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Harris And Trump Campaign In Battleground States In The Last 16 Days Before Election; Trumps' Closing Message Of Profanity And Private Parts; Harris Calls Trump "Unserious Man"; U.S. To Investigate Leaked Intelligence On Israel's Plans; IDF Targets Financial Network Of Hezbollah; The Fate Of The Hostages After Sinwar's Death; Republicans Appeal After A Judge Blocks New GA Election Rules; Fans Honor Musician Liam Payne; WNBA: Title Series Set For Dramatic Conclusion. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 20, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, it's sure to be an eventful last few weeks on the campaign trail. Don't miss the next big event when Vice President Kamala Harris joins CNN for a town hall live from Philadelphia and moderated by our own Anderson Cooper. That's Wednesday night 9:00 p.m. only on CNN and streaming on Max. (Inaudible) I'll see you later this week in --

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Jessica Dean in New York. We have 16 days and counting until Election Day and as millions of Americans cast their ballots in early voting, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are crisscrossing the country looking for new support in a race that remains way too close to call. The entire election likely to come down to a handful of key battleground states and that's where both campaigns will focus their attention in the coming days and we've got you covered.

Our Danny Freeman is on the campaign trail with the Trump campaign in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Eva McKend is covering the Harris campaign in Metro Atlanta. Let's start first with Danny. Trump spent some time working at a McDonald's today. He has a town hall tonight where you are after last night's rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he meandered off script.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, to say the least. Listen Jessica, it's been a very busy weekend for the Trump campaign specifically in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Both campaigns clearly know that all roads lead through Pennsylvania if they want to get to the White House, but the Trump campaign really putting the hours in today. This rally's about to kick off in just a few moments.

But you're right, what happened earlier today is the former president was in Bucks County, all important Philadelphia suburbs, working at a McDonald's. We have video of it. He was working the fryer, making French fries. And really, this has come up as a campaign issue because Vice President Kamala Harris has said that in her past she once worked at McDonald's. Former President Trump, without any proof, has said that she never worked at McDonald's.

But the Vice President Harris campaign emphasizes that she worked at a McDonald's, specifically in Alameda, California, in 1983 back when she was still in college and she worked there over the summer. So that's why former President Trump was at that particular stop earlier today. But the event that's been getting a lot of headlines from Pennsylvania is the one from last night in Latrobe.

There was vulgarity during that event, a little bit of a call and response as well. And then there was this long rambling anecdote, let's say, about golf great Arnold Palmer. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Arnold Palmer was all man. 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 and they said, oh my God. That's unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, former President Trump did, of course, speak about inflation, immigration, and bringing jobs back to America as well. But it was really a lot of those remarks that captured a lot of the headlines since last night's event. I'll say that the challenge here is that while that event's focus was scattered, the campaign is really saying that this weekend in Pennsylvania kicks off the closing argument portion for former President Trump.

So we'll see if he's able to stay a little bit more on topic tonight here in Lancaster at the town hall. But again, set to start off in just a few moments. Jessica?

DEAN: All right. Danny Freeman, thank you so much for that. Let's go now to Eva McKend, who is in Georgia. Harris, Eva, is now responding to the latest insult that Trump hurled against her last night.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Jess, before she left Georgia, she sat for an interview with Reverend Al Sharpton. And in that interview, she accused the former president of demeaning the office of the presidency and essentially arguing that he lacks the basic temperament involved for the job. And we have seen her employ this argument increasingly over the last several days.

And it seems to be catered to a specific type of voter. Maybe a voter that doesn't agree with her on every policy matter, but also agrees with this broader argument that the former president is just unhinged and fundamentally unfit. Take a listen to what she told Sharpton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The American people deserve so much better. That's how I come at it. And to your point, the president of the United States must set a standard, not only for our nation, but understanding the standard that we as a nation must set for the world. You know, we as representing the United States of America, walk into

rooms around the world with the earned and self-appointed authority to talk about the importance of democracy, rule of law, and have been thought of as a role model, imperfect though we may be, but a role model of what it means to be committed to certain standards, including international rules and norms, but also standards of decorum.

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And what you see in my opponent, a former president of the United States really is -- it demeans the office. And, and I have said, and I'm very clear about this, Donald Trump should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States. He has not earned the right. He's not earned the right. And that's why he's going to lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And Jess, another big component of her big Georgia swing this weekend was to reach black voters. That's why she engaged in these Souls to the Polls events aimed at getting black voters to vote early in a big way. Democrats historically have been accused of taking this part of the base of the party for granted. But if you speak to the campaign, they will say that is not so. They very much recognize that black voters are persuadable voters here in Georgia.

Black Americans make up more than 30 percent of the population. And so they see a real opportunity here in the closing days of this contest. Jess?

DEAN: All right, Eva McKend for us there in Georgia. Thank you so much for that. And joining us with more on this, Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, and editor of the book, "A Return to Normalcy: The 2020 Election That Almost Broke America." Larry, thanks so much for being here.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you, Jessica.

DEAN: Just let's start with former President Trump. His campaign says this is their closing message, that they are wrapping their arms around it. This is what they are going to close out the campaign with. And we saw the former president yesterday talking about some of the familiar themes we've heard, but then going on these meandering stories, one of which was about Arnold Palmer's naked body. Is this the closing message they want? And can it move the needle?

SABATO: Well, one would hope it isn't the closing message that the staff wants, but of course, they've got a candidate who frankly is around the bend and off the tracks. And this is something that even though it's the end of the campaign, the press needs to focus on. You need to think about those 39 minutes when he pranced around the stage playing disc jockey and dancing at his own rally just a couple of days ago.

The word salads that have gotten worse and more incoherent. Hey, how come this was such a critical issue for Joe Biden, who did not display these kinds of tendencies? And it isn't such a big issue for Donald Trump. He's going to be the oldest president ever sworn in, if in fact he's elected. He's going to be the oldest president in American history at the end of this next term, if he gets to serve it. Why isn't that important? I think it's very important.

DEAN: So I'm glad you raised that point because I want to play a clip from this morning where our colleague Jake Tapper asked speaker Mike Johnson for his reactions on some of those Trump remarks. So let's listen to that clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Is this really the closing message you want voters to hear from Donald Trump, stories about Arnold Palmer's penis?

MIKE JOHNSON, HOUSE SPEAKER: Well, listen, I think that the headline that I read about the rally in Pennsylvania yesterday was the big question and it's the one that Kamala Harris has not been able to are willing to answer and that is are you better off now than you were under the Trump administration four years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: But Larry, to your point, I think Jake mentioned this as well, reverse the roles here. If this had been Joe Biden that did that, the Republicans would be screaming up and down that he was cognitive -- in cognitive decline, or how dare he say this. There just does not seem to be the same outrage on their side.

SABATO: Oh, there certainly is not. Look, the Republican Party has completely capitulated to Donald Trump, not just on issues, not just on policy, not just giving him the nomination three times for president. But even on something as important as this. If this had been Joe Biden, as you just suggested, they would be demanding that the 25th amendment be invoked right now, today, this minute.

So the Republican party is just the Trump Party. You don't expect them to say anything, but what they're saying, even the ones who were once respectable, like Governor Sununu in New Hampshire, just to mention one, there are not many Liz Cheney's out there. For the Democrats, I think they're obligated to make this an issue. They really are.

I mean, we're talking about electing someone who has access to the nuclear codes and given his age will probably deteriorate further, maybe day by day and certainly year by year. What's it going to be like in two or three years? What's it going to be like?

DEAN: And so to that end, the vice president and her team clearly wanted another debate with Trump to really show that on full display to the American people.

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He would not agree to that. She has sharpened what she is saying about him. She's taking shots at her own, trying to draw the attention back to that. I want to play a clip of what she's been saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So you all know and you've heard me say, look, I think, and I do believe Donald Trump is an unserious man. And the consequences of him ever being again in the White House are brutally serious. Brutally serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: So, Larry, we know that the vice president is so far doing historically well with women. The gender gap is something we talk about a lot. She doesn't do as well with men. They are more tilted toward Donald Trump. And there's been a lot of talk about black men in particular, Latino men who might be more interested in Donald Trump. Do you think this sort of line of attack that we're hearing from her is helpful in moving the needle with those demographics and reminding American voters about this side of Donald Trump?

SABATO: Yes, and remember, it's young white males too. I'm sorry to say. They are -- look, it's 2024, and here we are in a situation where, once again, an argument needs to be made by men in order to reach men. That's the sad reality. So Kamala Harris saying these things, while important, she's potentially the president, she needs male substitutes to make that case. President Obama, President Clinton, she needs those male substitutes to get out there and say it to the young men and the older men who will listen to that, whether they're black or white or Latino.

At this point, it almost doesn't matter. They need to see that Donald Trump has deteriorated. It's one of the most important messages of the entire campaign. There are only 16 days left, but 16 is also a big number when you consider that it's a 24-hour day campaign from here on out.

DEAN: Yeah, it certainly is. All right, Larry Sabato, always great to talk with you. Thanks so much for your analysis there.

SABATO: Thank you, Jessica.

DEAN: And it is sure to be an eventful last few weeks of this campaign, as Larry just outlined. The next big event, Vice President Kamala Harris will join CNN for a town hall that's live from Philadelphia. It will be moderated by our own Anderson Cooper, and that is happening this Wednesday night at 9:00, only on CNN. You can also stream it on Max.

Still ahead, Israel launches new targeted strikes on Hezbollah's financial network in Lebanon. Blasts seem lighting up the night sky over Beirut. It says at least 87 were killed in an Israeli strike on northern Gaza. We're gonna tell you more about what we know about the target and how a U.S. intelligence league could further strain relations with Israel as it prepares for a potential counter-strike against Iran. We're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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DEAN: New tonight, a classified briefing is expected today following the leak of highly classified U.S. intelligence. Sources telling CNN document showed Israel's plans for retaliation against Iran over its recent missile attack of Israel. This as Israel launches fresh airstrikes on Lebanon after warning the IDF would target Hezbollah's financial network.

And we've got you covered here on all sides with our chief global affairs correspondent Matthew Chance, who's live in Tel Aviv and CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz, who is following the developments in Washington at the White House. Let's start first with Arlette with you, and if there's any update on where the investigation into this leak stands.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, U.S. officials, Jessica, are still investigating how exactly these highly classified documents were leaked. There are major questions about who might have had access to them and who might have leaked them, and also whether there is other highly sensitive information that could also be circulated. House Speaker Mike Johnson was among the lawmakers who said that he would receive a briefing on this matter today, and he said that the leak itself is very concerning.

Now, it comes at a time when there is a lot of concern at this moment about how exactly Israel will respond to Iran's barrage of missile attacks, which were launched earlier this month. And these two documents that were leaked started circulating on Friday after being posted on Telegram. They include -- they were marked top secret and also include markings that suggest they were only meant to be seen between the U.S. and the so called Five Eyes allies. Those are countries like the U.K. and Canada.

Now, without getting into the specifics of what is in these documents, they start to describe some satellite images that are assessing possible moves that Iran is making in -- or Israel is making in preparation for an attack against Iran. That includes Israeli Air Force exercises using air -- ground-to-air missiles. There's also the movement of Israeli military equipment, including munitions.

Now, the fact that Israel is preparing for an attack is no surprise, but it's the concern about the fact that these documents were leaked that is raising other issues as well. Now, the U.S. has been in close consultation with Israel about its plans on how to respond.

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President Biden has said he knows -- has an idea of when and how they will be responding. What remains unclear is whether this leak might change any of those plans from Israel, but really the U.S. is trying to get to the bottom and get a handle on how exactly these highly classified documents were leaked to the public.

DEAN: Yeah, so much more to come on that. Arlette, thank you so much. I want to go to Matthew Chance now who again is in Tel Aviv. Matthew, what is the Israeli government saying about the leaked documents and what kind of impact is this having on its relationship with the U.S.?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think on an official level, Jessica, the Israelis are not saying very much. I mean, they're staying pretty tight lipped about what their attitude towards this is. But, you know, kind of behind closed doors and sort of off the record, you know, sources that I've spoken to in various aspects of the administration in Israel and former officials as well, have said that this leak was more kind of -- was not particularly significant in terms of the impact it may have had on Israel's battle plans.

But, you know, it was the fact that there was a leak at all of documents that is most concerning to Israel. Now, because it was such a minor leak in terms of the intelligence disclosure, what one former Israeli intelligence official told me is that it's unlikely that in the assessment of that former intelligence official, it was an Iranian spy for instance because no one who with that kind of access inside the U.S. intelligence apparatus would risk being found out for something so minor as these disclosures that were published on a pro- Iranian telegram channel on Friday or at the weekend.

Much more likely that former analyst told me that this was a deliberately, this is something that obviously the United States has not commented on and is unlikely to ever sort of like admit to anyway. But in intelligence circles in Israel, the possibility that this was a deliberate leak either to delay or deter an Iranian strike or against the backdrop of a U.S. presidential election to discredit the Biden administration is something that is being discussed about here amongst officials and in the Israeli media.

DEAN: And I also want to ask you about the video we're seeing tonight of these huge plumes of smoke over Beirut as Israel has launched these new airstrikes. What more can you tell us about that?

CHANCE: Yeah, well, it seems its southern suburbs of Beirut, the Lebanese capital. Earlier, Israel issued a warning to residents in certain areas of Beirut and elsewhere in southern Lebanon as well to evacuate, a warning that they were going to carry out airstrikes. That now seems to be happening. Israel said it wanted to target Hezbollah financial sites, sort of like bank branches and bank apparatus that it says Hezbollah uses to fund its operation.

It's yet another example of how this war in Gaza, in Lebanon and, you know, Israel may be poised as well to strike at Iran at some point as well. How this conflict is escalating and spreading regionally.

DEAN: All right, Matthew Chance for us in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much for that reporting.

I'd like to bring in Aaron David Miller, former State Department Middle East negotiator and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Aaron, as always, good to see you.

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: Good to see you, Jessica. DEAN: Let's start first with this intelligence leak. As we were just

hearing from our colleagues, there's kind of a mixed bag of opinions on just how serious this is. Some U.S. officials say this isn't great, but it's not horrible. Other experts say this is a very serious breach with very serious consequences. What do you think?

MILLER: Haven't seen the documents. I can only read what CNN, "New York Times" were reporting that the images, satellite imagery has been described, but it isn't actually pictured in the documents. Look, I think by and large, even if this were as a serious breach, the Israelis will adjust and recalibrate whatever plans they had. The purpose of the leak, people leak for any number of reasons based on my experience in a 20-plus year.

People leak because they want to feel important. People leak because they're angry. Whether this had political motivation in an effort to embarrass the administration, it's hard to see any of that. But I will say what this will feed into, of course, is the hard line view among a significant number of Israeli officials, particularly those actually to the right of the prime minister, that coordination with the United States has a price.

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And all of this talk and the TikTok about Israel's delay in the strike, because it was critically important that the Israelis make it unmistakably clear what they intended to do. All of that would frankly, I think, is important coordination on a strike of this character with this sort of consequence coordination was important, but it's going to feed I think, a right-wing, extreme right-wing opinion. You see, here's what happens when you coordinate with your close American allies. But again in the end, I think it's an embarrassment and it's clearly a serious issue with respect to operational security on U.S. side

DEAN: Yeah. Yeah. And so all of this, of course, is unfolding as we're seeing kind of the fallout and how this might -- what might happen next following the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas. And I want to ask you a few questions about that, but I want to start first with the impact on the hostages because almost immediately after his death was announced, there was concern, a real concern, that started brewing for the hostages.

Were they in more danger because their captors might be incensed, trying to avenge his death, that sort of thing? What do you think, and what do you think his death could have -- what kind of impact could it have on getting those hostages back?

MILLER: I mean, before Sinwar was killed, you had the willful, purposeful execution of six Israeli hostages, including an American. This is with Sinwar in control. All right, so you've taken the principle preeminent Palestinian decision-maker out of the equation now. Anger, vendetta, rage against the Israelis for killing Sinwar. I mean, I think the issue now is acute vulnerability, it seems to me, for the hostage. You know, it is curious, Sinwar and his obsession for secrecy. It's

conceivable as well that only Sinwar and a few others know right now the exact location of where the sausages actually are. And some of them, it was reported as being held by a group that may be affiliated with Hamas, but is not totally under Hamas's control.

So again, I think in the wake of this -- of Sinwar killing, all of the enthusiasm and it's completely understandable how to use this moment in order to seek the release of the hostages. I think that Hamas right now has a stake in doubling down. It remains in many respects their only asset, the control of these hostages. So that might argue that they would enhance the need to keep them alive.

But again, it's incredibly uncertain environment. Hamas is in the process of sanctioning or validating the leader. Maybe it'll be with Sinwar's younger brother, who's reported to be more radical than he was. Just unclear. The urgency, it isn't the only objective that the Israelis have in Gaza, but clearly it is the most urgent. And governing is about choosing. And it just seems to me over the course of the last year that the Israeli government, specifically the prime minister, has chosen sadly and tragically other priorities.

DEAN: Yeah. The question now is exactly where did they go from here and two, just quickly before I let you go, how -- can the U.S. push in an effective way to try to bring these talks back together with other -- with the other nations that were trying to get these talks restarted?

MILLER: I mean, this may allow the United States to have more influence with the Qataris and the Egyptians, but I don't believe that the U.S. has the kind of leverage, certainly, that is prepared to use to make this happen. You know, Jessica, I mean, as we know, we're three weeks out from one of the most consequential elections in modern American history.

It seems to me that in the next three weeks, the administration's willingness to press leverage, bring pressure on the Netanyahu government, particularly given the fact we're on the cusp, maybe, for sure, in the next several days, perhaps, of an Israeli strike against Iran and Iranian retaliation. I think the administration leverage on Israel right now is near zero.

DEAN: All right, Aaron, David Miller, as always, thank you.

MILLER: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: Still ahead, Republicans are now appealing a Georgia judge's decision to strike down a slate of controversial new election rules. We're going to break down the potential implications for this. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) DEAN: A fierce legal battle is playing out in one of the most contentious battleground states in the presidential race, Georgia. Republicans are going to the state Supreme Court after a judge struck down controversial new election rules put in place by Trump allies. CNN's Marshall Cohen has more on this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: The fight over Georgia's election rules is continuing. State and national Republicans announced that they are appealing a decision that struck down some new procedures for this year. Those procedures were passed by the State Election Board, which is dominated by Trump supporters.

Those new rules, highly controversial and opposed by a bipartisan array of election officials, could have disrupted the election certification process by requiring more hand counting of ballots and by letting county officials do additional investigations before they finalize their results.

[17:35:12]

So, after the Trump-backed board passed these new rules, Democrats and others went to court, and judges have now stepped in to block or strike down these new procedures. Republicans now want the Georgia Supreme Court to reinstate the rules allowing for post-election inquiries.

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley blasted the ruling that declared those new procedures to be unconstitutional, and he called the decision -- quote -- "the very worst of judicial activism."

A message went out to Georgia's counties on Thursday instructing them to ignore the new rules because of the court decision. Those instructions came from the office of Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, as well as the GOP-appointed chairman of the State Election Board. Their letter told counties that -- quote -- "These rules and amendments are void."

All this fighting, though, has not gotten in the way of Georgians doing their civic duty. Election officials say that more than one million ballots have already been cast in the Peach State so far after four days of early voting.

Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Marshall, thank you for that. And joining us now is professor at Loyola Law School, Jessica Levinson. Jessica, thanks so much for being here.

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Absolutely. Good to be here.

DEAN: Yeah. I just want to start first broadly. Does this republican appeal have any merit and do you expect it? How do you expect it to go?

LEVINSON: So, it really does not have merit in the sense that what we have as a state court judge saying that the State Elections Board just way stepped out of its zone and we have the state judge saying, what the Republican secretary of state said, what the Republican, I believe, attorney general said as well, which is the State Election Board did not have the power to make these changes. And that is a decision that in my view should be upheld.

And the judge said very specifically, if you want these changes to occur, then there is a way to do that. Then go to the legislature, the state legislature, and say, we want more election monitoring, we want more voter I.D. when it comes to mail-in ballots, we want all of those things, just don't do it through the State Election Board.

DEAN: And the judge voided a number of these new last-minute rules. And one requires those ballots to be hand-counted, which was very concerning, I know, to a lot of election workers with the time that would take the potential for error after doing it over and over again after a long shift. It would let partisan poll watchers closer into ballot-counting centers and changes are certified. Others were around photo I.D. requirements, video surveillance of ballot drop boxes, and daily updates on early voting.

How much of a problem here is in the amendments themselves or the fact that they were done at such a last minute?

LEVINSON: Door number two, but I actually think it's not just last minute, it's that these were changes that were made by the wrong body. And again, I think what the judge was saying here is you want to make those changes, we can have discussion about the merits, but not when it's the elections board. Let's have discussion about the merits when it comes to the legislature.

And so, some of these changes, frankly, I think there might be under the Georgia Constitution, under the U.S. Constitution, there might be the room to implement them, but a judge is saying very clearly wrong body.

And Jessica, we can think about situations where we have this on the federal level all the time where the question is, can you do this by executive order or does it have to be legislation or can the EPA do it or does it have to be Congress? It's basically the same conversation now.

DEAN: Hmm. And I'm curious, too, just looking down the line here. How much of this do you think was about laying a foundation by Republicans for potentially being able to challenge any results that we get?

LEVINSON: So yes, yes, yes, it is the end of October and we're going to be having conversations about trying to make changes in voting laws, challenges to those changes, and then I think your question is a really good one, which is after those changes, then what we're going to see is, look, there was a problem with the process because we didn't have poll monitors or we didn't have I.D. for people that were returning vote by mail ballots. So, I don't know that that's successful, buy I think it is part of the groundwork. And what we're going to see, and it's no coincidence, it's going to be Georgia, it's going to be Pennsylvania, it's going to be Arizona. Name a state where we all look and say, oh, that's a swing state, it could come down to that state, and that's where we're going to see proposed changes, potentially, challenges to those changes, and then post-election litigation.

[17:40:08]

DEAN: Hmm. And is there anything, any legal challenge playing out right now that you're particularly watching?

LEVINSON: Well, I would say what we're learning, I'm going to answer this like a lawyer, which is kind of, it depends, but --

(LAUGHTER)

-- what we're learning is that there isn't one election. There are 50 different elections. Each state is doing a different election. And so, what we're learning is all of these particular challenges -- I mean, last week, it was North Carolina and whether or not they could kick people off of the voting rolls. We're talking about all these changes in Georgia. There are suits in Arizona. So, what we're learning is we have to watch every state where both candidates know it could come down to that state.

One more thing I will mention is that after the election, look to see what we're all watching is whether or not a case goes to the Supreme Court. Are we going to have another Bush v. Gore? Because in a 2023 decision, having nothing to do with presidential elections really, the court said, and when it comes to state courts interpreting state law, we still have, the federal judiciary still has a role to play. So, the court left the door open for a potential another big Supreme Court challenge.

DEAN: All right, more to come on that. Jessica Levinson, I think we'll be talking about this topic a lot more as we get closer to Election Day and beyond. Thank you so much for that.

Still ahead, how fans around the world are honoring the late One Direction star Liam Payne. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Today, large crowds of fans gathering in London and France and all the way to Indonesia, paying tribute to former One Direction star Liam Payne. Days after his sudden death, fans continue to mourn as an investigation is pressing forward into his final moments and a fatal fall at a hotel in Buenos Aires. CNN's Camila Bernal has the latest on all of this. Camila, what are you learning? CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jess. So, even though Liam Payne's dad had been in Buenos Aires since Friday, we are learning that the body has not been released to the family, and sources telling CNN that they will release that body once they finish clinical tests there in Argentina.

The other thing that we learned from sources there is that the dad was able to see the body at the morgue, but we were also told that he was not allowed into the room where his son was staying. He was shown a similar room on another floor as this investigation continues. Now the father also greeting the fans that were there in Argentina outside of the hotel and thanking them for their support.

As you mentioned, so many of these fans gathering all over the world this weekend in London, in Australia, in Japan, here in the U.S., including in New York and other cities. And a lot of these fans just gathering to bring letters, photos, teddy bears. They're singing together and speaking about how meaningful Liam Payne was and how meaningful One Direction has been for a lot of these fans as they've grown up with them.

You've seen an outpouring of support on social media as well. The latest post from his sister expressing that he was her best friend and she, of course, is expressing her disbelief and her love for her brother.

Now, we're also learning that another former member of One Direction, Zayn Malik, postponing his U.S. tour here, saying and telling his fans, thank you for understanding. Of course, it is being very difficult for a lot of these fans and for the people close to him, Jessica.

DEAN: All right, Camila Bernal, thanks so much for that update. We appreciate it. We'll be right back.

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A thrilling season is set for a thrilling conclusion. The WNBA championship will be decided tonight in New York as the Liberty look for their first ever title against the Minnesota Lynx. CNN's Carolyn Manno is joining us live from Berkley Center in Brooklyn with more. How's it all shaping up?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, I'll tell you, it's quiet in here right now. Players are about to take the court to start to warm up. But in a couple hours' time, that is not going to be the case. This place will be rocking and rolling because the fan base here has been waiting so long to see the Liberty potentially win their first title in the history of the franchise.

They've been around for 28 years. They are one of the original franchises in the WNBA, and they're the only one that has yet to win a title so far. They had their backs against the wall in game four. They're going to have to play better than they did.

But this series has been so close between these two teams and it has been a case of the team that has responded from a loss coming back and winning that next game, and that's what we're going to need to see from Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, these big stars that New York has in the biggest media market in the country.

For Minnesota, they have been on this stage before and they have proven that they can win a championship. They won four in seven years. And if they can pull this off tonight, and it's certainly not a case of whether they can, but will they with how well they've been playing, they'll win a fifth, which is something that no team in the W has done to date. Let's take a listen to what some of the players are saying ahead of tonight's game.

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BREANNA STEWART, NEW YORK LIBERTY FORWARD: For our team, we bounced back after a loss really, really well. 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.

KAYLA MCBRIDE, MINNESOTA LYNX GUARD: Yeah, last 40 minutes of the season like that's -- it could be anywhere, really. It doesn't matter. It's like we're going to be out there together and going to war. I'm pumped.

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MANNO: Both teams have given absolutely everything in this series so far, Jessica. And with players on the court right now, we're getting closer to see who will win, perhaps the most epic five-game series in the history of the WNBA in a year when women's basketball has done more things than it perhaps ever has.

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Back to you.

DEAN: No doubt about it. Carolyn Manno, thank you so much for that. We appreciate it. The encore presentation of this weekend's "Have I Got News for You" is airing tonight at 10 Eastern, and the guests will be comedian Alex Edelman and political commentator Sam Seder. Here's a preview.

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UNKNOWN: Does anyone know which campaign got more small donations?

UNKNOWN: Harris.

UNKNOWN: Which campaign is built off the back of broke bitches?

UNKNOWN: Trump. (LAUGHTER)

UNKNOWN: Who ain't got that mega donor money?

UNKNOWN: I want to say --

UNKNOWN: I want to say Harris.

UNKNOWN: -- Harris, but I'm not entirely convinced.

UNKNOWN: The way you're asking the question makes me think it's not Harris.

UNKNOWN: Yeah, it makes me think it felt like a leading question, right?

UNKNOWN: That's what I do. I play action, try and misdirect you a little bit. The answer, it's the Harris-Walz campaign, with over 40% of their fundraising coming from donations under $200.

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That's right. It's a lot of money. Half of that money is from Joe Biden pulling quarters from behind people's ears.

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DEAN: "Have I Got News for You" airs tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. We will be right back.

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