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Trump Urges Supporters To Surveil Polling Places; Tens Of Thousands Of U.S. Airline Workers Face Job Cuts; E.U. Suing The U.K. Over Brexit Breach; Trump Again Casts Doubt On Legitimacy Of U.S. Election; Padilla: Vote-By-Mails Is A Safe And Secure Process; Steelers-Titans Delayed Further By New COVID Cases; Lakers Dominate Heat In NBA Finals Game 1; Bayern Munich Claim Fifth Title OF Year. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired October 01, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By every measure, we won the debate easily last night.
JOE BIDEN, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The President of United States conducted himself the way he did. I think there's just national
embarrassment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Is this a taste of what's to come? President Trump declares a debate win despite chaotic reviews. The integrity of the
U.S. election increasingly at risk. Then Brexit chaos, the E.U. launches legal action against the U.K., setting the stage to sue.
Plus, 100,000 airline jobs in America are at risk if Congress doesn't act. Two major airlines announcing massive cuts today. And China's tourism set
to boom on its national day, while holidaymakers they're on are flocking to Wuhan.
This hour, America votes in just a 33 days. I'm Becky Anderson. Hello, and welcome to "Connect the World". Thirty-three days from the vote. And two
days after that election debate. You know that totally off the rails ugly, cantankerous insult laid meeting that saw Mr. Trump and Joe Biden go for
one another's throats with almost no focus on substance or policy, while much of the world watched on with a mix of revulsion and confusion.
Yes, that debate. Well, a couple of days after it, we are still left with the fallout. And we are also left asking how hard is it to condemn white
supremacy. I mean, really, or maybe not easy at all for some people. Watch this, as Donald Trump tries to rewrite his debate performance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Done in New York --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I'm talking about white supremacists, sir.
TRUMP: Like they've done in New York, I just told you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But do you denounce them? Do you denounce them white - -
TRUMP: I've always denounce any form, any form. Any form of any of that. You have to denounce --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, well, there it is. He did say it at least in some way. Sure. But there was -- where was that in the debate, which was watched, let me
tell you, by more than 73 million Americans, 73 million and that's just in the states. Let's rewind it to see why we are asking all of this in the
first place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: What do you want to call them? Give me a name, give me a name.
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: White supremacist and right-wing --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about Antifa.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Which leaves you asking, I tell you what, what now? The Proud Boys are a far right group. And he told them to stand back and stand by.
Comments that we know delighted the group. What does stand back and stand by even mean? Well, something clearly because we've now seen Mr. Trump
trying to roll that back and fast. Have a look for yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't know who the Proud Boys are. But you have to give me a definition because I really don't know who they are. I can only say they
have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. So, in summary, he doesn't know them. And yet they apparently should stand back and stand by. You can't walk and chew gum on
that. So, which is -- well I don't know what the President makes of the group, honestly, I don't know if he's familiar with them or not. But his
failure to clearly condemn them is even concerning those in the President's own party because, you know, hate speech isn't about ideology or political
leaning. It is just wrong and it is outright on American.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM SCOTT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I think he misspoke. I think he should correct it. If he doesn't correct it, I guess he didn't misspeak.
MITCH MCCONNELL, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: But I want to associate myself with the remarks of Senator Tim Scott. He said it was unacceptable not to
condemn white supremacists. And so I do so in the strongest possible way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should the President condemn white supremacy?
MELISSA BENSON, LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF COLUMBUS: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the (INAUDIBLE) to leave for him, to leave that hanging out there?
BENSON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He should unequivocally condemn white supremacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So all of this just after one debate, just one and there are two more to go over the next few weeks. But they are unlikely to go down like
this one did or at least the officials who oversee them. Hope that the next two debates won't.
[10:05:01]
They are going to make changes to, quote, ensure a more orderly discussion, and we can only hope, America can only hope. Here's how Joe Biden saw it
all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I kind of thought at one point, maybe I shouldn't say this, but the President of the United States conducted himself the way he did. I think it
was just a national embarrassment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Jessica Dean has just got back from Ohio where, of course, that debate took place. She is with us now from Washington.
Jessica, organizers some of these debates promise the next two rounds will be, and I quote them here, more orderly. How on earth, some will say, are
they going to do that?
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, it's a very, very good question, because whatever changes they do decide to make, you still have the
question of, well, how will they enforce them? Will the candidates particularly President Trump respect these new rules? The Commission on
Presidential Debates not specifying exactly what they're considering. But we know from New York Times reporting, that some of the new rules they're
considering include additional restrictions to the amount of time that each candidate gets. Perhaps coming up with a way for the moderator to mute the
microphone of the candidates, if it's not their turn to talk.
A third option that the Times was reporting is perhaps if the candidates interrupt that they have to yield some of their time to their opponent. So,
those are some of the things that are being reported out there. But, again, Becky, we're not sure at this point exactly what the commission will put in
place. They do say that they want additional structure and it was incredibly clear and all those clips that you just played, just how
important that is going to be moving forward.
It is also important to note that the next debate in Miami, Florida, and about a little less than two weeks is a town hall format, which means that
members of the audience will be asking questions to the candidates. So will that in and of itself, lend itself to a little more control, if we have
voters in the room and the candidates are answering to voters. We're just going to have to see, Becky. The commission saying that they will release
those changes shortly.
ANDERSON: Yes, well, just hoping. Jessica, thank you.
Well, a full of that sounded pretty chaotic. And, boy, was it? Well, it may just be the opening act for what could be a very, very messy American
election on November the 3rd, unlike any that we have ever seen before. President Trump keeps on refusing to agree to that most fundamental of
American traditions leaving office, if he loses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And will you pledge tonight, that you will not declare victory until the election has been independently certified? President Trump, you
go first.
TRUMP: I'm urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully, because that's what has to happen. I am urging my people, I hope
it's going to be a fair election. If it's a fair election --
WALLACE: You're urging them what?
TRUMP: I am 100 percent on board. But if I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can't go along with that. And I'll tell you what. From
a common sense --
WALLACE: Does that mean you're going to tell your people to take the streets?
TRUMP: It means you have a fraudulent election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Chief Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin wrote a piece in The New Yorker under the headline, Ending Trump's Assault on the Rule of
Law, arguing that the protection of voter rights is the main pillar of protecting America's democracy. And I'm very pleased to say that he joins
us now from New York to help us wade through what are these uncharted waters.
Jeffrey, 33 days out from this election during the debate, Donald Trump encouraging his voters to stake out the polls on Election Day. Let's just
hear it from the horse's mouth as it were.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: You go first.
TRUMP: I'm urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully. Because that's what has to happen. I am urging them to do it.
As you know, today, there was a big problem. In Philadelphia they went in to watch. They were called poll watchers -- a very safe, very nice thing.
They were thrown out. They weren't allowed to watch. You know why? Because bad things happen in Philadelphia, bad things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Jeffrey, is the President encouraging a form of voter intimidation at this point?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely, and breaking of the law. I mean, what happened in Philadelphia is that in Philadelphia, like
in, I think, every locale in the United States, there are rules about where you can campaign. You can campaign, for example, within 50 feet of a
polling place.
His supporters we're violating that rule. They were told to leave. That is completely standard, completely appropriate.
[10:10:07]
And I think it's indicative of several things about what's going on with the President and this election. He is encouraging his supporters to
violate the law, to go into polling places where they are not allowed unless, of course, they are voting, which of course, they are welcome to
do, and to try to engage in some sort of surveillance on his behalf, which is illegal. And I think that is just part and parcel of a larger effort to
question the legitimacy of this section.
When you think that we have had Presidential elections in the United States, during the Civil War in the 1860s, during World War I in the early
part of the 20th century, during World War II, we have conducted fair elections in this country throughout American history. And the idea that
the President thinks somehow this election, because it will be increasing - - more by mail than in previous elections, is somehow illegitimate is counter to all of the norms and values of the American democracy.
ANDERSON: All right. Over a million mail-in voting ballots have already been cast, as I understand it. I mean, today, we are reporting spikes in
COVID cases in over half of American state. So, quite frankly, many will be turning to mail-in ballot voting. And let's be absolutely clear about this.
Are there any valid concerns over this method of voting?
TOOBIN: Well, there are always concerns about mistakes being made, about the, you know, the technology not working properly, about the mail not
working properly. But the idea of fraud, of intentional manipulation of the balance, of thousands of ballots, as the President said, you know, being
pulled out of nowhere or out of foreign countries, there is no history of that in the United States. There is no evidence that that is going to take
place with this election. And the fact that the President is discrediting this election in advance, based on no evidence is really chilling and
unprecedented in American history.
ANDERSON: Jeffrey, what practical steps are being taken to prepare? Should Donald Trump lose and decide that he's not going to leave? I'm talking
about his campaign here.
TOOBIN: Well, you know, there are -- I don't know what steps can be taken exactly in advance of that. I mean, the -- our election is functioning
properly, the states are preparing that -- one of the weird things about American democracy is that it's not run by the United States government, it
is run more at the local level, at the state level, and even the county level. So the states and the counties are preparing for an election and
they know there will be a lot more mail-in ballots, and they are doing their best to prepare.
In terms of the outcome, you know, there is -- I don't think there are any special preparations underway, it is possible that -- and the President has
certainly encouraged this idea -- that there will be litigation, there will be court fights about the electoral -- how the ballots are counted and the
outcome. That, of course, I'm sure many of our viewers remember, in 2000, when Al Gore and George W. Bush were in a very close election in Florida,
that case wound up in the Supreme Court.
One reason the President says he is pushing so hard to have his nominee, Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to the Supreme Court is that he says he wants
her on the Supreme Court in time to help him in the election. This is inappropriate in and of itself, but, you know, this is how the President
operates.
ANDERSON: And, of course, there are reports out there, not reports here at CNN were standing up, but there are reports that the Trump campaign has a
bevy of lawyers retained with a view to working that litigation, should the campaign at least deem it necessary. Jeffrey Toobin, it's a pleasure having
you on, sir.
TOOBIN: There's no there's no doubt that there are lawyers on both sides ready to go. What and whether they do, that's what's up for -- uncertainty.
ANDERSON: Yes. Interesting.
It's a pleasure having you on, sir, thank you very much indeed. And I'll be speaking to California Secretary of State in about 15 minutes from now.
[10:15:01]
He is the chief election official for that state. So, that should be an interesting conversation. Do stay with us for that.
But all along, the pillar of Mr. Trump's pitch has been it is the economy stupid. That wasn't his actual phrase. It's somebody else's as you know,
but he will -- he has adopted it effectively.
Wishful thinking about the stock market won't though cut it in the pandemic era. This hour, 100,000 jobs, good well-paying jobs in the American airline
industry are at risk when a federal bailout package just expired. Already, tens of thousands have been let go so far today. And why? Well, because
American politicians not striking a new bailout deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: The latest bill from the speaker is no more serious than any of their political stunts going back months.
NANCY PELOSI, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: But we passed our bill over four months ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
PELOSI: And it was a large bill because we have large needs in that country. They started putting forward skinny bills or which Chuck calls it,
emaciated bills that do not meet the needs of our country. So we -- we're willing to cut back $1 trillion and even more, not taking out priorities,
but taking out the length of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, it's not unique to America, of course. Around the world, the downturn could wipe out some 46 million jobs in the airline industry.
We are all traveling a lot less, of course, even people who pretty much used to live at 30,000 feet.
Let's bring in a couple of our high fliers. CNN's Richard Quest in New York and John Defterious not far from us but safely socially distancing out in
Abu Dhabi. Good to have you on chats (ph). So Richard, let's start with you. Months of negotiations on Capitol Hill, so far, no end and now more
cuts, it seems.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS, EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Yes, the airlines have already made substantial cuts. Tens of thousands of employees have left the
payrolls voluntarily, either through retirement or through early redundancy. However, this cliff that we went over last night now makes it
possible for the airlines to do involuntary furloughs. So United said it'll lose 13,000, Americans said it'll lose 19,000, unless the government comes
up with more money to keep those jobs and that they failed to do.
The problem here, Becky, is time. Because once those people have been let go, particularly flight attendants and pilots and skilled engineers, they
won't be able to be brought back easily. No disrespect to waiters, but you can bring waiters back six months from now. You might not be able to bring
back flight attendants who have to be recertified or pilots who have to do regular checks. And that's why, going over the cliff, making these
involuntary furloughs, these redundancies, if you like, will effectively be lowering the workforce in the various airlines.
ANDERSON: John, I know that you've been looking at this region specifically. So let's just zoom in with this sort of setback for tourism
and the airline industry. What does it mean, for a sector that has grown phenomenally here, not just in the region, but in the Gulf and in the UAE,
over the past two decades? And, importantly, what does it mean for employment or unemployment at this point?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS, EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, Becky, great question, because as a general rule of thumb, 10 percent of overall
employment around the world is directly linked to tourism. It's even higher in some of these markets in the Middle East and North Africa, like Egypt,
Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, for example, a big growth that we've seen in the UAE by Dubai, and also Abu Dhabi in the last few years, Saudi Arabia for
the Hodge (ph).
So we have some very interesting numbers of the growth over the last, what, 18 years extraordinary, three-fold increase in terms of arrivals to an
extraordinary number here that you can see on the screen. And then if you look at the revenues, it's a five-fold increase and that gives you a sense
that they've gone for a high value traveller, and they're spending more time in these countries.
Now, the biggest worry here is that we have very high youth unemployment and some of the markets I was talking about, particularly Turkey, Egypt,
Jordan, Morocco, right that runs 25 percent to 30 percent. So this is a real concern if you have a shot across the bow. And most people are
focusing on the airline sector themselves, and the revenue impact that it's having 46 million jobs you talked about directly related.
But we have to think about the cruise lines sector, Becky, because they've made a big push to try to get back into the market. For example, the Center
for Disease Control in the United States wanted to dock the cruise line industry in the United States and extend it to February, now the White
House is pushing back.
[10:20:03]
So if you take it in its totality, the World Tourism and Trade Council is looking at 200 million jobs that could be infected over the next two years,
depending on the pace of the vaccine distribution, of course, and the pace of economic recovery. And let me just add one other thing to that.
International Monetary Fund said we cannot ignore the debt situation we're faced with today. It's very difficult for developing countries emerging
markets, very dependent on tourism to try to make a recovery with that debt burden on their shoulders today as we speak.
ANDERSON: Yes, no, you're making a very, very good point. Thank you for that. Those numbers are very, very depressing.
Richard, we should look at the recovery rate. What are people suggesting at this point? How long will it take to build the aviation industry back up to
what it was, for example, pre-pandemic?
QUEST: If you look at the various assessments, Becky, nobody -- I mean, they shift a lot, but you're talking 2022 out to 2025. That's when people
think it's going to sort of get back to where it was. But I'm going to add a caution to that, if ever, because what we allow so learning is that there
is a part of the industry that will not come back either because we're getting better from working from home, business travel will be much more
limited, leisure travel will shift.
So there will be an irreducible minimum that will not come back. We don't know how much certainly. We're not talking about anything approaching the
previous levels for at least three to four years.
ANDERSON: Yes, remarkable stuff. To both of you, thank you very much indeed.
So while the travel business fights to stay afloat elsewhere in China, well it's getting a new lease of life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first significant travel holiday since the coronavirus outbreak has begun here in China. It's called Golden Week and
it marks the founding of the People's Republic. And this year, it's eight days in which you've got folks flocking to train stations to airports and
to tour sites within China.
ANDERSON: Next hour, despite coronavirus fears, Chinese travelers hit the road in massive numbers. And next, the UK government just got a letter in
the post letting them know that the E.U. is not happy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Right now, the European Union suing the United Kingdom. The legal proceedings are underway after the United Kingdom breached last year's
Brexit deal. An issue is the Northern Ireland protocol. Now, it prevents a hard border from going up between Northern Ireland and Ireland, something
both sides agreed to.
[10:25:06]
This comes as no surprise to the United Kingdom and announced weeks ago it would override that part of the agreement which would break international
law in a, quote, very specific and limited way.
Well, let's bring CNN's International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson for more. He's been on the Brexit beat now for as long as I can remember. This
is quite the headline that we are seeing on our screens here. E.U. suing the U.K. over Brexit breach. Was this expected, Nic, and how has the U.K.
responded?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Absolutely expected. This is what the E.U. said they would do three weeks ago when a British
Member of Parliament, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said in Parliament that as you said that this what Britain was about to do was
potentially would break international law. If they pass the bill that is currently going through Parliament, the internal market bill that is making
its way into legislation, if passed, that could break this international treaty with the European Union. And the European Union was very clear that
they would start legal proceedings that could end up in the European Court of Justice, ultimately could end up in financial penalties for the U.K.
And today, they chose a very high profile way to lay it out the European Commissioner herself, the President of the European Commission herself,
spelling it out. This is how she -- this is what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: This morning, the Commission has decided to send a letter formal notice to the U.K.
government. This is the first step in an infringement procedure. The letter invites the U.K. government to send its observations within a month.
And besides this, the Commission will continue to work hard towards a full and timely implementation of the withdrawal agreement. We stand by our
commitments, thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: And by implication, what she is saying is that Britain is not standing by its commitment having agreed to that withdrawal agreement of
whips in Northern Ireland protocol is part internationally legally binding treaty. That's the rub.
Now, how has Downing Street responded to that? They have said, we will respond to the letter in due course. The E.U. had given the British
government three weeks to reconsider its position and wind back the sort of progress of that legislation. They didn't -- not clear that they're going
to use this next month that the E.U. has given them. But the reality is, this is a very potentially long process.
The Dutch Prime Minister himself described it as the next logical step. And this seems to sort of reflect the wider E.U. lead a sense that what the
European Union has done is the next logical step that it is formal, and it is legal.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson, on the story for you. Thank you, Nic.
President Trump, once again, questioning the legitimacy of the upcoming U.S. Presidential election. We're going to speak to California Secretary of
State about his role in making sure each ballot in his state is safely and accurately counted.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:45]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And will you pledge tonight, that you will not declare victory until the election has been independently certified? President Trump you go
first.
TRUMP: I'm urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully. Because that's what has to happen. I am urging my people. I hope
it's going to be a fair election. If it's a fair election --
WALLACE: You're urging them what?
TRUMP: -- I am 100 percent on board. But if I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can't go along with that. And I'll tell you
what. From a common-sense --
WALLACE: Does that mean you're going to tell your people to take to the streets?
TRUMP: I'll tell you what it means. It means you have a fraudulent election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, we have heard it before. And if I know anything, it is that we will hear it again. The U.S. President continuing to frame mail-in
voting as rigged. That is despite the FBI director who he appointed, by the way, testified that there is no evidence of any widespread frauds or claims
of a rigged election came up. Again, during that hot mess of a debate on Tuesday night, the President questioning the integrity of the election, and
refusing to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses. Now, that is setting the stage for legal challenges that could drag out well past
Election Day, possibly into the New Year.
So, let's dig into how each stage is actually working to ensure a fair election. As the chief election official for the largest state in the
United States, the California Secretary of State tests and approves all voting equipment, making sure each ballot cast is secure, and reliable. And
we are very pleased to say that he joins me now. Alex Padilla, welcome to the program.
So, how do you ensure that every ballot cast in your state is secure, and reliable? And are you confident your system is robust enough for this
unprecedented election?
ALEX PADILLA, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, good morning, Becky, and thank you for having me on. Yes, it's important for the public, especially
the voters to hear the truth, not just the misinformation that continues to be propagated by Trump. First of all, in California, we have the highest
standards for security for voting systems in use, and we test and certify voting systems before they can be used.
In California. We require paper ballots, rights? That's one of the national and international debates. California requires paper ballots in a voter
verified paper trail and we keep our equipment offline. So it's impossible to systematically hack or rig an election.
Every county is required to conduct a post-election audits to ensure the accuracy and the integrity of the vote. A lot of security measures in place
to make sure that every valid ballot is counted and counted as cast. But we've added some transparency this year with a ballot tracking system so
that every voter can track their ballot through the delivery process with confirmation when their ballots been received and counted.
ANDERSON: Let's just remind ourselves while we're having this conversation, during the debate, Donald Trump, this was the hot mess debate on Tuesday,
Donald Trump kept alleging mail-in voting fraud. And there will be a lot more of that, of course, amid COVID mail-in ballots, I mean, just have a
listen to what the President said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Number two, they cheat. They cheat. Hey, they found ballots in a wastepaper basket three days ago, and they all had the name military
ballots. There were military. They all had the name Trump on them. Do you think that's good?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So have you had any problems, any tool with mail-in voting at this point?
PADILLA: The answer is no. And that's the truth. So, what we heard during the hot mess of the debate as you put it, and I think that's a very
appropriate description, was couldn't be further from the truth, right? The fact of the matter is voter fraud in America is exceedingly rare. Vote by
mail is nothing new in California. We've been doing it successfully for decades.
It's had many other states both, you know, red leaning and blue leaning and right down in the middle of purple states.
[10:35:02]
Vote by mail is not just convenient for voters and efficient for administrators but proven to be safe and secure. And frankly, the safest
option for voters to cast their ballot this November during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ANDERSON: Very briefly, just because it hasn't happened before, doesn't mean that they wouldn't be for this time, correct. I mean, you get that. I
mean, and you're prepared for it, I guess.
PADILLA: Absolutely. And, look, among the safety measures in place, if we want to get into the details. Let's start with the ballots themselves. You
know, every county selects different paper types to every election kind of like currency, right? Watermarks other distinguishing features to protect
against counterfeit ballots being introduced to the process.
Vote by mail ballots have to be returned in official envelopes with unique barcodes on each one identifying the voter, part of our voter
identification measures and every voter has to sign the outside of the envelope. And the very first thing officials do is compare the signature on
the envelope with the signature on file for that person's voter registration record. Again, confirm the identity of the voter. If the voter
forgets to sign --
ANDERSON: OK.
PADILLA: -- but thank signatures don't match, then we have something to cure.
Let's, let's talk about the actual process on the night. It took a significant amount of time to count California's mail-voting ballots during
the last midterm. So are you expecting a repeat of that this time around?
PADILLA: California does have the reputation for taking a long time to finish counting ballots. But it's all for good reason. Starting with rather
get it right and get it fast. Second whip so much vote by mail, especially this coming November. It takes longer to process those ballots because of
that signature verification process I just mentioned.
You know, California also allows ballots to arrive after Election Day and still be counted if they were postmarked on or before the election. It's
not the fault of the voter if there's delays in the Postal Service. So, we have a decent sense of the outcome of most contest on election night.
ANDERSON: Right.
PADILLA: And for close contest and final numbers. It does take a couple of weeks. I think the difference this year is we're going to see that same
dynamic in other states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio.
ANDERSON: Yes, that's fascinating. It's important this -- it's so important because I want our viewers just to get a sense of, you know, where this
sort of mail-in ballot issues sort of fits in, I want to talk about what's called the blue shift, a pattern on election night that tends to favor the
Republicans in the first instance but as the would have known his provisional votes or mail-in ballots are counted after Election Day.
The Democrats tend to do better, of course. In polling, Joe Biden's voters overwhelmingly more likely to vote by mail. And you can see, you can join
the dots on this and see perhaps why the Trump campaign is so obsessed by this, do you think we will see a blue shift in the following days of the
election?
PADILLA: Look, I think it's possible and it may be different state by state. Vote by mail is not about partisan advantage. It's about respecting
voting rights, access to our electoral process for all eligible voters. And especially during a pandemic, we should be finding more ways for people to
cast their ballot and protect their health, not making it harder to participate in our democracy. So that's why as much as we're going to see
significant vote by mail in California, we also have the in person option for voters who need it. And regardless of how able to cast their ballot by
mail or in person, they should be able to protect their health and better their loved ones, and be assured that their ballot will be counted and
counted as cast.
ANDERSON: OK, very good. I've got a couple of other questions. But just before I move away from this mail-in balloting, what percentage of your
voters do you believe will vote by mail? We got number.
PADILLA Vote by mail has been increasing in popularity. In the March primary, more than 70 percent of ballots cast in California revoked by mail
ballots. I can easily see that figure going to 80 percent, if not higher, this November.
ANDERSON: Wow. That's fascinating. And my team dug into the archives before this interview, and I just want you to have a listen to this moment from
the 2016 debates, sir.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: How hard -- what a campaign is that at the end of the campaign, that the loser concedes to the winner, not saying that you're necessarily
going to be the loser or the winner, but that the loser concedes to the winner, and that the country comes together in part for the good of the
country. Are you saying you're not prepared now to put that to that principle?
TRUMP: What I'm saying is that that, I will tell you at the time, I'll keep you in suspense.
HILLARY CLINTON, 2016 U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Every time Donald thinks things are not going in his direction he claims, whatever it
is, is rigged against him. There was even at time when he didn't get an Emmy for his TV program three years in a row and he started tweeting that
the Emmys were rigged a .
TRUMP: Should have gotten it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:40:11]
ANDERSON: By the way, imagine Chris Wallace wishing himself back 2016 and the decorum of that actual debate. If Donald Trump loses on November the
3rd, what are you expecting as a fallout?
PADILLA: Look. First of all, free and fair elections and the peaceful transfer of power, or at the bedrock of American democracy and any threat
to those is insulting the American people deserve better. And any allegations that our elections are not conducted with integrity is that
just disappointing and, and baseless, but frankly, insulting to state and local elections officials across the country that work so hard to ensure
the integrity of our election?
So I think, you know, come November, we may not know on election night, what the true outcome ism but soon thereafter, we will and expect our
American democracy to recover and regain its resiliency. Let's put it that way.
ANDERSON: A man with an enormous responsibility on election night and in the period in the run up to that which is 33 days in counting. Alex Padilla
it is a pleasure having you on sir. Thank you very much indeed.
You are watching CNN viewers, we will be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Sports is unpredictable, isn't it? That's why we watch and in this most unpredictable of sports seasons, one of the glamour teams of U.S.
pro-basketball with arguably the sports best known player is poised to take the title for the first time in years. Don, the Lakers look ready to get
back on top.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes, looking good so far, isn't it Becky? Only one game into a potentially seven game NBA Finals series but like his
look good against the Miami Heat last night. And this has been a really difficult year for them. Remember, I mean, it's hard to believe that it was
this year because so much has happened in 2020. But Kobe Bryant, the Lakers legend dying in a helicopter crash back at the start of the year, that hit
the Lakers organization really, really hard.
It's been a long time since they've been at this level. It's been a decade since they last won the NBA Finals but here they are. LeBron James has
taken them back. He was playing in his fifth NBA Finals game last night, helping the Lakers to a one game lead. But it's early days. Still
potentially six more games to go but they are looking good this year for sure.
ANDERSON: Yes. And if it was any, let it be this year for them. Thank you, Don. And Don is back with Volkssport after this short break. More on that
story. I will back after that for the second hour of "Connect the World". Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:46:40]
(WORLD SPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:00:00]
END
