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2020 Election Could Feature A Record Gender Gap; Group Fights to Build Latino Support for Trump in 2020; Long Road to Recovery for Hurricane Dorian Victims; NASA Prepares for Manned Mission to the Red Planet. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired December 27, 2019 - 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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[14:30:34]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: The 2016 presidential election had the biggest gender gap in more than 60 years. And recent polling shows that gap is expanding as women continue to move towards Democrats and turn away from President Trump.
Now, if that trend continues, the divide could play a major role in who wins in 2020.
CNN's senior political writer and analyst, Harry Enten, joins us to break down the numbers.
Harry, we talked during the break. I think this is one of "the" major issues driving 2020.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER AND ANALYST: I think it's one of the biggest issues driving 2020, because the fact of matter is, look at polling we recently have done over the past few months in the Biden matchup versus Trump and compare it to the Hillary Clinton matchup in 2016, which featured a record gender gap of 25 points. Look at the gender gap now between Biden and Trump, 34 points.
Look at that screen. Something so important on that. Why is the gender gap expanding? Because even though men are basically supporting Trump at the same level they did in 2016, women are going against Trump by an even wider margin.
A 24-point lead for Joe Biden on the average of our two most recent polls. Largest victory for a Democratic candidate among women since 1964.
But it's not just the fact that we're seeing this on the overall top line. Look at some of the subgroup breakdowns. Look at this. Among white voters with a college degree. Look at that gender gap, 29 points.
Look at white women with a college degree, a 28-point margin. Larger than we saw last time. And it's a lot of people you saw in the resistance, out marching against the president. And they very much do not like the president of United States. But it's not just white voters with a college degree. Look at white
voters without a college degree. This is rather important. If you look back at 2016, white women with a -- without a college degree, fairly supportive of the president. He won against Hillary Clinton by 23 points. White men without a college degree, 50-point win for him, a 27-point gender gap.
Look now in polling we see this year. Men, white men without a college degree overwhelmingly supportive of the president. But white women without a college degree, look how much the gap is. Trump leading Biden by just four points among that group in our average two most recent polls making the gender gap absolutely explode to 39 percent. That's huge. I've never seen anything like it.
Why are white women without a college degree important? Because there are a ton in the Midwest.
This recent poll from the state of Wisconsin. The Market University Law School poll. Look at this, women and men. Look at that gender gap, a 32-point gender gap. Women overwhelmingly supporting Joe Biden. And it's why he's leading by a small margin in the state of Wisconsin.
You may remember Wisconsin was the most pivotal state in 2016, the state that put Donald Trump over the top.
If Joe Biden wins Wisconsin, he probably wins the presidency and it will be because of women voters.
DEAN: Very interesting. And black women, too. A big discrepancy in terms of their support for the president versus their support for a Democratic nominee.
ENTEN: I think that's very true. Non-white women are very supportive of Democrats overwhelmingly.
Remember, back in 2017, Doug Jones won that Senate race in Alabama. He was powered by black women. Black women need to turn out for Joe Biden in a state especially like Wisconsin.
If you look at Milwaukee, between 2012 and 2016, you saw much lower African-American turnout. He needs that high black turnout in Wisconsin if he's going to win.
DEAN: Or whomever the Democrat nominee is.
ENTEN: Or whomever the Democratic nominee is.
DEAN: That's right.
Harry Enten, thank you so much.
ENTEN: Thank you.
DEAN: Polls show President Trump facing a major gap with his Hispanic voters. A group called Border Hispanics for Trump working to change that, though, and shore up support for President Trump ahead of the 2020 election.
As CNN's Nick Valencia reports, it's an uphill battle in the very blue city of El Paso, Texas.
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RAY BACA, CHAIRMAN, BORDER HISPANICS FOR TRUMP: Are you a member of Border Hispanics yet?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I'm not.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ray Baca has his work cut out for him. As the chair of the Border Hispanics for Trump, living in the Democratic stronghold of El Paso, his goal is to get Latinos to help reelect the president. But the odds are against him.
BACA: I'm with Border Hispanics for Trump. How are you? Have you heard of us?
VALENCIA: As the 65-year-old sees it, there are countless Latinos who support the president, but are afraid to admit it. He hopes to convince them that their values are more in line with the GOP and with Trump.
BACA: I look at President Trump as the one who most closely represents my values.
[14:35:05]
VALENCIA (on camera): People will hear that and say, values? You know, what values does the president have?
So, when you say that, what do you mean?
BACA: I mean supporting things that I support, like being against abortion, being for limited government involvement, being for border security.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Indeed, support for Trump in Texas among Latinos has remained steady at 30 percent, according to a recent CNN poll.
The unwavering support comes in the face of criticism over the president's rhetoric on the Latino community, which his critics, at best, see as offensive and, at worst, racist.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best.
VALENCIA (on camera): How can you still support somebody who they see as saying racist things against the Latino community?
BACA: I disagree. I really don't think he's said things that are racist.
VALENCIA (voice-over): In August, 22 people were killed in a racist attack targeting Latinos at an El Paso Walmart. Baca says anyone who blames Trump because of his rhetoric and border policies is trying to make political hay of the shooting.
BACA: I just don't think you can hold a president -- or President Trump in particular -- responsible for the actions of a single madman.
VALENCIA: Baca agrees with the president on most things, but not everything. Mainly, though he supports the idea of a wall, he questions the practicality of building one across the entire U.S./Mexico border, a signature issue for Trump and his base.
BACA: I see him with his faults. I see him warts and all. I don't want to spend $200 billion a wall, if you can do it for $50 million and solve the problem.
I'm Ray Baca.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I remember you, Ray.
BACA: Well, good to see you, good to see you.
VALENCIA: Tonight, Baca's pitch for Trump comes in an impromptu gathering of conservatives. But, even in a friendly crowd, it can be a hard sell.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will think about it. I will think about it. Thank you. Nice to meet you.
BACA: OK, thank you. Bye-bye.
Can't win them all.
VALENCIA: But there are already some unlikely voters he doesn't have to win over.
(on camera): President Trump was the first president that you voted for?
BLANCA BINKLEY, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Yes.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Originally from Mexico, 29-year-old Blanca Binkley became a U.S. citizen just five years ago. She plans on voting for Trump again in 2020.
BINKLEY: Oftentimes, when I'm asked, but why, you know? Or, like, I feel like someone's going to throw eggs at me or I'm going to be shunned from the Hispanic community, you know?
VALENCIA: Shunned by some, perhaps, but that's what Ray Baca and Trump are counting on.
BACA: We need to get our Hispanic brethren to quit voting Democrat simply because that's what they have always voted.
(APPLAUSE)
VALENCIA: Nick Valencia, CNN, El Paso, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Nick, thank you.
Hurricane Dorian wreaked havoc on the Bahamas back in September as the strongest storm ever to hit the islands. We're back in those communities as survivors head into a new year and continue down their long road to recovery.
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DEAN: The death toll from a monster typhoon in the Philippines is at least 28. It lashed the central part of the nation Christmas Day, bringing heavy rain and storm surges. Homes were decimated and electrical lines toppled there. Tens of thousands of people are now stranded in evacuation centers.
Nearly four months after Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas, the island is still in recovery mode after what's considered the worse national disaster in its history. The situation remains dire. And parts of the Bahamas are still in desperate need and dependent on volunteers.
CNN's Michael Holmes shows us the rebuilding effort still under way.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In an area still ravaged by disaster, volunteers clear the homes of those forced to leave everything behind.
DANA TAMO-GERKEN, ALL HANDS AND HEARTS ORGANIZATION: We found a wedding dress, and we saw pictures and trophies. We had photo albums, a box of children's toys. And to have it just be completely ruined and completely taken out was a difficult day. And that's the average house here. That's the average house here.
HOLMES (on camera): Months after the most powerful hurricane to ever strike the Bahamas, parts of this island nation remain in ruins. Recovery often depends on the kindness of strangers.
TAMO-GERKEN: I was actually one of the first volunteers on the ground, and it was mixed emotions. Very hard to process the amount of devastation that was here. So -- sorry. That's it. It's just these people need a lot and I have the time to get it, so --
HOLMES: Dana Tamo-Gerken felt compelled to help after watching Hurricane Dorian throttle the Bahamas on television in September.
TAMO-GERKEN: The waterline hit, I guess, about here.
HOLMES: She and a group of volunteers are now working to rebuild some of the worst hit areas where the situation is still dire. TAMO-GERKEN: We have no electricity for the most part in this area.
The people are trying to make sure that they have a place just to stay that has, you know, no holes in the roof. We've had people come up to us and ask us just for water.
HOLMES: On Great Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands, where the storm first made landfall, thousands lost their homes, entire community swept away.
Earlier this month, the Prime Minister said 70 people had lost their lives and more were still missing.
Millions of dollars of aid have poured in, but the storm left billions of dollars in damage.
[14:45:04]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a tremendous amount of work to be done here. That's why we are going to be here for two years.
HOLMES: In long-term destruction --
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: -- volunteers must prioritize how to rebuild.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disasters take a very long time to recover from. Years not months. It's a bit of a misconception. And in places like this school, what we need is the manpower, the volunteers to come and do the work, to work alongside the Bahamians and help recover these communities.
HOLMES: Amid devastating loss, there are still signs of hope.
TAMO-GERKEN: These people are dealing with a lot of pain. They have a very large need still. But they still laugh, they still smile, they still thank us.
HOLMES: Communities and volunteers banding together on a long road to recovery.
Michael Holmes, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Hopefully, 2020 will be a much better year there.
Up next, we'll go live to a place like no other on earth. Paul Vercammen shows us what it takes to explore the red planet.
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PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, I'm all dressed up with somewhere to go in a bunny suit, if you will, to give a sneak preview of the Mars 2020 Rover. That's coming up.
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DEAN: Ever since humans first began traveling into space, NASA scientists and sci-fi enthusiasts have dreamed of exploring Mars. What was just a fantasy is moving ever closer to reality thanks to the Mars 2020 Rover, which NASA will launch next summer with state-of-the- art technology. And the mission could help pave the way of human exploration of the red planet.
And CNN's Paul Vercammen joins us from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California.
You're getting a closer look at the rover and what it aims to do. Paul, this is a cool assignment. What can you tell us about it?
VERCAMMEN: Well, I can tell you right off, Jessica, that I'm standing in front of a replica of the Curiosity.
But let's go to the 2020 rover, $2.5 billion. It is a tricked-out vehicle in the solar system. And you talked about human exploration. Moxy, aboard this rover, will convert the Mars atmosphere into oxygen. That's important for future exploration. And they will grab big rock samples and put them in tubes and then, maybe in 2026 or so, they can get the chunks. They'll also be able to land the rover in a crater.
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VERCAMMEN: I'm here inside the clean room at JPL. There it is. This is the Mars 2020 Rover, $2.5 billion, the most tricked-out vehicle in the solar system.
And one thing that is new is terrain relative navigation. Look at that sort metal triangle that's red. It has a camera in there. And as it is parachuting down toward the crater, it is not the usual safe landing.
It will take images and then match it with other images taken in orbit and, that way, with all Mars landings, they can avoid dangerous rock outcroppings or hills, whatever it may be, by matching the images. That is new for 2020. Just one of many of the great features of the Mars 2020 Rover.
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VERCAMMEN: And just outside that clean room. It will take 300 scientists to operate the 2020 rover.
DEAN: Do we have any idea, Paul, where it will land?
VERCAMMEN: We do. It is fascinating. And it's crater, an ancient 3.5-billion-year-old lakebed that looks like it had channels and deltas. And that is where they will start the search for microbial forms of life. An instrument called Sherlock will bore into that part of the mission -- Jessica?
DEAN: A clever name for that instrument.
And we also couldn't help but notice that your attire while you were inside. We could see your eyes and that was about it. Definitely strict rules about entering the clean room. What were the requirements to get in there?
VERCAMMEN: First requirement, we all had to put on what is jokingly called the bunny suit to make sure that nothing contaminated the rover. And they gave us we have specific requirements on dress. They said no cologne or perfume. And talking about clothing. No wool or flannel. No microfibers. Anything, Jessica, that can contaminate the rover.
DEAN: What was it, $2.6 billion machine? I don't think you want to be messing around with that.
All right, Paul Vercammen, thanks so much.
A programming note for you now as you make your New Year's Eve plans. You can ring in 2020 with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. Two best friends, one epic night. "NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE," beginning at 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN.
[14:55:06]
Meantime, President Trump is heading into the new year with a warning for the Syrian regime and its allies. What is being done to stop what he calls carnage and protect innocent civilians.
CNN NEWSROOM continues.
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[14:59:45]
DEAN: Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean, in for Brooke Baldwin this afternoon.
And we begin this hour with the chaos in northwestern Syria and how President Trump is responding. Nearly a quarter of a million people, men, women and children, are fleeing for their lives as the Syrian government, backed by Russian air power, is trying to seize control of the last major region in Syria still held by rebels. That's Idlib Province.
