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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump And Harris Vie For Female Vote In The Final Stretch Of Their Campaigns; Deadly Floods In Spain Kill At Least 205; Israeli Strikes Pound Lebanon And Gaza; College Students Playing A Role In Battleground Michigan; Over 300 Economists Oppose Trump, Citing Danger To Democracy And "Misdiagnosis" Of The Economy; Harris Speaks As She Arrives For Wisconsin Campaign Blitz. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired November 01, 2024 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
LYNDA KINKADE, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade in for Isa Soares. Tonight, it's the final
stretch in the race for the White House with just four days to go. Women's rights are an issue at the heart of the presidential campaign as both
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump vie for the female vote.
Also ahead, too little, too late. Horrifying details emerge of how victims died in Spain's flooding disaster. Plus, ceasefire hopes fade as Israeli
strikes pound both Lebanon and Gaza. The U.N. warns Lebanon's historic cities are in deep peril of being left in ruins.
Well, there are just four days left in the mad dash to the U.S. election finish line, and the candidates are passionately courting battleground
states, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are spending time today in the blue wall state of Wisconsin where they're neck-and-neck after spending
Thursday criss-crossing Arizona and Nevada.
But what's making headlines is the former President's alarming comments suggesting that Republican Liz Cheney, one of his most prominent critics
have guns trained on her face and be shot. Here's what Trump said while speaking with former "Fox News" host Tucker Carlson last night in Arizona.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She's a radical war hawk. Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrel shooting
at her, OK? Let's see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Lawmaker Liz Cheney, who is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, responded to Trump's comments on X, saying "this is how
dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death." The Trump campaign issued a statement in response to the
backlash, saying "warmongers like Liz Cheney are very quick to start wars and send other Americans to fight them rather than go into combat
themselves."
Well, Daniel Strauss is in Washington and will join us in a few moments with more on the race. But I want to go to Eva McKend first, who joins us
here in Atlanta. Good to see you, Eva. So, we just heard Donald Trump speaking about Republican Liz Cheney who has, of course, endorsed Harris,
as has her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney. Is it likely that Harris will respond to those comments today?
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: She hasn't yet, but she is expected to respond to these comments when she lands in Wisconsin.
So, we will soon hear more from her on this matter. But what I can tell you from the campaign more broadly is that they view this as helpful to a
larger argument that they have long been making, that the former President is illustrating behavior, commentary that suggests that he is unfit for the
presidency.
You know, so much of the strategy for Vice President Harris is to cast a wide net, really bring new voters into the fold, leaning on these
Republicans for Harris coalition. She knows that there are conservative voters out there that may not agree with her on every policy matter, but
still potentially could consider voting for her because they just find the former President is not palatable.
And so, when he makes comments like this one about Liz Cheney, when we saw what we saw over the weekend at Madison Square Garden at his closing
argument rally, they all think that this is helpful and they feel like they are getting undecided voters. So, voters that you can -- if you can believe
it, are still making up their mind in this final hour. They feel like this episode makes them most competitive with them.
KINKADE: I want to come back to you, Eva, in just a moment, but if Daniel is ready, I want to ask him about these comments, calling for Liz Cheney to
be fired upon. We've heard from Republicans trying to make excuses for that or trying to explain that comment from Donald Trump.
Is he offering any clarity? Is it likely he'll walk that comment back?
DANIEL STRAUSS, CNN REPORTER: Trump himself has not responded or addressed the comments since he made it, and Trump himself also very rarely
apologizes or walks back comments. He will probably defend himself, but the thing about the former President is no one, but he usually knows what he's
going to say.
[14:05:00]
It's -- the Trump campaign has argued that this was not an illusion or encouragement to his supporters to somehow train their weapons on Cheney,
but this was just meant to highlight her background as what they call a war hawk. So, it's really unclear where this is going from here and what the
Trump team wants to see, or how they think they can repair this.
KINKADE: I want to go back to you, Eva, because we did see Puerto Rican superstar Jennifer Lopez supporting Kamala Harris last night at her rally,
and again responding to the remarks made at a Trump rally from a speaker who suggested that Puerto Rico --Puerto Rico is an island of trash. Can we
just roll this down from Jennifer Lopez.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER LOPEZ, AMERICAN-SINGER: At Madison Square Garden, he reminded us who he really is and how he really feels. It wasn't just Puerto Ricans that
were offended that day, OK? It was every Latino in this country. It was humanity and anyone of decent character.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Certainly, a very passionate speech from Jennifer Lopez. Eva, quite a few Puerto Ricans, especially well-known Puerto Ricans are throwing
their support behind Harris now. What else did J-Lo have to say last night?
MCKEND: You know what struck me, Lynda, is she kept repeating, she gets it, she gets it, about Vice President Harris. So, in lending her support to
Harris, she was saying to this crowd, really an appeal to Latino voters that she understands our community. And Latino voters are going to be a
very important constituency in the west, but also in places like Pennsylvania.
And so, they are hoping that they can lean on these celebrity surrogates like Jennifer Lopez to aptly make the case here. Lopez also talked about
Harris having compassion for immigrant families because she herself is the product of immigrants. She talked about how Harris could adeptly harness
the power of women.
And so, you know, not only Lopez, but we're seeing other high profile Latin-American celebrities out there as well. And they feel as though that
this is going to be helpful for them with not that much time left to make their case.
KINKADE: All right, Eva McKend for us and Daniel Strauss, good to have you both with us. Thank you. Well, both Harris and Trump are vying for that all
important vote from women. Recent CNN polling shows that Vice President Harris has an edge over Donald Trump among women, 50 percent to Trump's 44
percent. Well, Harris is seizing on comments Trump made at a rally this week about women. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I want to protect the people. I want to protect the women of our country. I want to protect the women, sure, please don't say that, why?
They said, sir, I just think it's inappropriate for you to say -- I pay these guys a lot of money. Can you believe it?
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I said well, I'm going to do it whether the women like it or not, I'm going to protect them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez who were just speaking about campaigns at -- with Harris at the rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, last
night. And she spoke directly to women in the audience. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: I believe in the power of women.
(CHEERS)
LOPEZ: Ladies! Where my ladies at? Let me hear you! Yes, I believe that women have the power to make the difference in this election.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, joining me now is Julie Roginsky, a Democratic strategist and co-founder of the nonprofit Lift Our Voices, which advocates for
American Workers Rights, good to have you with us.
JULIE ROGINSKY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST & CO-FOUNDER, LIFT OUR VOICES: Thanks so much for having me.
KINKADE: So, Julie, when you look at the early voting so far, women are dominating. What does that suggest about the level of motivation to make
their voices heard in this election?
ROGINSKY: Look, women for my entire life until a few years ago were constantly told that our rights were under stress, that abortion was going
to somehow be banned and for a long time, because there were so many generations of women who heard that. Women kind of, you know, appreciated
it but didn't quite understand what that meant.
And then two years ago, yes, indeed, the United States became a country that effectively has banned abortion for at least one-third of the women
living in it. And potentially, if Trump gets elected, that can be expanded nationwide regardless of what he says now to win this election. And so, I
think women understand exactly what's at stake.
They understand that if they're pregnant, where they're desperately wanting baby and they go into sepsis, there are states in this country, large
states like Texas, large states like Georgia where they effectively may die because there will be no help for them even if it means that their life is
in danger, and certainly that their baby's life is in danger. That's not pro-life.
[14:10:00]
And that's something that I think women in the United States certainly did not think was going to be happening, that they were going to have fewer
rights than their mothers did, and that their daughters will have fewer rights than many of us did. And so, for that reason alone, I think there's
just tremendous amount of anger, a tremendous amount of frustration and a tremendous amount of energy for women to get to the polls to make sure that
they roll back these provisions that have kept us down for the last two years.
And that, again, to be very clear, women understand something very simple, that if there is no penalty to the Republican Party for doing what they did
to deprive a third of this country, going on more and more and more states of their rights, their rights to reproductive freedom, their rights to
personal bodily autonomy, that the lesson of the Republican Party will take if they are back in power is that abortion is really not that big of a
deal.
Reproductive freedom is not that big of a deal. And then they'll vote accordingly, which is what they've been trying to do all along, whether
it's allies like Senator Lindsey Graham or allies like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. All allies of former President Trump who will say, well, there's
really no penalty to be paid for getting rid of abortion nationwide.
So, we might as well just go ahead and do it, and they will do it and the Supreme Court will allow them to do it. And that is something women in this
country fully understand and do not want to stand for, which is why you're seeing the gender gap you're seeing right now.
KINKADE: Yes, because it was interesting. There was so much backlash at the Midterms --
ROGINSKY: True --
KINKADE: After the fall of Roe v. Wade, which for our international viewers, this is a case where Trump stacked the Supreme Court, they
abolished a law that had been in place since 1973. And of course, it affects all women because we know one in four pregnancies end in
miscarriage. And without abortion medication, a miscarriage can last weeks.
I just want to bring up an article that was published this week, "ProPublica" reported that two Texas women died after being denied
miscarriage care at a hospital because doctors there say they can't help a woman who's having a miscarriage if the fetus has a heartbeat. One of those
women was Jocelyn Baneca(ph), she had hoped to give her daughter a sibling, but she had a miscarriage, she then had to endure 40 hours of trauma until
her body finished miscarriage.
And of course, during that time, her uterus was exposed to bacteria and she died three days later of an infection, and her daughter now has no mother.
I mean, this is an issue that's playing out in state-after-state, and right up to the day of the election, it will really, I guess, be a massive
motivating factor for many women, right?
ROGINSKY: I mean, understand what this means for your international viewers. We are the country, the United States, where people travel from
all over the world because of our healthcare system. Literally, you've got kings and heads of state that would leave their own countries and travel
here because of the healthcare system that we have.
And yet, we are a country that is allowing our women to die where doctors are standing by where they could easily help these women but they're so
deathly afraid of being prosecuted for helping these women because of some of the laws that are passed in places like Texas and places like Georgia,
in places like Florida and so on.
That as a result of that, doctors whose oath it is to first do no harm, but second, to help to the best of their ability to help these women. They
can't help them. How frustrating must that be for people who are trained in medicine, who are trained to save lives, to say that we can't do it, not
because we don't want to, not because we don't know how to, but because the government, some men in some far-away state capital and in some far-away
Supreme Court of the United States and Washington D.C have decided that we can't practice medicine to save the lives of our patients.
I mean, if that doesn't infuriate you if you're an American woman or if you're a woman or a man who cares about women anywhere in the world, I
don't know what does. But again, it's all the more just shocking I think to those of us who live in this country and to those of us who look to the
United States not just as a beacon of freedom, but also as a place where people do travel to receive the best healthcare in the world that we are
now -- we have now arrived at a situation where truly our own doctors cannot help their own patients.
And I can't imagine if this were in the U.K. or in the European Union anywhere, or in any other part of the world, if you have the ability to
help a patient, how can you not? Except in this country where the Supreme Court has now allowed states to say, even if you can, we're not going to
allow you to, and if you do, we will prosecute you effectively for murder.
KINKADE: And just quickly, I am wondering whether Donald Trump still has major support from white women. This is the country's largest voting bloc
because for the last two elections, even when he was facing Hillary Clinton, he had the majority of that vote. Is there any indication at this
point in time that that's changing?
ROGINSKY: It is changing. It looks like women are about split 50-50. But I will say this, we've had a lot of Democratic presidents since 1964, and
1964, it was the last time that Democrats won with the majority of the white vote in the United States.
[14:15:00]
I don't think most people realize that. So, it's very important for women to come out to vote. It's certainly very important for white women to come
out and vote for Kamala Harris in my view, but again, what is powering Kamala Harris right now is not just some "amorphous" group of women, quote,
unquote. It is African-American women specifically, and young women.
Young women who are -- who maybe were 16 when their laws -- when these laws passed, Roe versus Wade was overturned. Who are now 18, who are now 20
years old, who are now saying effectively, we're not going to stand for this because we are young women with our whole life ahead of us, and we're
not going to live in a country that will prevent us from accessing reproductive care in a way that our mothers were able to, in a way that we
were taught to as young girls.
And now we're no longer able to do that. So, that's who's powering this campaign. And I'm not so sure it's driven so much by racial disparity, as
it is just by age and by gender and by young voters, especially in older women, women in their 60s and 70s who remember what life was like before.
You said 1973 when Roe versus Wade was in before it went into effect.
When women were literally having to use coat hangers to have abortions. Those women, the older women, they remember those days, they don't want to
go back. And that's what I think is driving this election for women.
KINKADE: We'll have to leave it there for now, but interesting discussion. Julie Roginsky, thanks so much for your time.
ROGINSKY: Thanks very much.
KINKADE: Well, I want to turn to Spain now, where the death toll from the devastating floods there affecting the southeast of the country has
surpassed 200. Authorities warn that it is likely to rise. Clean-up operations are underway with the government deploying 1,700 soldiers to
assist with the rescue efforts.
Now, it's the most devastating natural disaster to hit that region of Valencia in decades, and many residents are complaining that the emergency
alerts came too late when too many people were already trapped in the rising floodwaters. Atika Shubert has traveled to the affected areas and
she filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST (voice-over): In a dystopian scene of Spain's deadliest floods in decades, dozens of cars and debris are piled on top of
what was a railroad in eastern Spain. With a year's worth of rainfall plummeting down in just hours on Tuesday, hundreds of people have been
killed according to authorities, and the death toll is only expected to rise.
The extreme weather has caused a surge of water to break bridges, damaging homes and cars along the way, with the floods turning gray roads into a
muddy brown, these satellite images taken less than two weeks apart, show the sheer level of destruction the floods have left behind.
But now armed with brooms, sticks and shovels, locals have been coming in droves to clean up the streets. Some tell us how they turned up just to
help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We wanted to help because we know there's a lot of people suffering --
SHUBERT (on camera): Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, we told it to our friends and we decided to buy food and bring clothes and everything and among, water.
SHUBERT (voice-over): There have been widespread concerns about official warning systems. Many residents saying they were alerted too late.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The storm hit in the morning, but the water didn't get to us until 8:00 in the evening. Yet, nobody warned
us. Nothing. Nobody cared. I'm 70 years old, I had to go with these old clothes to change. But I haven't even been able to take a shower.
SHUBERT: This children's school was also affected by the tragedy. Its interior severely damaged.
(on camera): You can see just how high the waters were. More than chest high. Higher than a child. And this is a school. All of this equipment we
are told was brand new, and it's been completely destroyed by the mud and the flooding from the river.
(voice-over): Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called this Spain's worst natural disaster in a century, and EU officials warned of the flood's
wider implications.
FLORIKA FINK-HOOJER, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, EUROPEAN COMMISSION ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT: A tragedy like this one is not just a Spanish one. It really
affects all of us in Europe.
SHUBERT: In the wake of the destruction, the Spanish government says it has deployed more than a thousand soldiers to help the clean-up and rescue
efforts. But as more rainfall is expected in the coming days, meteorologists say this human-made crisis is only going to get worse. Atika
Shubert for CNN in Valencia, Spain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, at least eight people were killed today in northern Serbia when the roof of a railway station came crashing down. Dozens more people
were hurt. Emergency crews used two large diggers to free two women trapped underneath the rubble, both ended up with serious injuries.
Serbia's Interior Minister says the death toll may rise, the Prime Minister called it a Black Friday for all of Serbia and the town of Novi Sad.
[14:20:00]
Well, still to come, Israel braces for a possible attack from Iran as its military campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza continue. Plus, war-torn life in
watercolor. Illustrator George Butler joins Isa's Book Club to discuss his collection of testimonies from Ukraine, giving a personal glimpse into life
on the frontlines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE BUTLER, BRITISH ARTIST & REPORTAGE ILLUSTRATOR: If nothing else, this is a record of a first draft of history, if you like, of what was
happening to them at that time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Dozens of buildings bombed into rubble in southern Beirut. They're the first Israeli strikes from Beirut in
nearly a week, causing what's been described as massive destruction with buildings leveled to the ground. In Gaza, at least 13 people were killed
Thursday and dozens more injured after an Israeli strike near the Nuseirat Refugee Camp.
That strike occurring as Israel braces for a possible retaliatory strike from Iran. A former Israeli official telling CNN that there is a high
possibility Iraqi militia groups could be involved in that attack. Well, CNN's Matthew Chance is following the developments and joins us now with
more details from Jerusalem. Good to have you with us, Matthew. Let's just start with the airstrikes in Beirut, southern Lebanon, and of course, Gaza.
What's the latest?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, those airstrikes have continued and Israel has been intensifying its strikes on
Beirut. The Lebanese capital really stepping up attacks against what it says are Hezbollah strongholds there. It's also been striking at targets
inside or areas inside southern Lebanon as well, also where it says that there are strongholds of Hezbollah.
But you know, the toll on the civilian population has been very high, and Israel says it's been warning civilians in these areas to evacuate the
places before the bombing raids take place. But nevertheless, you know, this is continuing to take a very high toll with you know, several hundred
people, perhaps a couple of thousand people, according to reports being killed so far in the Israeli raids on southern Lebanon and Beirut since,
you know, for the past several weeks.
[14:25:00]
That of course, as Gaza and the airstrikes there and the military action there, particularly in the north of the Gaza Strip, have been continuing
with, you know, large scale casualties being reported by Palestinian health officials in various areas, particularly in the north of the Gaza Strip
where Israel says it is trying to crack down on a resurgence of Hamas militant activity in that northern part of the Gaza Strip.
And it all comes, of course, as U.S. officials have been traveling to the region, now, they've gone back to the United States after trying to push
forward a diplomatic proposal to bring a ceasefire to Lebanon, to Gaza, and to get some of the hostages released from the Gaza Strip as well. It's
progress that the talks are being had, it's positive, but there's been nothing in terms of actual concrete developments on any of those fronts,
Lynda.
KINKADE: Matthew, just quickly, what are your sources telling you about how Iran could possibly retaliate again?
CHANCE: Well, this comes after CNN got from sources inside Iran that, in fact, Tehran was considering taking a retaliatory strike against Israel.
One of the options that's being looked at by the Israelis is that, that strike could come in the form of an attack from one of Iran's proxies,
particularly, Iraqi militias that are controlled by and funded by Iran inside Iraq.
One of the former Intelligence officials that I spoke to earlier today, telling me that was -- she regard it as a high possibility because these
groups in Iraq are very close physically to Iran, and they haven't been degraded in a way that, for instance, Hezbollah has in southern Lebanon and
in Beirut.
And so, you know, they're much more able to carry out these strikes against Israel. And it's also that, you know, Iran would be able to, you know,
claim that it didn't have direct responsibility for these, for these kinds of attacks on Israel as well, at least in -- at least in their mind. And
so, that's one of the reasons why it's possible that this could take place.
Certainly, Israeli military sources telling us that the country is in a state of -- a high state of readiness in preparation for a possible Israeli
retaliation, although they're not being definitive that it's definitely going to happen yet. So, they're still looking at the decision-making
process and examining it in Tehran to work out how and if and when any attack may be forthcoming, Lynda.
KINKADE: All right, Matthew Chance for us in Jerusalem, good to have you staying across all the developments. Thank you. Well, still to come
tonight, a new U.S. jobs report is out today, and it's the last one before the election. We'll tell you why this one looks so different.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:36]
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Dueling pitches are being made in battleground Michigan today. Donald Trump is campaigning there, and so, is Kamala Harris's running mate, Tim Waltz.
No wonder it's getting so much attention. It is one of the states that could make or break this election.
New polling shows a razor close race. John King spoke with Michigan college students who could play a key role in determining the winner.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm calling to ask --
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Michigan Republican headquarters, five days out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- if President Trump can count on you in his support in this election.
KING (voice over): A basement phone bank shift. Ralph Brennan among the Michigan State students helping turn out the vote.
RALPH BRENNAN, CAMPUS COORDINATOR, MICHIGAN TRUMP TEAM: I think there is a red wave coming, especially in Michigan, and I think people will be very
surprised on how many people vote Republican this election.
KING (voice over): Brennan is 21, a junior economics major from Ohio, but he registered in Michigan for his first vote for president.
BRENNAN: I was a sixth grader when Trump got elected in '16, and I watched him come to the White House, I watched the inauguration, I watched all the
great things he did.
KING (voice over): Trump struggled with young voters in 2016 and 2020. Brennan predicts better numbers this time, especially among young men.
BRENNAN: Trump. The cowboys. Thank you, guys.
KING (voice over): And especially after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended his campaign and backed Trump.
BRENNAN: I've heard a lot of young guys say how much -- how important RFK was to their President Trump vote. You know, ever since Trump kind of
brought RFK onto the team, onto the campaign, a lot of young, young men voters really, really like that and kind of resonate with -- with RFK, and
what he's done.
KING (voice over): In a dead heat race, organization can be the difference.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They need to go vote, yes.
KING (voice over): Halloween spirit helps.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These cookies too.
KING (voice over): Treats as well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will you fill out one of our pledge to vote please?
KING (voice over): Jade Gray is a progressive organizer, former co- president of the College Democrats here at the University of Michigan, back
on campus to encourage early voting.
JADE GRAY, DIGITAL ORGANIZING MANGER, PROGRESS MICHIGAN: We know that when we vote, we win. And quite frankly, we're getting a lot of people out to
vote.
KING (voice over): Gray's optimism is a big shift. This is our fourth Ann Arbor visit in a year. Back at the beginning, she was down about President
Biden's prospects. And later, she was worried Vice President Harris would still lose too many young voters because of student anger over the Israel-
Hamas conflict.
GRAY: Have you guys voted yet?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
GRAY: OK, yes. Thanks.
KING (voice over): But she is upbeat now and credits a mix of constant organizing and a smarter approach from the Harris campaign.
GRAY: It was not just the candidate that switched, but it was really their whole approach for the campaign. And leaning into this idea that memes and
Internet culture is a, you know, a mode of communicating about politics has totally transformed this race.
And I think will be, you know, one of the biggest reasons to -- one of the biggest things we should credit. I'm saying when, but if she wins.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, the final jobs report before the U.S. election is out, and it's a mixed bag that wasn't entirely unexpected. Overall, America's
economy is strong and the unemployment rate remains unchanged at 4.1 percent. But only 12,000 new jobs were added last month, far below what
economists had expected.
However, it is important to look beyond the numbers, back-to-back, hurricanes and major labor strikes lowered job growth, which is expected to
rebound in November.
The economy is, of course, a top priority for U.S. voters. The White House said, even though it remains solid with rising incomes and falling
inflation, there is still work to be done.
Donald Trump called the latest jobs report a catastrophe. Well, for analysis, I want to welcome Justin Wolfers, Professor of Economics and
Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Great to see you, Justin.
JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: You too, mate.
KINKADE: So, job numbers are not as what was going to be expected. They were a lot of issues at play, the major storms and strikes. Just explain
how those events distort the data. And can you break it down for us?
WOLFERS: Yes. So, the headline number that we all look at is how many jobs were created, how many people were added to payrolls? There was a strike at
Boeing. 41,000 people out -- went out on strike, so, they weren't receiving their pay, so, they weren't counted as employed.
The bigger issue, though, is the hurricanes. It looks like up to half a million people were not at work during the surveys because of the
hurricane. Now, if they were paid hourly, then, they wouldn't have received a paycheck either, and so, they wouldn't have been counted.
[14:35:03]
Look, the best way to think about all of this is to take a step back from one day's number, which, you know, the headline looks weak, but when you
add back in, the number of people who are missing due to those distortions, it looks a lot better.
But if you step back, you'll say, what is it we are aiming for? The U.S. is looking for a soft landing. What have we got? We've got unemployment that's
low at 4.1 percent. That's remarkably stable. And even more than that, unemployment is low and stable, even though inflation has been plummeting
dramatically and is all the way back down to two point something percent.
KINKADE: And so, just I want to look at Trump's tariff policy or planned proposal. He has pledged to impose 60 percent tariff on Chinese goods, as
well as a general tariff of 10 to 20 percent on all imports. I want to roll some sound of what he said about tariffs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To me, the most beautiful word, and I've said this for the last couple of
weeks in the dictionary today, and any is the word tariff. It's more beautiful than love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Justin, just explain the real-world impact of those tariffs on everyday Americans.
WOLFERS: Well, it's not more beautiful than love, I'm afraid. In fact, it's rather ugly. So, a tariff is a tax on imports. When Home Depot wants to
bring a washing machine across the border, Home Depot has to pay a tariff or a tax to the U.S. government.
We think that most of these tariffs are actually going to get passed along from Home Depot onto real Americans -- normal Americans. And so, for the
typical American family, it looks like you're paying another $3,000 a year in these taxes.
Look, let me tell you why Trump thinks these are beautiful. Income Taxes are what we call progressive. Higher income people pay a higher rate. The
thing about the tariff, as with other sales taxes is, they are not progressive. They are pretty close to being a flat tax.
As a result, working middle class families pay a much larger share of any taxes that you raise through tariffs rather than taxes. It's a very sneaky
ploy to say I'm out there looking after working-class jobs, when in reality, what you are doing is asking working in middle class Americans to
pay for tax cuts, income tax cuts for the very wealthy.
KINKADE: You make a really good point. And not surprisingly, we have seen another open letter from 300 economists who have criticized Trump --
criticized Trump's economic policy. They are backing Harris.
I just want to bring up a graphic. They said workers are struggling in the manufacturing sector. I'm going to interrupt you. Sorry, Justin. Kamala
Harris is speaking. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As Donald Trump and I have been presenting our closing arguments to the
American people, as you have heard me say many times, my pledge to the American people is to pursue common sense solutions, to listen to those,
even those who disagree with me, to listen to experts and to be a president for all Americans.
Donald Trump's closing argument is very different. He pits Americans against one another. He spends full time having Americans point their
fingers at one another, and he spends a considerable amount of time plotting his revenge on his political opponents.
As of last night, just to add more, he has indicated that the person who would be in charge of health care for the American people is someone who
has routinely promoted junk science and crazy conspiracy theories, who once expressed support for a national abortion ban, and who is the exact last
person in America who should be setting health care policy for America's families and children.
And then, even worse, he has increased his violent rhetoric. Donald Trump has. About political opponents, and in great detail. In great detail,
suggested rifles should be trained on former representative, Liz Cheney.
This must be disqualifying. Anyone who wants to be president of the United States who uses that kind of violent rhetoric is clearly disqualified and
unqualified to be president.
Representative Cheney is a true patriot who has shown extraordinary courage in putting country above party. Trump is increasingly, however, someone who
considers his political opponents the enemy is permanently out for revenge, and is increasingly unstable and unhinged.
His enemies list has grown longer, his rhetoric has grown more extreme, and he is even less focused than before on the needs and the concerns and the
challenges facing the American people.
[14:40:01]
I have also thought a lot about what this means in terms of our standing in the world. As vice president, I have represented the United States of
America around the world.
And what I know is that when we walk in those rooms representing the United States of America, we have the earned and self-appointed authority to then
talk about the importance of democracy, the importance of rule of law, and as a result, people around the world who are fighting for freedom and
opportunity hold us up as a model.
America deserves better than what Donald Trump is offering. America deserves a president who understands our role and responsibility to our
people and to the rest of the world to be a model.
So, end with this. Voters are making their decisions. Many have voted, but there are still those who are making a decision about who they will vote
for. And what I offer is I ask folks to among the many issues before you, just consider who is going to be sitting in the Oval Office on January
20th.
Either you're going to have Donald Trump there, who will be stewing over his enemies list, or I will be there working hard on your behalf, on my to
do list. That is the choice among many that is at stake in this election, and I would be proud to earn the vote of the American people, and I do
intend to win. With that I'll take any questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are, indeed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Vice President. Have you had a chance to talk to Liz Cheney? And then, technically, are you concerned about her general
security and concerning the situation and how tense things are, do you think that the government or the administration come from you to provide
her with security of the situation?
HARRIS: So, I've not talked to her since this comment was made, but I will tell you, I know Liz Cheney well enough to know that she is tough, she is
incredibly courageous, and has shown herself to be a true patriot at a very difficult time in our country.
Where to your point, we see this kind of rhetoric that is violent in nature, where we see this kind of spirit coming from Donald Trump that is
so laden with the desire for revenge and retribution.
And Liz Cheney is a tough person. She is an incredible American, and I have an incredible amount of respect for her.
I think that Liz Cheney is courageous, and that we will always make sure that we are all fighting against and speaking out against any form of
political violence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You soke about early voting. What is your assessment? What is the data that you are seeing across the battleground?
HARRIS: I'm seeing the folks who are showing up at the various places where we are inviting people to come and talk with us, and where we are talking
about the issues at stake. And I'm seeing an incredible amount of enthusiasm from people of every walk of life, every generation, from our
first time voters, to folks who are seniors and have a lot at stake on issues like Social Security and Medicare.
And what I am enjoying about this moment most is that in spite of how my opponent spends full time trying to divide the American people, what I am
seeing is people coming together under one roof who seemingly have nothing in common, and know, they have everything in common. And I think that is in
the best interest of the strength of our nation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- a lot more women showing up in Pennsylvania, a lot of Democratic women, first time voters. Women?
HARRIS: Women, men, folks of every background are showing up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vice President, you have had quite a lot of interruptions during your speeches, recently, a lot of pro-Gaza protesters.
And, you know, you certainly have spoken about democracy in responding to them.
But you think that you need to say a little bit more about the Mideast conflict, or about what you would do to try to satisfy them? And are you
concerned at all about how you will do in college towns, and in Michigan, in particular, with them, President Trump, today is going to Dearborn, is
going to a Palestinian restaurant. He is really -- this is the second kind of Arab American restaurant he's gone to. He seems to be really trying to
make a play for a group that would traditionally be pretty democratic.
Do you think you have done enough to reach these voters?
HARRIS: Well, I'm very proud to have significant amount of support from the Arab American community, both because of my position about what we need to
do in Gaza and in the region to end the war and bring the hostages home, and my commitment to a two-state solution.
[14:45:02]
But also, because within that community, there are many issues that challenge folks and that they want to hear about, including what we are
going to do to make housing affordable, what we're going to do to bring down the cost of groceries, what we are going to do to invest in small
businesses.
I have a plan for all of those things, and that is something that resonates within that community and with all Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- that they want to show the administration that what they did, the policy and the support for Israel is wrong, and are going to
make a statement and that they don't care if it makes Trump the president. What would you tell them?
HARRIS: So, there is a real contrast in this race. When you look at who stands for democracy and democratic principles and who does not. Donald
Trump is talking about an enemy's list. He is talking about using the American military to turn on American citizens.
He talks in a way that suggests that there should be retribution and severe consequences just because people disagree with him. My point is very clear.
I believe in our democracy, democracies are complicated in a wonderful way, because we like debate, we accept and receive differences of opinion, and
we work them out.
One of the reasons I am going to have a Republican in my Cabinet is because I want different views. I enjoy and benefit from diverse views from
different perspectives that allow me then to make the best decisions I can make.
That's a big difference between me and Donald Trump, and that's the big difference between someone who truly is a leader and someone who is in it
for themselves and wants unchecked power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
HARRIS: OK. Thank you, all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: You have just been listening there to Vice President Harris speaking in Madison, Wisconsin, after Donald Trump suggested that
Republican critic, Liz Cheney should face a firing squad for her foreign policy stance.
You heard there from Kamala Harris, saying that this should be disqualifying. And that Donald Trump is not -- is clearly unqualified to be
president.
I want to welcome back Eva McKend, our reporter, who is following the developments. Now, this was a really strong response from Kamala Harris,
not only saying that he is clearly unqualified.
But that this rhetoric and his desire for retribution and revenge is growing.
MCKEND: And Lynda, we have been seeing her engage in this rapid response pretty much all week long, where essentially the former president says
something or one of his surrogates says something, and the campaign seizes on it right away.
And the reason that they are doing this is because they believe that the behavior or the commentary that the former president is illustrating in
just the last few days, that it is helping the Harris campaign with undecided voters.
There are voters out there that may not agree with her on every policy issue, but just think that some of the rhetoric is a bridge too far. You
know, there are Democrats in some corners, though, that say that there are going to be limits to this argument. That there already are too many
Americans that know well who Trump is, and that it's sort of too late at this point to litigate this.
But yet, and still, the campaign clearly sees a lot of value on jumping on these comments right away. She said that this episode illustrates that it -
- he is disqualifying. She reiterated her concerns about how the former president will present this country on the international stage. She often
talks about how, in her background as a prosecutor, that she had to be really precise with her language, because she knew that every utterance
could have a dramatic impact on people's lives.
And so, by comparison, she sees the former president in spaces where he is meandering or riffing without really thinking about the consequences of his
words.
She reiterated her concerns about the former president hell bent on what she characterizes as an enemies list versus her to do list, all of these
points she is raising in the wake of this latest -- this latest episode.
But really, at this point, we have to see if it moves the needle at all with voters or voters sort of know who the former president is at this
point, and are making up their minds based on other factors.
KINKADE: And Eva, we also heard her response to Donald Trump's announcement that, should he win, he'll make RFK Jr. in charge of women's health and
other healthcare issues. This is, of course, a candidate that has pushed all sorts of conspiracy theories, and Kamala Harris there saying that this
is the last person who should be in charge of health care policy. Quite a strong reaction.
[14:50:08]
MCKEND: It was, and she dismissed a lot of his claims as junk science. The problem though, I think there, is -- I used to cover the Kennedy campaign,
and I would meet a lot of Biden voters at his events. And so, the former president was so quick to coalesce with Kennedy supporters and bring the
make America healthy campaign into their fold, because, you know, for all of Kennedy's comments, he does have a base of support that could make a
difference in battleground states when you're talking about a small margin of victory.
So, it doesn't come without risk at needling Kennedy, but she is expressing the concerns of many with someone who has expressed his views being in
charge of health care or advising the president on health care in this country.
KINKADE: Eva McKend, doing a great job covering the Kamala Harris campaign. Appreciate you. Thanks so much.
And do stay with CNN, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Look at this. A sea of blue and white in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are back home this hour, celebrating a World Series championship with a
parade. You can see the team riding around in double decker busses surrounded by fans.
And the party will keep going. There is going to be a ticketed event at Dodgers Stadium. Of course, the team clenched the Major League Baseball
championship against the New York Yankees on Wednesday.
And today's parade happening on what would have been the 64th birthday of the beloved Dodgers pitcher, Fernando Valenzuela, who died last month. The
team honored him with a special patch on their uniforms during the World Series.
Well, Kamala Harris has received a number of celebrity endorsements, including from Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and even former Republican Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Well, now, basketball superstar LeBron James has pledged his support for Harris. In a powerful video posted on X, the L.A. Lakers player shared
clips of derogatory remarks made by former President Donald Trump and his allies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Troublemaker. These are troublemakers. Look, I love the old days, you know? Do you know what they used to do to guys like that, when they
were in a place like this, they would be carried out at a stretcher, folks.
I like to punch him in the face, I'll tell you.
Now, if you had one really violent day, like one rough hour, and I mean real rough, the word will get out, and it will end immediately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:55:01]
KINKADE: What a powerful video.
Well now, we have Halloween behind us, is it too early to get excited for Christmas? Certainly not in my house and not for Mariah Carey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE (voice over): Well, the singer shared this video on Instagram today to mark the start of the festive season, featuring her iconic song, all I
want for Christmas is you.
Carey has kept up its tradition on social media for the last few years. And last November, she posted this video of her defrosting in a vault, getting
ready for all things festive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, brat summer may be over, but its legacy is far from finished. The Collins dictionary has crowned brat as the word of the year,
defining it as someone who has a confident, independent, hedonistic attitude.
It all started with Charlie XCX's smash hit album and then ballooned into a global phenomenon, even becoming, as the Collins dictionary says, a way of
life.
Well, that does it for this edition. I am Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for joining us. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM WITH JIM SCIUTTO" is next.
END
