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U.S. Reaches Eight Million COVID-19 Cases; With Reelection In Jeopardy, Trump Calls For Rivals To Be Locked Up; Biden Campaign Slams Trump Rally In Wisconsin; Early Voting Turnout; Final Presidential Debate Topics; Trump Refuses To Denounce QAnon In Heated Exchange; Thousands Of Women Gather For March In Washington. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired October 17, 2020 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:08]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The coronavirus pandemic front and center as the election enters the home stretch. The U.S. has now surpassed eight million COVID cases, with a record number of cases Friday. More than 69,000 people infected in a single day and experts fear it will get much worse in the weeks to come.

Still a defiant President Trump is holding his sixth day of campaign rallies since he was diagnosed with the virus, downplaying its dangers, threatening to lock up his political opponents, and even suggesting he would leave the country if he loses.

And his supporters taking their cues from him, Georgia's state congressman, Vernon Jones, a Democrat, who has endorsed the president for reelection crowd surfed maskless on a sea of people, also mostly maskless, at a Trump rally.

The pandemic not stopping voters from turning in their ballots early. In fact, the pandemic may be largely galvanizing the record turnout. Across the country, already 21 million have cast their ballots.

And with just five days until lawmakers vote on the U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee, thousands are marching to the nation's capital and beyond in protest against the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the high court.

We have a team of correspondents covering all of these developments. Let's begin with Polo Sandoval and the latest on this alarming rise in COVID cases here in the U.S. Polo, how concerning are these trends?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They certainly are concerning, Fred, especially when you look at some of these numbers.

Consider yesterday alone, ten states in the country reporting their highest number of new COVID cases. That's since the start of the pandemic. Minnesota was one of the ones that saw perhaps the highest number here, about 2,300 new cases yesterday, shattering their previous record of about 1,500.

So that's certainly a concern for officials here. We heard from the nation's surgeon general this week saying that the priority right now is to recognize some of those hot spot regions and then try to get those cases under control before trying to reverse some of these infection rates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: The United States surpassed eight million coronavirus cases on Friday. The death toll is quickly approaching 220,000. Case numbers are steadily increasing daily, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Health officials from coast to coast are scrambling to contain the rising rate of infections.

DR. CHRIS MURRAY, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION: If you look at the map in the U.S., what's happening is exactly what we expected as the whole northern half of the U.S. transmission is on the upswing.

SANDOVAL: At least four states -- Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina and Wyoming -- reported their highest daily COVID-19 case count to date, just this Friday state health officials said. North Carolina, where President Trump spoke to maskless crowds on Thursday, set a new record for cases on Friday.

Florida, now averaging nearly 2,800 new cases a day -- that's up from 2,400 a week ago. Wisconsin now has a positivity rate of more than 26 percent.

The United States surgeon general, Jerome Adams, warning that Wisconsin is a COVID-19 red state.

JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: I want you all to be aware that Wisconsin is currently one of our red states, meaning your positivity rates are over 10 percent and going in the wrong direction.

SANDOVAL: President Trump taking his campaign to Wisconsin today, a state where coronavirus cases are now at an all-time high. Infectious disease physician in Green Bay, Wisconsin says gatherings create a risk.

DR. AGNES KRESCH, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: At this point we are really recommending not to have any kind of gatherings, even to the point of family gatherings where people FROM different households, their getting together is a risk, too.

Sandoval: Earlier on Friday President Trump said seniors would be the first to get any vaccine once it's approved. Officials also confirmed Friday that CVS and Walgreens pharmacies have been designated to distribute free coronavirus vaccines once they're approved to long- term care facilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And that piece you heard from Dr. Chris Murray, he also added that if some of these mask restrictions are eased throughout the country, then we could see a significant increase in COVID-related fatalities. Close to 80 percent increase, potentially even doubling the numbers that we're seeing right now, Fred. But important to mention that this is still a prediction as experts have said repeatedly, it doesn't necessarily mean that we have to reach that point. It's certainly possible.

WHITFIELD: All right. Polo Sandoval, thanks so much for that.

All right. With the pandemic threatening to jeopardize his presidency, President Trump is returning to a familiar message from the 2016 campaign, calling for Joe Biden now to be locked up. CNN's Sarah Westwood joining me now from the White House.

So Sarah, what more are you learning about this?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN REPORTER: Well Fred, last night we heard the president reprising a well-worn attack from 2016, this time directing it at the Bidens, calling for them to be locked up.

[11:04:54]

WESTWOOD: Obviously we heard him call very frequently in 2016 for Hillary Clinton to be locked up. He was heavily criticized for that for calling for the detention of his political opponent.

This comes on the heels of a "New York Post" report that the Trump campaign has promoted aggressively about Joe Biden's son's contacts in Ukraine during his vice presidency. But we want to stress there's just no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the Bidens. Nonetheless, The president last night in Macon called the Biden family corrupt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm telling you, that Biden family, and others, but that Biden family is corrupt. It's a corrupt family.

And with me and my kids, let me tell you, my kids, I'll tell you something -- lock them up. You should lock them up.

Lock up the Bidens. Lock up Hillary. Lock them up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WESTWOOD: Now, the Bidens are not under investigation for anything right now. We just want to point out that this was a remarkable shift in tone from just a few hours earlier in the day when the president was addressing seniors in Florida.

He struck a very empathetic note, a really rare moment for him, when he talked about experiencing the losses of loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic. He's obviously been criticized for at times coming off as too callous, as too cavalier when talking about the human impact of the coronavirus. Seniors in Florida, by the way, are a key group that the president will need to win over in order to win reelection just a little over two weeks from now, his support among that group has eroded largely due to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Later today, Fred, he is set to campaign in Wisconsin and Michigan.

WHITFIELD: Ok. And then now, even among the president's political opponents, he's looking at some right there within the GOP. The president is attacking Senator, you know, Ben Sasse this morning, calling him, I'm quoting now, "stupid and obnoxious".

What more can you tell us about what provoked this?

WESTWOOD: Yes, Fred, in a two-part tweet the president going after a member of his own party and calling him an embarrassment to Nebraska, the state where Ben Sasse is a senator.

This came after Ben Sasse was recorded on a call with constituents criticizing the president. I want you to take a listen to part of that call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR BEN SASSE (R-NE): I'm now looking at the possibility of a Republican bloodbath in the senate and that's why I've never been on the Trump train. That's why I didn't agree to serve on his reelection committee and it's why I'm not campaigning for him.

I think we are staring down the barrel of a blue tsunami.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MEADOWS: Now Sasse has criticized the president in the past. The president has praised Sasse in the past. So they really had sort of a love/hate relationship during their mutual time in Washington.

Sasse's spokesman has since responded on Twitter saying that the senator didn't say anything on that call that he hasn't said directly to the president in the Oval Office. But he's focused right now on his re-election, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Which is interesting, because Sasse has still, you know, been behind some of the policies of the Trump campaign. And he has, you know, seemed to be very much in favor of the Supreme Court nominee, which comes from President Trump.

All right. Sarah Westwood, thanks so much.

All right. The Joe Biden campaign is slamming President Trump's decision to hold a rally in Wisconsin today as experts issue dire warnings about an alarming number of new cases in the key swing state.

CNN political correspondent Arlette Saenz joining us now from Washington. So Arlette, what more are you learning? ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, Joe Biden is

off the campaign trail, home in Delaware today but he is still keeping his focus on the coronavirus pandemic and once again criticizing the president's handling of it.

He has released a pair of statements ahead of the president's trip to Michigan and Wisconsin today. And I'm going to read you a little bit of that statement regarding the trip to Michigan.

Biden says, "We have lost far too many lives to this pandemic and the sad fact is, it didn't have to be this way. President Trump is knowingly downplaying the severity of the virus. At virtually every turn he has panicked and tried to wish it away, rather than doing the hard work to get it under control."

Biden then tailors that message to Wisconsin and says, "Today 150,000 fewer Wisconsin workers are employed than when President Trump took office, and his failed response to the pandemic has crushed Wisconsin's economy."

Now, yesterday Joe Biden traveled to the battleground state of Michigan where he also hammered away at the president's coronavirus response. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He said, I think last night in his town hall, I didn't have the pleasure of hearing it. I was doing one myself. He said, "We have turned the corner. As my grandfather Finnegan might say, he's gone around the bend. Turned the corner, my lord.

It's not disappearing. In fact, it's on the rise again. It's getting worse, as predicted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:10:05]

SAENZ: And in these final weeks before the election, Joe Biden is really honing in on his message of health care, the need to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act.

His campaign really believes that health care is an issue that touches all facets of this campaign, from the coronavirus pandemic to the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, and Republicans' efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

Health care was a winning issue for Democrats back in 2018 when they won back the house and that is something that the Biden campaign is hoping to repeat heading into November.

Now tomorrow, Joe Biden is heading to North Carolina campaigning in Durham, in one of those states where the president won back in 2016, as he's trying to turn out his supporters to get out there and vote before the election. And we are also just learning that Kamala Harris will return to campaign travel on Monday. This is after the campaign pulled her travel over the past few days after learning that two members of her traveling team tested positive for coronavirus. They decided to cancel her events for a few days out of an abundance of caution.

But on Monday, Kamala Harris will be campaigning in Florida and Orlando and Jacksonville on the first day of in-person early voting in the state, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, thanks so much in Washington.

All right. Nearly 22 million and counting, record-setting numbers, people across the country taking their voice to the polls weeks before election day.

You're looking live in Marietta, today on a Saturday. Early voting, the impact scenes like this could have on the election.

Plus, the subject of race in America on the ballot, how black and brown organizers are fighting back against voter suppression and with the number of coronavirus cases spiking, doctors warn of a potentially deadly winter.

The latest on the pandemic next.

[11:11:55]

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WHITFIELD: Coronavirus cases are flaring up again on the same aircraft carrier that dealt with a major outbreak earlier in the year. The U.S. Navy says a small number of sailors tested positive for COVID-19 aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

The ship was conducting training off the coast of California. The affected sailors were transported off the ship for isolation.

Back in March the handling of an outbreak onboard the carrier led to the controversial firing of the ship's captain. And then that was followed by the resignation of the then acting U.S. Navy Secretary.

The Roosevelt returned to sea in May after spending weeks in port in Guam due to that outbreak.

And as we've been reporting today, there were at least 69,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the U.S. on Friday. That's the largest single day increase since late July. And it's causing concern that the U.S. maybe headed toward a greater surge as we now head into the winter months.

The U.S. has now passed 8 million COVID cases and at least ten states are reporting their highest daily cases ever.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky is a CNN medical analyst and chief of the division of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General hospital in Boston. Good to see you.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So what do you blame, you know, for these spikes? Is it back to school? Is it the cooler weather outside, more people indoors? What?

DR. WALENSKY: You know, I think there's some combination of all of that. You know, I'm not sure that schools are really contributing an enormous amount to this. There have been studies that have demonstrated that the amount of disease that they're finding in schools is actually pretty close to what is happening in background communities suggesting that the schools are not really what is leading to all of these increased cases.

I do think that people are getting more relaxed, I think the attitude is more laissez faire. I think that there , I think that there are more gatherings both at very large scale but also smaller gatherings in people's homes which we know can contribute to a lot of this disease.

The weather is certainly getting cooler. But I do worry that, you know, it's only mid-October and to have 70,000 cases now that reflect from contacts that could have happened a week or two ago when weather wasn't really that bad, just suggests that we're in for a very long winter ahead.

WHITFIELD: So what do you worry about as it pertains to the holidays? Thanksgiving, so many people just really long to see their family members that they haven't seen since earlier in the year.

We know that experts have said, you know, you're going to have to defer, you know, family gatherings. But there will be people who still do it. What are your concerns?

DR. WALENSKY: I think people really don't recognize how asymptomatic people are spreading. You know, people want to love and trust their loved ones, their family members, their dear friends who gather with them for thanksgiving and this is not about love and trust. This is about how this virus is spread.

And it can easily spread through asymptomatic transmission. And so just because you love and trust someone doesn't necessarily mean that they may not be unknowingly, unwittingly carrying disease. And that's what's so very scary about this.

WHITFIELD: What are you seeing in your own hospital?

DR. WALENSKY: You know, our case rates are going up. We're doing pretty well in Massachusetts comparatively, but certainly our case rates are going up. If we look at what's happening now compared to what happened -- where we were a couple of months ago, we have about three times the number of cases.

Nowhere near the surges that we saw in mid-April, but we are watching this very carefully and we're doing everything that we can. WHITFIELD: The CDC says it's optimistic about an available vaccine.

How optimistic are you about it or, you know, maybe an abundance of vaccines, and when?

[11:19:49]

DR. WALENSKY: You know, I think that there's a lot of reason to be optimistic about a vaccine, because we in science have never seen a vaccine move this fast. I think we need to be patient. We need to make sure that all of the benchmarks are met and the scientists are carefully reviewing the data.

There are four enrolling vaccine studies now in the United States. Of course two of them are on pause. So right now we only have two that are enrolled currently.

And so I'm hopeful. I believe Pfizer had suggested that by the end of November, they might be releasing some of their data. Moderna had slowed down some of their enrollment to ensure they enroll minority communities, that's so very essential.

And so, you know, I'm optimistic in general but I do think we need to manage expectations about how quickly this can roll out, how many people are going to be able to be vaccinated in short order.

And importantly, to understand that this vaccine is going to be really helpful, but it's not going to mean we can take off our masks. Because a vaccine has a much harder job to do if there's a swarm of COVID everywhere than if it really just has to sort of start preventing disease among those people it's rolled out to in waves.

WHITFIELD: So, you know, on these human trials there has been an ongoing push to try and get more black and brown people involved. But what are your concerns if that push is not successful, if people don't volunteer in huge numbers?

DR. WALENSKY: I think that this is critical. We have to make sure that we have proper enrollment of black and brown communities. We know that black and brown communities have a two and a half times case rate as white communities.

We know that they have five times the hospitalization rate as white communities. We also know, for example, that Hispanics have a 19 percent uninsurance rate, blacks 12 percent, whites just 7.5 percent. And some of that lack of insurance has gone down because of the Affordable Care Act. So there are policies that are happening right now that are not engendering trust of these black and brown communities and it is so very critical that we have that trust, both for the vaccine trials, but also, most importantly, for the vaccine rollout.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, thank you so much.

DR. WALENSKY: Thanks Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Be well.

All right. Right now, America is lining up at the polls. Voters have been heading to their voting locations to cast their ballots.

CNN's Natasha Chen joins us live from Marietta, Georgia. What are the lines looking like there?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the wait time right now at this location is about three hours, a little bit less than it was when they first started this morning.

But people are enthusiastic. They've brought their lawn chairs, their coffee. In some cases their pets and their children. We are going to talk to some first-time voters coming up and we'll show you why they say it was important for them to come out here and vote.

[11:22:47]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. With 17 days until election day, more than 20 million Americans have already cast their ballots and looking at some of the early turnout numbers, Georgia seeing an increase of more than 62 percent in in-person early voting over 2016's numbers. North Carolina up 10 percent. Illinois, up a whopping 400 percent. And Tennessee seeing an increase of 91 percent.

CNN's Natasha Chen joining us from Marietta, a suburb north of Atlanta where early voters began lining up before dawn on this Saturday. Natasha, what are you seeing and hearing from people?

CHEN: Right. Fred, the first person who got here this morning said he got here at 4:30 a.m. But the doors didn't open until 8:00. So that's how people felt about getting here early, knowing that they might have a long wait.

And if you look at the Cobb County Web site right now, it says that the wait here at this location is 180 minutes. So people here were prepared. They brought food, they brought lawn chairs in some cases. And we're hearing enthusiasm from people who felt it was extremely important for them to show up and vote in person early.

And we actually met a first-time voter here -- if you can introduce yourself again. You're 18, correct?

ZHIHAO DONG (ph), FIRST TIME VOTER IN GEORGIA: Yes. Hi, my name is Zhihao (ph) and I'm 18 years old and I'm here to vote.

CHEN: Yes, tell me why about you decided to vote in person early.

DONG: I believe that it is important for me to vote because I was born in this country and I want to show that I care about this country. I don't want the country to go into ruin, just like letting people do whatever they want

And the current administration, I feel like they're not doing like enough to, like, support what the people in this country are wanting and needing.

So I hope for a change like in the administration, a change in like policymaking by like law enforcements and stuff like that. That's what I really hope for.

CHEN: Great. When did you turn 18?

DONG: I turned 18 like two months ago.

CHEN: Two months ago, ok. So just before the general election. Were you excited to know that you could participate in this election?

DONG: Yes, I was -- yes, I was excited, especially like when they came to my school saying do you want to register to vote. I was like, wow, I get to vote in this election, yes.

CHEN: And be part of something very historic here. Thank you so much. And of course, we're hearing from other young voters as well in line today saying that they showed up because their top issues are how this administration has responded to the coronavirus pandemic and to issues of police brutality, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Natasha Chen, thank you so much, in Marietta, Georgia.

[11:29:53]

WHITFIELD: All right. We now know the topics for the second and last debate between President Trump and Joe Biden. Along with how they each would fight COVID-19, the candidates will be asked about American families, climate change, national security, leadership, and race in America.

To help us understand the issues communities of color want tackled, I want to bring in Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Good to see both of you.

MELANIE CAMPBELL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL COALITION ON BLACK CIVIC PARTICIPATION: Thank you. Good to be here.

DOMINGO GARCIA, PRESIDENT, LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful.

Melanie, what do you want to hear from these candidates in this next and final debate as it relates to race in America?

CAMPBELL: Thank you for that question, Fredricka. We just released our Black Women's Round Table and ISOS (ph) poll on what black women want. The number one issue across generations is we want the president to address structural and systemic racism in this country. The other thing that is of grave concern, issues around voting rights and voter suppression, and COVID-19 to have a plan to eradicate this pandemic.

And I'm recovering from it myself. I had a rough time with being impacted by COVID-19. And so I know personally how important it is as well.

And so those are some of the top-line issues that are of concern for black women. It's about survival, it's about safety. Those are the top concerns. This is something we've done for the past six years and racism has been number one in hate crimes for the last three years.

WHITFIELD: I'm glad you're doing well after, you know, going through COVID.

CAMPBELL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: How worried about you about your potential pre-existing conditions that might impact your health care coverage upcoming?

CAMPBELL: Well, you know, it's something that's on my mind. I fought for affordable health care and helped fight for passage of what they call Obamacare.

And so I'm on the other side of this equation now as someone who is living through COVID-19, with a lot of uncertainties, of course.

But I think for this country we need to just thank health care workers. Having been through this, you know, I was in ICU for two weeks and knowing what these health care workers do every day. They take their lives in their own hands, showing up every day to help those of us who are struggling through it.

And we need to do the right thing when it comes to that. The Heroes Act is one of those things that needs to get passed in the senate.

WHITFIELD: Domingo, what do you want to hear from these candidates in this next and final debate?

GARCIA: Well, you know, the impact of COVID-19 on the Latino community and the African-American community has been devastating. In Texas, 54 percent of the fatalities have been Latinos and we're seeing hospitalizations also in those numbers.

What are they going to do with that racial disparity that COVID has opened up in terms of terms of the inequalities health care, in economics.

The economic impact of this where mom and pop shops that are the lifeblood of the barrios and the communities throughout the United States -- they're not being helped by the Care Act.

What are you going to do to help Jose, Maria on Main Street there in San Antonio or in Miami or New York or Dallas or L.A.? Those are things that are really important. And are you going to stop the division. Are you going to stop turning Latinos into political pinatas, to beat up and to divide and pit Americans versus Americans or are you going to unite all Americans to work for the American dream?

WHITFIELD: And Domingo, you mentioned Texas, you know, San Antonio -- I mean Texas in the throes of, you know, arguments over is voter suppression happening right now, if you've got in Harris County a gigantic, you know, county, where there are disputes over, you know, drop boxes, the removal of one, whether there should be many.

You know, what are your concerns about whether voter suppression is keeping some ballots from making it into the ballot boxes this year?

GARCIA: Unfortunately, in Texas and in the South, you know, voter suppression is real, it's ugly, it's un-American. Here we had to file a lawsuit -- LULAC filed against the state of Texas when they reduced from 14 voting locations where you get seniors, who are the most at risk, could drop off their absentee ballots.

And the governor of Texas, a Republican, Governor Abbott reduced it to one. The same as (INAUDIBLE) County that has 700 people, Houston has 5 million people, and that is just so mean and cruel that you want to keep power, even if that means denying the vote to seniors. Denying the vote to people that are at risk, especially minority seniors.

And we're going to continue fighting that. The record numbers, over -- (INAUDIBLE) 130,000 Texans turned out to vote, many of them Latinos and blacks. Houston has the largest turnout right now.

So we're not going to be turned around. We're going to keep on voting and electing people that represent our communities.

[11:35:03]

WHITFIELD: So Melanie, you mentioned, you know, the concern about the ongoing wealth gap, you know, in America concerning people of color, black people specifically, and white America. And you know actor and rapper Ice Cube is taking some heat for his proposal of a contract for black America and his approach to both the Trump camp and the Joe Biden camp. And he says he wants to work with whoever is in power. This is how he addressed the issue last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ICE CUBE, RAPPER: I'm going to whoever is in power and I'm going to speak to them about our problems, specifically I'm not going there talking about minorities, I'm not going there to talk about people of color or diversity or none of that stuff.

I'm going there for black Americans, the ones who are the descendants of slaves. And that's what I'm going to talk to anybody who is in power with that. So if anybody got a problem with that, it seems like a personal problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: So Melanie, what do you think? There are people who have expressed they have a problem with it, particularly because of the timing and that it looks like the Trump administration is using him, seizing upon this opportunity to appeal to black Americans.

CAMPBELL: Well, what I would say is I think there's an assumption that no one else is doing that and that's not the case. So that's a little bit ill-informed.

He has a right to do anything he wants to do representing himself, but many of us are very focused, very laser-focused on focusing on black Americans when it comes to issues around civil rights and social justice, economic justice and opportunities.

We are very much active when it comes to that. I've never not thought that I would go meet with whoever gets elected. That's not a new message. Sometimes folks are new in getting involved and that's ok, too. But do your homework so you know what else is going on.

There are a lot of black agendas out there. They're not monolithic people when it comes to economic justice and opportunity, it's not a new thing for folks to fight for that. But it is to be able to be informed about what's going on.

We pushed the agenda on all the candidates. We did a poll -- we did a poll earlier on in the year, we sent all of the candidates, Republicans and Democrats, back in January to tell us what you're going to do for black people, specifically black women, because we are the ones who drive the black vote. We vote more than anybody. And when there's a large black voter turnout, it's because black women showed up.

I can tell you who did not respond to that questionnaire, and that was the current president of the White House, President Donald Trump. But all of the several other Republican candidates responded, as well as Democrats within the current Democratic Party, Joe Biden.

WHITFIELD: Ok. And Domingo, quickly do you have any thoughts on particularly the timing, you know, of this effort of Ice Cube reaching out to these camps and this is now a point of discussion just 17 days ahead of election?

Well, you know, we're seeing that both candidates are reaching out to Latinos and blacks. I would hope that it would happen year-round, not just during election time. And the fact of the matter there's some very important issues regarding immigration reform, freeing those kids in the cages, issuing the economic development, that help that we need for the mom and pop shops that are the lifeblood of minority communities and those need to be addressed.

Whether that is President Trump or vice president Biden. And they need to be able invest in the community (ph) because a lot of people are hurting out here and they need help.

CAMPBELL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Domingo Garcia, Melanie Campbell -- thanks to both of you. Really appreciate it.

CAMPBELL: Thank you.

GARCIA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And this quick programming note, she was Ronald Reagan's strongest supporter, his sharpest negotiator and his life-long protector. "FIRST LADIES" examines the life of Nancy Reagan tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. on CNN.

[11:39:08]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. On the same day that YouTube said it will crack down on far right conspiracy group QAnon content, the president refused to denounce the group.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I know nothing about QAnon.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, MSNBC HOST: I just told you.

TRUMP: I know very little -- you told me, but what you tell me doesn't necessarily make it fact. I hate to say that.

I know nothing about it. I do know they are very much against pedophilia, they fight it very hard. But I know nothing about it.

GUTHRIE: They believe that it's a satanic cult run by the GOP.

TRUMP: Studies --

WHITFIELD: The group's theories about satanic cults and Democrats have zero basis in fact, but its message is spreading around the world.

As CNN's Donie O'Sullivan reports, a former follower is telling CNN how the conspiracy theory drew him in and then took a toll on his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JITARTH JADEJA, FORMER QANON BELIEVER: Looking back, it seems so obvious that I was like probably in a deep depression when I found Q.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER: Jitarth Jadeja (ph) who is 32 says he found QAnon on the Internet in 2017. Though he's Australian, he had previously lived in the U.S. and was already interested in American politics.

JADEJA: I think superficially it did seem like it gave me comfort. And didn't realize the nefarious kind of impact it was having on me, because it was very insidious how it slowly disconnected me from reality. O'SULLIVAN: QAnon is a baseless conspiracy theory with a growing

online community of believers. At the heart of the theory is Q, an anonymous insider who purportedly reveals information via through cryptic posts.

[11:44:56]

O'SULLIVAN: The theory claims there is a deep stage within the U.S. government that is controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles and that President Donald Trump is trying to take them down.

JADEJA: I would have been so happy to see Hillary Clinton dragged in front of a military tribunal. That still bothers me to this day, at how willing and happy and joyfully I would have reacted to something that I would normally want no part in.

O'SULLIVAN: Jadeja followed QAnon for over two years, long enough he says, to share the theories with his father.

JADEJA: We used to talk about it a lot. We would show each other things, like did you see that, did you see that.

CINDY OTIS, VP OF ANALYSIS, ALETHEA GROUP: We tend to underestimate the extent to which these sorts of narrative ARE appealing.

You have people who are potentially looking for answers. They want to know why bad things are happening in their lives. And so it's a very compelling narrative to say all of this is orchestrated, there's a cabal coming after you, they're trying to make your life miserable. If you want an answer for why bad things are happening, here they are.

O'SULLIVAN: While there aren't good estimates for numbers, to followers it's clear their ranks are growing. And now the FBI has warned that conspiracy theories like QAnon could very likely motivate criminal, sometimes violent activity in the U.S.

For Jadeja, Cracks had already begun to form about QAnon when he started noticing logical inconsistencies in theories. The turning point came when he watched a video that disproved the final part of the conspiracy he believed in.

JADEJA: That kind of like shattered me, like I've never felt so down. It was the worst feeling I've ever had in my life. It's like I cannot trust my thoughts and emotions anymore. I don't know what to do. I was full of self-loathing.

O'SULLIVAN: You know, you obviously went down the Q rabbit hole and got back out. For people who are very deeply entrenched and believe in it now, is there any way to sort of bring them back?

JADEJA: Yes, there is. But it has to start with empathy and understanding and allowing them to keep their dignity. Because otherwise, what is their incentive?

You have to admit you were wrong, so wrong for so many years and that you were made a fool of.

O'SULLIVAN: Jadeja says he feels deep guilt over sharing QAnon theories with his dad. Jadeja's father did not respond to CNN's multiple attempts to contact him.

JADEJA: And that is why that this is a big problem, not just because people are being taken in and their families are like being ripped apart. This is an existential battle between good and evil that these people think they're fighting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'SULLIVAN: And you know, only now are social media platforms really taking action against QAnon. But they're trying to close the barn door here after the horse has bolted. This conspiracy theory has been around for three years.

People who I have spoken to at Trump rallies and at QAnon events have told me they really got into this conspiracy theory since the beginning of the COVID lockdown in March. People have had a lot more time on their hands to be on social media. They have been encountering this conspiracy theory on platforms like Instagram and Facebook and Twitter and YouTube.

So although it is good that these companies are now taking action against it, it might be a bit too little, too late, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Donie O'Sullivan, thank you so much for bringing us that.

All right. Happening right now, thousands are marching in the nation's capital to protest President Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.

We're there live.

[11:48:30]

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WHITFIELD: Nearly four years ago, hundreds of thousands of women and men came to Washington the day after President Trump's inauguration in protest. Well today women and men are once again gather in the nation's capital. But this time before the election to inspire millions of Americans to vote and prevent another inauguration of Donald Trump.

CNN national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is at Freedom Plaza where the marchers of this women's march are gathering right now.

So Suzanne, the 2020 March, you know, cannot be, you know, like the one in 2017 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But what is the picture being painted there?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, I can see stark differences because I actually covered that 2017 March where it was nearly five million people across the country who took to the streets, including 200,000 in Washington, D.C. It was like a sea of these pink hats in solidarity of women and the energy back then.

People were stunned. They were shocked. There was even desperation the day after President Trump was inaugurated.

Today the crowd is much, much smaller. The organizers themselves discouraging people from actually coming out here in great numbers. They don't have buses from other cities that they are taking folks into. They want you to participate virtually but I'd say probably about several thousands have gathered here in Washington.

They are starting here. It's a rally that will only be about 20 minutes or so with black lives matter, women's right groups, reproductive groups as well. And then they will make their way. They will march to the U.S. Capitol to the Supreme Court and finally to the National Mall.

That is where the real work is going to be done, Fred. They are calling it a text-a-thon. They're going to try to text five million women to encourage them to vote. This is what some of the folks have to say, part of the march.

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KAREN EHRGOTT, WOMEN'S MARCH PARTICIPANT: It's a mess. It's really, really a mess. I am very, very fearful of our democracy. I thought it was thriving and nothing could ever happen but clearly it's a lot more fragile than we understood it to be.

[11:54:55]

GREGORY ALLEN, WOMEN'S MARCH PARTICIPANT: As a man, I come from a woman. I come from a single mother. With a society that's supports women the entire society becomes better. If you have women make more money, then that means there's more money for them to raise their kids and there's more money for them to take care.

And there's more money for them to take care of their kids that means that the kids are better educated. That they're more well-rounded and that they can contribute to society more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Fred, they're also out here to oppose the fast tracking of approving Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. They want to slow down that process until after the election but it looks like that is going full steam ahead. We also expect counter protesters at the Supreme Court giving their support for Judge Barrett.

And so a lot of energy. A lot of passion here in Washington as they press to register people to vote more than just about two weeks away from the election, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Suzanne Malveaux in Washington, thank you so much for that. And we'll be right back. [11:56:00]

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