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New Poll: Harris Leads in Key Battleground States, Making Strides on Immigration; Jerome Powell on Rate Cut: 'We're Not Serving Any Politician'; Midwest Under Threat for Hail, Gusty Winds, Tornadoes. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired September 19, 2024 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Thursday, September 19. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
[06:00:09]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This was a surprise. It's automatic. They endorse the Democrats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Breaking with tradition, the Teamsters decide not to endorse a candidate. Donald Trump talks like he's got the vote locked up.
And this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME POWELL, CHAIR, FEDERAL RESERVE: We're not serving any politician, any political figure, any cause, any issue, nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: A long-awaited cut. The first interest rate slash since 2020 puts the Fed right in the middle of a neck-and-neck presidential race.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The women's reproductive rights issue, I think, is really important.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Foreign policy, border, Southern border. That's probably the biggest thing to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Battleground Wisconsin. We'll talk to the state's former lieutenant governor about the keys to victory in the pivotal Badger State.
And vowing a visit. Trump promises a trip to Springfield, Ohio, after those debunked pet-eating claims.
All right, 6 a.m. In Washington. A live look at Capitol Hill on this Thursday morning. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
There are just 47 days until November 5, election day. In-person early voting begins tomorrow in Virginia, South Dakota, and Minnesota.
A new Quinnipiac poll finding that Kamala Harris now leads Donald Trump by five points among likely voters in both Michigan and Pennsylvania.
There is no clear leader shown in their poll in Wisconsin, where Harris is ahead by just one point.
That poll comes on the same day that the influential Teamsters union announced they won't endorse a candidate in this election. Internal polling that was shared by the Teamsters ahead of that announcement showed Trump with almost double Harris's support among the union's rank and file.
In a statement, the union president saying this: quote, "Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before big business," end quote.
Still, Donald Trump calling it a win.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I was honored to receive the endorsement of the rank-and-file membership of the Teamsters. I love the Teamsters.
This was a surprise. It's automatic they endorse the Democrats. Automatic for many, many decades. But you know what? They said -- they looked at her, they said, We're not going there. I'm sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So, inside that new Quinnipiac polling, a potential red flag for the Trump campaign on the former president's signature issue, immigration and the border.
Likely voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin now almost evenly split on whether Harris or Trump would do a better job handling immigration.
Both candidates yesterday addressing this issue at separate events in Washington and New York.
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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They have pledged to carry out the largest deportation -- a mass deportation -- in American history. Imagine what that would look like and what that would be. How's that
going to happen? Massive raids? Massive detention camps? What are they talking about?
TRUMP: We're getting them out of our country. They came in illegally. They're destroying our country. We're getting them out. They're going to be brought back to the country from which they came.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right. Our panel's here: Jeff Mason, White House correspondent for Reuters; Sabrina Rodriguez, national political reporter for "The Washington Post"; Kendra Barkoff, former press secretary to Joe Biden; and Mike Dubke, former Trump White House communications director.
Welcome to all of you. Thank you all for being here.
Mike, I want to start with you. Just -- and Kendra, weigh in, as well, on the -- on this polling that we have from Quinnipiac.
First, it shows Wisconsin tighter than Pennsylvania. I haven't talked to very many people who think that's actually true. But I'm interested to know what you think and what the latest is that you are hearing.
And similar on these immigration numbers, if you buy.
MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I'm spot on with you about the Wisconsin numbers, and actually, I think that the Trump campaign should be really pleased with the Wisconsin numbers.
I -- I would have thought that Wisconsin had been pulling away, not just because there's a competitive Senate race, which we do also have in Michigan and Pennsylvania. But that these states seem to have been traveling together.
I was -- I was prepared to sit down here today and say that there was really no appreciable debate bump for the vice president, which I -- this is the first poll that we've seen that has shown any type of movement in a -- in a large way in any of the battleground states.
HUNT: Right. Well, and to that point, so Kristen Soltis Anderson, who is, you know, a friend here at CNN, wrote this in "The Times," Kendra.
She said, "The reality is the debate may have done more to fire up or reassure Ms. Harris's existing supporters than to add new voters to her ranks in large numbers. While the ABC/Ipsos poll found Ms. Harris's supporters back her more strongly than Mr. Trump's supporters back him, it still found nearly half (47 percent) of respondents think Ms. Harris is too liberal. It's of course better to have more on -- your side more energized than your opponent, but an enthusiastic vote doesn't count any more than a begrudging one, so long as they both turn out."
And Kristen's basically arguing she hasn't seen a change since the debate in the polling.
KENDRA BARKOFF, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY TO JOE BIDEN: I mean, look, they have said all along that it's going to be a tight race. The Harris campaign has said it's going to be up to the wire. It's going to be tight. We are not -- we are not going to win this.
But I think the trend is going in the direction that they want, right? You have seen it in these polls in the state-by-state polls, and you're seeing it on -- on a more national level, that the trend is going there.
But look, she's talking about the issues that people in Wisconsin are -- are talking about: abortion, the economy. She's getting out there. She's talking about her plans. And she's talking about things that the American people want to hear.
HUNT: Jeff, here's what the -- the Q poll analysts wrote about these issues, the issue polling on the economy and immigration.
"Three crucial swing states wave a red flag at the Trump campaign. The GOP's most 'go to' attack strategies against Democrats on immigration and the economy may be losing momentum."
I will say this contradicts what I hear from some sources on the ground who say immigration, in particular, is still a really potent issue for Republicans, but I'm curious what you think.
JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: Well, I think that -- I mean, I've been spending a lot of time with the vice president on the trail. And she's talking a lot about the middle class. To Kendra's point, she's talking a lot about bringing prices down.
She is doing what they think -- addressing the issues that they think is really important to voters. And that is resonating with voters.
I don't think you're wrong. I mean, I think immigration is still a vulnerability for the vice president's campaign. And it was something that was surprising, looking back on the debate, that the president, the former president of the United States didn't push that harder, instead of taking the bait on some of the questions that she drew him in on.
HUNT: Instead, we're talking about pets.
MASON: Exactly.
HUNT: Right.
MASON: But so, I don't think that issue has gone away, but I think they feel like her emphasis on the middle class and some of her economic policies, as unfleshed-out as some of them are, is resonating.
SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, I think people are just starting to learn more about what Trump wants to do on immigration. I think there's been this perception of the chaos at the border, of
the numbers of people crossing the border. This being such a potent issue and such a vulnerability for Democrats.
But now they're seeing, you know, Harris a little more on the campaign trail. People might not necessarily know exactly what's happening on the Hill. But she's really bringing home this point that there was this bipartisan bill that she wanted to see get through Congress and that Trump helped kill that.
And then you have, on the other side, you have Trump talking about cat eating, the Haitian immigrants in Ohio. So, that is sort of making people question a little bit, like, is this too extreme?
But I will say something, too, here, is the reality is that Trump has shifted the politics of immigration to the right. I mean, we're not hearing Harris on the campaign trail talking about a fair and humane immigration system and undoing the policies of Donald Trump.
She's talking about endorsing a bill that has been endorsed by the Border Patrol union; that has been widely criticized by immigration and human rights groups.
And it just shows that the politics of immigration have changed in the years since Donald Trump came into power.
DUBKE: Or decriminalizing the border, which he has -- she has called for in the past.
I -- look, polls are snapshots in time. So, I'm not surprised, you know, that polls will go up and down. This is going to be an incredibly tight race all the way through.
I would love to see the Trump campaign focus on the Biden-Harris agenda. One more time on inflation, on international crises, on immigration. She was the border czar. And we can argue whether or not that's a term that we should be used. It was used in 2021 on this network.
She was in charge of the border for a long period of time. They should hold her accountable, because it is one of the top issues that we have going.
HUNT: Well, it seems to me, Mike, too, that this polling might actually be evidence of, like, what you and other Republicans often sit at this table and say to your nominee, like, hey, let's focus on the issues.
DUBKE: Let's get back to the issues.
HUNT: Because when you don't, you're starting to lose ground.
DUBKE: Absolutely.
HUNT: On the issues you otherwise wrote (ph) for. DUBKE: Americans care about the issues. I mean, we are -- we have had
record inflation over the last three-and-a-half years of the Biden- Harris administration. We can talk about the rate cuts later and whether or not those are going to be successful in bringing down pricing.
But, you know, Americans are hurting outside of the -- outside of the coasts. And we're talking about races in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, where families have been hurt by rising prices.
HUNT: Very briefly, we're kind of running out of time, but I really want to play this -- this soundbite from Trump yesterday, because he was in New York, which is not one of these swing states. And I'm curious as to why.
Here's what he had to say to voters in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Patriotic New Yorkers must get your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out to vote. Got to get up. Got to get up. Harry, get up, Harry! Harry, get your fat (EXPLETIVE DELETED) off of the couch. You're going to vote for Trump today, Harry. Get up, Harry! Come on, let's go. Let's go. Let's go, Harry!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[06:10:08]
HUNT: Kendra.
BARKOFF: I don't even know what to do with that. I mean, it is -- it is crazy to me. First of all, the swearing is so inappropriate on something like that.
But why are you pushing New Yorkers? That is a -- that is a blue state. So, it is -- I'm just sort of mind-boggled by the entirety of it, altogether.
HUNT: I mean, he's normalized swearing already in our politics, Mike, but -- but insulting the voters on the couch and the way that they may or may not look --
DUBKE: I don't know who Harry is. I just --
MASON: Who's Harry?
DUBKE: I don't know who Harry is?
MASON: Mike, who's -- who's Harry?
DUBKE: I thought that was the question I was going to get.
MASON: Who's Harry?
DUBKE: But it is -- I mean, look, we've had the normalization of swearing on the campaign trail. The -- President Biden was swearing left and right, as -- in the final days before he dropped out of the race.
It is beyond me. I agree with you. We should -- let's get back to, you know, "shut the front door" instead of using profanity on the -- on the -- on the thing.
BARKOFF: I just think the rhetoric -- rhetoric, as a whole, just need -- we just need to tamp it down across the board. Because it's just not appropriate to be calling somebody a childless cat woman, or talking about, you know, people eating cats or any of those things. I just -- altogether, I think the rhetoric needs to be toned down.
DUBKE: I want to find Harry.
HUNT: I'm interested to know. I'm interested to meet Harry myself.
DUBKE: yes.
HUNT: All right. Coming up here on CNN THIS MORNING, will the Teamsters union decision impact Blue Wall states? We're going to talk to former Wisconsin lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes, about how the break with tradition might play out in his state. Plus, debunked claims and a mayor's call for candidates to stay away from his city leaves Donald Trump undeterred. He's now promising to visit Springfield, Ohio.
And the impact of the Fed's relief for borrowers in a heated election cycle's final weeks.
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TRUMP: I guess it shows the economy is very bad, to cut it by that much. Assuming they're not just playing politics.
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[06:16:31]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POWELL: the U.S. economy is in a good place, and -- and our -- our decision today is designed to keep it there.
We're not serving any politician, any political figure, any cause, any issue, nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: The Fed slashing interest rates for the first time in four years, this time by an aggressive half a percentage point, paving the way for lower borrowing costs.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell insisting politics has nothing to do with the decision. That didn't stop Donald Trump for insinuating that the timing of the cut was suspicious, with the election less than two months away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I guess it shows the economy is very bad, to cut it by that much. Assuming they're not just playing politics. The economy would be very bad, or they're playing politics. One or the other. But there was a big cut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So, Jeff Mason, how does this actually potentially impact the election?
MASON: Well, a couple of different things.
You can see some Democrats coming out and saying, Look, this is validation of what we've been saying, which is that inflation has come down. Which it has, and that's the reason that the Fed made this cut.
On the other hand, it was interesting to see Vice President Harris's immediate reaction, in an emailed statement yesterday, which was, Happy to see this, but prices are still too high. I'm going to continue to focus on bringing down the prices of groceries, the prices of housing, et cetera.
So, it's not a victory lap for her, even though, no doubt, there are some Democrats who are very pleased to see this happening just a handful of weeks before the election.
HUNT: All right. Ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, a heart-stopping emergency on the road. A deputy jumps into a moving vehicle to help a driver in need.
It's one of the five things you have to see this morning.
Plus, it's a tie. Donald Trump, Kamala Harris locked in a dead heat in Wisconsin as absentee voting in that state begins.
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[06:22:36]
HUNT: All right, 22 minutes past the hour, five things you have to see this morning.
A quick-thinking deputy climbed into a moving truck to save a man experiencing a medical emergency. The driver couldn't respond to officers and stop the car on his own.
Wow, that's incredible.
He was taken to the hospital after the rescue.
A police chase involving a limo in Wisconsin ends in a drug bust. The limo driver sped off from police, crashed into a ditch, and then ran off into the woods.
When police caught up with him, the driver punched and bit the officer. Meth was found in the vehicle.
One of the most active volcanoes in the world, Hawaii's Kilauea, putting on a show this week, lava shooting as high as 30 feet in a remote area of Hawaii National Park. No homes were threatened.
The first video footage of the Titan submersible on the ocean floor released by the Coast Guard as investigators conduct a hearing into the implosion that killed five explorers onboard last June.
And new dashcam video shows the exact moment a pipeline fire ignited in Texas.
The crash seen in the reflection of a window. You can see a car ram into the pipeline and it bursting into flames on Monday. Evacuation orders for dozens of nearby homes have now been lifted.
All right, time now for weather. Some warmer temperatures bringing a bigger threat for hail, damaging winds, possibly even tornadoes across the Midwest.
Let's get straight to our meteorologist, the weatherman, Derek van Dam.
Derek, good morning.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kasie.
OK, so you need three things in order for severe storms to develop. The heat, which you mentioned, it's there. Instability in the form of relative humidity. And then, you need some sort of trigger mechanism like a cold front to initiate the thunderstorms.
So, look at the warmth building across the central U.S., focusing in on Minneapolis, Southward towards Omaha and Kansas City. There's the cold front moving in from the West. And that's going to be the trigger mechanism for these thunderstorms to develop later this afternoon.
Already, a few showers and thunderstorms, lightning strikes being detected on our radar. But it's really later this afternoon, just in time for that home return from work. Damaging winds and large hail are possible; can't rule out a tornado across this region, as well.
So, the upper Midwest to the central Midwest, this is the timing: right around 4 to 5 p.m. near Minneapolis. So, just keep an eye to the sky. Be weather aware, because some of these storms could become strong rather quickly, as that cold front advances eastward.
And if you thought your false fall was nice across Eastern U.S., you can welcome back the summer-like temperatures.
[06:25:07]
We're going to reach the upper 80s and lower 90s, if you're located in Atlanta and places to the South.
I want to give you an early heads-up. We are monitoring the Southwestern sections of the Caribbean Sea that could bring the potential for some tropical development. This is for next week, so it's not a concern this week, but certainly something we're monitoring across the Gulf Coast states again, for next week -- Kasie.
HUNT: All right. Keep an eye on that. Derek van Dam for us this morning. Derek, thank you very much.
VAN DAM: All right.
HUNT: All right. Still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, Donald Trump now talking about a trip to Springfield, Ohio, after spreading baseless claims about the Haitian migrants who live there.
Now, the city's mayor -- how the city's mayor feels about the potential visit.
Plus, what the cadets at the U.S. Military Academy can teach all of us during a close election season.
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[06:30:00]
