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Tracking The Candidates' Possible Paths To Victory; Gulf Economies Diversify Beyond Oil And Gas; U.S. National Guard On Standby For Potential Election Unrest; Early Voters Visit Susan B. Anthony's Grave; Donald Trump Speaking In North Carolina On Final Day Of Campaign. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 04, 2024 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:17]
ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Live pictures for you there from Raleigh, North Carolina, where Donald Trump will kick off his final day of
campaigning, in this, of course, deadlocked race for the White House. That is just one of three stops for the former president today. That rally set
to start there in Raleigh, North Carolina, at any moment.
Thanks so much for joining me here on CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill, in today for my colleague, Becky Anderson, joining you from New York.
Well, with one day to go, this is officially the final sprint. It may have felt like it has been for some time, but trust me on this one, we are
really here this time. The battleground states firmly in the spotlight on this final day of campaigning. The biggest focus, of course, Pennsylvania,
that state, which offers a big electoral prize among those swing states we've been following so closely.
Vice President Kamala Harris, set to spend the entire day there with rallies scheduled in five different cities. The former president also will
be in Pennsylvania following that rally, of course, which is set to start at any minute in North Carolina, and then, he will end the day in Michigan.
Campaigning in Pennsylvania on Sunday, Donald Trump again, sowing doubts about election integrity even before the votes have been counted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, fighting so hard to steal this damn thing. Look at what's going on.
Look at what's going on in your state. Every day, talking about extending hours and stuff. What? Whoever heard of this stuff? We should have one day
voting and paper ballots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Important to note, about 97 percent of the ballots in this country, in fact, are paper ballots. As we look at what is happening there on the
Democratic side, Harris delivering a closing message that is not really mentioning Donald Trump, focused a little bit more on optimism and her new
campaign theme of a new way forward. This was her in Michigan on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: From the very start, our campaign has not been about being against something, it is
about being for something.
A fight for a future with freedom, opportunity and dignity for all Americans. And so, in these final hours, let us remember that there is
power in knowing that we are together. And let us remember that your vote is your voice and your voice is your power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Eva McKend back would be this hour in Pennsylvania. Stephen Collinson with us as well, joining from Washington. So, Eva, let's start with you. In
terms of this final day of campaigning, lot of stops in Pennsylvania, what will we be hearing from the vice president?
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think Erica, at this point, the campaign has deduced that the time has passed to litigate
the former president's rhetoric, his track record. They are really trying to consolidate their various coalitions across the country and run the tape
on this message of unity. That's what you hear the vice president leaning into.
So, she is going to begin the day in Scranton. That is, of course, the hometown of President Joe Biden, where she is going to rally up canvassers,
doing the hard work of door knocking.
She then heads here to Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the campaign is noting the heavy Latino population here. More than 30,000
Puerto Ricans living in Allentown.
She then goes to Reading, and I think who she is campaigning with there is quite noteworthy, because some on the left has criticized her deep embrace
of Liz Cheney and not the elevation of the progressive part of the coalition.
But she is campaigning in Reading today with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, perhaps one of the most famous progressives in the country,
as well as Governor Josh Shapiro.
Then, she has a big rally in Pittsburgh, followed by a rally at 11:00 p.m. in the final hour, literally, over in Philadelphia. And that's going to be
a star-studded affair with The Roots, Jazmine Sullivan, and Oprah Winfrey.
So, the goal of that is really to drive turnout here in the final hour and just get people excited in this key battleground state. Erica?
HILL: And that is -- that is certainly what we are seeing is, as we know that there is such a small, if they even exist anymore, number of
undecideds. For both campaigns, it's about getting out that base, getting supporters actually to the polls.
And Stephen, as we bring you in on this, there is this, you know, as Eva is pointing out, the message that you are hearing from the vice president in
these final hours in that push to get supporters to the polls, the message from Donald Trump to his supporters, is very different.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: That's right, it's dark, it's violent, and Trump is now increasingly claiming baselessly, that this
election is in the process of being stolen. That Democrats are already cheating.
There is no truth to that, but whether it suggests that. Trump is worried about his prospects on Tuesday, it's not really clear.
[10:05:05]
But it's -- what is clear is that he is building a rationale for challenging the result of this election, yet again, if he loses.
In many ways, I think, Trump is doing Harris's work for her in these last few hours. She is saying that Americans have a fleeting chance to move on
from the chaos and the darkness and the extremism of Trump's first term, and Trump is demonstrating all of those characteristics on his last few
days on the trail. He is not really concentrating on what his campaign would love him to be concentrating on. That is high grocery and housing
prices and immigration, which has always been the foundation of his political mantra.
So, it seems a little bit like Trump has gone off the rails in the final few days, but we have a very close election. Nobody can say who is going to
win. What we can, perhaps, say is it's going to take a while, because a lot of these mail-in votes going to take time to count. And if it's very close,
you know, everything gets more scrutinized and just takes more time to find a winner.
HILL: Yes, it certainly does. And as we know, the states don't all do things the same way. So, it takes some states longer to get going on
accounting of some of those mail-in ballots.
You know, as you -- as you know this, this darker message that we're hearing from the former President Stephen, and questioning, once again the
integrity of the election, laying that groundwork, which, frankly, was started four years ago in terms of questioning the integrity of the
election.
There is also concern that, that could keep people home, which I imagine it's not sitting well with the folks running his campaign.
COLLINSON: Yes. And there is also concern that, you know, this creates great risks for people who make these elections work -- poll workers. We
saw actually the impact that accusations had on cheating on two poll workers in Georgia, the last time around. And those poll workers testified
that their lives were ruined, and they actually sued Rudy Giuliani and won a defamation case, the president's former lawyer, because of the impact on
their lives. I think there is a great deal of concern about the normal, everyday people who put their hands up to fulfill their democratic duty.
You're seeing more security this time at the polls.
I think the message from the Harris campaign is that this is an urgent moment, and Americans must get out to vote. Trump clearly has always been a
bit skeptical of mail-in voting and early voting. But more Republicans actually have availed themselves of those facilities this time around,
because they have been pushed to by the Republican Party.
But I would expect even though 70 million Americans have already voted, we're going to see quite long lines tomorrow at the polls. And you know, as
I said, because of the system, as you pointed out, this is going to take some time.
And if Trump is emerging from this declaring victory before he won, and sending off legal suits, left, right, and center, this could be a very
acrimonious period in the next few days.
HILL: Yes, that is for sure. Stephen Collison, Eva McKend, appreciate it. Thank you both.
I also want to bring in our colleague now, Alayna Treene, who is there at Donald Trump's rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Just about to get underway, is this going to be the consistent message from the former president that we heard over the weekend, or could there be some
tweaks on this final day?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CONGRESSIONAL AND PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS REPORTER: Well, Erica, as you know, and I obviously know from covering Donald Trump, as
closely as I do, he is an incredibly unpredictable man. But I -- what I will say is that what his campaign and his allies and those on the outside
who are wanting, rooting for him to win this week, they are arguing that they need his closing message to be about turnout, to be about the economy
and the border, the issues that they believe he is doing better on than Kamala Harris, and they are very much hoping that he will stick to that
message and not veer off script.
But look, he is about to get underway here in Raleigh, North Carolina. I do want to give you some news, because I've been told now by the Trump
campaign that we're going to hear from some high-profile surrogates of Donald Trump before he takes the stage.
You're going to hear from Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, as well as Sarah Huckabee Sanders, his former press secretary, but now, the governor of
Arkansas. They are starting to bring out some of the people that they believe are really going to help Donald Trump with that closing message.
Now, look, I do want to talk a little bit about what we heard Trump talk about over the weekend, because I think that it could give you a lot of
insight into how we are seeing things play out this week.
As we just said, Donald Trump's team wants him to talk about a certain number of things. However, what we heard him do in a series of rallies this
weekend is veer off script and start talking about things like criticizing recent polling that shows Kamala Harris gaining ground on him, talking
about his assassination attempt, but then, arguing that perhaps he wouldn't mind if someone had to shoot through the press to get to him.
He also said that he shouldn't have left the White House remarks.
[10:10:02]
We know that he had said, from my reporting, at least, that he had said back in 2020, after he had lost the election to Joe Biden, arguing that I
shouldn't leave. Why do I have to leave?
So, these are all things that when I talk to people close to Trump, they say are detracting from the message that they think is working.
Now, part of that as well, I will say, is I know that the campaign is very closely analyzing some of that early voting data, Erica, and especially
when it comes to the gender gap. Now, we know, and we have covered this closely that Donald Trump has been struggling in courting women. I think
that's going to be a key thing to watch out for tomorrow night when polls close, is how much are women outpacing men? Are they outpacing men? We have
seen that they are outpacing men, and at least the early turnout -- the early voting turnout, but unclear that's going to hold.
So, I think some of what we're going to hear Donald Trump talk about today as well, if he says on message, is trying to connect with those voters and
leave that final impression that he believes will help them really turn out for him tomorrow. Erica?
HILL: Alayna, appreciate it. Thank you.
Of course, Georgia also a real focus for both candidates throughout the course of this campaign season.
At this hour, the top election official in that pivotal battleground state is speaking about voting and security. And these comments come just days
after Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Georgia was targeted by election disinformation, warning about a fake video circulating on social
media, which shows immigrants voting with multiple I.D.s in Georgia, calling it an obvious fake. Obvious fake, his words there.
Raffensberger also said the video was likely the result of Russian meddling, a suspicion that was then backed-up by U.S. intelligence
officials. But it's important to point out there are a number of voters and some Republicans who remain skeptical.
CNN's Nick Valencia, joining me now live from inside the Gwinnett County election center in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Nick, good to see you. So, there
are concerns, understandably, and especially after what we saw in terms of intimidation for poll workers in Georgia in 2020. Can you walk us through
the preparations that are being made? Because I know security is such a concern.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Of course, and there is a deep mistrust here, make no mistake about it, especially among the MAGA loyalists towards
Republican Georgia elections officials. They simply do not believe the message that's coming out that these elections are safe and secure, and
among the most safe and secure in the country.
We wanted to give you a window, a glimpse into democracy in action, and that's exactly what you're seeing here. Like a lot of states, Georgia, or
many states across the country, I should say, are not allowed to pre- process absentee by mail ballots.
Georgia, though, is one of the states where you can. So, that's what's happening here.
This is a machine that actually physically room removes the ballots from the envelopes, and then, taken over here to a batch of election workers
that just left here, where they are organized by precinct in batches of 50.
They are then taken to the front of the office, where they are stored and kept on hand until tabulation is allowed to begin. But there is a lot of
stuff happens here every day.
You mentioned the disputes, there is preparations for those disputes here, right? What you're going to see here, workers are actually keeping on, or
holding on to those empty absentee mail-in ballot envelopes. In case there is a dispute about those individual ballots, they have a paper trail here,
just in case something happens.
Back there, there is a phone bank here. So, it's basically they have those on staff every day. People that call in, have general comments concerns
about the election, they can call and actually talk to an election worker.
And over here, this is a process that happens every single day. It's a registration of new voters. Of course, those voters will not be allowed to
vote tomorrow, but that's work that happens every day.
And then, tomorrow is expected to be a very, very busy day here. This is a work room for the board of elections. They are going to be on staff here.
They are in charge of certifying the election. So, two Republicans, two Democrats, and an independent, they will be on hand here to oversee
everything that happens tomorrow, and it is going to be a very, very stressful day.
We can see the stress on the faces of the election workers, something that I found very fascinating. Erica, there is a Zen den here, so if those that
are feeling a little bit overwhelmed by the process that happens tomorrow, they can come here for a brief break.
Gwinnett County, an absolute fascinating part of Georgia. It is one of the most diverse counties, if not, the most diverse county in the state. And
generally, for local or state elections, it's almost guaranteed to go blue, but that's not the case for U.S. presidential elections, and in fact, in
the previous decades, Democrats and Republicans have sort of traded off winning this county.
In 2020, Trump, by number, got more votes here than any other county in the state, but still lost this county. If Kamala Harris wants to win Georgia
and repeat a Democrat nominee winning here for the first time since '92. That happened here in 2020. If she wants that to happen again, Gwinnett
County is going to be instrumental to that victory. Erica?
HILL: That will be a major focus there. And just really quickly, this fake video that we talked about, that secretary of state is warning about -
(CROSSTALK)
VALENCIA: Yes.
HILL: How much concern is there that the damage is already done?
VALENCIA: There is a lot of concern, you know. Even despite the messages that are coming across from the secretary of state, that this is among the
most secure elections in the country, that viral video it had -- it took off, it had a life of its own.
[10:15:02]
It was removed by X. It was removed by that original poster that put it up on social media. But by the time it was removed, it had more than half a
million views.
You know, the secretary of state has been very clear that, as you mentioned, this was an obvious fake. But there are people out there that,
despite the messaging and despite what officials are saying here, just flat out, don't believe them. Erica?
HILL: Absolutely. You are going to be busy, my friend, for the next 24, 36, 48 hours.
VALENCIA: Yes.
HILL: Whatever it may be. Thank you.
VALENCIA: You got it.
HILL: We are continuing to follow what is happening in eastern Spain, and right now the region is actually bracing for more heavy rain and storms,
just days after those record breaking, breaking flash floods tore through towns and cities, killing more than 200 people.
An update from Spain, plus, an Iranian woman detained for stripping down to her underwear in protest outside a university in Tehran. More on that story
ahead.
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HILL: Part of Barcelona's El Prat Airport is under water. Heavy rain and storms back and inundating Spain's east coast today. Weather alerts are in
place along the coast, residents also expressing their anger over the weekend at the Spanish government's response to last week's record-breaking
floods.
Atika Shubert has more from Valencia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The waters have receded, but the scene remains apocalyptic. A week after the
first torrential rain, some normality is returning, barely.
Across Valencia, first responders and countless volunteers continue the search for the dozens still missing, feared to be stuck beneath the mud, in
flooded garages, or warehouses, where access is difficult.
The delay in aid has angered many in Valencia. Those frustrations erupted on Sunday when King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the
badly affected suburb of Paiporta.
Assassino, they shouted. Murderer.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia stayed to face people's anger. Prime Minister Sanchez did not, whisked away by security.
Hearing the stories of the many here who lost literally everything, and the criticism of those who believe the government failed them.
It can't be like this. This young man tells the king. They knew about the storm and did nothing. Through rain and mud, they listened to the horror
and pleas for food and water and power.
We only ask for help, this woman says. We are not asking for anything else.
Help has been arriving, often in the form of young volunteers, shocked to find they were the first to arrive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday, we was in one of the village. We don't know why the police, why the military, they don't go. And so, we are -
(CROSSTALK)
SHUBERT: There were - there were no police, no military there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No police. No one. No one was there.
[10:20:01]
SHUBERT (voice over): Specialized equipment is finally coming through, days late, power and water has been mostly restored to affected areas.
But for people in Valencia, it's too little, too slow, and too late. Atika Shubert, CNN, Valencia, Spain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar this Monday. Look at this video. You can barely see the vehicles there.
That is the record smog blanketing Eastern Pakistan's Punjab Province over the weekend. The air pollution, a major health risk for Lahore, Pakistan
and its 14 million inhabitants. Pakistani officials now calling for climate diplomacy with India to combat the problem.
In Indonesia, at least 10 people are dead after a volcano erupted in the east. This happening just after midnight on Monday, sending thick brown ash
spewing thousands of meters into the air.
Officials say that ash hit a nearby village, which burned down several houses, including a convent of Catholic nuns.
And the Associated Press is reporting Moldova's pro-western president, Maia Sandu, has won a second term in office in an election that, of course, had
been marred by allegations of Russian interference. With nearly 99 percent of the vote counted, she stands at 55 percent, giving her an apparent
victory over her opponent from the pro-Russian Socialist Party.
Benjamin Netanyahu, facing even more pressure today. Israeli police have now arrested one of the prime minister's top aides for allegedly leaking
classified information.
Opposition leaders say that intelligence was all part of an attempt to undermine talks aimed at a cease fire and hostage deal in Gaza.
And at the same time, Israel's top ally, the United States, is warning it is deeply concerned by Israel's move to formally cut ties with UNRWA, of
course, the Palestinian refugee relief agency. That announcement coming just days after Israel's parliament voted to ban the agency.
Over the weekend, UNICEF saying more than 50 children had been killed in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp by IDF airstrikes.
In a statement, UNICEF says these latest attacks are, "another dark chapter" and one of the darkest periods of this terrible war.
Well, the claim is that the targets are Hezbollah, but Israel's recent attacks in Lebanon, we're learning, have also damaged the country's
hospitals, according to Lebanese health officials/
A CNN investigation shows the Israeli military has dropped bombs within a lethal range of at least 19 hospitals.
Here is more from CNN's senior investigations writer Tamara Qiblawi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL MIDDLE EAST PRODUCER (voice over): A ball of fire lights up the night sky. Seconds later, loud booms reverberate
through Lebanon's capital, one of many explosions rocking Beirut's southern suburbs, nearly every night for the past month.
in Lebanon's largest public hospital, glass shatters and there is panic as an Israeli bomb hits the vicinity.
E.R. nurse, Mohammad Fouani was there when that explosion came without warning.
MOHAMMAD FOUANI, NURSE, RAFIK HARIRI UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (text): When the explosion happened, the ground shook and I fell over my patient. We have
been through a lot, but this event was the worst thing we ever experienced.
QIBLAWI (voice over): In the day, the horrors come to light. Meters away from the hospital, the epicenter of the Israeli strike.
A desperate scramble to dig men, women, and children out of the rubble.
This is Hezbollah's seat of power, a major flashpoint in Israel's bombing campaign.
But this is also home to some one million people, most of whom are now displaced.
QIBLAWI: Israeli strikes across the country have damaged 34 hospitals, according to health authorities. Eight of these have been forced to close.
Now, while the majority of these hospitals weren't directly hit, they were inside a blast radius known as a kill zone.
QIBLAWI (voice-over): Let's look at this more closely. The bombing campaign focused on three areas: the Southern suburbs of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley,
and the country's south, which borders Israel.
We analyzed over 240 Israeli airstrikes in the first month of Israel's countrywide offensive.
Our team measured the potential reach of fragments from each one of these attacks. Experts call this a kill zone: a 340-meter radius around the
target, where shrapnel can tear through buildings and people.
This calculation is based on the types of bombs we know Israel is using in Lebanon today.
In the Southern suburbs of Beirut, our analysis found that every single hospital was within the kill zone of an airstrike, and health authorities
say every single hospital has been damaged as a result.
In the Bekaa Valley, two hospitals were found within these kill zones. In the South, where whole villages have been flattened by Israel's
bombardment, there were six.
[10:25:00]
CNN was able to verify 19 hospitals that fell within these kill zones. Health authorities say a fifth of Lebanon's hospitals have been damaged.
Many fear this is only the beginning, with dozens of Lebanese health and emergency workers killed in just a month, according to the health ministry.
There are echoes of the apocalyptic situation that is still playing out for hospitals in Gaza.
DR. THAER AHMAD, PHYSICIAN: We can't let that happen.
QIBLAWI (voice over): Doctor Thaer Ahmad is an American doctor who was working in Gaza earlier this year. He is in Lebanon now, and he says he is
getting flashbacks.
AHMAD: There are no red lines. There is no respect for international humanitarian law. We saw that in Gaza for the past 13 months, and we're
seeing it in Lebanon. Are we heading in that same direction? Are we actually going to see this repeat itself?
QIBLAWI (voice over): Responding to CNN's findings, the Israeli military said it "operates in strict accordance with international law." It accused
Hezbollah of being "deeply embedded in civilian areas," deliberately close to medical facilities.
Lebanon is no stranger to war, but its health workers say they have never been more vulnerable. And yet, they say they feel they have no choice but
to carry on.
Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: A female student in Iran detained after taking off her clothes in the capital of Tehran. It's believed to be an act of protest against the
country's strict Islamic dress code.
Here is more from CNN's Nada Bashir.
NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: A woman in Iran has been detained after stripping down to her underwear outside her university in the
country's capital Tehran.
According to students and activist groups, the woman was protesting the abusive enforcement of Iran's strict Islamic dress code. An Iranian student
social media channel has reported that the woman had faced harassment by members of the Besiege an Iranian volunteer and paramilitary group on the
Azad University campus, adding that members of the force had ripped her headscarf off and tore her clothes.
In this video, the student is shown being bundled into a car by a group of men in what human rights group Amnesty International has described as a
violent arrest. A police report cited by a university spokesperson claims the woman was under severe mental pressure and had a mental disorder.
However, CNN has not been able to independently establish the circumstances behind the incident.
In Iran, women can be subjected to harsh punishment for not wearing the hijab or headscarf in public. In recent years, the Iranian regime has faced
backlash for the stringent and often violent enforcement of these regulations by its so-called morality police.
In 2022, protests erupted across the globe after 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini was violently arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.
She later died while in police custody. Iranian officials claim she suffered a heart attack.
This latest incident has once again sparked concern for the safety and freedom of women in Iran. Amnesty International has called for the
immediate and unconditional release of the Azad University student, and is demanding she be given access to her family and lawyer.
HILL: CNN's Nada Bashir, reporting for us.
Just ahead here, the blue wall in U.S. politics. Is it still blue? Shifting demographics and the Trump effect really changing things in those key
states. We're going to speak to some folks on the ground about what they are seeing and hearing.
Plus, boosting security for this election in some places. That means bringing in the National Guard. A closer look just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:53]
HILL: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD at half past the hour. I'm Erica Hill in New York on this Monday, we are closely tracking the U.S.
presidential candidates on this election eve, it is, of course, the final hours for their campaigns. Kamala Harris kicking off a day long sprint
through the Strait of Pennsylvania today, she will finish -- sorry, will begin in Scranton. Finish the day in Philadelphia, where she is expected to
be joined by some pretty big names, including Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga.
Donald Trump, for his part, kicking off his day in North Carolina. He's at a rally in Raleigh right now. Then it is on to Michigan, where he will
bring his America first message, and then also to Pennsylvania.
Dueling strategies on this election eve, our political director David Chalian has more.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN, POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Here it is. The path to 270, the red states are in Trump's column. The blue states are in Harris' column for
the purpose of this exercise, and we've got seven remaining yellow, toss up battleground states.
And as you know, those battleground states are razor thin. Look, these are poll to polls in the battleground states. No clear leader in any of them,
in any of these battleground states. So, this is razor thin.
So, what is the path to victory for each candidate? Well, the Harris campaign will say that their best, most direct path to 270 electoral votes
is through the blue wall. If she were to win Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, she'd be at 270 electoral votes and the next president.
But what if Donald Trump repeats his 2016 victory in Pennsylvania, then Harris drops down to 251 and she has to go hunting in the Sun Belt to find
some more votes, certainly, if she were able to flip North Carolina from red to blue this time, that would get her knocking on the door to 270 and
then maybe Nevada behaves like it has for Democrats in recent cycles, and that would put Harris over the top in that scenario.
What about Donald Trump's path? Well, let's reset the map. Seven yellow battleground states, and Donald Trump's most direct path is to hang on to
North Carolina. That is the state he won by the narrowest margin four years ago. In fact, it's the only state he won of the seven battleground states.
And let's say he flips Georgia back. You'll recall, he famously lost it by just fewer than 12,000 votes. So let's say that ends up back in his column.
And let's say he does get that Pennsylvania victory repeated from 2016, that's it. He'll be at 270 electoral votes. He doesn't need any of the rest
of the battleground states.
But what if Harris does pull it out in Pennsylvania? Then, where does Donald Trump go for the next 19 electoral votes?
Well, even if he were to win Nevada and Arizona out west, that still would not get him to 270. He would need at least one of the other remaining so
called blue wall states such as Michigan, and that would do the trick and get him over the top at 283.
HILL: And our thanks to David Chalian for that wrap. Let's take a closer look at some of the trends in some of those key states.
For that, we're joined by Angelique Hinton, who's executive director of the group, PA Youth Vote, Pennsylvania, of course, and Rick Pluta, senior
correspondent for Michigan Public Radio.
It's so great to have both of you here, because oftentimes one of my questions is, we take a very broad view. Oftentimes we're looking at how
things are playing out nationally. We know the national polls don't tell us everything we need to know. It's about the states and certainly your states
as we look at things right now.
So, just for you both and Angelique, I'll start with you. Do you think there is something that has been missing in this conversation as we go into
the final hours of campaigning? Something that perhaps we're missing that you are seeing?
ANGELIQUE HINTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PA YOUTH VOTE: Yes, I think we don't understand that a lot of times when we're speaking about young people, many
young people are not getting education around how government works and why they should be participating. And so, I think you've seen an increased
effort to do this work from a non-partisan standpoint, where they're really starting to really understand how all this is connected to addressing the
issue that they very much care about.
And so, when you see that education and engagement, you will see young people will really be engaged and will really have a lot to say when it
comes to this process.
[10:35:08]
HILL: Rick, in terms of what we're missing on a national level, what are you seeing and hearing there in Michigan?
RICK PLUTA, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, MICHIGAN PUBLIC RADIO NETWORK: Well, sure. Well, one of the things it certainly will get attention is that there
is already a bipartisan effort underway to get people, both here and across the country, to trust the election results and the election processes,
because they're forecasting, and there's already evidence that it's happening, that there are going to be efforts to call into question the
results of the election. And so, there's just no time to waste in terms of stopping those from -- stopping those from taking root.
HILL: Angelique, as we look at this, oftentimes, there has been a sense that younger voters tend to be more progressive, and yet one of the
narratives that is coming out of 2024 as that specifically young white men are leaning more conservative.
I'm curious, Angelique, what are you seeing in terms of registrations as more young people are, in fact, signing up and getting ready to vote?
HINTON: So, we really are nonpartisan, so we don't really pay that close of attention to you know who they're registering, which party they're
registering as, but I do think we've seen overall, the majority of them are registering as Independent. Young people seem to be more independent
thinkers and really want to understand and be responsive to people that are going to speak specifically to the issues that they care about, and not so
much tied to parties one way or another.
HILL: Which I think is a fascinating look, as we look at how maybe the electorate itself is starting to shift and Rick, maybe how people, in many
ways, of all ages, are becoming perhaps a little bit disenchanted with their parties.
PLUTA: Well, sure, although that is an issue in every election, which is, you know, how do you bring the people who would otherwise be with you home
on this question of young voters? I don't think that it was a coincidence that Kamala Harris's last stop in Michigan was Michigan State University in
East Lansing, which is the state's largest university and one of the largest in the country. And there are 50,000 students there, which doesn't
take into account faculty and all the people who live in the surrounding community.
HILL: Last question for you both, Angelique, I'll start with you again. What will you be watching that will give you a sense of how -- of how the
youth -- the young voters are turning out, where is your focus going to be tomorrow?
HINTON: So, it will be really just, you know, turnout. A lot of the young people that we've worked with really prefer to vote on Election Day as
first time voters. So, really just trying to see what the turnout looks like. I think it's going to be critically telling to us.
We did see in the primary last year that turnout in Philadelphia, where we've been doing a lot of engagement was double, the Gen Z turn out of any
other age. So, I'm just excited to see young people turn out. They feel like they've been engaged. And I think you're going to see them really show
up in big numbers tomorrow.
HILL: It is great to see some of those. You know, everybody's -- not everybody, we see a lot of I voted photos being posted online. It is always
great to see younger voters doing that, voting for the first time.
Rick, I know there's especially a focus on Saginaw County when we talk about Michigan, is that going to be -- is there going to be a laser focus
on that county again, you think in 2024?
PLUTA: Well, I mean, certainly there's going to be a lot of attention paid for -- paid to it, because it seems to be sort of a Harbinger County as
Saginaw goes, then we can get a sense of how the state and maybe the nation is even going.
So yes, I mean, in the '80s, in the '90s, it was Macomb County, those Reagan Democrats, and now -- and Macomb is still a big deal, but Saginaw is
sort of the -- sort of in that, taking that spot in line right now in this election cycle.
HILL: Rick and Angelique, I really appreciate you both joining us with your insight this hour. Thank you.
PLUTA: Thank you.
HILL: And stay with us, CONNECT THE WORLD continues on the other side of this quick break, you're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:41:28]
HILL: Nations in the Gulf region have been focusing in recent years on growing beyond oil and gas. This week for Marketplace Middle East, CNN's
Richard Quest sits down with Bahrain's Minister of Finance and national economy to talk about that economic diversification.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHAIKH SALMAN BIN KHALIFA AL KHALIFA, BAHRAIN MINISTER OF FINANCE AND NATIONAL ECONOMY: This region was seen for many years as a place for
investors to raise capital from and as more economic development plans started coming to fruition, as more economic plans started going into
execution, what has been created in the region is no longer just a region to raise capital from, but it has also become a region in which global
investors can deploy capital into projects that can deliver fantastic returns.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: What sort of projects are we talking about in a non-oil and gas environment?
AL KHALIFA: So, the Kingdom of Bahrain today we have a very diversified economy, which is more than 85 percent non-oil. And as we look around the
region, what is happening rapidly in all of the economies in the GCC is an increase in the diversification, more economic activity in other sectors,
and that brings along with it, a lot of opportunities for investment.
So, as an example, we are focused in the Kingdom of Bahrain on a number of sectors, the logistics sector, the tourism sector, banking and finance,
which is today the largest sector in our economy, manufacturing, technology and telecoms and the oil and gas sector.
QUEST: But I could arguably say every other country in the region is going to tell me the same version of that.
AL KHALIFA: Well, I'm very glad that they're telling you that, because that means that all of us are working together to increase economic activity,
increase the pie for the whole region, and this rising tide will lift with it all of the economies of the region.
So, today, the GCC economies are in total, about $2.3 trillion in GDP. And as we look forward, that $2.3 trillion of GDP is expected to go to $3
trillion by 2030 and conservatively estimated to go to $6 trillion of GDP by 2050. That growth in and of itself, and the diversification that we are
seeing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the continued economic growth that we're seeing in the United Arab Emirates, the two of them together
represent more than 75 percent of GCC GDP creates opportunities for all the countries in the region, Bahrain, included, and especially Bahrain, as we
build very strong infrastructure, in logistics, in tech, in manufacturing, to service those economies.
QUEST: I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about the election. Are you worried about protectionism following on from the election? Are you worried
that we could be about to see a dramatic shift?
AL KHALIFA: We are here in the Kingdom of Bahrain, we are focused on our economic development. We're focused on always working with our strategic
partners in the best interest of growing trade, in terms of growing economic ties. And we wish everybody the best.
QUEST: When we look at the problems facing the world, doesn't matter which one we choose at the moment, some people would suggest that they're worse
than we've ever seen them before, because of some of them are existential, like climate change, like energy transition. Do you think we're up to the
task?
[10:45:06]
AL KHALIFA: We are up to the task. And during any period of challenge in the world, what ends up happening is that we come out better, and the
greater the challenge, the greater the reward.
And today, a lot of the challenges that the world faces are interconnected and interlinked and the right way in which we can overcome them is with
collective action, and it takes groups of countries working together to ensure that we overcome the challenges and turn those challenges into
opportunities for our citizens and for the people of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: With the potential of civil unrest during the voting tomorrow, the National Guard is on standby as a precaution in a number of states. CNN's
Julia Vargas Jones is following these developments for us from Los Angeles.
So, there is a real concern in a number of areas about security for not just people going to vote, but for the folks who are working the polls, and
in many places, those are all volunteers, Julia.
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are, Erica. And officials are looking at two different things, right? One is isolated incidents that did
happen in this region. And then there's a second aspect of it, which is a general threat level across the United States, both in Washington and in
Oregon. Officials did mention an incident involving fires at ballot boxes that took place over the last couple of weeks. Almost 500 ballots were
damaged in these incidents. The majority of the people impacted by those have already requested new ballots, and officials say that only six of them
were too damaged to be legible.
But they are warning, Erica, that the police is still looking for the suspect of these fires, and they are concerned that he could attack again.
Now, governor of Washington State, Jay Inslee, said that these were election related unrest incidents already, although he did say that having
the National Guard at the ready was, "A purely precautionary measure taken in response to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's nationwide
warnings regarding threats to election infrastructure and other recent activities that have occurred in southwestern Washington."
Of course, that's what he's mentioning there, right? Those ballot box fires. Now, in Oregon, we're hearing something similar. The governor is
saying that she will call the National Guard if necessary.
Now, the City of Portland, by itself, is telling businesses, advising businesses to remove any kind of furniture, construction materials,
anything that could be used as projectiles, barricades or fuel for fires over the coming days.
The mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler, had a message for people in Portland as well, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TED WHEELER, MAYOR OF PORTLAND: We will do everything possible to protect people's First Amendment right to demonstrate peacefully, but we are also
prepared to address anything that is related to criminal destruction or violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And about 60 National Guard troops will be on standby. In Nevada as well, though the governor there, Erica, saying that this is just a
proactive precautionary measure they're taking and that they have taken in elections past.
Of course, authorities across the states are asking the public to stay vigilant and to report any kind of suspicious activity as they work to keep
things safe and secure this Election Day.
HILL: Julia Vargas Jones live in Los Angeles for us this hour. Thank you.
Well, we know there was a lot at stake, of course, for this year's U.S. presidential election, and the world is watching.
Still to come, how this election impacts the international community from security to the wars in Ukraine and Israel and even climate change and
global trade? Two candidates, two very different views. The view from abroad is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:44]
HILL: The election really appears to have galvanized American women with more attacks on reproductive health care, including abortion care and in
vitro fertilization. Many female voters are really leading into this message that their rights and their freedoms are, in fact, at the center of
the campaign that, of course, is what Vice President Kamala Harris is really trying to hone in on.
Take a look at this, though, in the seven of the most contested battleground states, women so far have cast 55 percent of the early voting
ballots. Recent CNN polling shows Vice President Kamala Harris with an edge over Donald Trump among women, as you see there 50 to 44 percent, he holds
an edge with men. Take a listen to the candidates and what they have to say about women's rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm through the roof with men. I'm great with men, but I'm sort of like soft with the women's health.
Women have to be protected when they're at home in suburban.
I consider myself to be the father of fertilization, remember?
KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ours is a fight for freedom. Freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Some early voters in the United States making their voices heard celebrating with a pioneering women's rights icon, Susan B. Anthony. We see
this often for the elections. There you go, placing their I voted stickers on her headstone memorial statue in Rochester, New York.
Susan B. Anthony, of course, one of the most well-known early suffragists campaigning for equal voting rights for women the 1800s, so she died before
women were granted that constitutional right. Many modern women, though, recognizing that ground breaking work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY D'ANGELO-VEITCH, VOTER: Now I'm a mom of two daughters, and I want my daughters to be engaged citizens. I want them to vote and to be able to do
that here today, and then just to come and honor the work that Susan B. Anthony did, to give me the right to do that was beyond important.
JANE CARDEN, VOTER: The fact that she took this stand over a hundred years ago, that I could do this and that my daughters can do this, it's a
privilege. I wouldn't be anywhere else. I wouldn't vote anywhere else this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: American women gained the right to vote in 1920, 14 years after Anthony's death. And it's important to point out, typically, there are more
women than men who vote in U.S. elections. More women are registered to vote as well.
And Donald Trump is now out there on the stage speaking to supporters in Raleigh, North Carolina on this, his first stop of the final day of
campaigning, one of three states that are on his list for today, just ahead of Election Day tomorrow.
Well, whatever the outcome may be, whether it is Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, the outcome, as we know, will have major ramifications, not just
here in the United States, but around the world, our correspondents around the globe have a closer look for us as they gage the international reaction
to this incredibly tight race.
This hour, Larry Madowo is in Nairobi. Mike Valerio is in Seoul.
First though, here's CNN Senior International Correspondent Melissa Bell with a view from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: American elections always closely watched here in Europe, but this one really like no other, not only because of the
likely economic consequences of a second Donald Trump term, given his pledges of tariffs on imported goods and what that would mean for the
global economy, but also from this continent's point of view for its security.
Remember that the last time Donald Trump was president, there had been all this talk in Europe of needing to achieve greater strategic independence.
The fears are now on the continent that that hasn't gone far enough, with the war in Ukraine not helping either. A lot of questions, a lot of
attention then on what happens Tuesday in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Melissa Bell there for us in Paris. I want to bring you back now to Raleigh, North Carolina. Donald Trump speaking to his supporters on his
final day of campaigning, let's listen in.
TRUMP: -- with thousands of proud, hardworking American patriots. That's what you are, you're patriots. You built this country. You built this
country.
But I'd like to begin by asking a very simple question, are you better off now than you were four years ago?
And I've asked that question so many times they've never had one hand go up for the other. Would you vote tomorrow? I will end inflation. I will stop
the invasion of criminals coming into our country, which I happen to think is the absolute worst thing that has ever happened to our country. I've
ever seen. They're putting in murders, releasing all of their prisoners from jails all over the world, not South America, all over the world, into
our country. I think it's the worst thing.
[10:55:25]
You know in the polling, when I see the polling, I see that inflation and the economy a number one, which is sort of standard, but I really would
like to put that, because we're going to close up that border so fast, we're going to get those people (INAUDIBLE). When she's not going to do it,
she couldn't do it if she wanted to. She wouldn't know what to do. An open borders.
And you know what? If things weren't bad today, you would have -- and tomorrow, you would have open borders, the first day of that, and you'll
have -- they have 21 million people that they let into our country. Many of these people are murderers. Think of it, 13,099 are murders, the big drug
lords, the prison population from countries all over the world that if I ran a country, I say, get my prisons, open borders. They just walk in. No
vetting. Think of it, no vetting. We have no idea who they are. You're not allowed to ask. You're not allowed to ask. They just walk right into our
country and they kill people. You have murders.
See, if 13,099 murders, many of them have killed far more than one person, bad things are going to happen. And you have terrorist levels that we've
never seen before. We had terrorists down the lowest. I had in 2019 -- and this isn't done by me, this is done by Border Patrol, which, by the way,
endorsed me. They gave me a great endorsement. They said he's the greatest president ever. He's the greatest president. The head guy, boy Paul was
great. He made a beautiful speech, but he said he's the greatest president our country has ever had. I said, does that include Lincoln, Washington,
and a couple of others? But it's very nice, but they gave me the strongest endorsement.
And I have to say this, at the same little speech, they said she's the worst thing to ever happen to our country, and it's very hard for them to
say that. She never made one phone call in four years to the Border Patrol. How we doing? I used to drive them crazy. They probably said, oh no, it's
the president again. Yes, we're finding our president. I used to call, I used to drive them nuts when I had nothing to do. As I call the Border
Patrol and we got --
Just drop that chart, please. My all-time favorite chart. My all-time favorite chart, I love that chart. I sleep with that chart. I kiss it every
night before I go, because I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the chart.
If you take a look at the arrow on the bottom, that was the day I left office. That was the lowest illegal immigration we ever had. And I kept it
pretty good.
And then you take a look, and we had Mexico pay for their soldiers. They didn't want to pay for their soldiers. I said, you have to give a soldiers
while we build the wall, and they paid so much money to us, and they said, we're not going to do that. They actually left at me when I suggested and I
said, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to put a tariff of 100 percent on all your cars and everything that comes into the United States.
They said -- you know they said? Sir, would -- we would be greatly honored to let you have our soldiers free of charge, thousands. How many would you
need, sir? I said, as many as it takes.
And they were great. They made a big contribution to our security, let me tell you. But they got to stop with now we're talking turkey, one of the
first calls I'm going to make us to Mexico. You stop letting people come in through our border, and come in through your southern border, and you stop
it.
Because Mexico and I had a great relate -- I had a great relationship with the president, but he retired now. He left. He's a good man. He was a
socialist. Can't have everything, but he was a good man.
But they paid a fortune for the soldiers on board, and we were able to have great numbers while we built, 571 miles of wall. I was going to add 200
what -- by the way, far more than I said. I was talking about 200, 250. We built 571 and by nobody talks about it.
And you know what I did, because we had a Congress that was not behaving. I said, I don't care. This is an invasion of our country. I'm taking it out
of the military. And I took it out of the military because I gave them -- I gave them $725 billion. I say, congratulations, --
END
END
