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New CNN National Poll: Harris And Trump Tied At 47 Percent; Tonight: Harris To Focus On Reproductive Rights At Houston Rally; Trump Speaks On Immigration At Event in Austin, Texas; Tight Races Could Decide Control Of Congress; Russian Soldiers Heard Condemning N. Korean Recruits. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 25, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:01:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Eleven days to go and both candidates are headed to Texas but with two very different messages. Vice President Kamala Harris will hold a rally in Houston centered on reproductive rights, while Donald Trump is in Austin taking on immigration. We'll take you live to the campaign trail.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Plus, what really happened at Arlington Cemetery during Donald Trump's controversial visit. The U.S. Army is about to release its records on the incident between a Trump campaign official and a staff member from the cemetery.

And after their historic mission to space the Polaris Dawn crew could offer new insights on how space travel affects your brain.

We're following these major developing stories along with many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

And we do begin this hour with that Texas standoff today. Both the presidential candidates are making rare campaign visits to Texas which is serving as the stage for the top issues that each of the campaigns wants to highlight in these closing days. Vice President Kamala Harris she just spoke with reporters in Houston and will be holding a rally tonight where she will be focusing on reproductive rights. And there she's going to be joined on stage by music superstars icons really, Beyonce and Willie Nelson both of whom have ties to Texas.

SANCHEZ: Her political rival, former President Donald Trump, is speaking in Austin where he's continuing to amplify his anti- immigration rhetoric. Soon in Austin he's going to sit down with popular podcaster Joe Rogan who boasts about 14 million subscribers to his podcast on Spotify.

This Texas showdown comes as new polling shows the race remains a virtual dead heat. Again, just 11 days to go until Election Day and CNN's brand new national poll showing both candidates tied at 47 percent among likely voters. A very small margin of error we should point out too. CNN's MJ Lee joins us now.

MJ, Harris just gave us a preview of what she's going to be talking about in the Lone Star State. This is a message that she's directing to battleground states specifically.

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, you know, she offered up her own explanation of why she's going to be campaigning in Texas given as you said it is not a battleground state in presidential elections. She said Texas is ground zero in the post Roe v. Wade world where women feel like they have less autonomy over their bodies.

The context here, of course, being that Texas happens to have one of the most strict abortion bans in the country. This is precisely why the campaign ended up choosing this state as one of the final rallies that the campaign is holding this cycle. Here's more of what she had to say earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are here to really highlight that sadly, the elected leaders of Texas, a lot of them have made Texas ground zero in this fundamental fight for the freedom of women to make decisions about their own body.

This is not just a political debate. This is not just some theoretical concept. Real harm has occurred in our country. A real suffering has occurred. People have died and it is important to highlight this issue because this is among the most critical issues that the American people will address when they vote for who will be the next president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Now, the Vice President also promised that she is going to be shining a spotlight tonight on the women and families that have been directly affected by some of these policies. As we've reported there are going to be some of these people actually on stage tonight talking about their own families' experiences. I think all of this is such a good reminder that reproductive rights remains such a top issue for Democrats as they are banking on this, being a galvanizing and mobilizing issue for them that has worked for them in past elections.

[15:05:00]

Of course, in addition to everything that they're doing to try to paint this contrast with Donald Trump, the other thing we have been talking about, of course, is just the importance of getting out the vote. That is why we are going to be seeing Beyonce, Willie Nelson on stage with the Vice President tonight.

MARQUARDT: Yes, one of the highest profile events because of those celebrities but emphasizing one of the issues that is really at the forefront of her campaign.

MJ Lee, thank you very much.

Trump, meanwhile, continues to speak in Austin, Texas about immigration. Later he's going to be traveling to the battleground state of Michigan where he's going to hold another rally. CNN's Alayna Treene is there on the ground. So Alayna, what are we expecting from his message there?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, first of all I do want to just talk about what he said in Austin, Alex and Boris, because he really is ratcheting up that inflammatory rhetoric particularly when it comes to the border. Now, part of what Donald Trump said was that he chose to go to Texas today because he knew that the Vice President was going to be there. He argued that she had no right to be there because of her handling of the border.

He also repeated a line that he said last night in Arizona where he likened undocumented immigrants in this country to trash. He said that America is a dumping ground and it's the garbage can of the world. He repeated those comments earlier, but I want you to take a listen to the other things that he has said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're letting their people out of jails and bringing them right into our - we're like a dumping ground. What Kamala Harris has done on our border is cruel, it's vile and it's absolutely heartless. Her policy of importing migrant gangs is a crime against our country. It's actually a crime against humanity and her abolition of our border should disqualify her for even running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Alex and Boris, one thing there, of course, is that the Biden administration and Harris herself are not importing gangs into this country. But this is the type of dark picture Donald Trump has really been trying to paint in this final stretch before Election Day. And I can tell you when I talk to Trump's advisors, they say they think this language is working. A part of this is because Trump himself knows that he used a lot of this language in the lead-up to the 2016 election and he won then and he thinks it helped him then and it can help him now.

And so they say there is no plans to lean away from this language. Instead he's going to be leaning in even further. I'll expect he'll do some of that again today when he comes to Traverse City where I am now. Boris? Alex?

SANCHEZ: Yes, and we will continue monitoring the president's remarks in Austin and obviously the ones that he gives there in Michigan.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much for that update.

Vice President Kamala Harris, as you've just heard, chose Texas for her reproductive rights speech, because of that state having one of the strictest abortion restrictions in the country banning the procedure at six weeks and without exceptions for rape or incest.

I want to bring in Amanda Zurawski. She and her husband, Josh, filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas for its abortion ban after Amanda suffered life-threatening pregnancy complications and nearly died because she was denied an abortion.

Amanda, thank you so much for being with us.

What does it mean to you to have Vice President Harris come to Texas and what message are you hoping to hear from her?

AMANDA ZURAWSKI, PLAINTIFF IN THE ZURAWSKI V. TEXAS CASE: It's very good to be with you, Boris. Thank you so much for having me.

I am so excited that Kamala Harris is here today in Texas. I think it just highlights how she has, time and again, shown up for reproductive freedom and for women and women's rights, and families in this country, because this is a family issue. And the fact that she's in Texas which is ground zero for the harm that we're seeing as a result of Donald Trump and his bans is just indicative of how important this is to her and how important it will continue to be to her and Gov. Tim Walz when they are president and vice president.

SANCHEZ: And, obviously, it's significant for you to add your voice and your experience to the dialogue on this issue, not just for voters in Texas, but I imagine on a national level as well. Why is it important for voters to hear your story?

ZURAWSKI: I think it's important because human suffering is going on across the country. It's happening every day and it's important that people see these stories are real. These are real people. I am a real person. The 21 other plaintiffs on my lawsuit are real people. This is harm being done to real individuals and it's an abomination.

I heard the clip earlier where Donald Trump mentioned an abomination in our country. Well what about the abomination that's going on as a result of the bans that are in place because of his presidency? We know that personal stories are what move the needle. They change hearts and minds and I believe they are going to not only change people's votes this election but also turn out the vote because we know that this is a key issue that Americans care about in this country and they're already showing up in record numbers to vote for it.

[15:10:03]

SANCHEZ: On the question of turning votes in this election there are polls that show a sizable gender gap. Vice President Harris is leading strongly with women, former President Donald Trump leading strongly with men. Do you think her campaign can bridge some of that gap by highlighting your experience and the experience of other women in similar situations with the message specific to men?

ZURAWSKI: I do and I've seen it time and again with my own husband who stood on stage alongside me at the DNC and reiterated that this is not a women's issue. This is an American issue. This is a family issue. I've seen that as she's highlighted the story of my fellow Texan, Ryan Hamilton, whose wife suffered horrific complications as a result of being denied an abortion.

So she is uplifting the male voice and it's because men are finding how important this is and that their voice is really key to changing votes in this election and I think it's going to work.

SANCHEZ: I wonder when you hear Trump and other Republicans dismiss the idea that they would pursue a federal abortion ban. That is restrictions on a federal level. There's been talk of a different number of weeks over the years. But as of this cycle, he and other Republicans are running on the idea that they will not pursue some kind of federal ban. What goes through your mind when you hear that? Do you trust what they're saying?

ZURAWSKI: No, I don't trust anything that Donald Trump says. He's a proven liar time and again. He has bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade over and over again. He's bragged about it. So clearly he's proud of what he's done and what's going on, the human suffering and pain that's going on in this country.

His own vice presidential candidate had the opportunity to protect IVF and didn't show up to vote to protect it. So we know that they are not here for women's rights. They're not here for reproductive rights. So no, I don't believe what they say. I think that they are saying what they think people want to hear because they know that this is a hot- button issue and they know that most of the country is against them and their policies.

SANCHEZ: Amanda Zurawski, we have to leave the conversation there. We're grateful to you for sharing your story with us.

ZURAWSKI: Thank you. Thanks so much for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Still to come, with just 11 days until the election, new polling shows Trump and Harris in a dead heat. We're going to break down the numbers for you.

MARQUARDT: Plus, the key races that could decide who controls the House of Representatives. How two New York seats flipped by the GOP just two years ago are at the risk of flipping back.

And then later, the CDC says the illnesses linked to McDonald's E. coli outbreak are on the rise and all that and more still ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:17:17]

SANCHEZ: There is so much attention and rightfully so on the race for the White House, but we want to give you a look at some of the hottest races that could decide control of Congress. New York State, historically, is blue, but two years ago, some key House seats flipped red and now they appear to be in the toss-up category.

MARQUARDT: Some very, very tight races. Our Annie Grayer is here joining us.

So Annie, you have been tracking extremely tight races all across the country, but there are two in particular that we want to drill down on in New York. One in the Syracuse area. The other out on Long Island, which involves a bitter feud. Tell us about these.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Yes. Let me take you inside these races and these are two districts that Democrats are targeting the most. These are the districts they think they can most likely flip, and that is Congressman Anthony D'Esposito, a Republican who represents the Long Island area, and Congressman Brandon Williams, who represents Upstate New York and Syracuse.

These Republicans flipped these districts two years ago. Democrats are targeting them, thinking that they can flip them back. That's largely because D'Esposito and Williams represent districts that are home to more Democrats than Republicans. If you look at voter registration data from 2023, D'Esposito represents a district that's home to 78,000 more Democrats than Republicans, and Williams, there's about 23,000 more Democrats than Republicans there.

So in a presidential election year, in a state that - like New York, which historically votes blue, Democrats who I speak to often just point to the fact that New York is a state that often votes blue, and they're hoping that those blue voters coming out to vote for president are going to help momentum on these down-ballot races to help flip the script and flip these districts.

And that's why the stakes could not be higher here, because both parties know that the balance of power for the House runs through the districts like these. That's why we see - it's not a coincidence that Donald Trump is going to Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Both sides are pouring millions and millions of dollars into these races, especially in the final weeks.

And, you know, as we talk about these House races more in the final 11 days, I just want to kind of take a step back. When we think about the race for president, the battleground states we talk about again and again ...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

GRAYER: ... Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, those are not the same states that are going to - that are - where the battleground for control of the House is. It's in blue states like New York in these districts, like the ones that Republican congressman Anthony D'Esposito and Brandon Williams represent, so the map for control of the House doesn't really line up with the road to the White House.

MARQUARDT: Yes, it's such a good reminder that it doesn't look like that map to 273. We talk about these deep blue, deep red states.

[15:20:00] But when you zoom in, as we see John King does ...

GRAYER: Mm-hmm.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MARQUARDT: ... on Magic Wall, once you get to the congressional district level, it is a much bigger patchwork of blue, red and purple.

Annie Grayer, thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much.

MARQUARDT: Now, it is a dead heat in the final nationwide CNN poll before Election Day, before those votes are counted on November 5th and in the days following. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are running, as you can see right there, 47 to 47 with a margin of error of just about 3 percent. That is in a CNN poll of likely voters conducted by SSRS.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and according to Axios, the tight polling has people close to Harris and her swing state operations worried that she may come up short and lose. And already, apparently, people have begun pointing fingers.

Joining us is Alex Thompson, Axios national political reporter and CNN Political Analyst.

Alex, talk to us about that. What are you hearing from folks close to Harris on her team that apparently there's already some blame being placed?

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, the polls may be tied, but the vibes are bad. And it may still - they may still pull this out. This is not that they are declaring defeat. But the fact the matter is that internally there is already sort of who's more to blame, Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.

Joe Biden is unpopular incumbent. He is weighing her down with his unpopularity. He also decided to run at a very old age when the - when how fast he would age was completely unpredictable. And he basically only gave her 90 days to run a reelection. On the other side, she's raised over a billion dollars. She hasn't really had to deal with a lot of scrutiny that you would have to deal with in a two year campaign.

And so the other side is, well, she got the nomination. Joe Biden essentially handed it to her by endorsing her, and she couldn't pull it off. Those are the two counter arguments you're already beginning to hear in case she goes down on November 5th.

MARQUARDT: And we do know, Alex, that there are these different factions within the Harris campaign because she cobbled together all these different teams. There was the Biden campaign team. She has her own people. Some of the Obama people like David Plouffe came on board. So I imagine if things weren't to go well, there would be quite a bit of finger pointing. But I want to ask you about some of her campaigning style. We've seen Harris going back to these Biden style attacks, if you will, against Donald Trump. Do you think the Harris campaign is really now in these final days hoping to make this a referendum about Trump?

THOMPSON: Well, this is also adding to the anxiety because some people inside the campaign were like, I thought we were about calling Trump and JD Vance weird and sort of dismissing them as unserious people. And now we're back to where we were in June, which is to say democracy is on the line. Donald Trump is a fascist.

And she's going to lean into this. This is her closing argument, according to the person I talked to on the campaign. She is going to give a speech on the Ellipse on Tuesday where Donald Trump gave his speech on January 6th. This is going to be a week from Election Day. This is going to be her final argument.

SANCHEZ: And Alex, from the Trump camp perspective of all of this, are you hearing any concern there about this messaging from the Harris team about him being a threat to democracy? And obviously, some of the reporting that's come out from former Trump administration officials, including his former chief of staff, John Kelly, saying that Trump expressed admiration for Hitler. How is that landing behind the scenes on the Trump campaign?

THOMPSON: It's actually notably the opposite. There is not worry there is confidence, but you could also see that confidence as hubris. One thing that's been sort of interesting, there have been some people that have been comparing this race to 2016. And you could argue with Kamala Harris doing the rallies, lots of celebrities and such. There are some similarities.

But one thing that is completely different is the vibes on each campaign. Hillary Clinton's campaign was completely confident to the point of hubris, was trying to expand the map. And now Kamala Harris' campaign has anxiety. Trump's campaign is the one that has tons of confidence that could err on the side of hubris.

SANCHEZ: And yet the polling indicates a coin flip, so we'll see what happens.

Alex Thompson, appreciate your reporting as always.

THOMPSON: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Just ahead, we have some new really eye opening CNN reporting, Chinese hackers targeted the phone communications of not only former President Donald Trump, but also vice presidential nominee JD Vance. We'll break down those details in just moments.

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[15:29:15] MARQUARDT: North Korea is now defending any potential role it could have in Russia's war in Ukraine. State-run media in North Korea saying that if North Korean troops were deployed, it would conform to international law.

Just yesterday, Ukraine said that North Korean soldiers were spotted near a military operations center in Russia's Kursk region, that's in the western part of Russia, which

borders Ukraine. Actually, that's where Ukraine has launched its incursion into Russia. And now there are these remarkable new intercepted audio recordings that appear to show Russian troops frustration with these new North Korean forces. Take a listen.

[15:29:57]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's standing there talking to this (expletive) about the "K Battalion."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was just talking about the "K Battalion." I asked, "Who gets the weapons, the ammo."