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Lewd Posts By Trump-Backed Candidate For NC Gov Removed From Porn Forum; Trump Heads To NC After Bombshell CNN Report On GOP Gov. Nominee; Harris Takes Her Message On Abortion Rights To Key Battleground States; Israel And Hezbollah Exchange Fire Across Lebanon Border; Harris Accepts CNN Debate Invitation For October 23rd, Challenging Trump To Another Showdown. Sheriff Accused Of Killing Judge Is Set To Be Arraigned Next Week; Harris Accepts CNN Debate Invitation For October 23rd Challenging Trump To Another Showdown. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired September 21, 2024 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- try and really take our place into the world.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: It is an extraordinary watch. It is body horror genre, and the film, "The Substance," is out in movie theaters right now.

That's all we have time for this week. Don't forget that you can find all of our shows online as podcasts at CNN.com/podcast and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you again next week

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with new details into CNN's exclusive investigation about disturbing online posts made years ago by the Republican nominee for Governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson. New questions today about how former President Trump may deal with the brewing scandal in the crucial swing state as well, where he will be taking the stage in just a matter of hours.

CNN has now learned that the lewd, racist, and anti-Semitic post first uncovered by CNN's KFile investigative team have been removed from the porn forum called Nude Africa. It's unclear whether the comments were removed by Robinson or the site's administrators. Neither the Robinson campaign nor Nude Africa responded to inquiries from CNN.

Robinson, who is currently North Carolina's lieutenant governor, denies making the comments despite CNN's KFile discovering that the user profile contained his full name, plus an email address he used on numerous websites for decades. The question today, of course, will Robinson join the former president at a rally in that state? CNN's Steve Contorno is in Wilmington, North Carolina, which is where the rally for Trump will be taking place moments from now. So, Steve, what do we know?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: It's a fair question, Fred, because Mark Robinson has joined Trump at many of his campaign stops in North Carolina over the years. However, we are told that he was not invited to today's event. We do have our eyes peeled to see if he makes an appearance anyway uninvited.

I will tell you, just walking around, Wilmington, North Carolina today, the KFile reporting is certainly the talk of North Carolina right now. Though Trump himself has not directly addressed what came from his protege here. His campaign, however, telling CNN in a statement that Trump's campaign is focused on winning the White House. North Carolina is a vital part of that plan, and we will not take our eye off the ball.

Now, part of the challenge for Trump in North Carolina will be reversing recent trends of women voters supporting the Democratic nominee. Instead, Trump got to work on that early last night with a post on Truth Social where he said that women were poor, less healthy, less safe, more depressed, and less optimistic than they were four years ago.

He also said that, quote, "You will no longer be thinking about abortion because it is now where it has always had to be with the states." This, of course, comes as Vice President Harris has made abortion a central part of her campaign.

And it's no wonder that he is talking about this coming into North Carolina. Harris is doing much better than Donald Trump among female voters. If you look at this recent Quinnipiac poll, she has 60 percent of support from women voters to Trump's 37 percent. That outpaces Biden's support among women, according to exit polls that came out of the state four years ago.

So clearly, that is going to be a focus for Donald Trump going forward in the Tar Heel State, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Steve Contorno, keep us posted as things soon get underway there in Wilmington, North Carolina.

So, how did all of this political scandal even come to light? Our Dianne Gallagher walks us through what CNN's KFile investigative team found.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fallout from CNN's bombshell report about Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson spilling over into his second day.

MARK ROBINSON (R), NOMINEE FOR NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: I am running for governor -- GALLAGHER (voice-over): The GOP nominee for North Carolina's governor

moving forward with his campaign after the deadline passed for him to withdraw as absentee ballots are sent out to voters Friday. The fresh swirl of controversy follows a CNN KFile investigation that found Robinson made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornographic websites message board more than a decade ago, referring to himself as a black Nazi and expressing support for reinstating slavery. Among other salacious, lewd and gratuitous statements.

ROBINSON: Thank you so much for --

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Robinson categorically denying the allegations.

ROBINSON: This is not us. These are not our words, and this is not anything that is characteristic of me.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): But the controversy extending beyond the Tar Heel state's race for governor with Robinson having received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly praised the conservative firebrand.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This is Martin Luther King on steroids, OK?

[12:05:00]

GALLAGHER (voice-over): The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris highlighting the ties between Trump and Robinson in a new ad Friday.

ROBINSON: We could pass a bill say you can't have an abortion in North Carolina for any reason.

The abortion in this country, it's about killing a child because you aren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down.

TRUMP: I've been with him a lot. I've gotten to know him, and he's outstanding.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): The former president is set to hold a rally in the battleground state on Saturday. Sources tell CNN, Robinson has not been invited to the event despite being a regular presence at Trump's events in the state, including two last month.

Now some Trump allies are dismissing the potential impact on the former president's campaign.

REP. BYRON DONALDS (R), FLORIDA: We're going to be fine in North Carolina. This issue is going to come and go, but the reality of what's happened in our country remains, and that's why Donald Trump's going to win the state of North Carolina.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): As Democrats in North Carolina seek to turn Robinson's controversy into a challenge for other Republicans.

GOV. ROY COOPER (D), NORTHER CAROLINA: I think that when people go to the polls, they need to think about these candidates who have supported and encouraged somebody like Mark Robinson and continue to do so.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GALLAGHER (on-camera): Now, Democrats across the state of North Carolina taking advantage of this, nearly every statewide candidate down through the ballot has posted a photograph that the Republican opponent has taken with Robinson or touted an endorsement, even just kind comments about the Lieutenant Governor.

There was a fundraiser that was scheduled for Mark Robinson featuring the chair of the Republican Governors Association, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. Well, a source familiar tells CNN that that is no longer taking place. And Governor Bill Lee is not coming to North Carolina.

Dianne Gallagher, CNN. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dianne, thank you so much.

So Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, is taking her message on abortion rights to key battleground states. And in a visit to Georgia on Friday, she highlighted reports by the nonprofit news outlet ProPublica of two Georgia women who died as a result of delayed medical care linked to the state's abortion ban. Harris also stressed the plight of other women who were being denied access to reproductive care.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: One in three women in America lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban. This includes Georgia and every state in the South except Virginia. Think about that. When you compound that with what has been longstanding neglect of women in communities with a lack of the adequate resources they need for health care, prenatal, during their pregnancy, postpartum. Think about that.

And these hypocrites want to start talking about this is in the best interest of women and children. Well, where you been? Where you been when it comes to taking care of the women and children of America?

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, with me now is government reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution Maya Prabhu. Great to see you, Maya. So, you heard the Vice President talking about reproductive health care, but then broadening out to women's health-related issues as a whole. How effective or potentially beneficial might this be for her campaign?

MAYA PRABHU, GOVERNMENT REPORTER, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: You know, it's interesting that the Harris campaign is leaning so heavily into abortion rights in 2022 here in Georgia. Democrats use that tactic as well, and they weren't super successful. And so, talking with strategists since then, why is it different this time around? And I think what we're seeing is when Dobbs first came down and Roe was overturned, I don't think people yet felt the effects of what that actually meant.

And so two years later, people are feeling the effects, you know, this ProPublica report of two women, you know, in the months after our law took effect here in Georgia, dying because of complications when they weren't able to get care. I think it's definitely possible. I doubt she'll peel off any Trump voters, but I think maybe some voters who might have been staying home, this could motivate them to polls.

WHITFIELD: Perhaps in campaigns of yesteryear, abortion rights may have been somewhat radioactive, right? I mean, it was almost an area that a lot of those running for office wanted to stay away from. However, we saw this week, it exemplified that Harris was able to show a kind of empathy, directly talking, you know, to the family members of one of the women on Oprah's, you know, event.

Is that the difference here? You've got a female candidate. You've got one who has the background as a prosecutor. And one who's able to demonstrate a level of empathy that perhaps hasn't been seen before.

PRABHU: I think that definitely has a lot to do with it. You know, even at yesterday's event, most of Harris campaign events, you know, there's boisterous music, people are, you know, it's very lively going into her appearance. But yesterday, the music was just like a gentle piano, kind of almost somber event heading into it.

[12:10:04]

So I think she is able to come into it with a sense of empathy, especially with her background of why she got into law in the first place with the story of her childhood friend being molested by her father. And so, I think it definitely -- she comes to it with a different touch than maybe we've seen in the past.

WHITFIELD: So does it seem like she sees it as risk averse because, you know, in your reporting in the AJC, you mentioned that Harris repeatedly called Trump the architect of a healthcare crisis largely because of his appointment of three anti-abortion justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.

PRABHU: Yes, definitely. I remember in 2018 when Justice Kennedy said he was going to resign from the Supreme Court. I remember turning around and looking at my editor and saying, hey, I want to cover abortion. And he's like, oh, you think that's going to be a thing? I'm like, I do think it's going to be a thing.

So, you know, in 2018, we saw -- we knew that these appointments were going to come. And I think that it is definitely fair. That is what he campaigned on. When I spoke with voters in 2016 about why they were supporting Donald Trump, it was Supreme Court justice picks and wanting to overturn Roe. And so this is what his supporters wanted. It's what he did when he was in office and it's what happened.

WHITFIELD: And on the campaign trail, Trump has been boasting, you know, I did this. But now he's also in some respects backpedaling from that kind of direct correlation by now saying it's up to the states. J.D. Vance, his running mate, also saying the same. How is that going to land in Georgia?

PRABHU: I think, you know, we are a split state, I think, with Republican supporters and other, you know, anti-abortion advocates. They respect the fact that he did the things that were needed to be done in order to have Roe be overturned. I think some folks in that world, in the activist world, are a little frustrated with what seems like a back and forth from him on how he -- what he supports when, you know, he went back and forth with whether or not he would supported the law in Florida.

So I think for Republicans, they're a little uneasy about where he stands on abortion, but, you know, our polling recently, one in 10 people in Georgia find abortion to be on the top issues when they're deciding who to vote for, but that's still not at the top of the list for many voters.

WHITFIELD: All right. And now, I mean, Georgia has been an important state for at least two election cycles now and how elections on the outcome have -- has been a sore spot, right, especially for the GOP. And now the GOP majority election board in Georgia just voted to require a hand counting now of the ballots, not even the secretary of state, you know, Raffensperger, whatever, say that this leads to greater assurances of a more accurate vote. What now with this?

PRABHU: I would say since 2020, I feel like a lot of the changes that Republicans have wanted to put in place around elections are things that just make them feel better, but don't necessarily change outcomes. So --

WHITFIELD: And this will take longer.

PRABHU: It will take longer on election night.

WHITFIELD: So immediacy of the results for Georgia or not -- there are no added assurances now that that will come quicker or more effectively with hand counting.

PRABHU: Right. It's rare that the numbers are off. But, you know, opponents of the rule changes say that this is just going to make the results take longer to come in. And in Georgia, we're kind of known for taking a while for votes to be counted already.

WHITFIELD: Oh boy. All right, Maya, so good to see you.

PRABHU: Good seeing you too.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

All right, Israel and Hezbollah exchanging fire again today. We'll go live to Lebanon next for the latest after week of intensifying attacks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [12:18:35]

WHITFIELD: All right, new this hour, Israel and Hezbollah exchanging fire across Lebanon's border. Israel says it's putting out fires after about 90 projectiles were fired from southern Lebanon. In return, Israel says it struck about 180 targets across southern Lebanon earlier today.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman is in Beirut. So Ben, can you give us a sense of the intensity of today's strike?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka. These were some of the most intense Israeli strikes since the beginning of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel back on the 8th of October. According to the Lebanese official news agency, 111 Israeli strikes took place within the space of just one hour between 1:30 and 2:30 in the afternoon.

Now, as you said, the Israelis say that they hit 180 Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah, for its part, has claimed that they have launched 11 strikes on Israel so far today. Now, here in Beirut, there were the first funerals for people killed in yesterday's Israeli strike, the death toll of which stands at currently at 37. Among them, three women and seven children and 16 Hezbollah fighters, that is acknowledged by Hezbollah itself.

[12:20:00]

Now we were at the funeral and many of the people we spoke with seemed insisted that the events of this week had not deterred them in their support for Hezbollah. Now, tomorrow is going to be the funeral of Ibrahim Aqil, who was the senior Hezbollah commander who was killed in that strike, in addition to 15 other Hezbollah members.

Now, we have yet to hear from Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbollah. Normally, when a senior official is killed in Hezbollah, he does schedule a speech. But it appears this time may be an exception.

And if we look over the events of going back to last Tuesday, certainly every single -- either seen a major Israeli attack along the lines of the pager blast, then the walkie talkie blast, or today these intense strikes, mostly focused in the south, but also in eastern Lebanon. Definitely, we are in a phase of extreme escalation and many people in Lebanon are obviously very worried that it could very soon become much, much worse. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Yes, that is the greatest fear, isn't it?

All right, Ben Wedeman in Beirut, thank you so much. We'll check back with you throughout the afternoon.

Let's get more analysis right now on these developments with CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kimberly Dozier. Kimberly great to see you. So Israel, you know, said this week that it's now turning, you know, its attention to Hezbollah. Does that lead you to think that this week's attacks in Lebanon are just the beginning?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: It does seem to be a new stated goal of the Israeli government. In Israel right now, you've got school starting in the fall is when, you know, just like in the U.S. kids go back to school. But in Israel, you have more than 60,000 displaced Israelis who can't send their kids back to their regular school because of the continuing bombing by Hezbollah that put domestic pressure on the Israeli government to do something.

Also, there was, reportedly, those pagers that got handed out had just been handed out by Hezbollah before exploding. There was a report that someone discovered something wrong with them, which moved up Israel's timeline to do something with them. You've got a combined picture of domestic pressure to clear the north combined with a plot that is blamed on Israel that was in peril of being exposed. And that seems to have caused this latest escalation by Israel against Hezbollah.

WHITFIELD: So what potentially could follow including Israel on this?

DOZIER: Well, one of the things that probably will not follow, unfortunately, is some sort of negotiated ceasefire in Gaza. You even had Secretary of State Blinken this week saying that it seems like every time they're close to a deal, something happens, especially something by Israeli action.

And when you look at the bigger picture from the Biden administration's point of view, it seems to them that Bibi Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, is just running out the clock until the U.S. elections because if Trump is elected, the widely held belief in Israel is that Netanyahu will get a freer hand to attack both Hamas and Hezbollah without any threats to cut off any weapons.

So, whereas, if there was a ceasefire right now, that would hand a major political victory to the Biden administration. And Netanyahu doesn't seem to want to do that.

WHITFIELD: And Hezbollah's leadership is declaring all of this as a real provocation. And if indeed it does have the capability of firing rockets deeper into Israel, including Tel Aviv, are there any predictions to be made about when that would happen, if it could effectively happen from Hezbollah's point of view or if it's really just a threat?

DOZIER: Well, the problem with those rockets is that they're sort of one and done. Yes, they've got more than 100,000 rockets pointed at all of Israel. So far, they haven't chosen to use them against a heavily populated area. They've chosen mostly military targets and the strikes that have hit places like the playground where more than seven children were killed in northern Israel. That was blamed on an error.

But if they use them, then what does Iran use if Israel threatens to strike Iran. Those weapons that Iran helped arm Hezbollah with are thought to be Iran's strategic reserve in case Israel ever threatens a nuclear strike against Iran or some sort of major action against Iran.

[12:25:11] So you've got Hezbollah getting pummeled day after day by Israel with its hands tied in a very real sense on how it can respond. So that's why I think you're going to keep seeing this escalation. But an actual border incursion by Israel or some sort of major response by Hezbollah, that is tougher to see because of where it would lead to and how it would disadvantage Iran in the end.

WHITFIELD: A senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN that Netanyahu is actually floating the idea of allowing the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to be safely exiled out of Gaza as a as a key component of a potential ceasefire deal. Is there a scenario in which you see Hamas accepting that kind of proposal?

DOZIER: It depends on how much Yahya Sinwar feels. He is threatened personally. Israel has proven that it can reach most Hamas leadership, except in places that it's chosen not to strike like Qatar. So, perhaps, Sinwar will say yes to this. But, again, seeing that happened before the November elections in the United States, very unlikely, and it also feels a little bit like Israel is buying time with a gambit that Hamas has to seriously consider, but may likely say no to.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kimberly Dozier, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

All right, and this just in, Vice President Kamala Harris today has accepted an invitation from CNN to debate President Donald Trump on October 23rd. This would be their second meeting on a public debate stage in the first final weeks of the campaign.

Trump has suggested last week that he might be open to participating in a third presidential debate following his September 10th face off with Harris on ABC in Philadelphia. And his first debate, his election cycle was, of course, with President Joe Biden right here on CNN in June.

And I'm quoting now, the former president, maybe if I got in the right mood, he says, he told reporters during a stop in California after previously posting on Truth Social and saying this quote, "There will be no third debate." So which is it going to be?

The CNN debate would mirror the June debate between President Biden and former President Trump with a similar format in which Trump and Harris would field moderator's questions for 90 minutes without a live studio audience and would take place at the Network Studios in Atlanta.

CNN's Steve Contorno is in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Trump is about to take the stage. So, do we know whether he has received notice of this notification from the Vice President accepting the offer from CNN?

CONTORNO: Yes, we're still waiting to get word on whether the Trump campaign is aware of the invite and whether or not he intends to participate. And, look, these two candidates have been back and forth over debates ever since Vice President Harris replaced Joe Biden on the ticket. And Trump himself has waffled on whether he wants more than one debate against Harris.

He had previously suggested that he would do debates on Fox News. Ones focused -- ones that were hosted by NBC. But after that first debate, when Harris came out of -- with her strong performance and immediately challenged the former president to another debate, he came out and said, look, the only people who want to debate again are the people who lose first debates, and so I don't think that I should go out and do another one.

He has since said otherwise. He has at times said, "You know, I did great with the debates and I think they've answered everything, but maybe if I got in the right mood, I don't know. Right now, I'm leading." So suggesting there that maybe he could do another debate if he was, quote, "in the right mood."

He also has said -- without any sort of qualifications, there will be no third debate. It's too late. Anyway, the voting's already begun and the voting has begun in certain states. We have seen early voting begin in Virginia and several of these other swing states in North Carolina where their ballots are starting to go out.

So, clearly, Donald Trump's posture on this has been clear, or he's tried to clarify where his posture is, but we'll have to wait and see if this -- now he was -- we have more polling, and there's been more time has passed, if he has changed his calculus, and ultimately decides that he wants to go head-to-head with Harris once more.

WHITFIELD: And, of course, we know he can be rather spontaneous, so there you are at the rally for him there in Wilmington, North Carolina. It'll be interesting to see if he happens to mention it, or perhaps even ask the crowd what do they think, because that, too, would be his style.

And I know, Steve Contorno, you'll keep us posted as you hear what reaction the former president has, that now the vice president has accepted an invitation by CNN to do a debate October 23rd in the Atlanta studios. Very similar format to what everyone saw in June, involving Biden and Trump. Steve Contorno, know, keep us posted.

We'll have much more straight ahead right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A baffling case that is rocked an entire Eastern Kentucky community where a sheriff is now facing murder charges. Police there are searching for a motive in the death of Judge Kevin Mullins, who was allegedly shot in his own chambers by Sheriff Shawn Stines. Stines is set to be arraigned next week. Meanwhile, authorities have released a police dispatch recording that re -- references shots being fired inside the courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:35:14]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 362 needs to be en route to the Letcher County Courthouse. Got shots fired on the second floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let me bring in now. CNN's Gloria Pazmino, following all the developments here. So a preliminary investigation revealed there may have been an argument between the two?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. That's only one of the disturbing details that we have learned ever since this investigation and since this shooting, when there was an argument between this judge, Judge Kevin Mullins, and the Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines. And now we know that Shawn Stines went into the judge's chambers. There was an argument, and the sheriff drew his weapon, fired multiple shots, killing the judge.

We do not know what the nature of the argument was or why there was any sort of disagreement between the two, but the authorities said that they are looking into this. Now, you can imagine just the -- the scene that developed there after the shooting happened. No one else was injured. And the sheriff was arrested immediately, without incident.

Now, Fred, this is a very small community in Kentucky. This town is just about 1,700 people. And that's one of the things that's complicating this investigation and has paralyzed a community that's now left to grapple with the shooting. These two men were prominent in the community. They were known to each other. And they were certainly known to the law enforcement community. And that's going to be part of the investigation.

So while the motive remains unclear, we are trying to learn more about how these men were known to each other and exactly what they may have been arguing about. But just to give you a sense of just how small this community is and the fact that everybody kind of knows each other. The Letcher County Commonwealth attorney has already said that he is going to recuse himself from the case, saying that he has family ties to the judge and therefore cannot possibly be a part of the investigation or the legal proceedings that are going to come after this.

WHITFIELD: And then -- and then Gloria, this Kentucky County, I mean, they're left without a sheriff now or a district judge.

PAZMINO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So what happens next for their judicial system?

PAZMINO: Well, it -- it's been paralyzed, basically. The courthouse is now a crime scene, and there's an investigation that's underway. Their judge has been killed. And the sheriff has been arrested. So the -- the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts, which administered the state's courts, said Thursday that a retired judge -- judge will temporarily preside over this court once they can open it back up. And then the Governor will have to likely select the next judge. But there's going to have to be a nomination in order to make that happen. So it's going to be a bit of a process. And it's not clear just yet who is going to replace the sheriff. That is going to be part of what we'll be following in the next following days. Another important detail, Fred, is that this case has now been moved outside of that community. Stines has been transferred about 100 miles away from the location, and that is where he is going to be arraigned next week. That will be his first court appearance, which, of course, can't happen in the place where this crime allegedly took place. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Right. All very incredible. All right, Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

[12:38:41]

And again, this just into CNN, Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on October 23rd. Will Harrison Trump face off on the debate stage again?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. This Just In vice president Kamala Harris today has accepted an invitation from CNN to debate President Donald Trump, former President Donald Trump on October 23rd. This would be their second meeting on a public debate stage in the final weeks of the campaign. Trump suggested last week that he might be open to participating in a third presidential debate following his September 10th face off with Harris on "ABC" in Philadelphia.

The CNN debate would mirror the June debate between President Biden and former President Trump, with a similar format in which Trump, this time Trump and Harris would field moderators' questions for 90 minutes without a live studio audience. This third debate would also take place at the Network Studios here in Atlanta, like the one in June between Biden and Trump.

Michael Tyler is the communications director for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign. He's joining us right now. All right, so Michael, how did this come to be, especially after Trump had toyed with it back and forth, but then he said, you know, he doesn't need what he would call a rematch, because he felt like he won that last debate against Harris?

MICHAEL TYLER, DIR. FOR COMMUNICATIONS, HARRIS-WALZ CAMPAIGN: Yes, thank you so much for having me. I mean, listen, I think we've been very clear since the debate on September 10th that the American people deserve to see what they saw on that debate stage once again before they cast their ballots on October 23rd in Atlanta.

[12:45:00]

And listen, it would be unprecedented in modern American presidential history for the two candidates who are running to only engage in one debate. So we believe that the American people deserve to see that. Donald Trump himself has said he said many things when it comes to debates, but he's famously said he's willing to debate anytime, anywhere, any place. He thinks he won both debates so he should have no problem showing up to show off his prowess once again on the debate stage.

And we think that's what the American people deserve to see. There have been more updates since the last debate, right, as the American people begin to tune in and understand the stakes of this election. You see it playing out in states like Georgia, where we have the first confirmed preventable death due to Donald Trump's abortion ban.

So there are still questions that the American people have for these candidates, that they want to see us debate on the debate stage. And so Donald Trump is willing to show up on October 23rd, that's what the American people will see.

WHITFIELD: Harris and her campaign have said from the very beginning, as soon as that debate was over, and especially after there was such a positive response from her performance during that debate that she was ready to have another debate and challenge the former president to that. So what has been the criteria along the way to try to make this happen?

TYLER: Yes, listen, for us, it's -- it's a matter of -- of making sure that Donald Trump is willing to show up. And so again, this is the same studio, the same format, the same rules, the same location that he had back in June, right, with the -- with the first debate in Atlanta, so he should have no problem showing up to this debate. For us in this campaign, it's about making sure that the American people have the opportunity to see the choice, front and center, one more time before they cast their ballots between Vice President Harris, who's fighting for the future, and Donald Trump, who every single day, whether it's on the stump down in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Truth Social, as we saw him last night, ranting and raving, threatening to take us backwards.

And so if Donald Trump again, if he's willing to show up, they'll have the opportunity to see that. And we'll make sure, every single day between now the debate and now an Election Day, that the American people understand the fundamental choice in this election.

WHITFIELD: Is it your hope or feeling that nudging him publicly like this by accepting the terms of a another debate without the former president weighing in will be influential. Are you shaming him into accepting in other words?

TYLER: Listen, Donald Trump, yes, Donald Trump's the one who said he just, you know, has to feel like he's in the right mood to be willing to debate. So we certainly hope he feels like he's in the right mood come October 23rd. Listen, his team has said one thing he said another, obviously, last time they overruled him on things like muted microphones. But we think if Donald Trump is willing to have, you know, wants to have his way, he will probably show up on October 23rd. And so we're confident that we'll be able to present that -- that clear choice to the American people. But frankly, the ball is in Donald Trump's court at this time.

WHITFIELD: Four weeks is a little bit of time. At the same time, it's also a lot of time. A lot can happen in the next four weeks between this potential October 23rd debate. Meantime, while you're awaiting a response from the former president, does Harris have any plans to do yet another sit down kind of interview with another news organization, or perhaps similar to the format that she just did with Oprah this week, where it gives her the campaign an opportunity to be more off the cuff and as relaxed as she seemed to be when she was sitting down with Oprah and then when she was sitting down with our Dana Bash?

TYLER: Yes, listen, I think this past week is actually a good example of what our campaign is going to look like moving forward, right? She sat down with NABJ for wide ranging panel conversation about all the issues that matter, particularly as they relate to black America. We obviously sat down with Oprah up in Michigan, had the town hall format where she was able to underscore the stakes of this election.

And so as we move forward, we're going to continue to use every single tool that we have at our disposal to reach the voters in the battleground states that are going to decide the pathway to 270 electoral votes. That's inclusive of interviews. It's inclusive of the rallies that we do. It's the bus tours that we've done in states like Pennsylvania and Georgia, making sure that we're touching every single part of these battleground states, because a vote in Southeast Georgia is worth just as much as one in Atlanta, Georgia to us, right?

So we want to make sure that we're using every single tour at our disposal. Of course, there's no substitute for a presidential debate. You think you had about 71 million people who tuned in on September 10th, as we move forward, the second debate would be even closer to Election Day. And so Donald Trump wants the opportunity to speak to the voters and maybe explain the harm that he has caused on issues like abortion. He'll have one more opportunity to do that to a wide audience on October 23rd.

So that's what we are gearing up for. But every single day between now and then, we'll be doing what you've seen over the course of the past few weeks, right, leaving no stone unturned and engaging directly with the voters there decide this election.

[12:50:04]

WHITFIELD: All right, Vice President Harris and her campaign agreeing to CNN to do another debate with the former president October 23rd, still unclear whether Donald Trump will also say yes. Keep us posted. Michael Tyler, Director of Communications for the Harris-Walz campaign.

TYLER: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

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[12:55:02]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a flu vaccine that you can administer yourself at home. FluMist is a nasal spray that has been available since 2003 and is only needle -- is the only needle free flu vaccine. The FDA has now lifted the requirement for it to be given by a health care provider, and the maker AstraZeneca also plans to provide it through an online pharmacy. The full rollout for this vaccine will take a while and won't be available in time for this flu season, however.

All right, the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories has flourished on the alt right in recent years, but left wing progressives can sometimes also be susceptible. CNN senior correspondent Donie O'Sullivan investigates in this Sunday's The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But the men that we met here weren't always this way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Jackson Hinkle (ph).

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): A few years ago, Jackson was campaigning for progressive causes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was BLM originally. BLM has been co-opted by NATO, by the government.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): And Adam, aka Charmhold (ph), had changed as well.

O'SULLIVAN: So you used to be a big liberal -- you used to be a big liberal?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

O'SULLIVAN: A big Democrat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: You were a Bernie Bro?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bernie Bro, through and through.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): I wanted to find out what had made them change.

O'SULLIVAN: Why do you think the Russians like you so much?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I speak truth.

O'SULLIVAN: Good to see you, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: American politics is schizophrenia. You got one side saying you're crazy. You got the other side saying you're crazy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, be sure to tune in to an all new episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, airing tomorrow, 8:00 p.m. only on CNN. We'll be right back.

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