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Alec Baldwin Speaks Publicly After Deadly Film Set Shooting; Candidates Barnstorm Virginia In Closely-Watched Governor's Race; CDC Could Authorize Vaccine For Kids 5-11 Within Days; Polls Show Nearly One In Three Parents Won't Get Young Children Vaccinated; Joe Biden Meeting With World Leaders At G20 Summit; Clyburn Worries Democrats Don't Have Will To Win 2022. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired October 30, 2021 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:04]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Paparazzi, the shooting on the set of his latest film "Rust" was a, quote, one in a trillion event.

ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR AND PRODUCER, "RUST": We were a very, very, you know, well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: As the January 6th Commission investigates Donald Trump's role in the insurrection, new details on the huge trove of documents he's trying to keep hidden from Congress.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From his point of view, there is no good that could come from any light being shed on his activities.

BROWN: January 6th Committee member Jamie Raskin weighs in.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just days before the polls open in Virginia's high stakes race for governor.

GLENN YOUNGKIN (R), VIRGINIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: He wants to force you to join a union, he wants to raise your taxes.

SAENZ: The candidates are making their final pitches. With more than a million early ballots already cast.

TERRY MCAULIFFE (D), VIRGINIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: We work with reasonable Republicans but Glenn Youngkin is not a reasonable Republican.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Kids ages 5 to 11 could start getting Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine as soon as Tuesday.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: There is a really good reason to have the children vaccinated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Good evening. We begin this hour with breaking news. The fatal shooting on a new movie set in New Mexico, "Rust," the tragedy nine days ago that left a cinematographer dead, the director injured, and the film's star Alec Baldwin facing questions about the fatal shot he fired from a prop gun. He is speaking out now publicly for the first time.

I want to go right to Natasha Chen for more on this.

And Natasha, why is Alec Baldwin speaking out now about this?

CHEN: Well, Pamela, Alec Baldwin seems to have been with his family today in Vermont being followed by cameras and he stopped, he got out of the car and addressed paparazzi questions. We're going to show almost four minutes of this interaction which was rather tense but generally courteous. The woman you'll see in the frame stepping close to Baldwin with her own phone held out is his wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

A. BALDWIN: Let's go. Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I will.

A. BALDWIN: What do you want to know?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Alec, what's the current state of what's going on with the case?

A. BALDWIN: I'm not allowed to make any comments because it is an ongoing investigation. I've been ordered by the sheriff's department in Sante Fe, I can't answer any questions about the investigation. I can't. It's an active investigation in terms of a woman dying. She was my friend. She was my friend. The day I arrived in Sante Fe to start shooting, I took her to dinner with Joel, the director.

We were a very, very -- excuse me. We were a very, very, you know, well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened. Now I've been told multiple times don't make any comments about the ongoing investigation and I can't. I can't. I can't. That's it.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Right. And you met with -- sorry.

A. BALDWIN: What are the questions that you have other than that?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You met with the -- I forget her name. In a moment. But you met with her family?

HILARIA BALDWIN, ALEC BALDWIN'S WIFE: Halyna.

BALDWIN: Yes. I met with her --

H. BALDWIN: Her name is Halyna. If you're spending this much time waiting for us, you should know her name. A. BALDWIN: You don't know her name.

H. BALDWIN: Her name is Halyna.

A. BALDWIN: Halyna Hutchins. I met with her husband Matthew and her son. Yes, that's right.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And how did that meeting go?

A. BALDWIN: I wouldn't know how to characterize that. They're mortified by that.

H. BALDWIN: You guys, you know what, no details.

A. BALDWIN: Do me a favor? I'm going to answer the question.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Well, I appreciate that he was probably upset.

A. BALDWIN: The guy is overwhelmed with grief. This is something that -- you know, there are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time. But nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion. It is a one in a trillion. And so he is in shock. He has a 9-year-old son. You know, we are -- you know, we're in constant contact with him because we're very worried about his family and his kid, and as I said, we're eagerly awaiting the sheriff's department to tell us what their investigation has yielded. What else do you have?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Would you ever work on another film set that involves firearms of that nature?

BALDWIN: I couldn't answer that question. I really -- I have no sense of it at all. I do know that an ongoing effort to limit the use of firearms on film sets is something I'm extremely interested in. But remember, something that I think is important, and that is how many bullets have been fired in films and TV shows in the last 75 years? This is America. How many bullets have gone off in movies on TV sets? Billions. In the last 75 years. And nearly all of them are without incident.

So what has to happen now is we have to realize that when it does go wrong and if this is horrible catastrophic thing, some new measures have to take place. Rubber guns, plastic guns. No live -- no real (INAUDIBLE). That's not for me to decide. It is urgent, it's urgent that you understand I'm not an expert in this field. So whatever other people decide is the best way to go in terms of protecting people's safety on film sets I'm all in favor of and I will cooperate with that in any way that I can.

[19:05:03]

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you have any other projects in the works at the moment or is everything on hold?

A. BALDWIN: No, no. That's irrelevant. We won't talk (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you think production will start up again? A. BALDWIN: No, I don't know. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Why Vermont, Alec?

H. BALDWIN: Because we just --

A. BALDWIN: No, no, that's a --

H. BALDWIN: It's private.

A. BALDWIN: Yes, that's private. Anything else?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: OK.

A. BALDWIN: So do me a favor, if you don't mind? My kids are in the car crying.

H. BALDWIN: Because you guys are following us. And they know.

A. BALDWIN: And all I want to do, as a courtesy to you, I came to talk to you. I'm not allowed to comment on the investigation. I talk to the cops every day. I talk to them every day.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They know where you are.

A. BALDWIN: Yes. I'm cooperating with them.

H. BALDWIN: Of course.

A. BALDWIN: So my point is that I'm just asking, we sat down as a courtesy now to talk to you. Now please would you just stop following us for the rest? Just leave us alone.

H. BALDWIN: Just go home. Go home.

A. BALDWIN: We gave you everything we can possibly give you, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you. Thank you.

H. BALDWIN: Go home.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Condolences. Thank you.

H. BALDWIN: Now turn it off.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: Clearly a very difficult situation for the people involved in this incident. Baldwin there keep in mind he wasn't just an actor on -- in this movie, he was also a producer, and he mentioned that he's regularly speaking with police here. And that matches what we heard here in Sante Fe. Our colleague Josh Campbell reports that investigators have had follow-up questions and Baldwin has willingly answered and picked up the phone.

The other people that the Sante Fe sheriff here would like to do follow-up interviews with are the armorer and the assistant director. Now the armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reid actually released a statement Friday morning through her attorneys saying that she has no idea how a live round got on set, that safety is her top priority. The sheriff here told CNN last night that there may be some conflicting issues that he would like to clarify by speaking with her again and also speaking again with the assistant director -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Natasha Chen, thank you so much.

And let's continue this conversation. I want to bring in Patrick Gomez, the executive editor of "Entertainment Weekly" and CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig.

Let's start with you, Patrick. How surprised are you? What is your reaction that Baldwin spoke out now and what appeared to be spontaneous?

PATRICK GOMEZ, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Clearly Alec Baldwin, anyone who follows his career, knows that he's not shy about speaking out, about sometimes ruffling feathers. I think what's very clear in this situation is that these are two exasperated parents that pulled over because they have children as young as I believe 7 months old, and I'm sure that was a traumatic experience. We've seen many people speak out about how the paparazzi act particularly around celebrity's children.

And I think you saw exasperated parents trying to do what they could to make a situation better for their kids, and that meant in this case, speaking about something that I'm sure he didn't want to have to speak about today.

BROWN: Right. I mean, but it's interesting, though, because he had some tweets apparently that he then deleted, where he would like re- tweet articles and stuff but clearly in this case you see, like you said, two distressed parents seeing their kids crying as he said. And that is what seemed to push him over the edge to want to get out and share a little bit.

But obviously he couldn't share everything, Elie, as he said, because he said he's under orders to not talk about the investigation. And he said he is talking to the cops every day. What do you make of that?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, so two things. First of all, it's important that he is talking to the police. That he is cooperation with investigators. That's consistent with what we've heard from the sheriff and the D.A. Look, he has important information. And it's probably for the best for everybody involved that he come forward with it.

It's not exactly technically correct that he's not allowed to comment on this substance of the investigations unless the prosecutors and the cops have an order from a judge, which it does not appear in this case, they can't stop him.

Now typically as a prosecutor or a cop, you would tell an important witness like Alec Baldwin, we really would like you not to address this. It's not a good idea to address this. Alec Baldwin's lawyer, if he's any good, and I'm sure he is, has told Baldwin you should not say anything at all and if you have to say something, don't say anything about the substance of this case. So you could see Alec Baldwin there sort of struggling to find the right balance between wanting to address the situation but not wanting to say anything of substance.

BROWN: He also said, though, he did say it was a freak occurrence, quote, "one in a trillion."

Patrick, there were safety concerns on this set and previous safety complaints against the film's assistant director David Halls who handed the gun to Baldwin. Do you think that this tragedy will lead to reforms on movie sets?

GOMEZ: I think there's two really important factors here. One, as you mentioned, the assistant director actually had been pulled off of a set in 2019 for an eerily similar situation. So clearly there is an investigation here in this particular instance.

But yes, I do think that this is already leading to reforms. In so many different areas, we've seen multiple shows now state that they are no longer going to have live ammunition, or actual real guns. They're going to do everything in posts. So we're seeing the industry already respond to this.

[19:10:01]

BROWN: And we heard Baldwin today talk about this. He said he would be interested in limiting the use of firearms on sets.

So, I want to ask you, Elie, you know, there is the assistant director. There's the armorer. We heard Natasha Chen said the armorer released a statement saying -- through her attorney saying that she has no idea how the live rounds got there. What do you make of that legally for her and for the assistant director?

HONIG: So that is a really important statement by the armorer through her attorneys. I'm not sure it actually helps the armorer, Miss Gutierrez, because it leads to the next question. OK, if you have no idea how a live round got into that gun, did you or did you not inspect that gun before it made its way on to set? If she did not inspect that gun, I think there's an argument right there you have negligence, maybe criminal negligence.

You're an armorer. What's your number one job? Inspect the guns. If she did inspect the gun then she must have missed that live round which again could lead to negligence either in the civil sense if she gets sued or potentially at the higher level of the criminal negligence standard.

BROWN: And you have said, Elie, that you don't foresee Baldwin facing charges. Have you seen anything to change that?

HONIG: No, I haven't. I think as an actor, if an AD, an assistant director, hands you a gun and said it's a cold gun, everything that I've gathered from researching this, and seeing our coverage is that the actor doesn't have any obligation to then inspect the gun for himself.

In fact, it would probably be dangerous to do that. So I don't think Alec Baldwin has potential criminal liability here. I do think he, the production company, many others will quite likely be sued civilly for money damages however.

BROWN: Elie Honig, Patrick Gomez, thank you both.

GOMEZ: Thank you.

BROWN: Well, up next, crunch time in the commonwealth. The candidates pulling out all of the stops tonight in Virginia as the governor's race with national implications enters its final weekend.

And the last time he went to a baseball game, he was booed. So what can we expect tonight when Donald Trump shows up at the World Series in Atlanta. We're going to go there live.

Plus kids 5 to 11 years old could get COVID shots as soon as Tuesday. A top doctor at Johns Hopkins answers your questions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:16:18]

BROWN: More than a million early votes have been cast in the hotly contested Virginia governor's race. But Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin aren't taking anything for granted. They are both barnstorming across the commonwealth trying to get every single vote they still can.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is covering the McAuliffe campaign and Eva McKend is covering the Youngkin campaign.

Arlette, let's start with you. Today McAuliffe said this race isn't about Donald Trump after spending months claiming it is about Donald Trump. What's up with that?

SAENZ: Yes, it's kind of a curious statement, Pamela, because as you mentioned both Terry McAuliffe and top Democrats have spent months during this campaign trying to tie the GOP candidate Glenn Youngkin directly to the former president. You have Joe Biden campaigning earlier -- that honking you hear is because the Terry McAuliffe bus is rolling into this event just right now.

But as I was saying, you have Joe Biden, you have former president Barack Obama, all mentioning and tying Glenn Youngkin directly to Donald Trump. But today Terry McAuliffe, as he was speaking to our colleague Dan Merica, said that this campaign isn't about Trump. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCAULIFFE: You know, it's just killing Trump that he's not here obviously. He's in the race, obviously he's endorsed Youngkin seven different times. But, you know, I think Trump is trying to play whichever happens, He's going to, you know, Trump is always going to claim credit for himself no matter whatever happens. I mean, Trump is very unpopular here in the state, everybody knows it. And, you know, that's probably why Youngkin doesn't want him.

DAN MERICA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Would it help your campaign? Would it have helped your campaign? I know you told him before the primary you would paid for his jet fuel to get him here. But would it have helped your campaign?

MCAULIFFE: I'd love to have him come in, but, you know, Dan, this isn't about Trump.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now for the most part at his campaign events today McAuliffe has not been mentioning Trump, though when he was speaking with reporters at his last two events he did reference that Youngkin was a Trump wannabe. Now one big question for Democrats going forward is what campaigning and turnout will be like in a post-Trump era, as he was such a motivating factor for so many Democrats.

Now in just a short bit McAuliffe will be speaking here in Williamsburg, wrapping up his day of campaigning a bit earlier. Today he was campaigning with the state senator Tim Kane as well as Congressman Jim Clyburn. McAuliffe has really been relying on some of these national figures to come into this race in the closing days.

I also have the chance to ask McAuliffe if he was frustrated with that package not -- the economic bills not being voted on until Tuesday. He said it is what it is -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, thank you so much. I know how tough it is to keep talking and keeping your train of thought when it's so loud in the background. So great job there, Arlette.

Eva, you're going to have to do the same. Glenn Youngkin has done everything he can to keep the former president at arms' length in the waning hours of this campaign. Talk to us about why this is such a tricky political tight rope for him?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually Pam, it seems as though he's been able to do this with relative ease because when you speak to his supporters, if you speak to these people at these rallies as I often do, they tell me that they aren't all that concerned about Trump and really they believe that a Republican like Glenn Youngkin could only win statewide if he does all that he can to engage moderates, to engage Republicans on the far-right, independents and even peel off some Democrats.

And Youngkin has that understanding, too. That is why he really emphasizes the Democrats that are supporting him. Take a listen to how he discusses this on the trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNGKIN: This is not Democrats versus Republicans any more. [19:20:00]

This is not -- this is not people standing around holding up certain political philosophies. This is Virginians coming together and defining a new way forward for our commonwealth.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So the number one issue I'm hearing from people here is that they are primarily focused on education -- Pam.

BROWN: All right. Eva, Arlette, thank you both.

So just how many young children will get a COVID vaccine shot if the CDC signs off on it next week? Maybe fewer than you think. And wait until you hear some of the reasons why. I'll talk to Dr. Allison Messina from Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:25:11]

BROWN: Well, four days from now young children could be getting a COVID shot. The CDC meets Tuesday to decide whether or not to recommend Pfizer's vaccine for emergency use in children between the ages of 5 and 11. The FDA authorized the emergency use Friday afternoon but the CDC director must still sign off on it and we expect that to happen. So let's take a closer look at all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. WILLIAM GRUBER, SENIOR VP OF VACCINE CLINICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, PFIZER: The ability to vaccinate children frees them up to attend school with reduced risk of outbreaks, that limit in-person learning. I think for many children school is a safe space as well as obviously the important role that it plays in their education. So -- and for many children it's actually a place where they get meals. So this has really a profound effect beyond the important prevention of COVID-19.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: But here is the big question. How many parents actually plan to get their young children vaccinated? Not many according to a new poll out this week by the Kaiser Family Foundation. As you'll see here, only 27 percent parents say they are eager to get their children vaccinated. 33 percent say they would wait and see while 30 percent say they would definitely not get the vaccine for their kids.

Let's look at the top reasons why. Here are some of those concerns. Parents say they are very or somewhat concerned about the vaccine, 76 percent think not enough is known about the long-term effects. 71 percent are worried about side effects and 66 percent are worried about future fertility problems.

To be clear, fertility concerns have been repeatedly debunked by science and here is what Dr. Anthony Fauci says about the science.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: I do feel it's important to vaccinate children. No doubt from a statistical standpoint, when children get infected, it's very much more likely that they would not have a severe outcome compared to an elderly person like myself or someone who has an underlying condition.

But that doesn't mean that the kids are exempt from some serious illness because all you need to do is go to the pediatric hospitals around the country, and you see particularly with the Delta variant, which has a much greater chance of transmitting, that more kids are getting infected.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So let's talk more about this. Joining me now is Dr. Allison Messina, the chief of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital.

Good evening to you. Look, those numbers are pretty stunning. That more parents say right now that they would likely not get their kid vaccinated when it is available to them versus the parents who would. And I think what's on a lot of parents' minds basically is it worth it. Because for so many months parents kept hearing that COVID was not a significant risk to their kids.

So help us understand, at this point right now what risk does COVID pose to children and what risk does the vaccine pose.

DR. ALLISON MESSINA, CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, JOHNS HOPKINS ALL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Sure. Well, those are great questions and I think that parents are right to be asking those questions. You really need to decide risk versus benefit for your child. And that might be different for every parent.

I think that for those people who want the vaccine right away, I think the -- what they're considering is not only the health of their own child, perhaps some of these parents are parents of children with pre- existing conditions for which that, you know, that calculus, that risk benefit calculus is a little easier.

Some parents are wanting their kids to be vaccinated because they want them to attend school without as much worry about whether they can get sick or not and what kind of disruption that that would cause. So those are some of the big considerations that I hear parents saying, is just if they are concerned that their kid is going to become very ill or that their education is going to be disrupted, the vaccine is something that they can do to allay those concerns.

I think the parents that are sort of in the middle, they're still kind of waiting and deciding, I think that those are the parents that should have a talk with their child's pediatrician and really make that decision wisely with someone who knows their child's medical history, and knows what is going on in their community, and I think that they will be able to come up with a good decision. And if it's that they want to wait a little longer, then they have that opportunity.

BROWN: Right. So if you had young children, would you have them get this vaccine?

MESSINA: For me, I would. And the reason that I would is because I know that even though we haven't had this vaccine available for very long in young kids, we have had it available in older children and in adults for almost a year now.

[19:30:12]

And it's been given to millions of people and we really have not seen any bad effects of that. That's meaningful to me and that reassures me a lot.

The other thing, too, is, you know, especially as a pediatric infectious diseases physician, I have seen young kids get very sick with this. So to me, that's very real. And I think that, you know, maybe sometimes people don't see that. But you know, if you ask your pediatrician or you ask the doctor at your local hospital, they'll let you know that it is very real, and so those are things that are meaningful to me.

BROWN: You just heard that there are parents who are worried that the vaccine could affect their child's future fertility. That has been repeatedly disproved. How do you fight something like that? Is misinformation a bigger problem than COVID?

MESSINA: Yes, I think that misinformation, obviously, is a huge problem, and especially with things like you mentioned, with fertility. There is absolutely no reason to think that this would impact fertility. And the science is very clear on that. So, if that's the major concern, you know, it's really unfortunate that people really think that they need to worry about that because that's the one thing that they probably really don't need to worry about.

But you know, other things like what are long term, you know, side effects of any vaccine or any medical product? Well, that's a realistic concern as well. But I also would remind people that we don't know the long term effects of COVID either.

You know, so I think that it is one of those things that you really have to -- you really have to remember that the choice not to get the vaccine is not a risk free choice, either. It's really difficult sometimes to decide, I think, for young children.

But I think that, you know, with the information that we have and the transparency that the F.D.A. has with this process, I think should reassure people.

BROWN: I do want to ask you about something else. On Friday, the Supreme Court refused to stop Maine's vaccine mandate for healthcare employees who wanted a religious exemption. How important is it for healthcare workers to be vaccinated for both their own protection and for the safety of their patients? MESSINA: Yes, that's something that is really important to me. You know, in my hospital, that is one of the things that we talk about every day. We really -- you know, our main goal is to keep our patients safe and to keep our employees safe. And if there is a safe vaccine that can do that to keep your patients and your staff safe, to me, that's something that is just -- it should really be at the top of our priority list.

So, I do think that it's very important.

BROWN: All right, Dr. Allison Messina, thank you so much.

MESSINA: You're welcome. Have a good evening.

BROWN: You, too.

Well, President Biden is back on the world stage this weekend meeting with G20 leaders. But as he tries to sell the America is Back message, his agenda back in America is hanging in the balance. More on that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:37:34]

BROWN: President Biden notches an early win at the G20 getting world leaders to sign on to a plan for a minimum global tax. A small victory abroad as his once in a lifetime social safety net planet home, well, it looks like it's going to pass. He doesn't have the win yet, but it is still hanging on by a slender thread.

Joining me now Sabrina Siddiqui, White House reporter for "The Wall Street Journal" and Rachael Bade, congressional reporter for "The Washington Post," both our CNN political analysts.

Ladies, great to see you. So nice to have some company here on this Saturday evening. What more would we want to do than talk about Biden's trip abroad?

Let's talk about that. Sabrina. How important is this for Biden, for his political reputation right now, for this trip to be a success for him? And what would that look like, exactly?

SABRINA SIDDIQUI, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think that it's a very significant trip, because after the kind of honeymoon phase where there was a lot of celebration among world leaders that perhaps the Biden ministration would bring back a sense of competence, as well as predictability and, you know, return to traditional alliances after four years of the Trump administration, which was much more chaotic.

Then you saw President Biden have a difficult couple of months with, you know, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well, as you know, this nuclear submarine deal with Australia that angered the French because they undercut a deal that they had in place.

So this is an opportunity for him to once again be on the world stage and perhaps secure some key commitments on issues like climate change. There is also the supply chain issue. All world leaders have agreed to this minimum corporate tax rate of 15 percent, a global minimum tax rate. So that's a pretty significant deal. And of course, there's still the ongoing challenge of COVID-19.

You know, I don't know how much they're paying attention to what's happening back home. I know, there's been a lot of talk about how his domestic agenda kind of hangs in the balance, although I do think Democrats will get to a deal.

But I think really, this is more important for Biden to once again show that the U.S. is back in a position of leadership and kind of reasserting itself on the global stage after, you know, the previous four years where a lot of world leaders felt like America had kind of retreated.

BROWN: Yes, and no doubt about it. He wanted to go on this trip with the win, right? It didn't happen where he wanted to see the infrastructure deal at least pass, but the progressives held firm. Then they released a statement saying they do back the framework and so forth. It looks like it's going to pass as you said, Sabrina, but not before the big high stakes Virginia governor's race.

Do you think the fact that the Democrats can't tout this win could hurt care Terry McAuliffe?

[19:40:08]

RACHAEL BADE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, Terry McAuliffe certainly thinks so. I mean, he has been on the phone calling congressional leaders now for weeks, trying to get his Virginia allies to press leadership to have this vote so that they can sort of pull out the base, you know, energize Democrats, get them to the polls in a race where Republican energy is much higher than Democrats right now just to be realistic. And so this race is really tightening, and I think for Terry McAuliffe, he wanted this win.

But I do think that, you know, in terms of the White House and President Biden, last week was really significant for him. I mean, yes, they weren't able to get the infrastructure bill passed, but they did put out this big social spending framework after sort of haggling behind the scenes for literally months.

But they've got two moderate Senate Democrats who didn't want to do this bill to commit to a framework where they're going to, for instance, have $500 billion worth of tax credits for, you know, renewable energy to try to move to sort of a cleaner energy in the future. That's a huge win for progressives, too.

And so you saw moderates endorse that and you also saw progressives who wanted a much bigger package come behind this. And so, I do think there was big -- there was significant momentum for President Biden. Will it help in Virginia? Probably not. How much will that really affect the race? I'm not really sure at this point.

BROWN: Yes. No one really knows for certain, right? This week, James Clyburn in Congress obviously helped propel Joe Biden to victory said Democrats may lack the will to win. Let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): I think we can, I'm not sure we will. And that comes from -- my dad used to say to me all the time, son, wherever there is a will, there is a way. So, I'm not too sure that Democrats have yet developed the will to win in 2022.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Those are powerful words. I mean, you know, it is true in a close race that energy and enthusiasm, it matters. But are Republicans winning on that level? You mentioned that that was the case in Virginia, but what do you think?

SIDDIQUI: Well, I completely agree with Rachael. The enthusiasm is on the Republican side. Now, this is obviously not, without precedent midterms on -- particularly favor the party that's not in the White House, especially after a presidential election. So you know, after President Obama's victory, you saw Republicans take control of the House in 2010; after President Trump's victory in 2016, enthusiasm was on the Democratic side, they swept control of the House in the 2018 midterms. And so now, I think you're going to see that same dynamic play out.

The issue for Democrats really, though, and this is where we go back to the agenda is there just hasn't been much for them to tout despite having control of both Chambers in Congress and the White House absent, you know, the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that was signed in March. They haven't really had any other major legislative victories.

And so I think that's why there is concern among Democrats that there hasn't been progress, even if they do get a deal on infrastructure and reconciliation. On other key issues like voting rights, like police reform, those are key issues especially for black voters who have been critical to their success, not just to Biden's victory, but also down ballot.

And so I think, you know, Republicans are seizing on these culture wars, and they are kind of just showing that they have a lot more enthusiasm within their base, whereas Democrats, you know, I think with the Democratic base, there is not a sense that a lot has to be changed this year, and I think that's going to be a challenge for Joe Biden and for Democrats going into next year.

BADE: And there is also a divide amongst Democrats about what will it take to be successful in 2022? You have progressives who say, look, we campaigned on things like, you know, free child care, universal pre-K, you know, free college. If we don't deliver on these, that base isn't going to show up and we're going to have huge losses in 2022.

But then you have moderates who are in these swing districts who are vulnerable and say, look, if we pass a huge package like that, then I'm definitely going to lose my seat. And so there's just a fundamental disagreement in a very diverse party about what it takes, what they should pass to protect themselves in 2022.

But everybody agrees they've got to do something, and I think that that's why, you know, you're seeing some frustration on the Hill, but also an eagerness to get something done soon.

BROWN: Right. I mean, you do seemingly have an agreement between the progressives and moderates like Manchin and Sinema now on this, which is pretty extraordinary as you pointed out. I do want to ask you about this. We mentioned Trump. We have to mention the latest antics of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project.

They sent some demonstrators dressed as Unite the Right rally goers to a Youngkin campaign rally in Charlottesville complete with tiki torches. When they took some heat for this, here is how they responded.

"We will continue to hold Glenn Youngkin accountable. If he will denounce Trump's assertion that the Charlottesville rioters possessed 'very fine' qualities. We'll withdraw the tiki torches. Until then we'll be back."

[19:45:07]

BROWN: I mean. Wow. This is such bizarre -- right?

SIDDIQUI: You know --

BADE: And it took a while for it to come out that it was The Lincoln Project, right? I mean, it was like no one --

SIDDIQUI: It seems like they do more damage than, you know, even though they're trying to actually help Democrats by, you know, ridding the Republican Party of anyone who is supportive for President Trump. You know, they're trying to kind of eradicate Trumpism from the Republican Party, but I don't think the tactics always work. In fact, they often seem to backfire.

But this is just part of a broader strategy in Virginia to tie Youngkin to Trump, and he has tried to thread the needle, you know, distance himself from Trump while still sort of courting his supporters. And we will see if that's effective on Tuesday.

BADE: Yes. It's just it's mind blowing, because this is a group that says they want a healthier Republican Party, want to distance from Trumpism, as you just said, and yet they do something like this and it sort of creates this distrust, you know, in the greater, you know, atmosphere.

There were people after January 6th some Republicans who were trying to blame January 6th on, you know, Antifa, the left, and like, if you pull stunts like this, you put it out there that, okay, what -- people don't trust what they're seeing, and they don't trust the facts. And this is where you get conspiracy theories. It's just dangerous.

And it's certainly you know -- it is going to backfire on the group clearly, perhaps even you know, on Democrats. BROWN: It's not good in this age of so much misinformation as you point out. Sabrina, thank you. Rachael, I owe you an apology. I said that you're with "The Washington Post," but you're actually as I'm sure all of our viewers know with POLITICO playbook. You are a co- author.

I'm sure "The Washington Post" wishes that you are still with them. We appreciate it.

BADE: Good to see you.

BROWN: Well, just months after calling for a boycott of Major League Baseball, former President Donald Trump is heading to Atlanta for Game 4 of the World Series. We're going to take you there live.

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[19:51:21]

BROWN: Baseball's biggest event returns tonight, Game 4 of the World Series in Atlanta and there is even a hint of some political drama. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan joins us from the Truist Park in Atlanta where we're expecting Donald Trump to make an appearance any moment now. Donnie, any idea yet what kind of reception he'll get?

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sounds like it's going to be pretty mixed, Pam. Folks coming in here today range from being upset that he is coming, delighted that he's here. Most folks though just really want to watch the game. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'SULLIVAN: How do you think Trump will be received here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I hate to say it. We are fans.

O'SULLIVAN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We like his policies. We don't like his attitude sometimes, but we like his policies.

O'SULLIVAN: So, okay. You think you'll get some more cheers than boos maybe tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More cheers than boos. Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. His personality is a little bit over the top.

O'SULLIVAN: There's a special guest coming tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yeah, we've heard. The one that doesn't like baseball.

O'SULLIVAN: What do you think about that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're here to see the baseball game. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: Do you think -- do you think he'll get a warm welcome or booed or what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mixed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably mixed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.

O'SULLIVAN: Because up till a few months ago, he wanted people to boycott, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I couldn't figure that out. You'll never see baseball boycotters here.

O'SULLIVAN: A special guest coming in tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's it? Oh, Trump?

O'SULLIVAN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love it.

O'SULLIVAN: Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's my man.

O'SULLIVAN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.

O'SULLIVAN: You think -- you think he's going to get a warm reception here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. Atlanta fans love him. He should have won the election.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): So there you have it, Pam. Trump back here tonight in a state that he falsely, of course believes that he didn't lose 12 months and now we're 12 months out from the midterms -- Pam.

BROWN: Yes, we sure are. Donie O'Sullivan, thank you so much.

If you want to better understand the state of the Republican Party look no further than Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this weekend.

Uber conservative Congressman Tom Rice left out in the cold by his own party. Rice has aligned with Trump on almost everything. His one sin, he voted to impeach the President for inciting the Capitol Hill riot and for that, he doesn't even get an invite to the G.O.P. headliner event going on right now in his own district. But you know who is invited? The likes of conservative talk show host, Armstrong Williams and former Trump White House doctor and now Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson.

Meantime, Trump's big lie has found the new fan zone among young gun G.O.P. House candidates. CNN has found that at least a dozen of the House G.O.P.'s most prized midterm recruits have cast doubt about the 2020 election. Among them, former Trump press aide Karoline Leavitt who really thinks Trump won the election she says.

Tim Baxter in New Hampshire says it's time for an audit in every state, and Gail Huff Brown who says quote, "There were a lot of irregularities in 2020."

This toxic disinformation about the 2020 election to score points with the former President is a danger to this democracy; and frankly, influential Republicans should know better.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MAHER, TALK SHOW HOST: Did Trump win or lose the election?

SEAN SPICER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I don't know.

MAHER: Well, there you go, because the world does.

SPICER: Because here is the problem, if you --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: he knows. So spare a thought for Congressman Tom Rice this weekend, whose truth telling basically cost him an invite to his own party, leaving him with plenty of time to reflect on the state of the G.O.P. and this op-ed.

[19:55:09]

BROWN: "My Republican friends, my plea to you is this, enough with the bickering, enough with the conspiracy theories, enough with the grudges. If we don't change course, we are doomed to failure."

Well, thank you so much for joining me this evening. I'm Pamela Brown and I will see you again next weekend. I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween. The CNN Special Report, "Stop the Vote: The Big Lie's Assault on Democracy" airs next.

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