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Harris, Trump Focus On Southern Swing States Of GA, NC Today; Biden To Speak At Local Carpenters' Union In Scranton, PA; How Philadelphia's Suburbs Could Settle Close Races In PA. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Is Interviewed About 10 States Will Vote On The Future Of Abortion Access There; CNN Found Some Noncitizens On Purge List, Others Were Mistakenly Removed; U.S.: Russia Likely Behind Fake Video On Haitian Voting Multiple Times. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired November 02, 2024 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:29]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello and thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. It is the final weekend of campaigning. And with just three days left until Election Day, both candidates are hitting the trail in key southern swing states today.

Former President Donald Trump will speak soon at a rally in battleground North Carolina. It's one of three rallies he has planned for today. Two of those campaign events are in the Tar Heel state, the other in Virginia.

Vice President Kamala Harris will also hold a campaign event in North Carolina later on today as she makes a last-minute push to get out the vote in that battleground state. Today is the last day of early voting in North Carolina. So far, more than 4 million people in that critical swing state have already cast their ballots, exceeding the total number of early voters four years ago.

CNN's Alayna Treene is covering the Trump campaign and joins us now from that rally there in North Carolina. All right, so Alyana, what is Trump's closing message in these final days there?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Oh, well, look, we actually received, Fred, some of Donald Trump's prepared remarks for this speech in Gaston. And I can tell you, it looks like it's going to be a very dissolute message if you only look at what's going to be loaded into his teleprompter.

However, we know that Donald Trump, particularly in recent weeks, veers off script, likes to go on different rants and air his grievances. So it's unclear exactly what he's going to say on stage. So I want to read you some of what his campaign sent around about those excerpts because it does get to the closing message.

Excuse me, something he's going to say in those prepared remarks is, quote, I have come today with a message of hope for all Americans. With your vote on Tuesday, I will end inflation. I will stop the invasion and I will bring back the American dream.

And I will bring, excuse me, and then it goes on to say, this is all you need to know. Kamala broke it. I will fix it. So that's what his campaign, Fred, wants him to be discussing today. But something else that I can tell you, I know from my conversations with Trump's campaign that is very much on Donald Trump's mind is you mentioned the incredible early voting numbers here in North Carolina.

What we've seen in early voting and some of the returns that are coming back is that women are outpacing men when it comes to early voting. Now, that is a problem for the Trump campaign, because as we've covered thoroughly, Donald Trump and his team have yet to solve for the gender gap. So far, it has been very clear that women favor Kamala Harris more than they do Trump.

Now Trump kind of talked about this day as well as some things that have been percolating, including in a Harris ad that perhaps some women are lying to their husbands about who they're going to vote for. We heard Donald Trump address this during an interview with "Fox and Friends" this morning. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Can you imagine a wife not telling her husband who she's voting for? Do you ever hear anything like that? Even if you have a horrible -- if you had a bad relationship, you're going to tell your husband that it's a ridiculous thing. It's so stupid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now Fred, these comments that Donald Trump made come after some things that he said earlier this week as well, when he talked about wanting to be the protector of women and that he would protect women, whether they like it or not. Something that drew a ton of backlash, including from the Harris campaign. So this is something we have to see whether or not he continues to talk about on stage throughout these series of stops today.

Now, I do also just want to get back to North Carolina, given that we're here now, he's going to be here later, but he has four stops across North Carolina over the next few days. That is a lot of time that he is spending in a state that I would remind you, Donald Trump won in both 2016 and 2020 and hasn't seen a -- a Democrat win actually since 2008 when Obama won the state.

So it's interesting that they're trying to spend so much time here in a state that a lot of people, I would argue earlier this year had expected to very much be an easy win for Donald Trump. So I'd keep that in mind as, you know, we listen to his speeches across North Carolina and -- and really see him trying to turn out the vote as much as possible here. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Alayna Treene there in Gastonia, North Carolina.

All right, Vice President Kamala Harris is also busy on the campaign trail today. She'll soon speak at a rally in Atlanta before heading to North Carolina as well. Harris will be joined at that Georgia Get Out the Vote Rally by movie director, Spike Lee, singer-songwriter Victoria Monet and other musical guests and politicians from the Peach State as well.

[12:05:03]

And right now looking at 2 Chainz right there, pumping up the crowd and getting them ready. Early in-person voting in Georgia ended on Friday with more than four million people in that state already casting their votes. CNN's Eva McKend is covering the Harris campaign for us in Atlanta where the music is pumping. I just mentioned 2 Chainz behind you there. So with so many Georgians having already voted, what is the Harris campaign message for that state today?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, hearing part of the electorate that the Vice President is trying to appeal to is young voters both here Georgia and later on when she appears in North Carolina, she will have first time voters introduce here. The challenge for here though is that polling suggests there is dissatisfaction among voters on the direction of the county.

Still she is trying to argue that she would offer a new pathway, a new generation of leadership. And at the same time she is touting the wins and she sees them of the Biden and Harris administration like protecting healthcare, the Affordable Care Act, like passing that infrastructure law. And also passing the CHIPS and Science Act which boosted manufacturing jobs. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Donald Trump, when he was president, lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs. We have created over 700 new manufacturing jobs. It is my plan and intention to continue to invest in American manufacturing, the work being done by American workers, upholding and lifting up good union jobs, which are good-paying jobs, and doing the work of investing in American industries, including our industries of the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: Fred, right now here in Battleground, Georgia, it's really a turnout game. So that's why you see 2 Chainz performing. Monica will appear later on stage. They are trying to do all that they can to energize, mobilize, and really excite voters ahead of Election Day. They are trying to replicate President Biden's winning win -- winning 2020 multiracial coalition here in this Battleground state.

So that includes appealing to base voters right here in metro Atlanta, but also making the case to conservative voters across the state who just don't have an appetite for supporting former President Donald Trump. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Eva McKend, great job. We're going to pump up your volume now next time a little bit too. All right, thank you. All right, for more on these closing days of the election, let's bring in CNN political analyst, Julian Zelizer. Julian, great to see you. So as these candidates hone in on their final messages to voters, you know, they've been met with a lot of distractions and a lot of media coverage, right? So how are they handling this pivotal moment of their campaigns to break through what could have been, to some voters, a lot of noise?

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think former President Trump enjoys the distractions and chaos. He's more comfortable with it. He's trying to promote a story, a closing argument about a country that is, in some ways, in crisis, being invaded, and facing all these forces that are undermining it. I think the distractions are part of what he likes.

And -- and I think if you like that message, he is reiterating it over and over again. And I think the Vice President is trying to really stay focused on the twin message. A, that the former president is a threat to the country's Democratic health. B, she will focus on the middle class and public policies that will address the concerns that Americans have.

She's had some trouble, both contending with the former president and even the statements of her president, but -- of the president, but I think she is moving forward in these final days.

WHITFIELD: And in these final days, the campaigns are all over the map, literally. Harris is in Georgia and North Carolina. Trump is in North Carolina and Virginia, a -- a day after holding dueling rallies in Wisconsin. So what do these events tell you about where this race is heading, and perhaps what the focus is of each of the campaigns?

ZELIZER: Well, look, the 50-50 swing state map, I think, seems to be accurate. And that's why these candidates, both of them, are just going everywhere they can in these final days, trying to garner enthusiasm, trying to make sure that the vote comes and -- and people go out on Tuesday or send in and vote early.

And I think the ground game, though, in some ways is really as important as their rallies and speeches. The party operatives and volunteers who are going door to door right now making calls and making sure people know where to vote and that they will vote.

WHITFIELD: Such a stark contrast -- contrasting messages from these camps. Trump's closing message has been very doom and gloom. He will fix it because so much is broken, talking about immigration, crime, the economy. While Harris's message has been one of hope for the future, a new way forward is one of her slogans.

[12:10:19]

Which message, if you, you know, take a stab at it, do you think is resonating most with voters, especially since we're hearing so much from voters in these final days that they are fatigued, they feel inundated with a lot of information there? But which one is landing for them? ZELIZER: Well, hope and optimism usually does work in presidential campaigns. And I think it has gotten the Democrats from where they were in July, which was in terrible shape, back to a very, very competitive election. So in that respect, it has worked.

But polarization creates a wall. And I don't think that message can reach easily beyond her natural constituency. So it's worked, but it's not clear that that message will be enough for victory. Fear, anger, warnings and threats also work in American politics. And we have two different traditions clashing through these candidates.

WHITFIELD: And as we're talking, we're looking at a lot of pictures right now. Senator Jon Ossoff out of Georgia there, this ahead of introducing the Vice President who's making her a big rally stop in Atlanta. And I wonder, you know, from -- from you, Julian, look, I mean, the -- the voter turnout has been extraordinary across the country in early voting. But there are people who profess to be undecided on the fence, unwilling to say out loud who it is that they're voting for. So if you have any advice to voters at this juncture, what are you hoping voters will ask themselves before they make a decision on who they want for president?

ZELIZER: I think this campaign in this election comes down to what do you think the character of the person with the most power in this country should be? And how does that character reflect what the country is about and put policy aside in some ways and put partisanship aside for the undecided people? That's the question they need to answer. And that should be the question that drives their decision.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julian Zelizer, great to see you. Thank you so much.

ZELIZER: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: And of course, be sure to tune in for CNN special coverage of Election Night in America. It starts Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

All right, still to come, with his legacy on the line, President Biden is making a campaign appearance in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania. Plus, we visit the Philadelphia suburbs that could decide who takes the state's 19 Electoral College votes. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:17:35]

WHITFIELD: President Joe Biden is in the battleground state of Pennsylvania today. In the next hour, he is set to give what could be his final pitch to voters in his hometown of Scranton. CNN's Kevin Liptak is joining me now from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Kevin, great to see you. So what do we expect to hear from the president today?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, the message today is all about unions. The President speaking at a Get Out the Vote event at the local Carpenters Union here in Scranton. And I should mention he just landed here in the last couple of seconds. But at the end of the day, President Biden's presence on the campaign trail this year has been extraordinarily limited.

It's for a couple of reasons. Of course, there's a political imperative on the part of the Vice President to put some distance between herself and the incumbent, who remains relatively unpopular. But also, when you talk to Democrats, there is this concern that President Biden could act as a liability on the campaign trail because of his penchant for going off message, because of his penchant for saying things that could open up Harris to lines of attack from Republicans.

And certainly those concerns were borne out this week when the President said that comment about supporters of former President Trump. That verbal flub led to days of headlines that the Harris campaign and the final stretch of the campaign really just didn't want to be dealing with. And so all of that sort of gives you a sense of why President Biden isn't necessarily as welcome on the campaign trail as he might have hoped to be.

And I think when you look at his schedule over the last three months or so, the numbers really do tell the story. He's only made five appearances alongside the Vice President since July 21st. That's when he dropped out of the race. He's only made six political appearances altogether compared to 19 official White House events. This state that we're in Pennsylvania is the place that he's been the most in that stretch. This will be his 10th visit to the Keystone State.

But of -- of the other battlegrounds, he's been, you know, relatively light presence in those. He's made two trips to Wisconsin and then one trip to the other battleground states. But I think, you know, if President Biden was going to visit anywhere in the closing stretch of the campaign, it would be here in Scranton, here in his hometown.

The voters here are ones that he thinks that he still has a lot of sway over. White working class voters that he did. He's, you know, he's successful among back in 2020. Those are the voters that he really does want to turn out for Harris this time around. And this could be his final opportunity to speak to them. We don't expect to see him after today until Election Day.

[12:20:09]

WHITFIELD: So I wonder, Kevin, given, you know, the construing of his words earlier in the week about, you know, garbage, Trump supporters and all that. How was it weighed whether this was advantageous or still somewhat risky for him to even be in public and speaking, even though it's Scranton, Pennsylvania?

LIPTAK: Yes, I think that the Harris campaign certainly views President Biden as someone who is owed some amount of respect. And certainly the Vice President feels that way as well. The events that he will be partaking in today aren't going to be those enormous arena rallies that we've seen the vice president at or even that we've seen the former President Barack Obama headlining. President Biden's events are far smaller. And I think that they do believe that President Biden does have some sway among union voters.

That's who he's speaking with today. That's who he spoke with yesterday in Philadelphia. So this won't be, you know, a -- a headlining appearance. It won't be a marquee arena rally for the President in his final campaign that he's working for his Vice President to succeed him on. But they do think that here in Scranton, where there is a lot of goodwill for their native son, Joe Biden, that he could have some effect on the voters here.

WHITFIELD: And there he is arriving as we're speaking, deplaning Air Force One there soon to be making a way to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.

All right. Both campaigns will be keeping a close eye on the Philadelphia suburbs election night where the votes can push candidates over the finish line. Here, CNN's John King, who visited one of those key communities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Swarthmore is a postcard of suburban life, leafy, friendly. Philadelphia, just a 30-minute commute by train. Home to Shannon Elliott, her family and her small business.

SHANNON ELLIOTT, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: We have a beautiful college campus, woods, trails, close proximity to a lot of different things, but just often a quiet, close knit community.

KING (voice-over): This is southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware County, a place where Kamala Harris needs to win big if she hopes to claim the biggest of the battleground prizes.

ELLIOTT: And a lot of the messages I get are more panic. And so I feel panicked.

KING (voice-over): Elliott's vote is not in question.

ELLIOTT: I don't want to go back there. I see how he -- how he treats people and bullies people. And these are things I tell my teenage kids not to do. Why would I want to see my president doing that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need a sign?

KING (voice-over): Harris needs to match or beat Biden's 2020 numbers in the suburbs.

ELLIOTT: I'll fix it up.

KING (voice-over): But Elliott hears hints of apathy and of sexism, hints of 2016.

ELLIOTT: And I think people were afraid to vote for a woman once it got down to the final choice and they made a mistake. And now here we are again with that same decision facing people. And I'm worried -- I'm worried it's going to happen again.

KING (voice-over): Delaware County is reliably blue, but there are pockets where Trump runs strong.

KRISTIN CAPARRA, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I'm most upset about the lack of a border and the lack of our sovereignty and how that's eroded in the last three years. And I feel as an American citizen, I'm underserved, overtaxed. I'm kind of diminished.

KING (voice-over): Kristin Caparra registered Republican at the age of 18 back in 1988. The Philadelphia suburbs were red then, but Caparra is outnumbered in her Drexel Hill neighborhood now.

CAPARRA: We vote on different sides of the aisle, but we are proud Americans. The American flag is outside all of our homes. And so I'm -- I'm very comfortable there.

KING (voice-over): This is her New Jersey beach cottage, Lola and Taylor, her friendly labs.

CAPARRA: Push on to your left there.

KING (voice-over): And this is back in Delaware County where Caparra teaches figure skating. She believes Trump will run stronger this year because of concerns about inflation, the border, and whether Harris is too liberal.

CAPARRA: Well, I think right now there's a very quiet Trump vote. He -- he does have some bizarre behaviors, but at the end of the day, I -- I feel he's patriotic and I feel he loves this country. And my version of this country, a little more dearly -- dearly than the other side.

KING (voice-over): The suburbs settle close races here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: John King, thank you so much.

[12:24:29]

All right, up next, Tuesday. Voters in at least 10 states will also get to determine the future of abortion access in their states. Most of the initiatives aim to enshrine the right to an abortion in state constitutions. We have details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. On Election Day, 10 states will determine the future of abortion access. In addition to casting a ballot for the next president, voters will weigh in on whether on either restoring or restricting abortion access in their respective states.

Nebraska will vote on dueling measures that would expand or limit abortion rights. Advocates hope the effort will restore the issue of reproductive rights to the people rather than the state after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade back in 2022.

CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones has more on all this. Julia, great to see you. So a lot of eyes are on Florida, which has served as a critical access point for people seeking abortions in the southeast. So what is at stake?

[12:29:56]

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, abortion rights for a lot more than just Floridians, Fred. Florida has served as kind of a hub for abortions across the south. After that six-week ban went into effect on May 1st, we saw a cut by my -- more than 30 percent of abortions in the state and that led to a dip in 7 percent of abortions nationwide.

So there was an average of about 5,400 abortions in the state from May and June, down from more than 8,000 a month from January to May. So we see the impact of that ban going into effect in Florida and that's because it was one of the few states in the region where abortion remained legal. After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, More than one in 10 abortions in the country were held in Florida. And in 2023, about 9,000 people traveled from out of state to Florida to get an abortion there.

So those are people coming from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and a lot of the ballots, the measures in the ballots this election cycle are aiming to restore abortion to up to the point of viability. But I want to talk to you about Missouri. Missouri was a state where -- where the first state to go into an abortion ban after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, they went into the most restriction -- restrictive abortion laws at that.

In Missouri, there are no except -- exceptions for survivors of -- of rape or incest and providers are at risk of legal liability. Now, there is an exception there for some medical emergencies, but not all of them. And as you mentioned Nebraska, we have also up to the point of viability in the ballot.

But in the other states, we're seeing this big effort of nationalizing the conversation through some of the high level celebrities. We had Beyonce with Vice President Kamala Harris in her rally in Houston just last week. And now Chrissy Teigen lending her voice in Arizona, telling her own personal story of needing a late term abortion to this conversation.

Of course, the outcome of these elections in these 10 states will have a profound effect on how abortion goes on in this country, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: OK. Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much for that breakdown.

All right. I want to discuss further now. It is a historic election cycle for sure for many reasons. Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee from California joining us now. Great to see you, Congresswoman.

REP. BARBARA LEE (D-CA): Nice being with you. And thank you, Fredricka, very much for having me.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely. I wonder if we can begin with the future of abortion rights. You know, among the nearly 70 million early voters nationwide, women have been outpacing men in terms of turnout. So are reproductive rights in your view, largely the reason why?

LEE: Well, I think women definitely understand that taking away a right is about taking away our freedoms to control, first of all, our own bodies and the decisions that we make about our own bodies. But also it's in the larger context of taking away our freedoms on so many fronts. You look at what the Donald Trump MAGA extremist Republicans are -- are trying to do in terms of taking away our freedoms to vote, you know, our freedom to organize, our freedoms to breathe clean air and drink clean water.

They're talking about going back to their playbook of Project 2025, which is totally devastating. And so, yes, women understand that we need to make sure that we stop this national abortion ban that Donald Trump wants to implement, but also that we need to make sure that we have the -- the resources for childcare, for good quality education. We have maternal mortality rates that we have to deal with in terms of our healthcare.

And so women are voting for freedom, for their reproductive freedom, but also the freedom that dark democracy presents and propose -- proposes for everyone. And Donald Trump wants to take it away for everyone except himself and his MAGA extremist Republican cult.

WHITFIELD: And -- and still on the issue of, you know, as you said, reproductive freedom, in the last two years, seven states have voted on abortion ballot measures after the Dobbs decision, and all of the efforts aimed at restricting abortion access failed, whereas those attempting to expand access have passed. So in the states where abortion related initiatives are on the ballot, does that, in your view, further incentivize voter turnout?

LEE: Absolutely. It is extremely important because a lot is at stake. I remember the days before Roe, Fredricka. I remember having to go to Mexico for an abortion. I remember when abortions were criminalized. I remember when black women particularly, were dying from septic abortion. So this is critical.

And I think that all women, all people in this country, in our country, believe that these rights should not be taken away, because it's, again, in the context of our freedoms. And so these states that have passed measures to make sure that access, abortion access is -- is there for everyone, I think, recognize that this is a critical moment, that Project 2025, which wants to establish a national abortion ban, which Donald Trump supports and which we know because he has proud -- proudly said that he appointed three Supreme Court justices who took away our rights.

[12:35:31]

I think people understand that this is a critical moment and they're voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. But this is the last stretch, and we all are out there voting, getting people to the polls and making sure that we win on Tuesday because we cannot go back. We have to move forward.

WHITFIELD: And I remember you telling and sharing very powerfully your personal story. And now, even most recently, you know, Chrissy Teigen is on the campaign trail with Harris, also sharing a very difficult decision she had to make with abortion and the loss of -- of her child. I wonder, is it your feeling that very personal anecdote, stories like this, in concert with what Harris is proposing to protect in terms of reproductive rights, that it resonates, that -- that it is assisting, that it is helping, especially when you talk about people who claim to be still on the fence.

LEE: I think it helps a lot. You know, and it was very difficult for me to talk about my story because first of all, this should be a decision that if you want to talk about it, fine. If you don't, it's your private decision between yourself, your family members and your doctor.

And so it's important that when women want to talk about it, if they don't, that's OK. But if they do, it certainly helps connect with other women who are going through these struggles. And also the dangers of -- of what is taking place under Roe are made very prominent and very clear. Look at the women who have died as a result.

Look at -- look at what has taken place just since the enactment of Roe. It's outrageous. This is a matter of life and death. And so, yes, the women who are brave enough and who are courageous enough to talk about it are really making a difference. I co-chair the Pro Choice Caucus with Congresswoman Diana DeGette. And I am telling you, we have organized around the country and we know good and well that the majority of people want the right to make their own decisions.

And that is what is at stake at this point in terms of our freedoms, to control our own bodies and -- and our own bodily autonomy, but also our freedoms in general, in terms of our democracy and in terms of the right to live in a country that recognizes that our freedoms are constitutionally right -- correct for us, including women, and that we have to codify and put into federal law the National Women's Abortion Act so that we can have abortion once again accessible to all women around the country.

WHITFIELD: Congresswoman Barbara Lee, thank you so much for being with us today. And just moments ago, were looking at live pictures of Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, who is speaking right there in Atlanta at a rally for Harris, just ahead of the Vice President emerging there and -- and seeing a big welcoming crowd there, just three days ago, Election Day.

[12:38:19]

All right. Coming up, hundreds are being purged from the voter rolls in Virginia. This just days before the election. We track down some of those voters, how they reacted to the news, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. The U.S. Supreme Court gave the state of Virginia the go ahead to purge voter rolls of an estimated 1,600 suspected non-citizens. But some of those people purged didn't even know it.

That is until CNN correspondent, Rene Marsh, contacted some of them and here's what she found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just weeks before Election Day, daily purges from Virginia's voter registration rolls. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin calls it an effort to prevent illegal non- citizen voting, something that rarely happens. CNN got access to the list of 1,600 people and called over 100 of them. While we did identify non-citizens, we also found many citizens who are eligible voters.

MARSH: Are -- are you a citizen?

MARSH (voice-over): Some of them were even born in the U.S. and had voted in several previous elections without problems.

RACHEL XU, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY STUDENT: It's a bit confusing that like I registered and now I'm not.

MARSH (voice-over): George Mason University student, Rachel Xu, spoke to CNN from her dorm room. She didn't know she'd been purged until CNN called.

XU: I was originally born in China. I immigrated here about six years ago. I got my citizenship like a year ago, but that doesn't change the fact I still have the right to vote. So that's really weird.

MARSH (voice-over): She's still not sure why she was purged. Neither is 21-year-old Abdullah Al Mosawa, who even sent CNN a picture of his U.S. Passport as proof of citizenship. He learned about Virginia's daily voter registration purges on TikTok, then realized he was affected. I wouldn't say it feels great, he told CNN.

CNN reached out to Governor Glenn Youngkin's office about what we found, his press secretary said in a statement. Governor Youngkin has been clear, every eligible Virginia citizen who wants to vote can do so by same day registering through Election Day. Youngkin has driven the narrative that illegal voting is a problem in Virginia, saying the purge addresses it.

[12:45:12]

GOV. GLENN YOUNGKIN (R-VA): That just provides further -- further comfort across the commonwealth that this election will be secure, it will be accurate.

MARSH (voice-over): Youngkin and other Republicans have followed Trump in stoking fears over voter fraud. Trump baselessly claims illegal voting is part of the reason he the 2020 election. DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Removing illegal voters off the voting row should be a -- a big priority for this country.

MARSH (voice-over): While the Virginia purge involves a relatively small number of voters in a state not considered a battleground, voting rights groups worry about the chilling effect of the purge on eligible voters.

ANNA DORMAN, COUNSEL, PROTECT DEMOCRACY: It's also causing a lot of fear within immigrants and new citizen communities more generally who are getting this information via social media and through the Grapevine and hearing that there's some sort of issue and that people could be prosecute for felonies.

MARSH (voice-over): As for Xu, she says she won't be deterred and plans to register and cast her ballot for the very first time on Election Day.

XU: I'm a citizen. I still have -- I have my right to vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: Well, the most important message for any Virginia voter who has been purged is if you are a citizen and you're eligible to vote, you can use Virginia's same day registration process to vote in person at early voting locations through this Saturday or at your polling place on Election Day. But voting rights advocates say these purges are just making it more difficult for certain voters to exercise their right to vote.

Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.

WHITFIELD: All right, Rene, thank you so much for that.

All right, when we come back, obviously fake, that's how Georgia Secretary of State is reacting to a viral video of alleged voter fraud. Why he says the video is likely the work of Russian troll farms.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:51:38]

WHITFIELD: The federal agency in charge of the country's election systems is struggling to combat election misinformation being spread domestically. Sources say Homeland Security's Cybersecurity Agency is actively calling out foreign disinformation efforts this year, but is less aggressive in calling out lies being told by Americans, something it actively did in 2020. CNN's Rafael Romo has been looking into all this. He's joining me right now. Rafael, great to see you. So one the latest attempts at misinformation has been this fake video purportedly, you know, showing a Haitian immigrant claiming that he voted several times.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's happening again, and what we know is that it didn't originate in the U.S. It came from Russia. And the original video showed up on X on Thursday. It had well over half a million views before it was deleted. And the problem is that it continues to circulate on social media. It shows purportedly a Haitian immigrant claiming he voted several times for Vice President Kamala Harris, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told CNN Friday night, the video is obviously fake and likely part of a Russian disinformation effort.

Raffensperger also said that, one, immigrants don't get citizenship papers, a driver's license or anything that would allow them to vote in six months. Two, Georgia, the secretary said, has a very robust citizenship verification process. And three, Raffensperger says the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Georgia state officials that the video came from Russia.

Raffensperger also says the state of Georgia is fully prepared to tackle lies and disinformation efforts coming from abroad.

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BRAD RAFFENSPERGER (R-GA), SECRETARY OF STATE: We knew there -- it just didn't smell right. So we checked it out, came to a conclusion real quick. So we responded very quickly, you know, on Twitter and then also with a press release just to let people know it's fake, don't fall for it, because in effect, what people want to do, these nation state actors is really get us fighting among ourselves. We got enough that splits us. We don't need to have the Russians or other bad actors try and split us further.

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ROMO: And Raffensperger also told CNN that the state of Georgia expects further interference and disinformation efforts coming from Russia with the purpose of getting Americans arguing with each other or promoting wild conspiracy theories. So it's in their best interest to do something like that, to destabilize -- try to destabilize this country.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I also want to ask you about a decision by a Georgia judge to extend the deadline for returning absentee ballots for more than 3,000 voters. Why is that happening?

ROMO: Yes, this happened in Cobb County here in Georgia. The ruling by a Cobb County Superior Court judge was issued after the county admitted it was late sending the ballots out to voters. We're talking about 3,240 absentee ballots. The order from the judge requires local election officials to count those ballots as long as they're postmarked by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day and received on or before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 8th.

Otherwise, the judge said -- the judge said, voters would have suffered irreparable injury. It's a good idea that they're doing that, allowing that for people to --

WHITFIELD: Extraordinary.

ROMO: Yes. WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Rafael Romo, thank you.

ROMO: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. The top five CNN Heroes of 2024 have been announced. And this morning, morning in some parts of the nation and midday the rest, we're introducing you to one of those finalists. Nearly 130 million girls worldwide are not in school today because their families cannot afford the cost of the school uniform. And when Idaho native Payton McGriff learned about this, she made it her college project. So today, her nonprofit every year provides specially designed uniforms to more than 1,500 girls. And in doing so, transforming their lives.

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PAYTON MCGRIFF, FOUNDER AND CEO, STYLE HER EMPOWERED: When a girl enters our program, she not only receives a new school uniform, but she receives a full tuition, scholarship, full year of school supplies, a reusable menstrual kit, and a year round tutoring from our local staff.

After we provided our first round of uniforms, we realized our students were outgrowing them very quickly. So that was where the uniform that grows was born. It grows six sizes and up to 12 inches in length. It adjusts in various parts of the body to provide a well- tailored fit to put their uniform on for the first time. That's one of the most joyous experiences that we see.

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WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, that is amazing. And you can go to CNNHeroes.com right now to vote for your favorite hero. This year you can vote 10 times a day to help support the heroes who inspire you the most.

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