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CNN This Morning

White House Anticipating October Jobs Report on U.S. Economy; Tensions Increase between North Korea and South Korea as Both Sides Engage in Military Displays; Oprah Winfrey Endorses John Fetterman for Senate in Pennsylvania; New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul Interviewed on Issue of Crime in Her Race against Republican Challenger Lee Zeldin; Interview with Governor Kathy Hochul where she talks about her race against Lee Zeldin; Questions Arising If Trump Will Run For President In 2024. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired November 04, 2022 - 08:00   ET

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

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[08:00:40]

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Don Lemon here alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. It it is Friday, November 4th, just a few days before Election Day. We've got a lot to get to this morning, including the critical October jobs report. It's going to be released in about a half-an-hour. The White House is hoping for something to tout to voters ahead of the critical midterm.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Also new this morning, provocation from North Korea that causes the South to scramble fighter jets. We'll take you live to South Korea straight ahead.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And my favorite story of the morning, when LSU and Alabama predictably tangle tomorrow in Death Valley, there is going to be a lot on the line, including mine and Don's relationship.

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LEMON: Anchor bragging, who gets to eat crow, a lot ahead.

First, just a short time from now, the October jobs report is coming out, and the White House is hoping for a Goldilocks number, not too big, not too small, something just right just four days before the midterms. M.J. Lee live for this morning at the White House. M.J., good morning to you. I hope that an irritating lawn mower is not with you this morning. Hello.

M.J. LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is actually behind me, but I guess you can't hear it this morning as well.

LEMON: Good morning.

LEE: Hey, so, yes, what we're expecting this morning, typically on a normal jobs day, the White House is going to look for a jobs number that is big, that makes sense. More jobs is good news. But we are not in normal times, inflation is incredibly high. So what White House officials are looking for is a number somewhere between 150 to 300,000 jobs added last month. And it is this sort of Goldilocks number in that they don't want it to be too low. They still want to see jobs growth. But they definitely don't want that number to be too high because they know that the economy has to cool in order for these high prices to come down and in order for the Fed to stop these very aggressive rate hikes. So, yes, we are in a world right now where the White House is sort of actively hoping for a moderate job number.

LEMON: They're hoping that because they're wondering if this jobs report can make a difference for Democrats before Election Day, and we don't know, we don't know.

LEE: Yes, and we are just four days out, right. And the concern for Democrats would be that the economic outlook is pretty baked in at this point. White House officials have been saying you look at jobs growth, you look at the quarterly economic growth, and we are not in a recession, they say. We are not even in a prerecession. But that is not how voters feel. Just this CNN poll that came out this week showed that 75 percent of Americans feel like the economy is in a recession. So it almost doesn't matter, guys, what the numbers say, what the reports say, what the data show. This is what the voters are feeling right now, pretty pessimistic, a lot of them, about the economy. So that is sort of the political reality that Democrats confront heading into next week, regardless of what the jobs report might say at 8:30 today.

LEMON: M.J. Lee every morning fighting a lawnmower at the White House. Thank you, M.J., appreciate that.

HARLOW: You're going to do something about that.

It is Friday, and usually people are looking forward to today, but not employees at Twitter. The social media giant is sending them a warning, check your e-mail before noon, you may be fired. Within hours Elon Musk's company will begin mass layoffs. The cuts come a little more than a week after he took over Twitter. Now employees there are suing. They are trying to get class action status in a lawsuit in San Francisco because they say they weren't given enough notice under U.S. federal law that has to warn them before they lose their jobs.

COLLINS: Also, this morning, the tracks of about 180 North Korea military aircraft have been detected flying near South Korea's border. CNN's Will Ripley is joining us live from Seoul, South Korea, with the latest. Will, how is South Korea responding to this?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has really been a fast moving week here, and we're really seeing the contrast because the current presidential administration of President Yoon, who is all about showing force to North Korea provocations, versus President Moon who was trying and failing to make peace for so many years.

So after North Korea decided to send 180 warplanes near the border with South Korea in response to Operation Vigilant Storm, which has 240 U.S. and South Korean warplanes along with thousands of troops from the U.S. and South Korea engaging in military drills that were extended until Saturday in response to North Korea's barrage of missile launches this week.

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Well, the planes flew right back from the South, and the South Korean air force scrambled their own jets, sending them close to the border in a show of force, and a real sign of escalating tensions in this part of the world. The big question now, though, is what happens next? The military drills are, as I said, expected to continue until Saturday. North Korea has vowed serious repercussions if those drills continue. Is this sending of war planes near the border going to be the end of it, Kaitlan, or can we expect to see perhaps the largest provocation in half a decade, which would be North Korea's seventh underground nuclear test. We've been expecting it for months. Officials in the U.S., South Korea, and Japan say all Kim Jong-un un has to do is push the button and he could potentially push this region back to the brink of a nuclear crisis in addition to everything else happening around the world, particularly Russia and Ukraine, Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Yes, and the White House is watching this incredibly closely. Will Ripley, thank you.

HARLOW: With only four days left until Election Day, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah, making a major endorsement in a major state. She is endorsing Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, not endorsing the Republican candidate Mehmet Oz. There you see, remember them, she is the one who made him famous, made him a household name.

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OPRAH WINFREY: You mentioned Pennsylvania. I have to say in this midterm campaign, I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania. And of course, I will tell you all this, if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons.

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HARLOW: Many reasons, it's a big endorsement. Oz's spokesperson says that, quote, "Dr. Oz loves Oprah and respects the fact that they have different politics." He goes on to emphasize one of his leading campaign messages is that, quote, "We need more balance and less extremism in Washington."

LEMON: It's really getting down to the wire. And this is a very important race. One race that is becoming more competitive than expected is the race for New York governor right here in New York state where we are. Incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul holding a slight lead over Republican Lee Zeldin. Democratic star power joining Hochul on the campaign trail this week. Vice President Harris, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton lending their support to a get out the vote rally. The former secretary of state was on the program yesterday speaking about this.

New York's Governor Kathy Hochul joins us now live. She is the Democrat running for governor. Good morning to you. Good morning to you. We real appreciate you joining us this morning. Here's my question.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL, (D) NEW YORK: Good morning.

LEMON: Listen, I've been covering and living in New York for quite a long time. It is surprising that the race is this close. Why is this race so close, Governor? Are you concerned?

HOCHUL: Well, were're focusing on getting out the votes. When Democrats turn out, we win. I'm at the Brooklyn subway stop at the Barclay's Center, and there's a lot of energy. I took the subway over from Manhattan. So I think what's not being captured in the polls is there really is finally energy on ground. It doesn't manifest itself earlier, but it is all coming. You only need to peak on Election Day.

But I do think that there's anxiety out there. You talked about the economy a lot, and we understand that. We understand that. I think it's a combination of coming off a tough couple of years of the pandemic, people are feeling anxious about the price of everything going up, all their groceries and their rent, and it's a frustrating time. And I understand that. But we want them to know the Democrats actually have real results as opposed to the Republican rhetoric, and that's really what our campaign is coming down to.

LEMON: Listen, I did not miss the fact that you said you took the subway over and that you're campaigning at a subway stop, and that is where we have been seeing a lot of crime, right, on the news. If you look at the issue of crime has been really front and center for voters. Here in New York City people think that crime is number one, 28 percent, this according to a Quinnipiac poll, inflation is 20 percent. The crime rate overall is down, but there are issues when it comes to violent crimes, there are issues when it comes to murder. They're down in some places in the city, up in many places in the city, and in the state as well. What are Democrats not getting about crime? Why are Republicans winning on this whole crime issue? That has been the thing that has fueled Lee Zeldin's campaign.

HOCHUL: Because they're being dishonest about it. They're not having a conversation about real solutions. What we have done is taken 8,000 illegal guns off the streets. We made sure that no 18-year-old can get their hand on an AR-15. We've made sure that our red flag laws are tough and there's background checks, whereas Lee Zeldin has opposed every part of that, even voting against the first significant gun safety legislation in three decades in Washington. He didn't even show up to help support our police officers with funding for them in Washington. So they can say all they want, but the facts are on the other side. We've done a lot to get guns off the street, and I was just in the subway again with --

LEMON: Violent crime is up 7.8 percent in the state. It is down a point from 20 and 21, but it is up 7.8 percent. That is concerning. And especially is you look in New York City and we look at the news and we see this randomly what is happening in our subways and on our streets, people are really nervous about it. I know you're saying they're being disingenuous about it, but that is a real, real factor, governor, you can't deny that. HOCHUL: I'm not denying that. I'm just saying the way the

Republicans' ad campaign is, if they're going to say they're tough on crime but soft on guns, that doesn't add up, and I want the voters to know that.

But we have leaned hard into working with Mayor Adams on getting more cops and cameras and care for people who are severely mentally ill who have been on the subway. So I was not talking about this in an election environment. We did this back in January, and it's a sustained approach to bring state resources to help local law enforcement, which is something I'm proud of that hasn't happened before. The governor and the mayor of New York never cooperated in the way that we are now. And it's going to take some time. And I know the voters understand this.

But nationwide crime is a problem. Our numbers are better in New York City. Violent crime is up, but we look at murders and shootings and they're down about three percent. But that's not going to give anyone any comfort. It says we still have a problem. I understand that. Let's talk about real answers and not just give everybody all these platitudes.

HARLOW: As someone who takes my kid every day on the subway in New York City very close to where you are this morning, yes, homicides are down but rapes are up, robberies are up, felony assault is up. And you talked about your opponent not having solutions. One thing that Lee Zeldin has said he would definitely do if he becomes governor is if he went through an executive order, repeal immediately the bail reform law that was passed. You don't love that law the way it stands. You've wanted changes to it. Would you do the same as he is saying he would? Would you repeal it through executive order?

HOCHUL: Again, that is such a simplistic approach. It negates the fact that it is about how we support law enforcement. He voted against -- he wouldn't support funding for police. I tripled the amount of money for law enforcement. We're supporting violent disrupter programs. To say that you're just going to change one part of the system, it shows a naivete that is not going to be a real solution. So we did make targeted changes to the bail laws covering gun cases and repeat offenders. That has all just been in effect for a few months now because of what I was able to accomplish in the budget.

I'm always willing to look at it again, but the data is not showing that that is the cause of this. There are individual cases. But compared to pre-pandemic and when this was passed, I don't think there's a real disparity. But that doesn't matter. We're dealing with people's feelings here. And I understand that. I'm a mother. You're hardwired to care about your children and your family's safety. So voters need to know that we have a plan, we're working on this, and just putting up ads that say you have the answer when you really don't. When you don't think we should be getting guns off the streets, you want to give guns to every teacher, you want guns in the subways, that is just irrational to think that that is going to make people safer. I just think people need to know really what's on the line here as someone who has been working in the trenches, rolling up her sleeves and getting the job done, and not just running around the state saying all you have to do is repeal a bail law and all the crime will disappear. I think people are smarter than that.

LEMON: Kaitlan, I want to get in. Just a point of clarification, this is according to CNN and other fact checks, there is no evidence to suggest that bail reform is a major factor. And if that changes, of course, we will tell you. But so far there is not evidence linking bail reform to what has been taking place in some cities.

COLLINS: And Governor, I know you were on the campaign trail yesterday with Hillary Clinton, the vice president. Women have obviously been a big constituency here that you are seeking their vote, so is Lee Zeldin. When you talk to them, do they prioritize abortion or the economy and crime?

HOCHUL: Women cannot be described as monolithic group. We all have our particular issues, but overall women do feel deeply troubled that someone running for governor, Lee Zeldin, is avowedly against their right to choose. His name is currently on legislation that says life begins at conception, opposes abortion for rape and incest, even when the life of the mother's is at stake. That is his position. And he wants to say nothing changed since the Dobbs position in New York. That's because I'm the governor and he's not. I understand the power of the governor, and there are many ways that he could subvert women's right to choose if he became the governor.

But that's not the only issue. Mothers are concerned education, how they're going to save up for their kids' college, how they're going to pay for a tank of gas, how they're going to cover the cost of food on the table. So there are economic issues, and we're leaning into hard into job creation. Lee Zeldin voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, he voted against the infrastructure act, which is bringing thousands and thousands of jobs to New York. I'm using money for that to pay for potholes in his district, and he didn't even vote for it.

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So there's a lot of areas where more work could have been done. We just created by bringing Micron because of the Federal Chips Bill and the state Green Chips Bill. We're now going to have semi-conductor chips made in New York state, 50,000 jobs and Lee Zeldin voted against it. You lift people up giving them good paying jobs, investing in them, investing in their kids education and Lee Zeldin has opposed all that. That is a significant difference that's on the minds of a lot of women.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and women aren't a monolith when they vote. They -- they have different interests but it does make a difference potentially what happens on Tuesday what they are voting on.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Governor, before I let you go, listen, we've got to ask you about Paul Pelosi and -- and the House Speaker. Have you had a chance to reach out -- what's your reaction to what happened?

HOCHUL: We have reached out. It is terrifying to think that there's such a vulnerability among elected officials and their family members and every single elected official needs to call this out and condemn this violence. And not to allow the spread of radical ideas that can be translated into violent acts against innocent people and what concerns me is someone like Lee Zeldin. Yesterday he was asked if he condemns these white supremacists groups that support him, and he refused to do that.

If we don't have the kind of leadership that condemns this, calls it out, we're going to allow this to continue to fester and breed out there and nine -- and what happened on January 6th, someone like Lee Zeldin who actually supported the insurrection, voted against the seating of President Biden as our president. These are extreme views that lead to that kind of violence and that's what we have to be concerned about, especially in places like New York.

LEMON: Yes. Thank you governor, really appreciate it. Thanks so much this morning. Listen, we want to tell you that we have invited Lee Zeldin on the show. The invitation remains, we've done it a number of times so we hope that he comes on before election day. Be sure to tune in next Tuesday for CNN's Special Election Coverage. It all begins at 4pm eastern and it goes all night and into the morning and into the next day.

COLLINS: Next, Chris Wallace will join us live as Former President Trump is teasing another run potentially.

LEMON: And a critical look under the hood of the American economy, the final jobs report before the mid-term elections minutes away.

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COLLINS: Former President Trump is on the campaign trail. He hasn't announced that he is running in 2024 yet but he's pretty much saying it out loud.

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FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I will very, very, very probably do it again. OK? Very, very, very probably. Get ready. That's all I'm telling you, very soon. Get ready. Get ready.

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COLLINS: Joining us now is CNN Anchor of Who Is Talking to Chris Wallace? Chris Wallace, you heard President Trump there, former President Trump, get ready. How eminent do you think an announcement from Trump about running in 2024?

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Well I think sooner rather than later, and I've got to say that I'm one of those people who had real doubts Kaitlan as to whether or not he was going to run. But it sure seems that, you know, there's a rule in the theater when you're going to make your entrance, let them see you coming, show up on the stage and let -- and let them know that you've arrived and the -- as the consummate showman, Donald Trump is doing all of that and there's a second point. And that is that if Republicans have a good night or even a very good night, which appears they're going to have on Tuesday night, I think he's want -- going to want to take ownership of it --

LEMON: Yes.

WALLACE: -- and announcing, let's say before Thanksgiving it does two things. One it says this Republican victory, assuming it is, is mine and two it helps freeze the field, makes it harder for other people to get into the race.

And it's interesting, you're already seeing some signs from Ron DeSantis' camp, well, and everybody had thought that he was going to take on Trump.

COLLINS: Yes.

WALLACE: This next two years, now some of them are saying he's 44. He could run in '28. He could run in the 2030s'. So if Donald Trump actually gets in, I think it's going to -- some of the people that have been talking a lot about getting in I think it may keep them out.

LEMON: --44?

COLLINS: It takes one person to get in --

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: That's what I was thinking.

COLLINS: -- and then the rest of them will get in, but one thing with Trump's announcement, he had been thinking about running, announcing it a day after the mid-terms. I think he'll wait a few more days after that that he is expecting to run.

HARLOW: Can we, on that point, can we ask -- I was going to ask you, what Republican or Republicans do you think would have the guts to run against him?

WALLACE: Well we know Liz Cheney has the guts to run against him.

HARLOW: Yes. Who else?

WALLACE: I certainly think Mike Pence is going to run against him. I -- I think it's a tough -- tall order because if you like Donald Trump and you -- you like what the Trump-Pence Administration did, it's awfully tough to see how Pence separates himself from Trump in a way that's going to appeal to the Republican base. I will tell you I was on Bill Maher's talk show with -- with Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and he talks about running against Trump and he's been quite -- quite snippy -- quite snarkey about Trump.

So maybe he gets it. There will be Republicans who get in, but, you know, you just look at the polls and as somebody who saw first hand Donald Trump on the debate stage in the Republican primaries in 2015 and '16. He sucks up an awful lot of oxygen. Going to be very hard for any Republican to opposed him in the Republican primaries in '23 and '24.

LEMON: This is where we agree because I -- I felt the same as you. I wasn't so sure Chris said that Donald Trump is going to run again and in fact, I thought the evidence is he's not going to do it. He wants to be the king maker instead of king, and I think a lot depends on what happens on Tuesday night. If Republicans do really well as you said, he's going to want to take credit for it and he'll say I'm running because then his chances are good, but what if -- you -- you have to look at the -- the lack of civility and not the politics that ever been that civil. But when you look at what is happening with the former president does, what he says on social media, how divisive he is, are voters -- do they want that again? Are they in for that ride again?

WALLACE: Well, you know, it's interesting because you -- you'd like to say no. You'd like to say that we still are a nation of civility, is still a nation of compassion and -- and good manners, but, you know, I think Don to 2015 when Donald Trump, in Iowa made some jokes about John McCain. And said, you know, I like war heroes who haven't been caught and an awful a lot us and myself included thought that's it, he's never going to survive that.

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WALLACE: And as we saw, he was able to survive that and much worse and what's been so fascinating about the reaction to the -- the horrific attack on Paul Pelosi is the number of other Republicans who have leaned in on that and made jokes about it. Whether it's Kari Lake or Glenn Youngkin and on and on, and it almost seems like to the Trump base, to the MAGA base, that kind of political incorrectness, that kind of lack of civility, some can say even meanness seems to be a plus not a minus. So I don't -- I don't see any indication that for a certain element of American politics that's going away anytime soon.

COLLINS: Yes, because they don't view it as meanness. They view it as him being a fighter.

LEMON: Yes. But he was an unknown quantity then, so to speak, politically. Now he is, and so we'll see.

COLLINS: Yes. We won't know what it will look like. Chris Wallace, thanks for joining us.

LEMON: Good to see you. Thanks for waking up with us Chris Wallace.

COLLINS: Who's talking to Chris Wallace early in the morning?

LEMON: Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? Sunday on CNN, make sure you tune in for that.

HARLOW: Yes. 7pm eastern, all right, the last jobs -- the last big economic report that you're going to get before you cast your vote if you're voting on election day. That is coming up next.

LEMON: That was -- (inaudible)

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