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Democrats Weary As Republicans Leads In The National Polls; Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) Is Interviewed On The Midterm Elections And His Bipartisan Safer Communities Act On Mental Health; Struggles Of Doctors In Red States On Abortion; Boris Johnson Pulls Out Of Race For U.K. Prime Minister; Student Debt Relief Applications Continues; New York Mayor Eric Adams New Plan To Curb Subway Crimes. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 23, 2022 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

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UNKNOWN (voice-over): We're just 16 days out from the midterm elections. As campaign '22 is hitting the home stretch, Democrats are also facing economic headwinds.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): I am worried about the level of voter turnout. What Democrats have got to do is contrast their economic plan with the Republicans.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (CA-D): Elections are about the future. They're about the economy. Nobody said we're doing abortion rather than the economy. It's about both.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: How much is the economy and the rising prices going to impact your vote in November?

UNKNOWN: It's a lot to do with it because our economy has got to have control.

BROWN: So, the cost of living is just high.

UNKNOWN: Exactly, that's the biggest impact.

UNKNOWN: Everything's high. You know, rent, you know, gas, food, all of it it's inflated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRWON: I'm Pamela Brown and you are live in the "CNN Newsroom."

Just 16 days from now, the dust will be settling in the nation's midterm elections when voters will decide which party they want to control the house and senate. And polls show voter interest at record highs, along with alarming levels of division and anger, as well. A new NBC News poll shows that more than 80 percent of both Republicans and Democrats believe that the other party is a threat to destroy America.

High inflation and economic fears are mobilizing voters, and that's hurting Democrats, the party in power. And in recent days, Republicans have wrestled back momentum and one senator says, time is running out for Democrats to sell their economic plan to inflation-weary Americans.

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SANDERS: I am worried about the level of voter turnout among young people and working people who will be voting Democratic. And I think, again, what Democrats have got to do is contrast their economic plan with the Republicans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Just minutes from now, we're going to hear from a Republican, Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri about his view of the political landscape.

Well, early voting is underway in 39 states, and in some areas, there are claims that voters are facing intimidation. And in Mesa, Arizona, armed men are wearing masks and tactical gear as they keep a watchful eye over a ballot drop box. Maricopa County officials are calling the men, quote, uninformed vigilantes. Those officials accuse them of disrupting the voting process, and there are also groups of so-called ballot watchers. They're recording people as they cast their votes in the drop boxes.

In Georgia, which tipped the Senate to Democrats two years ago, nearly 741,000 Georgians had cast early votes in person as of yesterday morning. So, let's bring in CNN's Nadia Romero. She has spent the day at a polling place in Atlanta. Nadia, what are you seeing today?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, polls just closed here in the state of Georgia, wrapping up the first weekend of early voting. Take a look behind me. This is one polling location in DeKalb County, Georgia, and you can see people are walking out.

The rules here state that if you are in line, if you are getting ready to vote, when the polling location closes, you can still continue that process. You can still cast your ballot.

Now, the workers here told me in the first two hours of the day, they saw more than 200 people cast their ballots at this location alone. But we are talking about record voter turnout. Let's look at the statewide numbers here. So far, more than 740,000 Georgians have voted so far in this early voting process. The numbers dipped down to about 80,000 on Saturday, from 141,000, who we saw on Friday. But those are still a record-breaking number.

Seeing so many people who are definitely voting and participating in the process. And we know that there are people who are concerned about election integrity, about voter fraud, especially if they believe the big lie from 2020, so we spoke with an election official about how they're working to ensure voter security. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEISHA SMITH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEKALB COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS: We are excited to see so many of our voters coming out in historic numbers during advanced voting in Georgia.

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So, we are processing record numbers and when we compare it with the last midterm in 2018, we're outpacing those numbers, for sure. We're here working 365 days a year to prepare for operating efficient and safe elections. And so that's what we're doing and that's what they'll see.

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ROMERO: And we are seeing people still showing up here at this polling location, asking if they can go in and vote. The answer is no, but you can come back tomorrow starting at 7:00 a.m. to be a part of the process, or there's absentee ballots. Pamela, a lot of people tell me it's key issues like inflation, abortion, immigration, but also key races. Our Senate race that has national attention, as well. Pamela?

BROWN: Yeah, I was here -- I'm here in my home state of Kentucky talking to voters and definitely inflation and the economy weighing heavily on their minds. But we talked to some people who said abortion actually outweighs the economy when it comes to voting. So, thank you so much, Nadia. We appreciate that. We're going to hear what those voters had to tell me later on in the show.

Well, earlier this month, a CNN KFF poll found that 90 percent of U.S. adults say the United States is experiencing a mental health crisis. Well, now there's a new way for states to get help, providing mental health and addiction services to those who need it most.

Joining us now is Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, who has helped spearhead this bipartisan legislation. Senator, thanks for coming on. We're going to talk about your new mental health program in just a moment. But first, we want to talk about the midterms. So, I want to know, what we said at the beginning of the show, Republicans were trailing for a time, but they had staged a bit of a comeback here.

And CNN's poll of polls, the two parties are tied. Analysts say the economy and inflation, they are driving the Republican resurgence, but Democrats argue your party has no real plan to deal with the economy. Let's listen to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from this morning.

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REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): The fight is not about inflation, it's about the cost of living. And if you look at what we have done to bring down the cost of prescription drugs, to bring down the costs of energy and the rest in our legislation, you will see that it has been opposed every step of the way by the Republicans and they have no plan for lowering the cost of living or helping with inflation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRWON: Senator, what do you say to that? What exactly is the Republican plan to bring down inflation that is being experienced worldwide?

SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MO): Well, I think it's pretty easy to see why we have the inflation numbers we have. There's some of this worldwide, but the bad energy policies, the desire to drive energy costs up so people would use less energy, which is exactly the stated policy of our friends on the other side. And then the really bad judgment in early in the administration, on a partisan basis, to dump another $1.9 trillion on top of an economy that was clearly recovering.

Now, you can go back and say, if you're them, well, the economy wasn't recovering. There's no indication that the economy wasn't well on its way to recovery. There's every indication, by Democrat and Republican economists that what they did would produce the results that were produced. And you could have all of this macroeconomic, worldwide discussion you want to have.

When people go to the grocery store, they go to the gasoline pump, they know that their cost of living has gone up and they know when it happened. And I think they're going to blame Democrats for it, because Democrats are, in fact, responsible for the two biggest contributing factors to this incredible cost of living for Americans.

BRWON: Yeah. And certainly, we saw that in Kentucky, talking to voters across the state. Rural areas and cities, as well. So, we did see that that was certainly something weighing on people's minds. But just to go back to that question because, you know, there are some voters we talked to who say they actually are going to vote, they're Democrat, they're going to vote Republican because of the economy.

But what exactly is the Republican plan, then? What should Republicans do differently? You know, it's one thing to blame the Democrats and say, yes, inflation is high, there are rising prices. It's another to say, and here's the solution. What is that solution from Republicans?

BLUNT: Oh, I think a lot of the solution is an all of the above energy policy. Two years ago today, we were a net exporter of energy. Now we're a net importer of energy. Energy factors into every other costs. There's no reason for us to have the energy concerns that other countries in the world have today.

We need to stop saying that spending more money like the Democrats did in the bill they passed this year again, on a totally partisan basis, is going to do things that really stabilize the economy.

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The American people aren't fueled by this and they're going to hold the Democrats responsible, whether the Democrats want to like that or not.

I think they are responsible. The American voters are going to hold them responsible on election day. I think there's no question Republicans will gain control of the House in a very narrow environment, just as likely as not to gain control of the Senate, but we still won't have control of the administration and bad regulatory policies and bad energy policies will continue to stoke what's now a fire of inflation that got way out of hand before Democrats knew what they were doing.

BROWN: Let me ask you. You bring up -- you think that actually the GOP will be able to take control of the Senate. Senator Mitch McConnell has raised questions about the quality of some GOP candidates. Two that come to mind are Herschel Walker and Dr. Mehmet Oz. Both have zero government experience. You have been in the Senate since 2010. Do you think they are qualified for the job?

BLUNT: You know, I think voters will decide that and I think voters, frankly, for a long time have been looking for people that bring something from outside of government. I've been in a couple of political campaigns in the last decade or so, when it's clear that the idea that you've been part of the government certainly doesn't put you further toward winning on election day.

You've got to explain why you want to -- what you've done and what you want to continue to do. I think when you look at their opponents, you're going to find out that they're going to be very competitive. I expect we'll win both of those races and hold on to the seats that Republicans like me are leaving this year, which means that really, in a 50/50 Senate, you don't have to have much happen in a good way. Just one or two seats need to change, and suddenly your side is in charge.

But the American people have reason to be concerned about the course of events. The Biden presidency is now halfway over. And they're not liking what they're seeing and they're going to show that on election day.

BROWN: Very quickly, I want to get to mental health in just a second. But first, and also, bipartisan efforts, as well. Will you vote for the bill to codify same-sex marriage that is expected to get a vote in the lame duck? Yes, or no?

BLUNT: Well, let's see what the bill - let's see what the bill looks like and we'll decide. And lastly --

BROWN: Well, you've said that since July, senator.

BLUNT: Well, and there's no bill. Let's see what the bill looks like and then I'll decide whether I'm going to vote for it or not. You know, what we're -- last week, we had big announcements setting the country in the right direction on mental health and other things. That's what I'm focused on right now. And when there's a bill to vote on, on that topic or any other topic, that's when I'll decide how I'm going to vote on it.

BROWN: Let's talk about that legislation. You worked with Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow in the Biden administration to help fund state mental health and addiction initiatives. You've been a fighter on that front for many years. Why do you feel so strongly about this issue? BLUNT: Well, Senator Stabenow worked on this really for almost a

decade now. It's a critical issue. It affects so many Americans. In 2013, we went to the floor to talk about the last bill President Kennedy signed, which was the Community Mental Health Act and it was designed to do two things. One was to close the big institutional facilities that weren't serving the country well.

And the second was to replace them with high-quality community-based facilities, where people could still have jobs, be near their family, live in their community. The first part of that got done in every state. Not many states stepped up and went to the effort to replace those institutions with what we're hoping to see happen now. We've got 10 pilot states in 2014. They've now been impacting mental health in their states and their communities for about a decade. It's making a big difference.

And we've got the ability in the Community Safety Bill passed earlier this year, to move forward in all the 40 remaining states to give them the opportunity, too, to treat mental health like all other health. The numbers are unbelievable, 72 percent reduction in hospital visits by people who have mental health challenges.

And by the way, almost -- most of those hospital visits have to do with the other mental health problems that the other health problems that people have, not their mental health problems. If your mental health problem is being dealt with, you show up for your other doctor's appointments, you go to dialysis, you take your medicine, and seeing real reduction there.

But, you know, the time that people go to the emergency room, the time they spend with corrections officers, about a 60 percent reduction there. And we're well on the way now, 59 years later, to achieving the goal the country set and walked away from. Senator Stabenow and I are both very excited to see us where we are.

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We had a meeting last week with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, all the people responsible in that agency for helping carry this plan out. And we look forward to seeing them do that.

BROWN: Well, and I want to dive a little bit deeper into that because, you know, what you're also trying to do here is reduce the stigma. You have said, look, it's -- mental health should be treated like a physical ailment. Why is there still this stigma surrounding mental health? And as I said earlier in the show, 90 percent of U.S. adults say the United States is experiencing a mental health crisis.

There is no shame in having anxiety or depression or other mental health issues. I've been open about my issues. How do we lower that stigma? How do we get people to feel more comfortable with seeking the help, seeking the help at these clinics that are now opening thanks to this bipartisan legislation?

BLUNT: Well, I think one of the things you do is start talking about mental health, like all other health, treating mental health like all other health. And frankly, to be as open with your friends and family about a mental health issue as you would another kind of health issue. Somebody in your family has cancer, you talk about that. Somebody has another kind of health problem, you talk about that.

We need to be just as comfortable talking about mental health problems and look at them as health issues. You know, we did this package on the Public Safety Bill, but tried very hard to make the point that if you have a behavioral health problem, you're much more likely to be the victim of a crime then you are to be the perpetrator of a crime.

But occasionally, when you don't have a mental health system that works, all of the times when you would have been able to see something step in, do what you needed to do to help, that you failed to do that. You can always trace these problems back to a moment, usually years in the past when people began to see there was a problem, but they didn't have any idea who to turn to in a moment of that problem or who to put that person in contact with.

BROWN: Yeah.

BLUNT: We're looking at places in schools to do this. Telemedicine, a big new addition to what you can do with behavioral health. You're often more likely to be further away from your behavioral health provider than you are your other health provider. Let's begin to address this, as we should, and should have for half a century and I'm -- to get us to the point where now we're finally launching the program that we envisioned, 59 years ago is a good thing.

BROWN: That -- it is a good thing. And what I think also is so great is that, look, mental health episodes, they don't know if it's the weekend or during the week or if it's overnight hours or whatever the case may be, right, and these clinics will be available to people who might need help, no matter what time of day it is, no matter if it's on the weekend or the week. It's a great resource for people who need that help.

And again, as 90 percent of Americans say they are experiencing mental health issues after the pandemic. So, I really appreciate your efforts on this front. Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, appreciate your time to come on the show. Thank you.

BLUNT: Great to be with you.

BROWN: And still ahead tonight, I talked to voters all across Kentucky. Hear what they say are the big issues that will drive them to the polls in just two weeks.

Plus, just how difficult is it to be a doctor in a state where abortion is no longer legal? I'll speak to one.

And later for you tonight, CNN sits down with New York Mayor Eric Adams. Will his new plan to reduce crime on the subway work?

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[17:20:00] BROWN: The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe versus Wade ignited a multi-front battle over abortion now being fought in various states across the country. And caught in the cross fire are OB/GYN doctors who practice in states where abortion is now banned or severely restricted.

Dr. Sarah Osmundson joins us now. She's a maternal-fetal medicine specialist in Nashville, Tennessee. Hi, doctor. Thank you so much for coming on. So, your state has a near total ban on abortion. How difficult is it in Tennessee to be a doctor because of the restrictive abortion laws?

SARAH OSMUNDSON, MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST: Thank you very much for having me. I will say it's a terrifying time. You know, we are -- our physicians used to practicing medicine and worrying about whether we're giving the best care to patients and for kind of the first time in my career, I'm worried about whether something I do in my line of work could get me charged with a felony or wind up in jail.

BROWN: So, you're basically having to play, in some cases, the -- put on the hat of a lawyer when really, you're supposed to be a doctor. Tell us what that is like. Can you give us any examples of situations you've been in?

OSMUNDSON: Right. I think, you know, we're very -- we have some interaction with the legal system through concerns about malpractice and things like that, but we really are never involved in the criminal defense system. And so, this is an entirely new territory and I think a lot of hospitals and physicians are just not prepared for this.

You know, unfortunately, in the line -- the line of work that I am in as a high-risk physician, I -- you know, I am called to care for patients who have a lot of very complicated pregnancies, tragedies that occur during their pregnancies, and there are just unfortunately, so many situations where laws that were written kind of to be very black and white enter gray areas in medicine.

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And that's, I think, where I find myself and I think a lot of other maternal-fetal medicine specialists along with just other general OB/GYNS.

BROWN: So, in those cases where it's really tricky and it's gray, have you actually sent patients to other states with less restrictive abortion laws?

OSMUNDSON: Yeah, so I think, you know, a good example is a patient who has a very desired pregnancy, but finds out that she has cancer in the first trimester of pregnancy. And we can offer these patients chemotherapy, and it's relatively safe during pregnancy for both mom and baby, depending on the type of cancer, but certain types of cancer, if you're going to receive the optimal treatment and the same treatment that you would get if you were not pregnant, that would be something that endanger the pregnancy. And so, women are in positions where they have to decide, you know,

what matters most to them. And for many women, that decision is, you know, very sadly, on their end, but it is a decision to end the pregnancy so they can receive the optimal care. But, you know, we're kind of in the situation of wondering, does that represent like an immediate threat to maternal life or to irreversible harm to the mother?

Those are sort of questions in the law that are not at all clear. And in those kinds of situations, I think, you know, when we find somebody there, it's -- it is the safer option to tell them to go out of state to seek an abortion, which is very sad. Those are patients that we were able to care for before.

BROWN: Right. I'm curious, have you thought about moving to a state where you can practice without these concerns?

OSMUNDSON: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think, you know, I'm not from here originally. I came here for my job, which I love. I love what I do. I love the people that I work with. I have all intention of being here. But it has raised serious concerns about whether I'm really endangering myself and my family's well-being by staying here.

You know, I think, right now, where I'm in a position where I can still counsel women appropriately and talk to them and advocate for them and get them the resources that they need, I am happy to be here and to be an advocate for them. But I think if I were ever in a situation where I really couldn't advocate for patients or couldn't help them get the resources they need, I just couldn't ethically practice in this environment.

BROWN: Well dr. Sarah Osmundson, thanks for coming on to share your experience. We appreciate it.

OSMUNDSON: Thank you very much.

BROWN: And you are in the "CNN Newsroom" on this Sunday night. Hours before a deadline for candidates to declare if they want to be the next U.K. prime minister job, if they want to have that. One man says that he's in and one man says he's out.

Plus, President Biden's plan to forgive thousands of dollars of student loan debt could be a game changer for many people. The program should have started today, but it's being held up. We're going to talk about why, next.

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BROWN: New tonight, Boris Johnson is out. The former British prime minister will not stage a comeback and enter the race to get his old job back. Johnson was ousted in July as P.M. over a series of scandals and he was then replaced by Liz Truss, who stepped down on Thursday.

Press reports say Johnson today claimed to have the minimum support among Conservative Party members, but declined to run, saying this simply would not be the right thing to do. Meanwhile, former finance minister Rishi Sunak formally declared his candidacy today. Sunak tried to become the Conservative Party leader seven weeks ago following the departure of Boris Johnson. Liz truss resigned as prime minister just six weeks into her term that threw Britain into political and economic turmoil.

Well, if not for a court order, many student loan recipients across the country would have begun seeing their debts erased starting today. On Friday, a federal judge temporarily halted President Biden's student debt forgiveness program, putting the fate of 40 million eligible Americans in limbo. CNN's Camila Bernal has the latest.

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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It might take a little longer, but Cody Hounanian is still expecting a third of his student loan to be forgiven.

CODY HOUNANIAN, APPLIED FOR STUDENT DEBT FORGIVENESS: It's a light at the end of the tunnel.

BERNAL (voice-over): He's referring to President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program that would cover $10,000 of his student debt. Because while he's been out of college for nine years, he still owes $30,000.

HOUNANIAN: I recently married. Me and my wife are going to be thinking about purchasing a home, so it's all of a sudden kind of right in front of me again because I'm thinking about the kind of debt I have and I need to finance my future and get a home.

BERNAL (voice-over): But while the administration was expected to start granting loan discharges as early as Sunday, a federal appeals court put a temporary administrative hold on the program. A move being argued in and out of the courtroom. USC economics professor Robert Dekle says that while all his students support the program, he asks them to consider different perspectives.

ROBERT DEKLE, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Relative to defense spending and the overall government budget, the annual cost is not huge. But there is -- it's going to be a burden on current taxpayers.

BERNAL (voice-over): He also says if the goal is to help low-income families, the government should instead invest in, say, early childhood education. As an economist, Dekle says he thinks short-term loan forgiveness will only make inflation worse.

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But as a professor, he believes long-term, this will make the U.S. more competitive.

DEKLE: We need people with skills. And the way to get it is in higher education. BERNAL (voice-over): And it's that education that Hounanian says got

him to where he is today, now the executive director of the Student Debt Crisis Center, a nonprofit focused on ending the student debt crisis.

HOUNANIAN: For me, the only way to open the door was to take on student loan debt, even though it's created really unnecessary challenges and, you know, we've had to be stressed and all of that, but my future is brighter, nonetheless.

BERNAL (voice-over): Now, he's not only waiting for his loan forgiveness, but also fighting so that others can also get the relief.

HOUNANIAN: My dream, my vision for a better America in the future is one where my kids don't even have to consider student loan debt.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): Now, it is going to take a couple of days for the legal process to play out, but people are continuing to apply for this. According to the Biden administration, 22 million Americans have already applied for this. It is an easy application. It takes about a minute. And look, for many people, it is going to make a huge difference, especially if you went to a trade school or a community college or a state school.

If you go to a private school like say USC where I am now where tuition is about $60,000 a year, well, $10,000 may not make a big difference. But for others, this really could be a huge relief and help in their financial situation. Pam?

BROWN: Alright, Camila Bernal, live from the University of Southern California. Thanks so much, Camila.

Well, President Biden thinks the Democrats can still grab momentum and hold on to both the House and the Senate in the midterms.

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITEDS STATES OF AMERICA: The polls have been all over the place. I think that we're going to see one more shift back to our side the closing days.

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BROWN: So, is he right? Harry Enten is here to run the numbers, up next.

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BROWN: Well, just weeks ahead of election day, Democrats appear to be losing momentum in national polls. CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten joins us to run the numbers. So, Harry, what's going on in the Senate battle? HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yeah, you know, that's I think

what everyone is so interested in. Can Democrats hold on to Senate control and, you know, what we're seeing in the national polling seems to be translating down to the Senate polls. So, I want to just look at, you know, four key states here, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia. Democrats likely need to win three of these four in order to hold on.

And right now, they do still hold leads in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. But in Nevada, you actually see what was a lead of three points for the Democratic candidate there is now a one-point Republican edge. And more than that, if you look at three of those four states, you see movement of three to four points from where we were on September 1 to where we are today.

So that movement we've seen nationally does seem to be translating down to the Senate level. And if Democrats were favored in the Senate, say, at the beginning of last month, right now, at best, it's probably a toss-up. And I honestly don't know what exactly would happen as all these races are well within the margin of error.

BROWN: Yeah, they are, and that's key. So, how about nationally, what's going on?

ENTEN: Yes. So, you know, one of the best ways to sort of look at this is the generic congressional ballot. And you know, what we saw early on in the beginning of the summer, right as Roe v. Wade was getting overturned, Republicans had a three-point advantage. Then by July 23rd, it was a one point. Then on August 23rd, it was tied. Then Democrats actually took a one-point advantage.

But the further and further we get away from Roe v. Wade getting overturned as that sort of goes in the rearview mirror, Republicans seem to be gaining back that advantage that they had early on in the summer. You can see right now the estimate is that Republicans are ahead by two points on the generic congressional ballot.

And that would be more than enough in my mind based upon history for them to retake control of the House. And I think it's also the reason why as we saw in that former slide, that Republicans have been gaining in those Senate races because the national wins in all honesty, Pam, are moving in their direction.

So, there are also 36 gubernatorial races and there seem to be some surprises, Harry. Let's start in some states Joe Biden easily won in 2020.

ENTEN: You know, I guess the House and the Senate are sort of easy to sort of put together, but sometimes you see these gubernatorial races and go what? What the heck is going on there? So, you know, look at these races in these states that Joe Biden won by over 15 points or 15-plus points in 2020. Look at New York. Lee Zeldin has been polling within 10 points, some polls have him within five points of the incumbent governor, Kathy Hochul. That's a real shocker.

There hasn't been a New York Republican governor since George Pataki in the early 2000s. How about in Oregon, there hasn't been a Republican-elected governor there since 1982. Yet Christine Drazan is within a dead heat of Tina Kotek, the Democratic candidate, in part because there's a former Democrat, Betsy Johnson running as an independent.

I don't know what's going to happen in that race. So, New York, I think, Hochul will hold on, but the fact that it's competitive, my goodness gracious!

BROWN: Alright. And let's look at these other states that Donald Trump easily won in 2020. How about surprises there in those states?

ENTEN: Yeah, I mean, look, in Kansas, Laura Kelly is the incumbent Democrat, you know, local issues there playing a big role. Laura Kelly wants to keep this race, you know, localized. She doesn't want to be talking about national issues. Not too much of a surprise that, you know, it's competitive there.

But Oklahoma, which hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 2006, Joy Hofmeister in a very tight race with the Republican candidate, the incumbent Republican governor there, running on the issue of vouchers for schools, basically saying that that's not a good thing. That that will hurt rural education and she has closed that gap.

[17:45:06]

Imagine a state that Joe Biden lost by 30 points and a Democrat winning there. That would be something else. Of course, we'll have to wait and see. But the fact that all these races are competitive, it's quite interesting to watch.

BROWN: It is interesting to watch. Also, interesting to watch, your Buffalo Bills. How are they doing at this halfway point of the NFL season?

ENTEN: I remember, I was standing with you on set last week. They were going to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. You've got families out there, but my Buffalo Bills were able to triumph last week. They're 5- 1. They're off today, thank God. That gives me some rest from potential cardiac issues.

They have the highest chance of winning the Super Bowl of any team and you know, they've never won a Super Bowl and hopefully this is the year that they do it. I'm really hopeful.

BROWN: They're on a roll. You and Wolf Blitzer just must be so happy about that. Harry, always good to have you on. Thanks.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BROWN: Well, be sure to check out Harry's podcast, "Margins of Error." You can find it on your favorite podcast app or at CNN.com/audio.

And you are in the "CNN Newsroom" on this Sunday night. New video showing a man pushing a New York City subway commuter on to the tracks injuring him. This comes as New York officials lay out their plan to take on transit crime. The city's mayor, Eric Adams, speaks to CNN, up next.

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BROWN: New details tonight on how badly author Salman Rushdie was hurt when a man stabbed him back in August. Rushdie's representatives say he lost his sight in one eye and the use of one hand. It happened in western New York over the summer. A man rushed the stage where Rushdie was appearing and stabbed him more than 15 times in the neck and torso. Rushdie needed emergency surgery. His attacker is charged with attempted murder.

The people who live in New York City have had it with the sharp spike in crime especially on the city subways. New York Mayor Eric Adams announced some new crime fighting initiatives this weekend. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is with us now. So, Gloria, you spoke with the mayor today and he had some tough statistics to deal with. Crime in the subway is up more than 40 percent than this time last year. What did he tell you about what he is doing about this?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pam, the mayor certainly seemed to be on a mission this weekend trying to respond to the increase in violence especially in the city subway system. The mayor and his top administration officials holding a summit over at Gracie Mansion over the weekend to try and come together, come up with ideas, and really take on what is beginning to be on many New Yorkers' top of mind, concern that the subways are not safe.

We're seeing more and more of incidents like here in this video which I want to show you where you see a straphanger that is walking along the platform then somebody comes out of seemingly nowhere and pushes that person on to the tracks. Thankfully that person was not struck by the train but they were severely injured. The police asking for help to identify the person who pushed that man on to the tracks.

So, we wanted to sit down with the mayor today and really ask him about this idea he has been talking about, the reality and the perception of whether a crime here in the city has increased. Some crimes have gone down but crimes in the city's transit system continued to be of top concern. Here is what he told us.

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ERIC ADAMS, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: And I've talked to New Yorkers. They say, yes, Eric, I've never been a victim of a crime on the subway system. I've never been attacked. I use it every day. I am one of the 3.5 million riders on the subway system and I've never been attacked. I feel unsafe because of what I see, what I read, what I hear. So now I have to address that fear.

So, what are we doing? We have this large amount of omni presence of police officers, nothing dissipates violence feeling more than having a police officer, that blue uniform, they're doing actual patrol. We're going to have them on the train. And then we're going to not be passive in dealing with those who have real mental health issues on our subway system.

As soon as we came in from January 6th on, we got rid of the encampments. We've got over 2,000 off our system that were living on our system that couldn't take care of themselves.

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PAZMINO: So, Pam, it's going to be all about the increased visibility, adding more police officers to the train station, increasing those patrols, but also, mental health. The city and the state want to increase the number of psychiatric beds that are made available to people who are suffering from mental illness.

That is of course just one part of the solution. It is very complicated to get people who need help, mental health treatment, to be able to go into treatment. So, the mayor and the governor certainly are facing a tough challenge ahead in the next couple months as a ridership continues to increase post pandemic. Pam?

BROWN: Alright. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much. Nice job with the interview. Well, Mayor Adams is also one of three new guests talking to Chris Wallace tonight. Here is a preview of their conversation.

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ADAMS: We have an average of less than six crimes a day on the subway system with 3.5 million riders.

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But if you write your story based on a narrative that you're going to look at the worst of those six crimes and put it on the front pages of your paper every day. So, I have to deal with those six crimes a day, felony crimes and the perception of fear.

Yes, we decreased gun violence in the city, which I zeroed in on. Decreased homicides. We've made -- we have removed off our streets over 5,700 guns, 27-year high in gun arrests. We are attacking the problem exactly the way I stated.

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN HOST: You're saying the crime problem in this city is more perception than reality?

ADAMS: No. It is a combination of both. New Yorkers must be safe.

WALLACE: But, mayor, the New York City crime statistics are that year today, crime in the subways is up 41 percent over the same period last year and serious crime, major felonies, are up even more than that. That's not perception. That is reality.

ADAMS: If you do an analysis of the six major cities in America the crime waves tackling all of our cities, New York City is the safest. So yes, we have a real crime problem that we are addressing, but part of that is the perception that every day those six crimes are being highlighted over and over again.

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BROWN: We'll see more of the conversation on an all new "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace" after our show tonight at 7:00 p.m.

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