Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

U.S. Shatters Single-Day Record With 83,000-Plus New Infections; President Trump Votes In Person In Florida; Trump Baselessly Claims We're Going To Quickly End This Pandemic; Top Al Qaeda Member Killed In Afghanistan; Appeals Court Blocks Wisconsin Limits On Gatherings; Georgia Records Over 2.5 million Early Votes Cast; Wisconsin Breaks Record On Early Voting. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired October 24, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:44]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me on Fredricka Whitfield. All right. We begin this hour with the U.S. trending in the wrong direction. And a frightening new milestone just 10 days before the election. On Friday, new coronavirus cases hit a new single day record with 83,757. That's even higher than what we saw when the pandemic spiked back in July.

The death toll now over 224,000 Americans and counting to put that in perspective and artists created this grim memorial in the nation's capital, one white flag for every American life lost in the crisis. This new spike in cases comes during a critical time on the campaign trail. Moments from now, President Trump will hold a rally in North Carolina. It is one of several steps he is making today and states being hard hit by the coronavirus.

This morning the President voted in person in Florida saying it is much more secure than voting by mail. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden is campaigning in Pennsylvania holding a drive-in rally this morning. It's a state critical for his chances to win the White House holding two events there today. Let's start in North Carolina where President Trump just wrapped up a rally. CNN's Dianne Gallagher is there. Diane, this campaign stop is one of many the President is making.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Fred, we're actually waiting for the President to come out right now in Lumberton, North Carolina. Something that all three of the campaign stops today have in common. They are all seeing massive surges in COVID-19 infections in their state. Both North Carolina and the next stop, Ohio saw record high one-day infections yesterday.

And Wisconsin has an infection rate in the nation right now. And so, all the people who are here sitting very close together in Lumberton North Carolina, are putting their health at risk to come and see the president of United States. But he won all three of those states in 2016. And the voters are not looking as good for him his time around. So, he's making this last move on these finals days through the election to come and ask for their votes.

Now, he is in Lumberton North Carolina and what's very key about the location here, and we've heard from each of them even speaking so far is the Lumbee Indian Nation. And that's because in early October, former Vice President Joe Biden said that he is supporting Federal recognition for the Lumbee Indian tribe. Donald Trump, a few days later, a few weeks later, indicated that he also had support for that tribe.

This is a very diverse crowd form a Trump rally, at least those that I have attended. And there's a large tendency of Lumbee Indians here waiting to hear what the President has to say to them. Now, it's also a county that has the third highest rate of COVID-19 in North Carolina. The president before he decided to go on tour of the nation today, voted himself. He did so in person in Florida and managed to spread some disinformation at the same time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a very secure vote, much more secure than when you send in a ballot, I can tell you that. Everything was perfect, very strict, right by the rules, when you send in your ballot could never be like that, and they've done a fantastic job over here. Great people inside. So -- but it's an honor to be voting. It's an honor to be in this great area which I know so well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Yes. There's nothing to indicate whatsoever that voting by mail is any less secure than what the President did today. One more thing, Fred, about this particular location here. Robson County, North Carolina voted for President Obama in 2008 and in 2012, it swung for President Trump in 2016. He's trying to see if he can convince them to do the same thing. You can hear President Trump is now arriving (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: OK. And right on cue there. Dianne Gallagher, the president there arriving in Lumberton, North Carolina. We're getting paid to monitor his remarks and bring them to you. All right. Let's talk right now. As we watch the live pictures of the president taking to the stage there and you see packed rally there. Even this as the country tries to make sense of the largest spike of coronavirus cases across the country. North Carolina also hard hit.

[13:05:11]

Joining me to discuss right now, Sabrina Siddiqui, a CNN political analyst and a national politics reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Jessica Malati Rivera, microbiologist and science communicator for the COVID-19 tracking project. And Nathan Gonzales is CNN political analyst and the editor and publisher of Inside Elections. Good to see all of you.

JESSICA MALATY RIVERA, SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR, COVID-19 TRACKING PROJECT: Thanks for having me. WHITFIELD: All right. Jessica, you first, you know, how concerned are you about this record spike in new cases with the backdrop of the president who is crisscrossing the country today holding rallies where we know customarily people are not always honor -- honoring all the recommendations during this pandemic?

RIVERA: Right. I mean, you're absolutely right, that the data is trending in the wrong direction. Yesterday's case count was incredibly alarming. There were a few states that had some backlogs that led to that inflation. But even still, it's been trending upward, not the right direction. We want to be going with flu season right upon us. And our daily average or weekly average now has just gone up to 60,000.

A few weeks ago, we were steady in the 40s. Last week, we went to 50. And now we're well over 60,000 average per case -- per week.

WHITFIELD: Nathan, President Trump, you know, is these campaign rallies not just in North Carolina, where this one's just now getting underway, Ohio, Wisconsin, three states that are all considered coronavirus hotspots. Do you think among those voters who are undecided? Is this enough to turn them off?

NATHAN GONZALES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, if this election comes down to the presidential response on coronavirus, then he's not going to win. I mean, that's not the issue that the President I think wants at the forefront. And with the rising number of positive cases, what that does is it crowds out time that the media could be talking about other issues, you know, talking about a big Middle East peace deal.

But instead, we're talking about these the alarming number of rising cases. And we have to remember that there are no accidents when it comes to the President's schedule. You know, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, all states that the President won four years ago. And he is on defense, he needs to win those states once again. And I have to add, Fred, that it was amazing in that stand up we got both the President's arrival and the incredible drum solo of that song. So, what a great state.

WHITFIELD: I know. That was -- that was quite crafted, wasn't it? All right. So, Sabrina, you know, let's listen to what President Trump supporters in Florida said 1about the pandemic last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to quickly end this pandemic, this horrible plague that came in from China and you look at what's going on. And we're rounding the turn, we're rounding the corner. we're rounding the corner beautifully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, you heard the applause there from people who were in the audience, who seemed to be in step with. Believe what the President is saying we're rounding the corner. But most scientists in the medical community as well are saying that is not the case, Sabrina. Why does the President continue to do this? And why does he think it's effective?

(CROSSTALK)

SABRINA SIDDIQUI, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, from the outset we have of -- from the outset we have of course seen the president downplay the threat of the virus as well as send these mixed messages about basic public health guidelines. His rallies, of course, have drawn a lot of criticism for flouting local health guidelines. In fact, local officials have at times implored the Trump campaign to at least abide by some of the restrictions they have in place on the ground around the limit on crowd sizes, and other social distancing rules.

Of course, you know, in trying to get people to wear a mask, but the Trump campaign has largely ignored that. You haven't seen any of that in practice at his rallies. And I think if the President obviously were to acknowledge that there are a rising number of cases across the country, as well as a death toll that has surpassed 220,000, it would then require him to take some responsibility for how the country got here in an election that has largely been defined by his handling of that same pandemic.

And so, he may have his core base of supporters with him. As he said -- who buy into this idea that we're rounding a corner but that does not comport with what most Americans are experiencing at home and what we've seen reflected in pulling over the course of the last few months, which is of course, that the pandemic is one of the top issues for voters as they cast their ballots on Election Day.

We've already seen a record number of people cast their ballots in early voting. Of course, that could be people who are cast their ballots early because of the pandemic. We don't know if there will be a surge in turnout among Republicans on Election Day. That's what the Trump campaign is banking on. But if this election is ultimately the pandemic election, it's not looking good for the President as he faces an uphill climb for a second term.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So far, record numbers more than 50 million Americans taking advantage of early voting already. So, Jessica, President Trump. he's promised that a safe vaccine will be announced within weeks but then some experts are warning that a vaccine may not be authorized or even available until next year.

[13:10:10]

WHITFIELD: So, you've dedicated your career to vaccine advocacy. Do you think voters will interpret this mixed messaging? You know, that the President is saying one thing, but the scientific community is saying another?

SIDDIQUI: You know, it's really unfortunate because it's just fueling a ton of distrust in science and distrust and distrust in the clinical process. The only thing that should be driving the timeline of phase three clinical trials is safety and efficacy data, not politics. Pfizer, just last week announced that they were going to expect a major safety milestone about the third week of November which is obviously after the election. And that's the only thing that should be driving and approval, they said that they will apply for the emergency use authorization after the fact. But it's going to be based on the data, not on election dates.

WHITFIELD: So, Nathan, President Trump, you know, he cast his own ballot today in person instead of mailing it in, in Florida. At the same time, he said that, you know, voting in person is much safer than voting by mail. There's no evidence that says mail-in voting is not secure. But the President, again continues to have the bully pulpit, how influential is he, you know, to cast doubt and mistrust on people who might want to opt for mailing in their ballots even now?

GONZALES: Well, I think he has a level of influence over his supporters. It's, you know, he I guess, is maybe setting an example that it's OK to vote early in person, instead of just on November 3rd in person. So maybe some of some Republicans will take his cue in that way. I mean, what's -- I guess what's ironic about his comments is that he has voted by mail in the past, you know, this is -- this is not --

WHITFIELD: As early as this past Spring.

GONZALES: I mean, this is -- this is -- this is not his regular -- his regular way of doing things. And, you know, it'll be interesting to see, as you know, as more Republicans are waiting until November 3rd, you know, if those lines are long, you know, will those voters be committed to standing in line and making sure that their ballots are counted? We've seen long lines for people getting -- wanting to get into the President's rallies.

But if it's just to vote for him, will they stand alive? Right now, we know Democrats will stand in line for days, they're bringing in lawn chairs and whatever to make sure that their vote is cast, but we'll see if Republicans have the same level of commitment.

WHITFIELD: Right. Fascinating. All right. Thank you to all of you, Jessica Malaty, Rivera, Sabrina Siddiqui and Nathan Gonzales. Appreciate it. Or Nathan actually, Sabrina, you're going to stick around. So, I'll see you in a little bit. Don't go far.

GONZALES: Sounds good.

WHITFIELD: Okay. All right. Next, Joe Biden and Donald Trump competing for votes in North Carolina. But the vote could come down to black voters fed up with both parties. Plus, a record 83,000 new cases in a single day. Now the nation's chief epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci says it might be time to mandate masks, but is it too late to curb yet another spike?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Usually, red North Carolina is showing signs of being a battleground state this time around. President Trump is holding a campaign event in Lumberton, North Carolina right now. It's the first of three campaign stops he is making today. Trump won North Carolina in 2016. But Barack Obama won the usually deep red state back in 2008. Joe Biden is hoping to turn it blue again. Well, to do that North Carolina's African-American voters will have to turn out.

CNN's John King looks at the voters Biden needs in what is now a swing state.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: North Carolina is an absolute must for President Trump, if he's going to recreate that 2016 map, get back to 270 electoral votes and win reelection. Let's go back to 2016 to look at what is key. The President one, largely even though -- even though if you go back in time, Hillary Clinton, she did win in Raleigh. She did win in Durham. She did win if you pull the map out and go back to the state's population center in Charlotte.

Hillary Clinton did what a Democrat has to do, right? Run it up in the urban areas and the close in suburbs. Here's one of the problems though. Hillary Clinton did run it up but not by historic comparison. Go back to the exit polls. You look at 2008, Barack Obama carried North Carolina in 2008. Why? Because 23 percent of the electorate was African-Americans. African-Americans turned out in record high numbers in the Obama history making year of 2008.

By 2016, that turnout had dropped to 20 percent. You might say that's a modest drop, but it's enough. It was enough to turn the state from blue very narrow. Look how narrow it was, very blue victory there for Barack Obama. Obama then lost it to Mitt Romney. And by 2016, North Carolina was back in the Republican fold. Can the Democrats get it back? Yes. Again, that African-American turnout in places like Mecklenburg County, absolutely critical.

But in addition to that, the new dynamic especially after 2018 is does Donald Trump lose the suburbs this time? He won them in 2016. When we watch for that, we'll watch for that, Raleigh Durham. the Research Triangle, medical workers, college educated women, there's a lot of them there. The suburbs around Charlotte as well. The Suburbs around Winston-Salem. So, look to the urban areas, Democrats must get African-American turnout.

But if Joe Biden is going to turn North Carolina, back from red to blue, it will be because of his support in the suburbs.

WHITFIELD: All right. John King, thank you so much. All right. Let's check in on the state of the race right now back with me, CNN political analyst Nathan Gonzales and Sabrina Siddiqui. Both coming to us from Washington. So, Nathan, North Carolina, you know, isn't usually in play like this for the Democrats. We heard John King's explanation. But why is this time different?

GONZALES: Well, I think this time, you know, you have the president being the incumbent, which is kind of an overall big picture thing. But it's also this is a critical -- this is a critical part of the Electoral College. You also have a very competitive United States Senate race between Republican Senator tom Tillis and the Democratic Nominee Cal Cunningham. What I also think is interesting and tells kind of a larger story is I Believe that congressman Richard Hudson, a Republican is at the -- at the President's rally today. [13:20:05]

GONZALES: Now, four years ago, President Trump one Hudson's eighth district by nine points. Right now, based on the data that we're seeing that the presidential race is virtually even. Now, that's not a good sign for the president if he is underperforming by that much. But that's what we're seeing nationwide, Fred, that we are looking at these competitive house districts where the President is underperforming or far underperforming his 2016 totals.

And that makes sense about why these states are competitive statewide because in the competitive house districts, he's just not doing as well as he did last.

WHITFIELD: Well. So, Sabrina in neighboring South Carolina, you know, we have heard about record fundraising for Jamie Harrison, the dollar numbers are impressive. But does that give him an advantage over Lindsey Graham?

SIDDIQUI: Well, I think that it's certainly telling that Lindsey Graham is in a competitive Senate race at all in South Carolina which has been reliably Republican. And a lot of that has to do with Senator Graham's handling of the Trump presidency. He was, of course, one of then-candidate Trump's most vocal critics in 2016 and has, over the course of time, become one of the President's most loyal allies.

And so, that has certainly impacted Lindsey Graham's popularity back in his home state. And in general, I think more broadly, if you think about the big picture in the presidential race, because of the sheer amount of money that Democrats have raised, not just Joe Biden, but also down ballot that has put Republicans were defending more seats in it in a position of having to compete in places they weren't expecting to.

And so, they are dealing with a lesser amount of resources that make -- that puts tough choices before the party about where they should invest more money. And so, more money going into South Carolina means perhaps pulling away some money from Cory Gardner in Colorado, or Tom Tillis in North Carolina and other seats that they are defending, Joni Ernst in Iowa. It doesn't help that the president who carried a number of these states four years ago is now himself on the defensive.

Which again, I think tells you that this is very much because President Trump is vying for a second term. He is on the ballot. It's a referendum on his presidency. Obviously, the stakes are always different when you have an incumbent compared with 2016. You know, his campaign always likes to say, well, we were also behind in polling in 2016, we were being outspent. But the states -- the state of the race is just fundamentally different when this election is about his handling of his first term in office. And again, as we were talking about before the break about the coronavirus pandemic.

WHITFIELD: So, Nathan, the fact that we're even talking about these, you know, states in the south going blue. Well, that says a lot, you know, so does this look like this is laying the groundwork for a possible blue wave this election season? GONZALES: You know, one of the lessons from 2016 is we should be open minded. And right now, you know, Joe Biden has the advantage in the race. We need to be open minded that President Trump could win. You know, don't -- I don't -- I don't want people to come back and say, oh, you said it was over, because it's not. But we also need to be open minded but -- that this race might not even be close.

I mean, the president is in such a politically precarious position that a few points here or there is the difference between a competitive race for the electoral college and a much more significant race. I mean, if the -- if Joe Biden is able to pull up, you know, winning Georgia, you know, winning Florida, Georgia, maybe even adding Texas, then the numbers start to get very big and he's within -- he's either leading tide, or within a couple of points in all of those big states.

WHITFIELD: And then, Sabrina, you actually wrote today about, you know, how Democrats are really walking a fine line. You know, they're feeling perhaps a little confident, but at the same time, they don't want to be overly confident.

SIDDIQUI: Absolutely. And it kind of comes back to this very point. Do democrats place their emphasis on reclaiming the states that flipped in President Trump's favor after twice backing President Obama, namely Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin? Or do they try and compete in some of these purple or even traditionally red states, where they have gained ground like Texas, Georgia, and Arizona?

The Biden campaign has certainly put most of its resources toward Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. He obviously was campaigning in Pennsylvania today, that's where he has spent the bulk of his time in what has been a somewhat later campaign schedule because of the pandemic, but he has been facing calls from someone like former Congressman Beto O'Rourke who competed against him in the Democratic primary, saying Texas is actually Joe Biden's to lose.

Now, you know, the Hillary Clinton has been criticized, of course, her campaign in retrospect, hindsight, of course is 2020 for having spent time in Arizona days before the election.

[13:25:01]

SIDDIQUI: Perhaps losing sight of Wisconsin where she didn't go as a -- where she didn't travel as a candidate in the general election. So, those are all tough choices. But one thing certainly that is an advantage for Joe Biden is he has raised roughly $1 billion over the last four months. And so, he can compete --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: I was going to say he has the money to really go everywhere and some might see it inexcusable to not.

SIDDIQUI: Right. Where do you deploy the candidate have 10 days to go to seal the deal? That's really the question that they're facing right now. WHITFIELD: All right. Nathan, Sabrina, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much to both of you.

GONZALES: Thank you.

SIDDIQUI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And of course, Election Night in America. Our special coverage starts Tuesday, November 3rd at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:08]

WHITFIELD: All right. We're following this breaking news out of Afghanistan. A top al Qaeda member has been killed in Afghanistan during an operation by Afghan Special Forces.

According to Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security, Abu Muhsin al Masri, a national from Egypt, was killed in an operation conducted by NDA Special Forces in eastern Afghanistan.

Al Masri is also on the FBI's most wanted terrorist list and faced several charges, including conspiracy to kill United States nationals.

The U.S. has just recorded its highest number of new coronavirus cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

Over 83,000 new infections reported nationwide on Friday as Dr. Anthony Fauci says it might be time to mandate masks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If everyone agrees that this is something that's important and they mandate it and everybody pulls together and says we're going to mandate it, but let's just do it, I think that would be a great idea to have everybody do it uniformly.

And one of the issues, I get the argument, well, if you mandate a mask, then you'll have to enforce it and that will create more of a problem. Well, if people are not wearing masks, then maybe we should be mandating it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Polo Sandoval joining me from New York.

Polo, what are you learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, just a few moments ago, President Trump at a campaign rally in North Carolina took some jabs at his opponent's recent warning that we're in for a dark winter when it comes to the pandemic.

But the reality is there are many experts right now, Fred, that seem to be echoing that.

Especially one in particular that just last night said, if we continue on these trends and these numbers that really do speak for themselves, then we could possibly, according to him, see six-figure daily COVID numbers. That's, obviously, deeply concerning.

Look at the map right now. This will give you an idea of what the country is looking like in terms of these new cases.

Right now, at the seven-day average, about 63,000 a week here. That's actually a 50 percent increase over just a few weeks ago. And then you also have to consider deaths as well.

We have to point out that we are not close to what we were experiencing, for example, in July and in August during the spike. But they are beginning to climb again.

Just yesterday, 943 COVID related deaths that are now added to that other number that you see on your screen that sadly continues to go up.

And as if this weren't enough, take a look at pictures from Washington, D.C. It's an art exhibit, a display here that really does symbolize how much of a loss we've experienced across the country.

You see local artists here. Susan Furstenberg paying homage to those who died, planting those small white flags, representing those people who have died from the virus here.

When you look at these pictures, it's clear why health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, are pleading with the public to take this seriously, particularly those that perhaps may not necessarily be considering this a serious threat.

When you look at the numbers coming from authorities, when you look at the CDC, and of course, even certain members of the White House and those Trump appointees, it does seem to show that there's a spike throughout much of the country right now.

WHITFIELD: Polo Sandoval, in New York, thanks so much.

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: As the Midwest continues to be the epicenter of the latest national surge of coronavirus cases, one of the states hardest hit is Wisconsin.

But there's major opposition to restrictions put on by the state's governor. A state court of appeals Friday ruled capacity restrictions on bars and restaurants are on hold at least for the time being.

CNN's Brian Todd takes a look at the toll the virus is taking there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. TONY EVERS (D-WISCONSIN): And 1,681 Wisconsinites have lost the battle against this virus.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Coming off his state's highest single day coronavirus death count, Wisconsin's governor says he is saddened to announce that this facility is taking in its first patients, a field hospital for overflow patients at a state fair park near Milwaukee.

EVERS: Make no mistake about this. This is an urgent crisis.

TODD: The surge in cases in Wisconsin is overwhelming health officials in the state's second most populous county.

JANEL HEINRICH, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH, MADISON AND DANE COUNTIES, WISCONSIN: Right now, we cannot keep up with this sustained rise in cases. We cannot quickly contact trace cases and let the people they came in contact with know that they should quarantine.

We are struggling with a constant and unending rise in cases just as everyone else in the state is.

TODD: Wisconsin is one of more than 30 states where the reporting of new daily coronavirus cases is still going up.

DR. DEBORAH BIRX, COORDINATOR, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE: Wisconsin is number four in the country with the number of cases per 100,000.

[13:35:04]

Also concerning is 41 percent of the long-term care facilities in Wisconsin have at least one positive staff member that shows how broad the community spread right now in Wisconsin is.

ANNOUNCER: Electricity.

(CHEERING)

TODD: The surge in Wisconsin comes as the University of Wisconsin hosted the first Big-120 football game of the season last night against the University of Illinois. The conference had delayed the season for almost two months because of COVID worries.

The mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, signed a letter with other Big-10 school city leaders saying they are worried the universities are not doing enough to protect the populations against the coronavirus, especially at football games.

(on camera): Wisconsin is the most populous state in the country, ranked in the top five of coronavirus cases.

The numbers show that Wisconsin is suffering one of the worst outbreaks in the country behind the Dakotas and Montana.

And the data shows the surge is showing no signs of slowing there -- Fredricka?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Brian Todd, thank you so much for that.

Next, the pandemic spurring turnout at the polls. Americans are voting early in record numbers for fear their mail-in ballots may not be counted. We're live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:15]

WHITFIELD: Right now, in Georgia, voters are turning out for what is the final weekend of early voting. And the state is already breaking records with more than 2.5 million early votes already cast.

CNN's Natasha Chen is following this in Marietta, Georgia.

Natasha, what kind of turnout are you seeing today?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we're seeing a great turnout today as the lines never got as long as it did here last weekend.

But I can show you where the line starts is right over there. And it really wraps around and goes all the way down this corridor and back again.

This is a really big contrast from Atlanta at one of the mobile voting sites where I was at earlier this morning where there was no wait at all.

There can be quite a discrepancy from location to location. This is Marietta, a suburb north of the city.

We were talking to a voter who is actually naturalized. She had immigrated from Jamaica. She took one look at this line and decided to drop off her absentee ballot instead.

Here's what she said about seeing all these voters out here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED VOTER: This is not so bad. But just seeing so many people in Georgia just taking the time whereas I think four years ago, a lot of people that I know stayed home. A lot of people that I know decided, you know, it's not worth it. So I'm glad to see so many people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: We're seeing similar things from other people talking about how important they felt it was for them to make sure their ballot was cast in this election.

And 2.6 million Georgians have now voted, according to the secretary of state's office. That's as of noon. And when you compare that to this point in the 2016 election, that's 114 percent higher turnout when you combine the in-person early voting and absentee ballots -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: Wow. Those are huge numbers, 2.6 million Georgians.

Thank you so much, Natasha Chen. Appreciate it.

Let's go to the battleground state of Wisconsin where early voting is breaking records there as the number of COVID-19 cases also explodes.

CNN's Omar Jimenez is in Milwaukee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just about every day since early in- person voting began here in Wisconsin, this has been the scene to at least start the day in many locations as people have lined up, usually before the doors even open.

And then when those doors open, they are just trying to basically fix the lag and get into these actual polling locations.

And when you look at the enthusiasm we've seen just here in Wisconsin, it mirrors what we've seen in places across the country as well.

Just since early in-person voting began this week, we've seen around 100 -- at least 150,000 ballots that have been cast. And that folds into the already more than a million absentee ballots that have been returned in the state of Wisconsin.

And when you compare that to November 2016, by the way, in that election, throughout that entire voting session and season, a little more than 800,000 absentee ballots were returned. And again, we're already well past that.

When you look at the debates we've seen, they are all now over, of course. But there were questions as to whether they'd sway people's minds.

And voters said, when it came time for them to show up and vote, they already had their minds made up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They both tried to impress the peoples. So, really, I don't really pay attention to that.

I like to see when they are in the office and then I'll see what it's going to be and what they say is going to happen and what not they said is not going to happen.

So what they said last night really don't mean nothing to me because you're going to tell me what I want to hear anyway just so I can vote for you.

JIMENEZ: Your mind wasn't changed because of the debate? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course not.

JIMENEZ: And in the run up to the general election, the election commissioner for the state of Wisconsin, Meagan Wolfe, is looking for workers to meet the enthusiasm of the voters we've seen here in this state.

Let's remember, all of this is happening within the context of a pandemic that has hit Wisconsin especially hard. They've set death records, single-day death records for themselves here in the state just this week.

And it's a record that they broke and eclipsed from the one they set from the previous week as their positivity rate soared above 20 percent as well.

But it's not affected voter enthusiasm as people show up, rain or shine, to make their voices heard.

Omar Jimenez, CNN, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[13:45:04]

WHITFIELD: This programming note. Join CNN's Randi Kaye as she talks with voters for CNN's special report, "DIVIDED WE STAND, Inside America's Anger." That's tonight at 10:00.

Up next, a North Carolina man with guns and explosives accused of planning to assassinate Joe Biden. We'll take a look at the key evidence in the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:50:22]

WHITFIELD: Newly released court documents lay out how a 19-year-old North Carolina man researched killing Joe Biden prior to his arrest earlier this year.

CNN's Josh Campbell has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. It was an abandoned van full of weapons in a North Carolina bank parking lot that would ultimately lead FBI agents to a man who allegedly researched and traveled near the residence of former Vice President Joe Biden.

According to a new filing in federal court, that man, 19-year-old Alexander Treisman, was initially arrested in May on a weapons violation and later indicted by a grand jury for possession of child pornography after authorities searched his phone and computers. Now, according to the detention order signed by a federal magistrate judge, Treisman had conducted online searches of Biden's residence and traveled within four miles of the Democratic presidential nominee's home.

According to the judge, authorities also found a checklist, believed to have been written by Treisman, which included the word "execute." And he allegedly posted an online meme posing the question: "Should I kill Joe Biden?"

In addition to numerous firearms belonging to Treisman, authorities also seized drawings of swastikas and planes crashing into buildings, downloaded images of the 2019 mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, as well as a note on Treisman's cell phone describing plans for a mass shooting.

CNN is attempting to reach Treisman's attorney. But according to the new court document, his attorney indicated that his client has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. And the court noted that Treisman had no prior criminal history.

Although a grand jury indicted Treisman for possession of child pornography, he has not been charged in relation to the weapons in his possession nor his research or writings on Joe Biden.

Prosecutors declined to talk about any potential future charges -- Fred?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Josh Campbell, thank you so much for that.

Next, the economic suffering forcing some small businesses and restaurants to close shop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DOHERTY, OWNER, PLAYWRIGHT IRISH PUB: We're begging for help. We really need help. We feel like we're at the bottom of the mountain and we're trying to climb. There's no rope to help us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:56:34]

WHITFIELD: As the pandemic worsens this winter, small restaurants are facing a dire future.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more on what restaurant owners are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been seven long grueling months for restaurants in the U.S. More than 100,000 have already closed. Thousands more will likely face that same fate.

DOHERTY: We're back where we started in March. We really are.

YURKEVICH: John Doherty owns the Playwright Irish Pub in midtown Manhattan. His PPP loan is used up. And even with outdoor and 25 percent indoor dining, it's simply not enough.

DOHERTY: There's nobody here. There's nobody --

YURKEVICH (on camera): Is this typical?

DOHERTY: Yes.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): This area is normally bustling with tourists and after-work crowds is deserted. Without new federal aid, Doherty says he'll be forced to close his doors next month.

DOHERTY: We're begging for help. We feel like we're at the bottom of the mountain and we're trying to climb. There's no rope to help us.

YURKEVICH: And 2.3 million restaurant workers remain out of work. Doherty laid off nearly all of his 25 employees, the most painful part.

DOHERTY: They've all got families. They have kids. My staff probably 29 to 40 years old, and I feel sorry for them.

YURKEVICH: Nearly half of the 660,000 U.S. restaurants say they won't make it another six months.

While some big chains even turn profits during the pandemic, many independent restaurants don't have the money to survive.

DOHERTY: What people are used to are the mom and pops. That will be gone. The chain restaurants, they will last. They're the big money players.

YURKEVICH: One restaurant closure has a domino effect. Ivan Mendez who used to print menus and signed for the playwright and 30 other restaurants now has just three clients. He was forced to lay off half his staff.

IVAN MENDEZ, OWNER, NAVI PRINTING: They're not open. I have no work. I had to actually dig into my 401K savings and take money out to keep up with the rent.

YURKEVICH: Mendez applied for a PPP loan twice and didn't get it. He will now almost certainly close his doors.

MENDEZ: They said, we're going to bounce back, and it's just taking a little too long and it's not there. It's going to hurt because this is my baby.

YURKEVICH: The Midwest is seeing a surge of COVID-19 cases, so many Chicago area restaurants plan to roll back indoor dining.

Yet, another setback for Kevin O'Brien, an out-of-work executive pastry chef behind on his bills. KEVIN O'BRIEN, OUT-OF-WORK EXECUTIVE PASTRY CHEF: I have tried looking

for jobs and, since March, I have not seen one job posting for an executive pastry chef in the city of Chicago, not one.

This has absolutely been the worst time in my life.

YURKEVICH: Yet, despite the bleak outlook, John Doherty takes on another day, serving the few patrons he has.

(on camera): You're investing thousands of dollars and in closing this space for winter but you don't think you'll have any business, so why are you doing that?

DOHERTY: Because I think tomorrow has to be a better day than today. I want to show that I have done everything I possibly could to make my business successful. And if I exhausted all of my energy and failed, I tried my best.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you for joining me. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

[14:00:02]

We begin this hour with the U.S. trending in the wrong direction in a frightening new milestone just 10 days before the election.