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CNN This Morning

Iowa Poll Shifts In Favor Of Harris, Race Still Too Close To Call There; Harris In Michigan After Surprise SNL Appearance; Harris Focuses On Grocery Costs, Housing, Small Businesses In Final Push For Votes; Harris Visited North Carolina, Georgia To Shore Up Support, Draw Contrast With Trump; Harris Paints Trump As Unstable And Focused On Vengeance; Harris' Unity Message Focused On Coalition Of Democrats, Independents And Republicans; Harris' Ad Blitz To Include Closing Ad To Air During Sunday NFL Games; Trump Focuses On Drawing Turnout In Must-Win States Of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia; Trump's Strategy Centers On Turnout, Not Any Overarching Theme; Saturday Was Last Day Of Early Voting In North Carolina; National Guard On Standby For Possible Election Unrest; Biden Makes Final Campaign Push For VP Harris. U.S. Intelligence Ties Voter Fraud Videos To Russian Troll Group; U.S. Intelligence Ties GA Voter Fraud Video To Russian Group; Harris, Trump Fiercely Battling For Latino Voters; Who Should Be The CNN Hero Of The Year? Aired 6-7a ET

Aired November 03, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:35]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: You know what the music means. We are getting down to the wire. Good morning and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND. It's Sunday, November 3rd. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Down to the wire as in two days from now, Election Day. I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

And this just in, a slew of new polls from "The New York Times" gives us a better picture of where the race stands. Forty-eight hours out from Election Day, the poll shows no clear leader in almost every battleground state.

In Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, the numbers are tied. Arizona is the only battleground state where there is a clear leader and that is Donald Trump, barely edging out Harris, 48 percent to 44.

BLACKWELL: Meanwhile, an interesting twist in Iowa. A new poll there shows no clear leader with Harris holding Trump at a 47-44 advantage. That same poll had Trump up over Harris by four points in September. Trump carried Iowa in both 2016 and 2020.

WALKER: Today, it is a battleground barnstorm. Harris will be in Michigan while her running mate Tim Walz is visiting Georgia and North Carolina today. Trump will be in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia. While J.D. Vance will be in North Carolina, Pennsylvania then New Hampshire. Hope you're keeping up. Trump and Harris spent Saturday hot on the trail as well. Both hitting locations in Georgia and North Carolina. Now, Harris took a brief break from the campaign trail last night making a stop in New York City for an appearance on "Saturday Night Live."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYA RUDOLPH, COMEDIAN: Now, Kamala, take my palm-ala. The American people want to stop the chaos and end the drama-la with a cool new step-mamala, get back in our pajama-las and watch a rom-com-ala.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Like Legally Blonde-ala.

RUDOLPH: And start decorating for Christmas, fa-la-la-la-la. Because what do we always say?

HARRIS: Keep calm-ala and carry on-ala.

RUDOLPH: Keep calm-ala and carry on-ala.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: A bit of advice from Kamala to Kamala. Afterward, Harris called the appearance fun.

You know, remember, former President Trump did -- he did not make an appearance this year but he did host the show back in 2015 ahead of the 2016 presidential election. All right. Amara said it, 48 hours until Election Day. Vice President Harris is back in battleground Michigan where the race, as we just showed you, is deadlocked.

WALKER: CNN's Eva McKend spoke exclusively with Harris before her rally in Georgia where the vice president tried to stress the point that voters' concerns are high on her priority list.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: I will be there with my to-do list, working on behalf of the American people to bring down the cost of living, to bring down the cost of groceries and housing, invest in small businesses, invest in young American families. That's the work I plan to do and that's the work that the American people deserve in their president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: CNN White House correspondent Priscilla Alvarez has more now on her message in the final days of the election.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Vice President Kamala Harris brought her closing pitch to battleground North Carolina on Saturday where she stressed her campaign's theme of unity but also cast former President Donald Trump as increasingly unstable and consumed by revenge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: This is not someone who is thinking about how to make your life better. This is someone who is increasingly unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and the man is out for unchecked power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, North Carolina polls have shown that race remains deadlocked between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. But senior campaign officials over the course of this election cycle have been saying that they are remaining on this state hoping that they can turn it after North Carolina has voted for Republicans in the last three presidential elections.

So, the message of the vice president was bringing to North Carolina again was one -- trying to say -- trying to convey to voters that her campaign can appeal to Democrats, Independents and Republicans.

[06:05:00]

Now, the campaign is also launching a campaign ad, its closing ad, that will also focus on unity. That is going to run during Sunday NFL games, and it will book what was a $370 million paid media campaign. Again, the closing days of the election meant by the campaign to both mobilize voters but also to reach those voters who are still undecided. Victor, Amara.

WALKER: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you. Now, former President Trump is going all in on the must-win states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia as Election Day approaches.

BLACKWELL: Now, the strategy focuses on those states because they offer the largest electoral prizes among the battleground states. CNN's reporter Alayna Treene is in North Carolina.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Victor and Amara, Donald Trump with just three days left until Election Day spent his Saturday at three different rallies and three different cities. Two of which were in North Carolina. One was in Salem, Virginia.

But look, his entire closing argument and the main goal for the Trump campaign which has three days left to go out is all about turnout. They recognize that at this point being so close to Election Day that there's really no overarching message that is going to change the game. Instead, they really need to convince people to get out there and vote. And that's what he did.

Especially in North Carolina on Saturday was the last day for North Carolina to vote early. And we have seen more than 4 million people in this state voted early by that deadline on Saturday. So, a huge turnout. And Donald Trump touted that and also continue to encourage his supporters to get out to the polls on Tuesday.

But look, one thing I want to address is something we've seen in the early voting data. And that is the consistent, you know, challenges that Donald Trump is facing when it comes to the gender gap. Now, it's no secret that over the last several months Donald Trump has really struggled and has been unable to solve for the fact that many woman voters, female voters, largely favor Kamala Harris.

It's something he has complained about on stage. He has argued he doesn't understand it. And he did the same thing today at the first stop in Gastonia, North Carolina. Listen to how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And these horrible people back there said, well, Trump is soft with women. I don't believe I'm soft with -- they said Trump is -- he's very good with men.

I don't know. Thank you, men. Thank you, men. No, I'm through the roof with men.

She ain't got you those men. Let me tell you. No, I'm great with men but I'm sort of like soft with women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Victor and Amara, one thing I consistently hear in my conversations with Donald Trump's advisers is that they acknowledge privately that they don't think that women like Donald Trump's rhetoric but they do believe he should be able to win them over on the policies particularly issues like the economy and immigration.

Particularly they bring up to me all the time this line about trying -- and vowing to have men no longer be allowed to play in women's sports. All to say Donald Trump has consistently had a problem with rhetoric. And we kind of saw that on display on Saturday.

At one point, when Donald Trump at his Greensboro rally when he was mocking Kamala Harris and at one point claimed that she had not worked at McDonald's, a supporter in the crowd began screaming, she worked on a corner. Now, the crowd started laughing at that. Donald Trump smiled and pointed.

And then he said, this is amazing, isn't it? This place is amazing. And then he added, they said it, I didn't.

So, that's the kind of language, I think, that really turns off a lot of these women, suburban mothers, that the campaign has been targeting. Now, one other thing I just want to bring up quickly is that I did catch up with Donald Trump's campaign -- campaign, excuse me, campaign adviser Jason Miller earlier in the evening. And he essentially told me that the Trump campaign right now as they're looking at this early voting data, looking at the turnout, they're encouraged by two things.

One is that Black voters are not turning out as much as they had anticipated. They argue that's a good thing given that Kamala Harris is better with Black voters in this country. The other thing they argued is that they believe that men -- the turnout for men who are voting right now is so bad for Harris that actually Donald Trump is doing better with women than Harris is going with men.

We'll see. This is the type of, you know, preelection day spin you're going to hear from both campaigns. So, you know, take it with a gain of salt. But that is what they're currently arguing with just three days to go. Victor, Amara.

WALKER: Alayna Treene, thank you very much. Joining me now is Axios congressional reporter Stephen Neukam, and CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer. Welcome to you both, gentlemen.

Julian, let's start with you. And this final set of polls that just came out from "The New York Times" and Siena College, and what we're learning here is that Harris is showing new strength in North Carolina. She is narrowly ahead in Nevada and Wisconsin.

[06:10:01]

Where we do see a clear leader, though, is in Arizona with Trump 48 percent, and Harris 44 percent. Obviously, very tight races in Michigan, Geogia, and Pennsylvania. Julian, what does this say about the ground game for both campaigns in these last couple of days?

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it says as we expect, the ground game is really the central game. The SNL appearances, the rallies, all of that is very important at this stage. But it really comes down to the volunteers who are knocking on doors, who are getting the message out to vote, to making sure people have a voting plan.

Both parties have different infrastructures but, I think, that is going to matter. When you are at 50/50-ish in all of these states it is about turnout. So, that's where the parties are focusing most of their energy right now.

WALKER: And, Julian -- and, Stephen, I do want you to get on this as well. But, Julian, also this new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll showing Harris now

with 47 percent support, Trump 44 percent among likely voters.

Yes, there is a three-point lead but it's within the margin of error. So, there is no clear leader there. But if you look at the Iowa poll in September, Trump had a four-point lead over Harris. So, it does suggest a shift towards Harris, thanks to women and apparently independents favoring Harris. How do you read this, Julian?

ZELIZER: Well, I read it -- we will assume it's relatively accurate. It's a very good poll. It's only one poll. But that particular constituency, older independent women, are very important not just in Iowa but in states like Wisconsin. And the campaign has been making great efforts to reach out to this constituency.

I think the constituency is not just responding to the former president's rhetoric but also to policies like reproductive rights. So, the question for the campaign, does this also translate into some of the core states where they're competing? And this, obviously, would be a good sign, a good tea leaf for the Harris campaign. WALKER: Stephen, what are your thoughts on these latest polls in these battleground states, and also in Iowa which is not a battleground? It is a state that Trump won twice.

STEPHEN NEUKAM, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, AXIOS: Yes. We're getting a surprise battleground state this time around in Iowa. If we take the latest poll to heart -- look, I think that when we talk about the issue of reproductive rights that is one that not only the Harris campaign has focused on but every Democratic campaign, almost every Democratic campaign across the map including the Senate races.

If you look at the Senate races in Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, the number one message has been abortion rights and reproductive rights. And we saw in the middle of the campaign Republicans, on both the Senate side and former President Trump, tried to find their footing talking about how this is a state's right issue, that it is no longer at the federal level.

It seems like that was not the message that resonated with voters. And they've still consistently had trouble trying to find their footing on this. I think two days out we can say that they did not find their footing on it. I don't think they're going to find the message in next 48 hours that sort of calms the nerves of some of those voters. So, I think that that is one of the strategic issues that Republicans have sort of stepped on a rake on over the last year.

WALKER: Stephen, Alayna Treene mentioned earlier some of the things that were said in Trump's North Carolina rally on Saturday. In his speech he addressed woman, repeatedly called himself the father of fertilization, promised that he will protect women, and he also falsely claimed that Harris never worked at a McDonald's. And then he praised a rally goer who shouted Harris worked on a corner. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: She never worked there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She worked on a corner.

TRUMP: But I did -- I did a little bit. This place is amazing. Just remember, it's other people saying it. It's not me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Stephen, to your point about Republicans struggling to gain footing and traction with the message. I mean, is Trump trying to court woman in this final stretch as we know even though he has, you know, a big gap with women voters?

NEUKAM: I think, certainly the campaign is and a lot of the candidates across the map are. But we also know that former President Trump is sort of historically an undisciplined candidate especially at -- in these rally settings.

[06:15:05] Sort of, you know, shooting from the hip and sort of letting things come -- letting things go as the rally goes on. And I think that when you get into these rally settings, yes, it's a little bit like you're in the pull of everybody who supports you. But while they might get to cheer at a rally it's not something that appeals more broadly to the type of voters that you need to win in places like Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. So, I think that, yes, it's a strategic failure from the Trump campaign, and Republicans at large to just not be able to find a consistent message on reproductive rights.

WALKER: Julian, we were showing Vice President Harris making that surprise last minute appearance on "Saturday Night Live" last night. Obviously, Harris is trying to reach voters who, you know, don't typically follow politics or traditional media. But -- I mean, it's happening just two days, you know, before the election. Was this an effective move, you think, by Harris so close to the election?

ZELIZER: I think it helps. It's not simply the appearance. It's replaying the appearance. I think a key part of this campaign for Harris and Walz has been to keep media attention on their message rather than on the former president who is very good at consuming attention.

And so, an appearance like this which today will be discussed gets you about 24 hours of coverage of Harris, showing her lighter side, showing a humorous side, showing a kind side. And they want to contrast that with the kinds of, you know, rally messages and interactions that you're hearing from Trump.

So, I think it's effective. Again, it comes down to the ground game. Now, that's going to be the key. But this certainly doesn't hurt at all.

WALKER: Julian Zelizer, Stephen Neukam, thank you both. And be sure to tune in for CNN's special coverage of "ELECTION NIGHT IN AMERICA." It starts Tuesday, 4:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: It could be the last time we see President Biden on the campaign trail this election season. We'll show the heartfelt homecoming he received in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was, of course, campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris.

And a new word of warning about online misinformation from top election officials in one of the battleground states. You'd want to stay with us for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:22:04]

BLACKWELL: National Guard troops are on standby in several states for potential unrest on and after Election Day. Two of the states stepping up security are Washington and Oregon. Now, you might remember the police in those states they're still looking for the man they say set ballot drop boxes on fire. Hundreds of ballots were damaged, are destroyed in those fires. The security around Washington, D.C., is also being increased. Police Chief Pamela Smith says more than 3,000 officers will be working 12- hour shifts.

Now, with two days left before the election, President Biden may have given his final campaign push for Vice President Harris.

WALKER: Speaking to voters in Pennsylvania he let loose suggesting he'd smack macho guys, referring to former President Donald Trump. CNN's senior White House producer Betsy Klein is following this. Betsy, what should we take away from this final stump?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, as you mentioned, Amara, it was vintage Biden, and a homecoming of sorts for the president in Scranton. That's the town where he spent much of his childhood, and also where he closed out his 2020 presidential campaign, but returning there on Saturday for what was likely the final political appearance of his 2024 cycle.

That has been a rare political appearance since he dropped out of the race in July. He has only held seven political appearances rather opting to travel to battleground states for official White House events to highlight some of his accomplishments. And that is by design in part to give Vice President some space to define herself and her candidacy. And also, because he remains unpopular and he is prone to gaps as we saw just this week when he appeared to call supporters of former President Trump garbage.

But President Biden and his allies and advisers believe he still hold sway in battleground Pennsylvania particularly among White voters, older voters, and blue-collar voters. And he made an argument to those who may still be on the fence about Vice President Harris saying that she shares his values, and then making this very personal appeal. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, we've asked a lot of each other, you and I, unions and me. I ask you one more thing. I'm asking your support for Kamala and Tim Walz.

I'm not just asking it for me. I'm going to be gone. I'm asking you to do something for yourself and your families, for the people you grew up with, the neighborhoods you come from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, President Biden so much is at stake for him on Tuesday with this election because former President Trump has vowed to dismantle key pieces of his accomplishments if he is elected to a second term. And President Biden warned on Saturday that Trump would get rid of the Affordable Care Act, that he would dismantle the CHIPS and Science bill, the domestic semi-conductor manufacturing bill that he worked so hard to champion. And he also asked those attendees to consider, quote, "what will happen if you trade in my administration for his." [06:25:07]

And he critically implored them to call their friends, call their neighbors in these crucial final days.

WALKER: For President Biden it's also about his legacy. Betsy Klein, thank you so much. Well, election lies are spreading like wildfire on some of the most popular online platforms. What the Department of Homeland Security is doing to counter these claims.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Here in Georgia, election officials are continuing to battle misinformation spreading on social media. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger recently released a statement debunking a viral video circulating online that purportedly showed a Haitian immigrant with multiple Georgia IDs claiming that he illegally voted. U.S. intelligence officials have pointed the finger at Russian influence actors as the creator of the false video and also issued a stark warning that more is coming.

CNN's Rafael Romo joining me now with more on this.

I mean, this is another job that --

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Yes.

WALKER: -- election officials have to deal with, not just administering an election, but also debunking these lies.

ROMO (on-camera): Yes, that's right. And you may remember 2016, it happened 2020 again. And based on what we've seen so far, it may be even worse. And there's been at least two incidents in the last three days regarding election disinformation.

And according to U.S. officials, both are tied to Russia. The most recent one pertains a video circulating on social media claiming the FBI had apprehended three link groups committing ballot fraud and another one relating to second gentleman Doug Emhoff. The FBI is now saying in a statement that, these videos are not authentic, are not from the FBI, and the content they depict is false. A U.S. official later told CNN that FBI investigators believe the videos are of Russian origin.

And this comes on the heels of another video, the one you were mentioning before, Amara, that surfaced on Thursday, purportedly showing a Haitian immigrant claiming he voted several times for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told CNN Friday night the video is obviously fake. Raffensperger later said the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Georgia state officials that the video originated in Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRAD RAFFENSPERGER, (R) GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: We looked at it, like very quickly we realized it was fake. And then very quickly we came to the conclusion it came from a Russian origin. Today says the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that, that it was, you know, came from Russia. But people don't come here and get papers, citizenship papers, in six months.

And in Georgia we have a robust citizenship verification, and you don't get your driver's license, you certainly don't get two driver's licenses with the same name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO (on-camera): In addition to the FBI, the U.S. intelligence community has released a joint statement saying Russia is behind a series of recent election disinformation videos and warned that more fake videos are on the way. This judgment is based on information available to the intelligence community and prior activities of other Russian influence actors, including videos and other disinformation activities.

The statement from U.S. intelligence says this is not the first time it's happened. U.S. officials also say Russia was behind efforts to meddle in American democracy in at least the last two presidential elections.

So, you've got to be very careful out there what you look at and also what you repost, because a lot of people are reposting these videos and not really verifying whether they're legitimate or not.

WALKER: And keep in mind that the U.S. intelligence has warned that Russia would be stepping up, having more sophisticated efforts to meddle in the 2020 election.

Rafael Romo, very important stuff. Thank you so much.

Victor?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's talk more about this with Brandon Wales. He's the former executive director of the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency. We often use that acronym CISA.

Brandon, good morning to you. CNN has reporting that there are some security experts who are frustrated that CISA is not doing all that it could do, all that it did in 2020 to combat some of this, despite the warning about coming Russia disinformation campaign. So why back off? Why not go full bore now?

BRANDON WALES, FMR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CISA: So first, really happy to be here and talk about this topic. It's obviously an important one just several days before the election. But I think I would disagree with the premise that the government is not doing enough, including CISA. I think as you just reported, there has been a series of disclosures by the U.S. government highlighting where Russian disinformation operators are putting false information about the election into the information environment in the United States, amplifying it. Several announcements from the intelligence community, CISA and the FBI, saying this was Russia.

And so, having been at the agency during the 2020 election, working hard on that one, I can say from what I can see from the outside and what I saw just a few months ago when I was still there, the U.S. government is operating kind of all hands-on deck to address the concerns around this election, including disinformation.

BLACKWELL: One of the examples that these critics, and I shouldn't call them critics, they are just frustrated with what they're seeing that they point to, is that a website that was maintained during 2020 up to date about some of the threats that are coming is not updated as often. The CISA director says that it's not her job to police political speech on social media.

[06:35:01]

So, what is the line? How far should they go, especially on sites like X, where a lot of the, or some of the disinformation is coming from the site's owner, Elon Musk?

WALES: So, I think you need to look at it in terms of where is the federal government best suited to speak on these issues? Where can it best provide its information? And where is it seen as a real trusted source of unique information? When it comes to the activities of foreign countries, the federal government often has the best information based upon the information it collects from the intelligence community and other sources. It can say, that was Russia, they're amplifying this information, and you should understand that before you amplify it.

In a lot of other cases, what the federal government is doing is pointing to the state and local officials who have better information on the actual conduct of the election and on allegations made in very specific jurisdictions. And so, as you just reported, Brad Raffensperger, the Secretary of State of Georgia, came out very quickly and said, no, the video reporting to be non-citizens voting is untrue. Here is what we do at our state level to protect and prevent that from happening.

And I think what you hear from the federal government repeatedly is, go to the trusted source for information. And for the most part, that is likely to be a state and local official who have the best and unique insights into what is happening. And the federal government will lend its voice when it has unique information. And I think that is the right balance between the federal government and state and local governments.

BLACKWELL: Of course, we're just, as we've said all morning, two days away from the starting of the counting of the votes election day, although tens of millions of people have already voted. The concern now is after the election for so many, after what we saw in 2020 and the disinformation about the lies about a stolen election. What are you looking for in the hours and days after the election from Russia and other nefarious actors? WALES: So, we're already seeing a flood of disinformation and the videos that have come out in the past few days just reinforce that. But I do think that the period after the election, when tensions are likely to be the highest, when their ballots are still being counted or there are recounts in place, particularly in this kind of closed election, we are going to be really susceptible to foreign adversaries trying to exploit our divisions and to really amplify and sow discord inside the United States.

And so, I do think that the period after the election is the one where we're going to see probably the largest amount and the most focused efforts. And wherever those tensions run high between Americans, we will see foreign adversaries attempting to make those divisions worse.

BLACKWELL: All right, Brandon Wales, former executive director of CISA. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

WALKER: A diverse demographic could help decide who wins the White House. Straight ahead, we're going to go in depth on the impacts of an estimated 36 million Latino voters, we'll have on the election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:42:59]

WALKER: In these final days before election day both campaigns have been focused on turning out the vote from a key voting bloc, Latino voters. Their support will be crucial in getting to the White House for both candidates. That's particularly true in states like Arizona and Nevada where these communities make up around 30 percent of the population.

Joining me now is Bernard Fraga. He's a professor of political science at Emory University. He's also the author of the Turnout Gap Race Ethnicity and Political Inequality in Diversing -- Diversifying America.

Bernard, it's great to have you in studio. Thank you so much for your time this morning.

BERNARD FRAGA, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Thank you.

WALKER: Look, they're an estimated 36 million eligible Latino voters in this country and you believe that the damage has been done following those really insulting comments by that comedian about Puerto Rico at the Madison Square Garden rally. Do you think it will impact the election?

FRAGA: Well, I think that Latino voters no matter what we're poised to impact the election. They're nearly 40 million eligible Latino voters in the U.S. The vast majority of Latinos in the U.S. are also citizens, but the comedian last week making a statement calling Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage really hit the Latino community hard including Puerto Ricans who are a large share of the population and other groups too who feel like it's a continuation of Trump's attacks on Latino voters.

WALKER: So, if you think that, you know, that we may see the impact at the polls. If you look at the latest New York Times/Siena College Polling that just came out it's a final set. It does actually show that Trump is now leading in Arizona, Arizona one of the states that has a large Hispanic population. What do you make of that?

FRAGA: So, I think what you're seeing right now is the continuation of a trend we saw in 2020. Trump lost the 2020 election, but did better made gains among Latino voters better than any other racial and ethnic subgroup. And I think right now we're seeing some consolidation of that support, Latinos who support Trump supported him in 2020 are already very, very enthusiastic and may have already voted in some of those states.

[06:45:06]

WALKER: I mean, and Hispanic voters, with all ethnic groups, were not all one-issue voters, but can you talk about the inroads and how Trump has been able to make inroads with Latino voters? I mean, more than, he's doing better with this group than any Republican presidential nominee since George W. Bush in 2004.

FRAGA: Well, I think it's mostly about the economy. For Latino voters, like all Americans, the economy, prices, inflation, cost of housing, these are critical issues. And Trump has been talking about the economy with Latino voters. The problem is when he gets distracted talking about other issues and making attacks on subgroups, he's going to lose Latino support.

WALKER: OK. And I, you know, was speaking with a gentleman yesterday who's covering North Carolina, a very important battleground state there. And he was talking, he covers Latino vote. And he was saying that they're actually seeing a pretty low voter turnout in the Latino community. I think there was a lot of talk about perhaps those comments at Madison Square Garden might mobilize a community, at least in turning out. Why haven't we seen that, at least in a state where, you know, it's so close, like North Carolina?

FRAGA: Well, Latino voter turnout is generally relatively low compared to other groups. In 2020, we saw a record turnout, but still only about half of the eligible Latino population turned out to vote. So, I think any kind of surge we see in turnout still is going to be less overall voter turnout than we see for other racial and ethnic groups.

WALKER: When you're talking to other Hispanic friends, colleagues, what is a conversation sounding like in terms of the issues that you and others are voting on?

FRAGA: Sure. So, I think, again, the economy --

WALKER: Right.

FRAGA: -- is the most important thing. But what we're seeing a lot of is that Trump was on the right track in appealing to Latino voters on the basis of the economy, the basis of prices. And again, it's getting distracted, insulting the island of Puerto Rico, insulting Mexicans as well. Those are the kinds of things that divide the community, but also really lower his support.

WALKER: And to that point, if you look at a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, it did show that Latino voters are number one issue at 29 percent or 27 percent, that the economy is the number one issue. Is the Harris campaign doing enough then to appeal to the Latino vote?

FRAGA: I think they're doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing in the sense of not focusing so much on immigration, a divisive issue, one where a majority of Latinos also support what looks like pretty restrictive immigration policies.

Again, focusing on the economy, it's a question of whether that message can get through to those voters.

WALKER: All right. Well, Bernard Fraga, I appreciate you coming in this morning. Thank you for the conversation.

FRAGA: Thank you very much.

WALKER: Victor?

BLACKWELL: There's video of a controversial confrontation, why retired football star Jason Kelce grabbed and then smashed a person's phone. Ahead on the next hour of "CNN This Morning Weekend."

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[06:52:30]

BLACKWELL: Got some headlines for you this morning. The U.S. is boosting its presence in the Middle East. This is part of the Pentagon's readjustment of assets to replace an aircraft carrier group that will be leaving the region. B-52 bombers, fighter jets, and Navy warships will arrive in the coming months as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group prepares to leave.

TGI Friday's has filed for bankruptcy. Now, the company said it never fully recovered from the pandemic that stopped, of course, indoor dining for several months. And since January, the chain has quietly kept shutting down restaurants, including 50 last week.

Friday's joins Red Lobster, which also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this year.

And the big day for so many is finally here. More than 50,000 runners are gearing up to start the New York City Marathon. The course runs 26.2 miles through the five boroughs, starting on Staten Island and then finishing in Central Park. Good luck to everybody who's getting out on the roads today.

WALKER: Absolutely. All right. The top five CNN heroes of 2024 have been announced. And one of them will be named the CNN Hero of the Year by you, our viewers. So, we will introduce each of our top five as you vote for your favorite over the next five weeks.

Today, meet Payton McGriff (ph).

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When somebody makes that decision to go into treatment, it's one of the bravest decisions they'll make.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll see you soon, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When people do need to go to rehab and they don't have a place to put their dog, what we're finding out is how big of a need it is. We provide free, temporary fostering services for people that are ready to change their life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dice (ph). She hasn't seen me. It's so long. Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it becomes their motivator to stay healthy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Love that face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we find a foster, we will do a temporary foster contract. You're saving that dog's life and the owner's life. And we're able to prevent a dog going to shelter.

We cannot have the solution be euthanized dogs. We can't.

I want to be the voice of the dog and to help them because they don't have that voice.

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WALKER: And you can go to cnnheroes.com right now to vote for Payton (ph) for CNN Hero of the Year or any of your favorite top five heroes. You can get 10 votes per day every day to help the heroes who inspire you the most.

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[06:54:30]

WALKER: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to "CNN This Morning." It is Sunday, November 3rd. I'm Amara Walker.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for joining us on this early morning. And we are just two early mornings away from Election Day.

We're getting a new snapshot of this morning, where the tight race stands. Thanks to a slew of new polls from the New York Times and Siena College. Polls show no clear leader in almost every battleground state in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania. The numbers are essentially tied.

[07:00:00] BLACKWELL: Now, look at Arizona, though. It's the only battleground state where there is a clear leader, and that's Donald Trump -- Donald Trump, he is edging out Harris 48 --