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Polls on Presidential Race; Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) is Interviewed about the Presidential Race; Trump Misses Critical Transition Deadline; Biden Administration Cracks Down on Lead Paint; FBI Surges Help for Tribal Cases. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired October 24, 2024 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: In the election system infrastructure say individuals like Gabe Sterling insists that the layers of security that are in place do make that those - mean that those systems are secure. So, state officials remain vigilant and very aware of the intent of hackers to target the election systems in a variety of ways. And while concerned, though, is trying to reassure the public that those systems are secure and that their vote is secure.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: People like Gabe Sterling have worked so hard to make this election safe.

Zach Cohen, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, ahead, this morning, lawmakers on alert after the Trump campaign missed key deadlines to prepare for a potential presidential transfer of power. Why they say it could threaten our national security.

And the FBI making a push to investigate crimes targeting Native Americans. What we know about the effort dubbed "Operation Not Forgotten." That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:20]

BERMAN: All right, we've got less than two weeks to go in this election, and we've been telling you how close it is. Historically close. Closer than ever.

But here's a question, what if it's not.

All right, CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten is here.

And as close as it is -

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, sir. BERMAN: And we do believe it's super close right now.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: That also means that if things change, even just a little bit, it's not really close.

ENTEN: Yes. It isn't.

You know, so we have been talking about the idea that there's going to be an historically close election. I think I might have said it on this particular program, but, in fact, will the winner get at least 300 electoral votes? The answer is, majority, yes. There is a majority yes chance. Sixty percent chance that the winner of this election gets at least 300 electoral votes versus just a 40 percent chance that the winter ends up getting less than 300 electoral votes.

So, for all the talk that we've had about this election being historically close, which it is, chances are the winner will still actually score a relative blowout in the Electoral College, John.

BERMAN: Oh, my God, you're making my hair hurt.

ENTEN: Boom!

BERMAN: How can it be that it's so close but yet still more likely than not that it's a fairly big victory in the Electoral College.

ENTEN: Yes, so let's take a look at that polling average, all right? So, if you look across the seven key swing states, the seven closest states, in all of them the margin right now is under two points, under two points. But keep in mind, polling ain't perfect my idea friends. On average, since 1972, in the battleground states, in the key swing states, the average error in the key swing states is 3.4 points. So, if all of the battleground states go in one direction, you can end up with a map like this for Kamala Harris, where she wins all the key Great Lake battleground states, wins North Carolina, wins Georgia, wins Arizona, wins Nevada, and she gets to 319 -

BERMAN: That's even better than Biden did.

ENTEN: That's even better than Biden did.

Of course, it could go in the other direction, whereby Trump wins all the key Great Lake battleground states, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. And he gets to 312 electoral votes.

BERMAN: And that's even better than Trump did in 2016.

ENTEN: Exactly right. So, based upon what we see with the average polling error and how close the states are at this point, if all of the states move in one direction, one of these candidates could score a relative bloc (ph) in the Electoral College, win 300 plus electoral vote.

BERMAN: What does history tell us about the possibility of all these states moving in one direction?

ENTEN: History tells us that it is more likely than not that all of the swing state polling errors would move in one direction. So, in 2012, 92 percent of the states moved in Obama's direction. That is the polls underdid Obama. In 2016, 83 percent of the swing states moved together because the polls underdid Donald Trump. Of course we all remember that. And how about in 2020, 100 percent of the swing state poll averages underestimated Donald Trump. And so he did better than a lot of folks saw.

So, this time around, don't be surprised if the swing-state polls, when they underestimate one candidate, they underestimate all of them in the states. And that would lead to a relative Electoral College blowout with one of the candidates winning at least 300 electoral votes.

BERMAN: And, Harry, finally, what did you learn about the word underdid?

ENTEN: It is a real word. It is a real word. I underdid my dictionary growing up and I found out that I still have words that I need to learn.

BERMAN: There you go. Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BERMAN: News you can use.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Literally, I was going to ask you guys that at the end of the segment, what underdid meant.

Thank you.

All right, so at the CNN town hall event last night, Vice President Kamala Harris went where she has not before, agreeing with Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, that Donald Trump fits the definition of a fascist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think Donald Trump is a fascist?

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, I do. Yes, I do. And I - and I also believe that the people who know him best on this subject should be trusted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Overnight, we've also learned that Kamala Harris plans to deliver her final closing argument speech, if you will, next week at the same site of Donald Trump's - Donald Trump's speech at The Ellipse on January 6th, that set in motion the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Joining us right now is Democratic congresswoman from New Jersey, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, and a Harris campaign surrogate, Mikie Sherrill.

Congresswoman, thank you for coming in.

REP. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ): Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Do you think Donald Trump fits the definition of a fascist? Do you think the label matters?

SHERRILL: You know, sure, I think he fits the definition, but I don't think it matters. I think what matters to people is more around his actions and his words, speaking admiringly of Hitler. And, quite frankly, this is not the first time that he has spoken approvingly of Nazis.

[08:40:05]

In fact, six years ago, as I was first entering into my first congressional race, he had said at Charlottesville with Nazis on one side who were chanting "Jews will not replace us," that there were good people on both sides.

So, this is not new for Donald Trump. He's spoken approvingly of Putin, Vladimir Putin. He's spoken approvingly of president for life Xi and Viktor Orban of Hungary and other fascists.

So, I think what should concern the American people is not a label, but rather what would Donald Trump do should he ever be in power again? And he's shown us in the past that he did not want to leave despite a democratic election the last time he was president. And I think now, with what he knows, it would be very, very difficult should he ever get into the White House again to run a really fair election without him doing everything he can to undermine it.

BOLDUAN: The Trump campaign denies that Donald Trump said these things.

I want to play for you how some Republicans responded to this reporting, and John Kelly's being on the record, how they responded to this on this show just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): Look, we've heard a lot of extreme things about Donald Trump from Donald Trump. It's kind of par for the course. It's really - unfortunately, with a - with a guy like that, it's kind of baked into the vote at this point.

SEN. BILL HAGERTY (R-TN): I'm not agreeing that Trump is praising Adolf Hitler because all you have are the comments from General Kelly, again, who did not mix with - with President Trump, who did not get along with President Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: Congresswoman, that it's bakes into the vote already and also that - and as you saw from the senator, questioning John Kelly's integrity. Your reaction?

SHERRILL: You know. It's times like these when I understand how important it is for Kamala Harris to be the next president of the United States, because this country is not on its strongest footing when people act from a deep well of cynicism. We are not a cynical country. We have no reason to be a cynical country. We have almost, from our birth, been incredibly successful, not only with our idea a lot - ideology, our vision, but making this country more fair for everyone. We need to continue in that fight to make sure we create opportunity and innovation so all of our children have a great future, so our ideals are resonating across the world of democracy and freedom.

And these are the things that are really bedrock principles of Americans. And when I hear this well of cynicism from the right, oh, it's baked in, people know he's a fascist and really they don't care, or they know he's spoken approvingly of Nazis and Hitler, but that's fine. Just ignore that. It's baked in. That is not who we are as a people.

And so when you look at Harris and Walz, when they talk about the future, when they talk about what they envision for our children, when they talk about their constant fights for the American people, whether it's lowering grocery prices or lowering the cost of housing, or making sure the economy works for you, these are people who are putting the values of this country and the American people first, which is such a sharp contrast to Trump, who has shown every indication in the past - and I'm not just talking as president. I'm here in New Jersey. We've seen Trump for years operate in this area economically. He always puts himself first. You work with him. You always end up getting the wrong end of the stick. A raw deal. He's basically what my dad would have called a snake oil salesman. And we don't need that as president of the United States.

BOLDUAN: Congresswoman, I want to ask you - you're talking about the affordability crisis. And that is what we heard from undecided voters after the CNN town hall event of undecided voters last night, that they - one of the things that they care deeply about. One undecided voter, I want to play for you, she talked about how she wants to hear more about how the candidates are going to help them, which she says she is not hearing yet, even after the CNN town hall with Kamala - with Kamala Harris. She's not hearing that enough. And what she's hearing too much of is the candidates attacking each other.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM THISTLE, UNDECIDED AUDIENCE MEMBER AT CNN TOWN HALL: And - and another thing that is very much a turnoff, and this is with both candidates, stop trashing each other. We don't care. Stop trashing Trump. Trump, stop trashing the vice president. We don't care. The voters don't care. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Because what we heard from Kamala Harris, and have heard on the trail and in the town hall, was almost that every answer is part of an answer and then a turn to, and Donald Trump would be worse, calling him unfit over and over again.

What do you say to that voter?

[08:45:02]

SHERRILL: Well, you know, I think it's important that elections are choices. And so, I think it's both important to enunciate how Kamala Harris is going to lower costs for the American people. And she has laid out various plans, whether it's on housing or grocery store prices to do just that, but also to show that every economist has suggested that Trump's economic plan is going to be a huge cost for American people, that the way he is going to implement competition with China is going to cost American families $4,000 in extra costs, to show that, for example here in this region, he was the architect of the state and local tax deduction cap, and now we have a tax plan that we have to renegotiate because it's - it's going to sunset in '25. So, who do you want at the table arguing for you, an administration that cares about your family, cares about your future, or an administration that has, you know, shown in the past with Trump that all he cares about is enriching himself and his family.

BOLDUAN: After 80 minutes with the vice president, that one undecided voter not - making clear that she has not yet heard that enough for sure.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for coming on. Appreciate your time.

Sara.

SIDNER: This morning, non-partisan experts and Democrats are sounding the alarm bells after the Trump team missed a pair of key presidential transition deadlines. And that could have a huge impact on the peaceful transfer of power if he were to win the election.

CNN's senior White House producer Betsy Klein is joining us now.

What are these important steps that have been missed? And we're just 12 days from the election.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Yes, well, Sara, former President Donald Trump has blown past a pair of these really critical deadlines toward preparing for a presidential transition. And the experts we have talked to with just 12 days to go really say that this could pose major problems to a peaceful transfer of power.

Now, the first deadline that they missed was September 1st. That is a deadline for the General Services Administration to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Trump campaign that really lays out their access to things like office space, communications, secure email, and IT support. The second deadline was a memo with the White House that really gives

him access to agencies, personnel, information sharing.

So, the goal here really is so they can hit the ground running as soon as the election is decided.

And the Harris team, meanwhile, has participated in all of these key deadlines. They have submitted their memoranda. And the nonpartisan experts we are talking to are warning that this could pose a major problem to a smooth transfer of power if they don't have the resources necessary to really hit the ground running.

And Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin, he is the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, he said in a new letter to former President Trump and J.D. Vance, quote, "that Trump is departing from the well-established norms of the federal government and demonstrating a spectacular disregard for the successful continuation of the essential institutions of American democratic government."

Now, Raskin is also warning that this could, quote, "threaten our national security." And that may sound dramatic, but it's really not hyperbole, because if you remember, back in 2000, as they were recounting those votes in Florida, neither Bush nor Gore were participating in a transition and the 911 Commission report found that that could have contributed to the September 11th terror attacks, Sara.

SIDNER: Betsy Klein, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, the White House announced a zero tolerance policy on traces of lead paint in homes. We've got new details on what happens if any toxic paint is detected.

And money cannot buy happiness, so they say, but can it help solve loneliness? One major city is spending more than $325 million to find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:53:12]

BOLDUAN: The Biden administration is making new moves to crack down on lead paint. A new EPA rule just finalize that further tightens lead dust standards. The goal is to eliminate altogether the decades old paint in millions of homes. Paint that endangers young children.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard has the details on this. She's joining us now.

Good morning, Jacqueline.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Yes, with this new rule from the EPA, there are two things that really stand out here. Number one, the EPA says that any level of lead, lead paint, lead dust that's in the home or in a building is hazardous to our health.

The second thing that stands out here is that with this new rule, it lowers the threshold when it comes to how much lead dust can remain in a building after the lead paint removal process happens. And that threshold of how much lead dust is allowed to remain has been dropped to the lowest level detectable in a lab. So, that's the number that this new rule is really focusing on.

And the history behind this, in 1978, the federal government banned lead paint in buildings, but there are still millions of homes and buildings out there that were constructed before that 1978 ban. And these buildings still contain lead-based paint today. The EPA estimates that there are about 31 million homes still containing lead- based paint and about 3.8 million of those are homes to young children who are especially vulnerable to lead exposure.

So, that's why the EPA and the White House today, we're seeing them really crack down on the amount of lead that we can still have in a home or in a building today.

BOLDUAN: And remind people why lead paint is just so dangerous for kids.

[08:55:00]

HOWARD: Right. Well, lead is a neurotoxin and it has been associated with changes in the brain, nervous system, developmental issues in children, slowed growth. And so, if you are someone who has a home that was built before 1978, if you are concerned about lead exposure, there are some steps you can take. Number one, make sure that any children in the home do not have access to peeling paint. Number two, regularly use a wet mop to really clean floors, windows. These are the areas where lead dust can accumulate. And that's what you want to target is that lead dust.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

Jacqueline, thank you so much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, new this hour, the first lawsuit has been filed against McDonald's relating to its E. Coli outbreak. At least 49 illnesses across ten states and one deaths have been linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders. Eric Sealey (ph), who purchased food from McDonald's in Colorado three weeks ago, says he eventually tested positive for E. Coli at a local hospital. His lawsuit was filed just a day after the CDC issued a food safety alert to Americans. McDonald's has since said they are confident it is safe to eat at there restaurants now, but did not immediately respond to CNN's request for a comment on the new lawsuit.

And new this morning, we're learning that Trump's former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, who has built a business cashing in on denying that the 2020 election went for Biden, knowing full well there is no evidence to support a key part of his claims. A new court deposition reveals Flynn, on the record, under oath, saying there is no evidence an executive used Dominion Voting Machines to rig the 2020 election. The tape comes from a deposition Flynn participated in as a part of a defamation lawsuit brought against him by Dominion Voting Systems.

Actress Olivia Munn is bearing the scars from her battle with breast cancer in a new ad campaign. Munn told the "Today" show, she approached SKIMS about showing her mastectomy scars after being hired to do their bra campaign, and they gave her the green light.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLIVIA MUNN, ACTRESS: When I look at the scars or how my breasts look different or how clothes fit on me differently, I just feel a lot of gratitude. The way my body looks is just a representation of how hard I fought.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Such an important message. Munn had a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction after being diagnosed with breast cancer in April of last year.

Bless her.

All right, officials in Seoul, South Korea, plan to spend millions of dollars to fight loneliness. They say they want to create a city where, quote, "no one is lonely." The price tag, $327 million over the next five years. The goal is to stop people from dying alone by providing loneliness counselors around the clock. The city will also role out activities like gardening and book clubs to try to get people out of the house and in community.

John.

BERMAN: That's a positive initiative.

SIDNER: I love it.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, tackling crime and working unsolved cases on tribal lands. The FBI now has "Operation Not Forgotten," as they call it. It has resulted in the arrest of 40 suspects from June to September.

CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell is with us now on this operation and what it has accomplished so far.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, you know, this comes amid soaring rates of violence that Native Americans in this country are experiencing, as well as mounting caseloads of unresolved investigations. The FBI surging resources to numerous states across the country to work these cases on tribal lands, working with tribal police, as well as other state, federal law enforcement partners.

And just to talk about some of the results here, the FBI says that there were at least nine children that were rescued from situations of abuse or neglect. Over 40 people arrested. We're talking about 11 criminal indictments, also part of this massive operation.

And just to tell you what is driving all of this. Justice Department figures say that Native American women who were surveyed say that 84 percent of them had said that they had experienced violence in their life, 82 percent of Indigenous men said the same.

I recently spoke to an FBI agent, an FBI analysts working these cases on tribal land. They talked about the challenges and what drives them.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to be able to learn the land. You've got to be able to learn the cultural norms. And our number one challenge is access. For certain crimes out here, it will be some sort of family on family crime and they may not want the individual to go to jail.

CAMPBELL: But to you, this is more than just data.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is more than just data. These are individuals. And these are individuals that are either in pain or missing or in trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: There are numerous barriers to solving these cases. Victim advocates tell us they don't believe that tribal police have enough resources. One advocate gave the example that sometimes victims have to travel over 200 miles on a reservation to go to a police substation. Sometimes there are no officers there because they're out trying to solve other crimes. So, resource a major issue. And so there's a lot of work still to be done.

[09:00:01]

They also say - the police chief on one reservation told me simply public awareness. These cases don't get enough attention. It's hard to ask the public to help solve crime.