Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Blinken Makes Unannounced Visit to Iraq Amid Rising Mideast Tensions; IDF: Israeli Military Conducting Significant Strike on Gaza; NYT/Siena Poll: Trumps Hold Edge Over Biden in Four Swing States. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired November 05, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:01:13]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we're following several big stories at this hour overseas and right here in the US.

US Secretary of State Tony Blinken continues his high-stakes meetings in the Middle East. Today, he made an unannounced visit to Iraq as he tries to bridge the divide with America's Arab partners in the region over the Israel-Hamas warm, and it comes as Israel is resisting US pressure for humanitarian pauses in the war and defending its airstrikes against Hamas in Gaza despite the mounting casualties.

And all of this happening as former President Donald Trump prepares to take the stand tomorrow in his civil fraud trial that threatens his business empire in New York.

And new polling numbers are also giving us a snapshot into a hypothetical matchup between Trump and President Biden exactly one year before the 2024 presidential election.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is traveling with the president and joins us live from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Priscilla, lay out some of these poll numbers for us. What kind of picture does this paint for Biden's re-election campaign and how are they responding?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, it tells us that the message that the White House is trying to send about the economy and what they have dubbed Bidenomics is still not quite resonating with voters who say that they are dissatisfied with the economy and questions remain over the age of the president and his ability to steer the country.

Now ticking through some of these numbers, there are four key swing states that President Biden won in 2020. In this case, he is trailing in this hypothetical run up against the former President Donald Trump.

So Nevada, Trump was at 52 percent to Biden's 41 percent, Georgia Trump 49 percent to Biden 43 percent, Arizona 49 percent to Biden's 44 percent, and Michigan Trump 48 percent to Biden's 43 percent. Now, the margin of error here is about 4.4 or 4.5 points, give or take.

But again, the President has been spanning the country in recent months to try to deliver the message on the economy and point toward positive economic indicators for the year to come, but yet, that message just still doesn't appear to resonate with this poll showing that voters still have questions about whether the economy is going in the right direction.

Then, two, is the Israel-Hamas war that we have been talking about at length. That is also creating rifts within the Democratic Party and what is happening abroad is also weighing on voters and what they think is happening in the country in addition to border security. So all of this goes to say that there are still a lot of questions remaining for President Joe Biden as he rolls into November of 2024.

Now for the campaign, they are saying that it's still a year away, and their response is the following from a campaign spokesperson saying: "President Biden's campaign is hard at work, reaching and mobilizing our diverse winning coalition of voters one year out on the choice between our winning popular agenda and MAGA Republicans' unpopular extremism. We will win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work, not by fretting about a poll."

So as you can see there, the campaign saying steadfastly that they're going to focus on the work, focus on the months to come, but again, all of this, too is striking, Frederika when the former president is also facing a series of criminal charges, so still a long road ahead going into next November.

WHITFIELD: But the year, boy, is that going to go by fast?

All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much.

Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Larry, it's been too long. Great to see you.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Great to see you.

WHITFIELD: So what's your take? Yes, what's your take on these poll numbers and do you believe that the White House should be making any adjustments as a result of what these poll numbers are?

SABATO: Well, I'm sure the White House and any campaign would make adjustments constantly with a year to go, but not big adjustments. They've got a plan, they should stick to it. I think that's what they're doing.

Look, as they pointed out correctly, the election for president is a year away exactly. How many dozens of major events and circumstances and new things that we didn't think of in advance will happen between now and the actual election? Just think about what's happened in prior elections, and you'll realize how much is yet to come. And incumbent presidents often are behind at this point in their third year, before they actually get into the fourth year.

But look, the numbers in the New York Times/Siena poll. I wouldn't argue with too many of them, and they were close and I think that's reasonable, except for Nevada, which was ridiculous. You're not going to have a 11-point Trump landslide in Nevada. It's a very, very close state.

But there is no need for panic. As you mentioned, if you looked on X, what we used to call Twitter, I don't know how many people had heart attacks this morning and it is totally unnecessary.

You've got a choice if you're a Democrat. You can spend your energy being worried and upset and getting an ulcer or you can use that energy to go out and change things.

WHITFIELD: All right, there are some other things we're learning about some important demographics, where Biden may be slipping at this juncture, including among voters under the age of 30, Hispanic voters, African-American voters, and urban voters. I mean, my goodness, that is saying, essentially, everybody.

I mean, what does this say about the pulse of America? I mean, who is left after that, right?

SABATO: Well, it is a low point for President Biden and as I said, it's not unusual in the third year, but I'm sure they have specific plans to reach out to those groups, and often, those groups don't engage in a major way until the end of the campaign or toward the end of the campaign, because that's when their (AUDIO GAP) eagerly. That's when they see advertisements. That's when they check into their websites, and they come up with, I guess, propaganda from both sides, but particularly propaganda from the side where they usually vote.

So again, it's early to panic. I will say this, though. The poll, had I believe, Black voters at 22 percent for Donald Trump. I'm not allowed to bet on elections, Fred, but I sure wish I was because I would love to bet multiple people that Black -- the Black vote for Trump in the end will be somewhere between eight and 13 max, 22 percent, come on?

I mean, it really causes you to question how representative this poll is of what's going to happen. I believe that it tells you some of what's going to happen if the election were held today and the election isn't being held today. It's a year away.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So how do you really feel about polls? Just kidding. Okay, well, well, how about this -- I mean --

SABATO: Well, you wanted an answer --

WHITFIELD: What's that?

SABATO: I said, I gave you an honest answer.

WHITFIELD: You sure did. I love your honesty and candor. That's why we have you and invite you to join us as much as you can. So at least 60 percent, apparently, of voters, you know, in each

state, you know, said the nation was headed in the wrong direction. I mean, that, again, is a very broad statement, wrong direction.

How does the Biden re-election campaign try to address that and figure out what do voters mean by that exactly?

SABATO: Well, mainly, what they mean is they are unhappy with the state of the economy or its inflation, or it's some other measures, but any objective observer, whether an economist, a political scientist, or somebody else can look at the objective data and see that the economy is improving in important ways, and it will continue to in all likelihood.

So the president and all the people representing the president, and certainly the TV advertisements have to stress over and over and over again, what progress has been made, and how the remaining progress is being made. That's the way to do it.

WHITFIELD: All right, Larry Sabato, thank you so much. We were able to grab all of your thoughts even though our signal is starting to deteriorate now, but I'm glad we got it all in.

Great to see you, Larry.

SABATO: Thanks a lot.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, Donald Trump will spend part of his Monday in a New York courtroom. What we can expect when the former president takes the stand in the civil fraud trial against him.

And, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken continuing his high-stakes trip through the Middle East amid growing tensions in the region.

We're live in Israel right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:23]

WHITFIELD: Shuttle diplomacy continues as tensions rise in the Middle East over Israel's war with Hamas. Today, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a pair of unannounced visits meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and also Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani in Baghdad.

Blinken says his trips are sending a clear message to nations in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, US SECRETARY OF STATE: We're working very hard to make sure that the conflict in Gaza does not escalate, it does not spread to other places, whether it's here, whether it's elsewhere in the region. This is the very vital and urgent work of American diplomacy and that's what we've been engaged in as well throughout this trip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:15:08]

WHITFIELD: Meantime, Israel is intensifying its attacks against Hamas. New video today showing massive blasts as night falls. The IDF says troops have now reached the coast of Gaza. Israeli officials say there are 240 hostages held by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing that no ceasefire will happen unless every hostage is released.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is near Israel's border with Gaza. Jeremy, what are you experiencing right now from where you are?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, over the last several hours, we have been watching some really intense strikes on the Gaza Strip being carried out by the Israeli military, and tonight, the Israeli Defense Forces spokesman says that Israeli forces are conducting what he described as a significant and very extensive strike on what he called terrorist infrastructure inside of Gaza.

Now this is a combined operation being carried out not only by the Air Force as we have been watching those airstrikes hitting -- pummeling the Gaza Strip, but also by ground forces, and that is why we've been seeing these flares that really light up the night sky over Gaza as those Israeli forces trying to get a better vantage of the positions that they are attacking.

This combined operation being described by the Israeli Defense spokesman as striking with great force tonight, as Israeli forces encircle Gaza City and as they say that they have now cut off north from south of Gaza. And behind me right now, you can see some of those flares lighting up the sky as I was just talking about.

Now telecommunications inside of Gaza, Fred, we are told have been severely disrupted inside of Gaza for the third time since the beginning of this conflict and those telecommunications shut offs typically happen at very significant moments in this conflict.

We watched as that happened on Friday night a week ago as Israeli forces launched this expanded ground operation. All of this is happening as the Israeli prime minister is vowing that he will not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza until those hostages being held inside Gaza by Hamas and other militant groups are released.

And instead, the Israeli military very much pressing forward with its ground offensive even as many of its tactics and some of its strikes are being called into question by the international community.

Israeli forces continuing to strike at very densely populated areas inside of Gaza, killing not only Hamas militants, according to Israeli forces, but also clearly inflicting very heavy civilian casualties.

We watched as yesterday, the al-Maghazi refugee camp inside of Gaza, was struck and killed 52 people according to a hospital official. International condemnation of Israeli bombings only growing louder. Israeli forces for their part, they say that Hamas is to blame for those civilian casualties because those Hamas forces are embedding in civilian areas and hiding their underground tunnels below residential buildings -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thanks so much.

Coming up, students at Stanford University are on edge after a string of potential hate crimes that have happened since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. How the university is working to keep the campus safe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:31]

WHITFIELD: Police in Skokie, Illinois have opened a hate crime investigation after signs saying "We Stand with Israel" were vandalized in people's yards. The signs had been displayed for weeks, but in the middle of the night last week at 10 different locations, some signs were stolen, others were found cut up apparently with sharp blades. No suspects have been identified.

We also continue to see a spike of hate crimes on college campuses. Stanford University now with five open hate crime investigations. The latest incident, an Arab-Muslim student was struck in a hit and run accident on campus Friday.

Let's go now to CNN's Camila Bernal.

Camila, what are you learning about this incident and a suspect?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, so authorities are still searching for the suspect in this case. He is believed to have been driving a Toyota Ford Runner. And in terms of the victim here, he is still at the hospital. He said he's not ready for an on camera interview, but told me, look I want to advocate for love, for understanding, for inclusivity.

And a lot of the students that I've talked to told me they support, they admire that message, but nonetheless, are extremely concerned.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FARIS BDAIR, STUDENT, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, ARAB STUDENT ASSOCIATION AT STANFORD: been feeling sad. I've been feeling anxious. I've been feeling worried.

BERNAL (voice over): This is how Faris Bdair says he and others are feeling as Palestinian-Americans, as Muslims, and as students at Stanford University.

BDAIR: It's scary that this kind of hate can happen in a place where I'm supposed to feel at home.

BERNAL (voice over): Fear as a result of what he believes are hate crimes. The University's Department of Public Safety now investigating five incidents since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, four appeared to have targeted Arab students, while one was reported as antisemitic vandalism.

The most recent potential hate crime incident happening Friday. The University says it was an apparent hit and run crash involving an Arab-Muslim student on campus.

BDAIR: It's hard to fathom that that could even take place, and the problem is not only could it take place, it's now a reality that we all have to live with.

BERNAL (voice over): In a statement, the university saying that Stanford considers anti-Arab and Islamophobic acts to be abhorrent.

The incident is now being investigated by the California Highway Patrol. The university also said: "The driver is reported to have made eye contact with the victim, accelerated, and struck the victim and then driven away while shouting 'F** you' and your people out the lowered window of the vehicle."

[15:25:09]

BDAIR: The fact that it's so quickly already turned into something of this magnitude is again scary.

BERNAL (voice over): Other incidents included a group of students being shoved, a student being spat on, and someone running over a tote bag, which contained a computer and other valuables.

BDAIR: What's going on abroad shouldn't have an impact on the health and the lives of students on a campus in a country thousands of miles away.

BERNAL (voice over): In the antisemitic incident reported among, a Mezuzah adorning the door of a Jewish student was removed from their residence.

In a statement the school said: "This removal of a sacred religious symbol is deemed a form of intimidation targeting the Jewish community."

Overall, groups representing students on both sides say they are concerned about these incidents, and students like Bdair say they worry about the future.

BDAIR: We have to be constantly alert. We have to be constantly on edge, and it is exhausting having to watch over your shoulder 24/7.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): And he also told me that he does see this as an escalation. He says Arab students on campus are really supporting each other, not just emotionally, but maybe walking each other to class when they feel unsafe. They say they are definitely taking extra precautions here -- Fred. WHITFIELD: All right, Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

BERNAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, the White House this week announced a national strategy to combat Islamophobia in the US with the goal of creating a comprehensive plan that protects Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. The White House will partner with local communities on its development. The initiative comes against the backdrop of Israel's war with Hamas, which has increased fears of Islamophobia.

Some Muslim voters are now speaking out against President Biden's support of Israel's military action in Gaza.

Joining me right now to discuss is Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Salam, good to see you. I wonder how this announcement kind of resonates with you and your community?

SALAM AL-MARAYATI, PRESIDENT, MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Well, it's an important announcement, but I'm afraid that we can't just move forward without delivering to the community their main concern, which is the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Gaza. That's the way the community sees it and I believe the President has an obligation to listen to our constituency and not just go on with business as usual.

There is a major concern today, by the way, it would have been the 90th birthday of my father-in0law who was from Khan Younis and we received news that 30 members of his family were killed in Khan Younis. Another friend of mine had 90 members of her family killed. So you can't just gloss over that and say, let's come to the table to talk about other things.

Until you deal with this major atrocity that is affecting the whole Muslim world of 1.5 billion people and the whole world, America is isolating itself and I think we need to deal with that first as we engage the administration on countering Islamophobia.

Secondly, Islamophobia industry, according to the Center for American Progress, amassed about $50 million in 2015. The lion's share of those funds go to pro-Israel groups that defame Muslims in America, so we have to address those concerns with the administration.

WHITFIELD: And I'm so sorry to hear about all the many losses that you -- I mean, dozens upon dozens of people that you just described. So I wonder then, how much faith do you have in the White House to be able to take a lead like this as promised?

AL-MARAYATI: Well, there are good people in the White House that we can work with. But at the end of the day, it's the president who is the most powerful person, and it's about what he says, and what he has said, in the past has been very hurtful to our community that Palestinian lives do not count. He doesn't trust the numbers in terms of Palestinian deaths in this atrocity against Gaza. You know, my family also is from Iraq, and now people are estimating

about 800,000 children under the age of five were killed between the two Gulf Wars.

So we have to start putting a human face to the people there and valuing Palestinian lives and Arab lives and Muslim lives. And I'm afraid that as we go to the election in Chicago, that we may repeat what happened in 1968 where the Democratic Party was divided over a war and young people, as you see on the streets today, throughout America and throughout the world are speaking out against these atrocities and this administration has to start listening to them.

WHITFIELD: And in all fairness, the president hasn't said that Palestinian lives don't count, but the White House has tried to dispute, right, the numbers of how many lives have been lost thus far in this conflict.

[15:30:07]

AL-MARAYATI: Well, it is like telling a rape victim that maybe you weren't raped. And so, the questioning of the suffering of the Palestinian people is what is resonating in our community. So I think he has to correct these measures, I think he can. I think we have to continue engaging the administration and working with groups like J Street and Jewish Voices for Peace, not AIPAC.

As a Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says, AIPAC is an extremist group that is deteriorating our democracy and I'm afraid that President Biden is only talking to one group that is talking about Israel and not to the whole community, even in the Jewish community.

So we need to talk to all Americans on this, and I believe, by talking and having dialogue that will help shape a more comprehensive and effective strategy in countering Islamophobia and antisemitism.

WHITFIELD: Does it give any solace or encouragement to see the tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters who converged in the nation's capital yesterday, starting at Freedom Plaza, and then walking, you know, to right outside the White House?

AL-MARAYATI: Yes, I mean, definitely. This is a testimony to the sentiment of a large section of Americans who are saying no to war, who want Palestinian freedom and Palestinian rights considered as part of our foreign policy.

And so when the Democratic Party gets together and starts talking about its platform and presenting its platform, it better incorporate these views. Otherwise, you're going to lose a large segment of our community and of young people who have been trained to promote social justice and talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Yet, in every case, the United States supports human rights and democracy in the Ukraine, throughout Europe, everywhere in the world, except in Palestine. And those who speak for Palestine are penalized or censored. There's

hate against us. So this is the one issue now, that will determine America's future, I believe, in terms of foreign policy, its relationship with the Muslim world and the rest of the world and to a large extent, our civil rights in our own country and our own democracy.

We don't want to see another war that America starts entering. That means we haven't learned from the lessons of Iraq. Israel invaded Lebanon to get rid of the PLO, we know what happened then. There was more militancy and more problems there. I'm afraid we're going to get something even worse, as we continue to just stand by and watch the atrocities against the people of Gaza.

WHITFIELD: Salam Al-Marayati, so glad to have your voice today. Thank you so much.

AL-MARAYATI: Thank you. Thank you for your time.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, Donald Trump is expected to testify tomorrow in the New York civil fraud case against him. What we can expect when the former president takes the stand, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:37:16]

WHITFIELD: All right tomorrow, former President Donald Trump takes the stand in his own defense in the civil fraud trial against him and his family business. His testimony could help decide the fate of his business empire in New York.

He has already been attending the trial in person and his two eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric have already testified. The New York attorney general is seeking $250 million in damages and wants to bar Trump from ever doing business in the state again.

Prosecutors allege that Trump and his co-defendants repeatedly committed fraud in inflating assets on financial statements.

I'm joined now by Jennifer Rodgers. She is a former federal prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst. Good to see you, Jennifer. So how important will Trump's testimony be in this case?

JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It's hard to say Fred. I mean, the judge already has decided on summary judgment that the statements were fraudulent. So the question really is how much of that can he attribute to Donald Trump? How much can he attribute to the sons and the other defendants here? How much should he disgorge? How much should he order in terms of damages?

And then finally, and this is where the testimony might be the most important, does he actually bar Donald Trump from doing business in the state of New York? That's what the AG's office is seeking.

And I think what happens tomorrow on the stand may be a big hint how that goes as to whether the judge will try to order that or not.

WHITFIELD: So singularly, the judge will make that decision in terms of what kind of fine to impose, or if indeed, Trump and the Trump Organization is barred from ever doing business in New York.

RODGERS: That's right. So the judge will order how much disgorgement there will be. He will apportion it among the different defendants in the case. There are many defendants in the case, and then he'll decide whether to bar anyone, and if so, whom to bar from doing business in the state of New York.

Of course, all of that will be subject to appeal. We already have an appeal on the summary judgment order and the dissolution or the pulling back of the business certificates that the judge ordered there. So all of this is subject to review on appeal, but in the first instance, it will be the decision of the judge who has been overseeing the case.

WHITFIELD: Is it your opinion that Eric and Don, Jr.'s testimonies were damaging or no?

RODGERS: Well, they weren't damaging. They could have been worse, of course, they could have admitted sure I knew about the wrong valuations, the fraudulent valuations, and purposely signed the certificates. Anyway, they of course, didn't admit that, but playing dumb and saying that, you know, they didn't really know much of anything and it was all about the accountants is not a good defense in any case.

So I think that while they were a bit boxed in by the documents, there wasn't really a lot of things that could have said to get out of being responsible for it. I don't think what they did on the stand would have helped.

[15:40:09]

And frankly, at times, it seems like they were a bit smug, which I think probably didn't help their cause with the judge either.

WHITFIELD: Well, don't we expect that the former president might handle things the same in the same manner?

RODGERS: Well, interestingly, I think there could really be some fireworks tomorrow, Fred. I mean, Donald Trump is famously undisciplined as a speaker. He is furious about this case. He's been talking, of course, at length about how the judge is out to get him and the AG is out to get him.

So the question is, I don't know that he'll just be smug. I mean, he may explode tomorrow. And that, I think, will of course, damage his case with the judge. But also, you know, we'll see what the public thinks about that. A big part of the Donald Trump's reactions, I think is really geared more toward the public than to the case anyway. So we'll have to see what happens tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: Would his attorneys not want him to take the stand? And the issue is, you know, the former president kind of insists, I mean, just as he has insisted on being there every day when he really hasn't had to be.

RODGERS: Well, actually, the attorney general is calling him as part of her affirmative case, so he doesn't have a choice here. He's a material witness. And this is a civil case, not a criminal case. So he does have to take the stand.

I do think his attorneys would want to keep him off the stand, generally speaking, because he is undisciplined. There's a lot of cross examination material that can be used against him. I think in his criminal cases, all of his lawyers will do their best to keep him off the stand.

But here, they don't really have the choice. So one question is, if it goes poorly on direct tomorrow with the attorney general staff questioning him, will his lawyers cross examine him "cross examine" him to try to rehabilitate him in the eyes of the judge.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. Most likely, there will be some fireworks this week, starting tomorrow.

All right, Jennifer Rodgers, thank you so much.

All right, straight ahead, more election workers are quitting as the race for 2024 heats up. Why this is happening and how it could impact next year's presidential contest, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:46:38]

WHITFIELD: A warning today from voting rights groups and several state election chiefs, a wave of departures by election officials in key states could add stress to the nation's election system ahead of next year's presidential race. One major reason for the departures, well, officials say workers continue to face threats, harassment, and partisan interference in their jobs all ignited by false claims of a stolen election back in 2020.

CNN's Fredreka Schouten is here to break down the story. Okay, Fredreka, this is very special. I don't often get a chance to talk to another Fredreka. Let's start there.

FREDREKA SCHOUTEN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL WRITER: I know, the chances, Freds.

WHITFIELD: I know, I love it.

Okay, so walk us through where and how this is happening. Eleven Western states alone have lost more than 160 top election officials. That's a big number.

SCHOUTEN: That is a big number, and that's coming from a study by a group called Issue One that did a deep dive on a regional issue, and we saw a lot of election denialism in states like Arizona after the 2020 election.

And looking across all of those states Issue One found that 40 percent of local election chiefs are new to the job across all of those states, and the level of experience has gone down. Typically, it was about eight years of experience, and now it's one in those states.

And so there's a real concern about this brain drain and what it might mean in 2024 when we have extremely consequential elections for president and governors races and US Senate races.

WHITFIELD: Right, so can we zero in on particular areas like Pennsylvania. I mean, this is a battleground state. But this is a place to where there appears to be a real dearth or, you know, lack of interest or people are nervous about being election officials.

SCHOUTEN: Yes, the Secretary of State in in Pennsylvania, Al Schmidt, testified before Congress last week, and he said that they've lost about 70 election officials in at least 40 of 67 counties. And Al Schmidt, he's been on our air, he has experience with this. Back in 2020, he was a Pennsylvania city commissioner, he's a Republican. He defended the results of the election there, which President Biden won and he faced a lot of threats both toward him and to his family.

And that's the thing that we're seeing is that the jobs have just become so much more stressful. That's what I heard doing this story, just so very difficult.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I mean, epitomizing, you know, the harassment that was felt, I mean, who can forget the Georgia mother and daughter, you know, who were singled out by the former president and who faced all kinds of threats? And I mean, they essentially had to go into hiding before they actually ended up filing suit as well.

So what are the degrees of threats that I guess some of these workers are experiencing?

SCHOUTEN: Well, you know, one of the things that's been striking to me is that some of the threats have spread to parts of the country that we don't expect. You know, I spoke to an election official in King County, which is Seattle and they got a letter a few months ago from someone who was ranting about elections, and then said that there was a dangerous substance in the letter.

[15:50:13]

And when they sent it off to be examined, there were trace amounts of fentanyl there. And again, this is not a hotbed of controversy, necessarily. This is a pretty blue part of the country, and it is very scary for them to have these -- to have people reach out to them in this way and sort of question what they're doing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and a lot of people are motivated by, you know, doing their civic duty. You know, this is important, important work and they are putting in a lot of hours. It's not something that pays a lot of money in that this is not the motivation -- money -- the motivation is their civic duty, so it's a shame that it's being made to be so difficult to carry out.

Fredreka Schouten, I love saying your name. We'll have to do this again. Hopefully -- well, this is a very important story, but hopefully we'll find something even more uplifting next time we meet.

SCHOUTEN: Thanks so much, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you.

All right, coming up, as tensions rise in the Middle East, high school students are now sounding off about how the Israel-Hamas war is impacting their lives and their loved ones.

We'll hear some of their stories, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:49]

WHITFIELD: All right, college campuses are often celebrated as forums for free speech and have become flashpoints for demonstrations and protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, but it's not just college students.

The war is also a hot button issue with younger students as well. CNN's Athena Jones spoke to five high school students about how the conflict is impacting their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a situation that hits close to home.

FRANCES GELLER, US HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: We're such a tight knit community. This is like our family.

NOAH IVES-KURTZER, US HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: It's this shock that's, like, consistent and you can't escape it.

RIVKA TAMIR, US HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: When I started reaching out to people to check up, and I -- it was hours later and I'm still checking up on people, and there's still more people to reach out to and talk to, and people that I was really worried about.

JONES (on camera): What have the last few weeks been like, being here in America, observing what's going on in Israel and Gaza?

ADIN LINDEN, US HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I think it's been this sort of balancing act of worrying about, like, when is the other shoe going to drop here in America? And caring for and, like, making sure to be a good support system for, like, my friends and family in Israel.

JONES: Waiting for the other shoe to drop? How do you mean?

LINDEN: I feel like right now in America, we're in kind of this grace period with Israel where Israel was attacked and the general feeling towards Israel is still fairly positive, that feeling is going to shift and that pity is not going to be there anymore and I think that that's when bad things are going to start happening in America to Jews.

DANIEL PUSTILNIK, US HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I disagree with the fact that the majority of American sentiment is one of pro-Israel or pity or sympathy. I think now that, you know, Israel has been bombing Gaza, and there have been attempts to get the hostages back, and all this -- all those military operations going on, I think there's been a huge uptick in antisemitism.

JONES (voice over): They say the political response to the war has been upsetting, especially what they are seeing on social media.

TAMIR: It's a very, I think, inherent Jewish value in times of grief to sit in your pain and sit in your discomfort in fast or in prayer, in community and acknowledge what's going on. And that's our way of dealing with grief and processing. And I think to have such raw pain be turned into something political is very, very difficult to deal with.

IVES-KURTZER: It's an impossible situation when you have been attacked by this terror group that's also governing and hiding behind its own people. I can't, like, watch innocent Palestinians die. But, like -- it's like you poke a bear, and Hamas poked a bear and then went and hid behind a bunch of little cubs.

LINDEN: It's hard for me to hear free Gaza, free Palestine, because that's -- that -- Hamas is hurting Gazan citizens just as much as it's hurting Israeli citizens. Like being pro-Palestine or pro-Gaza should not mean being pro-Hamas.

JONES: How do you think these ends?

TAMIR: When you're working on the amount of precedent that there is with Israel, with Gaza, with the Palestinians, with Hamas, I don't foresee this ending in a way that will feel very final.

IVES-KURTZER: Israel has lost. The innocent civilians in Gaza have lost. Nobody can win a war like this. And so, what does the end look like? It looks like loss.

JONES: Where do you find the hope in a situation like this?

PUSTILNIK: I have no hope that this conflict will be resolved in the next century, like, not at all. I think this will be an almost immutable fact of the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

GELLER: This is where I turn to religion and prayer, God, and, you know, really the core of Judaism, and that's helping me get through this.

JONES (voice over): Frances Geller was planning to spend a gap year in Israel before going to college. That plan is now uncertain.

GELLER: I truly believe that perseverance is in our DNA. I don't -- we've been on -- we've been around for all this time. They try to get rid of us. They won't. And how can you not believe that that's who we are? It's hopefulness and fighting, it is undeniable.

JONES (voice over): Athena Jones, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and we begin this hour with dramatic new developments in Israel's war with Hamas.

[16:00:10]