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CNN This Morning

CNN Polls Shows Harris And Trump Remain In A Locked Race; Biden Returns To The Campaign Trail For Harris; Harris Campaign Launches Ads Targeting Men In Battleground States; New York Mayor Adams Defends Trump, Says He Is Not A Fascist; Imam Endorses Trump, As Republicans Make Play For Muslim Voters; Netanyahu: Israel "Severely Damaged" Iran's Defenses. Nun Falsely Accused of Voter Fraud; Ashville Students Return to School; Shohei Ohtani Injures Shoulder in Game 2. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired October 27, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: -- voters in this final stretch. Plus, our Eva McKend standing by with new reporting just out on Vice President Harris's efforts to close the gender gap.

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Happening today, talks to get Hamas to release hostages and to cease fire started in Gaza are set to pick up for the first time in more than two months. We are live in Jerusalem this morning with the latest.

BLACKWELL: Republicans in Pennsylvania called it voter fraud. 53 people registered to vote at one address. Turns out it was a monastery. How the nuns who live there are fighting back.

WALKER: And the L.A. Dodgers are two wins away from taking a World Series title. But their win last night came at a cost to superstar player Shohei Ohtani. That's coming up later on CNN This Morning.

All right, nine days from Election Day and Vice President Harris and former President Trump are crafting their final message to voters. Harris travels to Philadelphia today for a series of local stops and a campaign event. Meanwhile, her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, will hold campaign events in Las Vegas.

Instead of speaking to voters in a battleground state, Trump will be in New York to host a rally at Madison Square Garden.

BLACKWELL: A rally at the iconic landmark could be one of the most covered moments of the race. Two days later, the Vice President will speak at the Ellipse. You'll remember that's where Trump held a speech nearly four years ago, set in motion the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Now, the two events could deliver key moments in a race that is on a razor's edge, with CNN's final nationwide poll showing each candidate at 47 percent with likely voters. So far, voters have cast more than 36 million pre-election day ballots. And now with both campaigns urging supporters to cast their early ballots, they're attempting to reach the vanishingly small pools of those undecided voters.

At Harris's rally last night, former First Lady Michelle Obama encouraged undecided voters, especially men to think of the women in their lives before sitting out potentially this election.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: It is reasonable to be frustrated. We all know we have a lot more work to do in this country. But to anyone out there thinking about sitting out this election or voting for Donald Trump or a third party candidate in protest because you're fed up, let me warn you, your rage does not exist in a vacuum.

If we don't get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we, as women, will become collateral damage to your rage.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: So former First Lady Michelle Obama was in Michigan with the Vice President. President Biden was in Pennsylvania and he's leaning into his own key voter base to energize them for Harris.

WALKER: Yes. CNN's Betsy Klein joining us now with more. So what was his message, Betsy?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, Victor and Amara, President Biden rallying those union workers in Pittsburgh, where he made a forceful argument against former President Trump, whom he repeatedly cast as a loser. Meanwhile, Vice President Harris, he says, has a backbone like a ramrod.

But he also offered this message directed right at men. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not a damn thing that I could do that my sister couldn't do as well or better. We're finally, finally getting to the point where women are beginning to have a shot. A fair shot. A fair shot. Like I said, they can do anything any man can do, including being president of the United States, you bet (ph).

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOCLIP)

KLEIN: Now, Biden's appeal there is aimed at really acknowledging that there is work to do for the Harris campaign at turning out male voters, particularly those male voters who are unenthusiastic about potentially casting a ballot for a female candidate.

And for her part, Vice President Harris really rarely leans in on that history making aspect of her candidacy. Instead, Victor and Amara, letting surrogates like President Biden do the talking for her.

BLACKWELL: So let's talk about the gender gap. It has been massive during this campaign. Talk about just how much that is in play here. KLEIN: Certainly. And if you look at the latest CNN polling, we have about 50 percent of women voters who support Harris compared to 44 percent for Trump. 51 percent of men meanwhile back Trump to 45 percent for Harris.

And taking just a little bit deeper into that data, 65 percent of voters say that Harris's potential to be the first female president in history, doesn't make a difference to their vote. 24 percent say that it's a positive thing, and 11 percent say it's a negative.

But Harris really is trying to make inroads with these groups, particularly different coalitions like Latino voters. She announced an economic plan for Latino men, and she's also trying to reach black voters, particularly men, where they are.

[07:05:01]

But nine days before the election, it is less about turning out those undecided voters who are thinking about voting for Trump, and more about turning out those men who might otherwise stay home.

WALKER: All right, Betsy Klein, thank you for your reporting.

Now, Betsy just hit on that gender gap. And new this morning, the Harris campaign is launching a last ditch effort to drum up support among men.

BLACKWELL: The Harris campaign just rolled out new ads targeting young male voters. CNN's Eva McKend is here with new reporting. Eva, tell us about these ads and when voters will see them.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: So Victor and Amara, good morning to you. It is today and tomorrow during sporting events. So think Monday night football, the Pittsburgh Steelers game and voters will see this in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.

And what's interesting about these is they are not policy driven. They are quick and they are aimed to capture the attention of young men as Vice President Harris tries to make up this deficit here. And so their argument is that the former president, he doesn't understand working class communities.

He's a silver spoon. He doesn't understand you. He doesn't get you or get your issues. And they also go after the former president for attacking American cities. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Philly Tough is different. They insult us.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Bad things happen in Philadelphia. Bad things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't like us. We don't care. Because here's the thing that people like Donald Trump don't understand. We're Philly. Fucking Philly. And when you fight us, we fight back. From 1776 to 4th and 26th.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

MCKEND: Now, young men is a demographic that both campaigns are trying to capture. The former president has, of course, appeared at sporting events and on male focused podcasts like Joe Rogan's podcast.

But I can tell you from traveling with the Harris campaign that they are strategically going after every single demographic. This is for young men, but we also see efforts to capture the attention of Latino voters, Asian American voters.

You have athletes for Harris coalition, faith-based voters. And so they are basically trying to appeal to every part of the coalition that they can with little time left to make their case. Victor, Amara?

WALKER: But Eva, when it comes specifically to male voters, does the Harris campaign really think that they could close this gap with these new ads?

MCKEND: Well, they certainly are trying, and so this is just one small piece of the puzzle. It won't be everything. They very much expect that they will have to have a policy message as well, tailored to this constituency.

But they are making the assessment that if they have just a few seconds to get their attention during a football game, that this is the way to do it. By saying the former president is not like you.

BLACKWELL: Eva McKend with us from Kalamazoo, Michigan, thanks so much.

Joining us now is co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign, former Congressman Cedric Richmond. Sir, good to have you back on the show. Eva went through a bit of the edge that was also the former First Lady's pitch of reproductive rights tailored toward men.

Governor Walz will be playing Madden on Twitch. The former President Obama will be on when with black men. How concerned is the campaign considering all that we're seeing about that gender gap among men?

CEDRIC RICHMOND, CO-CHAIR, HARRIS-WALZ CAMPAIGN: I don't think it's concerning. You see, I think what you see is a campaign that's fighting for every vote and we see opportunity and men, we see opportunity in young men to not only close the gap but grow our specific vote share.

So we're going to keep doing everything that we can, and that is to address them directly, answer the questions that they have, and then answer the age old question. And the most important one, which is what's in it for them and their families and their communities. So we're going to continue to do that.

BLACKWELL: Is there something you've seen in polling recently? I mean, we just saw, I think it was a six-point spread that we saw from Betsy Klein's report in our newest CNN poll that justifies or suggests why we're seeing all of this today in a span of maybe 72 hours from all the principals in this campaign?

RICHMOND: Because it's an opportunity. You have some great sporting events this weekend. We're right coming up on election. So this is our two-minute drill and we're going to remind people what's at stake.

If they want to go backwards with Trump, whether they want to go forward with Vice President Harris. And I think that that's all part of what you see in the closing moments of a campaign.

BLACKWELL: All right, let's talk about these closing moments as it relates to the closing message. We know that President Trump will be at Madison Square Garden today. And early this week, we'll see Vice President Harris at the Ellipse where he delivered that speech on January 6th, back in 2021, before the attack on the Capitol.

[07:10:05]

Why that framing? Why that location? And maybe -- some analysts have said is this shift toward the threat to democracy message, which wasn't initially at the start of the Harris-Walz campaign, the direction of the messaging?

RICHMOND: Well, it is clear that former President Trump is a clear and present danger to democracy and to this country's future. And I think it's a good place to remind people of who he is, what he did, who he stands for, and who he fights for.

And so, I think that the Vice President's message will still be one of hope and optimism for the future, but at the same time reminding people of the past and where Donald Trump wants to take us back.

He's going to fight for himself. Everything he does is about himself. And what we need in the president of the United States is somebody who wakes up fighting for people. So while he will have his revenge list, his retribution list, and who he wants to get even with, she's going to have a to-do list. How to attack the problems that are facing American families, how to bring costs down.

BLACKWELL: During the CNN town hall with the Vice President on Wednesday, she said that she believes that former President Trump is a fascist. I want you here to listen to New York Mayor Eric Adams about the answer to the question when he was asked if he believes that former President Trump is a fascist.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK: My answer is no. I know what Hitler has done and I know what a fascist regime looks like. I think as I've called over and over again, that the level of conversation, I think we could all dial down the temperature.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: What's your reaction to that? Fellow Democrats saying that potentially calling him a fascist is too far? RICHMOND: Well, I would just say that if we listen to the rhetoric coming out of former President Trump's mouth, it's not rather rhetoric or words or the demeanor of a person that should be the leader of the free world.

And I would encourage people to watch his rally, watch all of his rallies. You will see somebody who is unhinged, someone who is out of control and somebody who has lost a step. And that's what Trump has been.

And the Vice President was asked a specific question. And she happened to agree with his former chief of staff, a four star general who said I worked with him up close. And so, Victor, I would just remind everybody who's watching this. The people who know him best know that he's unfit to be the president of the United States.

And that's why you have so many people that worked for him up close in the situation room, in the Oval Office, traveling with him, who are saying that he should never, ever be president again. And I think that that should speak volumes to people.

When the people who know you best know that you're unfit, unhinged, that should be a wakeup call for this country. And like the Vice President said at the town hall on her last rally, that General Kelly's statement about the president being a fascist, it's -- that's his attempt to do a 911 call for this country and wake us up and make us realize what we have to lose and who Donald Trump really is.

BLACKWELL: Cedric, I had the deputy director of the Council on American Islamic Relations on with me yesterday, and he talked about how there are so many Arab American and Muslims voters in this country who are still disappointed in the Biden administration's approach to Israel's war with Hamas and what is happening in Gaza.

And then last night, we saw this on stage with former President Trump. Some local leaders in Michigan, Muslim leaders who are endorsing him. Let's listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

IMAM BELAL ALZUHAIRI, MICHIGAN MUSLIM COMMUNITY LEADER: We as Muslims stand with President Trump because he promises peace. He promises peace, not war.

(CHEERING)

ALZUHAIRI: We are supporting Donald Trump because he promised to end war in the Middle East and Ukraine.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, those are some leaders there. What is the campaign's concern? And what will you do in the next nine days to stop erosion in that part of the coalition that supported President Biden 2020?

RICHMOND: Well, first of all I think that the speaker is right. We should listen to what Trump says and what he's done. And the first thing he did was to implement a Muslim ban in the United States of America.

[07:15:07]

And when it comes to peace in the Middle East, the president specifically said that he's not for -- the former president specifically said he's not for a two-state solution. And so I would just remind all of America, including a Muslim American, the risk that Donald Trump is.

And so when he talks about ending the war in Ukraine, he's talking about just giving up Ukraine's territory to Putin. And so we need to be very careful and ask Trump and they should listen to the details of Trump's plans and his actions on how he would end the war. And it's not in a peaceful way that would bring enduring peace.

So we're working hard and we're going to remind everyone what's at stake. And look, we have a role to play as a leader in a free world, and that is to bring peace, but it's to bring enduring peace.

The one thing I know about the Vice President, she's been very clear on how heart-breaking and unspeakable it is of the loss of life, innocent life, innocent Palestinians. And she's also been very firm that Israel has a right to defend itself. But we're very concerned, and she's concerned about humanitarian aid getting in.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

RICHMOND: And that's what I would remind our voters. It's the United States of America. It's President Biden and Kamala Harris who are leading the effort to work (ph) and uniting the world to bring humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza. And it's them calling out that we need to be more concerned, more strategic and in the killing of innocent Palestinians.

BLACKWELL: All right. Cedric Richmond, campaign co-chair, Harris-Walz. Thanks so much.

WALKER: Still to come, Israel security cabinet will be meeting today to discuss the strikes on Iran and the possibility of a response from Tehran. We're going to go to Jerusalem for a live report.

Plus, CNN talks to the nuns falsely accused of voter fraud in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. And it doesn't feel like fall yet, does it? Why the U.S. is experiencing an unusually warm and dry spell this month.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:00]

BLACKWELL: Talks to secure the release of the hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza will resume today. For the first time in two months, top negotiators from the U.S., Israel, and Qatar will meet in Doha, including the heads of the CIA and Mossad. But officials tell CNN that there is little expectation of a breakthrough before the U.S. presidential election.

WALKER: Gaza officials say an Israeli strike on a residential block in the north of the Strip killed and wounded dozens of people Saturday. Israel says the numbers are exaggerated and that it, quote, "conducted a precise strike on Hamas." CNN is unable to independently verify the claim.

CNN's Matthew Chance is live in Jerusalem. Matthew, Israel also held a meeting on Iran today. What do we know about that?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, it's the first working day basically in Israel since the attacks carried out by Israel on Saturday morning against Iran. And so we've had a few statements coming through from key government figures, including Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, who's made his first public remarks about that attack that was undertaken on Saturday morning.

He's saying that we kept our promise to retaliate for the attacks on October the 1st from Iran over here and severely damaged Iran's defense capability and its ability to produce missiles that worked against us.

Yesterday, he said, talking about Saturday, we hit the head of the octopus, is how he described it. The idea being that, you know, Iran is the head, the tentacles are its proxies in Hamas, in Hezbollah, and in the Houthis. In Yemen as well, as well as other militant groups that target Israel.

And so, look, it's been, you know, broadly, you know, accepted that this retaliation strike by the Israelis is something that will draw an end to the current round of tit for tat strikes between Iran and Israel.

Part of that is because Israel was careful, it seems, to target a narrow, a bunch of targets that were military targets and not hit nuclear facilities, not hit fuel infrastructure targets and not try to assassinate people inside Iran.

And so for that reason, the understanding at the moment is, or at least the interpretation of this is that Iran is unlikely to take measures immediately to strike back, even though it's reserved the right to do so.

So, you know, this as, you know, the conflict in the rest of the region, particularly in Gaza and the strikes there by Israel against Hamas, although, you know, having a big impact on civilians as well as that continues.

BLACKWELL: Matthew Chance for us in Jerusalem. Thank you, Matthew.

They've been accused of being vocal about peace and justice, but these Pennsylvania nuns say they've never been accused of voter fraud.

Coming up, why Republican canvassers viral posts claim just that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:29:11]

BLACKWELL: This morning, nuns in Pennsylvania are pushing back after a Republican operative falsely claimed on social media that there was voter fraud at their Catholic monastery.

WALKER: Now, the post suggested that no one lived at the address, implying it was evidence of widespread voter fraud. However, the address is actually a home of 53 registered voters.

As CNN's Danny Freeman reports, the nuns are not happy about the misinformation.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just off the cold waters of Lake Erie, tucked into the crisp fall foliage of western Pennsylvania, the Benedictine Sisters of Erie live a peaceful life in a modest monastery.

SISTER STEPHANIE SCHMIDT, PRIORESS, BENEDICTINE SISTER OF ERIE: This is my favorite window.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Sister Stephanie Schmidt is the prioress, the leader of the 50 plus nuns who have called this place home for decades.

SCHMIDT: When you make your vows here, you're committed to this monastery in Erie for the rest of your life.

FREEMAN: Did it come to you as a bit of a surprise when all of a sudden on social media someone was saying that no one lives here?

SCHMIDT: More of a shock than a surprise. Where is this coming from? What planet are you living on?

FREEMAN (voice-over): On Tuesday, an X account claiming to be the head of a canvassing operation in Pennsylvania posted, Breaking, a member of the PA CHASE discovered an address in Erie, Pennsylvania today, where 53 voters are registered. Turns out, it's the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, and no one lives there. We will not let Dems count on illegal votes.

The claim is, a canvasser walked in, right into the lobby, and was told by someone, no one lived there.

SCHMIDT: It's misinformation. No one here had that interaction with whomever supposedly came by canvas. No one here would say, no one lives here.

FREEMAN (voice-over): The post seen more than 2.7 million times and reposted by Elon Musk's America pack included a long list of names, all women implying they supposedly don't live here and aren't real voters at all.

FREEMAN: You know, most of the sisters who live here, correct?

SCHMIDT: I know all of them.

FREEMAN: So, you know, Sister Rita?

SCHMIDT: Yes.

FREEMAN: Sister Anne?

SCHMIDT: Yes.

FREEMAN: There are four sister Anne's, right?

SCHMIDT: Used to be seven, but now we're down to four.

FREEMAN: Sister Annette.

SCHMIDT: Yes.

FREEMAN: Sister Audrey.

SCHMIDT: Yes.

FREEMAN: Sister Barbara.

SCHMIDT: Yes.

FREEMAN: Sister Dolores.

SCHMIDT: Yes.

FREEMAN: Sister Placida?

SCHMIDT: 107.

FREEMAN: No kidding.

SCHMIDT: Yes.

FREEMAN: Just turned 107?

SCHMIDT: Just turned 107.

FREEMAN (voice-over): At lunch, we saw the sisters of Erie firsthand.

FREEMAN: Can each of you tell me how long you've lived here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 63 years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been in the community 54 years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I entered in 59.

FREEMAN (voice-over): We reached out to the canvassing operation and poster for comment but did not hear back. SISTER ANNETTE MARSHALL, BENEDICTINE SISTER OF ERIE: We're used to being accused of things like being too active and, you know, being -- we've always been very vocal about peace and justice. But I've never heard us accused of fraud.

FREEMAN: Or not existing?

MARSHALL: Or not existing, right.

FREEMAN (voice-over): After the nuns publicly pushed back on the claims, the original poster tweeted in part, right now, we've got our team continuing to analyze the situation. Once we have proof, we will be content.

The nuns acknowledge they're in a swing county in a swing state and misinformation is bound to flow in these final days of the presidential election.

FREEMAN: Do you think this whole incident is going to galvanize more sisters here to vote?

MARSHALL: You don't need to galvanize the sisters here to vote, they will vote. They all vote.

FREEMAN (on camera): Now, I should say, not only do all of these nuns vote, but they're not afraid of a fight either. They tell me that they've reached out to their attorneys to discuss the possibility of legal action after this incident. They're saying they're looking at a violation of privacy since many of their nuns' full names and of course their address was posted online. But also, they're calling accusations of fraud, public defamation.

Danny Freeman, CNN, State College, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Danny Freeman, thank you for the story. "Carville: Winning is Everything Stupid." Love the title. It documents the 18 tempestuous months inside what many expect will be the most consequential election in the history of the United States from the vantage point of one of the most influential voices of the Democratic Party, James Carville. Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just so nonsensical politics today. I feel bad that my heart no longer belongs to politics. His vehicle for policy is still open to him. But, as he well knows, the problems and the solutions, they're bigger than a guy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The responsibility of governing requires you actually to have the power to govern. And you can't have the power to govern if you do not win. So, in that sense, winning is everything. And James is in the business of winning elections without losing your soul. JAMES CARVILLE: To bring about change or to get -- have a more just society or in a way, the best way to accomplish that is through political power. But without political power, you're not going to get -- done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Watch the original film "Carville: Winning is Everything Stupid" tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: I almost said, what you call me? All right. Still to come, students in Asheville will return to school a month after Hurricane Helene devastated the area. We're going to talk with the school superintendent after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:35:00]

WALKER: Students who attend Asheville City Schools will be returning to class on a modified schedule starting tomorrow. The children are trying to get back to some sense of normalcy one month after Hurricane Helene battered Western North Carolina, killing at least 98 people in the state.

[07:40:00]

Some Asheville residents are still struggling with basic needs, complicating the process of teachers trying to help students get back to learning. Joining me now is Dr. Maggie Fehrman, the Asheville City School superintendent. Dr. Fehrman, thank you so much for your time this morning.

And the kids are coming back to school tomorrow for the first time since Hurricane Helene hit. Some of their lives have been forever changed, turned upside down. How do you expect the first few days of school to go for them?

DR. MAGGIE FEHRMAN, ASHEVILLE SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT: Good morning. Thanks for having me. Our teachers started back this week -- actually, last week. So, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We had our teachers coming to school, getting lessons ready for our students, particularly focusing on how they are going to welcome their students back.

We learned from COVID that we can't just jump back in like every -- like everything's normal. So, we've developed lessons that are focusing on mental health, allowing students to share and express their feelings on what happened and how they're going to move forward.

WALKER: And tell me about this modified schedule and what you mean when you anticipate the children getting back to full schedule.

DR. FEHRMAN: Yes. So, we are starting Monday and Tuesday with a four- hour schedule instead of our normal six hours. And we did that modified schedule. So, you know, first of all, it's still pretty dark in the morning and we wanted our buses to have a little more light as they were picking up students on the routes.

And then, we also didn't want it to just feel like a full-fledged normal day. So, the first two days are modified shortened days. For those first two days that our students have that time to really connect with each other. The focus isn't going to be jumping right back into academics, but really taking time to connect with their friends, to get back into a sense of normalcy in a gradual way. And then, on Wednesday, we'll be back to our full schedules.

WALKER: Are all the schools fully functional, you know, with electricity and bathrooms? And also, you mentioned bus rides. I mean, have -- I know a lot of roads were damaged as well from the landslides and from the storm. Have they much of that been repaired?

DR. FEHRMAN: Yes. So, we were very, very fortunate in the metro area of Asheville that none of our schools were damaged from the storm. We have electricity. We have running water. We have internet at all of our schools. Now, we don't have potable water. So, the students cannot drink the water that is going to come through the pipes. But what we do have is -- four of our schools, we were really, really fortunate to get a partnership with an organization called Water Mission, and they have set up four mini water treatment plants so that our students can refill water bottles on campus. So, we can be very conscientious of our environment and not waste plastic water bottles.

And then, we also drilled a well at one of our schools. And we're testing that water to see if it is drinkable water. So, we are looking for all different kinds of solutions so that we can keep our students in school and get them back as soon as possible.

For bus routes, we did have to change some routes. There was some damage to some bridges with the floods. And so, our bosses had to really think about different routes and to make sure that we're able to get our students to school safely.

WALKER: It's nice to hear that you're tailoring, you know, the learning to help the students express themselves and kind of deal with what they have been through. Do you have a sense of, you know, what some of these students have been through because of Helene?

DR. FEHRMAN: Yes, we have several students that lost family members. We have staff members who lost family members. I think the most tragic was one of our staff members lost 11 members of her family in the Craigtown area. And that is just completely devastating for her and for our whole community.

We really stick together in Nashville City schools. We're a smaller district. And it's nice that we all know each other and can lean in and support each other. But many of our students are still struggling to fill basic needs with their families. We opened up a resource center on one of our campuses. And we have probably between 15 and 20 families coming through every day just to get -- still get basic supplies.

WALKER: Well, getting back into, you know, the rhythm of school hopefully will help the children recover from this emotionally as well. Dr Maggie Fehrman, thank you so much for your time and best of luck as everyone returns tomorrow.

BLACKWELL: Still to come, it's been unusually warm and dry in most parts of the U.S. this month. We'll have this week's Halloween forecast.

Plus, Coy has a look at what's coming up in sports.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Victor, Game 2 of the World Series, another nail biter. The Dodgers coming out with the win, but it might have cost them their biggest superstar, Shohei Ohtani. That and more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:00]

WALKER: Here are some of the top stories we are following this morning. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon will get out of prison just days before the election. Bannon is set to be released on Tuesday after serving his full 120-day sentence for contempt of Congress. Bannon was convicted in 2022 for not complying with the subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol. He's still facing a December criminal trial in New York. He's accused of defrauding donors in a fundraising effort to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

BLACKWELL: Country music star Jelly Roll gave Apalachee High School students and faculty in Georgia concert they probably will not forget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JELLY ROLL, COUNTRY SINGER: I don't care what it takes. I've got to go down there and I have got to meet these people that are coming together and doing this and changing the world in Georgia slowly. I want to come talk to the kids at Apalachee High School. That's what I want to do, baby. So, thank you all for that. Let's come sing for you all today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:50:00]

BLACKWELL: He made a special stop in Winder to give the school a private performance before his show at State Farm Arena in Atlanta yesterday. You'll remember that the community is mourning the loss of two teachers and two students in the September 4th mass school shooting.

This morning, there is an elevated risk of wildfires for much of the Northeast.

WALKER: And because of these elevated fire concerns, any outdoor burning is being strongly discouraged. Meteorologist Tyler Mauldin is tracking that for us. Tyler.

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, Amara. Good morning, Victor. Good morning to all of you at home as well. That's right. It is a chilly start to the morning here in the northeast, yet, we're talking about the risk for fires. We have a gusty wind in the northeast, bringing in some drier air. And what else is adding insult to injury here is the fact that New York City and many of the surrounding areas haven't seen rain in quite a while. Specifically for New York City, it's been 27 days plus since the last measurable rainfall there. That is close to being a record. If we get to 36 days without rain, yes, that's going to be a record.

Then expanding the view here, it's not just New York City that's gone all of October without rain. We're talking Philadelphia, we're talking Atlanta, all the way out here into Houston as well. Overall, about 80 percent of the country is abnormally dry right now.

There is some relief on the way though, some good news. Pacific Northwest storm is going to be barreling across the country, and that's going to lead to some heavy rainfall across the eastern two- thirds of the country, maybe even some snowfall across the higher elevations out west too.

Houston, I think you will break your streak. Atlanta in New York City, it's going to be a coin flip. You're going to be right on the cusp. Now, as that weather system approaches, we're going to see some very above average heat here across the eastern two-thirds of the country. We're talking about 140 plus records could be broken.

New York City, chilly start today, chilly afternoon. And then, by the time we get to Halloween, you're definitely not going to need the jackets because that's 78-degree high. That's a potential record.

We're shifting gears here now going down to the Caribbean where, yes, the hurricane season is not over and we are unfortunately watching another system. This area right here, right off of Central America, has a 30 percent chance of development. What I can tell you confidently right now is that Central America is going to see some heavy rainfall.

From there, the U.S. just needs to monitor this area for the next seven to 10 days. Guys, if it does get a name, that name would be Patty.

WALKER: All right. Tyler, thank you. What happened to chai tea weather?

BLACKWELL: I know. It was like a week and a half --

WALKER: I mean, it was just a few weeks ago that you said welcome to the --

BLACKWELL: -- got chilly and now, I'm wearing shorts and T-shirts.

WALKER: Well, hopefully soon we can wear our onesies. Your onesie. Another dramatic game in the World Series.

BLACKWELL: Why don't you tell people all my business?

WALKER: I don't know. I was -- you have onesies? I didn't say you had one.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I do. They're comfortable.

WALKER: And cozy. All right. The Dodgers hauled off the Yankees again to take a 2-nothing lead.

BLACKWELL: But the wind might have come at a massive cost for L.A. Coy Wire joins us now with more.

WIRE: I got see this onesie.

BLACKWELL: They're so cozy.

WIRE: Yes. So, the Dodgers, their superstar Shohei Ohtani, he leaves this game with an injury. We'll get to that in a minute. Let's first check out the highlights for how it all went down in game two. Last night in L.A. Bottom of the third, game's tied at one. Oscar Hernandez lifts one, a two-run homer. It was the pen ultimate at bat before some Dodgers history. Next batter, Freddie Freeman. Hero of game one when he became the first player to hit a walk off grand slam in the World Series. And there he goes again, his fourth straight World Series game with a homer. Dodgers now hitting back-to-back home runs in a World Series for the first time in 43 years.

Their stars are shining, but it's a different story for New York's biggest star, Aaron Judge. A major slump, he went 0 for 4 in this game, struck out three times. In this last inning, though, the Yankees still have a great shot to come back. Jose Trevino at the plate, bases loaded, but he flies out. Tommy Edman, who went two for four with a homer, he ends it. Teams that take a 2-0 lead in the World Series have gone on to win 82 percent of the time.

But L.A. may have to do this without Ohtani. The team's saying that Shohei suffered a minor dislocation right there in his left shoulder. Here he goes, stealing second base in the seventh. After the game, though, the manager, Dave Roberts, says that he's encouraged by the initial test, says he's expecting Ohtani to be in the lineup for Game 3 on Monday. We shall see.

College football now, one of the best stories of the year. The Indiana Hoosiers are now eight and 0 after smashing Washington 31-17 even without their starting quarterback. Back up Tayven Jackson accounting for two touchdowns, one passing, one running. And their running back, Justice Ellison, he added 123 yards in a score. Indiana, they're, for now, number 13 in the polls and they haven't trailed at any point through eight games this season. The first FBS team to do that since 1998.

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In the NFL today, all signs pointing to Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa playing against the Cardinals. He cleared protocols after missing the last four games with a concussion. It was his third in the past two years. His coach, Mike McDaniels, says none of the experts Tua have met with suggested that he should retire and that he is ready to get back on that field. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE MCDANIELS, MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH: He's been fully engaged. But he's also become very aware that he is not interested in becoming a coach anytime soon. That his love is playing football. So, I think he's eager as everybody is. He's excited to play with his teammates. And it's a -- I'm very happy for all of those involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Tua has vowed to play smarter. I think Coach McDaniel there was wearing his onesie in that --

BLACKWELL: Tyler, back me up. Onesies, it's comfortable.

MAULDIN: Hey, they are, I mean, they're in style.

WALKER: I think --

BLACKWELL: Right. See?

WALKER: -- you're the only adult here who wears onesies. But hey, no shade on you for that.

BLACKWELL: Ain't ashamed neither.

WALKER: Not ashamed. Thanks, Coy. Thank you for being with us. We'll see you back here next weekend.

BLACKWELL: Inside Politics Sunday with Man Raju is next. Have a great.

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