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Harris And Trump Barnstorm Key Swing States 15 Days Before Election; Gaza Officials: At Least 87 Killed In Israeli Strike In Northern Gaza; Interview With Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). Aired 3-4p ET

Aired October 20, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:02:18]

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

All right, another busy day on the campaign trail with just 16 days until the presidential election. The campaigns for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are pounding the pavement in key battleground states. The race still razor close, with less than three weeks left to sway voters.

Harris is spending her time in battleground Georgia, meeting with voters at churches as she looks to encourage citizens to take advantage of early voting in that state.

Moments ago, Harris shared the stage with Stevie Wonder.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

WHITFIELD: Meanwhile, Trump is in Pennsylvania today, where he was sharing space at McDonald's with folks there, working there, meeting supporters, working the deep fryers there. His running mate, JD Vance, pouring beers ahead of the Packers game in Green Bay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD chanting "JD.")

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Do we think he was chugging?

All right, right now, the former president is gearing up for a town hall event there in Pennsylvania. CNN's Danny Freeman is standing by live from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Danny, before he takes the stage, might he be handing out some French fries, some of the French fries that he helped prepare? Just wondering.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's a very good question. Yes, we will get to see if those McDonald's French fries can travel well. That's really the question. But listen, I mean, make no mistake, both campaigns, they understand that the road to the White House definitely goes through battleground Pennsylvania. We saw that on display all weekend from the Trump campaign, just as you noted a few moments ago, making that stop in purple Bucks County, the Philadelphia suburbs to go to McDonald's, work the fryer there, make some fries and also hand out some food at the drive-thru as well.

The former president trying to make this a campaign issue because Vice President Kamala Harris has said that she used to or once worked at McDonald's. Former President Trump, without evidence, has said that he believes that's not true. The Harris campaign hasn't directly responded to his event and his stop today, but they have said in the past that Harris worked at a McDonald's in Alameda, California in 1983 during a summer that she was in college. So that's the reason that we're seeing this particular campaign stop at the moment.

But Fred perhaps, yesterday's trip to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, that's on the western side of the state is really the thing that's garnering more of the headlines over the past 24 hours, not only was there some vulgarity in the speech that former President Trump gave there in Western PA, but also there was this long, rambling anecdote about Arnold Palmer, the golf great. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Arnold Palmer was all mad and I say that in all due respect to women, and I love women.

When he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there they said, Oh my God, that's unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:33]

FREEMAN: So those comments in particular raising some eyebrows among folks watching this campaign closely. The challenge here, Fred, is that senior advisers for the Trump campaign, they said that this weekend in Pennsylvania really is the beginning of the former president's closing arguments in these final weeks before Election Day and the challenge is to stay on focus on issues that the former president did discuss at that rally, like inflation, like the economy, but to not get distracted by some issues that are tangents like those.

We'll see if you can stay on topic later this afternoon here in Lancaster.

WHITFIELD: All right, Danny Freeman, thank you so much.

All right, Vice President Harris is using one of these last pivotal weekends before the election to court voters in Georgia, a state that helped boost President Biden into the White House in 2020.

CNN' Eva McKend is live for us in Stone Crest, Georgia where Harris attended a church service today and spoke so, Eva, what was said?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the Vice President, telling congregants that this is about faith in action, that they have the opportunity to decide what kind of country they want to live in. Are they going to choose the politics of chaos and division of the former president, though she never explicitly used his name or elevate her candidacy, which she characterizes is about freedom, hope and opportunity, compassion.

And this comes in the context of the Souls to the Polls events, events aimed to motivate Black voters. Now, Democrats are often accused of taking Black voters for granted, but the campaign will tell you that is not so, that they are treating them as persuadable voters that need to be convinced to support the vice president.

And it also comes at a time when there is a particular focus on the voting patterns of Black men. Pastor Jamal Bryant spoke to this today in church, and I asked him about it. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: You said something is wrong with brothers who don't know how to support a sister.

PASTOR JAMAL BRYANT, SENIOR PASTOR OF NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: Yes. Full stop.

MCKEND: In the context of the Vice President, were you trying to send a message?

BRYANT: Yes. That we've got to be able to vote, that misogyny is still real in our community. We've got to address it head on and not act like it doesn't exist.

The reality is, if Black men had voted, Stacey Abrams would be a governor, and so I think that we've got to do some real redress that after racism, the biggest ill in America is sexism, and I think it's part of the responsibility of this generation to deal with it head on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: Now the pastor did add that by and large, Black men, he suspects will support the vice president. And there are, his frustration in some corners that Black men are sort of being scapegoated in this moment. And so certainly we hear frustrations in that corner.

But listen, the Vice President also campaigned at a Black church in Jonesboro. She was with Stevie Wonder. He sung her "Happy Birthday," a tender moment here. But ultimately, they are hoping that these moments translate to votes, and that Black voters in battleground Georgia turn out in a big way -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Eva McKend, thank you so much and already something like 1.4 million Georgians have voted in early voting thus far. All right, we've got new details now about a devastating strike in Northern Gaza. Health officials there say at least 87 people were killed and 40 injured in an Israeli airstrike. The United Nations is now warning the nightmare in Gaza is intensifying as Israel accelerates its offensive.

In Lebanon, the army says three of its soldiers were killed in one of several Israeli airstrikes near the border. Lebanon's Army is not part of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which have been exchanging intense fire across the border. The IDF says at least 160 rockets were fired into northern Israel this weekend.

Let's bring in now Congressman Jimmy Panetta. He's a Democrat from California and a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He was also part of a bipartisan delegation that just returned from Israel and Jordan.

Great to see you.

REP. JIMMY PANETTA (D-CA): Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So in your view, you know, is Israel determined to eliminate Hezbollah and Hamas at this point?

[15:10:04]

PANETTA: Yes, no, I wouldn't say that at all.

Look, I think what the Israelis realize is that Hezbollah is going to be around. I mean, they're ingrained, and they're a part of Lebanon as well as the government there. What you have to do, though is strengthen the government, strengthen the Lebanese military in order to contain Hezbollah. And I think that's going to be part of the strategy going forward.

I think right now, they understand that it's got to be sort of a limited strategy in what you do with Hezbollah in order to get them to negotiate, to uphold the 1701 UN resolution that took place back in 2006 and pushed them back towards the Litani River, so that Israel return home the 60,000 that were displaced in the northern part of Israel, and then get to that point.

At the same time, you have to look at the military successes of Israel recently, and turn them into political successes, turn them into diplomatic successes, and I think that's going to be the strategy going forward.

WHITFIELD: President Biden and Vice President Harris have both said that the recent death of the Hamas leader, Sinwar does present an opportunity for peace.

But in your view, does it appear, you know Israel, that entire region is on the precipice of peace or has it escalated to something else?

PANETTA: Look, I think there are two ways to look at it, and you have to look at both ways. There's obviously the pessimistic view in which you can say that these actions by Israel has cost a lot of lives, obviously in Gaza and as we just heard in Lebanon, but at the same time, I think you have to look at where we're at right now, and the opportunities that are present because of the military successes to decimate Hamas and decapitate Hezbollah.

You look at the potential for a limited response when it comes to Iran, which I think we are going to see any day now, but also in regards to the potential for negotiations with Hezbollah, as I spoke about, but also the potential for negotiations with Hamas, or at least making sure that the people of Gaza rise up and push back on the leaders, or lack of leaders, that are there on the ground at this point.

And so I think there are opportunities for Israel to do the right thing when it comes to actually looking forward, and as the prime minister spoke about the other day, the day after, and start actually coming up with the strategy for a day after.

We understand the vortex of emotions that Israel and the Israeli society is going through right now, and that they're -- a lot of them are still stuck on October 7th. But the fact is, is that we have to start looking forward and with these military successes. Now it's time for diplomatic successes and start to talk about how we can negotiate a way forward.

WHITFIELD: Do you think the US has any leverage or any influence on Netanyahu?

PANETTA: Absolutely, absolutely. Look, I think it's -- you know, you can sit there and say that there were times and there were times in which Israel ignored the advice of the United States, but if you actually go through everything that the United States and this administration in particular has done, you can see the impact and the influence and the pressure, the constant pressure that this administration is putting on the Netanyahu administration.

You look at the November ceasefire, that was because of the US. You look at the hostages that were released. That was because of the US. You look at the humanitarian aid, or at least pushing for more humanitarian aid, that's because of the US.

You look at -- in regards to any sort of retaliation against Iran, and it's limited and where it's going to go. That's because of the US. You look at any further negotiations, it is because of the United States continuing to be at the table, continuing to engage with Israel to ensure they do the right thing.

Look, has it worked the whole time? Obviously, it's not perfect, but the fact that we're there, continuing to put pressure, the fact that you have an ambassador like Jack Lew, who is doing an amazing job in constant engagement with the Israeli government, I believe that that's how, basically, the United States is going to continue to play a major role, not just in the military operations, but hopefully in the potential for peace going forward.

WHITFIELD: Okay, I think universally, people want to share that kind of optimism, indeed.

So I want to now change the topic. I mean, huge change in the topic right now, big shift, I mean, something that's very light and perhaps even hopeful, you know. And I'd like to ask you about, you know, I guess, a moment or thing that represents some uplift and hope in the world of bipartisanship graces.

So tell me about what I understand you have a very special plant that you have inherited and as part of some sort of tradition that's passed on, you know, with this office that you now have.

[15:15:10]

PANETTA: I think you're referring to the Peace Cactus is what it is, and that's a cactus that unfortunately are not the circumstances that I want to receive the cactus and that Bill Pascrell -- Representative Bill Pascrell passed as we all know and because my last name is Panetta, and because I'm on the Ways and Means Committee, his chief- of-staff decided to give it to me.

Look, the good thing is, is that you don't need a cactus to remind people in the United States Congress about Bill Pascrell, and clearly his legacy is going to live on well beyond just the fact that I have the cactus, which is a good thing, it is a lot about Bill, but it also says a lot about basically the way we operate, and the reverence for the institution that I think is there that unfortunately doesn't get shown on TV as much.

Good governing is just not sexy anymore, and don't get me wrong, Bill Pascrell was a pugilist at heart, but at the same time, he loved the institution, he loved the Ways and Means Committee, and he loved Congress. And I think that's what that cactus represents going forward.

WHITFIELD: Yes, so a prickly plant, so to speak, intended to kind of smooth the ruffled feathers. So that's nice.

PANETTA: That's right. That's right.

WHITFIELD: And encouraging.

PANETTA: And someone say -- some would say that that's the United States Congress. But as long as we're going forward, I think is the key message.

WHITFIELD: Well, symbolism is always important. All right, Congressman Jimmy Panetta, great talking to you. Thank you so much -- covering a wide range from the very, very serious to some levity. We like it.

All right, Georgia authorities are investigating a "catastrophic failure" during a Gullah Geechee celebration. Why they say a ferry gangway collapsed, killing several people. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:35] WHITFIELD: Officials in Georgia are working to figure out what caused a ferry deck gangway to collapse, leaving at least seven people dead. There was a chaotic scene on the shore after the collapse that happened on Sapelo Island off the Georgia Coast during a celebration of the island's Gullah Geechee culture.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who was campaigning in Georgia today, spoke earlier about the tragic collapse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: While we are still gathering information, we know that lives were lost and many were injured, and so my heart, as I know for all of us, goes out to those who were impacted, and I thank all the first responders who acted so quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Rafael Romo is joining me now with more on this, and now we've learned the name of at least one victim.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, and it was someone who was very well known in the community with many years of service. He was a chaplain, too. It's just very difficult for this community.

And Fred, it's still very early in the investigation, but there are several things officials are focusing on, including why the gangway had a catastrophic failure, whether the increased number of people might have been a factor and the age of the gangway itself.

CNN has obtained video of the dock leading to the gangway that shows how the whole structure collapsed. You see the ferry there in the background, the same one guests were trying to get to when the tragic collapse happened.

We later see people by the shore trying to rescue those who had fallen into the water. What we know is the gangway collapsed shortly before four in the afternoon on Saturday, as crowds gathered on Sapelo Island for a celebration of the Gullah Geechee community of Black slave descendants.

According to Walter Raven, the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the gangway that led from the dock to the ferry collapsed when about 40 people were on it.

Commissioner Raven said there was a significant increase in the number of people visiting on Saturday, although he doesn't yet know if that was a factor in the gangway's collapse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER RAVEN, COMMISSIONER, GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES: Typically less than a hundred -- yesterday, I'm told we had around 700 people on the island that resulted in us offering additional ferry runs with both of our ferries, the Katy Underwood and the Annemarie. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Twenty people ended up in the water and tragically, seven died, including Charles Houston, who served as chaplain for the DNR, was a city of Plaines volunteer firefighter and also previously worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.

President Biden also reacted to the news, saying that he and the First Lady are heartbroken to learn about the ferry dock walkway collapse on Georgia's Sapelo Island, what should have been a joyous celebration of Gullah Geechee culture and history, instead turned into a tragedy and devastation, the president said, and Sapelo Island, as many people know, is a barrier island off the coast of Georgia, accessible only by boat, that's home to about 70 full time residents, and most of them are descendants from slaves who worked on the plantations.

Very sad about the chaplain. We're still learning to learn the -- waiting to learn the identity of the other six people who died.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, all of these families just simply devastated. All right, Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

ROMO: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, while most of the focus has been on the US presidential race, there are contentious Senate races that could determine how much, if anything, Congress can actually get done in the next session.

Coming up, we'll tell you which races are the ones to watch. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:2 9:23]

WHITFIELD: All right, it's not just the White House up for grabs this election, 34 Senate seats are also on the ballot, and this leaves Democrats to defend their razor thin majority.

One of the biggest fights is in Texas between Senator Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger, Representative Colin Allred. The contest got preheated when the two faced off in a contentious debate this week. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Colin Allred is Kamala Harris. Their records are the same. I've served with both of them. They voted in favor of open borders over and over and over again.

REP. COLIN ALLRED (D-TX): What he wants you thinking about is kids in bathrooms so you're not thinking about women in hospitals.

CRUZ: Congressman Allred was an NFL linebacker, it is not fair for a man to compete against women. ALLRED: You can't be for the mob on January 6th, and for the officers, you can't. And it's not funny, because you're a threat to democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Republicans need 13 seats for the majority, or 12 seats, plus the White House. CNN's Election Center uses pre-election race ratings by Inside Elections.

So let's bring in Nathan Gonzales, the editor and publisher of "Inside Elections" for his perspective.

Great to see you, Nathan.

So which of these US Senate races are you watching the closest?

NATHAN GONZALES, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, "INSIDE ELECTIONS": Well, at this point, we're watching all of them because it is that close.

WHITFIELD: They all matter.

GONZALES: You're right. Well, and if we do the quick math, Republicans are going to gain the West Virginia Senate seat that's currently held by Democrat Joe Manchin, so that's plus one. And if Trump wins the White House, then that is control of the Senate for Republicans, as long as Republicans hold all of their own.

That's why a seat like Texas is important, or Florida, or Nebraska, those are all vulnerable Republican seats and if Democrats can win one of those, it balances out that loss in West Virginia and it gives Democrats a chance.

Now that being said, the map is still difficult for Democrats, because Sherrod Brown in Ohio is vulnerable. You have multiple senators in presidential battlegrounds, multiple Democratic senators and presidential battlegrounds that are competitive and vulnerable as well, as well as Maryland.

So the bottom line, I expect Republicans to be in control of the Senate next year, but Republicans find ways to lose winnable races, and we'll see if they do that again.

WHITFIELD: Democratic Senator Jon Tester. I mean, he is one of the most vulnerable of incumbents, right, fighting for a fourth term in the deep red state of Montana. What are you seeing there?

GONZALES: Tester is behind right now. He's behind the Republican, Tim Sheehy and one of the challenges that Tester has is that he is running in Montana, where Trump is likely to win by about between 12 and 15 points, and that means Tester needs an incredible amount of ticket splitting from people who vote for Trump for the White House, but yet they want a Democrat in the Senate, in a potentially Democratic- controlled Senate.

And ultimately, it looks like he's going to fall short and if West Virginia plus Montana, that's plus two for Republicans, and that would be a majority no matter which party wins the White House.

WHITFIELD: And major donors, you know, are also fueling Senate races with, you know, huge fundraising totals reported in the third quarter. Explain how that is playing out, particularly in states like Texas.

GONZALES: Right. I mean, Texas is a huge state, not just geographically, but it's expensive, because you have so many expensive media markets that you have to advertise in, and so Democrats are trying to get as many resources as possible to Colin Allred, but ultimately, they'll probably have to make some decisions about which media markets they want to focus on.

Overall Democratic candidate fundraising has been better than Republican fundraising. The Republicans are trying to make up for that, either by having -- relying on those wealthy candidates or outside groups to come in to make up the difference. But when outside groups do that, they're often paying two or three times the amount of money for the same number of ads.

So Democrats are relying on that grassroots fundraising.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, very fascinating, and everyone will be on the edge of their seats for sure.

Nathan Gonzales, thank you so much.

GONZALES: Thank you. Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: You as well.

All right, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, coming up, CNN's Stephanie Elam speaks with two of her closest friends who are both battling breast cancer. One is our very own, CNN anchor, Sara Sidner. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:14]

WHITFIELD: Breast Cancer Awareness Month aims to promote prevention and support the one in eight women who are diagnosed each year.

CNN's Stephanie Elam speaks with two of her closest friends about their experiences with breast cancer, including CNN anchor, Sara Sidner and former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANANDA LEWIS, FORMER MTV VJ: I'm sorry yours was your left, right?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

LEWIS: Mine was right.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Okay .

LEWIS: A little bit different.

SIDNER: Yes.

LEWIS: We mirror each other.

ELAM: It's crazy that we're joking about it.

LEWIS: I have laughs. Oh come on.

SIDNER: Me, too.

ELAM: So what about mammograms? I'll start with you, Ananda, were you good about getting your mammograms?

LEWIS: You know I wasn't.

ELAM (voice over): This is Ananda Lewis, and she has breast cancer. She's a content creator who is known for her time hosting BET's Teen Summit in the 90s, being a VJ for MTV and hosting her own talk show in the early 2000s. She's one of my best friends, as is CNN anchor, Sara Sidner. She too has breast cancer stage three. Both of them found their lumps on their own. Sara's discovery was just months after a mammogram.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: The American Cancer Society does not recommend self-exams anymore, but to me, if you can tell, you know your body, you have to advocate for yourself so much, and I am terrible at advocating for myself. I will advocate for you.

ELAM: You're actually happy to do it for everybody else.

SIDNER: I will. I will fight someone, like I am a ride or die beat. So this has been a real lesson for me to self-advocate.

ELAM (voice over) Sara had a double mastectomy. Ananda took a different approach. By the time she found a lump in her breast, her cancer had progressed to stage three, and doctors recommended a double mastectomy, but she went against their recommendation.

LEWIS: My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body. I felt like my body is intelligent. I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made. I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way. Looking back on it, I go, you know what, maybe I should have --

[15:40:15]

ELAM (voice over): Ananda completely overhauled her diet, improved her sleep, pursued aggressive homeopathic therapies, along with traditional medicine and radiation. She improved for a long time. She says removing the toxins physical and emotional from her body has been beneficial.

But last year, she found out her cancer had metastasized into stage four, which means the cancer spread to other areas. LEWIS: My lymph system really flared up, and so all through my abdomen, all those lymph were very flared up, my collarbone, and it was the first time I ever had a conversation with death, because I felt like, this is how it ends.

You know. I was like, okay, so I don't get afraid of things. I was just like, fudge, man. I really thought I had this, you know, I was frustrated. I was a little angry at myself. I was and I said, man, listen, I know you're coming for me at some point, but I don't want it to be now, and if you could just wait, I promise when you do come, I'm going to make it fun for you. We're going to have fun. And we --

I literally had that conversation later in my bed, I couldn't get out of bed for like eight weeks.

ELAM: What's interesting me is that you both are saying, is it to appreciate life more now that you're going through this, or is it joy?

SIDNER: Mine is joy. And I didn't realize how little joy I had in my life. Like I didn't realize that that was not a priority in my life.

LEWIS: My quality of life was very important to me. We've had that conversation before. Like I there's certain things I know I'm not going to be okay with, and I know myself I want to, want to be here, and so I had to do it a certain way for me.

SIDNER: The fact that you, like, I want to want to be here, I've had times when I didn't want to be here.

LEWIS: Me too.

SIDNER: Right. And so --

ELAM: You mean in life?

SIDNER: In life.

LEWIS: Yes.

SIDNER: I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to go through all this --

LEWIS: Because of this, during this.

SIDNER: Before this. And then this journey came along, and it's so weird that it was cancer, that was like, I want to be here. I insist on being here, and I insist on thriving, not just being alive, not just existing. I want to thrive in a way that I have never felt before.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's hard not to tear up, because we all love Sara Sidner and Ananda Lewis, and thanks to both of them for sharing their stories.

Joining me now to discuss further is breast cancer surgeon and author of "Treat It, Beat It and Move On, " Dr. April Spencer.

Dr. Spencer, so great to see you.

DR. APRIL SPENCER, BREAST CANCER SURGEON AND AUTHOR OF "TREAT IT, BEAT IT AND MOVE ON": Oh, you as well.

Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: I mean, your title is very -- it really does provoke an optimism.

SPENCER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: You know, but let's first begin with hearing these ladies talk so openly, genuinely and honestly about their journeys. How important is that really a first step to help people understand what the fight against breast cancer is all about?

SPENCER: I think that is an essential first step. We're just not talking enough about it. And although we are raising awareness, I think what this piece highlighted by having this conversation around the table, like we oftentimes do with our girlfriends is that we've got to start raising our action.

WHITFIELD: What do you mean?

SPENCER: In a sense that there are things that we can do to lower our risk, other than just being aware of breast cancer. So what are we going to do about it?

WHITFIELD: Yes, what are those things? Because, I mean, as we're all kind of leaning on our doctors, you know, for our regular exams. You helped remind me that the numbers of the one in eight has changed. Women are younger who are being diagnosed.

SPENCER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And many of those women are escaping early diagnosis because they're not even of an age yet required to get a mammogram. So what are some of the things, I guess, that we can do to promote our own better health.

SPENCER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Especially since it is affecting so many more women at a younger age.

SPENCER: Yes, so some of the things that we can do is, number one, just be your own advocate. You've got to make sure you're aware of your anatomy, just know your body.

It is not about like if you feel something, because, you know, we've all heard through your monthly breast exams, and a lot of the national organizations in the breast community have gotten away from that. Not that there isn't any value in that, but a lot of women who are just feeling for a lump, and they ignored everything else. So our goal now is, if you see something, say something, not just if you have a lump under your arm.

WHITFIELD: What are those things you might see?

SPENCER: You may see nipple discharge. You may see rashes that are new. There may even be a lump underneath the arm or discoloration. Those can be silent signs of breast cancer. And so, yes, so just be your own advocate.

The other thing that's extremely important is just to know what the screening guidelines are to make sure you get screened. But for a lot of young women, they're getting breast cancers at younger ages. They're not even at the screening age. So what do you do there?

WHITFIELD: And that would be 40?

SPENCER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: You remind us.

SPENCER: So screening.

WHITFIELD: Forty is usually when you first go to your mammogram.

SPENCER: At age 40. Yes.

[15:45:10]

WHITFIELD: Unless there is a predisposition in your family.

SPENCER: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: Something like that.

SPENCER: And so oftentimes, people don't necessarily have a family history or the breast cancer gene. But again, be your own advocate. Talk to your family about the family history and talk to your doctor.

So if you're concerned about it, you can share that with your physician, and if there are some early signs, we still can make sure we get a mammogram ordered for you, even if you are not at the screening age.

WHITFIELD: I wonder, in this month that we are all reminded the importance of the advocacy and the awareness that comes with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, what are you hoping people will learn, will grasp this month that you think perhaps has been overlooked or undervalued even?

SPENCER: Yes, yes. A couple of things. One, we are seeing an increase in the sedentary lifestyle. A lot of us are working from home, so I definitely want to encourage women to try to be more active.

You know, if you're smoking, try to quit smoking and reduce your alcohol intake. A lot of that kind of increased during COVID, but I think one missing piece is understanding the importance of the lack of rest and increased stress in many Americans, not just the young, but especially the young.

And I talk a little bit about that in my book, you know, trying to move on from a praying service perspective, just the role of spirituality and faith, and Ananda talked about how she kind of wanted to first, kind of go at it on her own, and she was very courageous for that and I've been doing this for over 20 years in terms of doing breast surgery, and I've seen a lot of women do that.

And what I have observed is, if you stay away, it doesn't mean it's going to go away. So try to compliment that with being a surgeon in your life and cutting out things --

WHITFIELD: You're battling, you're building armor even before --

SPENCER: -- that aren't added value. Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- a diagnosis.

SPENCER: Yes, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: That's what I am hearing from you. Dr. April Spencer, fantastic. Thank you so much. Glad you could be with us today.

SPENCER: Thank you for having me. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Really important.

All right, coming up. Help Wanted: Apply within Arizona State University. Hear the head football coach's unusual request during a postgame press conference, next.

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[15:51:55]

WHITFIELD: All right, in case you missed it, have I got news for you with host Roy Wood, Jr. and team captains Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black replays tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern right here on CNN. Their guests this week, comedian, Alex Edelman and political commentator Sam Seder. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD, JR., COMEDIAN: Does anyone know which campaign got more small donations?

ALEX EDELMAN, COMEDIAN: Harris.

WOOD: Which campaign is built off the back of broke bitches who ain't got that mega donor money.

MICHAEL IAN BLACK, COMEDIAN: I want to say Harris, but I'm not entirely convinced.

EDELMAN: The way you're asking the question makes me feel like it is not Harris.

BLACK: Yes, it makes me think -- it felt like a leading question.

WOOD: That's what I do, I play action. Try and misdirect you a little bit. The answer, it is the Harris-Walz campaign, with over 40 percent of their fundraising coming from donations under $200.00. That's right, it's a lot of money.

Half of that money is from Joe Biden pulling quarters from behind people's ears.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Catch the replay of "Have I Got News For You" tonight. 10:00 PM Eastern right here on CNN.

All right, the New York Yankees are going to the World Series for the first time in 15 years. They beat the Cleveland Guardians five to two in a dramatic showdown Saturday for the American League Pennant.

CNN's Andy Scholes is joining me with the story -- Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, Fredricka, this series just had so much drama, but in the end, it's the Yankees making it back to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Now, New York was down two to nothing in the sixth when Giancarlo Stanton came to the plate and just continues to be one of the best postseason sluggers of all time. He homered again. This was a two-run shot to tie it. It was his fifth homerun of the playoffs, and Stanton was named the ALCS MVP.

He would go to extra innings two on now for Juan Soto. This is why the Yankees traded for him. He comes through in the clutch with the three- run homerun. Yankees would then get the final three outs to clinch the pennant.

Here with Soto afterwards on getting the Yankees back to the World Series.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN SOTO, NEW YORK YANKEES RIGHT FIELDER: Whenever you win and take your team to the World Series, I mean, it's the best feeling you can ever have. I mean, that's what we play for. That's why we came since day one.

We grind every day. We're here and we got accomplished. We have all the talent. We have all the talent that we need to go all the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: The Yankees now await the winner between the Dodgers and the Mets. Game Six of that series is tonight in LA. Dodgers leading three games to two. Now New York could get a title as soon as tonight, as the Liberty host the Lynx in a winner take all game five of the WNBA finals. The Liberty have been the best team all year, and they're the team with the most final appearances without winning a title. They are oh and five all time in the finals, but they hope tonight's final will change that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BREANNA STEWART, NEW YORK LIBERTY: For our team, we bounce back after a loss really, really well, and in the playoffs, in a series, it's going to be, there's going to be momentum shifts. There was momentum shifts in the game tonight.

We haven't won anything yet. We haven't lost anything yet, and we have the opportunity to do that Sunday.

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SCHOLES: Yes, Lynx and Liberty tip at eight Eastern.

[15:55:06]

Finally, Arizona State, they missed two field goals in their loss to Cincinnati yesterday. Head Coach Kenny Dillingham is so unhappy with their kicking game that he's made a plea to their entire student body.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNY DILLINGHAM, HEAD COACH, ARIZONA STATE: The kicking game is atrocious, so if you can kick and you're at Arizona State, e-mail me, right? We're going to have kicking tryouts on Monday. So bring it on. Kicking tryouts Monday. Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seriously?

DILLINGHAM: Yes, I'm dead serious. We're going to put it out on our social. We're going to have kicking tryout on Monday. We've got to find somebody can make a field goal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: So there you go, Fredricka, if you're a student at Arizona State with a big leg, hey, you could be on the football team by next week.

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