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CNN This Morning
Brad Raffensperger is Interviewed about Georgia Voting; Woman Gored by Bison; Josh Shapiro is Interviewed about his Race for Governor; Jennifer Coolidge is Interviewed about Acting. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired November 02, 2022 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00]
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Be able to get out and vote.
BRAD RAFFENSPERGER (R), GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, you made a very key point when you said about during the pandemic. During the pandemic we had 25 percent of the people, you know, were voting absentee. And that's why, as an emergency measure, drop boxes were put in to as an administrative rule. But that went out after the senatory (ph) runoffs. They weren't allowed. And so for the very first time they're actually codified and put into state law. We're now back to about 6 percent to 7 percent of the people voting absentee. So the numbers are down by 80 percent of who's voting absentee.
LEMON: But why wouldn't that be something that you would learn from if it worked during the pandemic? It doesn't mean just because you had the pandemic. Maybe this was something that actually worked and you would learn from it and say, wow, look how many people we gave access to, to voting. No?
RAFFENSPERGER: Yes, and now we have 80 percent less people voting absentee. They're based on population. You get one for every 100,000 voters.
And then, obviously, next session, the general assembly can look at it and should that be tweaked, should there be a few more drop boxes. But it's population based. Every county has to have one.
Back in 2020 we had nearly 40 counties that did not have a single drop box. Now every county has to have a drop box.
But the fact of the matter is, we have safe and secure elections, we have photo ID for absentee voting, photo ID for in-person voting. We have record turnout. It's never been easier to register. We have record registrations. We have 6.9 million registered voters -- active registered voters and it looks like to me we will probably be pushing well over 4 million, which is what we had in 2018.
We won't hit the presidential number of 5 million, but, still, we're showing that it's here as the proper guardrails and accessibility and we believe that we're the model for election integrity but also election access. LEMON: Yes, everyone will be paying attention.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it's remarkable the numbers. And when I interview Governor Kemp, he told me the same thing. He said that this is proof that what President Biden and what other Democrats have said about that new election law is wrong.
Brad Raffensperger, we appreciate your time. Thank you for joining us. We know you've got a lot of early voting going on, so we'll let you get back to that in Georgia.
RAFFENSPERGER: Thank you.
COLLINS: Thanks so much.
LEMON: All eyes will be on the state where he is, Georgia, coming up on Tuesday.
COLLINS: Yes.
LEMON: A couple of votes (ph). Arizona but Georgia is a big one as well.
COLLINS: But coming up in the next few minutes, we have caught on camera this Texas woman who was gored by a bison in a state park. You'll hear what was happening, her thoughts, right as this attack was underway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh! Oh my God!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Have you seen the video. That's my - this morning (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: I haven't (ph) seen it. It's crazy.
COLLINS: It's crazy.
HARLOW: I mean, like, that's -
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:36:16]
LEMON: You're going to have to see this one - this next one to believe it. And I'm sure -
COLLINS: It hurts me.
LEMON: I'm sure this woman could not believe what happened. But, guess what, she lived to tell about it. You would say she's lucky to be alive, but I don't think this is, you know, very lucky there.
She was gored by a bison. You may recall Rebecca Clark shared a video of the attack last month that exploded on social media.
And CNN's Ed Lavandera spoke with her. Ed joins us now from Texas.
Ed, what a crazy experience.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Rebecca Clark's survival story is that, it's quite an amazing survival story. But it is more than that. It really puts the spotlight on decades of efforts to save one of the most iconic animals in North America.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA (voice over): Walking under the vibrant sky and rustic cliffs of Caprock Canyon State Park feels like a journey into a lost age. In this corner of west Texas, this sprawling land is home to a herd of southern plains bison, a species that centuries ago dominated the landscape. Today, it's a park where the bison and the human roam.
REBECCA CLARK, HIKING ENTHUSIAST: So this is kind of just my memory wall.
LAVANDERA: Last month, Rebecca Clark visited the park for a week of solo hiking.
CLARK: That's actually him.
LAVANDERA: She didn't think the experience would end up immortalized on this wall.
CLARK: I want to remember that time and all the things that happened.
LAVANDERA: It's a story she's lucky to tell.
CLARK: Come on, keep going. I just want to get by, OK.
LAVANDERA: Clark recorded on her phone as she crossed paths with bison roaming past a trail, much closer than the 50-yard minimum distance recommended.
LAVANDERA (on camera): At what point did you realize you were in trouble?
CLARK: Well, I think it's when I used profanity in my video.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
When I saw him turn, it's like instantly I knew he was going to come after me.
Oh, no. Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED)!
Oh! Ah! Oh! Oh, my God!
LAVANDERA (voice over): The bison gored Clark in the back.
CLARK: It was so fast. He hit me in the back. Rammed me, hooked me, and then flipped me up face forward into a mesquite bush.
LAVANDERA (on camera): What is going through your mind at that time?
CLARK: I thought I was paralyzed.
LAVANDERA: You've kept the backpack intact.
CLARK: Oh, yes. This is my backpack. I might wash it eventually. But I had to eat a lot of humble pie for this one.
LAVANDERA (voice over): The bison's horn cut a wide gash in her back.
CLARK: I still know that I was too close. You know, I wasn't as diligent as I should have been.
LAVANDERA: Clark posted her video on TikTok. It went viral. And it also put the spotlight on this unique state park.
DONALD BEARD, SUPERINTENDENT, CAPROCK CANYON STATE PARK: The bison are definitely the keystone species.
LAVANDERA: Donald Beard is the superintendent of Caprock Canyon State Park and a passionate advocate of growing bison herd populations across the country.
BEARD: It's really cool to be able to drive though this park and have bison walk across the road in front of you and see them and know the history of them.
LAVANDERA: In the 1870s, the Texas bison were decimated in the great slaughter. But famed ranchers Charles and Maryann Goodnight (ph) saved a few. The descendants of those bison were bred and kept on a private ranch for decade.
In 2011, the park released the bison to begin roaming freely through much of this 15,000 acre park. Since then, Beard says, the herd grew from 80 animals to 350.
BEARD: The song "give me a home where the buffalo roam," that's where we live.
LAVANDERA: Visitors are warned repeatedly to keep their distance. Here, the bison are king.
BEARD: They are survivors. You know, they've survived our best attempt at trying to get rid of them, and they're making a comeback.
[08:40:01]
LAVANDERA (on camera): Has this changed your relationship with this animal?
CLARK: I'm sorry. Gosh, I can't believe you did this to me.
I'm trying to protect the opportunity to go experience nature. LAVANDERA (voice over): This is what makes Rebecca Clark emotional.
She'd be devastated if her encounter prevents others from this bison experience.
LAVANDERA (on camera): You love the outdoors that much? No, I think that's --
CLARK: Yes. Wow.
LAVANDERA: I am so sorry. I --
CLARK: No, it's that ah-ha moment for me there. So, yes, I hope I didn't -
LAVANDERA: Yes.
CLARK: Keep somebody else from that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: So, guys, Rebecca Clark says she is well on her way to recovery. That she'll be hiking again, enjoying the outdoors here by - by - pretty soon, by the end of the year. And Donald Beard there, the superintendent of the park, says that his goal is to increase the bison population herd here in Texas up to 2,000, but he needs to find other places across the southern plains where these animals can continue to thrive.
LEMON: Ed Lavandera, thank you very much. Appreciate that.
HARLOW: Thank you, Ed.
President Biden and former Presidents Trump and Obama all traveling, guess where, to Pennsylvania this weekend in a last-ditch effort to energize voters before Tuesday's election. Will it make a difference? Pennsylvania's attorney general, candidate for governor, Josh Shapiro, is here next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: All right, as we reported earlier, a really telling new CNN poll shows Republicans with quite an advantage just days away from the midterms. And, guess what, it's the economy, stupid. Remember that?
LEMON: Yes.
HARLOW: And it is again. Fifty-one percent of voters say that is their big number one issue. It's not even a close second.
Joining us now to talk about the economy and a whole lot more, Pennsylvania Democratic candidate for governor Josh Shapiro.
Thank you so much for being with us this morning.
And let's talk about the economy. So much of this, as you know, is about inflation. And you've got a Democrat in the White House. You've got Democrats controlling the House and the Senate and inflation is out of control.
My question to you is, as governor, there's not a lot you can do to deal with inflation, but you do oversee all these state agencies, right, that deal with tax policy, that deal with grants, that deal with aid to those suffering. What would you do, as governor, to help people struggling with the economy, with inflation?
JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA), GUBERNATORIAL. CANDIDATE: Well, look, obviously this is not an issue created by the governor of the commonwealth or, you know, the state lawmakers. But I do think we have a responsibility to address it, to bring down costs for Pennsylvania families. That's why many months ago I leaned in on this issue and put forth a concrete plan to reduce costs for Pennsylvanians. First, we would cut business taxes. Second, we'd get rid of those nuisance taxes here in Pennsylvania, like the cell phone tax. Every Pennsylvanian with a cell phone pays 11 percent more on their bill each month. Third, we're going to double what's known as the property tax rent rebate and double the number of seniors that are eligible for it. That's going to help seniors with rising costs be able to stay in their homes.
And finally, for those who are dealing with pain at the pump, I want to give them all an immediate $250 gas tax rebate. You have two cars, $500 and so on and so forth. The bottom line here is, we have to cut costs for Pennsylvania families.
HARLOW: Yes.
[08:45:02]
SHAPIRO: This problem may not have come from Pennsylvania, but I think we need to address it here. And I'm the only candidate that's put forth a plan to do just that.
LEMON: Since we're on this poll, OK, and let's take a look at what's happening here. You -- the economy, number one, right, and it's always, as James Carville said, the economy, stupid. We get that. But surprising - so Democrats are running on abortion. It is number two. But it is a far number two, 51 percent, economy, 15 percent for abortion. And crime, if you look at the Republican message, it's 3 percent. It's at the bottom of the list.
What is the disconnect here for Democrats on abortion and Republicans on crime?
SHAPIRO: Look, I can't speak for national Democrats or national Republicans. I can speak to what I hear in Pennsylvania every day. And I would just tell you, I think Pennsylvania voters, Republican and Democrat, they know how to walk and chew gum at the same time, Don. They can care about rising costs. They can also care about their personal freedoms. And those personal freedoms are under attack with this dangerous extreme opponent that I'm running against who wants to ban and criminalize all abortion with no exception.
So, I lean in on protecting personal freedoms and also talking about the economy and crime. I'm proud to be endorsed by prosecutors of both parties, by local police all across Pennsylvania. I've got a plan to hire 2,000 more police officers across this commonwealth, properly trained and from the communities that they are sworn to protect because people have a right to both be safe and feel safe in our communities.
I think we do all of that together. And that's why we've seen so many Republicans join with Democrats and independents in supporting our campaign.
HARLOW: There is so little common ground, but I'm sort of fascinated by the fact that you and your competitor, Doug Mastriano, actually agree on a lot when it comes to the economy. You agree - both want to cut taxes. You actually want to cut corporate tax more -- almost twice as much as he does. You want to cut the corporate tax rate 4 percent by 2025. He wants to cut it 2.5 percent by 2030. You're campaigning on that bus. President - with President Biden, who has talked in the last week about corporate war profiteering. He said, let's make sure the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share.
I know Pennsylvania has the second highest corporate tax rate in the country, but you and the president seem on sort of a different page. Are you?
SHAPIRO: Well, look, I'm not paying a whole lot of attention to what the president's plan is or what people in Washington, D.C., are paying attention to or talking about. I'm focused on what Washington County, Pennsylvania, needs. And what they need right now is more money in their pocket. If we're going to spur economic growth here, then we need to cut taxes and raise wages. That goes hand in hand. I think that's a common-sense approach that's going to help our economy. And that's what I'm focused on, the people of Washington County, not the noise coming out of Washington, D.C.
COLLINS: And I know President Biden is coming to campaign with you on Saturday. We see you have been on this bus tour I know across - we see the bus behind you. It looks a little chilly there.
LEMON: Wait, what - what bus tour? There's a big, giant -
SHAPIRO: It's right there.
COLLINS: Yes.
SHAPIRO: It's right there.
COLLINS: You can't -
SHAPIRO: You all are welcome to join me any time.
COLLINS: Hey, we might come down and just do that.
I want to -
SHAPIRO: Do the morning show from the bus.
COLLINS: Maybe we will.
LEMON: Yes.
COLLINS: Do you think you can fit all three of us on there?
LEMON: We had an Election Express here in, I don't know - you remember the Election Express?
HARLOW: Oh, remember that?
COLLINS: But can I -- can I ask you about something that we are seeing from our reporters on the ground in Pennsylvania, and this is really fascinating to me.
SHAPIRO: Sure.
COLLINS: And they are hearing from voters who -- you are deeply popular, your polls aren't even really that close -- who are voting for you for governor but when it comes to the Senate, they are voting for Mehmet Oz. What do you make of that?
SHAPIRO: Look, Kaitlan, we'll see what voters ultimately do at the end of the day. Obviously, I'm for John Fetterman. And you couldn't have a clearer contrast in both of these races. But I'm focused on making the case against Doug Mastriano, who's by far the most dangerous and extreme candidate running in the nation.
I think if you look at Pennsylvania's history, though, our voters are discerning. We've seen a long history of ticket splitting across Pennsylvania. I'm proud of the fact that so many Republicans have joined with Democrats and independents in supporting me.
Look, I think they recognize this is a moment where we've got to take off the red jersey and the blue jersey and just wear the Pennsylvania jerseys. With everything that's at stake, with our personal freedoms being threatened by the likes of Doug Mastriano, with our democracy that was born right here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 246 years ago, under attack. We need to stand tall around the values that we hold dear, democracy, freedom and our love of this country. And that's something that's uniting Republicans, Democrats, and independents behind my candidacy, and I'm honored to have that support.
COLLINS: But what's at stake -
LEMON: You know what I think the biggest lesson here is in this - go on. I'm sorry.
COLLINS: I've got one question about - about that because you said you are supporting John Fetterman and --
SHAPIRO: I thought Don - Don was about to drop some knowledge on (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: I was about to drop some knowledge, but Kaitlan has a question for you. I'll droop it after Kaitlan.
SHAPIRO: OK. Sorry. Go ahead. [08:50:01]
COLLINS: Don -- Don is always dropping knowledge.
SHAPIRO: I'm sorry.
COLLINS: But I do have a quick question -
SHAPIRO: Go ahead, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Because you said that you're supporting John Fetterman and, you know, you talked about what's at stake in this race. Do you believe that John Fetterman, though, to assuage voters' concerns, should have his doctors brief the press?
SHAPIRO: That's obviously a decision John's going to make. I'll actually be with him tonight in State College. We'll be rallying students at Penn State. But that's ultimately his call.
LEMON: Yes.
HARLOW: Knowledge drop time.
LEMON: So, my knowledge drop time was - and it is, look, I think the biggest lesson in here is (INAUDIBLE).
SHAPIRO: Give it to us, Don.
LEMON: It's branding. You've got the bus and you've got the jacket and you stayed on message.
HARLOW: Don's going to -
LEMON: You're like this -- this isn't about this person, it's about me. It's not about what's happening in the nation, this is about what's happening to the people in Pennsylvania.
Staying on message, but I'm jut - I'm making a joke about your branding, but nice jacket, by the way.
SHAPIRO: Well, Don, if - if Don Lemon knows how to dress. So, if you like the Ted Lasso puffer coat, that's a - that's a good deal here, Don. Thank you.
HARLOW: It's like -- you don't even know what a challenge it is to keep up with this.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
COLLINS: Josh Shapiro, thank you so much for joining us from your bus tour this morning. We look forward to paying attention closely to Pennsylvania.
LEMON: Yes.
HARLOW: Thank you. LEMON: So, coming up -
COLLINS: Oh, this is a good one. She has acted in classics, "Legally Blonde," "American Pie," two of my favorite movies, and Don had the chance to talk to her, Jennifer Coolidge, the one and only. We'll have her interview, ahead.
LEMON: She's fun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER COOLIDGE, ACTRESS: Oh, my God, you look like the Fourth of July. That makes me want a hot dog real bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, OK. Well -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Definitely a scene, Jennifer Coolidge. Maybe you don't know her name, but you've seen her in everything. But her most acclaimed performances are probably in the current HBO's "The White Lotus" and Netflix "The Watcher." Everyone is watching. She is a streaming star right now.
[08:55:02]
She will make you laugh. And recently I got a chance to sit down with the actress in New Orleans at her home.
Here's our interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: I'm a huge, huge fan of yours.
JENNIFER COOLIDGE, ACTRESS: Oh.
LEMON: Is that OK? Can I fan out a little bit?
COOLIDGE: Please. Yes, why not? Yes.
LEMON: You're an Emmy Award winner. You've been on the big screen. You've been on the small screen. And now you're this streaming star holding it down on HBO and Netflix.
What is that like?
COOLIDGE: It's way more enjoyable if you never expected the moment to happen. So, I just - you know, I think it's the surprise of it all that makes it so fun just because I just - I truly believe, if I had expected this all to happen, it never would have happened. I think - I don't know. I don't -- who knows? And, you know what, sometimes I think, I don't even want to analyze it because I don't want to jinx it. It's just this weird, you know, lucky moment. LEMON: What do you mean, weird lucky moment? You mean to have success
at, you know, at a ripe young age of we won't say, but -
COOLIDGE: Yes. Yes. Don't say.
LEMON: Because Hollywood is such a -- it's like youth.
COOLIDGE: I mean, I think one of the reasons I think people have had such a maybe a big response on both -- sort of both shows that sort of, you know, came out and stuff like that is that I think a lot of people, you know, even especially - I think Covid had something to do with it. It's like, I think a lot of people want to feel like they have a chance at something, that maybe they thought it was a missed chance. And I think I'm a good example of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOLIDGE: And I am deeply, deeply insecure. I know a lot of rich white (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up people.
So, let's have fun, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: When you think about -- about "White Lotus," right -
COOLIDGE: Yes.
LEMON: Because the success that happened during Covid and everybody was watching. I watched it, actually binge watched it, when I had Covid.
COOLIDGE: You did?
LEMON: And so I was watching it as I had Covid and I was like, I want to be in Hawaii with them. And then, I said, these are such awful people, I don't know, but I'd still like to be in that beautiful place.
COOLIDGE: Yes, we were - we - yes, a lot of us were awful. I mean not some -- some of us not intentionally awful, but, yes, we're just spoiled -- spoiled rotten.
LEMON: Why do you think it was such a success? Do you think it was because of Covid or -- obviously it's because it's a great series.
COOLIDGE: I think Mike White has this - you know, is very tapped in to who people are and how to tell a story. I think he -- his stuff is very real. And then we had a lot of, you know, strong feelings for Murray Bartlett's character, the - you know, sympathize being, you know, in - and, you know, look, I was a cocktail waitress right up until my 30 - in my - right before I got Stifler's mom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOLIDGE: Are you trying to seduce me? EDDIE KAYE THOMAS, ACTOR: Yes, ma'am, I am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And the big screen, at least what I came to know you as a sex symbol, as Stifler's mom. Like, people were like, they were like, Stifler's mom is hot.
COOLIDGE: Well, you know, I'm just really glad the Weitz brothers didn't cast a supermodel for that role because I think they wanted a woman who might be in the neighborhood and not look, you know what I mean, like not a super -- I'm really glad that they went with someone kind of normal, if I am - you know, if I can pull that off. Like, I thought it was like a normal woman that like, you know, just some kid would maybe have a crush on.
LEMON: Let's go to "The Watcher" now.
COOLIDGE: Yes.
LEMON: The other -- your other success that's also airing at the same time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ACTOR: Excuse me. Did indentured servants build this home, do you know?
COOLIDGE: What? I mean, how would I know?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It's scary.
COOLIDGE: Yes.
LEMON: It's creepy.
COOLIDGE: I think people love it when it's a true story, and it really did happen to some people. Creepy people are always more interesting than monsters. You know what I mean. Like, if it's any sort of robot or anything -- nothing is creepier than a creepy human.
LEMON: I think the folks in streaming now have more of an influence on the culture and are even, in some ways, bigger stars than people on the screen, on the big screen, in the box office, I should say, that go to movie theaters.
COOLIDGE: I feel like maybe the people that are watching - you know, are streaming these shows and stuff like this aren't as in love with perfection as the previous audience. I make a, you know, a million wrong moves in a day and I think maybe the streaming people like that.
LEMON: I think you're right about that.
COOLIDGE: You do? LEMON: I think that's part of the success, because it's more
relatable.
COOLIDGE: No one's ever said I'm right about anything.
LEMON: You're -
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: She's amazing. Thanks for turning it. And Kaitlan said, can you get Jennifer Coolidge? And I did. I felt challenged to go and interview her.
We wanted to have her here on the set, but she can only shoot it down New Orleans (ph).
COLLINS: That show is so good. Mike White, Dave Burnett behind it, they're amazing.
HARLOW: What -
LEMON: And "The Watcher" as well. Both -
HARLOW: What's your mission in life for me, Kaitlan?
COLLINS: Is to get Poppy to watch "White Lotus" because it is that good. And that interview was so good.
LEMON: Did you -
COLLINS: Hearing her talk about her career and how it got started. And she was grateful they didn't cast some supermodel. And she looks amazing there.
LEMON: She was - yes. Did you watch the first episode of "White Lotus"?
COLLINS: I haven't watched the first episode of season two -
LEMON: Of the second season.
COLLINS: Because it was on Sunday, right before we were getting ready for this show.
LEMON: I watched it last night, by the way.
COLLINS: Good?
LEMON: Yes, it's really, really good. You've got to -
HARLOW: OK. All right, my Saturday night plans.
LEMON: Yes.
COLLINS: (INAUDIBLE) funny.
[09:00:00]
LEMON: The thing is, streaming stars now have just as big an influence or as much impact or more than box office movie stars because everyone is watching streaming and everyone is watching the "White Lotus." HBO Max. And if you don't have it, make sure you sign up. And also "The Watcher" is on Netflix. You can catch that as well.
Thank you so much for joining us, everyone. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning.
"NEWSROOM" starts right now.
COLLINS: Day two in the books.
HARLOW: OK, I'm going to watch it Saturday.
