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The Lead with Jake Tapper

DOJ Puts Prosecutors On Leave For Accurately Describing January 6 Attack; Trump Lowers Tariffs On China And Ends 'Rare Earths Roadblock' After Xi Meeting; Melissa Takes Aim To Bermuda After Devastating Jamaica; NYC Voters Weigh In On Mayor's Race; Poll: Spanberger Holds Narrow Lead In Virginia Gov. Race; Sean "Diddy" Combs Moved To Low-Security Prison. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 30, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:15]

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: All right, thanks very much to my panel for being here. Really appreciate you guys. John, it's such a treat to have you. Thank you very much for being here.

You can also now stream The Arena live and catch up whenever you want on the CNN app. If you missed us here, go ahead and scan that QR code below. There's also the podcast. You can follow the show on X, Instagram and The Arena, at The Arena CNN. Jake Tapper is standing by for The Lead. Hi, Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: You're four seconds over. All right, Kasie, we'll see you --

HUNT: Do not start counting.

TAPPER: We'll see you back in the arena tomorrow. What Trump's Justice Department removed from a court filing has the legal world alarmed. The Lead starts right now.

Two assistant U.S. attorney suspended after mentioning facts about President Trump and the January 6th attack in court documents. Those key lines now gone. A federal judge just weighed in on this rather Orwellian move.

And breaking news, Britain's Prince Andrew stripped of his prince title. I guess we just call him Andrew now. He's also going to move out of the Royal Lodge. He's the biggest name to fall so far because of the most recent iteration of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Will he ever face actual justice, though?

And we're just five days out from Election Day, the closing messages before the final votes in the big key races.

Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We start with our Law and Justice Lead. The Trump Justice Department just suspended two prosecutors after they described the January 6th insurrection as a, quote, mob of rioters in a sentencing memo, which is, of course, accurate.

The Department of Justice took the memo down, then published a new one, whitewashing key language. One Justice Department source describes the move Orwellian. Today, pardoned rioter Taylor Taranto was sentenced in a D.C. federal court for 21 months on gun charges in a separate case.

But first, let's bring you a little refresher of Taranto's visit to the Capitol in January 2021. In his own words. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR TARANTO, PARDONED JANUARY 6 RIOTER: So we're in the Capitol building, legislative building, and we're -- we just stormed it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: We just stormed it, he says. Now back to the new case. In the summer of 2023, before that happened, Taranto livestreamed himself saying he wanted to detonate a car bomb near a federal building. He then drove through former President Obama's neighborhood with a van full of guns and ammo, saying that he was looking for secret tunnels into Obama's home. After reposting a Truth Social by Donald Trump, which included Obama's purported home address.

Now late Wednesday, the Justice Department published the new sanitized sentencing message for Taranto, deleting two quite important parts of the original Memo written by two experienced, now suspended prosecutors, former Assistant U.S. attorneys Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White.

Now, the original memo that they wrote stated, quote, On January 6, 2021, thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol while a joint session of Congress met to certify the results of the 2022 -- 2020, rather presidential election. Taranto was accused of participating in the riot in Washington, D.C. by entering the U.S. capitol building. Unquote.

Factual information, just what happened. But that information is nowhere to be found in this new sanitized, censored memo. Neither is this one. On June 29, 2023, then-former President Donald Trump published on a social media platform the purported address of former President Barack Obama. Taranto reposted the address, unquote.

Again, factual, accurate. Joining us now, CNN crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz, who is just at the sentencing hearing. Also with a CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig and former prosecutor and defense attorney Mimi Rocah.

So, Katelyn, it sounds like the judge mentioned that the two prosecutors placed on leave. And you also heard from Taranto.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: We did. Now, the judge didn't really address the January 6 issue here. The real elephant in the room in the sentencing hearing, rather obliquely, he did refer to the prosecutors and essentially gave them his commendations, that he appreciated their service. They were in the courtroom for this sentencing hearing.

TAPPER: They were.

POLANTZ: They were.

TAPPER: Even though they were suspended.

[17:05:00]

POLANTZ: That's right.

TAPPER: OK.

POLANTZ: And they were sitting in the back and there were other former and current Justice Department prosecutors in the room sitting behind the table. They were not at the counsel's table. But Taylor Taranto, when he was given the opportunity to address the judge, he didn't apologize. He didn't do the same, the sort of thing that defendants usually do. He said this case started out with January 6th charges. That's it.

There really was not much more talk about this. January 6th did it factor into the sentence that Judge Nichols gave him? No, that was the thing that everybody was looking for. And I was watching these prosecutors in the courtroom and they were shaking their heads, the current and former prosecutors who were not at the counsel's table, because there was clear disappointment that Judge Nichols hadn't addressed this issue.

This is one of those things that you just don't see happen in the Justice Department. The last time it happened that I can recall, it was during the Roger Stone sentencing. Whenever there was a very similar situation, prosecutors fired or pulled off the case, resigning from the case, a sentencing memo changing because the Justice Department didn't like what they had wanted for Roger Stone. And the judge in that situation hauled some of the top prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office in to question them about it.

But in this January 6th didn't even factor in the judge was just looking at what was being said in this set of charges that he was found guilty on.

TAPPER: So, Elie, we should note both the old and the new memo, the new one being the whitewashed one, suggest 27 months behind -- 27 months behind bars for Taranto. How unusual is it to see prosecutors suspended for making an accurate description of a factual event?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Jake, I've been working at and covering the Justice Department for the better part of the last 20 years. I cannot point you to another example or anything close of a couple of veteran outstanding prosecutors who are suspended for using language that is objectively true and relevant to the case. And there's a distinction with the Roger Stone case that Katelyn

mentioned before. In the Roger Stone case, those prosecutors resigned because they objected to political interference in the case. Here, these prosecutors are being punished. They're being suspended for stating the truth. But this is really part of a larger effort to sanitize January 6th at DOJ and to really turn the good guys into bad guys. It started with the pardons. 1,500 plus people. We saw firings of dozens of prosecutors and FBI agents who worked these cases.

And now we're seeing DOJ take on the role of language police to try to clean up verbiage that might be politically offensive to the administration.

TAPPER: Mimi, there's a part of both the old and new memos that explain Taranto's, quote, violent intent to around the time of his offenses. He apparently visited a Maryland elementary school on June 18, 2023, just 10 days before his arrest to keep an eye on Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland, whom he says lives close by the school and, quote, hates January 6th people, adding, quote, I want him all to myself, unquote. That seems like a relevant reason to keep the initial January 6th background in the Memo.

MIMI ROCAH, FORDHAM LAW ADJUCT PROFESSOR: Absolutely. It is unquestionably relevant. It unquestionably is in the presentence report which the probation department prepares. And so I -- and I don't think that the Justice Department has any control over that.

And remember, a pardon by President Trump is not an exoneration as bad as what he did pardoning all of these violent January 6th people, no matter whether they used actual violence or not, it doesn't clear them of the crime. The actual criminal history is still there.

And so not only is it factually specifically relevant in the way you just pointed out, because this defendant in his new charge conduct is his motivation is I did this on January 6th and people are coming after us like Jamie Raskin, but also any criminal history is relevant when you're sentencing a defendant anew.

So, for all of those reasons, it is just inexplicable that they took this out. It is rewriting history. And frankly, it is disappointing that the judge didn't reference it particularly because I really am confident it must be in the pre-sentence report as well, which is the document the judges sort of rely on most in doing sentencing.

TAPPER: So Katelyn, Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox host who is now the U.S. attorney in D.C. whose name is at the bottom of the original and new memo, was asked about this today. Tell us about that.

POLANTZ: Yes, she essentially said, none of your beeswax. We're keeping this in the family. Here's a little bit more of Jeanine Pirro at a press conference today.

(BEGIN VIDE OCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The filing was taken down. The new sentencing memo was filed with those details. Did you order that memo taken down? [17:10:00]

JEANINE PIRRO, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: I think the papers speak for themselves. And what goes on in this office is not something that I'm going to comment on to the press. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: But again, Jeanine Pirro is talking about two suspended AUSA prosecutors in her office pulled off this case. Some details about them. One of them won a trial for that office on Tuesday of this week, got a guilty verdict, was on a trial team. And then the other one is a former Marine. Again, they were in court today, but they were not able to carry this case to the finish one that they had tried.

TAPPER: Elie, these suspensions, of course, just part of an already long list of sacked U.S. attorneys, many of whom had completely impeccable conservative credentials, but just weren't willing to do whatever Trump wanted him to do and weren't like unquestionably MAGA loyalists.

What is going on at the Justice Department now that all these deeply knowledgeable expert prosecutors are being sidelined or even fired?

HONIG: Jake, think of all the experience and talent and skills that have bled out of DOJ in the last nine months just to run through it. We had the dozens of people fired because they did their jobs and prosecuted the January 6th case. We had anyone who had anything to do with Jack Smith's case on down to the support staff, they were fired. We had about a half dozen experienced prosecutors in New York and D.C. who resigned in protest over the mishandling of the Eric Adams case.

We saw the conservative U.S. attorney and other experienced prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia who resigned in protest over the Comey and Letitia James prosecutions. And DOJ, you know, they're no different than any other large organization. A business, a bank, a sports team. When you lose that much talent and that much experience at key positions, it is going to undermine your skills and your results.

TAPPER: It also just, quite frankly, it makes the country less safe. You need that expertise to put bad guys behind bars. Thanks to all of you. Appreciate it.

Moments ago we saw President Trump return from Asia. My next guest was at the table for the president's top level talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. What was negotiated, what was not. That's next.

And breaking news from New York, Sean "Diddy" Combs transferred to a low security prison to serve out his four-year sentence on prostitution related charges. What CNN is learning about the move, that's next.

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[17:16:15] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: On the scale of from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best. I would say the meeting was at 12.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Doesn't just go to 11, it goes to 12. In our World Lead, President Trump taking a victory lap, saying that Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to almost everything at their nearly two-hour meeting in South Korea.

Here's what we know about the U.S.-China deal. The U.S. will reduce tariffs on most Chinese goods by 10 percent. So from 57 percent down to 47 percent. China says that they will crack down on fentanyl, purchase more U.S. soybeans and pause some of the restrictions on rare earth mineral exports.

However, President Trump's trade war still has meant higher prices here in the US. A new paper from the Harvard Business School Tariff Tracker finds quote between March and September, prices of imported goods increased by about 5.4 percent relative to pre tariff trends while domestic goods rose by 3 -- goods rose by 3 percent.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was of course at the table for these top level talks. He joins us now from the White House. Representative Greer, thanks for joining us. We appreciate it. What are the wins for the U.S. from this deal?

JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: Well, we had a handful of goals going into these discussions. First of all, the Chinese had threatened to control rare earths for the entire world, which would have meant that a phone made in Korea going to Arizona would have to be approved by the Chinese or a chip going from Arizona to Mexico to go into a car would have to be approved.

So, we were successful in getting them to just not implement those new controls at all and to find a better way to deal with the controls from earlier in the year.

You know, second, we wanted to make sure that they resumed their sales of agricultural purchases. And so we secured long term purchases of soybeans for the next few years and then resumption of sales of sorghum. Removal of Chinese tariffs on a variety of goods like cotton, dairy, et cetera.

We also wanted to get cooperation on fentanyl. So we took down some of the fentanyl tariffs, but not all of them. So we can continue to have some leverage and we do continue to have some tariffs on them. So on all counts it was a successful meeting.

TAPPER: Where do things go from here given that no agreements have actually been signed yet?

GREER: Well, the way this happened, just sequencing is a few days ago Secretary Bessent and I went to Malaysia and met with our counterpart in Malaysia to come to some agreement. The presidents got together today to bless that agreement.

And so we'll have a few details that we're finalizing and we'll be releasing some fact sheets with more details in the coming days. But it's essentially what we've discussed right now.

TAPPER: Take a listen to what economist and China expert Mary Lovely told CNN after the framework of the deal was announced, before Trump and Xi met face to face.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY LOVELY, SENIOR FELLOW, PETERSON INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: I think in some sense the U.S. blinked the -- we are back to the status quo. China is, you know, reverting back to purchases it already made. When we think back to the systemic or structural issues that the U.S. wanted the Chinese to address, things like industrial subsidies, reviving their own domestic demand, opening up their markets to U.S. exports more. We haven't seen any of those outside of agriculture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What's your response?

GREER: Yes, I think Mary's talking about a different negotiation. I mean, there are some things with China that for years been trying to get them to change. You know, they're not going to just say I'm going to stop being communist and change all their practices.

I mean, our view is to make sure we have balanced trade with them. One way to do that is have a tariff. Our bilateral trade deficit with China has improved substantially this year and we are again have secured some of those ag purchases that will again improve the trade deficit.

So on all the things that we care about it's moving forward.

[17:20:02]

You know, would we like the Chinese to change their rules for market access for U.S. companies? Of course we would. Is that going to happen? That's possible. People have been trying that for years. We're trying to be quite realistic about this, try to balance out the trade deficit, protect our sensitive technologies and have a good relationship with the Chinese.

TAPPER: On the issue of fentanyl, I have to ask because obviously the administration is taking military action in the Atlantic and the Caribbean against boats that they say are narcoterrorists coming from Venezuela and Colombia.

The drugs that are killing Americans, as I'm sure I don't need to tell you, are largely fentanyl, which is generally speaking from China and then through Mexico into the US. So how confident are you that this step that you've taken here with this trade deal will actually prevent the fentanyl from coming into the U.S. and killing so many Americans? GREER: So in the first term, the President addressed fentanyl with

President Xi and the Chinese and they put on the schedule, you know, their Chinese drug schedule, fentanyl itself. However, the precursors are now what are coming from China to Canada and Mexico being made into fentanyl there and coming. So there's a whole supply chain. So we're trying to deal with that precursor supply chain coming from China.

You know, are we confident it will work? I think so. You know, they're very eager to be cooperative. They feel the heat of the tariffs because they're so export dependent. And we're just going to monitor that. We have to monitor it. We have to work with the Department of Homeland Security. We're going to have working groups with our Chinese counterparts and it's essentially a one year deal.

And so if it doesn't work out, then we'll do something else. But they are quite eager to work with us.

TAPPER: Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, thank you so much for joining us and thanks for visiting the lead. We appreciate it.

GREER: Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: We're getting brand new drone video from Black River, Jamaica. This is on the southwest side of the island, not far from where Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Tuesday. These waterfront homes and mansions, many of them just ripped apart by the storm. The CNN team also made it to Black River and we're going to go there live, next.

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[17:26:14]

TAPPER: A new video of extreme weather in New York City. Just look at this. Floodwaters reaching knee-level in Brooklyn. We also saw water seeping down into the New York subway system. Not surprisingly, this is the Grand Army Plaza subway station near Prospect Park. A flash flood warning for the city expires this hour as heavy rain moves out.

And just in on the World Lead, Hurricane Melissa still on a dangerous path, now moving toward Bermuda as a Category 2 hurricane. In its wake, rescues are still underway as people dig their way out of the storm's devastation. CNN's meteorologist Derek Van Dam right now is in hard hit Black River, Jamaica, which is on the southwestern side of the island where the damage is so catastrophic the prime minister is referring to the town as ground zero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTEL BRYAN, HELPING REMOVE DEBRIS NEAR BLACK WATER: It was hell. Hell broke loose.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Rescue efforts continue in parts of Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean. The heat adds to a new level of desperation. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went there and it's chaos. We have a few selfish

people who are breaking into the stores, stealing what they can.

DANA MORRIS DIXON, JAMAICAN MINISTER OF INFORMATION: I think the entire Jamaica is really broken. We are working to get to those who need as much assistance as possible.

VAN DAM (voice-over): Emergency crews and the Jamaica Defense Force are working to clear roads to reach isolated and coastal communities.

DIXON: They are cutting their way on foot through blocked roads by foot. This is not easy work.

VAN DAM (voice-over): Melissa killed at least 30 people across the Caribbean, though the full toll of the catastrophic storm may take days or weeks to determine, four bodies have been found in St Elizabeth Parish in Jamaica, according to government officials. One woman who lives in the parish said the storm destroyed her home and now she and her son need clothing and food.

OLIVENE ROWE, ST. ELIZABETH PARISH RESIDENT: We had lost everything, but most of all, we have life and from we have life. That is the most important thing.

VAN DAM (voice-over): Similar images in other parts of Jamaica. Streets covered in mud, homes without roofs and parts still underwater. To understand the full power of Hurricane Melissa, these satellite images show the before and after of a fishing village.

Melissa also left widespread destruction in other Caribbean countries. In Cuba, roads are covered in mud and trees, leaving many communities isolated from aid. And in Haiti, the storm did not make a direct landfall, but did take the lives of at least 23 people, the highest death toll so far in the Caribbean region.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAN DAM: Jake, my team and I have witnessed hell on what would be paradise has turned into a makeshift refugee camp. People are so desperate for shelter, nowhere to live because their homes have been completely destroyed by the fury of Hurricane Melissa.

This is Black River and that is the bridge going over the river into the town's commerce center. We've witnessed people taking what they need from supermarkets, not because it's looting, but because it's a matter of survival. At this moment in time, people are desperate for food, water, any kind of nonperishable foods and aid from either various countries or people on the ground.

The Jamaican Defense Forces have arrived. They're doing what they can with helicopters flying overhead. But it is a chaotic scene, a lot of emotion, a lot of tears and a lot of hope Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Derek Van Dam in Black River, Jamaica. Thank you so much. To find out how you can help, please go to cnn.com/impact, cnn.com/impact. [17:30:08]

There's brand new polling on the New York City race for mayor. The numbers show two candidates may need to do more to get their message out in these closing days. CNN went to all five boroughs in New York to hear from voters and we're going to tell you what they told us. That's next.

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TAPPER: And our Politics Lead. Cue the election music, please. There it is. It's a good jam. Somebody out there should write lyrics for it. Only five days left until Election Day. A brand new poll in the New York City race for mayor shows the self-described Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani maintaining a double digit lead, 48 percent to 32 percent for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican pulling up the rear with 16 percent. CNN's John King traveled across the city's five boroughs, all five of them to hear from New Yorkers themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[17:35:08]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you today?

JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: We're here to figure out who's going to win the mayor's race. That's why we're here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.

KING: Who's going to win? Cab drivers know everything, don't they?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Most of the people say that the Indian guy.

KING: Mamdani.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

KING (voice-over): Brooklyn is critical to Mamdani's chances.

ALICE HENTY, NEW YORK VOTER: I believe in socialism. So for me, he's a beacon.

KING (voice-over): The liberal Bushwick neighborhood is home to Diego and filmmaker Alice Henty.

HENTY: Well, I think the country's just going really badly down the toilet, and I think Zohran is like the glimmer of hope for me and for everyone I know.

KING (voice-over): Not swayed by Trump's threat to slash federal aid if Mamdani wins.

HENTY: Nope. KING: Too bad?

HENTY: No, I just think that's what we're going to live in fear and only do things in reaction to Trump for the rest of our lives, because then we're really --. Excuse my French, but we've got to stand up.

KING: I don't think that's French.

HENTY: It is in France.

KING: And in New York.

GIOVANNI LANZO, NEW YORK VOTER: Pizza, it never fails.

KING (voice-over): Luigi's is in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, opened 52 years ago by Giovanni Lanzo's father.

LANZO: I'm tossed up still.

KING (voice-over): That's Brooklyn for undecided, but a clue here. Mamdani says he's changed his mind, but he did in the past call for defunding the police.

LANZO: Now, what am I going to do? I said, get rid of them. And then when I need them, I'm going to call who? Superman. Cloth cats don't exist.

KING (voice-over): A taste test.

KING: Simple, excellence, sauce, mozzarella, a little basil, lunch.

KING (voice-over): Off to Manhattan up. The stairs way uptown.

KING: After most of the day in Brooklyn, this is evening in Manhattan. Manhattan is by far the wealthiest of the five boroughs. The median income here $106,000 a year. It's also the most educated, 65 percent of Manhattan residents have at least four years of college, meaning a bachelor's degree or higher.

KING (voice-over): Trivia night at the Gaffe East draws a lively crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a few rules for trivia.

KING (voice-over): This table all in for Mamdani.

KING: What do you think is the single most important issue for the next mayor of New York?

ANNA ST. CLAIR, NEW YORK VOTER: I definitely think it's affordability.

LAL LOPEZ, NEW YORK VOTER: To protect us from what's going on, on the federal level.

KING (voice-over): Anna St. Clair works in public relations. Lal Lopez is a nurse, 29 and 40 young professionals who welcome Mamdani ideas. Others call socialist, unrealistic and worse.

LOPEZ: And everyone just calls him a communist. And, you know, I don't have reservations with him. I think he's fully capable.

ST. CLAIR: He has like new ideas that are like different, like the grocery stores, which like, you know, something like that. OK, like maybe that won't work out. But I think the idea that he's like, I have this new policy proposal or like the free buses is like inspiring.

KING (voice-over): Up with the sun on day two.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome aboard the Staten Island ferry.

KING (voice-over): On our way to the city's conservative outpost.

KING: We're starting our morning on the Staten Island ferry. Officially, Staten Island is Richmond County on the map. Famous for these ferries. You see us here passing by, the Statue of Liberty behind me heading over to Staten Island. We started in Manhattan. Staten Island is the least populous of New York's five boroughs.

Still about 500,000 people, that's roughly the size of Oakland, California or Raleigh, North Carolina. It is also unique among the five boroughs because Staten Island is majority white. About 56 percent of its residents are white. And here's another unique Staten Island distinction. It is the only borough Donald Trump has ever won in his three runs for president, and Trump has won it all three times.

KING (voice-over): The island coffee shop is a Staten Island landmark.

ABELARDO ALEMIN, NEW YORK VOTER: I watch you every day. I watch you every day.

KING: Well, then you need to find something better to do.

KING (voice-over): Abelardo Alemin sees his vote as a message to Trump.

ALEMIN: If Mandani wins, I mean, it will be probably a relief, probably for our immigration, immigrant community, you know, because he gives us hope.

KING (voice-over): Joe Rinaldo prefers a counter seat.

JOE RINALDO, NEW YORK VOTER: I've been all over the world. This is probably the best breakfast place in the world.

KING (voice-over): Rinaldo believes Sliwa still has a chance to beat Mamdani, especially if voters accept his test for picking a mayor.

RINALDO: Twelve o'clock midnight. You're on a train. Three thugs get on the train. You want him, but you and the other car or do you want the guardian angels? Tell me what you want. Tell me the truth. You tell me the truth.

KING: I don't answer questions. I ask questions. Sorry. RINALDO: If you love your daughter, you can't vote for Mamdani. You can't vote for him.

KING (voice-over): The coffee and service are great. The conversation crackling. We have a lot more ground to cover. So back to the ferry and then a drive up the BQE. Teitel Brothers is on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, an Italian grocery founded by a Jewish family 110 years ago.

[17:40:04]

KING: How's business?

KING (voice-over): Gil Teitel is a registered Republican. A Trump voter may be Cuomo for mayor if he thinks he can win. Title says Mamdani's math just doesn't add up.

GIL TEITEL, NEW YORK VOTER: He will raise real state taxes. He will freeze rent. But then how do you go about paying real estate taxes?

KING (voice-over): Michael Teitel doesn't live in the city anymore, but his daughter does.

MICHAEL TEITEL, NEW YORK VOTER: She's 30 years old.

KING (voice-over): He worries about her safety. Michael's gift to a visitor, his signature Italian combo.

KING: That is spectacular.

Well, the Bronx is the poorest of New York's five boroughs. The median income here is about $50,000 a year. That is less than half of what it is in Manhattan. And while all of New York's boroughs are diverse, the Bronx has this distinction. It is the only borough of the five that is majority Latino.

KING (voice-over): This auto shop is busy. More Trump Cuomo talk in the blue color Bronx. Jose Hernandez is a 47-year auto body veteran, also a Trump voter.

JOSE HERNANDEZ, NEW YORK VOTER: Mamdani, I don't like him. He talk too much. I don't believe it when the people talk too much. I promise you, my promise it will sting.

KING (voice-over): Four down one to go.

KING: This is Astoria in Queens. In terms of population, Queens ranks second among the five boroughs. It's right in the middle of the five when it comes to median income. And Queens is the most diverse of the five boroughs, 28 percent Hispanic, 26 percent Asian, 23 percent white, 16 percent black.

KING (voice-over): Mamdani is a fan of this Bangladeshi restaurant. So is Soleyman Abu.

KING: What's the biggest problem in the city or the biggest challenge? SOLEYMAN ABU, NEW YORK VOTER: The crime and rent control.

KING (voice-over): Abu favors Cuomo because of his experience. But Mamdani has a lot of fans here.

KING: Who's going to win the mayor's race?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mamdani.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mamdani.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mamdani.

KING: We sure about this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we hope so.

KING: Yes. Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?

KING: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New, we need somebody new.

KING (voice-over): Five distinct boroughs, one giant choice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: It's just a fascinating journey, Jake, to go from borough to borough. New York, yes, it's a blue city, but each one of them is a little different. It's interesting. You mentioned the polling at the beginning and every poll that meets CNN standards in September. Mamdani has had a double digit lead.

If Sliwa were to get out, there was an effort to do that. He refuses to do that. Then you'd have a closer race. So it looks like he's going to win. Early voting is underway. We'll count the votes on Tuesday. Imagine if he does. A young Muslim immigrant mayor thinks Donald Trump is wrong on just about everything, inevitable, the confrontation with the mayor of the hometown where Donald Trump grew up.

TAPPER: Great piece. John King, thanks so much.

[17:42:54]

CNN is going big on election night. Look for special coverage Tuesday, starting at 5:00 p.m. Eastern here in CNN and on the new CNN streaming app as well. But first, another hot race to watch, Virginia. Today, the candidates for governor crisscross the Commonwealth. They're closing messages five days out from Election Day, that's next.

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TAPPER: And we're back with the election music. There it is. And the political panel. Let's dive into another big race next Tuesday. Virginia governor's race, guys, thanks so much for being here. Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, she's the current lieutenant governor. She's running to be Virginia's next governor. She's out with a final T.V. ad attacking her Democratic opponent, former Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger. Here is a part of the ad.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When Biden and Pelosi wrecked our economy, Abigail Spanberger was so weak, she voted with them 100 percent. When radicals wanted men and girls locker room, Spanberger was so wrong she wrote the bill. After Jay Jones talked about killing his opponent, Spanberger is so weak and woke, she voted for him.

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TAPPER: OK. So this ad is just like spaghetti against the wall. Like whatever you got, it's -- it's on the wall. Let's see what sticks. But let me ask you, I thought it was interesting tying Spanberger to the economy, to the Biden economy, and then also culture war issue. What did you think?

XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, the reason that she tied Spanberger to the Biden economy is because the economy in Virginia is not doing great. And so she needs a response to essentially show that someone else is responsible besides Republicans for that economy. I thought this was an interesting closing message.

It was all over the place. You want your closing message normally to be, what is the final thing that you want to tell voters? But I think because Spanberger has such a large lead right now, they're doing anything and they're desperate to close that. And so that's why you saw kind of throwing spaghetti at the wall and not a succinct message from Republicans about the economy or how, what they're going to do to, to change it.

TAPPER: And I will say Winsome Earle-Sears, she has a very compelling personal story and she can be very charming, but she's not closing with that. She is closing with an attack at, the polls do show Spanberger leaning, although, you know, who knows what polls are worth in 2025, a Democrat in Virginia told "Politico" we can win anywhere in the state. If we talk about the right issues, it's the things that keep people up at night, healthcare, education, good jobs, being able to take care of the family.

But you have Winsome Earle-Sears still talking about, you know, trans women in girls' locker rooms. Is that how you would recommend?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Sure. In terms of a culture war, I think it matters. I mean, recall the ad that Republicans ran in Pennsylvania against Kamala Harris. They even ran these ads during sports, football games. And President Trump said, she's for they, them, I'm for you. That resonated with a lot of voters.

[17:50:01] And when you look at the polling data, nationally speaking, over 60 percent of Americans say that they believe an individual should play a sport on the team assigned. That resonated with a lot of voters. And when you look at the polling data, nationally speaking, over 60 percent of Americans say that they believe an individual should play a sport on the team assigned by their gender at birth.

And this is across political aisles, Republicans, Democrats alike. What I have found interesting though, about Spanberger was her recent campaign stop with president Obama targeting black voters. Now, usually in campaigns, you're not really that micro focused on a group, unless there's some internal data that's suggesting there's a little bit of trouble there.

I thought that was very fascinating. The lead between the two is only about four points, Jake, within the margin of error. So you're only talking about a one point lead, that could really go either way.

TAPPER: Yes. And especially in a turnout election, let's talk about Vice President Harris, because she's opening up about her relationship with her former boss, Joe Biden. Here's what she said on The Diary of a CEO Podcast.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you friends with Joe Biden?

KAMALA HARRIS, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it complicated?

HARRIS: Yes. It's very complicated. I have a great deal of affection for him. And there were times that I've been quite candid about where he greatly disappointed me and frankly, you know, anchored me.

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TAPPER: So I wondered about that when -- when this clip -- when I saw this clip, it's not the biggest area that she had a policy disagree with -- with Biden, which was Gaza. And it's not the fact that Joe Biden ran for reelection and then concealed his infirmity from the American people and even potentially from her. It's because Biden called Harris the day of her debate with Donald Trump to complain about he'd been hearing that she was trash-talking people -- trash- talking him to people in Philly. And she says that Biden, his motivation was all about himself. What's your take?

HINOJOSA: I think Harris is there -- there is a -- there's somewhat of a history with them. If you talk to anyone in Harris world, there is -- they're upset with Joe Biden because they felt like Joe Biden didn't get out of the race and didn't give her an opportunity to really rise to the occasion.

TAPPER: Of course.

HINOJOSA: And at every moment, at every moment, they sort of either silenced her or they brushed her off. They did not lift her up. They did not, you know, and so they blame a lot of the perceived, how is she -- she is perceived to the public on Joe Biden.

And so I think what you saw there was just a frustration that she felt for four years, that she was never able to talk about because you had to be loyal to Joe Biden. And now she is able to talk about it. And I agree that it's -- it's interesting that she didn't talk about the actual issues that she is more frustrated with him based on a petty phone call.

SINGLETON: The vice president just doesn't seem authentic in this particular take. And this is a problem that plagues Democrats writ large. Tell the truth about how you really feel. She doesn't want to criticize the President and ailing President who's battling cancer. I get it. He made her his vice president. They won. She got the second largest vote pool in the history of American presidential politics, but just say, look, I'm not going to criticize the guy because he's given me so much people will respect that more.

TAPPER: All right. Let's, you two are great. Come back in the next hour. We're going to keep talking about other stuff.

We're going to go live to the White House next. President Trump is fresh off the plane from Asia, just in time for his Halloween party with families on the South lawn. We're going to keep an eye on this one. I wonder what he's going to dress up as.

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But first what CNN is learning about Sean "Diddy" Combs, transfer to a low security prison, that's next.

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TAPPER: Breaking news in our Law and Justice Lead Sean "Diddy" Combs has been transferred to a low security prison. The move after his conviction on prostitution related charges. Let's get right to CNN's Kara Scannell. Kara, what more can you tell us about this transfer?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, sources tell us that Sean "Diddy" Combs was transferred today to the low security prison in Fort Dix, New Jersey. This is the person that Combs had requested because it has a drug treatment program. He was sentenced to 50 months in prison. He's already served about 13 months since he was arrested last September.

Once inmates enter a drug treatment program, they generally get credit. And that will shave additional time off his sentence. Right now, the Bureau of Prisons is projecting that he will be released in May of 2028. Of course, Combs is also appealing the sentence and he is hoping for a pardon from President Trump, Jake.

TAPPER: So my understanding is that Combs is hardly the first celebrity to serve time at this low security prison. Tell us what his day to day might look like in this facility. SCANNELL: Yes, there are some other high profile names that have served time there. Detroit's Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick served time there. Husband of a real housewife of New Jersey served time there, as did the former bro Martin Shkreli. Now, this is a low security prison, so it's not individual cells. There's more communal living.

And Combs, you know, will I've looked at the commissary list. He will have the option to buy rice cakes for $5.75, pop tarts for $2.85. But there's no applesauce on the menu. And as one of Combs assistants had testified during the trial, Combs loves applesauce and puts it on everything, including cheeseburgers. So that will not be an option for him at this prison. Jake?

TAPPER: I really have no idea why you shared that with me. I'm now literally nauseous. Kara Scannell, thank you so much.

Welcome to The lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, dramatic new fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. King Charles is stripping his brother Prince Andrew of his title and his royal mansion amid renewed scrutiny of Andrew's friendship, shall we say, with late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. We're going to go live outside Buckingham Palace with all the breaking news.

Plus, President Trump says the U.S. is going to restart nuclear weapons testing. The Last time the U.S. did this was in 1992. So why the sudden announcement? And does President Trump really understand what he's asking for here?

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Also, it's the rare space object taking the Internet by storm. NASA is calling it an --