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Trump and GOP Sue Nevada; Trump to Prosecute Election Officials if He Wins; Justin Timberlake in Court; Florida's Six-Week Abortion Ban Drives Down State and National Rates. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired September 13, 2024 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Votes in this year's election obviously have not been counted yet, but Former President Donald Trump and Republicans are already mounting lawsuits in critical battleground states. On Thursday, Trump's campaign and the RNC sued Nevada, accusing the state of allowing as many as 4,000 non-U.S. citizens to vote in November.

Joining us now to talk about this, one of the defendants named in the lawsuit, Nevada's Democratic Secretary of State, Cisco Aguilar. Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for being here. What is your reaction to this lawsuit? What can you say?

CISCO AGUILAR (D), NEVADA SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, good morning, Jim. Thank you for having me. What can I say? The first thing I'll say is that only citizens in Nevada can vote. Those are the legal votes. This is a law throughout many all of our states across the United States, only citizens can vote.

ACOSTA: Yes. And have you seen any -- I was talking with Jocelyn Benson. She's the secretary of State in Michigan, one of your colleagues, obviously. And I was asking her the same question in Michigan. She said it's exceedingly rare, statistically insignificant. Are you -- what's the situation in Nevada with evidence of non- citizens voting? Have you seen any?

AGUILAR: It's none -- no, it's non-existent. First of all, Nevada runs some of the safest, most secure, and accessible elections in the country. We have built safeguards into the process to ensure that only qualified citizens who are allowed to vote are voting. We know that for a fact.

We've worked over the last two years with our clerks across the state to ensure that these safeguards are in place, that the processes are in place to ensure that our elections remain safe.

ACOSTA: And what do you think is going on? So, why are these -- if the evidence is not there, why are they bringing it up in your view?

AGUILAR: I think it's an opportunity to confuse the voter. You know, we know these conspiracy theories, lawsuits exist. Unfortunately, I think the legal system has become a weapon to discourage people from participating in their democracy, which is unacceptable. We need to ensure that every Nevadan has a voice and that their voice is heard.

We know Nevada is a battleground state. We're a purple state. We know our vote is going to matter in this presidential election. And I think the more chaos they can create, the more confusion they can create, will do what we are not trying to do. I wish they would take all this energy and put it into voter education and talking about the issues that are important to Nevadans.

ACOSTA: Yes. And as I mentioned, I spoke to Jocelyn Benson, the Michigan secretary of state, asked her whether she's prepared for problems at voting centers this year. Obviously, we saw some of this back in the 2020 election. Let's listen to what she had to say and we'll talk about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOCELYN BENSON (D), MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: We are planning for that. I think that's what we're doing right now. We try to mitigate the harm. We try to deter. We've passed laws in Michigan to make it a crime to threaten an election official, for example, in their line of work. So, we've put more protections in place, built partnerships with law enforcement. We'll be ready.

We're also trying to communicate to people, you know, don't try to disrupt our elections process. It's not going to work and there will be legal consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes, Mr. Secretary, what actions are you taking in Nevada? How concerned are you about problems at the polls in Nevada during the election? People showing up and trying to intimidate what's going on at various sites?

[10:35:00]

AGUILAR: Well, I have to say, we worked in a bipartisan way with our Republican governor and our Republican leadership in the legislature to pass a bill that made it a felony to harass or intimidate election workers. That bill passed unanimously out of the legislature and was immediately signed by the governor. We are going to ensure that every Nevadan is safe, not only for poll workers, but for voters. We want the voter experience to be one that is pleasant, and that they can actually enjoy.

We are not going to tolerate bad behavior. We're not going to tolerate bad actors. We have plans in place. We've been working with local law enforcement, as Jocelyn said. We are working in our urban core, in our rural communities to ensure that process is secure, it is safe, and that the voter will actually have a pleasant experience.

ACOSTA: And I'm sure you saw this, Former President Trump called for the prosecution of election officials if he retakes the presidency this week at the debate. He also refused to acknowledge his loss in 2020. Are you concerned about threats? Are you concerned about election related violence? Have you experienced? I asked Jocelyn Benson about this and she talked about her home being swatted and so on. Are you and your fellow officials experiencing some of this in Nevada?

AGUILAR: You know, we try to focus on our job. We've been preparing for this election over the last 18 months pretty diligently. We just implemented a new statewide election management system and voter registration system, that is going to help us move the process and build efficiencies into the -- and build transparency is really what we're trying to do so that the voter can see that there are processes in place to make our elections safe, which hopefully then people can see and understand and doesn't lead to that passion that some voters feel to come after election workers.

First of all, we're not going to tolerate any harassment or intimidation of poll workers. In Nevada, 80 percent of poll workers are women. Those are our sisters, are daughters, are wives, are mothers. We are not going to take this. We are going to stand up for them, ensure that they feel protected. They know they're protected.

Our governor in Nevada is the former sheriff of Clark County. He understands the rule of law. He understands what decency means. And we're going to leverage our sheriffs to ensure that people understand when they show up at a poll, they need to be decent to one another and they need to thank our poll workers for the work that they're doing. They are our unsung heroes of democracy.

As far as me personally, I just put my head down. We're doing the work we need to do for all Nevadans. Once I was elected, I am here to represent every single Nevadan across our great state.

ACOSTA: All right. Secretary Aguilar, thank you very much for your time. Best of luck to you in the coming weeks. Really appreciate it. And hats off to those election workers. We do appreciate what they do. Thank you so much.

AGUILAR: Absolutely.

ACOSTA: All right. Coming up a change of heart for Justin Timberlake. We're awaiting his arrival to court for that DUI back in June. CNN's Brynn Gingras is live outside with more on his expected plea change. Is that right, Brynn?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Jim. Like you just said, we are waiting for the mega pop star to actually enter the courthouse here in the Hamptons to go before a judge in front of him about this lesser charge. We'll have all the details about what that charge is, what the penalties Justin Timberlake might face. That's all coming up just after the break. We'll see you then.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

ACOSTA: Any moment we're expecting Justin Timberlake to arrive in court where he is expected to change his plea relating to charges from his alleged June drunk driving arrest. Joining me now is CNN's Brynn Gingras and attorney Seth Berenzweig. Thank you both for joining us. Brynn, let me start with you. This is the first time he's been back in court since that initial appearance. We haven't seen him yet. What's the latest?

GINGRAS: Yes, Jim. Let me tell you. It's a little bit of a chaotic scene here with just the press alone and also the people in Sag Harbor coming out wanting to get a glimpse of Justin Timberlake. Remember, this is a small town in the Hamptons.

Now, we did just see his whole team arrive in an escalate pull up to the front of the courthouse and walk in. But Justin Timberlake was not there. So, it's very possible he snuck into this courthouse. I don't know that for sure just yet. But look, he does have this court appearance. We're understanding he's expected to take a plea with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office handling this case, and that is to a lesser charge than that DWI that he was arrested on back in the early part of the summer in June.

We're hearing that charge is driving while impaired. Now, understanding that includes some sort of fine, but there could be some other penalties that are imposed by the judge once he goes in front of the judge. Of course, we will know more, but we're continuing to stand by. And of course, we'll update you guys as soon as we learn more about this plea deal hearing coming up shortly. Jim.

ACOSTA: OK. Brynn, thank you. And, Seth, is here with me in the studio. Seth, your reaction to all of this, it looks as though this is going to get resolved. In a way that a lot of these kinds of cases are resolved.

SETH BERENZWEIG, WHITE COLLAR DEFENSE LAWYER AND CONSTITUTIONAL ATTORNEY: Exactly. This is a very common resolution for DUI. It happens all the time. I found it interesting yesterday that his publicist was saying that this was led by a family decision. But candidly, I think this is not a family decision. This is a business decision.

Being prosecuted and convicted for a crime is bad for the business brand. And the evidence in this case, unfortunately, was overwhelming. He's very popular. He didn't hurt anybody. Everybody makes mistakes. But he failed the field sobriety test, he blew through a stop sign, he was swerving in and out and going to the left lane of his BMW, that's on video cam. So, this was definitely the right call for him. And at the end of the day, he really had to kind of face the music and realize that he was going to get convicted.

[10:45:00]

ACOSTA: Yes, so to speak. All right. Well, Brynn and Seth, stand by, we're going to have you back in the next hour after this hearing. Stay with us. More news after the break. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Millions of Americans will be motivated by the fight over abortion rights in the presidential election.

And passions are running high in the State of Florida. A new report shows the state's six-week abortion ban has pushed down the Florida numbers by 30 percent in its first two months on the books. Nationwide rates are down 7 percent with more than a third of that national decline coming from Florida. The report comes from the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy group that supports abortion rights.

Joining me now to talk about this is Tara Setmayer. She is the co- founder and CEO of The Seneca Project, which is a woman-led, bipartisan Super PAC that is mobilizing women in support of Kamala Harris. Tara, what are we seeing down in Florida?

[10:50:00]

And, you know, put it out there for us. I mean, let us know what you think. I mean, could this put Florida in play? I mean, I've heard that said, it sounds like a stretch maybe because of the way Florida's gone red in, in recent elections, but could it happen? What do you think?

TARA SETMAYER, RESIDENT SCHOLAR, UVA CENTER FOR POLITICS AND CO- FOUNDER AND CEO, THE SENECA PROJECT: Yes. And thank you for having me, Jim. Florida is an interesting case and it was one of the first states to implement this six-week abortion ban. Ron DeSantis thought that he was going to ingratiate himself with the more extremist wing of the Republican Party by doing this early on. It did not help his candidacy as we see.

And the idea that a six-week abortion ban is acceptable, we've seen what the consequences of this have been across the country, it's not just Florida, from Idaho to Texas, Missouri, these states are putting women's health at risk, and the state of Florida now with the Senate race as well, closer than a lot of people realize.

I mean, Rick Scott is within striking distance of losing to the Democrat there. This -- a ballot initiative that wants to codify women's reproductive rights in Florida has really mobilized a lot of voters. This is something that transcends party lines, it's something we often say at The Seneca Project. These assaults on women's rights transcend party lines, which is why you're seeing some of these more extremist tactics going on in Florida with Ron DeSantis using State sponsored websites and agencies to intimidate using this election Gestapo force that he has down there to go and intimidate people who signed the petition for the ballot initiative.

And then, you have he's using state resources to put propaganda on a state funded website misrepresenting the facts of what the Amendment 4 language actually says, which is protecting women's reproductive health and would overturn the six-week abortion ban. That's why the ACLU is suing the state.

ACOSTA: Well, and I do want to break some of this down because Florida voters will see reproductive rights on the November ballot, as you were saying, Amendment 4, it would protect abortion access with a state constitutional amendment. Governor DeSantis, as you said, he's been using state resources to launch a website against the amendment. Yesterday, as you said, the Florida chapter of the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the state's opposition to all of this. And, you know, I'm just wondering, you know, ultimately, do you think this is going to go to the U.S. Supreme Court in terms of what might happen with abortion rights in Florida?

SETMAYER: I mean, it very well could. Florida is a microcosm of what we're seeing across the country. The idea that Donald Trump put three people on the Supreme Court that led to the overturning of Roe with the Dobbs decision, that he if he were to get re-elected, that he could appoint two more. And then what? It's bad enough.

Florida's not the only state that's trying to nullify or intimidate folks with the amendments, which are, these ballot initiatives are citizen led initiatives. They are there. Donald Trump says he wants to send it to the states. Well, you know, this is what the states are doing, and yet, they're still trying to play games.

Missouri tried the same thing, to try to nullify signatures, but their State Supreme Court verified that in fact, yes, that ballot initiative for abortion can go on the ballot for voters to vote on. If they're so afraid, if they think that this is something that they think that they're in the right, then why are they trying to intimidate people to keep this extremist abort these extremist abortion measures on the ballot?

ACOSTA: Yes.

SETMAYER: And it's not just about abortion, as we've seen. This has trickled down into other areas of reproductive health from contraception to IVF. This week we heard Donald Trump make ridiculous statements during the debate that somehow he's the leader of IVF and fertilization, whatever the hell that means. Senator Schumer has decided to bring back the amend -- the bill to protect IVF nationally because we see that is under assault also. The Seneca Project put out an ad called Hope that talks about this, and it's important for people to understand how this impacts everyone.

So, these ballot initiatives are more, they're bigger than just direct abortion access. It has cascaded into other areas of reproductive health, and it's directly impacting women, and that's why you're seeing this galvanized group of women throughout the battleground states, which is who we target, coming out there and saying enough is enough and we're not going to take this anymore. And you see it reflected in the polling with Kamala Harris, a huge gender gap with Donald Trump. He is not doing well with women and we can see why.

ACOSTA: Yes. And it's a real X factor in all of this. I mean, you know, the polls show maybe abortion doesn't rank as high as the economy and inflation, but at the same time, what we don't see in those numbers is how much it's galvanizing women voters and whether or not the turnout just out paces what we're seeing in that polling in terms of where issues rank with voters.

But, Tara Setmayer, always great to have you on. We're a little short on time. Going to have you back. We'll do it again soon. But thanks so much for being with us this morning. Really appreciate it.

SETMAYER: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. And thanks so much for joining us this morning. I'm Jim Acosta. Our next hour Wolf Blitzer -- Newsroom with Wolf Blitzer starts after a short break.

[10:55:00]

But first here's this week's Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT AND HOST, CHASING LIFE WITH DR. SANJAY GUPTA: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's Chasing Life podcast. I don't know if you know this, but I have three teenage girls and it is the best part of my life.

But I also know how hard it can be sometimes to get kids to talk. Talk about their feelings. Here's an interesting statistic. A recent CDC survey found 77 percent of parents believe their teens always have the mental support they need. While only about 28 percent of teens agreed with that.

Look, close emotional relationships between parents and teens are associated with all kinds of long-term benefits, improved mental and general health, less dangerous behavior like substance abuse. So, here are some prompts that may help. Maybe ask teens for their internal weather report or what weather pattern best reflects how they feel at the time. You can also ask them what song or movie describes their mood. Maybe ask about the high and low points of their day.

The goal here is to build a safe and supportive space where people can be vulnerable. So, do respect any boundaries and be patient. Trust me. You can hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

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