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Biden And Trump Swarm Battleground On Final Day Of Campaign; Judge Rejects GOP Effort To Halt Early Vote Counting In Las Vegas; U.S. Averaging 81,000-Plus New Cases A Day On Election Eve. Aired 1- 1:30p ET

Aired November 02, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:01]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Hi there, I'm Brianna Keilar, and I want to welcome our views here in the United States and around the world.

It is election eve for a bitterly divided country with a public health crisis spiraling out of control. Right now, the candidates and their surrogates are darting around battleground states in a last-ditch effort to get voters to the polls.

President Trump will hold five rallies in four different states. Soon, he will be in Pennsylvania. And Democratic nominee Joe Biden is starting in Ohio, will be ending in Pennsylvania with a Lady Gaga concert.

President Obama is campaigning for Biden again today, he is in Georgia right now, which is a state that has consistently voted Republican but is now in play for the Democrats.

And so here we are, almost at the end. It is the last day of early voting in 22 states and the District of Columbia. More than 95 million Americans have already cast ballots. But even before all of those ballots are counted, President Trump is casting doubt about the integrity of the vote, and suggesting it could end up at the Supreme Court.

Either way the votes fall, people are worried. Businesses in several cities are boarding up ahead of the results. The White House also preparing, a source telling CNN, a non-scalable fence is expected to be put up. This is the same type of fence that was used earlier this summer during protests.

And we have reporters all across the trail. We have Ryan Nobles in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Jessica Dean is near Pittsburgh, and Jason Carroll is in Atlanta.

Ryan, I do want to start with you. The president heading to Joe Biden's hometown. What is his strategy here in these final hours?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, there is no doubt that Pennsylvania remains among the most important states for President Trump in his path to 270 electoral votes. That's why he spent as much time here as he has in any battleground state across the country, and why his campaign is focusing so much on the 11th hour effort on the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

And it is also interesting the places that the president is visiting. Yes, you point out that he is going to be here in Scranton, Pennsylvania in just about an hour, which is, of course, Joe Biden's boyhood home. And part of the message here is directly aimed at those rural blue collar voters. They were voters that drove the vote home for President Trump in 2016. And he believes that is in large part a path to victory for him in Pennsylvania in 2020 as well.

While the suburbs outside the big cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will play a big role in who ultimately wins here. President Trump is hoping to run up the score in the rural parts of the state, the center of the state, the northwest part of the state and where we are in the northeastern part of the state.

All right, Brianna, it is very hard to find a path to victory for President Trump without a win here in Pennsylvania. Polls have shown him consistently behind Joe Biden for much of the campaign, but the president believes his ground game, the long-term effort and then broader concerns about the difficulty in mail-in ballots with the two envelopes that are required could tilt this race in his direction by the final count.

Of course, it's going to take Pennsylvania a lot of time to count all those ballots, particularly those ones that come from the mail and mail-in balloting. So it could be awhile before we know the results here. But for President Trump and his campaign, it is almost a must- win. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right. Ryan Nobles, thank you so much, in Scranton for us. And in the meantime, former Vice President Joe Biden also back in Pennsylvania in these critical final hours of the campaign with a focus on the western half of the state. His first stop is just outside of Pittsburgh and that is where CNN's Jessica Dean is.

So, Jessica, Biden is banking on a win in Pennsylvania for a clear path to the White House, but, of course, this is a win that is far from guaranteed.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. There are no sure things right now, Brianna, no sure things until all of the votes are counted and to the Biden campaign doubling down its efforts here in Pennsylvania, sending Vice President Biden, his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, and both of their spouses, all across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania in this final day before the Election Day.

The Biden campaign really believes that they can draw out a cross section of people here in Pennsylvania, a coalition that they're seeking to build all across the country, that includes white working class voters, black and Latino voters, suburban women and union households. They're also looking to turn people who voted for President Trump in 2016 into their column this year. We are in Beaver County, just -- as you mentioned, just outside of Pittsburgh. This is a county that went overwhelmingly for President Trump back in 2016. But you see Joe Biden coming into this area, trying to galvanize support in these surrounding areas as well.

Now, it's interesting to note that before he gets to Pennsylvania here in just a little bit, his first stop today was in Cleveland, Ohio. That was a stop that was added at the last minute. And when he got there, he said that Senator Sherrod Brown was the one that really encouraged him to get there.

[13:05:01]

Sherrod Brown winning re-election there, a Democrat, in 2018, by a bigger margin than he did when he ran six years previously.

So, Ohio Democrats really think that it is winnable for Joe Biden. Here is what Biden said on the ground there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Ohio, one more day, one more day. Tomorrow, tomorrow, we have an opportunity to put an end to a presidency that's divided this nation. Tomorrow, we can put an end to a president that's failed to protect this nation.

The power to change the country is in your hands. I don't care how much Donald Trump tries, there's nothing, nothing he's going to do to stop the people of this nation from voting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And, of course, the Biden campaign wanting a win here in Pennsylvania, Brianna. And they don't just want to win, they want a convincing one, one that Donald Trump can't be challenged in the courts and one that will make it known that they won unequivocally here in Pennsylvania. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right. Jessica Dean, thank you so much.

Democrats think they have a little shot to win in states many thought were unwinnable when these campaigns started, for example, Georgia. Former President Barack Obama is speaking in Atlanta right now. This is a clear sign the Biden campaign believes they can turn the Peach State blue. And Jason Carroll is there as well.

So, Jason, it is not just the White House up for grabs, Georgia actually has two competitive Senate seats that will be on the ballot tomorrow.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, that is true. And then that is going to be part of the message that former President Barack Obama is going to be making when he takes the stage in just a few minutes, Brianna.

I mean, look, Democrats really feel as though the stars have to align here in the state of Georgia in order for them to flip the state, something they have not been able to do since 1992 under Bill Clinton. But this go around -- they're seeing a number of -- they're seeing enthusiasm among voters, and they're hoping that's going to translate into votes. That's going to be (INAUDIBLE) that Barack Obama is going to be making.

I heard from a senior Obama adviser over the weekend and he says that the former president is going to be making an urgent message to voters to get out there and vote, not just to vote at the top of the ticket but vote down ballot as well, for folks like Jon Ossoff, a Democrat who is in a competitive race for the Senate here.

We've seen the former president really making this final sprint in these final days to a number of competitive states. Last week, we saw him in Orlando over the weekend, making two stops with Biden in Michigan, here in Georgia today. And later today, he's going to be heading to South Florida and Miami to making his final pitch there as well. The goal, to reach more African-Americans and more white suburban voters who didn't come out in the numbers that they needed back in 2016. They do not want to see a repeat of that.

Let's go around a lot of early speakers quoting the late congressman, John Lewis, saying, go out and make good trouble. That -- what you mean by that is go out and vote. That is going to be the message we're going to be hearing from the president, former president, when he takes the stage just a few moments from now. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right. Jason Carroll in Atlanta, thank you.

It is no coincidence that the candidates are spending election eve in Pennsylvania. So let's talk about this path to 270 Electoral College votes with CNN Political Director David Chalian.

All right, David, let's talk about both scenarios here. President Trump wins Pennsylvania again, then what is Biden's path?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. So let me just show you why you are seeing so much activity in that industrial great lakes region that was critical four years ago. Look at the polling in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, okay? You see the average of the poll of polls across all three of those states we used to call the blue wall that Donald Trump busted through, you see this Biden advantage. That's why Donald Trump is working so hard at it.

But you asked specifically about Pennsylvania, Brianna. Let me show you. If indeed -- this is the 2016 map, right? This is Donald Trump's map. This is how he won. If indeed Joe Biden can win back Wisconsin and win back Michigan, but Donald Trump hangs onto Pennsylvania, as you say, Donald Trump is reelected to a second term. He has got 280 electoral votes. So what does Biden do if indeed Donald Trump hangs onto Pennsylvania? That's when he has to start digging into some of that more traditionally Republican territory like perhaps flip an Arizona, okay, then you get to tie scenario and you can get into the congressional districts or a North Carolina, if he was able to do that. You see that Joe Biden then would win the presidency.

But Donald Trump hanging onto Pennsylvania means Joe Biden has to go to less friendly territory in the Sun Belt.

KEILAR: And then -- so if Biden were to win Pennsylvania, what states will President Trump need?

CHALIAN: Yes, it is such a good question. So let's give Biden Pennsylvania this time around, okay, that's 20 electoral votes.

[13:10:00]

Now you see if indeed he is going to win Michigan and win Wisconsin as well, now Donald Trump is down to 260 electoral votes. So what can Donald Trump do to flip that around if indeed Joe Biden wins that, it is going to be tough. But where he would have to go is into Clinton territory.

He would need to perhaps try to flip a Nevada, try to flip Minnesota, states he did not win four years ago. If Joe Biden is winning across that industrial great lakes region, all three of those states, then Donald Trump has to dig into Clinton territory, and he has not been leading in those states in the polls, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, it would be very difficult, if not, impossible.

And the president, of course, is finishing his day in Michigan. So tell us how Michigan is coming into play specifically.

CHALIAN: Well, again, look back at the 2016 map. Michigan was in Donald Trump's corner. You know he is fighting in this entire region. This was how he won the White House. That's how he is going to get reelected. So that's why you see him fighting there.

If Michigan stays red, if Pennsylvania stays red, let's say only Wisconsin were to go blue, then you're talking about Joe Biden really needing a North Carolina and maybe a Florida. He really needs to dig into then some of Trump's more reliable territory if indeed Donald Trump pulls out Pennsylvania and Michigan, and that's exactly where he's spending closing hours of this race.

KEILAR: All right. David, thank you so much. Of course, 270 electoral votes key, thank you for walking us through that.

And just in, a judge has just rejected a Republican effort to halt early vote counting in Las Vegas.

Plus, many military and absentee ballots will not be counted until after Election Day, despite the president saying they shouldn't be counted at all.

And the president suggests he may fire Dr. Anthony Fauci after the election, but he actually doesn't have the power to do that.

This is CNN special live coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:00] KEILAR: We have some breaking news. A judge just rejected Republican efforts to halt early vote counting in Nevada's Clark County, which includes Las Vegas.

I want to get straight to those details right now. We have CNN's Erica Hill who is in Las Vegas for us. Erica, this has to do with verifying voters' signatures. Explain this to us.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that was part of what was brought up in the suit that was filed by the Trump campaign and Republican Party here in Nevada, which as you mentioned, Brianna, the judge shot down. This is a heavily Democratic county, as you know, of the 1.8 (ph) million active voters in Nevada. 1.2 million active voters are here in Clark County.

The judge denied on all fronts, saying that, in fact, the party didn't even have standing to bring this issue. At issue, an automated signature matching machine that is used here in the county. They have issues with that. It verifies about 30 percent of the ballots that come through. They also had concerns about what observers were allowed to see, whether they could see signature-matching, whether that process is robust enough.

In addition to that, there were questions, as you point out, about ballot processing, which started October 20th. The judge, again, denying this entire request. Everything will move forward as it has been doing since October 20th here in the county, said that they showed no evidence that there were any issues with signatures, either not being validated properly or that that, in any way, impacted a ballot.

We should point out that there has been a response from Nevada GOP saying that they are evaluating an expedited appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court, but as of right now, nothing is going to change what's happening behind me.

I should point out, early voting and mail-in votes, remember, this is, for the first time in Nevada, a mail-in ballot was sent to every single active voter. The totals for those ballots have now surpassed all ballots cast in 2016, Brianna.

KEILAR: And there's a federal judge who has stepped in, Erica, ordering the U.S. Postal Service to take what they're call extraordinary measures to deliver mail-in and ballots on time so they can be counted. What does that mean for the postal system and for postal workers?

HILL: Yes, that's right. We know this is different depending on the state, how and when these ballots are processed that was postmarked, how long they can arrive afterwards. So, to your point, for the third day in a row, we're seeing a drop off in on-time delivery for first class mail.

So this judge said that it is now mandatory that express mail be used, which guarantees delivery within one or two days for ballots that are traveling long distances. Any ballot that is mailed locally needs to be processed that very same day. At the latest, it needs to be delivered the following morning.

And they're really staying on top of this with plant managers (ph). They want to have regular updates. And so we're going to be looking at this especially in those states, especially Pennsylvania, as I know you have been talking about all day, Michigan, North Carolina, just some of the states with a real focus today.

KEILAR: All right. Erica Hill, thank you so much for that, live for us from Las Vegas.

Hundreds of thousands of active duty troops and their families are overseas and they're voting by mail. The laws in 29 states and the District of Columbia allow military ballots to be counted even if they arrive after November 3rd, as the president is insisting that all counting should stop on election night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think it is a terrible thing when ballots can be collected after an election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: McClatchy's D.C. Military Correspondent, Tara Copp, is with me now.

Tara, you have done some great reporting on what this would mean for folks in the military and their families.

[13:20:00]

I am wondering if you can just explain to us as the president is calling for votes to not be counted after the election, what that would mean for service members who are away from their home of residence, from their state of residence, what that would mean for them in getting their vote counted.

TARA COPP, MCCLATCHY D.C. MILITARY CORRESPONDENT: It could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of military personnel who are casting their vote from overseas. There's 172,000 service members deployed overseas right now, and 19,000 National Guard or reservists.

When you are in the earlier segment, you were talking how critical Pennsylvania might be. In 2016 there were 8,400 service members who cast their vote by absentee ballot, and those votes could be counted up to November 10th this election.

And what's really struck me as I have been reporting this story out, each time I've talked to a secretary of state's office, they told me that the number of ballots being requested has absolutely surpassed 2016, just like we're seeing in the civilian vote. So there could be a lot more than 8,400 votes in the critical state of Pennsylvania that are at stake here.

KEILAR: Yes. And, I mean, just to give people a sense, you have states like Florida and they're allowed to be received, I think, what, ten days after the election. But I also think there are political observers and just laypeople who might look at this and say, well, why would the president not want to include military ballots.

Historically, you look writ large, the military has trended Republican. But you've also done some great reporting explaining on how that's not quite as reliable anymore for the president, and some of that might have to do with some of the things the president has said and some of his policies. Tell us a little about that.

COPP: That was incredibly interesting for me to dig into because if you think about it, in 2000, the Republicans actually fought hard to get those military ballots counted in that contested presidential election, because they had an intuition and they were right, that those ballots were reliably Republican in most instances.

But you have a whole new generation of service members seeing 20 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq and their political beliefs are all over the spectrum. So if you are going to bet on that ballot, it is not so much of a 50/50 bet anymore. You have millennials that are voting that are much more into the social issues than they were just straight party loyalty. So it would be really interesting to see how this particular election falls out.

Military Times has also done some very good reporting and polling on the spectrum of how these votes are falling out. And they found that since 2017, support for Trump within the military has fallen from 46 percent to 38 percent. And they also found in that August poll that 41 percent of the troops that were polled claim they'll vote for Biden.

KEILAR: Yes. No, it's hard to imagine a situation where you would have military serving away from home to defend the country and then not being able to vote in that country, which is why there's so much outrage in response to this suggestion that the president has of not counting votes after Election Day.

Tara Copp, thank you so much for joining us.

COPP: Thank you for having me.

KEILAR: Can the president fire Dr. Anthony Fauci? We'll have a reality check on his threat.

Plus, more disturbing numbers on the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. as the country breaks new records on only the second day of November.

And retailers across America are boarding up their doors and windows. They're nervous about potential unrest after tomorrow's election. We're going to show you what's happening.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:25:00]

KEILAR: The day before the election and it is one of the worst days of the U.S. pandemic so far. The nation's seven-day average of new cases has now hit 81,336. This is nearly double where it was just a month ago. And the new case average was just under 42,000.

There are 35 states that are seeing more new infections this past week than the week before. And now the modeling team often cited by the White House is forecasting nearly 400,000 COVID deaths by February.

The nation's leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told The Washington Post this, quote, we're in for a whole lot of hurt, it is not a good station. All the stars are aligned in the wrong places as you go into the fall and winter season with people congregating at home indoors. You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.

Well, the president continues to falsely claim that the U.S. is rounding the turn on the virus. We are not. And now, President Trump is suggesting that he might fire Dr. Anthony Fauci as he complained about media coverage at his rally in Florida overnight. Here is how the crowd responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[13:30:00]

TRUMP: Don't tell anybody, but let me wait until a little bit after the election. I appreciate the advice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)