from Austin, there you see it on your screen, and Minister Kim, his South Korean counterpart, the Defense Minister there. And we saw an expansion of the cooperation that we would expect to see in technology, in military, larger-scale exercises, and perhaps you got a bit of that with the large-scale aerial exercise between the U.S. and South Korea that we saw in response to the North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
So, if that was military focus, now we can expect to see that expansion in the diplomatic realm, as we have Blinken and his South Korean counterpart joining here. We can also perhaps expect to see the U.S. be a bit more forward-leaning on North Korean troops here. So far, it's been the South Koreans and the Ukrainians sort of leading the way here. They said there were thousands of North Korean troops training in Russia, perhaps being deployed or preparing to deploy to Ukraine. The U.S. took a bit longer to get there and a bit longer to be sort of open and public with their information.
So, we'll see if those discussions over the course of the past 24 hours have led the U.S. to go farther there. That's something the U.S. and South Korea have watched very closely. They have shared intelligence on that matter. And soon, Rahel, we'll see if they're willing to say more with a press conference here that we should expect shortly.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Oren, keep us posted. But, as we're looking at this video, talk to us a little bit about what we just saw there, this news, and we've been talking about it now, Oren, for a few days now but -- of North Korean troops training in Russia. What's the latest on what we've learned about that?
LIEBERMANN: So, again, the U.S. has been quite slow here. Last week, it was 3,000. Then suddenly this week, the U.S. was willing to say that it's 10,000 North Korean troops that are in eastern Russia training, wearing there, and you can see that Russian equipment and then moving towards western Russia. That is towards the battlefield in Ukraine.
According to Western intelligence officials, a small number of North Korean troops are already in Ukraine. The Pentagon said earlier this week there are a number of those in the Kursk region of Russia. That's where Ukraine had a successful offensive. It was able to seize some Russian territory there. The question, do they essentially simply become bodies in Russia's war? Are they all destined to be deployed to Ukraine? And that's something the U.S. and South Korea are watching very closely.
One of the other questions, of course, is, what does North Korea get in return? And that's where South Korea's Defense Minister said yesterday, it is, quote, "very likely that in exchange for bodies to feed Russia's war, that Russia would be willing to provide North Korea with technology, for example, on nuclear weapons." That's where North Korea has tried to make advances on satellite technology and other areas where Russia has the ability to provide, is that sort of information, those sort of capabilities, to North Korea. And that, Rahel, would sort of mimic the agreement we've seen between Iran and Russia, and that's where Iran provides ballistic missiles and drones to Russia. In exchange, Russia provides critical weapons technology.
SOLOMON: OK. Keep us posted on what comes of today's press conference. Oren Liebermann, thank you.
And coming up for us, it's a huge issue for voters. So, what do the U.S. presidential candidates plan to do about the economy? Both Harris and Trump have pitched ideas. But, of course, the devil, as they say, is in the details. We're going to break down their proposals just ahead.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. Let's take a look at the markets in the U.S. right now. The Dow is actually solidly lower, off about eight tenths of a percent, or 350 points, perhaps on the back of earnings, because we've actually gotten some pretty good economic data this week. This is on the heels of that brand new inflation data report. That's out this morning. So, this is a report known as the Personal Consumption Expenditures or the PCE price index. It's the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, and it showed this morning that inflation cooled even more in the month of September, which likely still advise more interest rate cuts.
And of course, we're just days away from the U.S. election, and one of the biggest concerns facing voters is the state of the economy and what the candidates are proposing and how it impacts them.
Joining us to discuss all of this is Justin Wolfers. He is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Justin, great to have you. I always love reading your insights online.
I want to start with the Harris endorsement from The Economist, pretty stinging rebuke out this morning. I'm going to read it for you in part. So, on Trump's economic plans, they say "These policies would be inflationary, potentially setting up a conflict with the Federal Reserve. They would risk igniting a trade war that would ultimately impoverish America. The combination of inflation, out-of-control deficits and institutional decay would bring forward the day when foreigners worry about lending the U.S. Treasury unlimited money."
Justin. It doesn't get more dire than that on the economy. What are your thoughts? Is that too strong? Do you agree? Where do you land on this?
JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROF. OF ECONOMICS & PUBLIC POLICY, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN: Well, it's important to note that endorsement and description comes from The Economist newspaper, which is historically both conservative and libertarian. And I think actually real conservatives, conservatives that believe in the value of American institutions, like the rule of law, conservatives that don't want to see our economy run out of the White House, they would be -- it's a strange world we're in, but that kind of conservative should be all for Kamala Harris, because Trump wants to put his big footprint all over the economy in ways that would centralize power out of the White House and in ways that we've seen tried and failed by many, many strong men in the past.
SOLOMON: So, Justin, how would you, if you were at a cocktail party and someone wanted the sort of cocktail party version of the different proposals, how would you describe and compare the two?
WOLFERS: Let's talk about the tax plans. It's how it affects most people's pocketbooks directly. An amazing fact about the Trump tax plan, he talks a lot about how he is cutting taxes, and he may well get less revenue, but it turns out, he manages to cut total revenues, while the most calculations actually raising the taxes paid by 95 percent of all Americans. It's the richest five percent who get a tax cut. But, in fact, everyone else is going to pay higher taxes. You might say, how does that work out? It's because what he is proposing is very sharp cuts in income tax for the wealthy paid for by a tariff hike, and a tariff hike hits everyone who spends money, the working class, the middle class and the wealthy in roughly equal measure.
Now, the Harris tax plan is, in fact, the mirror image. Almost everyone ends up with higher income paying lower taxes in the poorest 95 percent of the distribution, but actually there are some people who are going to end up paying higher taxes. That's the richest five percent. And so, really the question is, which group are you in, and that will help you figure out which candidate is going to deliver you a tax cut?
SOLOMON: And Justin, what about -- let's circle back to the tariffs and the potential inflationary impact of tariffs, or the inflationary impact of some of his proposals. What do you say to Trump supporters who hear that and say, and often do, that there wasn't inflation when Trump was in office the first time? Why would there be a difference in a future term?
WOLFERS: Yeah. So, first of all, there was inflation during the first Trump term.
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And secondly, what Trump did in the first term was a few targeted tariffs, steel, aluminum, washing machines. If you actually look at the prices of those goods, those rose very, very sharply as a result of tariffs. What Trump is describing this time is completely different. He is saying, we want tariffs on everything, whether it's strategically important or not, whether it comes from our allies or from our enemies, whether it's something we could produce in America or not. For instance, we don't grow any coffee here. These tariffs aren't going to bring coffee growing onshore to the United States. All they're going to do is raise the price of your cup of joe.
So, it's a different tariff plan. It's much broader, and that's what leads to these very big and very distinct effects. The average family stands to lose round about $3,000 as a result of this tariff plan.
SOLOMON: What about on home affordability, Justin, which, as you know, is a major problem for a lot of people? It's not a new problem. It's a problem, you could argue, is more than a decade in the making. On Harris' proposal, we heard her talk about it actually just about within the hour while she was in Wisconsin, about down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, saying that she would offer that program, obviously, if it can get through. But, Justin, critics say that's making the problem worse, because you're driving up demand when it's actually inventory that's the issue when it comes to the housing market, but there just aren't enough homes, which is part of the reason. What do you say to that?
WOLFERS: The thing I like about the Harris plan is actually the part that addresses supply. So, she has a plan to create three million new apartments. The problem with apartments or houses, the problem that we have right now is we're not building affordable housing. And so, she is putting in place a bunch of incentives in order to do that. So, her plan is actually in two stages. Stage one, build the new apartments. Stage two, once you've built them, then try and enhance affordability for working and middle class Americans.
SOLOMON: And then lastly, Justin, just because we got PCE today, we had GDP yesterday, we're obviously going to get the jobs report tomorrow, you have economists now saying that the Federal Reserve did it, that they pulled off the soft landing, which, if memory serves me correctly, I think the Fed has only pulled off once or twice before. Certainly, correct me if I'm wrong. There was some debate about how many times they've been able to do it before. But, in any event, they did it, and yet, a lot of folks still feel like the economy is just not working, or they feel like the country is on the wrong path. And I'm just curious how you reconcile both of these things as someone who actually sort of digs into the numbers. I mean, how do you see this? WOLFERS: Like, first of all, let's just celebrate Crikey (ph). We did it. We pulled off the soft landing. We're at a point that unemployment is near a 50-year low. GDP is at the highest level of it's ever been. Inflation is back to two percent. That's a sweet set of numbers. How are people feeling about it, though? It turns out you get very different answers if you ask different questions. If you ask people, how are you doing? How is your family doing? It turns out most people actually are getting real wage rises. They understand they have job security. Lots of people have moved into better jobs, and they say, yeah, I'm doing OK.
It's only when you ask the question, how do you think the economy is doing, that people sound more miserable? And there, I think what's happening is partisanship has led people to no longer think how is the economy doing, but rather to say, does this favor my side of politics or the other side of politics? And so, the reality is, when you talk about their budget, they feel like they're doing OK.
SOLOMON: Yeah. It's really interesting. I think that this is, and certainly maybe this is just because I'm a business reporter, I think this is going to be a period that we really study and talk about for years to come, because not only did we have, obviously, the historic inflation, but just the impact and the perception of it has just been really -- it's just been really interesting to watch.
Justin Wolfers, great to have your perspectives and insights today. Thank you.
WOLFERS: A pleasure.
SOLOMON: All right. Coming up for us, the Dodgers likely still celebrating after last night's championship win. Find out how things went from bad to good for LA, and good to bad for the Yankees.
We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: And before we go, one more thing.
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SOLOMON: The LA Dodgers are Major League Baseball's World Series champions. You can see the trophy they won, and the champagne popping during the locker room celebration. Last night, in game five, the Dodgers rallied when they were behind the New York Yankees by five runs. The Bronx Bombers made a few errors, allowing the Dodgers to start their comeback, and in the end, LA won seven to six. This was the biggest comeback for a team to win the World Series in baseball history, and the eighth world title for the Dodgers. I think it was a good game. It looks like it was a good series. We know your time is money. So, thank you for spending some time with
me today. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next.
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