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Speaker Pelosi Gives First Interview Since Attack On Her Husband; Election Day Tomorrow: Americans' Last Chance To Vote; House GOP Leader Lays Out Plans For Potential Majority. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired November 07, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Victor Blackwell, Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.

First, to a CNN exclusive for you, for the first time since the brutal attack on her husband we're hearing from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She sat down with our Anderson Cooper.

BLACKWELL: Pelosi returned to Washington last night after being at her husband's bedside in California. She says that he has a long road to recovery ahead and recounted to Anderson that the moment DC police broke the news to her. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA): I was sleeping in Washington, DC. I had just gotten in the night before from San Francisco. And the -- I hear the doorbell rang and think it's five something, I look up I see it's five hooks. They must be the wrong apartment. No, it rings again and then bang, bang, bang, bang, bang on the door so I run to the door and I'm thirsty -- I see this Capitol Police and they said we have to come in to talk to you.

And I'm thinking of my children, my grandchildren. I never thought it would be Paul because of, you know, I knew he wouldn't be out and about, shall we say. And so, I came in at that time. We didn't even know where he was or what his condition was. We just knew there was an assault on him in our home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right, with us now, CNN's Chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju and CNN's chief political correspondent Dana Bash. Dana, we've heard just a bit of the interview now. She is obviously still kind of navigating this trauma. It's not been, what, two weeks? It's been a week and a half now. What do you make of what you heard there?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, Trauma is the keyword. Not just her trauma, but the trauma of her five children, the trauma of her grandchildren, most of whom are grown, but some of whom are still teenagers. And it is something that is -- they're probably never going to get over, to be honest with you.

And to hear that detail, to hear the humanity of what happened when a woman who happens to be the Speaker of a House, but in this case -- of the House, in this case, a woman, a wife gets a banging on the door at that hour.

Of course, her mind is going kind of crazy saying oh my goodness, obviously, something happened to somebody in my family. And it turns out that it is her husband. And it turns out that it's not just that her husband is hurt, her husband is hurt because somebody attacked him looking to hurt her.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And it is notable, Dana, I felt the same way you did as a mother. She is the second line to the presidency but her initial reaction was what happened to my family, my children, or my grandkids.

BASH: Exactly.

GOLODRYGA: And, Manu, the difference is, though, that she is second in line to the presidency and this is all unfolding when the speaker would normally be very active in the final sprint of the midterms.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no question about it. She was in Washington at the time of the attack that occurred at their home in San Francisco. And she, of course, has been the central player in the Democratic effort to try to keep control of the house.

She's been barnstorming the country going to district a district raising a ton of money from Democratic outside groups hoping to keep control of the House. Obviously, not even imagining something so horrific could happen at their house while she was away.

And of course, we have learned since then, that when -- there -- even though her house had been monitored by -- with a live camera feed that could be reviewed by Capitol Police, it was not being actively monitored at the time while Pelosi was away because it's the Capitol Police simply doesn't have the resources to do that. And Capitol Police detail does not extend to her family members.

So. that moment that captured -- that interview, as Dana said just such a raw real moment to the speaker that she -- her first reaction hearing the banging on the door at her house in Washington from Capitol Police and thinking how bad that this could be, learning that this was an attack on her husband, a brutal attack, a very real moment for the -- for the speaker there explaining exactly what -- for the first time exactly what was going through her mind that she learned about that harrowing attack.

[14:05:09]

BLACKWELL: Dana, we've talked about how the speaker is the target of ads, especially this time of the year heading up to the midterms and races well beyond her own. She has obviously faced threats before. This has to take a toll over the years.

BASH: She -- I have to say she's used to it. It's an unpleasant thing to be used to, but she is. Just two years ago, she and I talked or maybe it was actually more than two years ago, it was before -- it was 2018. Forgive me. So it was before she became a speaker again. And I went with her back to Baltimore, which is where she grew up before moving to San Francisco.

And one of the many things that we talked about was the fact that not just this cycle, but so many of the past cycles, really since she became Democratic leader, never mind speaker, she has been the subject of attacks. The image and imagery around her has been so intense for so long. When she talks about it personally, she blows it off and says, oh, it's just -- you know it is what it is.

But it's another level when it bleeds over, forgive me, but it goes to the safety of her family and especially her husband, never mind anybody in her family. And you know, you saw in some of the videos that Alexandra Pelosi, her daughter who's a filmmaker, released and that we saw, I guess, last month at this point, her grandson there on the day of January 6 watching as people came up and kind of noting, well, you know, what -- in some way, shape or form, why do they want to go after us? Why do they want to go after my grandmother? It's that kind of reality.

And it's a reminder that these are -- again, these are public figures they are in the game and they understand the risks and the rewards and everything that goes along with it. But family members, especially young people, and her 82-year-old husband, they unfortunately sometimes are the victims of it, whether it's emotionally or, in this case, physically.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Paul Pelosi, as she said, has a long road to recovery. Dana Bash, Manu Raju, thank you. There is a lot more of this conversation. You can see Anderson's entire interview with Speaker Pelosi tonight at 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

GOLODRYGA: Meantime, tomorrow will be Americans' last chance to vote and the first national Election Day since major inflation took hold and the first since the sieged of the U.S. Capitol.

The political stakes could not be any higher as the world waits to see who will control Congress. Republicans feel they have the momentum right now to take back the House but the Senate continues to be anyone's guess. 35 seats in the Senate are on the ballot along with all 435 seats in the House. Three dozen Governor seats are also up for grabs.

BLACKWELL: There are also 27 races for tech -- secretaries of state. Now, this is normally a low-profile position of the state's overseers of elections but now it's in the spotlight given multiple contenders deny the 2020 presidential election was valid. So far, more than 41 million Americans have cast their ballots, which is on pace to exceed 2018's historic record.

Over the weekend, three former presidents were in Pennsylvania, a clear sign of just how important the races there are. And in the state's crucial toss-up Senate race, Democratic candidate John Fetterman, and Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, they're making impassioned pitches in hopes it will be enough to secure a victory tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN FETTERMAN, DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE, PENNSYLVANIA: It's going to come down to every single vote. And we're making our closing argument, you know, by showing up and going all across Pennsylvania up until the very last -- the last minute to make sure we take this kind of conversation with every single person and everybody understand what's at -- what's at stake.

DR. MEHMET OZ, REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE, PENNSYLVANIA: I'm not a politician. I'm a heart surgeon. The problems I fixed had to deal with life and death challenges that some of you may have actually had this audience, so your relatives have had. We can fix them because we unite. We bring people together because we're stronger united than divided.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: There are already some concerns about ballot issues. CNN's Jason Carroll joins us now from Philadelphia. So, Jason, tell us what's happening there.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, there clearly is a lot of uncertainty here on the ground among some voters. This after the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court last week, as you know, issued that ruling, which basically said that any undated -- or ballots that were undated or not dated correctly, cannot be counted.

So as a result, you have a lot of folks wondering, will my vote be counted? And so what the city Commissioner's Office did was they printed out a list of some 3400 people whose names are on these ballots, who -- and -- who -- basically who have said your ballot will not be counted.

[14:10:13]

Inside here at City Hall a little earlier, we saw a number of people who were lined up there trying to sort out whether or not their ballot will be counted. In Allegheny County, we saw the same thing which includes Pittsburgh, where they printed it out, a list of some 1800 people who they say their ballots will probably in all likelihood, not be counted, if not fixed.

So just a little earlier, we spoke to the city commissioner. We talked to her about what they're trying to do here, trying to get these ballots fixed. And she feels as though -- a number of people here in the city, she feels as though their votes will be disenfranchised.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA DEELEY, CHAIRWOMAN, PHILADELPHIA CITY COMMISSIONERS: It has the potential to disenfranchise a number of voters. What if you've already left the city and you can't -- you can't come back? What if you are somebody that's living in a nursing home? You are the responsible person to get us your vote in time. Absolutely, not counting that vote those absolutely disenfranchise those voters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: And so, Bianna, what we were trying to do is you're trying to get a sense from the state. So how many people statewide are potentially affected by this? Just early this morning, the acting Secretary of State says she can't say for sure at this point. She's reached out to her office, she's reached out to all 67 counties here in the state of Pennsylvania trying to get input from them in terms of how many people have been affected by this, still awaiting those numbers, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: The confusion already before Election Day and a reminder to viewers that Pennsylvania -- we may not get the final numbers there for a while. They don't start counting until they close polls.

BLACKWELL: Until the Election Day.

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Jason, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Let's go to Georgia now and that Senate race between Herschel Walker and incumbent Raphael Warnock.

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Marietta, Georgia. So, Jeff, how are the two candidates spending the final full day of campaigning there?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna and Victor, both candidates are still reaching out to voters in a final series of events. But really the work is going on behind the scenes. Now more than 2.5 million Georgians have already cast ballots.

Now, both of these campaigns are going after those who have not cast ballots, so going after people who they had on their roles and trying to remind them to vote tomorrow. But Senator Warnock is campaigning earlier today in Macon. He'll be holding an event later in Columbus.

And Herschel Walker will be campaigning in Kennesaw, the critical suburbs outside of Atlanta. But increasingly, these two rivals are making their attacks toward each other very personal. Here's a sample.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERSCHEL WALKER, REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE, GEORGIA: Called you heard the president the biggest threat to democracy is to vote for somebody in the Republican Party. Is it crazy? The biggest threat to our democracy is to have him in the White House. Is it not? SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK, (D-GA): You should ask yourself if the person you're voting for has actually demonstrated any interest in the subject matter. And you can tell if you listen to him talk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So that in a nutshell are the closing arguments from both of these candidates here, Herschel Walker trying to tie Senator Warnock directly to the Biden administration, trying to tie him to the policies of the White House, which are not all that popular here. President Biden, of course, won Georgia narrowly two years ago. He has not stepped foot in the state in recent months because of that. He does not want to drag Senator Warnock down.

Now Senator Warnock for his part, he is simply saying as he has been for months that Herschel Walker in his view is not ready to serve. He's not fit for office. He has been calling him a pathological liar.

So in the final hours of this campaign, which, of course, is one of the most important in the country, certainly not ending on a positive optimistic note by either side, that's reflective of how close this race is, party officials on both sides I've been speaking with simply do not know how this will go tomorrow.

But one indication it could go another month because Georgia, of course, as we've been saying, has a runoff rule. If neither candidate gets to 50 percent, they go to a runoff, which is December 6, Victor and Bianna.

BLACKWELL: All right, Jeff Zeleny there in Marietta, thank you.

GOLODRYGA: President Biden will be in Maryland tonight to urge voters to get to the polls as Democrats make their final push.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Phil Mattingly is at the White House. Phil, the president has been optimistic on the trail, which is, of course, what you'd expect. But what's the feeling inside the White House right now?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, there's a reason why the president himself identifies himself as a congenital optimist. Oftentimes, he's joking when he says that, but that's also kind of how he operates inside the White House. It's not necessarily enthusiasm shared by everybody on his staff.

I think there's a recognition here of kind of two very clear realities. One is the history and what they're up against, in terms of a first-term president where his party controls the U.S. Congress. And what traditionally happens, usually dozens of seats are lost.

But there's also the headwinds and the inflation headwinds, the economic headwinds are very real. Now the difference here between perhaps this cycle and past first-term presidents is Democrats and those in the White House look at the Senate races right now, and feel like in the tightest races, they have a very real opportunity to pull something out.

[14:15:08]

Even if the president isn't necessarily where Jeff Zeleny was, in Georgia or in Arizona, they believe it is a message that they can turn out Democrats and actually win in those races. And part of that message has been the highest stakes of this moment when it comes to democracy. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These deniers are not only trying to deny your right to vote, they're trying to deny your right to have your vote counted. No, I'm not joking. I'm not joking. With these election deniers, there are only two outcomes for any election. Either they win, or they were cheated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now, guys, there are more than a few Democrats who question the strategy of focusing on that issue given how salient the economy is for voters right now. But when you talk to White House officials, they make clear that is an issue that resonates with base voters and particularly younger voters, the type of voters that they need to turn out that's, critical in this moment in time. The president will be in Maryland, not exactly a swing state at this point in time, but will be delivering a message very similar to that tonight, I'm told, guys.

GOLODRYGA: Phil Mattingly, we'll be watching, thank you.

Well, up next, an exclusive sit down with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. His take on his party's priorities if they take back the House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN MCCARTHY, (R-CA): A bill to control the border first. You've got to get control over the border, then almost 2 million people just this year alone coming across.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And Sources tell CNN that former President Trump could announce his 2024 presidential campaign tonight. We'll discuss that strategy next.

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[14:21:00]

BLACKWELL: Republicans are already making plans for what they will do if they take back the House.

GOLODRYGA: In an exclusive CNN sit down, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy laid out Republican priorities and vowed oversight of the Biden administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MCCARTHY: Well, you know, what's on the table? Accountability. Shouldn't we know where the origins of COVID actually started? They didn't have one hearing on it. Shouldn't we know what happened in the last 60 days of Afghanistan so we would never repeat that again?

We wouldn't have 13 new Gold Star families, they should have never happened. Shouldn't we know why the DOJ would take it upon themselves to go after parents that would go to school board meetings? And should we know where the taxpayers' money is being spent? I call that accountability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Melanie Zanona sat down with McCarthy for that exclusive interview on the campaign trail in Texas. So clearly, he laid out a blueprint of accountability questions, what else did he tell you?

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Yes. So what Kevin McCarthy really was trying to do was outline his vision for power. And he promised to secure the border, bring down crime rates, and bring down inflation and the high cost of goods.

Of course, these are three issues that have become central to Republicans' pitch to voters in the closing stretch of the midterms. But those bills would mostly be messaging and duffers.

Really the big issue that's going to need bipartisan support if Republicans win the House is going to be raising the nation's borrowing limit. And Kevin McCarthy is already signaling that Republicans are going to demand spending cuts in exchange for lifting the nation's debt ceiling. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZANONA: Are you willing to risk a default by using this as a bargaining chip?

MCCARTHY: Well, people talk about risking that. You don't risk the default, think of what about --

ZANONA: Not raising it will be a default.

MCCARTHY: We'll just sit and pause for one moment, we're not going to default but think for one moment here.

ZANONA: Under your watch, there would be no default is that what you're saying?

MCCARTHY: No. Let me answer the question, all right? And let's not put other words in people's mouths. People go and say, oh, you're going to put a default. A debt ceiling is you hit a limit on your credit card. So if you're going to give a person a higher limit, when you first say you should change your behavior, so you just don't keep raising it all the time?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZANONA: Now, a lot of Republicans are calling for cuts to Social Security and Medicare, but that is a hard line for Democrats. And so how McCarthy handles this looming debt ceiling debate is going to be a major test of his potential speakership.

Of course, the other issue that he's going to have to confront is whether to launch impeachment proceedings and do President Joe Biden or members of his cabinet that is something that his right flank is already pressuring him to do.

And while McCarthy has left the door open to the idea of impeachment, so far, he is only promising to pursue rigorous investigations, Victor, Bianna.

BLACKWELL: Melanie Zanona for us there, thank you, Melanie. Nia-Malika Henderson is a CNN senior political analyst, Alice Stewart is a CNN political commentator and Republican strategist, and Hilary Rosen is a CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist. Welcome to you all.

Let me start here with you, Alice, and your thoughts on another element of Melanie's fantastic interview with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in which he says this is job one for the Republican-led House. Let's play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCARTHY: Well, there's a number of things I think to stay in Mexico, you have to right off the bat. The first thing you'll see is a bill to control the border first. You've got to get control over the border. We had almost 2 million people just this year alone coming across.

But a part that hasn't been written about when I came here more than a year and a half ago, the first time it really got mentioned are the people we're catching on the terrorist watch list. You know, there's been 98 people on the terrorist watchlist. It's very difficult to get on that. And we caught them coming across the border just this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: OK, so, we know that the border is part of the Republican Trinity right now, crime, the economy, and the border. Why start there?

[14:25:03]

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that's again, part of the triad of issues that they're focusing on. And the border has been something that has been top of mind for Republicans for quite some time.

BLACKWELL: But the economy is the top concern of -- across all boards.

STEWART: Absolutely. But he is making the border in terms of securing the border of priorities for many reasons for the illegal immigration, for terrorists coming across this country. We also have the Fentanyl crisis, the human trafficking, that is one part of it. But first and foremost, Republicans across the board are looking at ways they can fight inflation out -- reducing the economic concerns that Americans are having.

And a big part of that is outlined in his commitment to America, the top prong of his commitment to America that McCarthy put forward was about addressing the economy and implementing pro-growth tax policies, and doing more to explore energy exploration in this country to help the economy.

And also, just putting policies in place that reduce government spending, reduce wasteful spending, and all of these will help the economy which that is a top-of-mind issue for voters across the country.

GOLODRYGA: Hilary, if I can get you to address what we heard from speaker -- McCarthy there also on or -- I'm sorry, what this -- what Speaker McCarthy would be pushing for if Republicans take full control --

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Would be -- one of the Speaker McCarthy.

GOLODRYGA: Take control -- one of the Speaker McCarthy and that is -- that is using the debt ceiling as leverage, and one way to push costs cuts and entitlement -- very popular entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security. I'm wondering if the president missed an opportunity in defending the debt ceiling when he had people in his own party, even his own treasury secretary say that she supports abolishing the debt ceiling.

ROSEN: Look, you know, we've been through this with the Republicans before. They actually don't have any economic plan. And the last time they were in charge, their entire economic plan was tax cuts for the rich and corporations. So, you know, this notion that somehow they alone are going to fix the economy is nonsense.

And I think what we've seen is, look, President Biden has done more for energy independence than the last three presidents put together. They've allowed more drilling. They've been in -- you know, created more alternative energy opportunities. So the economy is a complicated situation and Kevin McCarthy doesn't have answers. That's why they're focusing on the border.

GOLODRYGA: But on the --

ROSEN: That's why they're trying to scare --

GOLODRYGA: But again --

ROSEN: They -- when they weren't charged, they didn't pass a border bill then either. So you know they really don't have a record to stand on other than a bad record. And I think, you know, voters are going to have a choice on this. But it's -- you know, not something that that any of us are fooled about when Kevin McCarthy talks about his big ambition.

GOLODRYGA: But if you could just answer the question, we're specifically related to the debt ceiling. Did the president does this administration give Republicans ammunition when the president says that he supports raising the debt ceiling and having a debt ceiling when his own treasury secretary and other economists and other Democrats say they support doing away with it?

ROSEN: It's a good question. And I think, you know, the Treasury secretary is uniquely non-political. It's what we all appreciate most about her. And so she said, in a perfect world, we would not have a debt ceiling. I think the problem is, once members of Congress have a taste of some power, taking it away is virtually impossible.

The president was in, you know, the Senate for a very long time. He understands that that would actually never fly. I don't think, you know, this is one of those things like a virus, it just pops up year after year after year. Leverage on the debt ceiling is kind of a political tradition, and they're going to have to deal with it.

BLACKWELL: Hey, let's turn to the former president and sources telling CNN that he and some aides are discussing potentially announcing a 2024 run tonight.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

BLACKWELL: On the eve of the midterm election. Election season zone, just put together one of the -- now, they overlap.

HENDERSON: Yes, they overlap. But particularly when you're Donald Trump and you're thirsty for attention, and you want to suck all the oxygen out of the room and take credit possibly for a Republican win. We all know that so many Trump-style handpicked candidates are on the ballot on Tuesday, and folks are voting for that now. So yes, he wants to essentially suck up all the oxygen.

Also, I think he wants to clear the field, right? There's this notion that maybe Ron DeSantis might run. You saw him nicknamed him Ron De- Sanctimonious. Mike Pompeo has -- seems to be exploring a run. We'll see what sort of nickname he gets if he gets one. Mike Pence as well, Donald Trump's former vice president. So yes, I mean, this is classic Donald Trump.

It is making Republicans -- I think privately, Alice, you can speak to this, tear out their hair. They don't want this to happen right now. You know it's been rumored that maybe he would have you know already announced he'll announce after, but this will be something to see. He also just wants us to pay attention to whatever his speeches are tonight, right?

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

STEWART: Right.

HENDERSON: Those great lies all on television.