Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Hillary Clinton Holds Big Lead over Trump; Clinton Attacked Trump on Rigged Election Claims; Trump's Campaign Advisor Insists System is Rigged; Clinton Facing Another Email Controversy; Clinton Campaigns in North Carolina; Chicago Cubs Clinch Spot in World Series; Latest on Palm Springs Bus Crash. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired October 23, 2016 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Hillary Clinton is enjoying a wave of strong poll numbers with the election less than 16 days away. Clinton campaigning in the battleground state of North Carolina today where polls show her and Trump still in a close race. But nationally, a different story.

A new ABC News national poll of likely voter shows Clinton leading Trump by 12 points. The latest CNN polling average puts Clinton ahead by nine points. And if you take a look at the early voting numbers, more than five million Americans across 35 states have already voted.

Today, Clinton attacked Trumps for his recent comments that he might not accept the election results.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He said something, and this is important, he said something that no presidential nominee has ever said. Democrat or Republican. Nobody. Nobody has ever said this. He refused to say that he would respect the results of this election. And that is a threat to democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So while Donald Trump is refusing to acknowledge any possibility for a loss or a dip in the polls, his campaign manager admits, yes, quoting now "we are behind." But she says it is only because Clinton has a quote "tremendous advantage."

Here is what Kellyanne Conway told NBC's "Meet the Press."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISOR/GOP POLLSTER: We are behind. She has some advantages like 66 million in ads by just in the month of September, there by doubling here ads by August. And most of those ads are negative against Donald Trump. Classic politics of personal destruction. Such cool kind of ads. And that she has tremendous advantages. She has former president that happens to be her husband campaigning for her. The current president and first lady, vice president, much more popular than she can hope to be. And she has seen as the incumbent.

So our advantage going in, we were behind, one, three, four points in some of the swing states that Romney lost to President Obama. Chuck, our advantage is that Donald Trump is just going to take the case directly to the people. He doesn't expect to be able to cut through the noise or the silence and the way we are treated by some. And so he is taking the case. He is going to visit all the swing states many times as his running Governor Pence.

And we feel with Hillary Clinton under 50 percent in some of these places, even though she has run a very traditional and expensive campaign, that we have a shot of getting these undecided voters that somehow said, I know who Hillary Clinton is, I don't want to vote for her, don't trust or like her, we need to bring them aboard the next couple weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I want to bring in my panel to get some reaction. Now joining me right now is CNN political commentator and contributor for "the Daily Beast," Matt Lewis. Also director for University of Virginia center for politics, Larry Sabato. Good to see both of you.

OK. So, what's your assessment, Larry, on Kellyanne Conway's comments?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, she was very honest in saying they are behind. We didn't get an estimate of how far behind he is, but I think your poll of polls is pretty accurate. I would say right now, this almost resembles Bill Clinton's re-election when he beat Bob Dole 49 percent to 41 percent in an Electoral College landslide.

WHITFIELD: And so Matt, are you seeing an admission in her comments or something else?

MATT LEWIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, I think it is. I think she is being honest. And I think they are behind although what's up with the excuses, you know? It's like, yes, our baseball team lost the game, but the other team has better pitchers than we do.

You're supposed to raise money. And if you are, you know, a billionaire, maybe you need to throw in some of the money. So yes, everybody knows Donald Trump is losing. I'm glad his campaign manager, who is a pollster, also realizes it, but that shouldn't be the case, you know. With 16 days left to go, it's a really ominous sign.

WHITFIELD: And so, there is also a new CNN poll of polls showing Clinton leading Trump by nine points. And so, while Kellyanne Conway said, you know, said, you know, we are behind, is that also saying, Larry, that every day is very important, potentially pivotal? They are not necessarily throwing in the towel.

SABATO: Well, there are, what, 15 1/2 days left, and they are about nine points behind. So that would mean, what, at least eight-tenths of a point a day they have to gain, which is an awful lot to ask.

And Matt made a very good point. Donald Trump has said repeatedly that he was throwing in or already thrown in $100 million. He is the billionaire, not the Clintons, although they have done extremely well after the presidency. He spent about 60 million of his own money. That isn't, you know, change for lunch.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SABATO: But still, it's nowhere near what he had pledged.

WHITFIELD: And he also said, you know, Matt, if he loses, it's a waste of time and a waste of money.

LEWIS: That's right. And look, he ran as the Republican nominee, essentially making a few arguments and a few promises. One of the promises was that he was a winner. Obviously, that goes without saying. But the other promise was that, you know, he is going to be able to take the fight to Hillary Clinton. There is a sense, maybe it is mythology, but there is a sense that the other candidate, Mitt Romney, John McCain, didn't bring it. They didn't have what it takes. Some of that is attitude. Some of that is money.

This is do or die time, Donald Trump. Look, you can't do this a year from now. This is your shot. You are the Republican nominee. Put in some money if you want to win this thing.

[16:05:39] WHITFIELD: OK. And so Larry, you know, 16 days to go. And everyone knows that anything can happen. That's why it is important that everyone vote. Meantime, the Clinton campaign saying today that for the first time this week, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama will be in the same arena. They will be campaigning together. And of course, you know, Michelle Obama has been called, you know, the closer. And she really has been exciting crowds in a very big way in recent weeks.

So what do you envision with this, you know, dynamic duo of sorts, these two women coming out in front with a very strong campaign for Hillary Clinton?

SABATO: It can only help. Clinton, as many people have suggested, have so many more surrogates, big surrogates, to campaign for. Take Michelle Obama. When she appeared in Arizona, it was the first clear dynamic signal that the Clinton campaign was going to contest Arizona. And sure enough, at least one poll, two polls actually, have Clinton up there. Republicans are complaining that there weren't enough Republicans in the survey and all the rest of it.

But Arizona is competitive. So these surrogates, when Bill Clinton and her daughter Chelsea and President Obama and, of course, Tim Kaine, the vice presidential candidate, all of these people, Bernie Sanders, all of these people can make a difference with their constituencies in certain of these battleground state. And the battleground is expanding in Clinton's direction.

WHITFIELD: And so, Matt, having you see it is being potentially impactful, that Michelle Obama would appear with Hillary Clinton on the trail?

LEWIS: Yes. It is interesting that President Obama, I think, the second best politician of the family. I mean, Michelle Obama is, without a doubt, the best surrogate out there right now.

But I would say this, look, you know, Kellyanne Conway is complaining about, the other side, they have a president and past president, they have all the money and all the surrogates. Well, guess what? Donald Trump's job is to also have surrogates. And it is interesting that, you know, let's just take Arizona where we are talking about, you know. One of the senators is not supporting him. The other one is just sort -- John McCain is sort of reluctantly supporting him. We have former Republican nominees and past Republican presidents who are not supporting him. That's Donald Trump's fault. It is -- the own (ph) is on you as the candidate to get people to support you. So yes, it is true that Hillary has better surrogates, but that's Donald Trump's fault partially.

WHITFIELD: All right. Matt, Larry, stick around. We got more.

Coming up next, the Trump camp's tone may be slightly shifting but one message that they are sticking to?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: He is saying the entire system is rigged, and that's not the same thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The system is rigged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More from Jake Tapper's interview next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:11:31] WHITFIELD: A consistent message of unity both for the GOP and the country as a whole has been an issue that has dogged Donald Trump throughout his campaign. And while he made a push for harmony in his Gettysburg speech yesterday, he still opened for about 15 minutes by harping on his claim the election system is rigged, among other things.

This morning on "STATE OF THE UNION," Jake Tapper pushed Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, on the risk of questioning the integrity of America's democracy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Let's talk about this idea that everything is rigged. Yesterday, Mr. Trump once again arguing that the election will be rigged. It is charge that he makes with no real evidence to suggest it that many Republican secretaries of state and others are very upset he is making.

Now, back in April when you were working against Donald Trump, when you were supporting Ted Cruz and advising his super Pac, you had some tough words for Mr. Trump when he was lashing out at the time against the system being rigged. Take a listen.

CONWAY: We hear from the Trump campaign, rules change, it is not fair, the system is rigged, the system is corrupt. He can whine and complain all you want, that you didn't know the rules.

TAPPER: Is this a pattern with Mr. Trump, if he starts losing, he starts lashes out and calling the system corrupt and calling it rigged?

CONWAY: We love watching that clip together. But that was actually about what was happening on the weekends where Donald Trump would win the vote - he would win basically all the electoral votes in a state. And then on the weekends, the Cruz campaign would go back and follow the rules and get back some of the delegates.

So, no, it's not a pattern for him. I think if you had Hillary Clinton in this chair and you asked her every hypothetical situation possible, would she respect the results of the election? What if, just hypothetically speaking, since it happened in 2000, out of six million votes cast in Florida, there was a difference of 530 or so? Would Hillary Clinton accept the election result? Would Donald Trump will forced to? Would they do what Al Gore did, which is concede the election to George W. Bush, call back and retract the concession and throw it into an unprecedented five or six weeks, Jake, until the United States Supreme Court decided who the --

TAPPER: Kellyanne, it's not the same thing. It is not the same thing.

CONWAY: It is.

TAPPER: No. Because there was a state mandated recount because the margin of error was so small. Donald Trump is out there saying that if he loses Pennsylvania, for example, a state that is not gone Democrat for president since 1988, he is saying the only way he is going to lose Pennsylvania is if it is stolen. I mean, he is, right now, telling people that if he loses, it is because there will be corruption. And there is no evidence of it.

You can't compare that to a state-mandated recount. There is always state-mandated recount. There's going to be one at least one, in November 8th, after November 8th, because some elections come in close. He is saying the entire system is rigged and that's not the same thing.

CONWAY: The system is rigged especially against the little guy. There's no question about that.

TAPPER: You are talking about the election system. The election system. You are talking about the integrity of America democracy.

CONWAY: Right. Well, if we were so worried and so high minded about the integrity of American democracy, then somebody would really get their hair on fire, Jake, about the fact that Hillary Clinton's foundation took millions of dollars from countries that disrespect women. This advocate for women. I mean, let's not get so high minded and sanctimonious about American democratic principles when we won't even take her to account. We spent 23 minutes on the three major networks talking about these accusers to Donald Trump and 57 seconds talking about the newly revealed information you have about what Hillary Clinton and her senior staff think about people.

[16:15:08] TAPPER: Do you know how we know that they took money from countries like Saudi Arabia and others? It is because the Clinton foundation discloses that information, unlike Mr. Trump, who is the first major presidential candidate since 1976 to not release his tax returns. So this is the reason why a lot of politicians don't like to release returns. Because then people like you will attack Hillary Clinton for taking the money or people like me will ask about the hypocrisy of taking a money from a country that oppresses women and oppresses gays. I agree that is a legitimate charge. But the point is she releases, she discloses the information and Mr. Trump does not.

CONWAY: So it's OK that she takes the money?

TAPPER: No. I'm just saying that --.

CONWAY: She who is fighting for women and children?

TAPPER: No. I just said it wasn't.

CONWAY: I promise you that Mr. Trump's taxes do not say that he takes millions and millions of dollars. And I promise you it doesn't say that his spouse gave a 90-minute speech in Russia, pocketed a half a million dollars for that speech and then turned around and helped a friend, a cohort, and get uranium rights.

TAPPER: We don't know. We have no idea.

CONWAY: I promise you, Melania Trump didn't give a speech for that.

TAPPER: OK, Fine. Like we have no idea what his ties are and where there might be money interests and conflicts of interest because he won't disclose his tax returns.

CONWAY: So here's what we do know. We know that as he said yesterday in Gettysburg, Jake, that he used to be an insider. He is somebody who breathed the verified air right up there with the Clintons and others given his position, his power, and wealth and his great success as a businessman. And yet, that gives him the credibility and the legitimacy to go and fight the system from the outside in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. There is a lot there. Let's bring back our panel to talk about all of this, Larry Sabato and Matt Lewis.

OK. OK, we will just kind of tick through a number of things. There was the, you know, drawing of the parallels to potentially a recount like we saw in Florida in the election in 2000. So Larry, in the whole dialogue about a rigged election or not

trusting the outcome and bringing Florida into it, does that resonate with the voters or does that scare them or frustrate them or what?

SABATO: Well, first of all, Fred, it's completely irresponsible. And Trump and his people have absolutely no proof about the rigging of the 2016 election. Now, on twitter, his followers, who have swallowed this whole, are circulating stories about every incidents of fraud since 1789. And there are always some examples of fraud. There are 135 million people who are voting in this election. We are talking about a relative handful of votes, if it even occurs. So it's just completely irresponsible.

And the second point is, Donald Trump was not talking about a Florida 2000 type situation. Of course, anybody would have a recount or would go to court or do whatever was necessary. Donald Trump has made clear --

WHITFIELD: If it was as close as it was, right.

SABATO: Yes, as close as it was. Donald Trump made very clear, he is talking about widespread voter fraud for which there is no evidence, and even the Republican secretaries of state around the country have denounced what he has been saying.

WHITFIELD: And Hillary Clinton, Matt, you know, took aim at Trump's Gettysburg speech yesterday in a different way questioning where his priorities are. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: And I saw where our opponent, Donald Trump, went to Gettysburg, one of the most extraordinary places in American history, and basically said if he's president, he'll spend his time suing women who have made charges against him based on his behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Matt, you know, we are talking about the first 15 minutes of Trump's speech yesterday that we carried here live from Gettysburg, where in the first 15 minutes, he talked about the lawsuits that he will, you know, impose on the women who accused him after the election. He talked about the rigged election. Before he got to what his first 100 days in office would look like if elected.

So his campaign - I mean, Kellyanne Conway even said today that he is essentially driving the ship. That it is the campaign, it wasn't the campaign necessarily that kind of organized his thinking. But this is Donald Trump all the way. And this is what his supporters like.

LEWIS: Well, but he needs more than his supporters and that is the problem. He is pandering to a base of supporters who are already for him. But that's not how you win an election with 16 days left when you're down in the polls.

So there is 16 days left. Instead of talking about things that he might win on, like for example, yesterday he laid out a whole bunch of policy proposals, some which I think would be popular, but he guaranteed we wouldn't spend much time talking about them by throwing out more provocative topics.

So the weird thing about this is, so I don't understand how claiming the election is rigged helps you win the election. So in other words, I think in the past, we have had politics who certainly said irresponsible things and talked about conspiracy theories. But there was at least a rational to it, a logic to it that was going to help them win. There's no logic to this.

Threatening to sue these women doesn't help Donald Trump, when maybe it dis-incentivizes other women coming forward. That's the only rational I can think of. But honestly, this doesn't make sense. The only thing that makes sense is that Trump is on his own. Kellyanne Conway wouldn't tell him to go out and give this speech.

[16:20:47] WHITFIELD: Yes. Or a justification if things don't go well. If he does not win, then it can't be because of what he did or didn't do, but because the system wouldn't -- doesn't bode well for him.

LEWIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Interesting stuff. All right. Well, we, again, have 16 days. So anything can happen. People need to vote, right.

Matt and Larry, thank you so much.

LEWIS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Up next, the Clinton camp's internal debate over how to handle the candidate's email controversy. It is one of the latest revelations in the new WikiLeaks pack. Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:25:01] WHITFIELD: A new batch of hacked emails released by WikiLeaks show several internal debates within Hillary Clinton's campaign including whether Clinton should deliver a major speech on race.

CNN's Athena Jones has more from Washington.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.

It is so interesting to see these internal discussions. This was a discussion within the campaign about whether it would be politically wise for Clinton to give a major speech on race. The context is important here. It is a debate that was taking place right after the New Hampshire primary, just a few days after Clinton lost badly to Sanders in New Hampshire. And several weeks before -- or a couple weeks before, the South Carolina primary, where black voters were going to be a key constituency. In this email, this hacked email we should mention, one of Clinton's

speechwriter's makes it clear that both Bill and Hillary Clinton were involved in discussions about what a speech on race could look like were she to give one. The aide also talks about pros and cons about giving such a speech, saying that one of Clinton's advisers raised some questions about the wisdom of doing this speech this week. It's possible that we would unintentionally end up elevating question that aren't yet being widely asked and introduce new, damaging information, especially super predator to a lot more voters.

Now, the speechwriter later says that Clinton's poll position in South Carolina could be a factor in deciding whether she should do the speech. That speechwriter said if we are slipping fast, maybe it's worth rolling the dice and doing the speech. If we are holding relatively steady, maybe we can see if we can ride this out without doing the speech.

Clinton ultimately did give a speech on race the very next day in Harlem. And so, this exchange could give fodder to some Clinton critics who say that she is too politically calculating. We always want to note that CNN has not confirmed the authenticity of these emails. They were hacked from the Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The Clinton campaign also isn't verifying them. Instead, they're stressing that they believe the emails were illegally stolen by Russian state actors trying to influence the presidential election -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then, Athena, there was a separate debate about whether Clinton should mention the controversy over her emails. What more can you say about that?

JONES: That's right. That was a debate about over whether she should make light of the controversy in a speech before a friendly crowd. This was a dinner for Emily's list, the political action committee that was taken place in March of 2015, a month before Clinton officially announced her candidacy.

Now, the first message is from Jennifer Palmieri who is now Clinton's campaign director saying I want to float idea of HRC making a joke about the email situation at the Emily's list dinner tonight. What do folks think about that?

Now, what followed that initial email was a discussion among several aides about how it would good for Clinton to show some humor and how this dinner could be a good opportunity because the Emily's list audience is her crowd. It is a group that works to get pro-choice Democratic women elected to public office.

Now, ultimately, Mandy Grunwald who was a Clinton media advisor, (INAUDIBLE) to mix that whole idea saying, we don't know what is in the emails so we are nervous about this. Might get a laugh tonight and regret it when content of emails is disclosed.

So there was a clear awareness that these emails could be a problem and an awareness that Clinton's own words could be used against her down the line, Fred. WHITFIELD: All right. Athena Jones, thank you so much from

Washington.

All right. As the latest poll numbers lift Hillary Clinton's presidential chances, the democratic candidate is reportedly shifting her focus to a fresh target, House and Senate races. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:31:53] WHITFIELD: All right, hello again and thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. So it's her poll numbers rising Hillary Clinton is turning her attention now to a new target according to "The Washington Post" article. Clinton's campaign is reportedly started shifting money and resources from her campaign to help Democrats win house and senate seats. Today while campaigning in North Carolina, Clinton asked Tar Heel voters to help elect Democrat Deborah Ross, who is trying to unseat a Republican senator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: Deborah is exactly the kind of partner I need in the United States senate. She will help me break through the gridlock, create more, good jobs. Help to get wages rising, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and finally guarantee equal pay for women's work.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about this. Ellis Henican, a political analyst with us now, kind a flying solo for now. So, we're talking about less than 16 days until election. And one has to wonder, you know is this a really confident on Clinton part, is this risky or is this smart to focus on the down ballot races?

ELLIS HENICAN, POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Fred, she can read the poll numbers as well as you and I can. She can feel the same momentum we're feeling. And she can watch her opponent stumble. So, sure, life will be a whole lot more fun in the Clinton administration with the majorities in the house and the senate and if she has opponents down Pennsylvania Avenue, sniping at her all the time.

WHITFIELD: Good. Well, is it your feeling that she could be potentially influential, or is it, you know Paul Ryan who has most of the influence since he is going to be focusing on the down ballot racing as opposed to, you know putting the resources into Donald Trump?

HENICAN: Well, certainly both of them have a role to play. But I mean, think about what Clinton can do here, right? One of the things she can do is try to tie each of these congressional candidates and senatorial candidates to Donald Trump and keep asking, do you support this guy? What about the stuff he said yesterday, what about these things he is saying about women. Are you for him, against him, are you going to vote for him? Why haven't you disvalued. That little right torture right there, is proving to be very effective this last couple of weeks.

WHITFIELD: So that makes it an uphill battle for Paul Ryan, who is, you know trying to maintain support for the GOP, to maintain that control of the House and Senate.

HENICAN: That is right. I mean, listen, he is got a 30-member advantage. So, the Dems have a whole lot of ground to make up. I would say sitting here 2 1/2 weeks ahead of time. You know it is going to be a heavy lift to get that bigger change in the congress. But you know, I wouldn't rule it out. Two weeks ago, I would have said it was impossible. Now, I would say, yeah it is going to be tough, but it is within the realm of the thinkable.

WHITFIELD: All right. A lot of the national polling numbers have Hillary Clinton up. But you know the race is not over. We're talking about 16 days away. You heard campaign manager of Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway earlier today, who made that acknowledgement that, you know, we are behind, but resources are being, you know directed into Donald Trump still trying to win the White House. Do you believe that, that kind of admission is kind of setting up a sentiment that perhaps Trump may not win?

[16:35:13] HENICAN: You know I have notice a little shift in tone not just from Kellyanne but Trump himself. You know a little less boastfulness, A little less cockiness. You know it is hard, I mean your heart has to go out to the folks, especially the pros, you need to rub these things, you know. You don't want to say stuff that people laughed at. On the other hand, you want to keep the spirits of the troops up high so you have to exude some kind of confidence. But I mean, I think we all, kind a, know which way this thing is heading.

WHITFIELD: All right. So now your partners with this now Republican strategist Brian Morgenstern...

HENICAN: Good.

WHITFIELD: ...the two of you, you know joining me, most Sunday. So he is on the phone with us now. We have a few technical problems.

HENICAN: All right.

WHITFIELD: So, Brian, is that an admission in your view, when you have Kellanne Conway who said, you know we are behind, An admission that perhaps that winning strategy that we've heard so much of, Donald Trump maybe now, maybe less confident?

BRIAN MORGENSTERN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think its recognizing reality to an extent. And it needs to be delivered in a way that it is we are behind and that is why we need your help. And so, to the extent that they're doing that, I think it is good. I think down ballots candidates obviously need to protect their own flanks.

That is why you're seeing a lot of the elections. A lot of the campaigns by Republican senate candidates and others, become more localize and really be about, here is what I have done for you. Pay no attention to the presidential race that I'm not running in. Just pay attention to me.

And that seems to be working, because a number of the candidates are polling ahead of Trump. If you look at Rob Portman in Ohio, Marco Rubio in Florida, Richard Burr in North Carolina, to name a few, while the guys are obviously running on the Republican ticket, they're getting much different results than Trump is getting.

And so, that is why the senate is going to be very tight. Nancy Pelosi basically admitted. The house is probably going to stay in Republican hands. So the Dems may pick up some seats.

WHITFIELD: As it pertains to that, you know the pursuit for the White House we're hearing Brian, that Hillary Clinton is going to be joined, will be side by side with Michelle Obama on the campaign trail. And many have called her within the camp, you know the closer.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily have anybody like that in his arsenal. I mean, that admission coming from Kellyanne Conway today. So, what does that mean for Donald Trump, who kind of is going it alone, as opposed to Hillary Clinton, who has, you know, quite the entourage of recognizable faces on the campaign trail for her?

MORGENSTERN: Look, it always helps to have popular surrogates on your side. And few people in America generally speaking are more popular than the first lady. That is a great position to be in, to advocate in an election. Laura Bush was very effective when her husband was president and Michelle Obama, the same is very well-liked. She, of course, is an accomplished lawyer in her own right. She makes arguments well. So that is a disadvantage to be sure, but that would have been the same disadvantage for any Republican candidate.

That is not unique to Trump. But he needed to, earlier on, get stronger surrogates for himself, like former presidents perhaps, or others in the party, other bigger names who would be helping him out. And this campaign was not able to do that. So that is just one of the sort of handicaps he is facing now into the final stretch.

WHITFIELD: All right, Brian Morgenstern and Ellis Henican, thank you so much. Good to have you both, on the phone or in front of the camera.

MORGENSTERN: Thank you.

HENICAN: Thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, AT&T inks an $85 billion deal to buy Time Warner. And now regulators are getting out their microscopes. So, will it go through? Well, not if Donald Trump has anything to say about it. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:42:37] WHITFIELD: All right. There was quite the party in Chicago early last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, they're excited. Fans pouring into the streets after the Chicago Cubs clinched a spot in this year's World Series. It's their first trip to the championship in 71 years. CNN's Ryan Young was there for the party.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, talking about excitement here in Chicago. Nothing has been bigger than seeing, the fact that the Cubs are going back to the World Series. It has been a long time for long suffering Cubs fans and one of the things we noticed, over and over again this morning, people have been showing up to take their own selfies in front of the big sign.

That is the marquee that so many Cub fans travel from around the world to come see. And it said something that some people hadn't seen in quite some time, The 2016 National League Champions. Yes, the cubs are going back to the World Series. But to understand this, you have to see the video from last night. As people exploded into the streets to sing the song that everyone knows, "go, cubs, go," it exploded throughout the city.

In fact we saw fireworks all over the city when people were excited about the idea the Cubs were returning back to the World Series for the first time in 71 years. When you think about that, Hawaii and Alaska weren't even part of the union the last time the Cubs went to the World Series. And we talked to fans who can't believe this moment is finally here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been 71 years, I'm happy for him. It's not about me. It's about all the cubs fans that have been going to the suffering for 50, 60, 70 years, unbelievable to share it with my boy and three other boys at home that are, cheering like crazy, along with my wife and friends. How many years? He asked me four years ago, what do you make as a Cub fan? I said it builds character. Here's your character, right here.

YOUNG: Fred no matter where you go through out this city, as we arrived here at 4:00 this morning, we could see people still walking the streets, still trying to get that glaze off their face. The excitement of the fact the Cubs are going back to that World Series.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Of course, they're going to be playing Cleveland. We have already seen big stars like Dwayne Wade and Lebron James, who both are one from Chicago and one from Cleveland, talking about the idea that this game is happening and bets are going to be made. But you know, for the next few days, people around the sports world will be talking about the excitement of these two long suffering teams finally facing each other. When you live in Chicago, you understand how much the people here want to see the Cubs win. Fred?

[16:45:09] WHITFIELD: All right, fun stuff. Thank you so much.

All right, so every year in the U.S., 7 million children are bullied, either at school or online. And when Matthew Kaplan realized his little brother was one of them, he took action, even though he was only in the eighth grade. During the past five years, he is shared his free anti-bullying program with more than 4,600 middle school students. And that is why he is this week's CNN hero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW KAPLAN, CNN HERO: The term peer pressure is thrown around a lot and usually when it is, it is meant as a negative thing. But I believe that we can actually harness peer pressure for good. What if it was cool to be kind? That is what positive peer pressure is all about. Creating this culture where being inclusive and being kind is the norm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. To see Matthew's program in action, go to cnnheros.com. And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:50:01] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Want to take you straight to Palm Springs, California, for a press conference already in progress, 13 people killed, 31 injured, when a big rig and tour bus collide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has it been determined as to whether the bus, when it left its departure area, was it on time, or was it behind schedule?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't tell you that. I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did the bus driver have any conversations with the company prior to going to this place or leaving this place about mechanical issues?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this stage, no. The other thing about the mechanical issues is the three inspections did not reveal anything about the bus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know that the bus driver is also the owner of the company?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know.

We don't know the identity of the bus driver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the surviving victims, they were able to get out of the bus themselves and how were they when you guys first got there? Were they calm? Where they upset? How were they when you responded?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn't at the scene. So I can't answer that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The majority of the dead, were they in the front? Do you know? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 13 victims?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my guess based on the significance of the impact, I would say yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bus didn't roll at all? What are the seatbelt laws? Did the bus have seatbelts?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't know yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speed limit is 65 or 70. You said significant based on what you've seen. What would you call significant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of what, what context?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I talking about as far as how far over the speed limit are we talking about, that you would say constitutes significant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know he was over the speed limit. I don't know what the speeds are. What I will tell you is that the bus was traveling significantly faster than the tractor trailer it struck from behind.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chief, do we know where the family is originally from, the passengers? Are they from Los Angeles? Are they heading back to L.A?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that is the problem that we are trying to piece together right now, we are assuming that many of them we're from Los Angeles because actually the bus where it originated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has it been determined whether the truck entered the freeway from the truck stop off of Indiana Boulevard, and was it at a slow rate and the bus at a fast rate? It hasn't been determined...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really doesn't appear to have anything to do with him entering the freeway. He was already established on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know about how fast the truck was going? Could it have been obstructing traffic?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it wasn't obstructing traffic it was going slower, because of the traffic and the amount of traffic that was backed up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that driver's statement? What is his account?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The truck driver?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was the wind a factor at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wind?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know how fast the traffic was going at the time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were there skid marks?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The skid marks appear to be, from what I saw at the scene and talking to the sergeant, the skid marks at where at scene or primarily due to the bus hitting the back of the big rig and pushing it forward. Didn't appear to be a braking skid marks from the bus. But don't quote me on that, because it is yet to be determined.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long were those skid marks?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn't tell you. Not right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chief, have the family members had been notified about this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not every one of them. And unfortunately, several passengers have not been identified. Some I.D.s was not valid.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are any of those open to the public just yet? I mean, the I.D.s, open to the public?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just looking at the driver log, the bus driver log, is that NHTSA or NSTB?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We'll we will look at it first and then NHTSA will probably, as well, or NTSB.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could you talk about once again, the fatalities. You said it is in the front section or you believe it is the front section?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of the impact where the bus entered the back of the big rig, the majority of the people who were killed were in the front section of the bus, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were they seated inside?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as we know, everybody was seated. Like you said, the statements, I don't believe they have seatbelts on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is the year of this bus?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 1996.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, can you talk about trying to identify the victims and potentially these not being valid identifications that were on the victims?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're hoping that a lot of family members will come forward and contact the Coroner's hotline. And then we'll have to backtrack. Obviously, we're going to contact the bus company to see if they had a manifest. We're going to go step by step to try to identify everyone. And then of course, we are going to be talking to the people in the hospital with injuries to see if they can provide information based on what happened in the crash that they may know if they were awake, and then what information they may be able to provide about the other passengers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know specifically where it was heading to in Los Angeles?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chief, do we know if the passengers are part of an organization or if they were travelers?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as I know at this stage of the game, they were folks who were going to different casinos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any word on the history of the USA holiday? Have they ever had violations before?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it appears that from our records, it's an owner/operator, that this is the only bus owned by the owner. And that, like I said earlier, he'd been inspected three years in a row and there are no mechanical violations noted.

[16:55:11] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One man, one bus operations, does those stick out to CHP officers who patrol this area? I mean, do they have a different history than maybe a larger company?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not necessarily, no.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is an age range on the people that we're on the bus. Is there like a...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know for sure. We know they were all adults. I can't tell you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why can't we get the bus driver identified?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we haven't identified him yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has the family not been notified?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. I don't have his name. I don't know what information they found on him in terms of the driver's license. I just don't have that right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number three lane, how many lanes in that area of the road?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the third...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The slow lane would be all the way to the right. The three lanes would be the next one. Then the closer it gets to the fast lane, which is the one, closest to the center.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The driver was the only one with the company?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No ma'am, we don't know that yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are all lane was shut down or at some point or with one lane open?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Every lane was shut down, because there were so many injuries that they have to establish an emergency triage, right there, to treat the people on scene, so we shut all the lanes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we talk about the...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. You're listening to the press conference there. Sadly, 13 killed, 31 injured in that crash there. The chief there, the California Highway Patrol, saying it appears as though the bus, a tour bus that may have had people who were going to casinos on board, that bus may have been going faster than the big rig when it crashed into the big rig and that collision resulting in this deadly, deadly outcome. We'll continue to watch this press conference and get more information throughout the afternoon.

Meantime, thanks so much for being with me. Today, I'm Frederica Whitfield, so much more straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)