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Down to the Wire: Dem Tries Flipping Senate Seat in Nevada; Many Democratic Candidates Pushing "Medicare for All"; First Lady Opts Out of Campaigning in Final Midterm Push; Poll Shows Gender Gap: 63 Percent of Women Disapprove of Trump's Job as President; New U.S. Sanctions on Iran Kick In, Rouhani Vows Response. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired November 05, 2018 - 13:30   ET

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


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[13:33:32] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Democrats clearly have their eyes on a few of the red seats in the Senate that they think they can turn blue. Arizona and Texas are among them. And another is Nevada, a blue state, in 2016, won by Hillary Clinton, where Democratic Congresswoman Jacky Rosen is battling incumber Republican Senator Dean Heller. Heller won the state back in 2012 by only around 11,000 votes.

Let's welcome in Nevada's other Senator, Democrat, Catherine Cortez Masto.

Senator, thanks so much for joining us.

At the end of tomorrow night, there will be results from Nevada. Will Nevada have two Democrats in the United States Senate or one and one?

SEN. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, (D), NEVADA: I can tell you right now, Wolf, with the energy I see around this state and the people that are coming out, particularly in early election that we just had, more Democrats coming out than Republicans, I feel really good where we are. I just came from the culinary union. They're canvassing. And there are so many people are around the state that are canvassing. It's now, as you well know, it's about "get out the vote" and getting people to the polls. If we are successful tomorrow, yes, we will have a good night. I feel good because of the early numbers that I've seen not just here in Clark County, for early voting, but in Washoe, which we have almost 2,000 more Democrats than Republicans in Washoe, which we have never seen before in a midterm election.

BLITZER: Yes.

CORTEZ MASTO: We will find out tomorrow. The energy is there.

[13:35:01] BLITZER: Let's not forget early voting is going on for days. More than 30 million Americans nationwide have already voted. Maybe that's going to be a third or so if 100 million Americans vote in these midterm elections.

What about the full Senate, Senator? Do you think Democrats can capture the majority, reach that magic number of 51?

CORTEZ MASTO: Wolf, there's no doubt it's tougher for us. Out of 33 seats that are up, 26 are Democratically held. It is going to be a tougher one for us to get out there and win everything and pickup. But we've got some great opportunities here. We have a pickup seat in Nevada. Jacky Rosen is doing phenomenally. She's out right now. I just left her. She's getting out the vote. I know my colleagues -- I've been to the other states -- and they are working hard. They're talking to voters about the issues that matter to those voters.

I'll tell you, the number-one issue around this country and here in Nevada is health care. It's about health care and coverage. It's about being able to afford the coverage and coverage for preexisting conditions as well.

BLITZER: Health care is the number-one issue for Democrats. An idea that's being a strength at least among some Democratic candidates, like Beto O'Rourke, in Texas, is Medicare for All. Bernie Sanders supported that for a long time. You are skeptical about its implementation right now. Does Beto O'Rourke and Bernie Sanders have it wrong when they want Medicare for All?

CORTEZ MASTO: Here's the thing Wolf, and I think that people need to put this into perspective. The Democrats are talking about solving this problem. The Democrats are talking about the issues that impact families every single day. One of those issues is health care and access to affordable health care. Ever since I have been in the United States Senate, we have been fighting to ensure everyone has health care. We have come up with ideas and policies about how to do that. That's the difference between the Democrats and what we stand for and what we have seen from the Republicans in this administration, trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, continue to sabotage it. The president has been very clear about it. He even filed a lawsuit to take away coverage for preexisting conditions from millions of Americans across this country. In Nevada there's over a million Nevadans who have preexisting conditions. That's the difference between the two of us. We are at least coming up with solutions or ideas about how to solve the problem. Do I have concerns about Medicare for All? Yes, I do. But I know at least we are coming up with the solutions. I would like to see us shore up the Affordable Care Act. It wasn't perfect, but it brought coverage to so many people, including rural cities here in Nevada and across the country. I think we need to shore it up. We have ideas about how to do it, to make sure people have access to coverage. There should be a public option. We need to continue to solve this problem in this country. But that's the difference right now in this election between the Democrats and Republicans. They have been clear. Mitch McConnell said we are going to go down the road and try to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Americans do not want that.

BLITZER: They are clearly very concerned about preexisting conditions. Making sure that if you do have preexisting conditions, you can still get affordable health insurance.

Senator Masto, thanks so much for joining us.

CORTEZ MASTO: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: As President Trump canvasses the country, making his final pitch to voters, the first lady, Melania Trump, is nowhere to be seen out there on the campaign trail.

And new CNN poll numbers just out, painting a bleak picture of the president's approval among women. That may affect the GOP's chances at the polls tomorrow.

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[13:43:07] BLITZER: As President Trump crisscrosses the country on a campaign sprint to tomorrow's vote, one person has been conspicuously absent at his appearances out there. We're talking about the first lady, Melania Trump. It's not that unusual for her to opt out of rallies and appearances. She didn't have a big presence during the presidential campaign either out there on the campaign trail. The first lady's absence comes as President Trump may be facing a significant gender gap in 2020. Look at this. A new CNN poll out today shows, among women, 63 percent disapprove of the job he's doing.

Joining us now, our White House reporter, Kate Bennett. Also still with us, April and S.E.

Why is the first lady not out there on the campaign trail.

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Her communications director tells me it's because her schedule doesn't allow it. She's gearing up for the holidays, a busy time in the East Wing. But I think we can all agree, campaigning is not something she cares to do or feels strong with her public speaking. It is, Wolf, unusual, as you say. She remains the most liked in terms of our polling, most favorable member of the Trump family, the most favorable in the administration. And a lot of people are still very curious about this first lady. I think she would be a big draw and a big help, but certainly this is not something she has been active and not doing so much as a fundraiser.

BLITZER: S.E., what do you think?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR & CNN HOST "S.E. CUPP UNFILTERED": Kate and I were talking about this earlier. She doesn't have time for your midterm, Donald, sorry. Kate knows better because she follows Melania. And maybe she does have some cache. But I actually tend to think this makes sense. I don't know that she has a ton of appeal with suburban women, which is Trump's deficit right now. Two, she has been effective at softening him in the past. He doesn't want to be softened right now. That is not the mode he's in. He's in beast mode, OK? And finally, and most obviously, her anti-bullying message stands in stark contrast to what he has been doing in his closing argument on the campaign trail, which has included chewing on the assault of a journalist, attacking well-educated African-American candidates for being, quote, "unqualified," and spreading racist anti- immigrant ads. I think that would look weird, to put it bluntly.

[13:45:20] BLITZER: Her message, as you know, April, is Be Best. APRIL RYAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Be Best. Be the best.

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RYAN: Let me finish. Hold on one second to both of you.

So if you have an approval rating that is higher than your husband's, wouldn't you think that she would be an asset that you would put out? If you think about first lady, Melania Trump, you think about when she spoke at the convention and when she was found to plagiarize Michelle Obama's words, that's one thing right there. Also, there are things, there are some albatrosses around her neck. That jacket that she wore, "I don't care, or "do you care?

BENNETT: "I really don't care, do you."

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RYAN: People remember those things as well. Still, she has a higher ark approval rating than he does. And she has -- she has softened some people to some an extent in some quarters of the Republican Party. The question is, is her asset now a liability for him.

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RYAN: Not only that, they don't have the greatest relationship. They can --

(CROSSTALK)

RYAN: -- but when she does this, people remember that.

BENNETT: But I remember, these past few weeks in Pittsburgh, they were very hands on. There was a lot of hands on --

(CROSSTALK)

BENNETT: That's true. But her last speech on the campaign trail before the presidential campaign was days before the election in Pennsylvania and she spoke, and it was very well received. She talked about being an immigrant and coming to this country and the anti- bullying part. The yin to his yang. Certainly, she does have a message. If used well, it could possibly be effective.

CUPP: Yes.

BENNETT: There's this certain enigma factor for what she is like in person.

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CUPP: I think you are right about that. And you mentioned to me earlier, fundraisers.

BENNETT: Right.

CUPP: People would pay maybe to hear what she has to say.

BENNETT: I think that's right.

CUPP: And Laura Bush did that, too.

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RYAN: Let's go to history. Let's go to history. Former first ladies, who were first ladies at the time, they had higher approval ratings than their husbands, they were out there on the trail more so.

BENNETT: Agreed.

RYAN: So what's the problem now?

BENNETT: No, agreed. It's not necessarily a problem. It's a choice she is making not to do this. She values her time at home, being a mother.

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RYAN: Did the West Wing say, you may not want to.

BENNETT: No. Melania Trump, from all my reporting, she makes her own decisions. This is not an East Wing or West Wing thing.

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BLITZER: She's never been thrilled about going on the trail.

BENNETT: Exactly. And she never has been thrilled about it. I do think the Republican National Convention, where she had that speech gaffe, let's call it, is a big factor.

RYAN: That are wasn't a gaffe. I love you dearly, but that

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RYAN: People remember that speech.

BENNETT: Right.

RYAN: And it was word for word what Michelle Obama said.

BENNETT: Sure.

RYAN: That was not a gaffe. That was plagiarism.

BENNETT: And I think that really has prevented her from feeling comfortable and going to campaign.

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RYAN: She got caught.

BENNETT: -- Hillary Clinton with a 20th state in 1998 during midterms. Michelle Obama didn't go to many, but she is such a powerful public speaker that they were affective. Melania Trump --

(CROSSTALK)

RYAN: -- the first speech in the middle.

(CROSSTALK)

BENNETT: -- that might work for her but she decided not to do it. This morning, she retweeted a tweet from her husband of a video talking making America great again from three days ago. It's pretty much all she's done so far to --

RYAN: You know, for the sake of the nation, if they are -- this is a side piece. If for the sake of a nation, if things are better, I hope they are better because, maybe as the first lady, she can help soften him. Because before, it didn't look so cozy.

BLITZER: He's got a lot of work to do, the president, to get the support among women out there, because it's overwhelmingly, at least in our new poll, not good for him.

CUPP: He would have a lot of work to do, the clock is running out. And I'm not sure he is all that interested. I have not seen him, other than to say, women want to be protected.

BLITZER: Look at those numbers.

CUPP: Yes. Women want a strong national defense.

(CROSSTALK)

CUPP: Sort of trying to dog whistle that women are scared or should be scared of immigrants. Other than that, he hasn't really prioritized reaching those suburban women who could end up being his --

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RYAN: He had -- he had a majority of white women who voted for him as president. And for those numbers to drop, that's saying a lot. He needs those women.

BLITZER: We will see what happens tomorrow.

Everybody will be watching.

Are you going to be watching, S.E.?

CUPP: I'll be here. I'll be here, yes, watching.

BLITZER: We'll all be watching.

All right, guys, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, there's some other serious news we're following right now. An apparent insider attack in Afghanistan kills a U.S. soldier who is a mayor in Utah, a father of seven. This is a heartbreaking story. We have details.

[13:49:40] Plus, Iran's president vows to defy America's new sanctions on his country. And moments ago, President Trump responded.

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BLITZER: The Pentagon has identified the servicemember killed over the weekend in Afghanistan as Brent Taylor. Taylor had taken a leave of absence from his job as mayor of north Ogden, Utah, to serve in the National Guard. Taylor was killed by an Afghan soldier in an apparent insider attack. He's survived by his wife and seven children. Our deepest, deepest condolences to the family.

Iran says it will defy the new U.S. sanctions that went into effect today, calling it psychological warfare. The newest sanctions zero in on Iran's oil and gas, shipping and banking industries. And just moments ago, President Trump was asked about the role of oil in this round of sanctions.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have the toughest sanctions ever imposed. But on oil, we want to go a little bit slower, because I don't want to drive the oil prices in the world. This has nothing to do with Iran. I don't want to drive the oil prices in the world up.

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[13:55:08] BLITZER: This move officially erases all the sanctions that were lifted under the Iran nuclear deal during the Obama administration.

On the eve of the high-stakes elections across America, celebrities hitting the campaign trail in full force on both sides. You're going to hear who's stumping today in key states.

Plus, "Saturday Night Live" under fire right now for a joke involving a wounded veteran. The Republican candidate has just responded.

Stay with us.

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