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Laura Coates Live
Elections To Unfold As 35-Day Government Shutdown Ties Record; Trump Makes Last-Minute Move On Eve Of High-Stakes Elections; Trump Voter Regrets Her Vote Amid Government Shutdown; Trump Threatens Nigeria With "Guns-a-Blazing" Military Action. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired November 03, 2025 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Harry, I'm seeing a lot of big personalities on that screen. You're going to be able to handle it all?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: I think that my personality is able to jump through screen with anybody. I say bring it on. I'll be there --
PHILLIP: Bring it on.
ENTEN: -- as sort of that voice who tries to bring it on, bring it on. That's what I say. I'll bring on that voice. If anyone strays too out of line, I'll make sure we bring back the conversation. I think it's going to be a fun civil discourse --
PHILLIP: All right --
ENTEN: -- and it should be a fun time.
PHILLIP: I am looking forward to it. I'll be watching on my second screen as well. Harry Enten, thank you very much. Everyone, catch it tomorrow night. And thank you for watching "NewsNight." You can catch me any time on your favorite social media X, Instagram, and TikTok. "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Tonight, Trump tries a Hail Mary on the eve of major elections. And what stands to be a test for him? The Democrats. DNC Chair Ken Martin and Republican Congressman Byron Donalds are going to be my guests. Plus, snapping over SNAP. Hear from a Trump voter who says she was regretting her vote over the president's handling of the shutdown. And how serious is Trump about potentially involving the U.S. Military in "guns-a-blazing" conflict in Nigeria? We'll talk about it tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
All right, we are tracking four major elections tonight. And, you know, not a single one of them nationwide, and yet each of the four will have a nationwide impact. Just a few hours from now, millions of Americans will be heading to the polls to decide the governors of New Jersey and Virginia, to decide the next mayor of the financial capital of the world, and the fate of California's congressional map. And despite the fact that these are state elections, it is the president of the United States and Congress who are the elephants in the ballot box. In many of these races, Trump has been perhaps the best campaigner for Democrats. His actions, his policies, his mandate, his rhetoric, heck, even his renovation choice at the White House, they've all fueled their campaigns. I mean, just listen to how they have talked about him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ): I think the real problem here isn't who's talking about Trump. The real problem here is who is not taking on Trump and who is not committing to serve the people of New Jersey.
ABIGAIL SPANBERGER, VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: The answer is that we stand up against the chaos and the division that we see coming out of this administration.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): They did not expect California. They did not expect all of you. They thought we were going to write an op-ed, have a candlelight visual, maybe do a rally. They poked the bear and the bear is poking back.
(APPLAUSE)
And we're going to get out there and win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: So, it's clear Democrats see an opening in what they believe is a weakened Donald Trump. According to the new CNN poll out today, Trump is indeed underwater, 63% disapprove, 37% approve. We checked, and that's just one point higher than his all-time low from back in 2016.
Now, to put it mildly, the elections tomorrow will be unusual. I mean, for one, Election Day is the day the government shutdown will be tied for the longest on record, 35 days. Then there's the New York mayoral race where tonight, Trump is endorsing one of his foreign political rivals, Andrew Cuomo. He made it official after trashing the Democratic front runner, Zohran Mamdani, as a -- quote -- "communist," saying -- quote -- "whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not."
Well, Mamdani, capable of doing a response without skipping a beat, responding tonight right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: It's written out for the entire world to see. This is the man that Donald Trump wants to be the next mayor of New York City. And not because he was built good for New Yorkers, but because he'll be good for Donald Trump. And New Yorkers are exhausted of this agenda in Washington. They don't want to see a mimic of it come here to City Hall. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: But this is where things get tricky for Democrats because as much as they agree that people may be -- quote -- "exhausted by Trump's agenda," they really don't seem to agree on Zohran Mamdani. Take it from moderate Democratic Congresswoman Tom Suozzi, who himself is endorsing Andrew Cuomo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You said you think he'd be bad for New York City. Do you think Zohran Mamdani would be bad for Democrats?
[23:04:56]
REP. TOM SUOZZI (D-NY): I think it would be bad for people like me and for other Democrats in swing seats throughout the country because people do not like this idea of going way to the left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: So, that seems to be clear from him. But how about the shade from Abigail Spanberger out of Virginia, saying -- quote -- "When asked what she made of Mamdani declaring at an October rally in Manhattan that he had already won the battle over the soul of the Democratic Party, Spanberger's mouth twitched into a smile, 'Then maybe,' she said, 'he should be a Democrat.'" -- unquote.
So, as much as tomorrow may be a referendum on the president, it will also be a test of how wide, how sturdy the big tent that Democrats are pitching will be without it maybe collapsing under what people perceive as the weight of all of their differences.
Well, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, joins me now. He has been hitting the trail, leading the 'get out the vote' efforts in the final hours before Election Day. And you're here, and you're awake, and you're alert --
(LAUGHTER)
-- and you're ready for tomorrow, I am sure. Let's talk about this for a second because there's a lot of key races tomorrow. You've got gubernatorial races, you've got what's happening in California congressional maps as well. How confident are you that Democrats will prevail?
KEN MARTIN, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I'm very confident, but not complacent, meaning that we still have a day's worth of work to do. We've got to turn out the vote tomorrow. We are going to work all the way to the polls close all throughout the nation.
You know, one of the reasons I was successful in Minnesota is we never took anything for granted, we didn't rest on our laurels, and we worked all the way through the finish line. And I'm confident. I believe we're going to win in New Jersey, we're going to win in Virginia, we're going to retain those critical three Supreme Court races in Pennsylvania and, of course, I believe we're going to win with Prop 50.
One thing people aren't talking about is that there are 100,000 local elections on the ballot, big mayoral ships, county board races, school board races, and many other races on the ballot tomorrow as well, which the DNC and our national party is helping in. And so, it's a big day for us, of course, and we're doing everything we can to make sure we win up and down the ballot throughout the country.
COATES: What impact will the shutdown have on these local races? Obviously, that's Congress doing that and, obviously, the federal government. But you got 58% of voters disapproving equally of each party. Does that kind of wipe the advantage that you think Democrats may have had based on frustration of Republicans being in majority?
MARTIN: Not at all. I mean, what you're seeing, take Virginia as an example, right? I mean, close to 500,000 federal employees there. Earlier this year, with those DOGE cuts, many of them were fired from their jobs. And now, most of those federal workers, all those federal workers are either furloughed or laid off at this point. And so, there is deep dissatisfaction when you hit the ground in Virginia, when you talk to voters with this government shutdown. That's the same in New Jersey and throughout this country.
Most people, most Americans continue to place the blame squarely at the feet of the Republicans. And so, the longer this goes on, the more it's going to hurt Republicans. And I would urge them to get back to the table and negotiate with Democrats so we can get this government back open for the people that need it to be open right now.
COATES: Which is --
MARTIN: Everyone.
COATES: -- for everyone. Right. You and I are both from Minnesota.
MARTIN: Yes.
COATES: We know quite well about the DFL Party, the merging of two. And so, there's an assumption of a big tent for the Democratic Party in Minnesota. But there's a lot of shade happening and a lot of discussion surrounding Zohran Mamdani as a Democratic socialist, as if he is different than the Democrats more broadly. Tell me, is he a part of your party?
MARTIN: He absolutely --
COATES: Why are people saying that he's not?
MARTIN: He absolutely is. And I was proud to endorse him the night he won his primary. I've always said it's not up to me to decide who's a Democrat. That's up to the Democratic primary voters. And they made a loud statement this summer when they sent him as our nominee. And my job is to support the will of the primary voters and then support that nominee, right? It's not up to me to make that decision.
But, you know what? We are a big tent, right? There's room for all types of Democrats. I've said this, we have to serve --
COATES: Why isn't Spanberger believing that? Because she says that he should be a Democrat and suggesting that he's overpromising and making things up.
MARTIN: You'd have to talk to Abigail Spanberger about that. But what I know with this Democratic Party, we are a big tent. We're going to -- I've always believed that you win elections through addition, not subtraction. You win elections by growing your coalition, not pushing people out of that.
Yes, that means we're going to have messy debates and we're going to have dissent, of course. We're not going to agree on everything. But what I've always said is no one should confuse unity with unanimity within the Democratic Party. Of course, we're not going to agree on everything, right? We are a big tent. We have conservative Democrats, we have centrists, we have progressives, and we have leftists in this big tent party of ours. And all are welcome, right?
COATES: Well, how will you reconcile this? Say, Mamdani wins.
MARTIN: Yes.
COATES: I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't know what the voters are going to do in New York. I don't know. I don't think you know. No one knows.
MARTIN: No one.
COATES: Mamdani hopes he'll be successful. So, let's just build on that for a second.
MARTIN: All right.
COATES: If he wins, there has already been some resistance to immediately endorse him, even after he secured that primary.
[23:10:02]
You don't have Chuck Schumer, for example, who has been endorsing him. You have others who are really slow to do so. How will you back him as a party? New York is huge and major city.
MARTIN: It is a major city. And I think we have to give him the chance to actually govern before people start to judge him, right? I mean --
COATES: Like the president won't.
MARTIN: Well, look, I will say this: At the end of the day, um, there are many different ways of being a Democrat, right? And I think the through-line between many of the candidates we have on the ballot right now, from Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey to Abigail Spanberger to Zohran Mamdani, all three of them are completely different in a lot of ways and they represent different parts of the country that require, you know, uniquely different responses, but the through-line is that they are focused on affordability, they are focused on an economic agenda that helps people actually afford their lives and actually gives them hope that their better days are ahead of them and they can climb the economic ladder. That is the through-line, not just with Zohran and Abigail and Mikie but with Democrats across the board running for local offices, as I mentioned.
And so, we -- the Democratic Party is big enough for many different voices. We don't have to agree on everything, but we certainly share the goals. And that's where we're unified. We are unified around our goals of actually building the type of economy that works for everyone in this country, not just the rich billionaires and the wealthy and the powerful.
COATES: Spanberger and Sherrill seem to be unified, particularly on an anti-Trump message. Is that strategy effective, given what you have said to describe the greater themes of Democratic policy?
MARTIN: Well, first off, let me say, uh, you know, the president is sitting at 37% approval, you know, at an all-time low in his second term here.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
MARTIN: He's very unpopular in this country. And as unpopular is the big ugly bill that passed. It's the least popular bill in over a half a century. And the reality is Americans are moving quickly away from Donald Trump. Independent voters are breaking 2 to 1 for Democrats right now. And all the gains that he made last year with key constituencies like the Latino community, young voters, working-class voters, has all but disappeared and now are accruing to our benefit.
But where I would challenge you is that Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger are not running against Donald Trump. They're running for something. If you listen to their message, they're offering a positive message to folks in New Jersey and Virginia about how they can actually make the economy work for everyone and bring down --
COATES: But they are creating a split screen of a compare and contrast.
MARTIN: Well, sure.
COATES: The Democrats, under their guidance, would act very differently. And, of course --
MARTIN: Of course.
COATES: -- of the different is Trump.
MARTIN: Of course. Absolutely. It's fair to contrast with these, you know, disastrous economic policies that Donald Trump has inflicted upon the American people, right? And the fact that he's shredding the Constitution in front of our eyes and destroying every norm of civil society, of course, it's fair to, you know, contrast our positive economic message with what he's doing in this country.
But let me just say, it's not fair to say that the only thing they're talking about is Donald Trump. I was in Virginia.
COATES: That's true.
MARTIN: I was in Virginia the last few days campaigning on the ground for Abigail, I was in New Jersey three days before that campaigning for Mikie Sherrill, and I can tell you, their message is a positive message about how they're actually going to improve people's lives, and that's why they're going to win tomorrow.
COATES: You're right, each candidate does have a comprehensive campaign.
MARTIN: Yeah.
COATES: But what rings true and loudest for people is the comparison against the person who is known as the leader of the free world, right?
(LAUGHTER)
But I'll ask you, this is obviously through statewide elections, how instructive might these results be to the midterm congressional elections?
MARTIN: Well, they're certainly instructive in the sense that, you know, if you look at 2017 and 2005, these were precursors to big midterm wave elections for Democrats. In 2005, George Bush comes in. He attacks Social Security. His numbers go into the toilet. And, of course, what happened is Democrats won a huge wave election that next year and probably won both the Senate and the House. No one thought there was a prayer's chance in hell we were going to win those, both of those chambers that year.
In 2017 Donald Trump comes in, his first term. He attacks the ACA. Similar thing happened. Of course, we win the Virginia governor's race, we win the New Jersey governor's race, we spring into 2018, and we win both chambers again. Now --
COATES: If you want history to repeat itself.
MARTIN: Well, here's why I think it will. Let me tell you why I think it will. Look, he passed -- Donald Trump comes in. He attacks SNAP, he attacks Medicaid, attacks Social Security. His numbers fall to the all-time lowest, right? He's going to get wiped out tomorrow. That's going to spring us into 2026. We only need three seats to win back the House majority. The average swing in a congressional midterm election for the party out of power is 26 seats.
[23:15:00]
And that spikes up to 38 seats when you have a sitting president that sits under 50%. And right now, Donald Trump is at an all-time low. But, as I said to you earlier, we don't believe these polls. What you have to do is go out there and work. We drown out all the noise, and we put the work in. We get out there and organize. We're actually going to win.
COATES: Well, we'll see if the districts hold as well. Gerrymandering, a very big part of the years to come. Thank you so much, Ken Martin.
MARTIN: Thank you.
COATES: Up next, a mother who voted for Trump, who says she now regrets her vote because of the impact to her daughter who relies on SNAP benefits. They speak out straight ahead. And ahead, Republican Congressman Byron Donalds responds as the clock ticks closer and closer to this government shutdown becoming the longest ever.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:20:00]
COATES: Right now, in the richest country in the world, people are going hungry. SNAP recipients have now gone three days into November with no benefits. Today, the administration says the USDA will pay half of November's SNAP benefits from its contingency fund after a federal judge from Rhode Island ordered them to do so last week. But the payments will not come immediately.
My next guests are part of the nearly 15% of New York residents who receive SNAP benefits. Betty Szretter is a longtime Trump voter. She is a retiree who cares for her 26-year-old daughter, Hannah, who, she says, has type 1 diabetes and has an underlying mental health condition that does prevent her from working. She relies on the $300 a month in food assistance to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Well, Betty and Hannah, they join me now from Buffalo, New York.
Thank you both so much for being here. I really want to understand what's happening in your lives. I'll begin with you, Hannah, if we can. I understand that you have not received any benefits for November yet. Have you been notified in any way of any even partial benefits coming this month?
HANNAH SZRETTER, DIABETIC WHOSE SNAP BENEFITS ARE PAUSED: I have not been notified of any partial benefits coming this month. I haven't got any contact with me or anything, notifications saying this is what's coming in. Absolutely nothing has come in yet. And it's important for me because I need this because I am a type 1 diabetic so I need to manage my sugar levels so that nothing bad happens.
COATES: Not your fault, not your doing, and yet you are faced with what is happening right now. Mom, Betty, can you just describe a little bit about what this is like knowing that your daughter is in need to maintain these nutrition benefits and the health, and yet you have no notification? What's your response?
BETTY SZRETTER, MOTHER OF DAUGHTER WHO NEEDS SNAP BENEFITS: Well, I'm a little bit surprised because, as Hannah mentioned, she has to like manually take care of her blood sugar.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
B. SZRETTER: The rest of us can do it, um, normally, but she has to make about 120 decisions that you and I don't have to make each day about her blood sugar. She has to make sure when she gets up, it's a good level. And if it starts to drop, part of her protocol, medication protocols, take 15 carbs of a fast-acting sugar such as glucose, peanut butter, apple sauce. So, she needs food. It's part of her protocol.
And people with underlying chronic health conditions such as type 1 diabetes where a food is a requirement, it's mandated by the doctor so she doesn't go into a coma. One time, she did actually have a seizure, many years ago.
COATES: Oh.
B. SZRETTER: It is life threatening. I agree with you in the sense that I -- just reading that in terms of Forbes 2025, the United States is the richest country in the world. And here, we're the richest country and we're having trouble feeding 40 million people that are on SNAP.
COATES: Betty, you voted for President Trump. Do you regret that decision based on what we're seeing?
B. SZRETTER: In terms of food insecurity, I do. I believe he's doing a great job with the border. Right now, the border is not affecting me. Right now, it's affecting my daughter, the fact that she needs SNAP and she won't be getting anything for November.
And like I said, she's a type 1 diabetic. We want to represent all the other diabetics out there or people with chronic health conditions that do need this food and then may not have a safety net. They may not have relatives to fall back on. We know many people. Hannah knows people that don't have relatives to call back on.
COATES: Let me ask you, Betty, because we're going to be speaking with the Republican congressman in the -- right after you and I had this conversation, one that's very close to President Trump. What is your message to lawmakers right now, Betty?
B. SZRETTER: I would say restore funding for SNAP. And I believe the Trump administration, instead of focusing on presidential ballrooms, should be paying attention to individual Americans' dining rooms.
COATES: Betty, will this experience impact your voting decisions in the future?
B. SZRETTER: Well, it depends on what the administration does in the future. It may. Like I said, there are certain things that I'm thankful that Trump has done.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
B. SZRETTER: But in terms of just basic food insecurity, I believe he has to make some changes in order to do what he said. I think he promised to lower prices for Americans, and I don't see that happening right now.
COATES: Well, I want to thank you both for sharing what's happening. It's so important to hear. Thank you.
B. SZRETTER: Thank you.
H. SZRETTER: Thank you very much.
COATES: Up next, Florida Congressman Byron Donalds is here. Did anybody just heard move the needle when it comes to this shutdown for him?
[23:25:03]
And ahead, was a briefing behind the president's sudden threat to take military action in Nigeria? No. Was it Congress? No. A foreign ally's plea? Uh-hmm. So, what could it be? Our reporters found the answer. I'll tell you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:30:00]
COATES: All right, we're just minutes away from officially tying the record for the longest government shutdown in American history as we now head into day 35. And right now, Congress still deadlocked. The House still not in session. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers still without pay. And millions of Americans are facing delays in their SNAP food assistance. So, with the pressure on both parties already near quite the breaking point, could the results of tomorrow's elections be what finally tips the scale? Who knows?
Joining me now, Florida Republican Congressman Byron Donalds. He has also announced his campaign for governor in the state's 2026 Republican primary. Congressman, welcome back. It's good to see you. You know just moments ago, I spoke to two SNAP recipients.
REP. BYRON DONALDS (R-FL): Yes.
COATES: Um, one of them who voted for Trump and now says she regrets it because of what's happening. She had a message for the White House and those who would listen. Listen.
DONALDS: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SZRETTER: I would say restore funding for SNAP. And I believe the Trump administration, instead of focusing on presidential ballrooms, should be paying attention to individual Americans' dining rooms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: What's your response to Betty?
DONALDS: I sympathize with Betty. But the truth is, Betty, that the fault is Chuck Schumer and the Democrats. And here's why: They had an opportunity to vote to keep the government open, to pay SNAP benefits. They have voted no, not once, not twice, but now 14 times.
We actually put on the floor of the Senate to pay our troops, to pay air traffic control, to pay border agents, ICE agents, et cetera. They voted no. And why are they voting no? Because Chuck Schumer has this assumption that the Democrats won the presidential election and that they control both chambers of Congress. That is a fallacy.
And so, what they're arguing for is that we should ignore the results of last year's election just to do what Chuck Schumer says. In short, that Republicans should negotiate against themselves.
COATES: But the fallacy, though, congressman, you guys are in control. You have the House, you've got the Senate, and you have the White House. Don't you have more than enough power?
DONALDS: No, we don't. And the reason why is because of the Senate filibuster. Now, I'm on the record. I think the Senate filibuster is actually destructive of real compromise.
COATES: You want to get rid of it?
DONALDS: I believe we should get rid of it because what it actually stops Republicans and Democrats in the Senate from doing is finding solutions where both parties could work together in order to get majority votes. What happens now is you have the Democrats who were hiding behind the filibuster, saying that they're not getting their way.
They've argued for four different things. At one point, they were arguing for funding for NPR. Then they were arguing to undo some DOGE cuts. Then they started arguing over Obamacare premiums. Premiums, by the way, the Democrats put in place when they were in charge of the trifecta. They did not make them permanent. They made them sunset this year on purpose because they were COVID-era subsidies.
The Democrats don't want to talk about the true cost of health care. They want to hide the true cost of health care using government subsidies. And now, they want to hide behind SNAP. If the Democrats want to fund it --
COATES: Let me ask you --
DONALDS: Hold on. Really quick.
COATES: Yeah. Go ahead.
DONALDS: If Democrats want to fund SNAP, this is done very simply. Go to the Senate floor, vote for the clean C.R., SNAP will be funded, and that's what's going on. So, for Betty, Betty, I hear you, but the Democrats have to do their job as well. Donald Trump has done his. He's standing to keep the government open. Chuck Schumer says no. That's what's happening.
COATES: Let me ask you because it seems counterintuitive to people to say that getting rid of the filibuster --
DONALDS: Uh-hmm.
COATES: -- will suddenly encourage going to the minority group to try to get some negotiation. That's the polar opposite, right? So, if you were in the minority --
DONALDS: Uh-hmm.
COATES: -- and you didn't have the filibuster or the tables were turned, would you be comfortable knowing that you're basically obsolete?
DONALDS: No, that's not true because in every state in the country, in the state, at 49 of our states, there's one state that has a bicameral --a unicameral legislature.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
DONALDS: The other 49 states have bicameral legislatures like here in Washington. None of them have a filibuster rule like the United States Senate. In those -- in those state legislatures, those Senate colleagues, if you talk to them, they all get along, they find ways to come together and work on different policies.
Sure, the majority party gets most of the way because that's the nature of the way our system works, the majority gets most of the way, but there's still ways that you can negotiate and compromise, especially when you get to key things like health care, border security, visas. The visa systems in our country are really broken. They don't work for the American people. A lot of them have been abused. They have -- some have to be ended. A lot need to be reformed.
But what has happened now in Washington is that the minority party basically holds out and says, no, we don't want to do anything until next year's election. That does not help the American people, especially when we're talking --
COATES: They are saying --
DONALDS: -- about the affordability questions that are affecting all Americans.
COATES: And that's where I was going to go for because in Florida, as you know, the ACA --
DONALDS: Yes.
COATES: -- have a huge impact. It still has a huge impact in --
DONALDS: Yes.
COATES: -- your very state you're running for governor as well. In your state as well, though, one other point that Betty raised, Mar-a- Lago, the optics not only of the ballroom here in D.C. but what was happening in a ballroom in Mar-a-Lago. [23:35:07]
What's your response to the optics of the split screen many people are seeing? You've got people across America who are suffering, food lines and beyond.
DONALDS: Right.
COATES: Then you've got the president with the ballroom, and then the Mar-a-Lago Great Gatsby theme of "A party never killed nobody." That was the theme of it. Explain the split screen as to why voters should not look at that as really tone deaf?
DONALDS: Well, first of all, Mar-a-Lago is a private club.
COATES: It is.
DONALDS: The club members, they have their party every single year. That's the party they do every single year to reopen a club. That's not indicative of what's happening in Washington. What's happening in Washington is that Chuck Schumer made a decision two months ago that he was going to shut down the government. Chuck Schumer made that decision, not House Republicans. House Republicans, we did our job six weeks ago, and then we said, here you go, United States Senate, time for you to do your job.
And in the United States Senate, Chuck Schumer has been voting no on a measure. He voted yes for what? The last 17 times in the nation's history. The last 17 times there have been clean CRs that have gone through the Senate. He's the one that always supported them until this one. And that's simply because he's trying to prove his worth, not to the American people, but to the radical base of the Democratic Party. That's what's really going on.
And that's what's really sick about this because instead of being worried about the plight of poor people in America trying to get by, Chuck Schumer is worried about his leadership position so he's not thrown out of House of Senate leadership by his party. That's what's going on right now. And, look, to me, it's --
COATES: They don't agree -- they don't agree with you at all.
DONALDS: Of course, they don't agree. He's not going to admit that.
COATES: They don't agree. That's why they say they won't admit. But they also look at what's happening and suggest -- as you know, there's no trust. It's what I'm looking at. Objective -- there's no trust between the Republicans and Democrats to have this negotiation.
They're saying they don't believe that they passed that clean C.R. right now or that they agreed to negotiate later on things like the Affordable Care Act that will ever come to fruition. This is, obviously, cumulative for a number of reasons. But I want to ask you something else. You mentioned --
DONALDS: Laura -- COATES: -- the state of New York because there's a mayoral election in New York City, as you know, tomorrow involving Zohran Mamdani. Um, Trump, I hadn't had this on my bingo card, congressman, but he's endorsing Andrew Cuomo. Five years ago, everyone would have been like, this is never on a bingo card. It's here. He's endorsing Cuomo. He's also saying, though, um, that he wouldn't send federal funds to New York essentially if Mamdani would win.
DONALDS: Right.
COATES: You are vying to be the governor of Florida.
DONALDS: Right.
COATES: How would you feel if a president of United States threatened to withhold funding from your state based on something like this?
DONALDS: Well, a couple things. I want to make one quick adjustment. Chuck Schumer is saying that he doesn't trust Donald Trump to sit down and negotiate. Donald Trump, his entire life has been making deals. So that doesn't even make sense. He's lying to the American people. But let's talk about New York.
COATES: Okay.
DONALDS: First of all, in Florida, we're not as concerned about the federal government not being able to step up and provide funding because we have a smaller budget than the city of -- than the State of New York and New York -- we're a bigger state. Our budget is twice the size -- twice as small as the State of New York. We have more people. So, their budgets are bloated. They've never actually been fiscally responsible. And now, you have Mamdani coming in, the policies that he's talking about have never worked. Free buses?
COATES: Threat wouldn't bother you for a president to say, I'm going to withhold federal funding?
DONALDS: Then -- then what he should do is reexamine the economic policies he's going to lay on the city of New York because they will be disastrous for New York's economy. And then what are we going --
COATES: New Yorkers want them.
DONALDS: And then what are we going to say? Your mayor put in terrible economic policies, your economy went into the toilet, your state went into the toilet, and now the other 49 states got to come and bail you out? No. That's actually not American. What is America is you put smart policies in that allow business owners to thrive, allow people to thrive, and the funny thing happens, you have a great place to live, people want to be there, and everything works.
When you put in communist and yes, communist policies, that's what Zohran Mamdani is talking about --
COATES: He's not a communist, he's a Democratic socialist.
DONALDS: -- it never works.
COATES: He says he's a Democratic socialist.
DONALDS: I -- I can't tell what the difference is.
COATES: Well, he can describe --
DONALDS: Explain what the difference is.
COATES: He can describe the differences for you. The socialism is not the same basis of communism in this country. You know that quite well.
DONALDS: The man wants to -- the man wants to create -- the man wants to create government-run grocery stores, he wants free transportation, both of which are impossible to do because how was he --
COATES: You know that communism is a trigger word to try to undermine all of his policies. He's not a -- he says he doesn't like socialists.
DONALDS: I don't need to -- I don't need to undermine his policies. His policies undermine himself --
COATES: Well --
DONALDS: -- because they've never worked. Here's what I want him to do: Tell me where they've ever worked. They've never worked. He knows that. I know that. But what he's trying to do is promise everybody something that they can't have. And the truth is there is no free lunch, just like there's no free bus. Because you know what happens when you have a free bus? There's nobody there to fix it or to drive it. He knows that, I know that, you know that, America does know it.
[23:40:00]
And it's unfortunate that the city of New York, my former home city, is probably going to have to go through this.
COATES: Speaking of free lunch, perfect segue to reiterate --
DONALDS: Yes.
COATES: -- SNAP benefits going away.
DONALDS: Well, actually -- actually, the president is using tariff money to do a partial payment. That came out today. There's going to be a partial payment, as I understand it, of SNAP benefits. Hold on. But again, that gives two more weeks of time. So, the question is, Chuck, are you going to reopen the government so our troops can be paid and so people can get the benefits that they need? The choice is yours. Choose wisely.
COATES: Congressman Byron Donalds, thank you so much.
DONALDS: Thank you.
COATES: Next, foreign policy brought to you by Fox. CNN reporting tonight the president watched a Fox News segment, then posted about going into Nigeria -- quote, unquote -- "guns-a-blazing." Our foreign policy experts are here with their perspective on how serious the threat actually is. Plus, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi speaking out hours before voters go to the polls with a message about Trump and her own future. We have the exclusive CNN interview ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: Today, the State Department has designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern over claims by President Trump that the Nigerian government is not doing enough to protect Christians from terror groups like Boko Haram. Sources tell CNN Trump has been laser- focused on the treatment of Christians in the African country after a report he saw on Fox News while traveling aboard Air Force One. And just 24 hours later, he posted on Truth Social that the United States will cut off aid and go into Nigeria "guns-a-blazing." He confirmed the possibility of military intervention to reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Do you envisage U.S. boots on the ground?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It could -- could be. I mean, a lot of things -- I envisage a lot of things. They're killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria. They're killing the Christians. They're killing them in very large numbers. We are not going to allow that to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: The White House tells CNN that President Trump has been tracking this issue for some time, even booked for a segment, and had already considered posting about it. Nigeria is a country of 230 million people, equal parts Christian and Muslim, and both Muslims and Christians have fallen victim to violence from terrorist groups like Boko Haram.
But some high-profile killings targeting Christians this year have drawn the attention of President Trump and many Republicans, including an attack on a predominantly Christian farming community located on a very crucial area of farmland that killed at least 100 people.
Joining me now is founder and executive director of the National Security Institute, Jamil Jaffer, and CNN military analyst, retired colonel, Cedric Leighton.
Let's talk about the scope of the issue. Trump is saying that, um, Nigeria is allowing the slaughter of Christians. Do we know if this is true and the extent this might be happening?
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL: Well, certainly, Nigeria is not allowing the slaughter of Christians or Muslims for that matter. In fact, the Nigerian government is working very hard within the resource constraints that they have to actually fight Boko Haram, which is the main group that is actually attacking --
COATES: Uh-hmm.
LEIGHTON: -- mainly Christians, but they're also attacking Muslims in the northern part of the country. So, what you're seeing is, uh, really a state trying to provide counterinsurgency forces to the region and trying to engage in counterinsurgency operations. Success? No, they're not there yet. They're definitely -- they definitely have some problems getting this, taking care of this from a mission standpoint.
COATES: Yeah.
LEIGHTON: But the issue is that the Nigerian government needs help, not an occupying force to come in there.
COATES: Boko Haram has been a terror for a very long time. The Nigerian government has responded. They're actually shocked they're mulling an invasion to their country for this very reason. What is the best course of action to deal with what's going on?
JAMIL JAFFER, FORMER ASSOCIATE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL TO GEORGE W. BUSH, FOUNDER: Yeah. Well, look, there are really three -- two or three different issues going on in Nigeria. You've got Boko Haram in the north. You've got bandits in the northwest. You've got -- you've got a fight between farmers and -- and herders, people who are nomadic tribesmen, who are -- who are long been in conflict. It's really -- they are -- there are religious dynamics. A lot of it is really about eonomics and resources.
And so, what the government really needs, I think to Colonel Leighton's point, is exactly right, they need counterterrorism support. Unfortunately, we got pushed out of Niger, a neighboring country, just a year ago. The closest forces we have are in Djibouti, quite a distance away. Our headquarters for AFRICOM is in Germany, right?
So, we don't have a lot of resources in the region to bring to bear on this problem. The best we could probably muster is some counterterrorism strikes. But those would be probably not against the Nigerian government but in favor of Nigerian government, which to Colonel Leighton's point, is actually trying to stop these attacks on Christians and Muslims in their country.
COATES: So, what would the military be doing there? I mean, how -- given all those resources, where would the American military come in?
LEIGHTON: This would be one of the hardest missions to plan because counterterrorism missions by their nature are difficult. And so, what you would have to do is you have to get permission from the Nigerians to go in there and to go into the right place. You need ironclad intelligence. That's something that they're not doing in Venezuela, for example. They are just attacking targets as they see them. That is not the way to do this kind of thing.
What you need to do is you need to find out who the people are, where they're located, who the most important ones are, and then eliminate those. And that's the most efficient way to do that. We've done that before in Iraq. We've done it in Afghanistan. But, you know, in the case -- in the case of Nigeria, you were talking a vast country that's 37% larger than Texas in terms of square miles.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
LEIGHTON: And it's 200, like you mentioned, 230 million people plus, and it's a very complicated, really difficult area to work in.
COATES: Yeah. Concrete intelligence requires trust, and getting permission from a government that they want to deploy these resources would require total lockdown and information. Do we have that?
JAFFER: Well, it doesn't look like it, right? I mean, our resources in region are constrained.
[23:50:00]
We've largely sort of taken our hands off the tiller when it comes to counterterrorism efforts around the globe. For the better part of a decade, we've been downplaying and downtrending our counterterrorism missions. We had a few successes here and there. We got Ayman al- Zawahiri, right? We got Qasem Soleimani, right? We've been successful. Our partners, the Israelis, the Middle East, have been very successful against a number of terrorist groups in their region.
But in Africa and, frankly, in Southeast Asia as well, we have reduced our counterterrorism footprint in part because we have multiple administrations who said we need to focus here at home, including President Trump on the campaign trail. So, it's actually good to see President Trump getting more concerned about terrorism in our hemisphere with efforts against Venezuelan drug traffickers who he has cast as terrorists.
And frankly, the real terrorists are al-Qaeda. And the Islamic State were operating actively in parts of the world, including predominantly in West Africa. We see them about take over the government in Mali. That's a huge problem and --
COATES: You agree?
JAFFER: -- off that ball.
COATES: Of course, narco-terrorists. We are waiting for information from the administration for transparency at what's happening on those boats, whose there. We do require a due process in this country. Do you agree?
LEIGHTON: Yeah. In fact, what Jamil is saying is absolutely right because, you know, we could see within days the takeover of -- at the country of Mali, which is to the northwest of Nigeria, and that would mean that al-Qaeda sympathetic people are going to actually be in charge of a country for the first time ever, and they're going to be able to use that as a springboard for attacks in the rest of Africa and potentially for attacks in Europe and possibly even in the Americas.
So, this is going to be a really important development, and we have to really pay attention to this. The capital is surrounded. Bamako of Mali is surrounded by rebel forces right now. There are fuel shortages. And that's the kind of thing that is going to lead to the fall of that government. And that'll be dangerous for Nigeria as well.
COATES: Thank you both for explaining. You know, you don't need to be a lawyer to have seen this coming. Remember when James Comey cried foul, saying he was being vindictively, selectively prosecuted? The DOJ responded in a filing that can be summarized as simply, nuh-uh. Did you see that post from the president, the one where he directly addresses his A.G. as Pam, says Comey is guilty, should be prosecuted, and complains that nothing is being done? Is this the president using his First Amendment rights? Never mind the part of the post where Trump tells A.G. Bondi to act now or that the president has a history of publicly insulting Comey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Comey and all the, you know, sleazebags.
Comey lied to everybody.
UNKNOWN: Brennan.
TRUMP: We fired Comey, that fraud.
That phony, crooked Comey.
Comey should hang his head in disgrace.
Comey is a dirty cop.
Comey is a corrupt person.
One of the best things is firing James Comey's (bleep) out of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: He clearly has an opinion. But he says his A.G. has free will. And never mind that the U.S. attorney that resigned amid pressure from the administration to charge Comey. Well, nothing to see here. But you know what Comey's team wants to see, frankly will need to see? Any info the government turns over during that document dump known as discovery. Anything that might be a smoking gun. Now, who knows if that will be an if or when. To be continued.
But hey, it's almost midnight, and I've got some quotes for you. Quote -- "vile creature." Quote -- "the worst thing on the face of the Earth." I'll give you a hint on the screen as to who said those words and who they were about. Elex Michaelson joins us next with the interview where the insults more than flew, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: It's almost midnight here in the nation's capital, which means it is time to check in with our friend, Elex Michaelson, out on the West Coast. He's out in L.A., of course. I think they want a World Series. Nice to see you.
(LAUGHTER)
Listen, you sat down with the former House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, someone who is -- well, she's not known to mince words, especially when it comes to President Trump. What did she say?
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we spoke to Giants fan Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco earlier today.
(LAUGHTER)
And I think she's even more upset about Donald Trump than the Giants not being in the playoffs. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), FORMER SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: He's just a vile creature. The worst thing on the face of the Earth. But anyway.
MICHAELSON: You think he's the worst thing on the face of the Earth?
PELOSI: I do. Yeah, I do.
MICHAELSON: Why is that?
PELOSI: Because he's the president of the United States and he does not honor the Constitution of the United States. In fact, he has turned the Supreme Court into a rogue court. He has abolished the House of Representatives. He has chilled the press. He has chilled the press. He scared people who are in our country legally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So, the White House already responding to that clip --
COATES: Hmm.
MICHAELSON: -- putting out a statement, calling her sad and crazy. And so, one of the big questions for her is, is she about to retire from Congress?
COATES: Hmm.
MICHAELSON: That's something we get into tonight. COATES: You do. I want to hear the answer to that. So, I guess I'm going to have to do what I do every night, which is watch your show. Thank you so much. Tell me what else you got coming up, though.
MICHAELSON: So, in addition to our sit down with Nancy Pelosi, we believe in having all sides on the show. So, we've got Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who's a Republican --
COATES: Hmm.
MICHAELSON: -- who is one of the five that are being targeted, who would potentially lose his job if this redistricting plan goes forward, that Nancy Pelosi is pushing. So, we'll hear from Pelosi, we'll hear from LaMalfa. We've got an interesting panel debating that as well. Plus, looking at the other big elections coming up. And, of course, going back to that Dodger parade because I can't get enough of that.
(LAUGHTER)
[00:00:00]
COATES: I bet you can't. Well, listen, have a great show, Elex. I can't wait to watch.
MICHAELSON: Thank you so much, Laura. And happy Election Day almost to you.
COATES: Oh my god. Yeah.
MICHAELSON: My favorite day of the year.
COATES: Well, there you go. Well, now, "The Story Is" that you're about to start. I'll see you, my friend.
MICHAELSON: That's right now.
