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Obama: Black Men Going For Trump Over Harris "Not Acceptable"; Harris, Trump In A Deadlocked Race In 6 Battleground States; DEA: That Online "Pharmacy" Could Kill You; Atomic Bomb Survivor Group Wins Nobel Peace Prize. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired October 11, 2024 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[14:34:30]
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The Harris campaign is pulling out all the stops as it hopes to win over a key demographic, black male voters.
Next week, the vice president is set to sit down with the hugely popular radio host, Charlemagne tha God, for an hour-long town hall in Detroit.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And yesterday, the campaign made another pitch targeting black men in Pennsylvania. This time, it came from former President Barack Obama.
Here's what he said.
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[14:34:53]
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you're thinking about sitting out or supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating you because you think that's a sign of strength, because that's what being a man is. Putting women down. That's not acceptable.
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KEILAR: Soft turnout among black voters could hurt Harris' chances in November as new polling out today shows Harris is in a deadlocked race with Trump in six of the seven battleground states.
Larry Sabato is with us now. He's the director for the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
And, Larry, it's so interesting to hear that message. It's made a lot of headlines from President Obama.
And you have Vice President Harris set to appear, as we mentioned, on "The Breakfast Club" next week. Are Democrats right to be incredibly concerned about this voting bloc?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Yes, Democrats worry about everything, but this is actually a legitimate worry. And it's showing up in lots of different polls from many different organizations.
That's when I tend to believe something. It's not just a one-off on a particular survey on one day in one state.
So, look, Barack Obama was absolutely the perfect messenger because black males would be inclined, I think, to listen to him as he explains the stakes of the election.
We all think, as we cover this constantly and do nothing but politics, at least I do nothing but politics, you would think that people would know this instinctively, but they don't and they have to be asked, they have to be asked to vote.
And black males have been defecting to Republicans at a little higher rate, not 20 percent as some of these surveys are suggesting. But while maybe 8 percent of blacks in the United States will end up voting Republican, among black males, that may be 13 or 14 percent.
Well, you know what? This is going to be so close in a lot of these states that that could be the election.
SANCHEZ: Yes, especially if you're talking about Michigan and Pennsylvania as well.
Larry, specifically on the issues, 41 percent of voters call the economy or inflation their top issue. But 28 percent of registered voters chose abortion as the issue they felt so strongly about that they couldn't vote for a candidate who agreed with them.
Which states do you expect abortion to have the most impact in as an issue?
SABATO: Well, it's going to matter I think in just about all of them. Look at how many red states and purple competitive states have already voted in favor of various abortion referenda that put, for example, promises of Roe v. Wade rights into the state constitution.
I think it's been every one so far, at least every one that has gotten well over 50 percent. So I would think it would matter everywhere.
Now, the good news for Kamala Harris is she is focusing on that and it's going to make a difference in some of these swing states.
The bad news for her is that despite what people say in these surveys, it's so much more complicated than that. They really don't just look at one issue.
KEILAR: Larry, a lot of folks looking back at polls from 2016 and 2020 where there was a pandemic, it was a very strange time for how -- to hold an election. They look back and they say polling did not reflect reality.
And I wonder, as you are looking at the polls for this election, how are you thinking about what you can take to the bank when it comes to those numbers?
SABATO: Brianna, absolutely nothing.
(LAUGHTER)
SABATO: These are very fragile instruments. They're very fragile instruments. And even a really good polling organization is going to have an outlier that's unrepresentative every now and then for statistical reasons only.
So you have to look at the entire universe of data that's available to you. Now, once you do that, I think you can reasonably conclude two things.
One is that the better pollsters, the ones who are willing to spend money to do their job better and not be embarrassed after Election Day, have tried to improve their polling to take into account people who were hiding from the pollsters who favored Donald Trump, as proportionately in 2016 and 2020.
And that's a good thing. Here's the bad news. Because I've talked to many of the pollsters about this. They have no idea if it's going to work this time either.
KEILAR: Whoo.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Well, Larry Sabato, yes, appreciate the analysis. And it's absolutely true. And that's especially where the Trump campaign feels that it can flourish with low-propensity, low-engagement voters, the kind of folks that may not pick up a call from a pollster.
[14:40:02]
Larry Sabato, appreciate the analysis. Thanks for joining us.
SABATO: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Still to come, a sharp new warning about the dangers of buying prescription drugs online from a pharmacy you don't know. The key warning signs to let you know if those prices are phony or for real or potentially deadly.
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KEILAR: They may look exactly like the real thing, but pills from some online pharmacies can, literally, kill you.
[14:44:58]
The DEA put out a new public safety alert to warn Americans some illegal online pharmacies are selling pills that claim to be prescription medication but are actually made with Fentanyl and Meth.
SANCHEZ: And those online pharmacies could be deadly scam, the sites that are allegedly working with drug traffickers to fill their orders.
CNN security correspondent, Josh Campbell, joins us now.
Josh, what should folks out there be looking for?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, this new warning from the DEA is stark, but it could, quite literally, save your life or the life of a loved one.
Because so many of us are buying things online now. And when we go into a brick-and-mortar pharmacy, you expect that the product behind the counter is from a reputable pharmaceutical company.
But what the D.A. is saying is, with these online scams, it's not a pharmacist that's fulfilling your prescription, but quite often drug traffickers.
So let's look at some of the warning signs here that the DEA says people should be on the lookout for.
If you are able to buy a prescription online and you don't actually need to provide a doctors actual order prescription, that is a red flag. If the price is too good to be true, cut-rate prices, that's a warning sign.
If you receive a pill and the packaging is damaged or the pill itself is damaged, that should be a red flag. And the big red flag as well there at the bottom you see, if you get pills and the bottle has no expiration date, that is a major cause of concern.
Let's look at some of the Web sites that the DEA says are fraudulent. You'll see these are generic names. Careonlinestore, Pharmacy store online.
Now, if you look at these Web sites, if you actually go to them, this is what you'll now see, which is a graphic from the Drug Enforcement Administration. These Web sites have been seized by the Justice Department.
But guys, there are still so many of these types of Web sites that are out there that are selling products that can literally kill you.
Finally, you'll might be wondering, why would a drug dealers sell someone a product that could kill them? I recently talked to LAPD undercover detective who does this for a living, trying to go after these illicit drugs.
What he told me is that, look, at the end of the day, these drug dealers do not actually care about their customers. They're in it to make a profit.
Have a listen.
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CAMPBELL: If you look at these photos, the fake pill looks just like the real pill.
UNDERCOVER LAPD DETECTIVE: They sure do. The dealer's main objective is to get you hooked. And if you don't die from it, then you're a customer for as long as you live.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: A customer for as long as you live. Very, very stark there from authorities.
But finally, sort of pointing out that in addition to this public advisory making people aware of these scams, federal agents have been working behind the scenes.
Just last month, 18 people were charged in an investigation by the DEA and Homeland Security investigations. It's alleged that they're part of this global online pharmacy scheme.
Guys, the DEA Administrator Anne Milgram says that this group flooded the U.S. drug supply, sending packages through these scams to every state in the country, including Washington, D.C.
They want people to be on alert. And they say that the D.A. will continue to relentlessly go after these deadly scams.
KEILAR: Wow, Josh, thank you so much. Really appreciate all that information.
And when we come back, why a grassroots organization in Japan just won the Nobel Peace Prize. They say what happened to them 80 years ago, ties directly into what's happening in the world right now.
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[14:52:39]
SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.
As the southeast struggles to recover from significant storm damage, voting and civil rights groups wanted to give residents more time to register to vote. But two federal judges in Georgia and Florida have rejected those requests.
KEILAR: Also, Fisher Price is recalling more than two million swings because babies could suffocate in them. Five babies reportedly died sleeping in Snuga Swings between 2012 and 2022.
Safety officials say you can only use the swing -- it says you can use the swing only if you immediately take out the headrest and the body support insert.
And Elon Musk debuting Tesla's self-driving robotaxi. Kind of sweet lines there.
SANCHEZ: Yes. KEILAR: You've got to -- you've got to -- you've got to admit that's pretty nice stuff. Calling it his vision for the future.
The stock though is down sharply, telling you that investors not so impressed as I was clearly with the lines on that thing.
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KEILAR: The driverless car doesn't have a wheel, doesn't have pedals. He says it will sell for under $30,000.
We're going to have more on the new robotaxi and the doubts about it in the next hour.
And the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today to a group of Japanese survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
SANCHEZ: Yes, the bombings in 1945 mark the only time that nuclear weapons have been used in war.
The Nobel Committee chair praised the survivors group for using witness testimony to persuade people that nuclear weapons must never be used again.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery has details from Tokyo.
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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a very joyous moment for Japan and for Nihon Hidankyo. After years of advocating for nuclear disarmament, the group was finally recognized for its work.
You can actually see some of the organization's members crying tears of joy just unable to believe that they've won such a prestigious award.
Now a bit about this organization. It is a grassroots organization that's comprised of atomic bomb survivors, also known as Hibakusha in Japanese.
Their main purpose is to eliminate nuclear weapons around the globe. And their win actually comes at a very important time, not just for Japan, but also for the entire world.
After decades of nuclear anxiety during the Cold War, nuclear weapons are once again causing a lot of unease, especially amid the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
[14:55:06]
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned the West that it could use nuclear weapons if the United States and its allies get too involved in the war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Israel, which is widely believed to have its own nuclear weapons it's trading fire with Iran, another country that is believed to have the capabilities of developing its own nuclear weapons.
Even Japan's neighbors, like North Korea, are rapidly developing their nuclear arsenal.
So the work of Nihon Hidankyo and organizations like it are extremely relevant, especially as they speak from experience.
Japan is the only country to have ever been bombed with atomic bombs during war time. And it's believed more than 200,000 people we're killed.
They can say firsthand how devastating nuclear weapons actually are, how these atomic bombs decimated entire neighborhoods, towns, people's homes, and their families.
And even though many of these hibakusha are getting old and are dying, they hope that their message of nuclear disarmament doesn't die with them.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
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SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Hanako for that report.
Still ahead, a big bet in a blue state. Why former President Trump is taking on the issue of immigration in Colorado, when we come back from a quick break.
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